Fluid end of reciprocating pump

Abstract

The invention relates to a fluid end of a reciprocating pump. A method of manufacturing a fluid end of a reciprocating pump having a body and a flange extending from the body includes positioning a cutting tool between a distal surface of the flange and the body of the fluid end such that the cutting tool may form an access region in the flange, forming a first arcuate cut-out of the access region by the cutting tool, and forming a second arcuate cut-out of the access region by the cutting tool. And forming a second arcuate cut of the proximity region by the cutting tool, the second arcuate cut being discontinuous from the first arcuate cut such that the proximity region includes a plurality of radii.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of high pressure reciprocating pumps, and in particular to the fluid end of a high pressure reciprocating pump. Background Art

[0002] High pressure reciprocating pumps are commonly used to deliver high pressure fluids during surface drilling operations. Typically, a reciprocating pump includes a power end and a fluid end. The power end can generate sufficient force for the fluid end to deliver the high pressure fluid to the surface drilling operation. For example, the power end includes a crankshaft that drives a plurality of reciprocating plungers or pistons near or within the fluid end to pump the fluid at high pressure. The fluid end includes a chamber in which the fluid is pressurized to be discharged from the reciprocating pump. The fluid end and the power end are connected to each other by a connector (e.g., a pull rod). In some embodiments, the fluid end includes a flange to facilitate connection by the connector. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present application relates to a fluid end of a reciprocating pump. The technology discussed in the present application can be embodied as a method for manufacturing a fluid end and a fluid end.

[0004] More specifically, according to at least one embodiment, the present application is directed to a method of manufacturing a fluid end of a reciprocating pump, the fluid end comprising a housing having a body and a flange extending from the body. The method comprises positioning a cutting tool between a distal surface of the flange and the body of the housing so that the cutting tool can form an access area in the flange, forming a first arcuate cut of the access area with the cutting tool, and forming a second arcuate cut of the access area with the cutting tool, the second arcuate cut being discontinuous with the first arcuate cut such that the access area comprises a plurality of radii.

[0005] According to another embodiment, the present application is directed to a fluid end of a reciprocating pump. The fluid end includes a body defining a pumping chamber, and a flange extending from the body. The flange includes an approach region, and the approach region includes a plurality of arcuate portions and at least one approach region peak that separates each of the plurality of arcuate portions from one another, such that the approach region includes a plurality of radii.

[0006] According to yet another embodiment, the present application is directed to a method of manufacturing a fluid end of a reciprocating pump. The fluid end includes a body defining a pumping chamber, and a flange extending from the body. The method includes forming a first arcuate portion of an approach region, forming an approach region peak of the approach region, forming a second arcuate portion of the approach region such that the approach region peak separates the first arcuate portion and the second arcuate portion from each other, and forming a flange peak adjacent to the approach region.

[0007] The foregoing advantages and features will become apparent in view of the accompanying drawings and detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] In order to complete the description and for a better understanding of the present application, a set of drawings is provided. The drawings constitute an integral part of the specification and illustrate embodiments of the present application, which should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present invention but should be used only as examples. The drawings include the following views:

[0009] Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a reciprocating pump including a fluid end and a power end.

[0010] Figure 2A yes Figure 1 A side cross-sectional view of a reciprocating pump.

[0011] Figure 2B yes Figure 1 Front perspective view of the power end.

[0012] Figure 3A is along Figure 1 The line AA intercepts Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the fluid end of a reciprocating pump.

[0013] Figure 3B yes Figure 1 Detailed cross-sectional view of the fluid end of a reciprocating pump.

[0014] Figure 4A is a side view of a cutting tool for manufacturing a fluid end according to an example embodiment of the present application.

[0015] Figure 4B is a side view of a prior art cutting tool for making a fluid end.

[0016] Figure 5A is a perspective view of a fluid end according to an example embodiment of the present application, showing the cutting tool motion path for manufacturing the fluid end.

[0017] Figure 5B yes Figure 5A A front view of a fluid end showing a portion of the cutting tool motion path used to make the fluid end.

[0018] Figure 5C yes Figure 5A A side view of a fluid end showing a portion of the motion path of the cutting tool used to manufacture the fluid end.

[0019] Figure 6 is a flow chart of a method of manufacturing a fluid end of a reciprocating pump according to an example embodiment of the present application.

[0020] Throughout this disclosure, the same reference numerals are used to identify the same elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The following description should not be considered limiting but is merely intended to illustrate the general principles of the invention. Embodiments of the invention will be described by way of example with reference to the above-mentioned drawings showing elements and results according to the invention.

[0022] In general, the present application relates to the fluid end of a reciprocating pump. The fluid end includes a body defining a pumping chamber and a flange configured to be connected to the power end of the reciprocating pump. For example, a connector connected to the power end is configured to extend through the flange to connect the fluid end and the power end to each other. The flange includes an access area or space to enable access to the connector to be fixed to the flange. Each access area includes a first arcuate portion and a second arcuate portion, which are separated from each other by an access area peak. Therefore, each access area includes multiple radii. In addition, the access areas are separated from each other by the flange peaks. Among other advantages, multiple radii can finely outline the contour of the access area to facilitate mounting the connector to the flange. Additionally or alternatively, forming an access area with multiple radii can improve manufacturing efficiency.

