This disclosure generally relates to systems, methods, and devices for dampening pulsations in fluid piping systems.
Hydraulic systems, such as fluid piping systems, are used to transport fluid under pressure in various applications. A fluid pump used in such systems creates pulsations that can cause a number of issues, including wearing out components of the pump and other portions of the system over time. A fluid pulsation dampener can be used to smooth out the fluid flow by absorbing such pulsations and providing extra pressure when needed.
The disclosure herein provides various embodiments of fluid pulsation dampeners that are designed for, or particularly well-suited for, use with viscous and/or thick fluids at extreme temperatures (such as, for example, at temperatures within a range of 20° F. to 446° F.). Various embodiments comprise a piston dampener design that can, among other things, maintain relatively consistent performance across a range of a stroke of the piston, and help keep internal walls of the dampener clean during use. Various embodiments also comprise a piston dampener design wherein all materials that come into contact with the liquid being pumped are capable of withstanding high temperatures, such as up to 446° F. or more, without damage.
A fluid pulsation dampener comprises: a housing having a first end and a second end; a first cap connected to the first end of the housing; a second cap connected to the second end of the housing; a cylindrical sleeve having a first end and a second end, the cylindrical sleeve positioned within the housing and captured between the first cap and the second cap; a piston having a first end and a second end, the piston being slidably coupled to the cylindrical sleeve such that the piston can move between an extended position and a retracted position, wherein the first end of the piston comprises a first U-cup seal that seals against an interior surface of the cylindrical sleeve, and the second end of the piston comprises a second U-cup seal that seals against the interior surface of the cylindrical sleeve; a liquid chamber defined at least partially by the second cap, the second end of the piston, and a portion of the interior surface of the cylindrical sleeve that is between the second cap and the second end of the piston; a fluid inlet passage and a fluid outlet passage for fluidly coupling the fluid pulsation dampener to a fluid pumping system in a flow-through arrangement, the fluid inlet passage and the fluid outlet passage being in fluid communication with the liquid chamber and extending in a direction perpendicular to a direction along which the cylindrical sleeve extends, wherein the piston is shaped such that, with the piston in the retracted position: a lowest point of the piston is tangent to an inner surface of at least one of the fluid inlet passage or the fluid outlet passage, or the lowest point of the piston is a distance from tangent to the inner surface of the at least one of the fluid inlet passage or the fluid outlet passage, with the distance being no more than 20% of a diameter of the inner surface of the at least one of the fluid inlet passage or the fluid outlet passage; a first gas chamber defined at least partially by the first cap, the first end of the piston, and a portion of the interior surface of the cylindrical sleeve that is between the first cap and the first end of the piston; a second gas chamber positioned within an annular space between the cylindrical sleeve and the housing, the second gas chamber defined at least partially by the first cap, the second cap, an interior surface of the housing, and an exterior surface of the cylindrical sleeve; one or more openings that fluidly couple the first gas chamber to the second gas chamber; and a proximity sensor coupled to the second cap, wherein the piston further comprises a magnet, and wherein the proximity sensor is positioned such that it can detect the magnet of the piston, at least when the piston is in the retracted position.
In some embodiments, all parts of the fluid pulsation dampener that define the liquid chamber are capable of being exposed to a liquid heated to a temperature of 446° F. without damage. In some embodiments, at least the second U-cup seal comprises a perfluoroelastomer material. In some embodiments, the piston comprises a main body, a first cap, and a second cap, wherein the main body and the first cap of the piston form an annular groove therebetween within which first U-cup seal is positioned, and wherein the main body and the second cap of the piston form an annular groove therebetween within which second U-cup seal is positioned. In some embodiments, the piston comprises a flat bottom. In some embodiments, the interior surface of the cylindrical sleeve comprises a honed surface. In some embodiments, the fluid pulsation dampener further comprises a fill valve coupled to the first cap for introducing pressurized gas into the first gas chamber and the second gas chamber. In some embodiments, the cylindrical sleeve and a main body of the piston each comprise a material having a same coefficient of thermal expansion. In some embodiments, the cylindrical sleeve and a main body of the piston each comprise stainless steel. In some embodiments, the piston can move in a first direction, toward the first end of the housing, and in a second, opposite direction, toward the second end of the housing, wherein the first cap comprises a surface positioned to limit movement of the piston in the first direction, and wherein the one or more openings that fluidly couple the first gas chamber to the second gas chamber are positioned beyond the surface of the first cap in the first direction. In some embodiments, the first end of the cylindrical sleeve is positioned within a groove of the first cap that extends beyond the surface of the first cap in the first direction. In some embodiments, the first end of the cylindrical sleeve comprises the one or more openings that fluidly couple the first gas chamber to the second gas chamber.
