Vapor Column Liquid Accumulator for Adjustable Pulsation Damping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid accumulators face issues such as gas permeation, liquid leakage, and seal swelling due to the use of barriers like bladders or pistons, which can lead to undesirable pulsations in liquid flow rates and pressures in delivery systems, particularly in anesthesia agent delivery systems where large volume expansions occur.
Innovation Solution
A liquid delivery system that employs a chamber with a vapor column acting as a gas spring, generated by inputting energy to vaporize liquid, eliminating the need for barriers and allowing for adjustable spring rates through varying energy input, thereby reducing pulsations without pre-charged gases or moving parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a barrier (bladder, diaphragm, or piston) is used to separate gas volume from liquid volume in a conventional accumulator, then the gas volume can exert force on the liquid volume to smooth pulsations, but gas permeation, liquid leakage, and seal swelling occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the barrier component entirely from the accumulator system. Instead of using a bladder, diaphragm, or piston to separate the gas spring from the liquid, the invention allows direct contact between the gas and liquid phases. This extraction of the barrier element eliminates the sources of gas permeation, liquid leakage, and seal swelling while maintaining the pulsation-smoothing function through the compressibility of the gas phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a sintered metal porous plate as an intermediary structure that allows gas and liquid to coexist in the same chamber without requiring a complete barrier. The porous plate provides structural support and enables the gas spring to function while preventing direct mixing of phases, thus eliminating seal failure modes associated with traditional barriers.
2Reliability
If pre-charged gas is used in a conventional accumulator to reduce pulsations, then the gas volume can be compressed and expanded to smooth flow rate variations, but the system size increases and spring rate adjustment becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic gas spring system where the spring rate can be adjusted in real-time by controlling the heating power. By varying the heating power, the amount of vapor in the chamber changes, which dynamically adjusts the gas spring characteristics. This allows the system to adapt to different operating conditions and pump speeds without requiring physical reconfiguration or multiple pre-charged gas options.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the gas spring by controlling the temperature and vapor content through heating. By adjusting the heating power parameter, the system modifies the gas spring rate to match different pump speeds and flow conditions. This parameter-based control enables a compact design without pre-charged gas while maintaining effective pulsation reduction.
3Reliability
If a barrier is used to separate gas and liquid phases in an accumulator, then the gas spring can smooth pulsations, but the device complexity and package size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the separate barrier component and its associated housing requirements. By allowing direct gas-liquid contact or using a minimal porous plate structure, the accumulator chamber can be designed more compactly without the additional volume required for barrier containment and sealing mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the gas spring chamber and liquid chamber into a single integrated space. Instead of requiring separate compartments divided by a barrier, the system uses a unified chamber where gas and liquid coexist, reducing the overall device volume while maintaining the pulsation-smoothing function through the compressible gas phase.
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
This solution effectively minimizes pulsations in liquid flow rates and pressures, reduces the risk of gas permeation and liquid leakage, and allows for real-time optimization of spring rates to match pump speeds, enhancing system performance and reducing package size.
Implementation Method 1
a power source configured to input energy to the chamber to generate vapor from the liquid to form the vapor column
Implementation Method 2
The compression or expansion of the gas volume exerts force on the liquid volume through a bladder, diaphragm, or piston that separates the gas volume from the liquid volume
Data Source
AI summary
Liquid accumulators and methods for reducing pulsations of a liquid flow are disclosed. A liquid delivery system comprises a pump configured to drive liquid to a pipe. The pipe is configured to transmit a liquid flow. A liquid accumulator is fluidically connected to the pipe. The liquid accumulator comprises a chamber containing the liquid and a vapor column and a power source configured to input energy to the chamber to generate vapor from the liquid to form the vapor column. The vapor column constitutes a gas spring to reduce pulsations of the liquid flow in the pipe. The spring rate of the gas spring can be adjusted by changing the input energy level from the power source to the chamber.