Patent Application
20250092329
The present invention relates, generally to lubricants (plunger grease) for use in pumps employed in oil and gas exploration service.
Triplex and Quintoplex pumps are used in a number of chemical industries, including crude oil, fracturing, amine circulation, and CO2 injection, due to smooth flow rates, even at high pressures. These types of pumps are often used for high pressure applications due to their robust design and are particularly adapted for pumping high viscosity fluids This is due to having separate drive rods driving the plungers/pistons (hereinafter collectively “plunger(s)”). A triplex design, for example, uses three drive rods, each at a 120 degree offset around the crankshaft. A single-acting triplex pump design contains the fewest drive rods in a positive displacement pump where the flow does not reach zero anywhere in the crankshaft rotation. A quintoplex pump is a reciprocating pump design which incorporates five separate drive rods to drive the pump's plungers.
Pump packing materials for triplex and quintoplex pumps are used to provide a seal around a rod, plunger, or piston. For a piston, the packing is contained in a groove in the piston, and moves with the piston. For a rod or plunger, the packing is stationary and is contained by a stuffing box. Pump packing materials wear and must be replaced, requiring expensive downtime. Reducing wear extends the life of these packing materials and is dependent on the lubrication used and the media being pumped. Presently, using known lubrication formulations, the operational life of pump packing materials are known to be as little as every 5 days to 15 days.
In the past, viscous lubricants with tackifier have been utilized for triplex and quintoplex pumps, however, lubricant still leaks from the pump. To solve this problem, pump operators have moved to semi-fluid greases. These greases are more expensive per pound versus lubricants, do not dissipate heat as well, have supply chain issues, and compete with batteries for sources of lithium, utilized in the thickener.
Traditionally, two different products are utilized in the packings and plungers of hydraulic pumps used in fracking and other oilfield applications.:
The former still drips and makes a mess around the pump, so they use the latter to stay put. Greases are expensive and have had their supply challenges due to mostly being lithium based, competing with battery technologies.
A need, therefore, exists for a cost effective, commercially available, plunger lubricant for a pump used in oil and gas exploration which dissipates heat well and extends the life of pump packing materials.
The present invention is designed to make a lubrication product perform similar to grease, but without the traditional soap thickener. The product is stringy and viscous versus a tacky fluid and designed to stay put in application like a grease. The lubricant product of the present disclosure also dissipates heat better than a grease and would be less aggressive on plunger components, specifically the packings, for use in a hydraulic pump suitable for oil and gas exploration.
The product of the present disclosure is used in the packings and plungers of hydraulic pumps used in fracking and other oilfield applications. The formulation of the lubrication product of the present disclosure, in a general form includes: diluent oil; olefin co-polymers; polybutene; high molecular weight poly-ISO-Butylene; polyisobutylene succinic anhydride; and performance additives. The diluent oil may be selected from naphthenic, paraffinic, or synthetic origin. Bright Stock 150, known in the art and readily commercially available, is a suitable diluent oil. The performance additive may be a sulfur/phosphorus gear oil package.
More specifically, the composition of the present disclosure includes: diluent oil, comprising naphthenic, paraffinic, or synthetic; high propylene or high ethylene, (or combinations thereof) olefin co-polymers; polybutene, ranging in molecular weights from 100-6000; high molecular weight poly-ISO-Butylene; PIBSA dispersant; a sulfur/phosphorus gear oil additive package.
The composition of the present disclosure includes a combination of high molecular weight (“MW”) Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (“EPDM”), both high ethylene and high propylene, with high MW polybutene to make a product that is not only 10 times tackier versus a rock drill oil, but is more viscoelastic. The composition of the present disclosure behaves (has properties) more like a grease as a liquid versus a tacky fluid.
Since the lubrication product formulation of the present disclosure behaves like a grease, it can be used with existing grease delivery equipment and systems as are used in the industry (such as by way of non-limiting example, Lincoln pumps). The present formulation can also be used with presently used grease delivery schemes (as used with prior art grease formulations). These schemes are generally expressed in terms of a ratio such as 3:1, generally meaning three times and one time, such as 3 seconds on (pumping grease) and 1 minute off. The present formulation allows for shorter pump times and greater off time.
Also very significantly, the product of the present disclosure extents the pump packing life. Instead of replacing pump packing every 5 to 15 days, it is estimated that the present formulation may double the packing life, or at least to increase 35% to 50%.
Another benefit of the formulation of the present disclosure is that it can be fully pulled or drawn out of a chemical shipping tote. This is significant because when substantially all of the contents of the tote is removed, the tote can be recycled rather than sent to landfill.
The foregoing has outlined in broad terms the more important features of the invention disclosed herein so that the detailed description that follows may be more clearly understood, and so that the contribution of the instant inventors to the art may be better appreciated. The instant invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Rather the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various other ways not specifically enumerated herein. Additionally, the disclosure that follows is intended to apply to all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Further, it should be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting, unless the specification specifically so limits the invention.
