FLUID END WITH PROTECTED FLOW PASSAGES AND KIT FOR SAME
This application describes systems for protecting steel fluid end body flow passages from direct impingement by high pressure fracking fluid. These fluid end body flow passages are protected by components in the form of cartridges and sleeves, This disclosure also describes kits and methods which utilize these systems to provide enhanced erosion and corrosion resistance as well as improved fatigue properties and extended service life to these fluid ends.
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This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/800,852, filed Mar. 15, 2013, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention generally relates to hydraulic fracturing pump systems and, more particularly, to the fluid ends of multiplex reciprocating fracturing pumps.
1. Background
Multiplex reciprocating pumps are generally used to pump high pressure fracturing fluids into wells for recovery of oil and gas trapped in shale formations and the like. Typically, these pumps have two sections, a power end which is coupled to a diesel engine and transmission that drives the pump and plungers in the fluid ends in which a mix of water, sand and chemicals are pressurized up to 15,000 psi or more.
These multiplex reciprocating pumps are commonly in the form of triplex pumps having three fluid cylinders and quintuplex pumps that have five cylinders. It will be appreciated, however, that the present disclosure has application to pumps which can utilize the features thereof in forms other than the triplex and quintuplex pumps. The fluid ends of these pumps typically comprise a single block having cylinders bored therein and are commonly referred to as monoblock fluid ends or an assembly of individual bodies with cylinders, referred to as modular fluid ends.
The pumping cycle of a fluid end is composed of two stages, a suction cycle during which a piston moves outward in a bore, thereby lowering the fluid pressure in the inlet to a fluid end and a discharge cycle during which the plunger moves forward in the plunger bore, thereby progressively increasing the fluid pressure to a predetermined level for discharge through a discharge pipe to a well site.
Fluid ends used in well site applications for oil and gas exploration have limited service life due to fatigue crack failures. These failures are a result of operating pressures, mechanical stresses, erosion and corrosion of the internal passages which have been addressed in prior art efforts with limited success.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
International Application No. PCT/IB2011/002771 (International Publication No. WO 2012 052842 A2 entitled “Fluid End Reinforced With Abrasive Resistant Insert, Coating or Lining”) describes the use of inserts in wear prone areas only and, as such, does not provide erosion, corrosion and fatigue crack protection throughout the entire flow passages in the fluid end.
U.S. Patent Publication 2008/0080994 A1, “Fluid End Reinforced With a Composite Material,” is directed to a fluid end of a reciprocating pump wherein carbon steel thin base material is formed into three tubes which are welded and then hydroformed to give a cross-like configuration. That structure is reinforced with a composite that provides some additional stress resistance and reduced weight, however, it does not utilize the inherent benefits of the originally designed high strength steel in the fluid block.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,729 is directed to a liner seal for the plunger bore and does not address the protection of high stress areas such as those associated with intersecting bores.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis disclosure is generally directed to a system for substantially protecting the portions of the fluid end body flow passages from impingement by high pressure fracking fluid passing therethrough to provide enhanced erosion and corrosion resistance as well as improved fatigue properties and extended service life.
A first aspect of this disclosure is directed to sleeve and cartridge components which cooperate to protect fluid end body portions surrounding the outer surface thereof from direct impingement thereon by high pressure fracking fluid passing through said fluid end.
A second aspect of this disclosure is directed to a sleeve that is received in a plunger bore of a fluid end body which sleeve includes a pair of apertures that are connected to, and in flow communication with, the outlet of the suction bore and the inlet of in the discharge bore.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a kit which includes one or two sleeves, a cartridge, and a plug is provided for installation in a conventional fluid end steel body which, when installed therein, cooperate to protect the fluid end body portions surrounding the outer surfaces thereof from impingement by high pressure fracking fluid passing through said fluid end.
