U.S. patent application number 16/496282 was filed with the patent office on 2021-04-15 for double-plate and double-cylinder pump.
The applicant listed for this patent is IFP Energies nouvelles. Invention is credited to Daniel AVERBUCH, Philippe PAGNIER, Julien TROST.
Application Number | 20210108622 16/496282 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005315529 |
Filed Date | 2021-04-15 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20210108622 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
PAGNIER; Philippe ; et
al. |
April 15, 2021 |
DOUBLE-PLATE AND DOUBLE-CYLINDER PUMP
Abstract
The present invention relates to a pump (1) comprising two
pumping assemblies distributed symmetrically about a plane
perpendicular to the axis of a driveshaft (12), each pumping
assembly comprising a cylinder (4, 5), a plate (2, 3), an intake
pipe (8, 9) and a delivery pipe (10, 11), the plates (2, 3) of each
assembly being connected to one another at said plane of
symmetry.
Inventors: |
PAGNIER; Philippe; (SAINT
CLAIR DU RHONE, FR) ; TROST; Julien; (PARIS, FR)
; AVERBUCH; Daniel; (VERNAISON, FR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
IFP Energies nouvelles |
Rueil-Malmaison |
|
FR |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005315529 |
Appl. No.: |
16/496282 |
Filed: |
March 5, 2018 |
PCT Filed: |
March 5, 2018 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2018/055359 |
371 Date: |
September 20, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04B 53/16 20130101;
F04B 1/2078 20130101; F04B 1/22 20130101; E21B 21/08 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F04B 1/2078 20060101
F04B001/2078; E21B 21/08 20060101 E21B021/08; F04B 1/22 20060101
F04B001/22; F04B 53/16 20060101 F04B053/16 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 23, 2017 |
FR |
17/52.410 |
Claims
1. A barrel-type piston pump comprising at least one driveshaft, a
first pumping assembly and a second pumping assembly, each pumping
assembly being formed of elements comprising at least one plate, a
cylinder block, an intake pipe and a delivery pipe, the cylinder
block comprising at least two compression chambers distributed
circumferentially, at least two pistons respectively in
translational movement in the compression chambers of the cylinder
block of each of the assemblies, the plate of each of the two
assemblies being inclined at an angle with respect to the axis of
rotation of the driveshaft, the driveshaft generating a relative
rotational movement between the plate and the cylinder block of
each of the two assemblies, wherein the elements of the second
assembly are distributed symmetrically with respect to the elements
of the first assembly about a plane perpendicular to the axis of
rotation of the driveshaft, and in that the plates of the two
assemblies are connected to one another at the plane of
symmetry.
2. The pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intake and delivery
pipes of a one same assembly are positioned symmetrically with
respect to the axis of the driveshaft.
3. The pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pump comprises means
for controlling the angular inclination of the plate of each of the
assemblies with respect to the axis of the driveshaft.
4. The pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plates of the two
assemblies are formed as a single unit.
5. The pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plates of the two
assemblies may be connected to one another by connecting means that
pass through the plane of symmetry.
6. The pump as claimed in claim 5, wherein the connecting means
comprise a pivot connection positioned at a point situated
substantially at the periphery of the two plates.
7. The pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein the relative rotational
movement is a rotational movement of the plate of each of the
assemblies.
8. The pump as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the assemblies
additionally comprises a wobble plate, the wobble plate of each of
the assemblies being pivot-connected to the rotating plate of the
one same assembly.
9. The pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein the relative rotational
movement is a rotational movement of the cylinder block of each of
the assemblies.
10. The pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein the angle of
inclination of the plate of each of the assemblies with respect to
the axis of the driveshaft is comprised between 70 and 90.degree.
in terms of absolute value.
11. The use of the barrel-type piston pump as claimed in claim 1
for a drilling operation, particularly for injecting drilling mud
into a drilled well.
12. A method for conducting for a drilling operation, comprising
injecting drilling mud into a drilled well using the barrel-type
piston pump as claimed in claim 1.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of pumps,
particularly for high-pressure and high-output pumping, notably for
drilling operations ranging from a few hundred meters to a few
kilometers.