The preferred composition of the present invention includes the following:
The preferred composition of the present invention includes the following:
Three different specific embodiments of the present formulation are contemplated and expressed as three most preferable grades of product a set forth below. The differences generally relate to viscosity as required by ambient temperatures experienced throughout the year.
It is contemplated that the heavy formulation would be suitable for use in temperatures above approximately 90° F. ambient.
It is contemplated that the medium formulation would be suitable for use in temperatures between approximately 50° F. and 90° F. ambient.
It is contemplated that the light formulation would be suitable for use in temperatures approximately less than 50° F. ambient.
Testing was conducted between the product of the present disclosure and two products commonly utilized in the industry.
The first was a 00 grease versus the product of the present disclosure used in a coil tubing operation.
First, the 00 grease was pumped for 3 on and one off, or 3:1 ratio, (could be 3 minutes pumping, then one off).
Then the 00 grease lubricating product was switched out for the product of the present disclosure.
Achieving the same lubrication results with all other factors being equal, the plunger lube of the present disclosure was pumped for 1 on and three off, or 1:3 ratio (again could be 1 minute pumping and three minutes off).
Pump packing life was observed to be 40 to 60% longer vs. the current lubricant.
The second example was a rock drill oil 100 versus the product of the present disclosure used in a down hole operation. Rock drill oil 100 is a tacky type product that is a commonly used lubricant in the industry.
First, the rock drill oil 100 had to be continuously pumped and fed from a tank.
Switching to the plunger lube of the present invention allowed the use of a 1:3 on/off ratio for the pump (could be 1 minute pumping and three minutes off). The same (or better) lubrication results were achieved with all other factors being equal.
Pump packing life was observed to be 40 to 60% longer vs. the current lubricant.
It is to be understood that the terms “including”, “comprising”, “consisting” and grammatical variants thereof do not preclude the addition of one or more components, features, steps, or integers or groups thereof and that the terms are to be construed as specifying components, features, steps or integers.
If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.
It is to be understood that where the claims or specification refer to “a” or “an” element, such reference is not be construed that there is only one of that element.
It is to be understood that where the specification states that a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, “can” or “could” be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included.
Where applicable, although state diagrams, flow diagrams or both may be used to describe embodiments, the invention is not limited to those diagrams or to the corresponding descriptions. For example, flow need not move through each illustrated box or state, or in exactly the same order as illustrated and described.
Methods of the present invention may be implemented by performing or completing manually, automatically, or a combination thereof, selected steps or tasks.
The term “method” may refer to manners, means, techniques and procedures for accomplishing a given task including, but not limited to, those manners, means, techniques and procedures either known to, or readily developed from known manners, means, techniques and procedures by practitioners of the art to which the invention belongs.
The term “at least” followed by a number is used herein to denote the start of a range beginning with that number (which may be a range having an upper limit or no upper limit, depending on the variable being defined). For example, “at least 1” means 1 or more than 1. The term “at most” followed by a number is used herein to denote the end of a range ending with that number (which may be a range having 1 or 0 as its lower limit, or a range having no lower limit, depending upon the variable being defined). For example, “at most 4” means 4 or less than 4, and “at most 40%” means 40% or less than 40%.
When, in this document, a range is given as “(a first number) to (a second number)” or “(a first number)−(a second number)”, this means a range whose lower limit is the first number and whose upper limit is the second number. For example, 25 to 100 should be interpreted to mean a range whose lower limit is 25 and whose upper limit is 100. Additionally, it should be noted that where a range is given, every possible subrange or interval within that range is also specifically intended unless the context indicates to the contrary. For example, if the specification indicates a range of 25 to 100 such range is also intended to include subranges such as 26-100, 27-100, etc., 25-99, 25-98, etc., as well as any other possible combination of lower and upper values within the stated range, e.g., 33-47, 60-97, 41-45, 28-96, etc. Note that integer range values have been used in this paragraph for purposes of illustration only and decimal and fractional values (e.g., 46.7-91.3) should also be understood to be intended as possible subrange endpoints unless specifically excluded.
It should be noted that 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 context excludes that possibility), and the method can also 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 of the defined steps (except where context excludes that possibility).
Further, it should be noted that terms of approximation (e.g., “about”, “substantially”, “approximately”, etc.) are to be interpreted according to their ordinary and customary meanings as used in the associated art unless indicated otherwise herein. Absent a specific definition within this disclosure, and absent ordinary and customary usage in the associated art, such terms should be interpreted to be plus or minus 10% of the base value.
Thus, the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned above as well as those inherent therein. While the inventive device has been described and illustrated herein by reference to certain preferred embodiments in relation to the drawings attached thereto, various changes and further modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made therein by those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit of the inventive concept the scope of which is to be determined by the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/538,380, filed on Sep. 14, 2023, and incorporates such provisional application by reference into this disclosure as if fully set out at this point.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63538380 | Sep 2023 | US |
