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

Abstract

Abstract A significant amount of research has been conducted to reduce the outlet flow ripple in pumps. The approach usually focuses on techniques to improve valve timing, but few attempts have been made to achieve this improvement from the piston trajectory itself. This paper investigates how the flow ripple in a triplex pump is influenced by the implementation of different linkage mechanisms that allow direct tuning of the piston trajectory. The model of a baseline pump with a displacement of 10 cc/rev and operating pressures that range from 5 to 50 MPa is built to account for the kinematics and pressure dynamics of three linkage configurations: (1) inline crank-slider, (2) offset crank-slider, (3) Watt-II crank-slider. The kinematics of the linkage configurations (2) and (3) are optimized to minimize output flow ripple. Flow ripple reductions of 10% and 25% are found for the offset crank-slider and Watt-II crank-slider respectively, compared with the inline crank-slider. Tradeoffs between kinematic and dynamic flow ripple are observed as the pump model is evaluated at various operating pressures. An optimum Watt-II linkage mechanism with a kinematic and dynamic flow ripple of 10.6% at 5 MPa is found and described in this paper along with its performance across a wide range of operating pressures.