[0023] In order to form the approach region, a cutting tool can be used to remove material from the flange. Therefore, the approach region is a cutout of the flange. The cutting tool is guided along the motion path to form a first arc portion, a second arc portion, and an approach region peak between the first arc portion and the second arc portion. As an example, the cutting tool is guided along the first portion of the motion path to form the first arc portion, and the cutting tool is guided along the second portion of the motion path to form the second arc portion. Between the first and second portions of the motion path, the cutting tool is guided along the middle portion to form the approach region peak. Forming the approach region in this way can ideally implement a connector (e.g., a connector of sufficient size) to connect the fluid end and the power end to each other while providing sufficient structural rigidity of the fluid end. For example, by forming an approach region peak between the arc portions, the amount of material removed from the flange can be limited. Therefore, compared with a flange having a single continuous arc portion in the approach region, the flange can have relatively more material, thereby providing relatively high strength.

[0024] refer to Figure 1 , a reciprocating pump 100 is shown. The reciprocating pump 100 includes a power end 102 and a fluid end 104. The power end 102 includes a crankshaft that drives a plurality of reciprocating plungers or pistons (commonly referred to as "reciprocating elements") within the fluid end 104 to pump a high-pressure fluid (e.g., causing the fluid end 104 to deliver the high-pressure fluid to a surface drilling operation). For example, the power end 102 can be configured to support a hydraulic fracturing (i.e., hydraulic fracturing) operation, in which a hydraulic fracturing fluid (e.g., a mixture of water and sand) is injected into a rock formation at high pressure to allow oil and natural gas to be extracted from the rock formation. However, it should be understood that this example is not intended to be limiting, and the present application can be applicable to hydraulic fracturing operations and drilling operations, as well as any other suitable operations.

[0025] exist Figure 1 , the power end 102 and the fluid end 104 are coupled to each other by a coupler 175, which is shown as a tie rod or a brace in the illustrated embodiment. The coupler 175 maintains a target distance (e.g., a bracket) between the power end 102 and the fluid end 104. For example, the coupler 175 enables the plunger of the power end 102 to extend into the fluid end 104 by a desired length to pump the fluid in a desired manner (e.g., provide a target discharge pressure, direct the fluid at a target rate). The coupler 175 is fixed to the power end 102 and extends through a portion of the fluid end 104 to be fixed to the fluid end 104. More specifically, the fluid end 104 includes a flange 132, and the coupler 175 is inserted through a portion of the flange 132 to fix the coupler 175 to the fluid end 104. As an example, the flange 132 extends away from the body 134 of the fluid end 104, and the flange 132 includes an approach area 136 (e.g., a groove, a groove) to define a lip 138 that is offset from the body 134. That is, the access area 136 includes the space between the lip 138 and the body 134. The couplers 175 extend through the lip 138 and terminate within the access area 136. Therefore, the couplers 175 can be easily accessed through the access area 136, such as to adjust the fixation of the couplers 175 to the fluid end 104. The fluid end 104 can include separate access areas 136 to facilitate access to different groups of couplers 175. When these access areas 136 are formed according to the techniques presented herein, each access area 136 can include multiple arcuate portions or cutouts, and therefore multiple radii.

[0026] Still reference Figure 1 But now combined with Figure 2A , the reciprocating pump 100 pumps fluid into and out of the pumping chamber 208 . Figure 2A 1 shows a side cross-sectional view of a reciprocating pump 100 taken along a central axis 209 of one of the reciprocating elements 202 included in the reciprocating pump 100. Thus, Figure 2A A single pumping chamber 208 is shown. However, it should be understood that the fluid end 104 may include multiple pumping chambers 208 arranged side by side. In fact, in at least some embodiments (e.g., Figure 1In some embodiments, the housing 206 of the fluid end 104 forms a plurality of pumping chambers 208, and each pumping chamber 208 includes a reciprocating element 202 that reciprocates within the housing 206. However, the side-by-side pumping chambers 208 need not be defined by a single housing 206. For example, in some embodiments, the fluid end 104 may be modular, and different housing segments may house one or more pumping chambers 208. In any case, one or more pumping chambers 208 are arranged side by side so that the corresponding conduits are positioned adjacent to each other and produce substantially parallel pumping actions. Specifically, with each stroke of the reciprocating element 202, low-pressure fluid is drawn into the pumping chamber 208 and high-pressure fluid is expelled.

[0027] In various embodiments, the fluid end 104 can have different shapes and / or different features, but can still generally perform the same function, define similar structures, and / or accommodate similar components. For example, while the fluid end 104 includes a first hole 204 that intersects the inlet hole 212 and the outlet hole 222 at an oblique angle, other fluid ends can include any number of holes arranged along any desired one or more angles, for example, intersecting the hole 204 (and / or the approach hole) in a substantially orthogonal manner and / or making two or more holes substantially coaxial. Generally, the holes 212 and 222 and any other holes (i.e., segments, conduits, etc.) can intersect to form a pumping chamber 208, which can be cylindrical or non-cylindrical, and can define an opening at the outer surface 210 of the housing 206. In addition, the holes 212 and the holes 222 and any other holes (i.e., segments, conduits, etc.) can receive various components or structures, such as a sealing assembly or its components.

[0028] In the illustrated embodiment, the inlet aperture 212 defines a fluid path through the fluid end 104, which connects the pumping chamber 208 to the tubing system 106 that delivers fluid to the fluid end 104. At the same time, the outlet aperture 222 allows the compressed fluid to exit the fluid end 104. Thus, in operation, the apertures 212 and 222 can include valve components 51 and 52 (e.g., one-way valves), respectively, that allow the apertures 212 and 222 to be selectively opened and deliver fluid through the fluid end 104. Typically, the valve component 51 in the inlet aperture 212 can be opened through the tubing system 106 (see Figure 1 ) is fixed in the inlet hole 212. At the same time, the valve member 52 in the outlet hole 222 can be fixed in the outlet hole 222 by the closing component 53. Figure 2A In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the closure assembly 53 is removably coupled to the fluid end 104 by threads.

