Particle Image Velocimetry Measurement of the Flow Field in the Play of the Drilling Pump Valve

The failure of a drilling pump is always due to the break of the drilling pump valve, which is one of the most important but also the weakest parts of the drilling pump. Over the decades, the degradation of drilling pump valves has been investigated extensively and various failure mechanisms have been proposed. However, no experimental test on the fluid has been successfully performed to support some of these mechanisms. In this paper, tests of the flow within the valve play are carried out to investigate the factors resulting in the failure of the valve. In the tests, particle image velocimetry（PIV） technology is employed to measure the flow field distribution of the valve play in the model. From these tests, the distributions of velocity and vorticity of fluid in ＇various valves with different valve angles and different valve lifts are obtained, from which the features of flow fields are derived and generalized. Subsequently, a general rule of the influence of valve angles and valve lifts on the flow velocity is concluded according to chart analyses of maximal velocities and mean velocities. Finally, an analysis is made on the possibility of valve failure caused by erosion and abrasion in a working valve, with the application of the failure mechanisms of drilling pump valves. PIV measurement improves the study on the failure of the drilling pump valve, and the results show good agreement with previous computational fluid dynamics（CFD） simulations.

DYNAMICS MODEL AND SIMULATION OF FLAT VALVE SYSTEM OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION WATER PUMP

The dynamics differential equations are constructed, and the initial conditions are also given. Simulation shows the following conclusions： The water pressure in cylinder has great instantaneous pulsation and phase step when outlet valve or inlet valve opens, but is more gently in other time; The volume efficiency is influenced by the output pressure slightly, and decreases as the working rotational speed increases; When the inherent frequency of the valves is integer multiple of the working frequency, the volume efficiency of system will decrease evidently.

Theory and Experimental Verification on Cymbal-shaped Slotted Valve Piezoelectric Pump

Valve piezoelectric pumps usually have larger flow rate than that of valveless ones. However, the traditional cantilever valve easily induces stress concentration which impacts the reliability of pumps. Therefore, a cymbal-shaped slotted check valve is proposed to be applied in a piezoelectric pump in order to reduce the stress concentration of the valve and thus improve the reliability of the piezoelectric pump. The structure and working principle of the piezoelectric pump are analyzed; the stress analysis of the cymbal-shaped slotted valve diaphragm is conducted. In addition, finite element software is employed to analyze the difference of the Von-Mises stress between the cymbal-shaped slotted diaphragm and the slotted flat diaphragm. The simulation results show that, the Von-Mises stress of cymbal-shaped slotted diaphragm is smaller than that of the slotted flat one. Furthermore, the cymbal-shaped slotted valve piezoelectric pump is also fabricated, and flow rate experiment is performed. The experimental results indicate that the flow rate of piezoelectric pump working in low frequencies(0 Hz < f< 50 Hz) is larger than that working in high frequencies(200 Hz < f< 2000 Hz). When driven at voltage of 160 V and frequency of 5 Hz, the pump reaches its maximum flow rate of 6.6 g/min. The experimental results validate the feasibility of the cymbal-shaped slotted check valve. This research can effectively solve the problem of stress concentration of valve piezoelectric pumps and is helpful for improving the reliability of them.

Cavitation of a Submerged Jet at the Spherical Valve Plate/Cylinder Block Interface for Axial Piston Pump

The spherical valve plate/cylinder block pair has the advantages of strong overturning resistance and large bearing area.However,the configurations of the unloading and pre-boosting triangular grooves on the spherical valve plate are different from those in the planar valve plate,resulting in special cavitation phenomenon on the spherical port plate pair.In order to study cavitation characteristics of spherical port plate pair,a dynamic CFD model of the piston pump including turbulence model,cavitation model and fluid compressibility is established.A detailed UDF compilation scheme is provided for modelling of the micron-sized spherical oil film mesh,which makes up for the lack of research on the meshing of the spherical oil film.In this paper,using CFD simulation tools,from the perspectives of pressure field,velocity field and gas volume fraction change,a detailed analysis of the transient evolution of the submerged cavitation jet in a axial piston pump with spherical valve plate is carried out.The study indicates the movement direction of the cavitation cloud cluster through the cloud image and the velocity vector direction of the observation point.The sharp decrease of velocity and gas volume fraction indicates the collapse phenomenon of bubbles on the part wall surface.These discoveries verify the special erosion effect in case of the spherical valve plate/cylinder block pair.The submerged cavitation jet generated by the unloading triangular grooves distributed on the spherical valve plate not only cause denudation of the inner wall surface of the valve plate,but also cause strong impact and denudation on the lower surface of the cylinder body.Finally,the direction of the unloading triangular groove was modified to extend the distance between it and the wall surface which can effectively alleviate the erosion effect.

