Patent Application
20160238009
A preferred embodiment of the invention refers to a pump and, more specifically, to a pump suitable for pumping viscous liquids, slurries, or solids.
Process tanks and pipelines are utilized in a variety of industrial settings to store many different types of liquids. Some liquids may contain a certain amount of solids, heavy oils, or similar heavy materials, which may result in the heavier materials accumulating in the bottom of a tank over a period of time. When the tank is eventually required to be pumped dry for cleaning, inspection, change of service, or other reasons, the material to be pumped out from the bottom of the tank may comprise a thick, viscous slurry or heavy sludge. Such materials may be difficult to remove from the tank because they may damage or clog many conventional types of pumps. Removing all of the material from the tank may require the tank to be vacuumed, which can be an expensive and time-consuming process. In some cases, workers may have to enter the tank, which may expose workers to chemicals and hazardous work conditions.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for a pumping apparatus that can be used to pump any type of liquid or semi-solid material, including viscous slurries or sludge. In addition, a need exists in the art for a pumping apparatus that can be used to pump heavy liquids from a tank in a safe, fast, and cost effective manner.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a centrifugal pump apparatus that is capable of pumping heavy liquids, sludge, or fluidized solids and that is configured such that the apparatus can be attached to a process tank or to piping used for transferring such materials. The pump has a double suction configuration with dual annular inlet openings. The pump is installed within a sealed chamber having suction and discharge connections.
In one aspect, the apparatus comprises a pipe tee and a pump housing mounted within the pipe tee. The pipe tee has an inlet, an outlet, and two ends closed by blind flanges in order to provide the sealed chamber. The pump housing has a discharge outlet and opposing inlet openings on opposite sides of the pump housing. The pump housing discharge outlet is aligned with and extends to the pipe tee outlet so that the flowable material is discharged through the pump housing discharge outlet and out of the pipe tee outlet. The apparatus further comprises an impeller mounted on a driveshaft within and in spaced relationship with the pump housing. Neither the driveshaft nor the impeller come into contact with the pump housing. The impeller has outwardly extending blades for movement of the flowable material outward to the discharge outlet. The driveshaft is mounted within the pipe tee and extends through the opposing inlet openings of the pump housing. The driveshaft further extends through openings in each blind flange, and at least one end of the driveshaft is operatively connected to a motor. The motor is preferably a hydraulic or an electric motor. In a preferred embodiment, dual hydraulic motors are utilized, and each end of the driveshaft is operatively connected to a respective motor. The motors are configured for cooperatively rotating the driveshaft. The apparatus preferably comprises a shaft bearing installed on the exterior of each blind flange for supporting the driveshaft. The apparatus is free of internal bearings, mechanical seals, or wear plates.
Preferably, the pipe tee inlet has a flanged end so that the pipe tee can be attached to a flanged outlet on the sidewall of a tank or on the bottom of an elevated tank. In one embodiment, a valve is installed between the tank and pipe tee. To pump material out of the tank, the valve is opened and the fluid fills the pipe tee. The motors are then activated to begin pumping. Fluid enters the pump housing through both inlet openings so that the pressure on the impeller is approximately equal on both sides. The double-suction impeller acts as a strong fan that can pull a vacuum, self-prime, and begin pumping. The pump is capable of pumping a variety of heavy fluids including, but not limited to slurries, sludge, and fluidized abrasive solids such as oilfield drill cuttings, drilling cement, crude oil, and mud slurry. The pump is also capable of running wet or dry and pumping in forward or reverse.
In another embodiment, the pipe tee inlet and outlet both have flanged ends, which are connected in-line to a pipe having flanged connections to be used as an in-line booster pump.
In another embodiment, the double suction pump can be installed inside a sealed chamber made from a welded box or similar type of enclosure. The box has a flanged inlet and outlet for connection to a tank or pipe. The driveshaft extends through openings in opposing sides of the box, and at least one end of the driveshaft is operatively connected to a motor. Single or dual hydraulic or electric motors may be utilized.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a pumping apparatus that can be used to pump any type of liquid or semi-solid material, including viscous slurries, sludge, or fluidized abrasive solids.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pumping apparatus that dual motors configured for cooperatively rotating a driveshaft.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pumping apparatus that is free of internal bearings, mechanical seals, or wear plates.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pumping apparatus that is self-priming.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pumping apparatus that can be used to pump heavy liquids from a tank in a safe, fast, and cost effective manner.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
In the Summary above and in this Detailed Description, and the claims below, and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features, including method steps, of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specification includes all possible combinations of such particular features. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect or embodiment of the invention, or a particular claim, that feature can also be used, to the extent possible, in combination with/or in the context of other particular aspects of the embodiments of the invention, and in the invention generally.