[0029] In operation, fluid may enter the fluid end 104 through the outer opening of the inlet aperture 212 and exit the fluid end 104 through the outer opening of the outlet aperture 222. More specifically, the fluid may enter the inlet aperture 212 through the tubing of the tubing system 106, flow through the pumping chamber 208 (due to the reciprocating motion of the reciprocating element 202), and then flow through the outlet aperture 222 into the passage 108 (see Figure 1 ). However, the tubing 106 and channels 108 are merely exemplary conduits / manifolds, and in various embodiments, the fluid end 104 may receive and discharge fluid via any number of tubes and / or conduits along a path of any desired size or shape.

[0030] Together, each bore 204 at least partially defines a cylinder for the reciprocating element 202 and / or connects the housing 206 to a cylinder for the reciprocating element 202. More specifically, in the illustrated embodiment, the housing segment 207 houses a packing assembly 36 that is configured to seal the reciprocating element 202 within the interior of the packing assembly 36. The reciprocating motion of the reciprocating element 202 in or near the bore 204 draws fluid into the pumping chamber 208 through the inlet hole 212 and pumps the fluid out of the pumping chamber 208 through the outlet hole 222, which may be referred to as a reciprocating bore (or, for hydraulic fracturing applications, a plunger bore). To aid in accessing these components and / or the pumping chamber 208, such as for performing maintenance operations, some fluid ends 104 have access holes that are generally aligned with the reciprocating bore 204 (sometimes coaxial with the reciprocating bore 204). Other fluid ends 104 need not include access holes, and thus, Figure 1 and Figure 2A Such access holes are not shown in FIG.

[0031] Regardless of whether the fluid end 104 includes an access hole, the packing assembly 36 is typically replaced from the exterior opening of the hole 204 (i.e., the side of the hole 204 that is aligned with the exterior surface 210 of the housing 206). At the same time, for normal operation, the fluid end 104 is securely and stably coupled to the power end 102. Therefore, at least a portion of the reciprocating pump 100 (e.g., the coupling 175) is often disassembled to allow access to the hole 204, for example, to replace the packing assembly 36.

[0032] Now turn to Figure 2A and Figure 2BIn the illustrated reciprocating pump 100, a coupler 175 is threadedly coupled to a nose plate 172 of a crosshead assembly 170 of a power end 102 to position the fluid end 104 proximate to the power end 102. More specifically, for the power end 102, the position at which the fluid end 104 may be coupled to the power end 102 is fixed and / or preset by a set of sockets 1730. In this particular power end 102, the nose plate 172 defines the position of the socket 1730 for the power end 102 (which is located at the front of the power end 102 and / or generally defines the front of the power end 102). However, in other embodiments, the socket 1730 may be included in any part or portion of the power end. That is, the power end 102 may include a frame 368 extending from a front portion 369 to a rear portion 367, and generally the socket 1730 may be included in a front portion 369 of the frame 368. The socket 1730 may be located at a position 369 of the power end 102. Figure 2B Seen in Figure 2B The power end 102 is shown disconnected from the fluid end 104 , for example during maintenance of the packaging assembly 36 included in the fluid end 104 . Figure 2B Also shown is how the nose plate 172 extends from a first end 1726 to a second end 1728 and also extends from a rear surface 1720 to a front surface 1722 in this particular embodiment.

[0033] Typically, in a power end 102 that includes a nose plate 172, the nose plate 172 is installed or formed in the power end 102 by forming the nose plate 172 with the frame 368, non-detachably welding the nose plate 172 to the frame 368, or otherwise non-detachably coupling the nose plate 172 to the frame 368. Once installed, a first end 1726 of the nose plate 172 is positioned adjacent a first side 365 of the frame 368 of the power end 102 (e.g., aligned with a housing for a primary roller and pinion gear), and a second end 1728 of the nose plate 172 is positioned adjacent a second side 366 of the frame 368 (see, e.g., Figure 4A ) (e.g., aligned with a housing for the primary roller and pinion gear). At the same time, the rear surface 1720 of the nose plate 172 faces and / or defines the front portion 469 of the frame 368. In fact, in some cases, the nose plate 172 surrounds the crosshead frame 174 of the crosshead assembly 170 (but not necessarily in all power ends).

[0034] In the illustrated embodiment, the socket 1730 extends from the front surface 1722 into the nose plate 172 and is generally disposed about a pony rod hole 1740. However, in other embodiments, the socket 1730 need not be so positioned. In any case, the socket 1730 may be threaded so that the threaded coupler 175 may be directly secured therein. Furthermore, in some cases, the socket 1730 need not extend through the rear surface 1720, which may prevent the coupler 175 from extending into the crosshead assembly 170 and interfering with the operation of the crosshead assembly 170 and / or allowing contaminants to enter the crosshead assembly 170. However, other embodiments may include a socket 1730 that is a through hole.