Theoretical Analysis and Experimental Verification on Valve-less Piezoelectric Pump with Hemisphere-segment Bluff-body

Existing researches on no-moving part valves in valve-less piezoelectric pumps mainly concentrate on pipeline valves and chamber bottom valves, which leads to the complex structure and manufacturing process of pump channel and chamber bottom. Furthermore, position fixed valves with respect to the inlet and outlet also makes the adjustability and controllability of flow rate worse. In order to overcome these shortcomings, this paper puts forward a novel implantable structure of valve-less piezoelectric pump with hemisphere-segments in the pump chamber. Based on the theory of flow around bluff-body, the flow resistance on the spherical and round surface of hemisphere-segment is different when fluid flows through, and the macroscopic flow resistance differences thus formed are also different. A novel valve-less piezoelectric pump with hemisphere-segment bluff-body （HSBB） is presented and designed. HSBB is the no-moving part valve. By the method of volume and momentum comparison, the stress on the bluff-body in the pump chamber is analyzed. The essential reason of unidirectional fluid pumping is expounded, and the flow rate formula is obtained. To verify the theory, a prototype is produced. By using the prototype, experimental research on the relationship between flow rate, pressure difference, voltage, and frequency has been carried out, which proves the correctness of the above theory. This prototype has six hemisphere-segments in the chamber filled with water, and the effective diameter of the piezoelectric bimorph is 30mm. The experiment result shows that the flow rate can reach 0.50 mL/s at the frequency of 6 Hz and the voltage of 110 V. Besides, the pressure difference can reach 26.2 mm H20 at the frequency of 6 Hz and the voltage of 160 V. This research proposes a valve-less piezoelectric pump with hemisphere-segment bluff-body, and its validity and feasibility is verified through theoretical analysis and experiment.

Tribological Properties of Cylinder Block/Valve Plate Interface of Axial Piston Pump on the Tribometer

The tribological properties of cylinder block/valve plate is an important consideration in the design of axial piston pump.The effect of materials and heat treatment on friction and wear properties has been studied in depth.Engi-neering experiences show that the speed and load also affect the tribological properties,but these have not been systematically analyzed.The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the tribological properties of the commonly used materials(CuPb1 5Sn5 and 38CrMoAl/42CrMo)for cylinder block/valve plate with different heat treatment and con-tact pressure at different speed.During the test,tribometer is used to simulate the contact pattern between the valve plate/cylinder block in axial piston pump,the friction coefficient,wear rate and surface topography are analyzed to evaluate the tribological properties of different types of friction samples at different speed.Results indicate that:(1)contact surface of the samples at 1800 r/min is more prone to adhesive wear than those at 500 r/min;(2)in the terms of wear resistance,quench-tempered and nitrided 38CrMoAl(38CrMoAl QTN for short)is better than quench-tem-pered and nitrided 42CrMo,although they are all commonly used materials in the axial piston pump;(3)2.5 MPa is the critical contact pressure of the interface between valve plate made of 38CrMoAl QTN and cylinder block made of CuPb1 5Sn5 on the tribometer,which implies the pressure bearing area at the bottom of the cylinder block should be carefully designed;(4)the valve plate/cylinder block made of 38CrMoAl QTN/CuPb15Sn5 exhibits good tribological properties in a real axial piston pump.This research is useful for the failure analysis and structural optimization design of the valve plates/cylinder block.

