Shendan Zhao

The deep-sea submersible is an essential piece of equipment for deep-sea development, serving as a crucial tool for conducting exploration and operations in the deep ocean. As the core component of the hydraulic system, the plunger pump is vital for ensuring the smooth lifting and lowering of the submersible. The plunger pair, which constitutes the most significant friction pair in plunger pumps, plays a pivotal role in determining both the service life and volumetric efficiency of the pump through its friction, lubrication, and sealing performance. This article proposes a flow model for the plunger pair in eccentric and inclined positions, considering its various orientations and placements. It elucidates the deformation and leakage characteristics of the plunger pair under different configurations, including various postures, material properties, and design parameters. The findings not only provide a theoretical foundation for the design of reciprocating seals and the evaluation of sealing performance but also contribute to the broader field of parameter design and performance assessment for other types of gap seals.

Hydraulic water plunger pumps have come to be widely used in coal mining, seawater desalination, and oil exploitation due to their high output pressure and large flow characteristics. In a high-pressure large-flow plunger pump, the leakage of the annular channel of the plunger pair is an essential factor affecting volume efficiency. The axial pressure gradient exists in the fluid inside the annular channel, resulting in the plunger and plunger sleeve forming similar funnel-like shapes. Moreover, the characteristics of large diameter, high working pressure, and low fluid viscosity of the plunger pump will lead to the complicated flow of the annular channel. The influence of eccentricity and structural deformation on leakage is difficult to evaluate. Therefore, considering the deformation gradient and eccentricity of the plunger pair and the compressibility of the water, the deformation equations and leakage equations of the annular channel under the laminar and turbulent flow state are derived in this study. The eccentricity and leakage of the annular channel under different pressure conditions are measured using a built sealing test bench. It is proved that the discrepancy between the calculated model and the experimental results is less than 6% under different pressures, which effectively predicts the sealing performance of plunger pumps. The results show that under the laminar flow condition, the effects of eccentricity, structural deformation, and medium compressibility on leakage are 148%, 4.92%, and 0.92%, respectively. In turbulent conditions, they were 31%, 2.84%, and 1.19%, respectively. Besides, the reasonable material pairing of the plunger friction pair can reduce the variation of leakage due to structural deformation.