[0035] Still refer to Figure 2A and Figure 2B In the reciprocating pump 100 (and in most high-pressure reciprocating pumps), the crosshead frame 174 is part of the crosshead assembly 170, which converts the rotational motion of the crankshaft 103 into the linear reciprocating motion of the short rod 185. More specifically, the crosshead assembly 170 includes a connecting rod 171, a crosshead 173, and a short rod 185. The crosshead 173 includes a connector 176 disposed within the crosshead frame 174, and the connecting rod 171 extends from the crankshaft 103 to the connector 176. The connector 176 is configured to move linearly within the crosshead frame 174, and the opposite end of the connecting rod 171 is configured to travel with the crankshaft 103 and the connector 176.

[0036] Therefore, when the connecting rod 171 rotates with the crankshaft 103, the connecting rod 171 causes the connector 176 to reciprocate within the crosshead frame 174. The connector 176 is also connected to the rear side 186 of the short rod 185, so that the short rod 185 reciprocates with the connector 176. At the same time, the front side 187 of the short rod 185 can be coupled to the reciprocating element 202 (e.g., a plunger), for example, by a clamp, to drive the reciprocating motion of the reciprocating element 202, thereby pumping the fluid through the fluid end 104.

[0037] Now go to Figure 3A , which shows a front cross-sectional view of the fluid end 104 of the reciprocating pump 100, but continues to refer to Figure 1 The fluid end 104 includes a body 134 and a flange 132 extending from the body 134. The flange 132 includes a plurality of access areas 136 to accommodate the positioning of the couplers 175. For example, one or more couplers 175 extend through the lip 138 and are accessible within the access areas 136. That is, the access areas 136 provide a space between the lip 138 and the body 134 into which the couplers 175 extend (e.g., terminate).

[0038] Each access region 136 is separated from an adjacent access region by a respective flange peak 300 (e.g., a platform, a peak, a crest, a webbing). In the illustrated example, the first holes 204 formed through the flange 132 are offset from one another along a first axis 302 (e.g., a horizontal axis, a transverse axis), and each flange peak 300 overlaps with a corresponding first hole 204 along the first axis 302. Thus, each flange peak 300 extends away from the corresponding first hole 204. Thus, the flange 132 (e.g., the flange peak 300) can better absorb stresses originating from the first hole 204 (e.g., generated by forces applied by the reciprocating element 202 and / or by fluid within the first hole 204) to maintain the structural integrity of the flange 132.

[0039] Figure 3B is a detailed cross-sectional view of the fluid end 104, further illustrating an approach region 136. The approach region 136 includes a first arcuate portion 350 and a second arcuate portion 352. Thus, the approach region 136 can have a double-sector configuration. The first arcuate portion 350 and the second arcuate portion 352 are separated from each other by an approach region peak 354. In other words, the approach region peak 354 provides a geometric discontinuity that separates the first arcuate portion 350 and the second arcuate portion 352 from each other. Thus, the approach region 136 includes multiple radii—one radius associated with the first arcuate portion 350 and another radius associated with the second arcuate portion 352. In some embodiments, the radius of the first arcuate portion 350 and the radius of the second arcuate portion 352 are substantially equal to each other. In additional or alternative embodiments, the radius of the first arcuate portion 350 and the radius of the second arcuate portion 352 are different from each other.

[0040] In the illustrated embodiment, the approach region peak 354 is located between adjacent first holes 204 along the first axis 302. To this end, the positioning of the approach region peak 354 away from the first hole 204 can reduce the propagation of stress from the first hole 204 to the approach region peak 354 (e.g., applied by the reciprocating element 202). Therefore, the structural integrity of the approach region peak 354 can be maintained, thereby maintaining the structural integrity of the approach region 136. In contrast, if the approach region 136 has a single radius, the central portion of the approach region 136 (e.g., the location of the approach region peak 354) can extend toward the hole 204 and can be the lowest point of the approach region. Therefore, more material will be removed from the flange 132 compared to the amount of material removed by the dual radius approach region 136 of the present application, which may require more processing time, generate more waste and / or reduce the strength of the flange 132. The arcuate portions 350, 352 within the approach region 136 are also separated from other approach regions. For example, the first flange peak 300A is located between the first arcuate portion 350 and the arcuate portion of the adjacent approach zone, and the second flange peak 300B is located between the second arcuate portion 352 and the arcuate portion of another adjacent approach zone. Thus, the first flange peak 300A and the second flange peak 300B may define the outer boundary of the approach zone 136. In addition, the distance between the flange peaks 300A, 300B and the centerline 304 that bisects the flange 132 (e.g., along the first axis 302) is greater than the distance between the approach zone peak 354 and the centerline 304, such that each flange peak 300 extends further beyond the centerline 304 than the approach zone 136 extends from the centerline 304. In other words, each flange peak 300A, 300B extends away from the centerline 304 and beyond the approach zone peak 354.

[0041] In certain embodiments, an access region 136 having arcuate portions 350, 352 may be more appropriately adapted to accommodate the positioning of a coupler 175 extending through the lip 138 than, for example, an access region having a single arc. For example, each arcuate portion 350, 352 may be configured to receive / accommodate a respective coupler 175. That is, the first arcuate portion 350 may surround the first coupler 175A, while the second arcuate portion 352 may surround the second coupler 175B. For example, each arcuate portion 350, 352 may be sized (e.g., having a threshold radius) to accommodate a respective coupler 175A, 175B that is sized (e.g., having a threshold diameter) sufficient to couple the fluid end 104 and the power end 102 to one another. In fact, as shown in dashed lines, an access region 136 having multiple arcuate portions 350, 352 may include a space that is more appropriately positioned to implement a coupler 175 than an access region having a single arcuate portion 370 (e.g., having a single radius).