Numerical and Experimental Study on Dynamic Performance of Heat Pump Water Heater with Electronic Expansion Valve

A series of experiments on the dynamic performance of the HPWH （heat pump water heater） unit with EXV （electronic expansion valve） under different environmental conditions were conducted. The dynamic heating capacity and COP （coefficient of performance） of the HPWH unit under different EXV openings were measured. The effects of the EXV opening on the performance of the HPWH unit were analyzed. Meanwhile, the dynamic performance of the HPWH with EXV was simulated and the results were compared with the experimental one. The experimental results indicate that during heating process, the COP increases firstly and then decreases for a fixed EXV opening, which is in good agreement with the numerical result. For different EXV openings, the COP and heating capacity of the system using larger EXV opening are superior to those using the smaller one in the initial heating stage. While in the late stage, the performance of system using smaller EXV opening is better. It is found that the system performance is improved significantly by changing the EXV opening in the different heating period and the average COP of the HPWH system is increased by 7.6%.

Influence of Valve's Characteristic on Total Performance of Three Cylinders Internal Combustion Water Pump

Intenal combustion pump （ICP） is a new type power device turning the thermal energy from fuel combustion into fluid pressure energy. Three cylinders prototype has just been developed. The study on the influence of valve＇s characteristic on ICP＇s total performance will found the base for its optimum design. Based on the theoretical and testing fruits of single cylinder prototype, the performance of the valves and complete appliance of the latest is simulated. When the natural frequency of valves is approximately to the round number times of the working frequency, volumetric efficiency is seriously low. The nominal rotational speed of the prototype is nearly to the speed where the volumetric efficiency is lowest, which is harmful to the normal work of ICP, so further structure optimization of valves should be carried out. The change of volumetric efficiency has great influence on the fuel consumption rate, output flow, effective thermal efficiency, effective power, and so on, but little on output pressure.

Advances in Technologies of Piezoelectric Pumping with Valves

Piezoelectric pump faces unprecedented challenges when higher expectation and requirements need to be met in their applications mainly to medical treatment,hygiene and public health,and preventive healthcare.Specifically,the piezoelectric pump with valve has the disadvantages of complex structure,high duty cycle of valves,and valve movement lagged behind piezoelectric ceramics oscillation.In an attempt to inhibit its shortcomings,some researchers presented novel concepts for structural design of piezoelectric pump with valve,which could become a new research focus.Among them,the investigation into various soft valves,represented by soft structure valves made of rigid materials and soft material valves made of flexible materials,has been fruitful in recent years.The integrated design of both material and structure can tackle the problems encountered in the study of piezoelectric pump with valve,thus simplifying the pump structure,reducing the duty-cycle of valves,and improving the lagging of valve motion.In addition,new inventions of pump structure have sprung up,such as the pumps containing a single-chamber with double-drive,single-chamber with single-drive in series and single-chamber with single-drive in parallel,as well as the mixed-chamber in series and parallel.After surveying the recent progresses made by dominant academia in the development of piezoelectric pump encompassing valve,with a particular emphasis on structure design of both valve and pump body,we also summarize and identify the future research directions.

Principle and Experimental Verification of Caudal-fin-type Piezoelectric-stack Pump with Variable-cross-section Oscillating Vibrator

