Pump with fluid end with easy maintenance replaceable packing sleeve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11815085-B1
Application number	US-202217951732-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 23, 2022
Priority date	Sep 23, 2022
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

A pump for use in a hydraulic fracturing system, the pump including a conical packing sleeve including a tapered segment adjacent a pump insertion side a pilot and sealing segment adjacent and contiguous with the tapered segment and an attachment segment adjacent and contiguous with the pilot and sealing segment and adjacent a pump removal side. Methods of installing, removing and replacing the sleeve are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pump for use in a hydraulic fracturing system, the pump comprising:
a conical packing sleeve, including:
a tapered segment adjacent a pump insertion side of the packing sleeve, the tapered segment including a tapered outer surface that is engageable with a flared inner surface in an opening of a fluid input bore of the pump;
a pilot and sealing segment adjacent and contiguous with the tapered segment, the pilot and sealing segment including a first guiding outer surface defined by a first diameter that is greater than a largest diameter of the tapered segment, and a second guiding outer surface defined by a second diameter that is greater than the first diameter, the first and second guiding outer surfaces contactable with an inner receiving surface of the fluid input bore; and
an attachment segment adjacent and contiguous with the pilot and sealing segment and adjacent a pump removal side of the packing sleeve, the attachment segment having a threaded outer surface that is attachable to a threaded inner attachment surface of the fluid input bore.

2. The pump of claim 1 , wherein a length of the tapered outer surface, in a direction parallel to a long axis of the packing sleeve, extends from a first external o-ring groove located between the pump insertion side and the tapered segment to the pilot and sealing segment, has a value in a range from at least 30 to at most 60 percent of a total length of the conical packing sleeve along the long axis.

3. The pump of claim 1 , wherein an outer angle of the tapered outer surface and an inner angle of the flared inner surface, relative to a long axis of the packing sleeve, are substantially equal to each other and both the outer angle and the inner angle are greater than, up to 1 degree, than a friction angle between the tapered outer surface and the flared inner surface, whereby the tapered outer surface and the flared inner surface are not locked together.

4. The pump of claim 3 , wherein an outer angle of the tapered outer surface and an inner angle of the flared inner surface, relative to a long axis of the packing sleeve, are substantially equal to each other and both the outer angle and the inner angle are and the outer angle and the inner angle are from greater than 1 degree to 5 degrees greater than a friction angle between the tapered outer surface and the flared inner surface, whereby the tapered outer surface and the flared inner surface are not locked together.

5. The pump of claim 1 , wherein an outer angle of the tapered outer surface and an inner angle of the flared inner surface, relative to a long axis of the packing sleeve, are substantially equal to each other and both the outer angle and the inner angle are less than a friction angle between the tapered outer surface and the flared inner surface to thereby lock the tapered outer surface and the flared inner surface together by a frictional force between the surfaces.

6. The pump of claim 5 , wherein the outer angle and the inner angle are within 5 percent of the friction angle.

7. The pump of claim 1 , wherein the pump insertion side includes a tapered nose surface, the tapered nose surface forming an angle of greater than 90 degrees relative to a long axis of the packing sleeve.

8. The pump of claim 1 , wherein the tapered outer surface includes a first O-ring groove sized to house a first O-ring therein, the first O-ring groove adjacent the tapered nose surface.

9. The pump of claim 1 , wherein the first guiding outer surface of the pilot and sealing segment includes a second O-ring groove sized to house a second O-ring therein, and the second guiding outer surface of the pilot and sealing segment includes a third O-ring groove sized to house a third O-ring therein.

10. The pump of claim 1 , wherein the pilot and sealing segment further includes a lubrication supply port located in between the first and second guiding surfaces.

11. The pump of claim 10 , wherein the pilot and sealing segment further includes a relief surface located in between the second O-ring groove and the lubrication supply port, the relief surface defined by a diameter that is greater than the first diameter of the first guiding outer surface.

12. The pump of claim 1 , wherein the packing sleeve has a first inner diameter sized to allowed a plunger of the pump to reciprocate there-through and a second inner diameter that is larger than the first inner diameter and sized for a packing stack of the pump to be seated there-on.

13. The pump of claim 12 , wherein the pump insertion side includes a first O-ring groove sized to house a first O-ring therein, the first O-ring groove located between the tapered nose surface and within the tapered outer surface, and, a largest outer diameter of the first O-ring groove is smaller than the second inner diameter.

14. The pump of claim 1 , wherein the attachment segment of the packing sleeve further includes openings, each of the openings sized to engage with a nut connected to a packing screw, the packing screw including a rim having holes therein, the holes sized to fit a portion of a fastening tool therein.

15. A method of operating a pump for use in a hydraulic fracturing system, comprising:
installing a conical packing sleeve into the pump, including:
inserting a pump insertion side of the packing sleeve into an opening of a fluid input bore of the pump, including engaging a tapered outer surface of a tapered segment of the packing sleeve with a flared inner surface of the fluid input bore;
pushing the packing sleeve further into the opening such that a first guiding outer surface and a second guiding outer surface of a pilot and sealing segment of the packing sleeve contact an inner receiving surface of the fluid input bore, wherein the first guiding outer surface has a first diameter that is greater than a largest diameter of the tapered segment and the second guiding outer surface has a second diameter that is greater than the first diameter; and
rotationally transferring the conical packing sleeve further into the opening such that a threaded outer surface of an attachment segment of the packing sleeve attaches to a threaded inner attachment surface of the fluid input bore.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the rotational transferring of the conical packing sleeve into the opening includes further including attaching a packing screw to the pump removal side of the packing sleeve including engaging a nut of the packing screwing with an opening in the attachment segment of the packing sleeve, fitting a portion of a fastening tool into holes located in a rim of packing screw and then actuating the fastening tool to perform the rotational transferring.

17. The method of claim 15 , further including inserting a packing stack into a pump removal side of the packing sleeve such that the packing stack is seated on a second bore of the packing sleeve, wherein the packing sleeve has a first bore with a first inner diameter sized to allowed a plunger of the pump to reciprocate there-through and the second bore has a second inner diameter that is larger than the first inner diameter.

18. The method of claim 15 , further including:
removing the packing sleeve from the pump, including:
rotationally detaching the threaded outer surface of the attachment segment of the packing sleeve from the threaded inner attachment surface of the fluid input bore such that the packing sleeve is moved towards the opening;
pulling the packing sleeve further towards the opening such that first guiding outer surface and a second guiding o

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Brunet John Dexter

Classifications

• F04B53/02 Primary

  Packing the free space between cylinders and pistons · CPC title

• E21B43/26

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title

• F04B53/16

  Casings; Cylinders; Cylinder liners or heads; Fluid connections · CPC title

• F04B53/18

  Lubricating · CPC title

• F04B53/22

  Arrangements for enabling ready assembly or disassembly · CPC title