[0002] In the field of hydrocarbon production, it is currently
found that the boreholes need to reach increasingly great depths,
which means operating with increasingly high injection pressures.
The oil companies and service industries within the petroleum
sector therefore have a need for pumps (for example for injecting
drilling mud) at very high pressure in order to reach the required
depths. Such pumps also need to be reliable, economical, flexible
and compact in order to meet the ever more demanding requirements
of the energy sector.
[0003] In general, pumps driven by a crankshaft are the most
widespread throughout all sectors of industry: equipment, the
petroleum, gas and agri-foodstuffs industries, the automotive
sector, building (heating, wells, air conditioning, water pumps,
etc.) and more specifically for the treatment of water and waste
(water and sewage mains). To date, pumps of this type have
comprised a limited number of pistons (of the order of 5), because
of limits on the size of the crankshaft which incidentally is
subjected to high stresses and to abrupt variations in pressure
which may occur on the delivery side. These pumps therefore have
limits in terms of their power, their pressure/output pairing
(which is limited by "water hammer" generated by the sinusoidal
pressure of the crankshaft), their weight, their efficiency and
their life. In addition, they do not provide the option for a
variable displacement and therefore lack flexibility in use.
[0004] Another positive-displacement pump technology is the
barrel-type piston pump, also called wobble-plate pump or
swashplate pump, which involves a plate and a cylinder. In this
type of pump, the pistons are distributed in a circle, unlike in
crankshaft pumps in which the pistons are aligned. Pumps designed
with a plate and cylinder operate using either a wobble plate
system or a swashplate system, where the plate actuates the various
pistons one after another. When one piston is in an intake phase,
the opposite piston is in delivery mode, thereby offering constant
flow upstream and downstream of the pump. The distribution of the
positions of the pistons, guided by the cylinder, provides
progressive distribution of load as the shaft driven by the motor
rotates.
[0005] Predominantly intended for low-pressure and low-output
pumping (chiefly used in the pumping of hydraulic oils), this type
of pump offers numerous advantages: [0006] Excellent weight/power
ratio [0007] Very good quality/price ratio [0008] Advantageous
mechanical and volumetric efficiencies [0009] The possibility of
having variable displacement by adjusting the angle of the
plate.
[0010] In general, there are three main designs of barrel-type
piston pump: [0011] Fixed-cylinder pumps (FIG. 1): in this
configuration of pump 1, in which the cylinder is fixed, it is the
inclined plate/swashplate 2 which rotates (driven by the shaft 5)
in order to generate the movement of the pistons 3 in their liners
4. The connection between the pistons 3 and the plate 2 is then
provided by ball-jointed slipper pads which rub against the plate
2. The advantage here is that the rotating parts have very low
inertia. [0012] Rotary-cylinder swashplate pumps (FIG. 2): within
the pump 1 it is the plate 2 which is fixed and the cylinder 6
bearing the pistons 3 rotates, thus causing the pistons 3 to move
in their liners 4. The piston 3-plate 2 connection is afforded in
the same way as in the first configuration. The advantage with this
design is that it is easy to make the angle of the swashplate
adjustable, thus achieving the option for variable displacement. By
contrast, the inertia of the rotating parts increases not
insignificantly because the cylinder and all of the pistons are
made to rotate. [0013] Wobble plate pumps: in this design, the
cylinder is fixed and there are two plates; an inclined first plate
rotates and transfers only the wobble movement to the second plate.
Thus, the pistons can be connected to the second wobble plate
without the need for rubbing elements, for example using a
connecting rod connected to the piston and to the plate by
ball-joint connections. This is the only design suited to
high-pressure pumping because of the absence of rubbing elements
(and incidentally a few can be found in geothermal applications).
It also offers excellent mechanical efficiency.
[0014] In the case of such barrel-type piston pumps, the number and
diameter of the pistons, and also the angle of the plate, determine
the output desired for the pump. In fact, when the pump is
operating, the pistons are each in turn under high pressure, and
then at atmospheric pressure, so that the cylinder/piston assembly
imposes a load on the plate the module of which is spatially
heterogeneous. Specifically, facing the intake pipe (atmospheric
pressure) the load is relatively low, whereas facing the delivery
pipe the load is at a maximum.