According to some embodiments, a fluid pulsation dampener comprises: a housing having a first end and a second end; a piston having a first end and a second end, the piston being moveable with respect to the housing along a first direction between an extended position and a retracted position, a gas chamber that is exposed to the first end of the piston; a liquid chamber that is exposed to the second end of the piston, wherein the piston comprises one or more seals that seal the gas chamber from the liquid chamber; a fluid inlet passage and a fluid outlet passage for fluidly coupling the fluid pulsation dampener to a fluid pumping system in a flow-through arrangement, the fluid inlet passage and the fluid outlet passage being in fluid communication with the liquid chamber and extending in a direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the piston is shaped such that, with the piston in the retracted position: a lowest point of the piston is tangent to an inner surface of at least one of the fluid inlet passage or the fluid outlet passage, or the lowest point of the piston is a distance from tangent to the inner surface of the at least one of the fluid inlet passage or the fluid outlet passage, with the distance being no more than 20% of a diameter of the inner surface of the at least one of the fluid inlet passage or the fluid outlet passage.
In some embodiments, the second end of the piston comprises a flat surface, and the lowest point of the piston is defined by the flat surface. In some embodiments, the one or more seals of the piston comprises at least one U-cup seal comprising a perfluoroelastomer material. In some embodiments, all parts of the fluid pulsation dampener that define the liquid chamber are capable of being exposed to a liquid heated to a temperature of 446° F. without damage. In some embodiments, the piston further comprise a magnet, and where the fluid pulsation dampener further comprises a proximity sensor positioned such that it can detect the magnet of the piston, at least when the piston is positioned in the retracted position.
According to some embodiments, a fluid pulsation dampener comprises: a housing having a first end and a second end; a first cap connected to the first end of the housing; a second cap connected to the second end of the housing; a cylindrical sleeve having a first end and a second end, the cylindrical sleeve positioned within the housing; a piston having a first end and a second end, the piston being slidably coupled to the cylindrical sleeve such that the piston can move between a retracted position and an extended position, and the piston comprising one or more seals that seal against an interior surface of the cylindrical sleeve; a liquid chamber defined at least partially by the second cap, the second end of the piston, and a portion of the interior surface of the cylindrical sleeve that is between the second cap and the second end of the piston; one or more fluid ports in fluid communication with the liquid chamber; a first gas chamber defined at least partially by the first cap, the first end of the piston, and a portion of the interior surface of the cylindrical sleeve that is between the first cap and the first end of the piston; a second gas chamber positioned within a space between the cylindrical sleeve and the housing, the second gas chamber defined at least partially by an interior surface of the housing and an exterior surface of the cylindrical sleeve; one or more openings that fluidly couple the first gas chamber to the second gas chamber; and a proximity sensor coupled to the second cap, wherein the piston further comprises a magnet, and wherein the proximity sensor is positioned such that it can detect the magnet of the piston, at least when the piston is in the retracted position.
In some embodiments, the cylindrical sleeve is captured between the first cap and the second cap. In some embodiments, the piston can move in a first direction, toward the first end of the housing, and in a second, opposite direction, toward the second end of the housing, and wherein the one or more openings that fluidly couple the first gas chamber to the second gas chamber are positioned beyond a furthest position any of the one or more seals of the piston can move to in the first direction. In some embodiments, the first end of the cylindrical sleeve is positioned within a groove of the first cap, and wherein the first end of the cylindrical sleeve comprises the one or more openings that fluidly couple the first gas chamber to the second gas chamber. In some embodiments, the cylindrical sleeve and a main body of the piston each comprise a material having a same coefficient of thermal expansion. In some embodiments, the cylindrical sleeve and a main body of the piston each comprise stainless steel. In some embodiments, the one or more seals of the piston comprises at least one U-cup seal comprising a perfluoroelastomer material.