In the traditional flow-resistance-differential (FRD) type valve-less piezoelectric pump, the generated outflow and pressure are discontinuous because of the inherent periodicity and fluctuation of the pump. To overcome these drawbacks, utilizing the bending vibration of piezoelectric bimorph to drive fluid was conducted. However, our investigation on the current status of this piezoelectric bimorph pump shows that larger driving force and vibration amplitude are required for fluid pumping; the pumping can be realized through the centrifugal force; and the mechanism of fluid pumping is no longer further studied. Based on these cases, the paper designed a piezoelectric-stack pump with variable-cross-section oscillating (VCSO) vibrator by imitating the swing of the caudal-fin of tuna, and the pump is neither the rotating type nor the volumetric type according to the taxonomy. The interaction between the oscillating vibrator and the fluid parcel is firstly analyzed from the viewpoint of momentum conservation, and the analytical expression of pump flow rate is obtained. Then the modal and harmonic response analyses on the vibrator immerged in water are carried out. From the analyses the first two orders resonance frequencies are 832 Hz and 1 939 Hz, respectively, and the peak value of the tip amplitude is 0.6 mm. Laser Doppler vibrometer is used to measure both the frequency and vibration amplitude, and the determined first two orders resonance frequencies are 617 Hz and 1 356 Hz, respectively. The measured tip amplitude reaches to the peak value of 0.3 mm. At last, experimental measurement for the flow rates with different driving frequencies is conducted. The results show that the flow rate can reach 560 mL/min at 1 370 Hz when the pump runs under the backpressure of 30 mm water column. And the flow rate is as much as 560% of that of experiment results carried out by researchers from Brazil. The proposed pump innovates in both theory and taxonomy; in addition, the pump overcomes the drawbacks such as large flow fluctuation and low flow rate in the traditional FRD type pumps, which will help to broaden the application of the valve-less piezoelectric pump.

Design and Verification of an Auxiliary System for High Vacuum Die Casting

Vacuum die casting is the optimal method to produce high quality aluminum alloy components.At present,there are still very few systematic studies on vacuum die casting theory and equipment design.On the basis of the existing theories of the vacuum die casting pumping and venting systems,a simplified model is established in this research.The model has an aggregate unit consisted of ＂vacuum pump ＋ buffer tank＂ and a cylindrical container（including the shot sleeve,cavity and exhaust channel）.The theoretical analysis is carried out between the cavity pressure and the pumping time under different volume models.An auxiliary system for high vacuum die casting is designed based on the above analysis.This system is composed of a vacuum control machine and a new vacuum stop valve.The machine has a human-computer control mode with ＂programmable logic controller（PLC） ＋ touch screen＂ and a real-time monitoring function of vacuum degree for buffer tank and die cavity.The vacuum stop valve with the ＂compressed gas ＋ piston rod ＋ labyrinth groove＂ structure can realize the function of whole-process vacuum venting.The new system shows great advantages on vacuuming the cavity with a much faster speed by making tests on an existing die casting mold and a 250 t die casting machine.A die cavity pressure less than 10 kPa can be reached within 0.8 s in the experiment and the porosity of castings can be greatly decreased.The systematic studies on vacuum die casting theory and equipment have a great guiding significance for high vacuum die casting,and can also be applied to other high vacuum forming in related theoretical and practical research.

FLOW DIRECTION OF PIEZOELECTRIC PUMP WITH NOZZLE/DIFFUSER-ELEMENTS

The piezoelectric pump with nozzle/diffuser-elements, which oscillating formdiffering from regular volumetric reciprocating or rotating pumps because there arenozzle/diffuser-elements substituted for regular valves, is a new type pump whose actuator is apiezoelectric ceramal part with verse piezoelectric effect In recent year, piezoelectric pump ispaid increasing attention to because it is an ideal candidate in application in such area as medicalhealth, mechanical tools and micro-mechanism. The fundamental research on it, however, is still notmade through. Focuses on the phenomenon of different directions of flow among Germany pump, Chinesepump and Swiss pump, which are all fitted with nozzle/diffuser-elements, and analyzes the coneangle of nozzle/diffuser-elements based on the flow equation of valve-less piezoelectric pump withnozzle/diffuser-elements. As a result, the concepts of diffuser toss coefficient and losscoefficient are introduced to explain these phenomena, from which a discussion is given on theoptimization of the cone angle of nozzle/diffuser-element aiming at the maximum of pump flow.

A Flexible Valve Based Piezoelectric Pump for High Viscosity Cooling Liquid Transportation

A piezoelectric pump with flexible valve has been developed to pump high viscosity cooling liquid in the nanosats thermal control system. The structure of the flexible valve is designed according to the characteristics of the human aortic shape with the aim to simulate the bionic pumping function of the human heart. Dynamic stress-strain features of the flexible valve are analyzed by the finite element method,and the results show that the proposed flexible valve is suitable and functional for the piezoelectric pump. Then the cylinder and diffuser/nozzle piezoelectric pumps based on flexible valves have been developed and fabricated. Experimental results of the output performance indicate that the maximum flow rate of the cylinder piezoelectric pump with flexible valve is 15.38 mL/min,170.77% higher than the diffuser/nozzle piezoelectric pump with flexible valve. The ability of the cylinder piezoelectric pump with flexible valve for transmitting high viscosity liquid has been validated. The piezoelectric pump with flexible valve has potential applications in the nanosats thermal control system.