[0015] Moreover, when barrel-type piston pumps, whether they have
rotating cylinders, wobble plate or swashplate, are used in the
field of very deep drilling combining high pressure with high
delivery, the forces applied by a high number of pistons may lead
to considerable loads on the plate and the mechanical connections
between the components which, under extreme conditions, may lead to
deformation of the plate or the breakage of a connection.
Furthermore, the connections between the pistons and the plate,
which are provided for example by ball-jointed slipper pads, need
to be designed to have the minimum of friction.
[0016] This imbalance in the load applied to the plate may lead to
significant forces on the plate and on the mechanical connections
of the system, leading to components that are bulkier and heavier,
making the pump consume more energy. Furthermore, the connections
between the pistons and the plate, for example using ball-jointed
slipper pads, may prove impossible to design if the load applied is
too great.
[0017] Also known is patent CN 103696920, which describes a
hydraulic pump comprising two plates and two cylinder assemblies
each having a set of pistons. In this design, the plates are
positioned at opposite ends of the pump and the cylinders are in
the middle, so the pump then has just one intake and one delivery.
However, such a pump entails sizing each of the plates
independently, something which may prove difficult in high-pressure
and high-output applications. In addition, such a configuration of
the various pump elements does not allow common adjustment of the
angle of the plates.
[0018] In order to alleviate these disadvantages, the present
invention relates to a double-cylinder, double-plate pump with
double intake/delivery, the elements of each of the
cylinder-plate-intake-delivery assemblies being distributed along a
driveshaft in such a way as to reduce the stresses on the plates
and the various mechanical connections, and thus reduce the risks
of breakage.
[0019] The Device According to the Invention
[0020] The invention relates to a barrel-type piston pump
comprising at least one driveshaft, a first pumping assembly and a
second pumping assembly, each pumping assembly being formed of
elements comprising at least one plate, a cylinder block, an intake
pipe and a delivery pipe, said cylinder block comprising at least
two compression chambers distributed circumferentially, at least
two pistons respectively in translational movement in said
compression chambers of said cylinder block of each of said
assemblies, said plate of each of said two assemblies being
inclined at an angle with respect to the axis of rotation of said
driveshaft, said driveshaft generating a relative rotational
movement between said plate and said cylinder block of each of said
two assemblies.
[0021] According to the invention, said elements of said second
assembly are distributed symmetrically with respect to said
elements of said first assembly about a plane perpendicular to the
axis of rotation of said driveshaft, and said plates of said two
assemblies are connected to one another at said plane of
symmetry.
[0022] Advantageously, said intake and delivery pipes of a one same
assembly may be positioned symmetrically with respect to the axis
of said driveshaft.
[0023] According to one embodiment of the invention, said plates of
said two assemblies may be formed as a single unit.
[0024] According to one embodiment option, said plates of said two
assemblies may be connected to one another by connecting means that
pass through said plane of symmetry.
[0025] According to one embodiment, said connecting means may
comprise a pivot connection positioned at a point situated
substantially at the periphery of said two plates.
[0026] According to one alternative form of embodiment of the
invention, said relative rotational movement may be a rotational
movement of said plate of each of said assemblies.
[0027] According to another alternative form of embodiment of the
invention, each of said assemblies may additionally comprise a
wobble plate, said wobble plate of each of said assemblies being
pivot-connected to said rotating plate of said one same
assembly.
[0028] According to another embodiment option of the invention,
said relative rotational movement may be a rotational movement of
said cylinder block of each of said assemblies.
[0029] According to one embodiment, the angle of inclination of
said plate of each of said assemblies with respect to the axis of
said driveshaft may be comprised between 70 and 90.degree. in terms
of absolute value.
[0030] Advantageously, said pump may comprise means for controlling
the angular inclination of said plate of each of said assemblies
with respect to the axis of said driveshaft.