For purposes of this summary, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the inventions are described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the inventions. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the inventions may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
The foregoing and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the drawings of various embodiments, which are intended to illustrate and not to limit the disclosure. The features of some embodiments of the present disclosure, which are believed to be novel, will be more fully disclosed in the following detailed description. The following detailed description may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein the same numbers in different drawings represents the same parts. All drawings are schematic and are not intended to show any dimension to scale. The drawings comprise the following figures, in which:
Although several embodiments, examples, and illustrations are disclosed below, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the inventions described herein extend beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments, examples, and illustrations and include other uses of the inventions and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Embodiments of the inventions are described with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein like numerals refer to like elements throughout. These drawings are considered to be a part of the entire description of some embodiments of the inventions. The terminology used in the description presented herein is not intended to be interpreted in any limited or restrictive manner simply because it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the inventions. In addition, embodiments of the inventions can comprise several novel features and no single feature is solely responsible for its desirable attributes or is essential to practicing the inventions herein described.
Fluid piping systems are used in various industries to transfer liquid such as water, gas, oil, chemicals, and/or the like. A pump is often used to transfer such fluid from an upstream portion of the piping system to a downstream portion. Positive displacement pumps, such as piston pumps, diaphragm pumps, peristaltic pumps, and others, tend to put out a pulsing flow. The pulses in the flow can cause problems in the system, and often a smoother flow is desirable.
One way to smooth out a fluid flow is to use a fluid pulsation dampener that includes a gas chamber that contains a pressurized gas. The fluid pulsation dampener may also include a bladder, bellows, or other deformable member that is in fluid communication with the pressurized gas on one side and with the fluid flow on the other side. Pulsations in the fluid flow may be absorbed by deforming the bladder and thus compressing the gas within the gas chamber. Such pulsation dampeners can be effective, but certain environments and/or fluids may be more difficult to use with such pulsation dampeners.
Specifically, transferring fluids that are thick and/or viscous present a challenge in many pumping environments, especially when elevated temperatures and pressures are required. For example, many use cases may require pumping a fluid that is solid at room temperature, and thus needs to be pumped at an elevated temperature, such as up to 446° F. or higher. Such high temperatures can be problematic for typical pulsation dampeners that may use, for example, a typical rubber bladder that may not be able to withstand such high temperatures without damage. Additionally, even at such high temperatures, such a fluid may remain relatively thick or viscous, may accumulate within the dampener over time, and may relatively quickly convert back into a solid when a fluid pumping system is turned off and/or if the fluid remains in the dampener for an extended period of time. This can be problematic, for example, because some of the solid substance may remain inside the chamber of the pulsation dampener. This may interfere with pumping system cleaning, may lead to requiring disassembly and cleaning of the pulsation dampener before the pumping system is turned back on, and/or or may reduce the dampening performance or efficiency of the pulsation dampener.
The disclosure herein provides various embodiments of pulsation dampeners that provide a variety of benefits, including addressing the above-described challenges experienced when attempting to pump fluids that become solid at room temperature. In some embodiments, a pulsation dampener utilizes a piston instead of a bladder to perform the dampening effect for a fluid pumping system. One side of the piston will be exposed to a gas charge set to a particular pressure, and another side of the piston will be exposed to the liquid fluid flow, in order to resist surges and other pressure transient events, absorbing excess energy of the pumped fluid and sending the fluid back into the system while simultaneously preventing damage to other pipeline component and instrumentation.
As mentioned above, various embodiments of fluid pulsation dampeners disclosed herein are intended to be able to pump a fluid that is a solid at room temperature. In such a case, the fluid pumping system will most likely operate at relatively high temperatures in order to transfer the fluid in a liquid state. Heating up a fluid usually decreases viscosity, making it easier to pump, but the materials of all pipeline components that come into contact with the heated fluid should be able to handle these higher temperatures as well. In order to address this, various embodiments disclosed herein are entirely created from materials that can withstand such higher temperatures, or at least components of the pulsation dampener that come into contact with the fluid being pumped are created from such materials. For example, some embodiments form a majority of the pulsation dampener from steel, such as stainless steel, and may utilize specialty high-performance polymers for sealing the piston. For example, some embodiments utilize perfluoroelastomer seals that can withstand extreme temperatures and extremely corrosive environments.