A further aspect of the present invention is directed to a method of installing one or more components in the flow passages of a fluid end body of a reciprocating pump used in the recovery of oil and gas for the purpose of extending the service life thereof and to minimize the effects of erosion, corrosion and fatigue, such components being configured and located within one or more bores in said fluid end body to protect the portions of said fluid body surrounding those components including portions associated with high stress areas such as the corners of intersecting bores.
It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and provided for purposes of explanation only and are not restrictive of the subject matter claimed. Further features and objects of the present disclosure will become apparent in the following description of the example embodiments and from the appended claims.
In describing the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawing figures or in like parts have like reference numerals and wherein:
In accordance with an important aspect of the present disclosure, the subject invention is particularly suited for use in existing fluid end designs, however, it is not restricted to those designs and can be utilized in other high pressure pumping applications where operating pressures, mechanical stresses, erosion and corrosion of internal passages are a concern. For the purpose of illustration, however, it will be described in conjunction with a conventional triplex fluid end such as is generally shown in
Referring to
As best shown in
The components of this first disclosed embodiment include a sleeve component, the details of which are shown in
In
Sleeve 25 also includes a pair of flow passage apertures 26 and 27 defined by inner edges of bridge portions 25c and 25d which are configured to be in alignment with the second or suction bore 19 and third or high pressure discharge bore 21 when the sleeve is installed in a fluid cylinder of the fluid end 12.
If desired, first tubular sleeve portion 25a and second tubular sleeve portion 25b may be in the form of two separate sleeves (without the interconnecting bridge portions) which are respectively received in the first and second portions of the first bore, namely the plunger and access bores.
In
As will be described more fully later in conjunction with
In accordance with an important aspect of this disclosure, the sleeves and cartridges can be machined and/or surface treated prior to their assembly into the block. This feature provides greater flexibility in shaping the internal cylinder contours, resulting in improved performance and durability of the fluid end.
In some applications, it may be preferred to machine the mating fluid end bore surfaces and the outside surfaces of the sleeves and cartridge inserts to standard dimensions while machining the internal surfaces to address the required configurations. If desired, stress in the fluid end block may be reduced by increasing the thickness of the sleeve and cartridge cylinder to optimize the contours of the interfacing surfaces of the fluid end block. For example, by having a larger radius between intersecting bores of the block.
The plug component of this disclosed embodiment is separately shown in
Installation of the sleeve 25 into the first or plunger bore can be made from either end. For example, in the sleeve installation step shown in
The surface of the bore 18 and sleeve 25 are machined to provide a smooth surrounding surface and to an equally smooth outer surface of the sleeve. In order to insure intimate surface-to-surface direct contact between the bore and sleeve, the sleeve can, if desired, have a slightly larger outer diameter than the bore. A differential temperature between the two is created to provide the necessary clearance during insertion and an interference fit when the temperature of both are normalized.
As schematically depicted in
Plunger packing assembly 49 and associated O ring seals in seal carriers 46 and 47 function to prevent or at least minimize passage of fracking fluid to the fluid body portions which surround the sleeve 25 and cartridge 30 components. As shown in
As schematically depicted in
Correspondingly, because the stress at the 52 location is less than that at the 51 location it follows that the overall stress on the block is reduced.
As previously noted, each of apertures 30b and 30c in the cartridge 30 has a perimeter groove in which a gasket is received. Those gaskets provide an effective seal between the outer surface of the cartridge and the edges of apertures 26 and 27 of the sleeve 25 which withstand the high pressure of the fracking fluid in the flow passages.
As shown, an access opening 18a at one end of bore 18 receives a removable retaining nut 53 to provide selective access to the interior of the first bore, when desired.
As shown in
A seal carrier plate 64 has a lip 64a which contacts an outer end face of sleeve portion 63a. As shown, an annular shoulder 62c in the bore 62 between bore section 62a and 62b is in direct contact with an annular back face 63e. Lip 64a of seal carrier 64 and the shoulder 62c serve to maintain the sleeve 63 in a fixed position during tracking operations.