[0031] Furthermore, the invention relates to a use of said
barrel-type piston pump for a drilling operation, particularly for
injecting drilling mud into a drilled well.
BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE FIGURES
[0032] Other features and advantages of the device according to the
invention will become apparent upon reading the following
description of non-limiting exemplary embodiments with reference to
the appended figures described hereinbelow.
[0033] FIG. 1, already described, illustrates a fixed-cylinder
wobble pump according to the prior art.
[0034] FIG. 2, already described, illustrates a rotary-cylinder
swashplate pump according to the prior art.
[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates a pump according to a first embodiment of
the invention.
[0036] FIG. 4 illustrates a pump according to a second embodiment
of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0037] The present invention relates to a barrel-type piston pump.
The barrel-type piston pump is intended to pump the fluid (for
example: water, oil, gas, drilling mud, etc.) by means of a linear
displacement of a number of pistons. This type of pump offers the
advantage of being compact, of having advantageous mechanical and
volumetric efficiencies, and of having an excellent weight/power
ratio. The barrel-type piston pump according to the invention may
be a fixed-cylinder pump, a rotary-cylinder pump or else a wobble
pump.
[0038] The barrel-type piston pump according to the invention
generally comprises a housing, and within a housing comprises:
[0039] a driveshaft: this is rotationally driven with respect to
the housing by an external source of energy, notably a driving
machine (for example a heat or electric machine), particularly by
means of a transmission (for example a gearbox); [0040] a first set
of pumping elements, comprising at least a plate, a cylinder block
(referred to as cylinder), an intake pipe and a delivery pipe and a
second set of pumping elements, comprising at least the same
elements as the first pumping assembly, the elements of each of
these sets/assemblies being distributed along the driveshaft. In
the conventional way, a cylinder block comprises at least two
compression chambers (also referred to as liners) distributed
circumferentially (in other words, the compression chambers are
arranged in a circle), and at least two pistons respectively in
translational movement in the compression chambers, the
translational movement of the pistons within the compression
chambers achieving the pumping of the fluid. The plates of each
assembly may be substantially in the form of a disk. However, the
plates may have any shape. Only the compression chambers (and the
pistons) are arranged in a circle. Moreover, in the conventional
way, the fluid that is to be pumped passes through the intake pipe
of one of the assemblies, enters a compression chamber of this
assembly, is compressed and then delivered from the pump by the
delivery pipe of this assembly.
[0041] Moreover, according to the invention: [0042] the plate of
each of the two assemblies is inclined at an angle with respect to
the axis of rotation of said driveshaft. The angular inclination of
the plates influences the stroke of the pistons in the compression
chambers and thus determines the displacement of the pump; [0043]
said driveshaft induces a relative rotational movement between said
plate and said cylinder block of each of said two assemblies. Thus,
according to the invention, the driveshaft can just as well rotate
the plate as rotate the cylinder; [0044] the distribution of the
elements of the second assembly is symmetrical with respect to that
of the elements of the first assembly about a plane perpendicular
to the axis of rotation of said driveshaft, the plates of the two
assemblies being connected to one another at said plane of
symmetry. Thus, the barrel-type piston pump according to the
invention comprises, from one end to the other, first intake and
delivery pipes, a first cylinder, a first plate, a second plate, a
second cylinder, and second intake and delivery pipes, with a
driveshaft passing through all of this.
[0045] Thus, according to the invention, the plates of each of the
pumping assemblies are inclined by the same angle, in terms of
absolute value, and face one another. The forces applied to each of
the plates by the translational movement of the pistons in each of
the compression chambers of each of the cylinder blocks have the
same norm but opposite direction. Because the plates of the two
assemblies are connected to one another, this configuration makes
it possible to reduce the axial load borne by the plates and by the
plate-piston mechanical connections.
[0046] Advantageously, the intake pipe and the delivery pipe of
each of the pumping assemblies may be positioned symmetrically with
respect to the axis of the driveshaft or, in other words, the
intake and delivery pipes of the one same assembly face one another
across the driveshaft. Thus, the distribution of axial forces on
the plate can be balanced more easily.