Additionally, various embodiments disclosed herein utilize U-cup seal rings for sealing the piston against an internal wall of the pulsation dampener. This can be desirable, for example, because as mentioned above it can be desirable for all (or at least a large percentage of) the fluid present in the main chamber or liquid chamber to be expelled from the pulsation dampener when the system is turned off (and/or when the liquid within the pulsation dampener is not presently experiencing a pressure pulsation or transient). U-cup seal rings comprise a lip that can be used to wipe the internal wall of the dampener as the piston completes each stroke. This wiping process can eliminate or virtually eliminate any excess fluid present inside of the dampener after a dampening stroke, keeping the dampener walls clean and ensuring correct system performance by preventing high viscosity fluids from solidifying within the dampener liquid chamber. Although various embodiments disclosed herein utilize U-cup seals for this function, other embodiments may utilize a different style of seal that includes a wiping lip and/or other embodiments may include a wiper in the piston that is separate from the seal. Further, other features of the pulsation dampener may also help with removing most or all of the fluid from the dampener after a dampening stroke. For example, as described further below, an opening adjacent the piston in a retracted position may be relatively large, such as at least as wide as the diameter of the piston.
Various embodiments disclosed herein also incorporate the ability to monitor the position of the piston within the pulsation dampener. This can be beneficial, for example, in order to confirm if the displacement of the piston is operating as intended and/or if the dampener needs to be adjusted, depending on the dampening performance desired for each individual application. Further, such monitoring may also be beneficial in order to know if, despite the wiping or cleaning features of the piston, some fluid has solidified within the pulsation dampener, thus causing the piston to not fully retract to its relaxed or fully retracted position. For example, some embodiments include a high-strength magnet attached to or incorporated within the piston, and a proximity sensor coupled to a housing, cap, or other part of the pulsation dampener in a location that enables the proximity sensor to detect the presence and/or position of the magnet. Such a design can be particularly beneficial in a pulsation dampener designed to be exposed to extreme temperatures and/or that includes a second gas chamber surrounding a primary gas chamber, because it would be difficult to include a transparent window or the like that could otherwise allow visual verification of the piston's position.
It should be noted that, although various embodiments described herein are particularly well-suited for use with viscous, corrosive, and/or high-temperature fluids, the embodiments described herein are not limited to use with such fluids and may also be used with more typical fluids (such as fluids that are less viscous and/or remain liquid at room temperature).
Turning to the figures,
The pulsation dampener 100 of
In the fluid piping system 200 of
With continued reference to
With continued reference to
Returning to
The liquid chamber 114 in this embodiment is defined at least partially by the bottom cap 106, the second end 127 of the piston 124, and a portion of the interior surface 129 of the cylindrical sleeve 108 that is between the bottom cap 106 and the second end 127 of the piston 124. The piston 124 is configured to be able to slide back and forth within the cylindrical sleeve 108 from a retracted position to an extended position. In this embodiment, the piston 124 is shown in
With continued reference to
Desirably, when the piston 124 is in the fully retracted position, the volume of the first portion 137 of the liquid chamber 114 drops to zero or close to zero. This can be beneficial, for example, to help ensure all (or at least most) of the fluid is able to be removed from the pulsation dampener 100 when the piston 124 is in the fully retracted position and/or when the fluid pumping system is turned off. Additionally, as can be seen in
For example, with reference to
With continued reference to
The pulsation dampener 100 further comprises a second or secondary gas chamber 118 that is in fluid communication with the first or primary gas chamber 116 through a plurality of openings 120 (e.g., openings, slots, apertures, and/or the like). In this embodiment, the second gas chamber 118 generally surrounds the first gas chamber 116 and is positioned within an annular space between the cylindrical sleeve 108 and the housing 102. Other embodiments may position the second gas chamber 118 differently, and some embodiments may not even include the second gas chamber 118. Inclusion of the second gas chamber 118 can be beneficial, however. For example, as described above, as the piston 124 moves toward the extended position, the volume of the first gas chamber 116 will decrease, increasing the pressure within the first gas chamber 116. As the volume of the gas acting on the first end 125 of the piston 124 decreases, the force required to move the piston 124 further in the extend direction will also increase. In order to maintain more consistent dampening performance as more and more liquid accumulates within the liquid chamber 114, however, it can be desirable to decrease the amount that the force required to move the piston 124 increases as the piston 124 gets closer to the extended position (e.g., by reducing the slope of a curve that shows the biasing force on the piston 124 versus the position of the piston 124). By including the additional second gas chamber 118 that does not change in volume when the piston 124 moves, there can be less variation in the total volume of gas in the dampener between the retracted and extended positions of the piston 124, thus enabling the dampening performance of the dampener 100 to be more consistent regardless of where in the stroke the piston 124 is currently located. In some embodiments, the volume of the second gas chamber 118 is at least 40% of the volume of the first gas chamber 116 with the piston 124 in the retracted position. In some embodiments, the volume of the second gas chamber 118 is at least 20%, 30%, 50%, or more of the volume of the first gas chamber 116 with the piston 124 in the retracted position.
