Hydropneumatic accumulator with flexible porous filler

• US 20100050622A1
• Filed: 12/09/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alexander A. Stroganov
• Original Assignee: Alexander A. Stroganov
• Inventors: Stroganov, Alexander A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,918,246 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/413
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 1/04 Accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 1/103 the separating means being bellows
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2201/205 using gas
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2201/31 having rigid separating means, e.g. pistons
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2201/3151 the flexible separating means being diaphragms or membranes
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2201/3152 the flexible separating means being bladders
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2201/3153 the flexible separating means being bellows
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2201/42 Heat recuperators for isothermal compression and expansion

Abstract

A hydropneumatic accumulator with a flexible porous filler intended for fluid power recuperation in hydraulic systems with a high level of pulsations includes a shell where a gas port and a fluid port are connected, respectively, with a gas reservoir and a fluid reservoir of variable volume separated by a movable separator. The flexible porous filler fills the gas reservoir so that the separator movement reducing the gas reservoir volume compresses said filler. The filler is connected with internal walls of the gas reservoir with the possibility of stretching the filler at the separator movement increasing the volume of the gas reservoir. The accumulator contains means of protection of the filler boundary layer against rupture made with the possibility of reducing local deformations of the boundary filler layer in case of jerks of the separator. Development of residual deformations of the filler during multiple recuperation cycles and destruction at non-uniform motion of the separator with strong jerks are prevented.

Claims

1. A hydropneumatic accumulator with a flexible porous filler including a shell with a fluid reservoir of variable volume connected with a fluid port and a gas reservoir of variable volume connected with a gas port, wherein the gas and fluid reservoirs of variable volume are separated by a separator movable relative to the shell, and the gas reservoir contains a flexible porous filler filling the gas reservoir so that the separator movement reducing the gas reservoir volume compresses the filler, characterized in that the filler is connected with internal walls of the gas reservoir with the possibility of stretching the filler at the separator movement increasing the volume of the gas reservoir.

2. The accumulator according to claim 1 wherein the filler contains means of protection of the filler boundary layer against rupture made with the possibility of reducing local deformations of the filler boundary layer adjacent to the separator in case of jerks of the separator.

3. The accumulator according to claim 2 wherein the means of protection of the filler boundary layer against rupture are made with the possibility of reducing local deformations of the filler extension down to the values not exceeding the prespecified limits of reversible deformations at maximal jerks of the separator.

4. The accumulator according to claim 3 wherein the filler is made so that at the maximum volume of the gas holder the porous material of the filler is compressed along the direction of the separator movement to the prespecified degree of precompression preferably below 5 while the limit of reversible extension deformations is prespecified as relative elongation at which the initial size of the pores of the undeformed porous material is restored.

5. The accumulator according to claim 3 wherein the said maximum jerk force of the separator is determined by the maximum possible rate of the fluid flow rising from the fluid reservoir that may arise at instantaneous pressure drop in the hydraulic system connected to the accumulator from the maximum to the atmospheric pressure.

6. The accumulator according to claim 2 wherein the means of protection of the filler boundary layer against rupture include at least one gas-dynamic barrier made near the separator transversally to the direction of the separator jerks at chosen distance exceeding the average size of the pores of the boundary layer, and with chosen gas permeability along the separator movement smaller than the average gas permeability of the porous material of the filler.

7. The accumulator according to claim 6 wherein the said gas-dynamic barrier is made in the form of a membrane with holes.

8. The accumulator according to claim 6 wherein the said gas dynamic barrier is made as a set of connecting the pores canals with reduced permeability near the separator.

9. The accumulator according to claim 2 wherein the means of protection of the filler boundary layer against rupture include at least one elastic element connecting the separator with internal layers of the filler that are away from the separator by chosen depth exceeding the average size of the pores of the filler boundary layer.

10. The accumulator according to claim 9 wherein the separator and the elastic element are made from the same elastic material.

11. The accumulator according to claim 9 wherein the separator is made in the form of a piston while the elastic element is made in the form of a metal spring connected with the separator and the shell of the accumulator.

12. The accumulator according to claim 9 wherein the said elastic element is made as a set of walls between the pores with increased springiness near the separator exceeding the average springiness of the webs between the filler pores.

13. The accumulator according to claim 1 wherein the gas port is separated from the filler by a filter with the possibility to transmit gas from the gas reservoir into the gas port and to trap the filler material.

14. The accumulator according to claim 1 wherein the gas port contains a flow restrictor made with the possibility of restricting the gas flow through the gas port so that the pressure drop on it at open gas port exceeds, preferably 10 and more times, the maximum pressure difference between different spaces of the filler.

15. The accumulator according to claim 1 wherein the filler near the gas port is made with increased gas permeability exceeding the average permeability of the porous material of the filler.

16. The accumulator according to claim 1 wherein the filler is made with increased springiness near the gas port.

17. The accumulator according to claim 1 wherein the filler contains a material with the phase transition in the temperature range between the maximum temperature of the environment and the maximum permissible temperature of using the filler.