Patent Application
20210108624
The present invention relates to a device or tool for the manual rolling of piston pumps, and more particularly, to an improved system and method for manually rolling of piston pumps safely.
A piston pump is a type of reciprocating positive displacement pump that moves liquids or compresses gasses. The piston pump can accommodate a wide range of pressures with little impact to flowrate. It can also accommodate media that is viscous or contains some solid particles. One example of a piston pump is the bare shaft Gardner Denver PXL-2000 triplex drilling mud pump 100 that is shown in
A piston pump can come with any number of pistons although most common in the oil and gas drilling service industry are 2 (duplex), 3 (triplex), 4 (quadraplex), and 5 (quintuplex). A bare shaft pump is typically “unitized” or set on a skid where low pressure media is delivered to an outlet(s) on the suction manifold 101, high pressure media is then discharged though an outlet(s) on the discharge manifold 102. The pump's gearbox is driven by a remote power source, most commonly an AC motor, DC motor, or an internal combustion engine, which is connected to the crankshaft 103 via a gearbox, sheaves, belts, etc.
An example of a fully unitized triplex piston pump for a drilling rig is shown in
To maintain the pump and to modify the pumps operational parameters, it is necessary to replace and/or change out components in and around the piston side of the fluid end modules such as liners, pony rods, piston rods, seals, swabs, etc. To perform this work, the pump must be isolated from its power source or de-energized and the crankshaft rotated manually until the first piston is removed from the fluid module. The work on first piston can then be performed. The process is repeated for next piston until all the work has been completed for each of the pistons. Once all the work has been completed the pump is re-energized. The process of manually rotating the crankshaft is commonly referred to as “rolling the pump by hand.”
To roll a pump by hand, each pump typically has drilled and tapped holes at each end of the crankshaft. Generally a plate with a nut (such as a 1-¼ inch nut) or other fastening device welded onto it is bolted to the end of the crankshaft.
Typically a ratchet (such as a 48-inch long handle ratchet with a 1-¼ inch socket) is installed on the nut 502 and used to rotate the crankshaft and “roll the pump.”
This arrangement works well to roll the pump. However, it is not uncommon for the ratchet to be inadvertently left in place when the pump is re-energized. When this occurs and the pump is engaged, the ratchet will spin in an uncontrolled manner up to 150 rpm and/or it will be thrown from the pump across the location at a high rate of speed. Both outcomes are a serious high potential incidents. Both outcomes have resulted in the ratchet have striking personnel resulting in serious personnel injury.
Devices have been designed and tested to mitigate this hazard. One such design is a “spring loaded” socket that pops off of the nut when not physically held in place. While this device works, it is not optimal and there are increased burdens of use because this arrangement requires additional personnel to hold the socket in place while others rotate the pump. Due to the additional manpower requirements it is not popular in field operations and sometimes steps are taken to disable this device in the field so that the extra personnel need not be used.
Other field made devices, such as the T-bar and cheater pipe shown in
Moreover, the stresses on the device to roll the pump by hand can cause fatigue issues in that these can be unsafe and result in personal injury when repeatedly used over time.
Accordingly, there is, and remains, a need for a pump manual rolling device/arrangement that can be routinely used that also mitigates the risk of injury to personnel. This includes the need for a device that can withstand repeated uses over time.
The present invention provides an improved pump manual rolling system and method of use. The improved pump manual rolling system includes the following components:
The combination of these components require the detached handle to be manually inserted into the pump manual rolling device from the bottom and be held up in place during use. If and when the detached handle is released, the handle will simply fall to the ground due to gravity. Since the detached handle will not stay in place when released, it cannot be inadvertently left in place when the pump is restarted thus mitigating the high potential incident and potential for personnel injury.
In general, in one embodiment, the invention features a system for manually rotating a pump. The system includes a torque wheel having one or more handle receptacles for receiving a handle for rotating the torque wheel. The torque wheel is operably connected to a crankshaft of the pump such that rotation of the torque wheel can rotate the crankshaft. The system further includes a torque wheel cover. The torque wheel cover is positioned over the torque wheel. The torque wheel cover has a window that provides access to at least one of the one or more handle receptacles of the torque wheel. The window is positioned to face in a downward direction such that gravity will cause the handle, when positioned in one or more of the handle receptacles of the torque wheel through the window, to drop from the one or more handle receptacles due to gravity.