In accordance with an important feature of this disclosure, sleeve 63 has a pair of apertures 63c and 63d, each of which is defined by a full perimeter groove in which a gasket is received. As with cartridge 30 of the first embodiment, the gaskets are formed from a suitable material which can withstand the high pressures and chemical erosion associated with tracking operations and can include elastomers and synthetic fluorocarbon polymers that exhibit these properties which are known to those skilled in the art.
As shown in
The reference numerals 67 and 68 identify high stress locations in the sleeve interior portions in the area adjacent the sleeve apertures 63d and 63c and pressurization chamber 20. As such, these areas are in locations wherein the resistance to erosion, corrosion, high stress and fatigue provided by high-strength stainless steel, Inconel®, Incoloy® and equivalents as contemplated by this disclosure is important.
As shown, an access opening 70 is enclosed by a removable retaining nut 69.
While the subject invention has been disclosed and described with illustrative examples, it will be appreciated that modifications and/or changes may be made to those examples by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. In a fluid end of a reciprocating pump for delivery of fracking fluid at high pressure into a well for recovery of oil and natural gas trapped in shale rock formations, said fluid end having at least one fluid cylinder assembly including:
- a body having a first bore which includes a reciprocating plunger;
- a second bore which includes a suction valve; and
- a third bore which includes a discharge valve, said first bore being generally perpendicular to both said second and third bores which are in flow communication with each other, an outlet of said second bore and an inlet of said third bore defining a chamber with said first bore that receives a reciprocating plunger for drawing fracking fluid into said chamber at low pressure and discharging said fracking fluid at high pressure.
- the improvement comprising:
- at least one tubular sleeve in said first bore, the outer surface of said tubular sleeve configured to be in direct contact with the surface of said first bore that surrounds said at least one tubular sleeve;
- at least one tubular cartridge in a fluid passage defined by said second and third bores, the outer surface of said at least one tubular cartridge configured to be in direct contact with the surface of said second and third bores that surrounds said at least one tubular cartridge;
- a fluid-tight seal between contacting surfaces of said at least one sleeve and said at least one cartridge;
- said at least one sleeve and said at least one cartridge, when installed in said fluid end cylinder assembly, cooperating to overlie the fluid end body portions that surround each of them and to protect them from direct impingement thereon by high pressure fracking fluid passing through said fluid end cylinder assembly providing said fluid end with enhanced erosion and corrosion resistance as well as improved fatigue properties and extended service life.
2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said second and third bores respectively contain first and second tubular cartridges.
3. The improvement of claim 1 wherein a gasket is provided between said at least one tubular sleeve and said at least one tubular cartridge.
4. The improvement of claim 1 in which an outer cylindrical surface on one of said at least one tubular sleeve and said at least one tubular cartridge is in sealing contact with an annular, interior-facing edge surface of the other of said at least one tubular sleeve and at least one tubular cartridge.
5. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said at least one cartridge and said at least one sleeve is composed of a material with enhanced erosion and corrosion resistance was well as improved fatigue resistant properties.
6. The improvement of claim 5 wherein said material is a metal selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, Inconel®, Incoloy® and other metals and alloys exhibiting suitable corrosion resistance, erosion resistance and strength.
7. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said at least one tubular sleeve and said at least one tubular cartridge has a protective coating or surface treatment applied to enhance the erosion and corrosion resistance and fatigue properties thereof.
