Session: Pumps 1

Paper Number: 111788

111788 - Flow Ripple Minimization in a Triplex Pump Through the Implementation of Various Linkage Mechanisms 

A significant amount of research has been conducted to reduce the flow ripple in pumps. The approach usually focuses on different techniques to improve valve timing, but reduced attempts have been made to achieve this improvement from the piston trajectory itself. This paper investigated the flow ripple in a triplex piston pump through implementing different harmonics in the piston trajectory and introducing active valve timing to the pump model. A model of this pump is built and optimized for low flow ripple while maintaining the same or improved efficiency levels. The pump was optimized for a given displacement of 400 cc/rev and the design space allowed for an offset crank slider mechanism. Active valve timing was incorporated into the model for the outlet valves to allow for flow ripple and efficiency optimization at varying operating pressures. By optimizing the crank-slider geometry that dictates the piston trajectory and the valve timing, a 28% flow ripple reduction was achieved with a 1.5% efficiency improvement with respect to the baseline pump for operating pressures that range from 10 to 30 MPa. The proposed design changes of an offset crank-slider mechanism and active valve timing with a trapezoidal outlet valve area profile in a triplex pump are viable designs for this pump architecture.

Presenting Author: Martin Herrera Perez University of Minnesota

Presenting Author Biography: Martin Herrera-Perez completed his B.S in mechanical engineering at the University of Miami in 2020. He is a current Ph.D. student who works as a research assistant at the Mechanical Energy and Power Systems laboratory at the University of Minnesota. Martin’s research interests are in model driven design of fluid power systems and efficient energy conversion.