In the pulsation dampener 100, the openings 120 that fluidly couple the first gas chamber 116 to the second gas chamber 118 are openings through the first end 109 of the cylindrical sleeve 108. Further details of one such opening 120 are shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of
As shown in
Although the embodiment shown in
With reference to
As mentioned above, the top cap 104 and bottom cap 106 may be sealed to the housing 102 with O-rings 138. Likewise, the cylindrical sleeve 108 may be sealed to the bottom cap 106 with O-rings 158 (see
With reference to
As mentioned above, some embodiments of pulsation dampeners disclosed herein may include the ability to detect the current position of the piston 124 within the pulsation dampener 100. Specifically, with reference to
Inclusion of the proximity sensor 134 can be beneficial, for example, to enable detection of whether the pulsation dampener 100 is operating as intended. For example, monitoring of the proximity sensor 134 may be useful in determining the correct pressure charge to include in the first and second gas chambers 116, 118 while operating a fluid piping system that is connected to the pulsation dampener 100. For example, if monitoring of the proximity sensor 134 shows that the piston 124 is not moving away from the retracted position as much as expected, pressure within the gas chambers may be reduced. Likewise, if monitoring of the proximity sensor 134 shows that the piston 124 is too easily moving away from the retracted position (e.g., the piston 124 is reaching the fully extended position in response to a smaller pressure fluctuations than intended), pressure within the gas chambers may be increased. Additionally, monitoring of the proximity sensor 134 may be used to detect a situation where, even with a fluid pumping system off and thus no pressure in the liquid chamber 114, the piston 124 has not fully retracted to the fully retracted position. This may be indicative of a viscous fluid having solidified within the liquid chamber 114, and can enable an operator of the system to act on such information, such as by cleaning the system.
As described above, inclusion of the cylindrical sleeve 108 can be beneficial, for example, because it can enable addition of a second gas chamber 118 that is in fluid communication with the first or primary gas chamber 116 which can have a number of benefits, including reducing the rate of increase in resistance to movement of the piston 124 toward the extended position. Inclusion of such a cylindrical sleeve 108 that seals against the piston 124 can also have other benefits. For example, it may be easier to precision machine or hone the interior surface 129 of the cylinder or sleeve 108 than the housing 102. As another example, the cylinder 108 may be easily replaceable with a new cylinder if, for example, the interior surface 129 of the cylinder 108 becomes damaged, such as as a result of some viscous fluid solidifying within the liquid chamber 114. In such a situation, it may be easier and less costly to replace the cylinder 108 than to replace the entire pulsation dampener. As another example, alternative designs may be produced that, for example, utilize differently sized housings 102 with the same size cylinder 108, leading to the ability to adjust the size of the secondary gas chamber 118 without requiring production of different pistons. As another example, in some situations it may be desirable to produce the housing 102 from a different material than the piston 124 and/or from a material that has a different coefficient of thermal expansion than the piston 124. In such a situation, the cylinder 108 may be produced from a material that is the same or at least has a same or similar coefficient of thermal expansion to the piston 124. As mentioned above, however, although inclusion of the cylinder 108 can have a number of benefits, alternative embodiments may not include the cylinder 108, and may, for example, configure the piston 124 to seal directly against the interior surface of the housing 102.
Turning to
The piston 124 further comprises a first or top end cap 356 and a second or bottom end cap 358, each of which are attached to the main body 352 of the piston 124 using a plurality of fasteners 368. In this case, the plurality of fasteners 368 comprise screws that are threaded into the main body 352, but other fastening means may be used. Desirably, alignment features 357 are also included which help to align the end caps 356, 358 to the main body 352 along a common central axis. In this case, the alignment features 357 comprise protrusions on the end caps 356, 358 that fit into complementary depressions or holes in the main body 352. Other ways of aligning the caps 356, 358 to the main body 352 may also be used.