8. A fluid end of a reciprocating pump for delivery of fracking fluid at high pressure into a well to extract and recover oil and natural gas trapped in shale rock formations, said fluid end having at least one fluid cylinder assembly comprising:
- a chamber formed therein;
- a first bore in communication with said chamber, said first bore including a reciprocating plunger for effecting pressurization in said chamber to draw fracking fluid therein at low pressure and to discharge said fracking fluid at high pressure;
- a second bore formed in said fluid and in communication with said chamber, said second bore including a section valve for receiving fracking fluid at low pressure into said chamber;
- a third bore formed in said fluid end in communication with said chamber, said third bore including a discharge valve for release of high pressure fracking fluid through an outlet in said fluid end;
- said second and third bores defining a fluid passageway in said fluid end cylinder assembly;
- at least one tubular sleeve in direct contact with said first bore, the outer surface of said tubular sleeve configured to be in an interference fit with the surface of said first bore that surrounds said at least one tubular sleeve;
- at least one tubular cartridge in said fluid passageway, the outer surface of said at least one tubular sleeve configured to be an interference fit with the surface of said passageway surrounding said at least one tubular cartridge;
- a fluid tight seal between contacting surfaces of said at least one sleeve and said at least one cartridge;
- said at least one sleeve and said at least one cartridge cooperating to overlie the fluid end body portions surrounding each of them and to protect said underlying fluid body portions from direct impingement thereon by high pressure fracking fluid passing through said fluid end and providing said fluid end with enhanced erosion and corrosion resistance as well as improved fatigue properties and extended service life.
9. The fluid end of claim 8 wherein said second and third bores respectively contain first and second tubular cartridges.
10. The fluid end of claim 8 in which an outer cylindrical surface on one of said at least one tubular sleeve and said at least one tubular cartridge is in fluid tight sealing contact with an annular interior-facing edge surface of the other of said at least one tubular sleeve and said at least one tubular cartridge.
11. The fluid end of claim 8 edge surface wherein said at least one cartridge and said at least one sleeve is composed of a material with enhanced erosion and corrosion resistance as well as improved fatigue resistant properties.
12. The fluid end of claim 11 wherein said material is a metal selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, Inconel®, Incoloy® and other metals and alloys exhibiting suitable corrosion resistance, erosion resistance and strength.
13. The fluid end of claim 12 wherein said at least one tubular sleeve and said at least one tubular cartridge has a protective coating or surface treatment applied to enhance the erosion and corrosion resistance and fatigue properties thereof.
14. A kit for enhancing the service life of a fluid end of a reciprocating pump used in the recovery of oil and natural gas trapped in shale rock formations, said fluid end with at least one fluid cylinder including: a body having a first bore which includes a reciprocating plunger; a second bore which includes a suction valve; and a third bore which includes a discharge valve, said first bore being generally perpendicular to both said second and third bores which are in flow communication with each other, an outlet of said second bore and an inlet of said third bore defining a chamber in alignment with said first bore that receives said reciprocating plunger for drawing fracking fluid into said chamber at low pressure and discharging said fracking fluid at high pressure,
- said kit comprising: at least one tubular sleeve adapted to be received in said first bore, the outer surface of said first tubular sleeve configured to be in direct contact with the surface of said first bore that surrounds said at least one tubular sleeve; at least one tubular cartridge adapted to be received in said second bore, the outer surface of said at least one cartridge being configured to be in direct contact with the inner surface of said second bore;
- said at least one sleeve and said at least one cartridge when installed in said fluid body cooperating to protect the fluid end body portions surrounding the outer surfaces of said at least one sleeve and said at least one cartridge from impingement by high pressure fracking fluid passing through said fluid end to provide said fluid end with enhanced erosion and corrosion resistance as well as improved fatigue properties and with extended service life.
15. The kit of claim 14 wherein each of said at least one tubular sleeve and said at least one tubular cartridge is composed of a material with enhanced erosion and corrosion resistance and fatigue properties.
16. The kit of claim 14 wherein each of said at least one tubular sleeve and said at least one tubular cartridge has a protective coating or surface treatment applied to enhance it prior to being installed in said fluid body applied to enhance the erosion and corrosion resistance and fatigue properties.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 14, 2014
Publication Date: Sep 18, 2014
Applicant: Acme Industries, Inc. (Elk Grove Village, IL)
Inventor: Fred Young (Naperville, IL)
Application Number: 14/211,027
International Classification: F04B 39/12 (20060101); F04B 53/16 (20060101);