[0042] For example, a first distance 372 between the flange peaks 300A, 300B formed by the arcuate portions 350, 352 can be greater than a second distance 374 between the flange peaks formed by a single arcuate portion 370. In this way, the size (e.g., width) of the flange peak 300 can be reduced to accommodate a larger coupler 175. In addition, such space provided by the arcuate portions 350, 352 can enable positioning of a tool 376 for securing the coupler 175 to the body 134. For example, the tool 376 can extend into the access area 136 at an oblique angle relative to the first axis 302, and the arcuate portions 350, 352 facilitate positioning the tool 376 in the access area 136 to avoid contact between the tool 376 and the flange 132, thereby facilitating the use of the tool 376 (e.g., rotation of the tool 376 relative to the flange 132) to apply the coupler 175 to the fluid end 104. In other words, the dual radius of the access area 136 formed by the arcuate portions 350, 352 provides sufficient space to position the tool 376 in the access area 136 to secure the coupler 175 to the body 134. Although the illustrated tool 376 is a wrench, it should be noted that any other type of tool 376 may extend into the access area 136 and be used to secure the coupler 175 to the body 134, and the arcuate portions 350, 352 accommodate the positioning of such a tool 376 in the access area 136.

[0043] In addition, the formation of separate arcuate portions 350, 352 can increase the amount of material at certain portions of the flange 132 as compared to an approach region having a single continuous arcuate portion. For example, the presence of the approach region peak 354 reduces the void at the approach region peak 354 or the amount of material removed to form the approach region 136, thereby increasing the amount of material of the flange 132 at the approach region peak 354. The increased amount of material can increase the strength of the flange 132, such as by reducing potential stretching of certain portions of the flange 132 and / or reducing stress concentrations in certain portions of the flange 132, and can reduce maintenance on the fluid end 104. In this way, the arcuate portions 350, 352 can improve the use of the coupling 175 while maintaining a desired service life of the flange 132.

[0044] In addition, although the approach region 136 is shown to include two arcuate portions 350, 352, the approach region 136 may include any suitable number of arcuate portions, such as three arcuate portions, four arcuate portions, or more than four arcuate portions. In any case, the approach region 136 has a multi-sector configuration, wherein the arcuate portions are separated by corresponding approach region peaks 354. Similarly, although the depicted embodiment shows arcuate portions 350, 352 with constant radius, other embodiments may include any number of arcuate portions with constant or varying radius (e.g., hyperbolic arcuate portions). In addition, it should be noted that in some embodiments, the approach region 136 may not be bounded by the flange peak 300. For example, the approach region 136 may be located at the end of the flange 132, and therefore, one side of the approach region 136 may not be adjacent to another approach region 136. Therefore, the flange peak 300 may not be formed on the side of the approach region 136.

[0045] As described herein, in some embodiments, the access region 136 can be formed by a machining process (e.g., milling, drilling, cutting). For example, the first arcuate portion 350 and / or the second arcuate portion 352 are cutouts formed by removing material. Additionally or alternatively, the access region 136 can be provided by a forming process (e.g., rolling, forging, stamping, pressing). Thus, the first arcuate portion 350 and / or the second arcuate portion 352 can be a feature provided by material deformation.

[0046] Figure 4A1 is a side view of a cutting tool 400 that can be used to manufacture the flange 132 of the fluid end 104 (e.g., by using a machining process). The cutting tool 400 includes a hub 402 and a plurality of extensions 404 extending from the hub 402. The illustrated cutting tool 400 includes eight extensions 404 evenly spaced around the hub 402 (e.g., around the circumference of the hub 402). The hub 402 is configured to be attached to a spindle (e.g., an axle, axle, a spindle) that causes the hub 402 and, therefore, the extensions 404 attached to the hub 402 to rotate about an axis of rotation 408. For example, the cutting tool 400 can be a disc milling cutter or a portion thereof. The extensions 404 rotate at a sufficient speed so that the cutting blades / teeth 406 connected to the extensions 404 can remove material from the flange 132. For example, while the extension 404 is rotating, the cutting tool 400 is moved relative to the flange 132, and the cutting blade 406 attached to the extension 404 is rotated to engage with the flange 132, which will cause the cutting tool 400 to remove material from the flange 132, for example, cutting out the access area 136 (e.g., the first arcuate portion 350, the second arcuate portion 352). In order to connect the cutting blade 406 (e.g., an indexable insert, a removable tip) to the extension 404, each extension 404 can include a feature 410 (e.g., a socket, a bracket) configured to be removably coupled to the cutting tooth.

[0047] The size of the cutting tool 400 (e.g., the size of the extension 404, the radius of the hub 402) can be selected based on the desired depth of the access area 136 cut into the flange 132. For example, the mandrel is positioned to extend along the lip 138 (e.g., above or below the lip 138) to position the cutting tool 400 to form the access area 136, and the cutting tool 400 is selected to be of sufficient size to provide sufficient clearance (e.g., a distance between 0.25 centimeters (cm) or 0.1 inches (in) and 1 cm or 0.4 in) between the mandrel and the lip 138 or any other portion of the flange 132 to prevent the cutting tool 400 from contacting the flange 132, which may adversely affect the formation of the access area 136. Additionally or alternatively, the size of the cutting tool 400 can be selected based on the desired size of the access area 136 (e.g., the radius of each arcuate portion 350, 352), which can be effectively formed by the movement of the cutting tool 400 relative to the flange 132. However, these dimensions may also be limited by the tool magazine size of a cutting station (e.g., a large computer numerical control (CNC) unit) used with the cutting tool 400. In one example, the length of the extension 404 from the hub 402 is between 20 centimeters or 8 inches and 38 centimeters or 15 inches.

