Patent ID: 9303654
Filing Date: 2016-04-05
CPC Classification: F04D

Claim Text:
1. A method for the pressure regulation of a barrier fluid in a pumping device, the pumping device comprising a pump unit comprising a shaft and a pump housing, the pumping device further comprising a drive unit, which is mechanically coupled to the pump unit, the pumping device further comprising a shaft seal, which seals the pump housing relative to the shaft, the method comprising: pumping a pumping medium is pumped by means of the pumping device; conveying the barrier fluid via a feed line to the shaft seal and/or to a housing in which the pump unit and the drive unit are disposed, in order to prevent a leakage of the pumping medium out of the pump housing; increasing the pressure of the supplied barrier fluid when a pressure difference between the pressure of the supplied barrier fluid and a pressure of the pumping medium in the pump unit falls below a first pre-determined value by opening a pressure reducing valve for the differential pressure to thereby connect the feed line to a source for the barrier fluid via the open valve, the pressure of the barrier fluid lying above the pressure of the pumping medium in the pump unit; wherein opening the pressure reducing valve comprises directly activating the pressure reducing valve by the pressure difference between the pressure of the supplied barrier fluid and the pressure of the pumping medium in the pump unit.