[0047] According to a first alternative form of embodiment of the
invention, the driveshaft rotates the plates of each of the two
assemblies, the rotational movement being considered with respect
to the pump housing. Thus, this first alternative form describes a
pump in which the cylinder is fixed. According to this alternative
form, the rotary plate of a given assembly is inclined with respect
to the driveshaft at an angle of inclination that is the same as
the rotary plate of the other assembly, each of the plates also
being turned by the driveshaft.
[0048] According to a second alternative form of embodiment of the
invention, the driveshaft rotates the cylinder block or cylinder of
each of the two pumping assemblies, the rotational movement being
considered with respect to the pump housing. Thus, this second
alternative form describes a rotary-cylinder swashplate pump. In
this alternative form, the plates of each pumping assembly are
fixed and are inclined by the same angle of inclination in terms of
absolute value. For this alternative form, the rotary cylinder of
each pumping assembly induces a translational movement of the
pistons in their respective compression chamber, via the connection
between the pistons and the plate of their respective pumping
assembly.
[0049] According to a third alternative form of embodiment, each of
the two pumping assemblies comprises at least two plates that are
parallel to one another (and therefore both inclined by the same
angle at the same given moment): a rotary plate turned by the
driveshaft, and a wobble plate made to wobble by the rotary plate,
the wobble plate being in a pivoted connection about the axis of
the rotary plate with respect to the rotary plate. Thus, according
to this alternative form, the rotary plate transmits only the
wobble motion to the wobble plate and does not transmit the rotary
movement. With this design, the pistons of each of the compression
chambers of a given pumping assembly are driven by the wobble plate
of this assembly, for example by means of connecting rods (the
connecting rods use ball jointed connections to connect the wobble
plate and the pistons in such a way as to convert the wobbling
movement into a translational movement of the pistons) and the
translational movement of the pistons within the compression
chambers achieve the pumping of the fluid. According to this
alternative form of the invention, the rotary plate may be driven
by the driveshaft by means of a pegged ball joint, the position of
the pegged ball joint determining the angle of inclination of the
two plates (the rotary and the wobble plates) with respect to the
driveshaft. It will be recalled that a pegged ball joint is a
connection between two elements (in this instance the driveshaft
and the rotary plate) which enjoys four degrees of connection and
two degrees of relative movement; only two relative rotations are
possible, the three translational movements and the final rotation
being connected. In general, it is a ball joint provided with a peg
that impedes one of the rotations.
[0050] According to one embodiment of the invention that may apply
to any one of the alternative forms described hereinabove, the
plates of the two assemblies are formed as one single unit. That
makes it possible to reduce the fragility of the contact between
the two plates and therefore improve the reliability of the pump
according to the invention.
[0051] According to one embodiment of the invention that may apply
to any one of the alternative forms described hereinabove, the
plates of the two assemblies are connected to one another by
connecting means. Advantageously, the connecting means connecting
the plates of the two assemblies comprise a pivot connection
positioned at a point situated substantially at the periphery of
the two plates. Conventionally, the pivot connections are formed by
plain bearings or rolling bearings, which favor the relative
movement of the elements. This pivot connection allows the
inclination of the plates of each pumping assembly to be adjusted.
For preference, the connecting means connecting the plates of the
two assemblies comprise, in addition to a pivot connection, at
least one variable-length spacing element positioned in such a way
as to reinforce the assembly formed by the two inclined plates
joined together by the pivot connection.
[0052] Advantageously, the angular inclination of the plate or
plates of each of the assemblies is adjustable continuously using
means for controlling the inclination of the plates, thereby
allowing variable displacement. Specifically, the angular
inclination of the plates influences the stroke of the pistons.
Thus, the pump according to this alternative form provides good
flexibility thanks to the continuous variation of the individual
displacements. Furthermore, the pump according to this fourth
alternative form of embodiment allows the pump to be brought into
operation progressively: for example, on start-up, the angle of
inclination may be small, and may then subsequently be increased
according to the desired conditions (fluid throughput and
pressure). This makes it possible to improve the reliability of the
pump. According to one exemplary embodiment, the means for
controlling the inclination of the plates interact with the
connecting means that connect the plates of the two pumping
assemblies. According to one embodiment option of the invention, in
which the connecting means comprise a pivot connection and a
variable-height spacer element both as described hereinabove, the
means for controlling the inclination of the plates collaborate
with the means for adjusting the height of the spacer element in
such a way as to increase or to reduce the spacing between the
plates. According to one embodiment option of the invention, the
means for controlling the inclination of the plates is formed of an
endless screw.