When the first and second end caps 356, 358 are coupled to the main body 352, they form corresponding annular grooves or spaces 360, 364 therebetween. Within the top groove 360 is positioned at a first or top seal 362, and within the bottom groove 364 is positioned a second or bottom seal 366. In this embodiment, the seals 362, 366 each comprise high-performance U-cup seal rings. For example, the seals 362, 366 each comprise a body 391 having an outer lip 393 and an inner lip 395 extending therefrom. The seals 362, 366 also each comprise a lip support structure 397 that is intended to, for example, force or keep engagement of the lips 393, 395 with the surface they are sealing against (such as a surface of the main body 352 or the interior surface 129 of the cylinder or cylindrical sleeve 108). The lip support structure 397 may comprise, for example, an O-ring, a metal spring, and/or the like.
Desirably, at least the bottom seal 366—and in some embodiments both the top and bottom seals 362, 366—comprises a high-performance polymer material that is resistant to corrosive fluids and to extreme temperatures. For example, the seals 362, 366 may comprise a perfluoroelastomer material that is capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 446° F. or higher without damage. As discussed above, such a configuration can be desirable particularly in use cases where a fluid that is solid at room temperature is being pumped at higher temperatures to maintain the fluid in a liquid state. Use of such materials is not a requirement in all embodiments, however, and particularly is not required in an embodiment that is not necessarily intended to be used with such high temperature fluids.
Another advantage of using U-cup seal rings for the seals 362, 366 (or at least for the bottom seal 366 that is exposed to the liquid chamber 114) is that the outer lip 393 can perform a wiping function on the interior surface 129 of the cylinder 108. This can help to clean the interior surface 129 of the cylinder 108, to ensure that as much fluid as is practical is removed from the pulsation dampener 100 before the fluid solidifies as it reduces in temperature.
Some embodiments may include the annular grooves 360, 364 for positioning therein of the seals 362, 366 without having the end caps 356, 358 be detachable from the main body 352. In such an embodiment, the seals may, for example, be stretched out in order to install them into the grooves 360, 364. It can be desirable to include the removable end caps 356, 358, however, such as to avoid damaging the seals 362, 364 by stretching them. This can be particularly beneficial with high-performance U-cup seals that may be more prone to damage from such stretching than a more typical seal. Other types of seals (e.g., more typical piston seals) may be used in some embodiments, however, particularly in embodiments that may not necessarily be intended for use with high temperature fluids.
Desirably, the interior surface 129 of the cylinder 108 comprises a honed surface finish. This can, for example, lead to better sealing of the seals 362, 366 against the interior surface 129 than if the surface 129 were not honed. Further, desirably, the cylindrical sleeve 108 and at least of the main body 352 of the piston 124 comprise either the same material or materials that have the same or similar coefficient of thermal expansion. For example, the cylinder 108 and main body 352 may both comprise steel, stainless steel, and/or the like. Having materials with the same or similar coefficient of thermal expansion can be desirable, particularly in a use case where high temperature fluids are being pumped, which may cause significant thermal expansion of components of the pulsation dampener 100. In such a situation, having materials with different or significantly different coefficients of thermal expansion could cause the fit between the piston 124 and the cylinder 108 to become too tight, to become too loose, and/or the like.
In some embodiments, all or most of the components of the pulsation dampener 100 comprise stainless steel, which can be beneficial both to resist corrosion and to resist being damaged by high temperature fluids (such as fluids at up to 446° F. or more). For example, in some embodiments, at least the piston main body 352, piston top end cap 356, piston bottom end cap 358, housing 102, cylinder 108, top cap 104, and bottom cap 106 comprise stainless steel.
With continued reference to
Various other modifications, adaptations, and alternative designs are of course possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, it should be understood at this time that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. It is contemplated that various combinations or subcombinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments disclosed above may be made and still fall within one or more of the inventions. Further, the disclosure herein of any particular feature, aspect, method, property, characteristic, quality, attribute, element, or the like in connection with an embodiment can be used in all other embodiments set forth herein. Accordingly, it should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with or substituted for one another in order to form varying modes of the disclosed inventions. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present inventions herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above. Moreover, while the invention is susceptible to various modifications, and alternative forms, specific examples thereof have been shown in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the particular forms or methods disclosed, but to the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the various embodiments described and the appended claims. Any methods disclosed herein need not be performed in the order recited.
Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment. The headings used herein are for the convenience of the reader only and are not meant to limit the scope of the inventions or claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/613,266, titled FLUID PULSATION DAMPENERS FOR VISCOUS FLUIDS, filed on Dec. 21, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63613266 | Dec 2023 | US |