System for pump protection with a hydraulic turbocharger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10473095-B2
Application number	US-201514958502-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2015
Priority date	Dec 5, 2014
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

A system includes a hydraulic energy transfer system configured to exchange pressures between a first fluid and a second fluid. The first fluid is at a higher pressure than the second fluid. The system also includes a high pressure pump configured to increase a pressure of the second fluid. Additionally, the system includes a controller programmed to control one or more valves of the system to selectively route the second fluid to the hydraulic energy transfer system or to the high pressure pump based on an operating condition of the system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a hydraulic turbocharger configured to exchange pressures between a first fluid and a second fluid, wherein the first fluid is at a higher pressure than the second fluid;
a high pressure pump configured to increase a pressure of the second fluid, wherein the high pressure pump comprises an outlet for the second fluid that is not fluidly coupled to the hydraulic turbocharger; and
a controller programmed to control one or more valves of the system to selectively route the second fluid to the hydraulic turbocharger or to the high pressure pump based on an operating condition of the system; a letdown valve; wherein the controller is programmed to control the one or more valves of the system to selectively route the first fluid to the hydraulic turbocharger or to the letdown valve based on the operating condition of the system; wherein the controller is programmed to control the one or more valves to route the first fluid to the hydraulic turbocharger when the operating condition is a stable operating condition and to route the first fluid to the letdown valve when the operating condition is a start-up condition or a shut-down condition.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is programmed to control the one or more valves to route the second fluid to the hydraulic turbocharger when the operating condition is a stable operating condition and to route the second fluid to the high pressure pump while blocking flow of the second fluid to the hydraulic turbocharger when the operating condition is the start-up condition or the shut-down condition.

3. The system of claim 1 , comprising one or more sensors configured to generate feedback relating to the operating condition, wherein the controller is programmed to receive the feedback from the one or more sensors and to determine the operating condition of the system based on the feedback.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise a first sensor configured to generate feedback relating to a pressure, a flow rate, or both of the first fluid.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the controller is programmed to determine that the operating condition is stable in response to a determination that the pressure of the first fluid is greater than a pressure threshold, a determination that the flow rate of the first fluid is greater than a flow threshold, or both.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the controller is programmed to determine that the operating condition is the start-up condition or the shut-down condition in response to a determination that the pressure of the first fluid is less than the pressure threshold, a determination that the flow rate of the first fluid is less than the flow threshold, or both.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first fluid comprises urea, ammonium carbamate, or both, and the second fluid comprises ammonium carbamate.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first fluid comprises a letdown fluid of the system.

Assignees

• Energy Recovery Inc

Inventors

• Gains-Germain Andrea Mary
• Martin Jeremy Grant
• Shirazi Max
• Krish Prem

Classifications

• F04F13/00

  Pressure exchangers · CPC title

• B01D2252/10

  Inorganic absorbents · CPC title

• F04B15/04

  the fluids being hot or corrosive (for liquids near their boiling point, e.g. under subnormal pressure, F04B15/06) · CPC title

• F04B23/02

  having reservoirs · CPC title

• C07C273/04 Primary

  from carbon dioxide and ammonia · CPC title