US 9,080,690 B2Granted

Tunable check valve

OwnerDennis W. Gilstad, Barbara C. Gilstadinventors

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Abstract

Tunable check valves reduce valve-generated vibration to increase the reliability of tunable fluid ends. Selected improved designs described herein reflect disparate applications of identical technical principles (relating to, e.g., the vibration spectrum of an impulse). Tunable check valve embodiments comprise a family including, but not limited to, tunable check valve assemblies, tunable valve seats, and tunable radial arrays. Each such tunable embodiment, in turn, contributes to blocking excitation of fluid end resonances, thus reducing the likelihood of fluid end failures associated with fatigue cracking and/or corrosion fatigue. By down-shifting the frequency domain of each valve-closing impulse shock, initial excitation of fluid end resonances is minimized. Subsequent damping and/or selective attenuation of vibration likely to excite one or more predetermined (and frequently localized) fluid end resonances represents further optimal use of fluid end vibration-control resources for improving high-pressure fluid end reliability.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A tunable check valve in a fluid end for high pressure pumping, said fluid end having at least one fluid-end resonant frequency;

wherein said tunable check valve is symmetrical about a longitudinal axis and comprises a tunable check valve assembly and a tunable valve seat;
wherein said tunable check valve assembly comprises a valve body having a peripheral valve seat interface, and further comprises a resilient seal in a peripheral groove, said tunable check valve assembly having a first plurality of tunable vibration dampers;
wherein said tunable valve seat comprises a concave mating surface spaced longitudinally apart from a lateral support assembly, said tunable valve seat having a second plurality of tunable vibration dampers;
wherein said first plurality of tunable vibration dampers comprises a circular tubular area in said resilient seal, and further comprises a central longitudinally-opposing fluid flow restrictor in fluid communication with a circular tubular area;
wherein said second plurality of tunable vibration dampers comprises a plurality of circular viscoelastic support elements longitudinally spaced along said lateral support assembly, each said circular viscoelastic support element comprising a circular tubular area;
and
wherein said peripheral valve seat interface has a convex curvature with correspondingly greater curvature than said concave mating surface for achieving a circular rolling contact seal between said tunable check valve assembly and said tunable valve seat, said circular rolling contact seal having a rebound characteristic frequency similar to at least one said fluid-end resonant frequency.

4 more elements

A tunable check valve in a fluid end for high pressure pumping, said fluid end having at least one fluid-end resonant frequency;

wherein said tunable check valve is symmetrical about a longitudinal axis and comprises a tunable check valve assembly and a tunable valve seat, said tunable valve seat comprising a lateral support assembly spaced longitudinally apart from a mating surface with concave curvature;
wherein said tunable check valve assembly comprises a valve body having a peripheral valve seat interface and further having a resilient seal in a peripheral groove, said resilient seal comprising a first circular tubular area;
wherein said peripheral valve seat interface has convex curvature, said convex curvature being correspondingly greater than said mating surface concave curvature for achieving a circular rolling contact seal between said tunable check valve assembly and said tunable valve seat;
wherein said circular rolling contact seal between said tunable check valve assembly and said tunable valve seat has a rebound characteristic frequency greater than at least one said fluid-end resonant frequency;
wherein said valve body comprises a second circular tubular area in fluid communication with a longitudinally-opposing fluid flow restrictor, said fluid flow restrictor being responsive to cyclical longitudinal compression of said valve body;
wherein said lateral support assembly comprises a plurality of circular viscoelastic support elements, each element comprising a support circumferential tubular area;
and
wherein said first and second circular tubular areas and each said support circumferential tubular area contains at least one fluid tuning medium.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/524,093Filed 27 Oct 2014 · continuation in part
Priority: 18 Jul 2011
Published: US 2015/0040998 A112 Feb 2015
Granted: 14 Jul 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

F16K 47/023
For preventing water-hammer or noise: for preventing water-hammer, e.g. damping of the valve movement
F04B 53/001
Component parts, details or accessories not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F04B1/00 - F04B23/00 or F04B39/00 - F04B47/00:…
F04B 53/10
Component parts, details or accessories not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F04B1/00 - F04B23/00 or F04B39/00 - F04B47/00:…
F04B 53/1087
Valves; Arrangement of valves: valve seats

Family

Application13/184,965Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 18 Jul 2011
Application13/196,916Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 3 Aug 2011
Application13/210,407Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 16 Aug 2011
Application13/228,475Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 9 Sep 2011
Application13/228,474Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 9 Sep 2011
Application13/296,251Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 15 Nov 2011
Application13/456,235Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 26 Apr 2012
Application13/525,391Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 18 Jun 2012
Application13/525,374Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 18 Jun 2012
Application13/616,098Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 14 Sep 2012
Application13/711,644Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 12 Dec 2012
Application14/038,819Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 27 Sep 2013
Application14/047,046Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 7 Oct 2013
Application14/168,147Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 30 Jan 2014
US 2015/0040998 A1Pre-grant publication · published 12 Feb 2015
US 8,944,409 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 8,746,654 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 8,567,753 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 8,292,260 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 8,267,371 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 8,403,337 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 8,292,301 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 8,276,918 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 8,210,542 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 8,708,306 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 8,550,425 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2014/0021398 A1Published application
US 2014/0034862 A1Published application
US 2014/0144528 A1Published application
US 9,080,690 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.