Variable Volume Sheath Container for Waste Heat Pump Cavitation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional waste heat utilization circuits in internal combustion engines are prone to undesired cavitation effects in pumps, which can lead to damage or destruction of components.
Innovation Solution
A container with a heat-conductive, volume-variable sheath is introduced into the waste heat utilization circuit to supercool the working medium, ensuring it flows in a liquid phase through the pump, preventing cavitation by maintaining a stable fluid pressure through thermal interaction with an auxiliary medium.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the working medium is used in a conventional waste heat utilization circuit, then the circuit can operate and transfer heat, but undesired cavitation effects occur in the pump which can lead to damage or destruction of components
Solution Approach 1:
The working medium is pre-cooled in a cooling container before entering the pump, ensuring it remains in liquid phase and preventing cavitation. This preliminary cooling action addresses the cavitation problem before it occurs in the pump system.
Solution Approach 2:
The temperature and pressure parameters of the working medium are changed by cooling it to below its saturation temperature at the given pressure. This parameter change ensures the working medium remains in liquid phase, preventing cavitation effects in the pump.
2Reliability
If the working medium is cooled to prevent cavitation, then pump reliability improves, but the system requires additional cooling components and control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling container integrates multiple functions: it cools the working medium, stores it in liquid phase, and regulates pressure. By combining these functions in a single component, the overall system complexity is reduced despite the added cooling capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling container uses the cold thermal energy from the waste heat utilization circuit itself to cool the working medium, creating a self-regulating system that doesn't require external active cooling mechanisms.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the working medium flows through the pump in liquid phase, then cavitation is prevented, but the working medium must be maintained at lower temperatures throughout the circuit
Solution Approach 1:
The working medium is pre-cooled in a dedicated cooling container before entering the pump, ensuring it remains in liquid phase. This preliminary cooling action maintains the temperature at levels that prevent cavitation without requiring the entire circuit to operate at low temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
Cooling is applied locally at the pump inlet through the cooling container, rather than cooling the entire circuit. This localized approach maintains low temperature only where necessary to prevent cavitation, allowing other parts of the system to operate at higher temperatures for efficiency.
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
The solution effectively prevents cavitation in the pump by maintaining the working medium in a supercooled liquid state, ensuring continuous operation without external regulation, thus protecting pump components and enhancing energy efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a fluid-tight, heat-conductive and volume-variable sheath (4) is arranged in the housing (2)... the working medium (6) can enter into thermal interaction with the auxiliary medium (7) via the heat-conductive sheath (4)
Implementation Method 2
When the temperature of the auxiliary medium reaches its boiling temperature here, the liquid phase of the auxiliary medium begins to evaporate at least partially
Implementation Method 3
An equalization container (1) for a waste heat utilization circuit (51)... brings about a supercooling of the working medium (6), so that the latter flows as far as possible only in liquid phase through the pump (52)
Data Source
AI summary
A container for a waste heat utilization circuit may include a housing that defines a housing interior such that the housing interior can be flowed through by a working medium. A sheath may be arranged in the housing interior for accommodating an auxiliary medium. The sheath may be fluid-tight and heat-conductive at least in certain areas. The sheath may define a sheath interior of variable volume.