The term “comprises” and grammatical equivalents thereof are used herein to mean that other components, ingredients, steps, etc. are optionally present. For example, an article “comprising” components A, B, and C can contain only components A, B, and C, or can contain not only components A, B, and C, but also one or more other components.
Where reference is made herein to a method comprising two or more defined steps, the defined steps can be carried out in any order or simultaneously (except where the context excludes that possibility), and the method can include one or more other steps which are carried out before any of the defined steps, between two of the defined steps, or after all the defined steps (except where the context excludes that possibility).
Turning now to the drawings,
An impeller 40 is mounted on a driveshaft 26 within the pump housing 18 and in spaced relationship with the pump housing 18 such that neither the impeller 40 nor the driveshaft 26 comes into contact the pump housing 18. In a preferred embodiment, the impeller 40 has a clearance of about 3/16 to about ¼ inch from the pump housing 18. The assembled pump housing 18 has opposing inlet openings 22 on each side of the housing 18, as shown in
The driveshaft 26 is mounted within the pipe tee 10 and connected to a motor 28 configured for rotating the driveshaft 26. As best seen in
At least one end of the driveshaft 26 is connected to a motor 28 configured for rotating the driveshaft 26. In preferred embodiment, the motor 28 is a hydraulic motor or an electric motor, though any motor suitable for rotating the driveshaft 26 may be utilized. In an alternative embodiment, the motor 28 may be powered by a direct drive shaft from an engine.
The driveshaft 26 has either spline shaft connections or keyed couplings, depending on the type of drive motor 28 utilized with the apparatus. For electric motors, a coupling or a male spline shaft can be inserted into a female spline that is built into the electric motor, which may eliminate the need for a coupling. For hydraulic drive motors, a keyed coupling 32 is installed between the hydraulic motor 28 and the driveshaft 26. The hydraulic motors may be powered by a hydraulic power unit (HPU).
As shown in
As shown in
In an alternative embodiment, as shown in
The pump apparatus of the present invention provides a number of advantages over other pump designs. The double-suction impeller 40 design of the pump apparatus functions as a strong fan that can pull a vacuum, self-prime, and begin pumping. The pump can run wet or dry and pump in forward or reverse without damaging the pump. Unlike other centrifugal pumps, the pump can run dry for an extended period of time without causing damage to the pump. The pump is capable of pumping a variety of heavy fluids including, but not limited to slurries, sludge, and fluidized abrasive solids such as oilfield drill cuttings, drilling cement, and mud slurry. The double-sided impeller 40 does not have tight tolerances, which allows passage of abrasive solids with a minimal amount of erosional wear, which makes the pump of the present invention particularly effective in abrasive applications such as drill cuttings. The pump can also be quickly and easily attached to a process tank or to piping used for transferring such materials.
The double-suction impeller 40 design also eliminates thrust loading of the impeller by eliminating the differential pressure across the impeller. The pressure is equal on both sides of the impeller because the impeller is pulling flow from both sides. The equalized pressure eliminates the need for mechanical seals and wear plates, and consequently this centrifugal pump has no internal friction. Unlike other centrifugal pumps, the shaft bearings are not subjected to the usual wear that occurs during the pumping process since the shaft bearings are located outside the sealed pumping chamber. Because the pump of the present invention does not have internal bearings, seals, or wear plates, the pump is ideally suited for use in the food processing industry. There are no parts of the pump apparatus located inside the sealed pumping chamber that require lubrication or internal maintenance. The impeller 40, pump housing 18, and driveshaft 26, along with the internal walls of the sealed chamber can be sterilized and would not require frequent maintenance thereafter. The pump can be used for pumping food products such as milk, mayonnaise, ketchup, or drinks without affecting the quality of the food. Because the internal parts inside the sealed pumping chamber do not require lubrication, the risk of contamination of the food from lubricating mechanical seals and wear plates is virtually eliminated. In addition, the lack of internal mechanical seals, bearings, and wear plates virtually eliminates the risk of metal contamination entering the food process stream.
The pipe tee 10 materials of construction may include casted ductile iron, welded steel, composite plastic, fiberglass molded, or any other suitable material known in the art.
It is understood that versions of the invention may come in different forms and embodiments. Additionally, it is understood that one of skill in the art would appreciate these various forms and embodiments as falling within the scope of the invention as disclosed herein.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/125,604, filed on Jan. 26, 2015, which application is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62125604 | Jan 2015 | US |
