Pump system for pumping liquefied gases

A pump assembly coupleable to a source of liquefied gas, the pump assembly comprising:

• a pump module;
• a cooling assembly positioned generally adjacent to the pump module, the cooling assembly having a pump head receiving aperture;
• a pump head assembly removably retained in the pump head receiving aperture, a portion of the cooling assembly being intermediate the pump head assembly and the pump module, the pump head assembly being operably coupled to the pump driver of the pump module to provide a flow of the liquefied gas through the pump head assembly;
• a piston assembly reciprocally connected to the pump head assembly and being movable along an aspiration stroke and a discharge stroke, the discharge stroke includes a fluid compression portion and a fluid discharge portion, the fluid compression portion is approximately 30 percent of the full discharge stroke and the fluid delivery portion is approximately 70 percent of the full discharge stroke;
• and
• a pump driver connected to the pump module and coupled to the piston assembly, the pump driver having a drive shaft that engages the piston assembly to cause reciprocal movement of the piston assembly along the aspiration and discharge strokes, the pump driver includes a cam coupled to the drive shaft, the cam being shaped to provide for the full aspiration stroke of the piston assembly upon rotation of the cam through approximately 130°-150°, to cause the compression portion of the discharge stroke upon rotation of the cam through approximately 30°-50°, and to cause the fluid delivery portion of the discharge stroke upon rotation of the cam through approximately 170°-190°.

A pump assembly coupleable to a source of liquefied gas, the pump assembly comprising:

• a pump module;
• a cooling assembly connected to the pump module and having a pump head receiving aperture positioned to be directly accessible when the cooling assembly is connected to the pump module, the cooling assembly having a fluid inlet and outlet lines in fluid communication with the source of liquefied gas and with the pump head receiving aperture;
• and
• a pump head assembly removably retained in the pump head receiving aperture with a portion of the cooling assembly being intermediate the pump head assembly and the pump module, the pump head assembly being operably connected the pump module to pump the liquefied gas through the cooling assembly and the pump head assembly, the pump head assembly being accessible and removable from the cooling assembly while the cooling assembly is adjacent to the pump module, the pump head assembly having a fluid inlet pathway in fluid communication with the fluid inlet line and a fluid outlet pathway in fluid communication with the fluid outlet line.

A pump assembly coupleable to a source of liquefied gas, the pump assembly comprising:

• a pump module having a pump driver;
• a cooling assembly adjacent to the pump module and having a pump head receiving aperture defined by a pair of spaced apart first and second side wall portions that extend from a front surface toward the pump module and that converge toward each other, the cooling assembly having a fluid inlet line extending through the first side wall portion, and having a fluid outlet line extending through the second side wall portion, the fluid inlet and outlet lines being in fluid communication with the source of liquid gas and with the pump head receiving aperture;
• and
• a pump head assembly removably retained in the pump head receiving aperture with a portion of the cooling assembly being intermediate the pump head assembly and the pump module, the pump head body having a converging shape and being shaped and sized to be positioned between the converging first and second side wall portions of the cooling assembly and to frictionally engage the first and second side wall portions in a wedged configuration when in an installed position, the pump head assembly being removable from the cooling assembly while the cooling assembly remains adjacent to the pump module, the pump head body having a first side portion with a fluid inlet pathway therethrough and positioned to abut in direct sealable engagement with the fluid inlet line of the first side wall portion of the cooling assembly, and having a second side portion with a fluid outlet pathway therethrough and positioned to abut in direct sealable engagement with the fluid outlet line of the second side wall portion of the cooling assembly, the pump head assembly reciprocally receiving a portion of the piston assembly in a piston receptacle and configured to provide a flow of the liquefied gas from the fluid inlet line, through the pump head assembly, and to the outlet line.

A pump assembly coupleable to a source of liquid gas, the pump assembly comprising:

• a pump module;
• a cooling assembly connected to the pump module and having a pump head receiving aperture positioned to be directly accessible when the cooling assembly is connected the pump module;
• and
• a pump head assembly removably retained in the pump head receiving aperture with the cooling assembly being sandwiched between the pump head assembly and the pump module, the pump head assembly being operably connected to the pump module to pump the liquefied gas through the cooling assembly and the pump head assembly, the pump head assembly being accessible and removable from the cooling assembly while the cooling assembly is connected to the pump module, the pump head body having a fluid inlet pathway in fluid communication with the source of liquid gas.

A pump assembly for pumping liquefied gas in along a flow channel, comprising

• a cooling assembly having a mounting portion and a pump head receiving aperture positioned way from the mounting portion;
• a pump head assembly configured to connect to the flow channel to pump the liquefied gas along the flow channel, the pump head assembly being removably retained in the pump head receiving aperture;
• and
• a pump driver coupled to the pump head assembly, the pump driver including an axially movable drive shaft that engages the pump head assembly for reciprocal movement of a plunger in the pump head assembly along an aspiration stroke and a discharge stroke, the discharge stroke including a fluid compression portion and a fluid delivery portion, the fluid compression stroke is approximately 30 percent of the full discharge stroke and the fluid delivery portion is approximately 70 percent of the full discharge stroke, the pump driver including a rotating cam engaging the drive shaft, the cam being shaped to permit the full aspiration stroke upon rotation of the cam through approximately 130°-150°, to cause the compression portion of the discharge stroke upon rotation of the cam through approximately 30°-50°, and to cause the fluid delivery portion of the discharge stroke upon rotation of the cam through approximately 170°-190°.

A fluid flow system through which liquefied gas is carried, the system being connectable to a liquefied gas source and a source of at least one of a solvating liquid and a lubricating liquid, the system comprising:

• a fluid line coupleable to the liquefied gas source and configured to carry a flow of liquefied gas therethrough;
• an injection device connected to the fluid line;
• an injector pump coupled to the injection device and coupleable to the source of at least one of the solvating and lubricating liquid, the injector pump being positioned to pump the at least one of a solvating liquid and lubricating liquid to the injection device for injection of a selected amount of the at least one of a solvating and lubricating liquid into the flow of liquefied gas moving past the injection device to provide a mixture of liquefied gas and the at least one of a solvating and lubricating liquid;
• and
• a liquefied gas pump assembly connected to the fluid line downstream of the injection device, the liquefied gas pump assembly being positioned to receive the flow of the mixture, the liquefied gas pump assembly having a plurality of check valves and pump seals in fluid communication with the flow of the mixture and being at least partially lubricated by the mixture as the mixture flows past the liquefied gas pump assembly.