Structural Optimization of Damping Groove Based on Valve Plate Dynamic Cavitation Response Model

To reduce cavitation occurring on valve plate of piston pump,an optimization design method was introduced to quantitively analyze the accurate relationship between structural jet groove parameters and cavitation. Using the computational fluid dynamics( CFD) method,the absorbing and discharging processes in piston pump were simulated dynamically. The damping groove's structure effects on both jet angle and pressure shock were analyzed visually with a series of different parametrical grooves. By establishing parametrical damping groove model,the piston pumps' dynamic analysis was integrated with CFD analysis,experimental design and approximation model, etc. The mathematical model of plunger pressure during oil back period,jet angle and structural parameters of damping groove were established in the form of second-order response surface method( RSM) model. The damping groove structure of valve plate was optimized on the basis of the RSM model. Test data shows that the anti-cavitation performance of optimized valve plate was obviously improved. And this method provides theoretical foundation for the structure design of damping groove.

Control method on serial type pump-valve coordinated electro-hydraulic servo system

In order to compromise the conflicts between control accuracy and system efficiency of conventional electro-hydraulic servo systems,a novel pump-valve coordinated electro-hydraulic servo system was designed and a corresponding control strategy was proposed.The system was constituted of a pumpcontrolled part and a valve-controlled part,the pump controlled part is used to adjust the flow rate of oil source and the valve controlled part is used to complete the position tracking control of the hydraulic cylinder.Based on the system characteristics,a load flow grey prediction method was adopted in the pump controlled part to reduce the system overflow losses,and an adaptive robust control method was adopted in the valve controlled part to eliminate the effect of system nonlinearity and parametric uncertainties due to variable hydraulic parameters and system loads on the control precision.The experimental results validated that the adopted control strategy increased the system efficiency obviously with guaranteed high control accuracy.

Lean and interpretable digital twins for building energy monitoring - A case study with smart thermostatic radiator valves and gas absorption heat pumps

The transition to low carbon energy systems poses challenges in terms of energy efficiency.In building refur-bishment projects,efficient technologies such as smart controls and heat pumps are increasingly being used as a substitute for conventional technologies with the aim of reducing carbon emissions and determining operational energy and cost savings,together with other benefits.Measured building performance,however,often reveals a significant gap between the predicted energy use(design stage)and actual energy use(operation stage).For this reason,lean and interpretable digital twins are needed for building energy monitoring aimed at persistence of savings and continuous performance improvement.In this research,interpretable regression models are built with data at multiple temporal resolutions(monthly,daily and hourly)and seamlessly integrated with the goal of verifying the performance improvements due to Smart thermostatic radiator valves(TRVs)and gas absorption heat pumps(GAHPs)as well as giving insights on the performance of the building as a whole.Further,as part of modelling research,time of week and temperature(TOWT)approach is reformulated and benchmarked against its original implementation.The case study chosen is Hale Court sheltered housing,located in the city of Portsmouth(UK).This building has been used for the field-testing of innovative technologies such as TRVs and GAHPs within the EU Horizon 2020 project THERMOSS.The results obtained are used to illustrate possible extensions of the use of energy signature modelling,highlighting implications for energy management and innovative building technologies development.

