Method for operating a multi-phase pump and apparatus therefor
AssigneeITT Bornemann GmbH
InventorsGerhard Rohlfing, Jens-Uwe Brandt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention concerns a method and an apparatus for operating a multi-phase pump which has a suction-side inlet (10) and a discharge-side outlet (20) and which pumps a multi-phase mixture charged with solids, comprising the following steps: a. pumping a multi-phase mixture into a discharge-side separation chamber (45), b. separating a gaseous phase from a liquid phase and a solid phase in the separation chamber (45), c. separating the liquid phase from the solid phase in the separation chamber (45), and d. supplying a portion of the liquid phase freed from the solid phase to the suction side.
Claims14
A multiphase screw pump for pumping a multi-phase mixture charged with solids, the multiphase screw pump comprising:
- a suction-side inlet on a first side of the multiphase screw pump;
- a discharge-side outlet on a second side of the multiphase screw pump, wherein the second side of the multiphase screw pump includes a pressure-side separation chamber in which a liquid phase is separated from a gaseous phase;
- screws effective to pump the multi-phase mixture from the first side of the multiphase screw pump into the pressure-side separation chamber on the second side of the multiphase screw pump;
- a recirculation line through which the separated liquid phase is supplied to the first side of the multiphase screw pump;
- at least one settling chamber disposed within the pressure-side separation chamber in which a solid phase is separated from the liquid phase and a reservoir separated from the settling chamber is formed for the liquid phase separated from solids;
- and
- a valve arranged in the recirculation line, wherein the valve is configured to close and increase a pressure of the multi-phase mixture within the multiphase screw pump.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.