[0048] It should be noted that the cutting tool 400 can be used to form the flange 132 through a continuous operation. That is, the same cutting tool 400 can form each approach area 136 without replacing the cutting tool 400 or without replacing any component of the cutting tool 400 (e.g., the cutting blade 406). Therefore, the operation of forming the flange 132 can be performed uninterruptedly or continuously. Therefore, the cutting tool 400 can improve the efficiency or speed of the operation of forming the flange 132.

[0049] In contrast, conventional cutting tools are generally unable to form all access areas of a single fluid end in one pass, and generally require maintenance, such as replacement of cutting inserts of the cutting tool, while working on a single fluid end. Figure 4B 4 is a side view of a prior art cutting tool 430. The prior art cutting tool 430 includes a hub 432 and a plurality of extensions 434 extending from the hub 432. Cutting blades may be coupled to the extensions 434. However, unlike the cutting tool 400, the extensions 434 of the prior art cutting tool 430 are not evenly arranged over the entire periphery (e.g., circumference) around the hub 432. Instead, the prior art cutting tool 430 includes a planar portion 436 that is devoid of any extensions 434 and does not typically engage the fluid end to remove material.

[0050] The prior art cutting tool 430 shown includes two planar portions 436 located at opposite ends of the prior art cutting tool 430, but in other embodiments, the prior art cutting tool 430 may include any number of planar portions 436 without extensions 434. Therefore, the prior art cutting tool 430 may include fewer extensions 434 than the number of extensions 404 of the cutting tool 400 (e.g., four extensions 434), and / or the size of the extensions 434 of the prior art cutting tool 430 may be smaller than the size of the extensions 404 of the cutting tool 400. Therefore, the cutting teeth implemented in the prior art cutting tool 430 may also be relatively few or small. Therefore, the cutting teeth and / or extensions 434 used to remove material may be more easily worn.

[0051] For example, during the operation of the prior art cutting tool 430 to remove material from the fluid end, the cutting blade and / or extension 434 may wear to an extent such that the prior art cutting tool 430 may no longer effectively remove material, may change the geometry of the fluid end (e.g., create defects) upon further engagement with the fluid end, and / or may otherwise negatively affect the removal of material from the fluid end. As a result, using the prior art cutting tool 430, maintenance operations (e.g., repairing or replacing the cutting blade and / or extension 434) may be performed before the prior art cutting tool 430 forms all access areas of the fluid end, and the operation of the prior art cutting tool 430 to remove material is interrupted. As a result, the completion of the manufacture of the fluid end may be delayed, thereby reducing production efficiency and / or increasing costs (e.g., due to downtime during maintenance of the prior art cutting tool 430 and / or the fluid end).

[0052] Figure 5A is a perspective view of the fluid end 104 . Figure 5A Also shown is a cutting tool 400 motion path 450 that forms the approach region 136. As an example, the motion path 450 indicates the positioning of the rotation axis 408, about which the cutting tool 400 is rotated to allow the cutting tool 400 (e.g., the cutting blade 406 extending from the extension 404) to engage the flange 132 and remove material. For example, the cutting tool 400 is positioned between the body 134 and the distal surface 452 of the flange 132 and guided along the motion path 450 to form the approach region 136, as well as to form the approach region peak 300 between the body 134 and the distal surface 452. As described herein, the same cutting tool 400 can be used to form each approach region 136 of the flange 132. To this end, the same cutting tool 400 can be guided along the entire motion path 450. However, in additional or alternative embodiments, different cutting tools (e.g., having the same or different embodiments as cutting tool 400) can be directed along different portions of motion path 450 such that multiple cutting tools are used to form access region 136 of flange 132. In some embodiments, cutting tool 400 is moved automatically along motion path 450, such as by a CNC machine.

[0053] Figure 5B 4 is a front view of the fluid end 104 and the motion path 450 of the cutting tool 400. The illustrated motion path 450 includes a plurality of first paths 500 and second paths 502. Each first path 500 is curved and overlaps one of the first holes 204 along the first axis 302. However, the first paths 500 are separated by the second paths 502. Therefore, at a high level, the cutting tool 400 moves from one of the second paths 502 to another of the second paths 502 along the first paths 500 in a direction curved away from the centerline 304.

[0054] The movement of the cutting tool 400 along one of the first paths 500 forms two adjacent portions of the access zone 136 and a flange peak 300. In fact, in at least some cases, the distal-most portion of the path 500 can move the cutting tool 400 out of engagement with the flange 132 and into the space above the flange 132, thereby leaving a flat surface on top of the flange 132 and forming the flange peak 300. At the same time, each second path 502 extends between adjacent first holes 204 along the first axis 302. Therefore, the movement of the cutting tool 400 along one of the second paths 502 forms an access zone peak 354 between the first arcuate portion 350 and the second arcuate portion 352 in one of the access zones 136.