[0053] According to one embodiment of the invention, the pump
according to the invention may, in each cylinder block, comprise a
number of pistons comprised between three and fifteen, preferably
between five and eleven. Thus, a high number of pistons offers
continuous flow upstream and downstream of the pump.
[0054] According to one embodiment of the invention that can be
applied to any one of the alternative forms described hereinabove,
the angle of inclination of the plate or plates (a rotary plate in
the case of the first alternative form, a fixed swashplate in the
case of the second alternative form, or a rotary plate and a wobble
plate in the case of the third alternative form) of each pumping
elements assembly is comprised between 70.degree. and 90.degree. in
terms of absolute value with respect to the axis of the driveshaft.
In other words, the plate or plates of one of the assemblies is
inclined between 0 and 20.degree. with respect to the plane of
symmetry of the first and second pumping assemblies, and the plate
or plates of the other assembly is inclined between -20.degree. and
0 with respect to this same plane of symmetry.
[0055] FIG. 3 shows, by way of nonlimiting illustration, a cross
section passing through the axis of rotation of the driveshaft of a
cylinder/plate wobble pump according to one embodiment of the
invention. The pump 1 according to this embodiment illustrated is a
pump of the rotary-cylinder wobble pump type. This pump comprises a
driveshaft 12 which is mounted to rotate in a housing (not
depicted). The rotation of the driveshaft 12 is brought about by an
external source not depicted, for example an electric machine and a
gearbox. The pump 1 comprises two pumping assemblies distributed
symmetrically with respect to one another about a plane of symmetry
perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the shaft. The first (or
second) assembly comprises a respective fixed swashplate 2 (or 3),
a rotary cylinder (or cylinder block) 4 (or 5), an intake pipe 8
(or 9), and a delivery pipe 10 (or 11). This figure depicts two
pistons 6, 7 per cylinder block, these pistons being arranged
within their respective compression chamber and connected to their
respective plate by a ball-jointed slipper pad. The driveshaft 12
drives the cylinder 4, 5 of each pumping assembly. The plates of
each of the pumping assemblies are inclined at an angle with
respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the
driveshaft by the one same angle of inclination in terms of
absolute value. According to this embodiment of the invention, the
fixed plates 2, 3 of each set of pumping elements are connected to
one another by a pivot connection 13 and via a spacer element 14
the length of which can be variable. Thus, because the plates
directly face one another and are subjected to the same stress but
in opposite directions, it is clear that the axial loads on the
plate and on the plate-piston mechanical connections are
reduced.
[0056] FIG. 4 shows an alternative form of the pump as shown in
FIG. 3. Specifically, the pump in this nonlimiting exemplary
embodiment of the pump according to the invention comprises in
addition means for controlling the angular inclination of the
plates 15 of each pumping assembly, these taking the form of an
endless screw controlling the variable-length spacer element.
[0057] The invention also relates to the use of the pump according
to the invention for a drilling operation, particularly for
injecting drilling mud into a drilled well. Specifically, because
the pump according to the invention makes it possible to balance
the distribution of the axial loads, it is possible to dimension a
pump according to the invention in such a way as to be able to
withstand high pressures and high delivery outputs. Specifically,
this improvement in the distribution of the axial loads may make it
possible to multiply the number of pistons to achieve the desired
output, and to do so with a smaller radial bulk (the pistons being
greater in number and smaller in diameter). For example, the pump
according to the invention may be dimensioned to operate up to
pressures of the order of 1500 bar, namely 150 MPa. Furthermore,
the pump according to the invention can be dimensioned to operate
at delivery outputs varying from 30 to 600 m.sup.3/h.
* * * * *