GB1171707A - Improved Multiple Pump Assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

1,171,707. Rotary pumps. ALLISCHALMERS MFG. CO. Aug. 14, 1967, [Aug. 18, 1966], No.37262/67. Heading F1F. A pump assembly comprises two pumping units 13, 16 of different capacities and having externally meshing pumping gears driven by a common shaft 19, said units being furnished with a common inletpassage 21 and a common outlet-passage 26, and a branch passage 28 associated with the latter and the unit 16 being controlled by two valves 18, 31 in accordance with the pressure in the passage 26. The valve 31 is a non-return or check valve whereas the valve 18 when in an open condition permits fluid in the passage to return to the passage 21 by way of a by-pass passage 36, the latter valve being regulated by a pilot valve 41 having an actuator 42 associated therewith. During normal operation of the assembly, a spring-loaded valve member 59 in the valve 18 is held against a seat 63 by pressure communicated to the interior of said valve member from the passages 28, 36 through an orifice or bleed hole 57. When the pressure in the outletpassage 26 becomes excessive, a spring-loaded valve member 51 in the pilot valve 41 is raised and permits fluid to flow through lateral openings 50 in a carrier 45 for said valve member into the passage 21, throttling caused by the hole 57 being effective to reduce the pressure within the valve member 59 so that owing to a conic surface 58 thereon the latter is deflected away from the seat 63 by the pressure prevailing in the passage 36. To prevent the pilot valve closing until the pressure in the passage 26 is reduced to a predetermined value, a plunger 43 constituting the actuator aforesaid is raised by pressure in a chamber 46, which is communicated thereto through a passage 66 from a further branch-passage 27 associated with the pump 13 and the passage 26, the area of the lower most end 60 of the plunger being greater than the cross-sectional area of a bore 64 in a seating 52 for the valve member 51 to ensure that there is sufficient thrust to hold the latter in an open position until the pressure in the various passages 26, 27, 28, 36 falls by a substantial amount, thereby preventing cyclic opening and closing, or "hunting", of the valves 18, 41.