[0055] In the illustrated embodiment, each second path 502 includes a first portion 504 and a second portion 506. In addition, each second path 502 includes an intermediate portion 508, along which the cutting tool 400 moves to transition between the first portion 504 and the second portion 506. The intermediate portion 508 may include a jump, a zigzag, or a wave-shaped motion. In any case, the movement of the cutting tool 400 along the intermediate portion 508 forms a proximity region peak 354 between the first arc portion 350 and the second arc portion 352. Therefore, the combination of the intermediate portion 508 produces the discontinuity of the first arc portion 350 relative to the second arc portion 352, and ensures that the proximity region 136 includes a plurality of radii. In some embodiments, the cutting tool 400 moves directly from the first path 500 to the second path 502, and / or vice versa, to continuously move along the motion path 450 to form a plurality of proximity regions 136.

[0056] Figure 5C 1 is a side view of the fluid end 104, showing the motion path 450 of the cutting tool 400. Specifically, the motion path 450 includes a second path 502, such as one of the first portion 504 or the second portion 506, for forming at least a portion of the access area 136 between the lip 138 of the flange 132 and the body 134. Figure 5C As shown, the second path 502 includes a plurality of passes 550 of the cutting tool 400 that are generally along a second axis 552 (e.g., a second horizontal axis, a longitudinal axis) that extends parallel to the central axis 510 of the first hole 204. That is, the cutting tool 400 is repeatedly moved toward and away from the body 134 along the second path 502. These passes 550 enable the cutting tool 400 to repeatedly remove material of the flange 132 to create a smooth surface of one of the arcuate portions 350, 352.

[0057] As described herein, a cutting tool 400 having a particular diameter may be selected to form an approach region 136 having a target radius or depth. For example, the mandrel to which the cutting tool 400 is attached extends above the lip 138 to position the cutting tool 400 between the distal surface 452 of the flange 132 and the body 134, and a cutting tool 400 of a particular size may be selected to provide sufficient clearance between the mandrel and the flange 132 (e.g., lip 138) while enabling the approach region 136 of the desired size to be effectively cut between the body 134 and the lip 138.

[0058] Figure 6 6 is a method 600 of manufacturing a fluid end 104. Specifically, the method 600 depicts machining the fluid end 104 to form one of the access regions 136. It should be noted that the method 600 may be performed differently in additional or alternative embodiments. For example, additional operations may be performed, and / or any of the operations of the method 600 may be performed differently, in a different order, or deleted entirely.

[0059] At process block 602, the cutting tool 400 is positioned between the distal surface 452 of the flange 132 and the body 134 to form the access area 136 in the flange 132. For example, the cutting tool 400 is attached to a mandrel, and the mandrel is positioned to extend above the flange 132 (e.g., beyond the distal surface 452, above the lip 138) to position the cutting tool 400 between the distal surface 452 and the body 134.

[0060] At process block 604, a first arcuate portion 350 is formed by the cutting tool 400 to access the area 136. For example, the cutting tool 400 can be operated to rotate about the spindle and guide the spindle along a portion of the first path 500 of the motion path 450 so that the extension 404 and / or the cutting blade 406 of the cutting tool 400 engage against the flange 132. This engagement removes material from the flange 132 to form the first arcuate portion 350. Thus, the first arcuate portion 350 is cut from the flange 132. The cutting tool 400 can be moved along a plurality of passes 550 and repeatedly moved toward and away from the body 134 to form the first arcuate portion 350.

[0061] At process block 606, the second arcuate portion 352 of the approach region 136 is formed by the cutting tool 400. For example, the mandrel is guided along the middle portion 508 of the second path 502 to begin forming the second arcuate portion 352, and then the mandrel is guided along a portion of the additional first path 500 (different from the first path of process block 604) to cut the second arcuate portion 352 from the flange 132. As a result, the approach region peak 354 is located between the first arcuate portion 350 and the second arcuate portion 352. Similar to the formation of the first arcuate portion 350, the cutting tool 400 can be moved along multiple passes 550 and repeatedly moved toward and away from the body 134 to form the second arcuate portion 352. The formation of the first arcuate portion 350 and the adjacent second arcuate portion 352 subsequently provides the approach region peak 354 between the first arcuate portion 350 and the second arcuate portion 352.

[0062] At process block 608, a flange peak 300 is formed proximate to the approach region 136. To this end, the mandrel is directed further along the first path 500 from process block 608 (e.g., in a curving direction away from the centerline 304 of the flange 132). The flange peak 300 defines an outer boundary of the approach region 136. After forming the flange peak 300, the mandrel may be directed to form another approach region 136, such as by directing the mandrel along the remaining portion of the first path 500 traversed at process block 608 such that the flange peak 300 is located between the approach regions to separate the approach regions 136 from one another.

[0063] In some embodiments, the material of the flange 132 can be prestressed to facilitate the formation of the approach region 136. For example, the flange 132 can be made of metal, and prestressing the metal can stretch or deform the metal to a limit (e.g., a threshold strain). Further stretching the metal beyond the limit by additional applied force (e.g., the cutting tool 400 removes material) can be avoided. That is, the metal can be kept stretched at the limit despite the application of additional force. Therefore, the engagement of the cutting tool 400 with the metal while the metal is stretched can cause the cutting tool 400 to remove material, rather than, for example, undesirably stretching the metal (e.g., not removing material), which may affect the manner in which the approach region 136 is formed. Therefore, the approach region 136 can be formed more accurately by prestressing the metal.

[0064] In further embodiments, the access region 136 can be formed in a different manner. For example, the material can be removed by directing the cutting tool 400 along a different motion path and / or by using a completely different machining technique. As another example, the access region 136 can be formed by a forming process that deforms but does not remove material. In fact, any suitable process can be performed to provide a flange 132 having an access region 136 having multiple arcuate portions 350, 352 that are discontinuous with each other.