Implementations of the invention can include one or more of the following features:
The system can further include the handle.
The torque wheel can be permanently mounted to the crankshaft of the pump and can remain in place during operations of the pump.
The torque wheel can have one or more of the following features: (a) the one or more handle receptacles can be a plurality of handle receptacles; (b) the one or more handle receptacles can be in combination with a planetary gear; (c) the torque wheel can include a unidirectional ratchet; (d) the torque wheel can include the unidirectional ratchet combined with a planetary gear; (e) the torque wheel can include a bidirectional ratchet; and (f) the torque wheel can include the bidirectional ratchet combined with the planetary gear.
The torque wheel cover can be mounted to a non-rotating part of the pump, pump component, or an independent stand. The torque wheel cover can be operable to remain in place during pump operations.
The torque wheel cover can be mounted to the pump component. The pump component can be a belt guard cover.
The system can further include the handle and the handle can have an integrated key.
The torque wheel can have a ratchet pawl. The integrated key can be operable to engage the ratchet pawl, move the ratchet pawl into place, and determine the direction of rotation.
The integrated key can further be operable to change direction of rotation by removing, reorienting, and reinstalling the handle.
In general, in another embodiment, the invention features a method of manually rotating a pump. The method includes inserting a handle into a handle receptacle for a torque wheel. The handle is inserted into the handle receptacle through a window in a torque wheel cover. The window is positioned such that if the handle is not held in place, it will drop from the handle receptacle due to gravity. The method further includes rotating the torque wheel to rotate the crankshaft to manually rotate the pump. The method further includes removing the handle from the handle receptacle by either manually moving the handle or by releasing the handle and allowing it to drop due to gravity.
Implementations of the invention can include one or more of the following features:
The torque wheel can have a plurality of handle receptacles.
The torque wheel cover can be positioned over the torque wheel.
The torque wheel can be permanently mounted to the crankshaft of the pump and can remain in place during operations of the pump.
The torque wheel can have one or more of the following features: (a) a plurality of handle receptacles; (b) the plurality of handle receptacles can be in combination with a planetary gear; (c) the torque wheel can include a unidirectional ratchet; (d) the torque wheel can include the unidirectional ratchet combined with a planetary gear; (e) the torque wheel can include a bidirectional ratchet; and (f) the torque wheel can include the bidirectional ratchet combined with the planetary gear.
The torque wheel cover can be mounted to a non-rotating part of the pump, pump component, or an independent stand. The torque wheel cover can remain in place during pump operations.
The torque wheel cover can be mounted to the pump component. The pump component can be a belt guard cover.
The handle can include an integrated key.
The torque wheel can have a ratchet pawl. The integrated key can be used to engage the ratchet pawl, move the ratchet pawl into place, and determine the direction of rotation.
The method can further include changing direction of rotation by removing, reorienting, and reinstalling the handle.
The present invention relates to manually rolling or rotating pumps such that routine maintenance and repairs can be completed in a more safe manner. The improved pump manual rolling system includes the following components:
The combination of these components allows the pump to rolled or rotated by a person but mitigates the potential of the handle being inadvertently left in place when the pump is energized and activated thus mitigating the scenario which has resulted in historical high potential incidents and serious personnel injuries. It also provides for a system that can be used over an extended period to compensate for fatigue that could occur over time.
For the pump manual rolling devices of the present invention, the handle must be held up in place vertically while being used to manually rotate the pump.
As shown in
If and when the handle 1400 is released, the handle 1400 will simply fall to the ground due to a combination of the guard design of the torque wheel cover (such as torque wheel cover 1300), and gravity. Since the handle 1400 will not stay in place when released, handle 1400 cannot be inadvertently left in place when the pump is restarted thus mitigating the high potential incident and potential for personnel injury.
