Horizontal pumping system with primary stage assembly and separate NPSH stage assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10151315-B2
Application number	US-201514828623-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2015
Priority date	Aug 18, 2015
Publication date	Dec 11, 2018
Grant date	Dec 11, 2018

Abstract

A horizontal pumping system has a motor, a suction chamber and a pump driven by the motor. The pump includes a primary stage assembly and a low NPSH stage assembly connected between the primary stage assembly and the suction chamber. The low NPSH stage assembly is external to the primary stage assembly. The low NPSH stage assembly includes a diffuser connected to the pump housing and a low NPSH impeller contained within the diffuser. The diameter of the low NPSH stage assembly is optionally larger than the diameter of the primary stage assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A horizontal pumping system comprising:
a motor;
a suction chamber; and
a pump assembly driven by the motor, wherein the pump assembly comprises:
a primary stage assembly, wherein the primary stage assembly includes a pump housing; and
a low NPSH stage assembly connected between the primary stage assembly and the suction chamber, wherein the low NPSH stage assembly comprises:
a diffuser that is fastened between the pump housing and the suction chamber;
an impeller contained within the diffuser, wherein the impeller includes a plurality of blades each having an inlet meridional curvature, a length (h) and a radius (r 2 ), and wherein each of the plurality of blades has a ratio of length (h) to radius (r 2 ) of greater than 0.6; and
an intermediate shaft.

2. The horizontal pumping system of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser comprises a pressure vessel.

3. The horizontal pumping system of claim 1 , wherein the impeller comprises a radial flow impeller.

4. The horizontal pumping system of claim 1 , wherein the impeller comprises a mixed flow impeller.

5. The horizontal pumping system of claim 1 , wherein the impeller includes fewer than five blades.

6. The horizontal pumping system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of blades has a curvilinear leading edge.

7. The horizontal pumping system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of blades comprises a leading edge and a trailing edge, and wherein each leading edge overlaps the trailing edge of an adjacent one of the plurality of blades by an amount greater than 30°.

8. The horizontal pumping system of claim 1 , wherein the impeller exhibits an inlet flow coefficient of less than 0.25.

9. The horizontal pumping system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of blades has a blade body and a leading edge, and wherein the blade body has a blade body thickness and the leading edge has a leading edge thickness, and wherein the leading edge thickness is less than one-half the blade body thickness.

10. The horizontal pumping system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of blades is configured to provide a blade angle of less than 17°.

11. The horizontal pumping system of claim 1 , wherein the impeller includes a shroud.

12. A pumping system comprising:
a motor;
a suction chamber;
a shaft driven by the motor and extending through the suction chamber;
a pump driven by the motor, wherein the pump comprises:
a primary stage assembly, wherein the primary stage assembly includes a pump housing having a pump housing outer diameter and a plurality of turbomachinery stages contained within the pump housing;
a low NPSH stage assembly removably connected between the pump housing and the suction chamber, wherein the low NPSH stage assembly includes a diffuser having a diffuser outer diameter connected to the pump housing and a low NPSH impeller contained within the diffuser; and
wherein the diffuser outer diameter is larger than the pump housing outer diameter.

13. The pumping system of claim 12 , wherein the primary stage assembly and low NPSH stage assembly are driven by a common shaft.

14. The pumping system of claim 13 , wherein the low NPSH stage includes an intermediate shaft and wherein the primary stage assembly includes a pump shaft and a shaft coupling, wherein the shaft coupling connects the intermediate shaft to the pump shaft.

15. A pumping system comprising:
a motor;
a pump driven by the motor, wherein the pump comprises:
a primary stage assembly, wherein the primary stage assembly includes a pump housing having a pump housing outer diameter and a plurality of turbomachinery stages contained within the pump housing;
a low NPSH stage assembly, wherein the low NPSH stage assembly includes a diffuser having a diffuser diameter and a low NPSH impeller contained within the diffuser; and
wherein the diffuser diameter is larger than the pump housing outer diameter.

Assignees

• Ge Oil & Gas Esp Inc

Inventors

• Gahlot Vishal
• Loveless Colby Lane
• James Mark
• Erler Scott Richard

Classifications

• F04D13/02 Primary

  Units comprising pumps and their driving means · CPC title

• F04D1/06

  Multi-stage pumps (F04D1/02, F04D13/10 take precedence) · CPC title

• F04D29/2277

  for increasing NPSH or dealing with liquids near boiling-point · CPC title

• F04D29/628

  especially adapted for liquid pumps · CPC title

• F04D9/041

  the priming pump having evacuating action (F04D9/043 and F04D9/06 take precedence) · CPC title