[0065] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail with reference to specific embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown, as it is apparent that various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope and within the scope of equivalents of the claims. In addition, various features from one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodiment. Therefore, the appended claims should be interpreted broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the disclosure set forth in the appended claims.

[0066] Similarly, the present invention is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present invention within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. For example, it should be understood that terms such as "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "front", "back", "side", "height", "length", "width", "up", "down", "interior", "exterior", "inner", "outer", etc. that may be used in this disclosure only describe reference points and do not limit the present invention to any particular orientation or configuration. In addition, the term "exemplary" is used in this disclosure to describe examples or illustrations. Any embodiment described in this disclosure should not be interpreted as a preferred or advantageous embodiment, but should be interpreted as an example or illustration of a possible embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] Finally, when used in the present disclosure, the term "include" and its derivatives (such as "comprising", etc.) should not be understood as exclusive, that is, these terms should not be interpreted as excluding the possibility that the described and defined content may include other elements, steps, etc. At the same time, when used in the present disclosure, the term "approximately" and its equivalents (such as "approximately", etc.) should be understood to indicate a value very close to the value attached to the above term. That is, deviations from the exact value within a reasonable range should be accepted, because those skilled in the art will understand that such deviations from the indicated values ​​are inevitable due to measurement inaccuracies, etc. The same applies to the terms "about", "approximately" and "substantially".

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a fluid end of a reciprocating pump, the fluid end comprising a body and a flange extending from the body, wherein the method comprises: positioning a cutting tool between a distal surface of the flange and a body of the fluid end such that the cutting tool can form an access area in the flange; forming a first arc-shaped cutout in the access area by the cutting tool; as well as A second arcuate cut of the access area is formed by the cutting tool, wherein the second arcuate cut is discontinuous with the first arcuate cut, so that the access area includes a plurality of radii.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising: A peak of an approach region located between the first arc-shaped cutout and the second arc-shaped cutout is formed in the approach region by the cutting tool.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: Forming the first arcuate cut includes guiding the cutting tool along a first portion of a path, forming the second arcuate cut includes guiding the cutting tool along a second portion of the path, and forming the approach area peak in the approach area includes guiding the cutting tool along an intermediate portion of the path between the first portion and the second portion.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The intermediate portion comprises a jumping, zigzag or wavy motion of the cutting tool.

5. The method according to claim 1, comprising: A flange peak is formed adjacent the access area by the cutting tool.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: Forming the flange peak includes moving the cutting tool along a curved path.

7. The method according to claim 5, comprising: positioning the cutting tool between a distal surface of the flange and a body of the fluid end such that the cutting tool can form an additional access area in the flange such that the flange peak is located between the access area and the additional access area; forming a third arc-shaped cutout of the additional access area by the cutting tool; as well as A fourth arcuate cutout of the additional access area is formed by the cutting tool.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The fluid end includes a hole extending through the flange, and forming the first arcuate cut, the second arcuate cut, or both includes moving the cutting tool in a direction parallel to a central axis extending through a center of the hole.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: Moving the cutting tool in the direction parallel to a central axis extending through the center of the bore includes repeatedly moving the cutting tool toward and away from a body of the fluid end.

10. A fluid end of a reciprocating pump, comprising: a body defining a pumping chamber; as well as A flange extends from the body, wherein the flange includes an approach region, and the approach region includes a plurality of arcuate portions and at least one approach region peak, wherein the at least one approach region peak separates each of the plurality of arcuate portions from one another such that the approach region includes a plurality of radii.

11. The fluid end of claim 10, wherein: The flange includes an additional access area including a plurality of additional arcuate portions and at least one additional access area peak separating each of the plurality of additional arcuate portions from one another.

12. The fluid tip of claim 11, wherein: The flange comprises a flange peak which separates the access area and the additional access area from each other.

13. The fluid end of claim 12, comprising a plurality of holes extending through the flange, wherein each hole of the plurality of holes is offset from one another along an axis, and the flange peak overlaps one hole of the plurality of holes along the axis.

14. The fluid tip of claim 12, wherein: The flange peak extends further away from a centerline of the flange than the at least one access region peak extends away from a centerline of the flange.

15. The fluid end of claim 10, comprising a plurality of holes extending through the flange, wherein each hole of the plurality of holes are offset from one another along an axis, and the at least one access region peak is located between the plurality of holes along the axis.

16. The fluid tip of claim 10, wherein: The plurality of radii of the approach area include a first radius of a first arcuate portion among the plurality of arcuate portions and a second radius of a second arcuate portion among the plurality of arcuate portions, and the first radius and the second radius are equal to each other.

17. A method of manufacturing a fluid end of a reciprocating pump, the fluid end comprising a body and a flange extending from the body, wherein the method comprises: a first arcuate portion in the flange forming an access area; an access region peak forming the access region in the flange; forming a second arcuate portion of the access region in the flange such that the access region peak separates the first arcuate portion and the second arcuate portion from each other; as well as A flange peak is formed in the flange adjacent the access region.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein: Forming the first arcuate portion, the second arcuate portion, or both includes moving a cutting tool toward and away from the body to remove material from the flange.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising forming a third arcuate portion of an additional access area in the flange, wherein the flange peak is located between the second arcuate portion of the access area and the third arcuate portion of the additional access area.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein: The first arc portion is formed to have a first radius, the second arc portion is formed to have a second radius, and the first radius and the second radius are equal to each other.

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