The torque wheel is permanently mounted to the pump crankshaft and is designed to remain in place during pump operations for an extended period of time.
The configuration of the torque wheel may be of varying degree from very simple to very complex.
In a more simple and straightforward form, the torque wheel can be torque wheels 900 and 1700, which are shown in
Complexity of the torque wheel may be layered on in many forms to simplify operations such as but not limited to:
The torque wheel cover has multiple purposes, including a safety guard to protect or shield personnel from the rotating torque wheel and to restrict or limit the area in which the handle can be moved. This restriction limits the handle's location to an area in which gravity will cause the handle to fall out unless it is manually held in place.
The handle is designed such that it will fall out due to gravity when it is within the operating limits of the torque wheel cover.
In some embodiments, the handle may be keyed such that when it is installed it will engage the ratchet pawl, move the ratchet pawl into place, and determine the direction of rotation. To change directions, the detached handle simply has to be removed, reoriented, and reinstalled.
Because the handle will automatically fall out when not held in place, it cannot be installed when the pump is activated and will mitigate this high potential incident scenario.
Moreover, as the handle can be replaced from time to time, this alleviates issues of fatigue to the handle over time. As for the pump manual rolling device and its torque wheels, this arrangement has been tested over time, and can withstand long periods of use before having to be replaced. Moreover, as the stress would be on the torque wheel (and the place where the handle is inserted), the torque wheel can be replaced from time to time as the need arises.
While embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, modifications thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and teachings of the invention. The embodiments described and the examples provided herein are exemplary only, and are not intended to be limiting. Many variations and modifications of the invention disclosed herein are possible and are within the scope of the invention. The scope of protection is not limited by the description set out above, but is only limited by the claims which follow, that scope including all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims.
The disclosures of all patents, patent applications, and publications cited herein are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, to the extent that they provide exemplary, procedural, or other details supplementary to those set forth herein.
Amounts and other numerical data may be presented herein in a range format. It is to be understood that such range format is used merely for convenience and brevity and should be interpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. For example, a numerical range of approximately 1 to approximately 4.5 should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited limits of 1 to approximately 4.5, but also to include individual numerals such as 2, 3, 4, and sub-ranges such as 1 to 3, 2 to 4, etc. The same principle applies to ranges reciting only one numerical value, such as “less than approximately 4.5,” which should be interpreted to include all of the above-recited values and ranges. Further, such an interpretation should apply regardless of the breadth of the range or the characteristic being described.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the presently disclosed subject matter belongs. Although any methods, devices, and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the presently disclosed subject matter, representative methods, devices, and materials are now described.
Following long-standing patent law convention, the terms “a” and “an” mean “one or more” when used in this application, including the claims.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, reaction conditions, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in this specification and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the presently disclosed subject matter.
As used herein, the term “about” and “substantially” when referring to a value or to an amount of mass, weight, time, volume, concentration or percentage is meant to encompass variations of in some embodiments ±20%, in some embodiments ±10%, in some embodiments ±5%, in some embodiments ±1%, in some embodiments ±0.5%, and in some embodiments ±0.1% from the specified amount, as such variations are appropriate to perform the disclosed method.
As used herein, the term “substantially perpendicular” and “substantially parallel” is meant to encompass variations of in some embodiments within ±10° of the perpendicular and parallel directions, respectively, in some embodiments within ±5° of the perpendicular and parallel directions, respectively, in some embodiments within ±1° of the perpendicular and parallel directions, respectively, and in some embodiments within ±0.5° of the perpendicular and parallel directions, respectively.
As used herein, the term “and/or” when used in the context of a listing of entities, refers to the entities being present singly or in combination. Thus, for example, the phrase “A, B, C, and/or D” includes A, B, C, and D individually, but also includes any and all combinations and subcombinations of A, B, C, and D.
This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Appl. Ser. No. 62/913,585, filed Oct. 10, 2019, entitled “Piston Pump Manual Rolling System And Method Of Use,” which patent application is commonly owned by the owner of the present invention. This patent application is incorporated herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62913585 | Oct 2019 | US |
