US 4,541,779 A · Mud pump

Abstract

A multicylinder, hydraulic driven, dual arranged mud pump is disclosed. The preferred embodiment consist of dual mud pumping units arranged to be selectively operated as individual pumps, as two pumps whose output flow is in parallel, or as two pumps whose output flow is in series. Each mud pumping unit is comprised of plural pumping assemblies with each assembly consisting of a pair of separate end to end cylinders, one cylinder being arranged to be driven by a second cylinder with the one cylinder further being arranged to pump mud and the second cylinder being arranged to be reciprocally driven in a sequential manner by pressurized hydraulic fluid. The pressurized hydraulic fluid is supplied to all operating second cylinders from common pressurized fluid source with the pressurized fluid being distributed to and returned from the second cylinder by an independently operated distribution valve, the volume of pressurized fluid flow being employed to synchronize the stroke and control the stroke length of the second cylinder which in turn controls the volume of pumped mud.

Claims50

Dependent claims

In a positive displacement pump having two or more pumping cylinders wherein each said pumping cylinder has a piston slidably and sealingly mounted therewithin, each said piston being carried by a piston rod sealingly mounted for concentric reciprocation within said pumping cylinder the improvement comprising:

(a) each said piston carrying a unidirectional flowthru valve wherein each said valve allows fluid to pass therethrough said piston in one direction only of fluid movement, with said fluid movement being relative to said piston directional movement;
(b) said pumping cylinders interconnected fluidly to thereby form an enclosed chamber that is bounded dynamically in volume by each said piston wherein fluid passing through said flowthru valve of a first said piston will move into said chamber and whereby fluid exiting from said chamber must pass through said flowthru valve of the second said piston, and;
(c) reciprocation of either or both of said first or said second pistons causes pumping of fluid therethrough said first and said second pistons and therethrough said chamber.

In a pump drive apparatus comprising at least four cylinders, each said cylinder having a piston slidably and sealingly disposed therein, cylinder spaces at one side of each said piston of a first half of the total number of cylinders being interconnected for fluid flow therebetween, the cylinder spaces at one side of each said piston of the second half of the total number of said cylinders being interconnected for fluid flow therebetween, the cylinder spaces at the other side of each said piston being connected to an independently operated control valve means for controlling introduction of pressurized fluid thereto and for controlling removal of fluid therefrom, said introduction of pressurized fluid and said removal of fluid being simultaneous to both said first half of said cylinders and to said second half of said cylinders, said independently operated control valve means being operable independently from said piston movement and position to permit introduction of pressurized fluid to said other side cylinder spaces in sequential turn to drive each said piston in said one cylinder and to permit removal of fluid from said other side cylinder spaces in sequential turn by movement of each said piston in said other direction, each said piston being moved in said other direction in sequential turn by fluid driven from one or more of said one side cylinder spaces by one or more of said pistons moving in said one direction, connection means to each said piston for delivering drive output derived from said piston movement, means to apply drive fluid to said innerconnected cylinder spaces of said first half of cylinders, means to apply drive fluid to said innerconnected cylinder spaces of said second half of cylinders, means to powerly drive said independently operated control valve, and means to supply a controlled volume of positive displaced fluid to said independently operated control valve to cause said pistons to reciprocally and powerly stroke in a sequential manner and with a controlled stroke length, with one or more of said pistons of said first half of cylinders and one or more of said pistons of said second half of cylinders being powerly stroked in unison.

In a pump:

a head flange member containing a circular bore therethrough;
a removable valve housing positioned within said bore, said removable housing containing unidirectional flow valve means for one direction fluid flow therethrough,
a replaceable pumping cylinder extending inward from said head flange member and with a piston bore housing a reciprocally actuated pumping rod carrying piston means reciprocable in said piston bore;
said head flange member containing alignment means to position said removable housing within said circular bore,
end positioning means of said removable housing to sealingly align one end of said pumping cylinder with said piston bore concentric to the centerline of said reciprocally actuated pumping rod;
said removable housing constructed with passages to provide sealed fluid communication between said piston bore of said pumping cylinder and said unidirectional flow valve means;
said removable housing further having sealed passage means to provide a fluid communication for fluid flow between a connecting flow conduit and said unidirectional flow valve means;
and
said removable housing additionally having connection means with said head flange member to thereby rigidly position said removable housing with respect to said head flange member.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Mud pump

Life of this patent

Mud pump

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims50