Vane Pump Axial Gap Lubrication With Leakage Fluid Recovery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Vane pumps experience efficiency loss due to leakage fluid flowing through axial sealing gaps, which reduces the effectiveness of fluid delivery.
Innovation Solution
A vane pump design with a collecting structure and sealing gaps that collect leakage fluid, forming an outer and inner sealing gap around the rotational axis to minimize fluid loss and enhance lubrication between moving parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If leakage fluid flows through axial sealing gaps, then lubrication between moving parts is improved, but fluid delivery effectiveness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The pump housing is segmented into multiple chambers (first chamber, second chamber, third chamber) separated by sealing gaps. The collecting structure divides the axial gap into an outer sealing gap and an inner sealing gap, creating distinct flow paths that separate lubrication function from fluid delivery function.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful leakage flow is extracted and redirected into the collecting structure (reservoir). Instead of allowing fluid to leak directly from high-pressure to low-pressure regions through the axial gap, the leakage fluid is collected and stored, preventing effectiveness loss while maintaining lubrication benefits.
2Productivity
If leakage fluid is collected in a reservoir, then fluid loss is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The collecting structure is merged with the pump housing, forming an integrated component rather than a separate reservoir. The housing itself serves dual purposes: containing the pump mechanism and storing leakage fluid. This combining approach reduces part count and simplifies manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump housing performs multiple functions: it contains the rotor and vanes, provides structural support, and serves as a reservoir for collecting leakage fluid. The axial gap serves dual purposes as both a lubrication path and a flow separation boundary.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Reduces fluid loss and enhances lubrication, maintaining pump efficiency by utilizing leakage fluid as a lubricant and reducing friction between moving parts.
Implementation Method 1
The leakage fluid lubricates the surfaces moved relative to each other in the respective axial gap
Data Source
AI summary
A vane pump includes: a housing with a first end-facing wall and a second end-facing wall which delineate a delivery chamber on one end-facing side each, and with a circumferential wall which extends around the delivery chamber; a rotor which can be rotated about a rotational axis in the delivery chamber and which forms a first axial gap with the first end-facing wall and a second axial gap with the second end-facing wall; multiple vanes which can be moved back and forth in guide slots of the rotor, wherein the guide slots have sub-vane regions which are connected to the high-pressure side of the delivery chamber in order to apply pressure to the underside of the respective vanes; and a collecting structure for collecting fluid via the first axial gap.