Abstract: A piston rod assembly includes a piston rod having a first end configured to contact fluid, a packing retainer through which the piston rod extends, and one or more packing rings. The packing retainer includes one or more leakage ports forming passageways between an inner surface and an outer surface of the packing retainer. The one or more packing rings surround the piston rod, are adjacent the inner surface of the packing retainer, and are positioned between the one or more leakage ports and a bottom end of the packing retainer. The one or more leakage ports are positioned so that fluid that leaks past the one or more packing rings will flow through the one or more leakage ports.

Abstract: A paint sprayer includes an end bell, a motor connected to the end bell, a pump drive connected to the end bell, a pair of protrusions attached to an extending from the end bell such that each protrusion is cantilevered from the end bell, and a pump assembly comprising a pair of mounting holes and containing a piston. The pair of mounting holes is adapted to receive and slide onto the pair of protrusions to mount the pump assembly on the end bell as well as slide off of the pair of protrusions to remove the pump assembly from the end bell. The pump drive is configured to covert rotational motion output by the motor to reciprocal motion. The pump assembly is configured to pump paint when reciprocated by the pump drive while mounted on the end bell.

Abstract: A piston rod and piston head are the driven components within a pump. An upstream end of the piston rod is attached within an aperture of the piston head. At least one flute extends between the upstream end of the piston rod and the aperture, and the at least one flute is configured to provide a flowpath for a fluid, such as paint, to flow downstream of the piston head and piston rod. The flutes facilitate a smooth downstream flow of the fluid, thereby reducing hydraulic resistance and reducing wear caused by the fluid.

Abstract: A piston is the driven component within a pump. The piston is driven along a longitudinal axis to pump a fluid through the pump. The fluid flows through the piston between an upstream end of the pump and a downstream end of the pump. The piston outputs the fluid into the downstream end of the pump at a vector offset from the longitudinal axis, thereby inducing rotation of the piston throughout the pumping process. Rotating the piston encourages even wear on various components within the pump, such as sealing rings surrounding the piston, thereby increasing the lifespan of the components and increasing the efficiency of the pump.

Abstract: A line striping system comprises a chassis, wheels, a spray system, a propulsion system and a steering system. The wheels are mounted under the chassis. The spray system is mounted on the chassis. The propulsion system is mounted on the chassis to drive a wheel. The steering system is coupled to the chassis. The steering system comprises a handlebar rotatable to steer a wheel, and a speed bar pivotable to control the propulsion system.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for treating oil sands tailings. The tailings are conditioned with an aluminate and treated with a silicate-containing stream from a hydrocarbon operation or from a geothermal source to produce chemically-induced micro-agglomerates (CIMA) and water.

Abstract: A bunk assembly is provided. The bunk assembly includes a first plurality of bunks including a first bunk and a second bunk coupled end-to-end with the first bunk. The first and second bunks each include a cutout that substantially align forming a bunk slot between the first and second bunks when coupled end-to-end. The first plurality of bunks also includes a third bunk stacked on top of the first and second bunks when positioned in the bunk slot.

Abstract: A pump 24 with speed control is utilized. A dispenser 12 may have a trigger 14 which actuates a valve 16. Dispenser control 18 has “up” and “down” buttons, 20 and 22 respectively. The controls 28(comprising elements 18, 20 and 22) for the pump 24 are remote from pump 24. The controls communicate with the pump via wires or radio frequency (RF) 26 to regulate pump speed. Quick button (20 and 22) presses will incrementally change the flow setting while long button (20 and 22) presses will change the settings at a higher rate. This control method can also be tied to the controls located on the pump 24. The potentiometer 30 on the pump 24 will set a max setting, and any adjustments at the valve can go below this setting and back up to it, but never exceed it.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for preventing split-brain scenarios in high-availability clusters may include (1) detecting, at a first node of a high-availability cluster, a partitioning event that isolates the first node from a second node of the high-availability cluster, (2) broadcasting, from a health-status server and after the partitioning event has occurred, a cluster-health message to the first node that includes at least a health status of the second node that is based on whether the health-status server received a node-health message from the second node, and (3) reacting, at the first node and based at least in part on whether the first node received the cluster-health message, to the partitioning event such that the partitioning event does not result in a split-brain scenario within the high-availability cluster. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Abstract: A motor assembly includes a shaft, an electric motor operatively connected to the shaft to drive the shaft in a first rotational direction, a clutch assembly connected to the shaft, and a fan connected to the clutch assembly and configured to supply the electric motor with cooling air. The clutch assembly drives the fan when the electric motor drives the shaft and allows the fan to freewheel in the first rotational direction when the electric motor is not driving the shaft. A method of operating a fan cooled electric motor includes energizing the electric motor to drive a shaft in a first rotational direction using the electric motor and de-energizing the electric motor so that it no longer drives the shaft, allowing the fan to freewheel in the first rotational direction.

Abstract: The problem of penetrating through nets and other objects is solved by cutting the object using various cutter systems, which include, for example a track and a moving carriage containing a cutter, a stationary carriage with a fixed or rotating arm, and/or abrasive cutters. The object is cut by a severing, slicing, or wearing action caused by a moveable blade or abrasive surface. An underwater vehicle incorporating an embodiment of the cutter system can cut a sufficiently large opening in the object to allow the vehicle to pass through.

Abstract: A clamp is secured to a displacement pump, and the clamp includes an axial ring and a tightening ring. The axial ring is mounted above the tightening ring, and the axial ring is configured to align the displacement pump during mounting and to limit the stoke of a pump rod within the displacement pump. The tightening ring may be tightened such that the axial ring and the tightening ring exert a clamping force on a drive housing, which secures the displacement pump to the drive housing. The tightening ring may receive a projection extending from the drive housing to provide structural support to the drive housing.

Abstract: A pump rod has a head extending from a neck, and the head is received within a drive slot of a drive link. The head includes a projection, and has an area smaller than an area of the head. The projection contacts an inner surface of the drive slot. The drive link may include a projection aligned with a centerline of the drive link. The drive link projection contacts a head of the pump rod. The projections provide a reduced contact area between the pump rod and the drive link, thereby reducing any side-loading on the pump rod and increasing a lifespan of the wear parts.

Abstract: A displacement pump includes a pump rod having a load concentrating feature extending from the head of the pump rod. The head of the pump rod is received within a slot of a drive link, and the drive link is configured to contact the load concentrating feature. Having the drive link contact the smaller diameter load concentrating feature reduces the misalignment between the driving force and the center of the pump rod and thereby reduces side-loading experienced by the pump rod. The displacement pump is configured to be used in a fluid dispensing system.

Abstract: A bunk assembly is provided. The bunk assembly includes a first plurality of bunks including a first bunk and a second bunk coupled end-to-end with the first bunk. The first and second bunks each include a cutout that substantially align forming a bunk slot between the first and second bunks when coupled end-to-end. The first plurality of bunks also includes a third bunk stacked on top of the first and second bunks when positioned in the bunk slot.

Abstract: In one example, a fluid spraying device includes a chassis, a plurality of wheels connected to the chassis, a spray tip assembly connected to the chassis, and a hopper mounted on the chassis. The hopper is in fluid communication with the spray tip assembly and is configured to be oriented in an upright draining position for draining fluid from the hopper. The hopper includes a bottom side, a top side opposite the bottom side and including an aperture configured to receive and drain the fluid, and a side wall extending at an obtuse angle away from the bottom side to the top side adjacent the aperture to facilitate draining of fluid when the hopper is in the upright draining position.