基于多目标遗传算法的斜盘式轴向柱塞泵低脉动结构优化设计

由于轴向柱塞泵的非对称结构特性,其输出压力和输出流量存在脉动特性,对液压系统的输出稳定性和可靠性造成影响,因此提出了一种基于多目标遗传算法的斜盘式轴向柱塞泵低脉动结构优化设计方法。首先,通过CFD(computational fluid dynamics,计算流体动力学)仿真分析方法,对轴向柱塞泵上/下死点位的压力-流量脉动的产生机理进行了分析;其次,对阻尼槽结构参数对轴向柱塞泵输出压力-流量脉动的影响规律进行了分析,构建了阻尼槽结构的多目标优化模型;最后,求解了低脉动阻尼槽结构。优化后的结构参数:阻尼槽半径为2.21 mm,阻尼槽长度为10.32 mm,阻尼槽错配角为16.54°。优化后压力脉动率为0.59%,相比于优化前的0.75%降低了0.16%,脉动幅值为0.25 MPa;优化后流量脉动率为12.02%,相比于优化前的5.61%降低了43.59%。研究结果为轴向柱塞泵低脉动结构的优化设计提供了有效的理论支持和实践指导。

伞状浮动阀压电泵的设计与试验

针对球阀压电泵输出性能不佳和伞阀压电泵易于疲劳失效的问题,基于球阀的浮动式工作原理和伞阀的结构特征,设计了一种性能优良且不易疲劳失效的伞状浮动阀压电泵。制作了伞状浮动阀压电泵与球阀压电泵的样机,测试分析了两种泵的输出性能。研究结果表明,当驱动电压为300 V(峰峰值)时,伞状浮动阀压电泵的最大流量和最高压力差均优于球阀压电泵。对伞状浮动阀压电泵进行了双入口结构改进,试验对比了双入口与单入口伞状浮动阀压电泵的输出性能。试验结果表明,在驱动电压300 V pp下,双入口伞状浮动阀压电泵的最大流量和最大压力差分别为121.66 g/min和7.71 kPa,较单入口伞状浮动阀压电泵分别提高17.23%和32.93%。

Review of cylinder block/valve plate interface in axial piston pumps: Theoretical models,experimental investigations, and optimal design

Axial piston pumps have been widely used in aircraft hydraulic systems to supply the system with pressurized fluid. The continuous improvement of the aircraft performance has put forward the demand on aviation piston pumps for high power density, safety, and reliability. The lubricating interfaces in axial piston machines are the key design issue that greatly determines the pump performance and service life. The cylinder block/valve plate interface is one of these critical lubricating interfaces and has received considerable attention from many researchers in the last half century. This study aims to review the state-of-the-art literature on the cylinder block/valve plate interface comprehensively and systematically. First, we introduce various theoretical models developed to investigate the lubrication behaviors of the interface and compare them in terms of their assumptions and limitations. Second, the experimental studies on the cylinder block/valve plate interface are presented comprehensively, where the involved test rigs are divided into three types according to their fidelity levels and measurement functionality. Third, we summarize some typical approaches of structure optimization, surface shaping, and surface strengthening, which help improve the load-carrying and anti-wear capacities of the interface under severe operating conditions. Finally, the challenges and future trends of the cylinder block/valve plate interface research are discussed briefly.

新型液阻式泵阀冲击特性研究

为了降低阀芯与阀座冲击应力减小二者间冲击磨损,提出一种液阻式新型泵阀。采用数值仿真方法对泵阀液阻结构参数进行了优化,并仿真计算了阀芯与阀座的冲击速度和泵阀碰撞冲击的压力接触情况。对比分析了液阻泵阀和传统泵阀的运动特征及冲击应力结果,并搭建试验台架对仿真模型结果进行验证。结果表明,在阀芯下落阶段,带液阻结构的泵阀的回落速度明显小于传统泵阀,传统泵阀阀芯与阀座相接触的速度达到了0.118 m/s,而带液阻结构泵阀的阀芯与阀座相接触的速度仅为传统泵阀的1/6左右,约为0.02 m/s;带液阻结构的泵阀只发生了1次碰撞,而传统泵阀发生了2次碰撞,在碰撞时,带液阻结构的泵阀阀芯与阀座上的最大接触应力约为260 MPa,而传统泵阀第1次碰撞为190 MPa,第2次为270 MPa;液阻式泵阀能明显降低阀芯与阀座相接触的速度,降低冲击应力,从而减小泵阀的冲击磨损。研究结果可为液阻式泵阀的设计和应用提供参考。