A ball loader for wax balls

Abstract

The application provides a wax removal ball loader, mainly comprising a rack, a ball storage mechanism, a conveying mechanism, a pushing mechanism and a control unit. The rack has a mounting position; the ball storage mechanism is arranged on the rack to store the wax removal balls and deliver the wax removal balls one by one; the conveying mechanism is arranged on the rack and communicates with the ball storage mechanism to convey the wax removal balls in the vertical direction; the pushing mechanism is arranged on the rack and communicates with the conveying mechanism to receive the wax removal balls conveyed by the conveying mechanism and push the wax removal balls one by one to a ball thrower in the horizontal direction; and the control unit is electrically connected with the ball storage mechanism, the conveying mechanism and the pushing mechanism to control the conveying mechanism to convey the wax removal balls and the pushing mechanism to push the wax removal balls. Through the above overall arrangement, the device can automatically and continuously deliver, lift and push the wax removal balls one by one to the ball thrower according to a predetermined path, thereby solving the problem that the wax removal balls are prone to be stuck during the loading process, improving the continuous operation capacity and reducing the manual operation burden.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of dewaxing equipment for oil and gas pipelines, and more specifically, to a dewaxing ball loading device. Background Technology

[0002] During crude oil gathering and transportation, wax in the crude oil easily precipitates and deposits on the inner wall of pipelines, affecting the pipeline's flow capacity and transportation efficiency. To maintain normal pipeline operation, the engineering practice typically involves removing the wax layer by placing wax-removing balls into the pipeline. Before being placed into the pipeline, the wax-removing balls usually need to go through storage, unloading, transfer, and loading into the ball-loading device. Therefore, the continuity and stability of the ball-loading process directly affect the implementation effect of the wax removal operation and the efficiency of on-site operations.

[0003] In existing methods of loading wax-removing balls, the balls are prone to accumulation, jamming, damage from compression, and incomplete loading during the transition from storage to the ball-loading device. These issues arise due to factors such as concentrated ball descent, poor channel connection, mismatched conveyor rhythm, or inaccurate ball position control. Especially under continuous operation conditions, these problems further affect the stability of the loading process, increasing the frequency of manual intervention and reducing operational efficiency and on-site reliability. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a ball-loading device that can reduce the risk of jamming during the loading process. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main objective of this invention is to provide a dewaxing ball loading device to at least solve the problem of easy jamming during the loading of dewaxing balls.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a dewaxing ball loading device, comprising: a frame having a mounting position; a ball storage mechanism disposed on the frame for storing dewaxing balls and transferring them one by one; a conveying mechanism disposed on the frame and communicating with the ball storage mechanism for receiving the dewaxing balls transferred by the ball storage mechanism and conveying the dewaxing balls vertically; a pushing mechanism disposed on the frame and communicating with the conveying mechanism for receiving the dewaxing balls conveyed by the conveying mechanism and pushing the dewaxing balls horizontally one by one to a ball feeder; and a control unit electrically connected to the ball storage mechanism, the conveying mechanism, and the pushing mechanism to control the conveying mechanism to convey the dewaxing balls and the pushing mechanism to push the dewaxing balls.

[0006] Furthermore, the ball storage mechanism includes: a ball storage component, which is disposed above the frame and connected to the conveying mechanism, and is used to store and transfer wax-removing balls one by one; a weighing component, which is disposed on the frame and connected to the ball storage component to measure the total weight of the ball storage component and the wax-removing balls inside the ball storage component; and a limiting component, which is disposed on the frame and connected to the ball storage component to limit the ball storage component to move only in the vertical direction.

[0007] Furthermore, the ball storage component includes: a ball storage cylinder, which extends vertically and is positioned above the frame for storing dewax-removing balls, with a tapered bottom; a conveying pipe, positioned below the ball storage cylinder, with its first end connected to the bottom of the ball storage cylinder to transfer the dewax-removing balls one by one; a corrugated pipe, with its first end connected to the second end of the conveying pipe and its second end connected to the conveying mechanism, the corrugated pipe being used to reduce the influence of the conveying mechanism on the measurement results of the weighing component through deformation; and a buffer pad, which is positioned on the inner wall of the ball storage cylinder.

[0008] Furthermore, a limit ring is provided at the second end of the conveying pipe. The passage size of the limit ring is larger than the diameter of the wax cleaning ball but less than twice the diameter of the wax cleaning ball, so that the wax cleaning ball passes through the limit ring one by one.

[0009] Furthermore, the weighing component includes: a weighing flange, which is horizontally positioned and fixedly fitted onto the ball storage component; a pressure plate, which is positioned below the weighing flange and detachably connected to it to support the ball storage component; and a gravity sensor, which is mounted on the frame and abuts against the bottom wall of the pressure plate to measure the total weight of the ball storage component and the dewaxed balls inside it. The gravity sensor is electrically connected to the control unit, which detects the number of dewaxed balls inside the ball storage component using the gravity sensor to control the conveying mechanism to stop operating when the number of dewaxed balls is lower than a preset value.

[0010] Furthermore, the limiting component includes a limiting plate, multiple limiting cylinders, and multiple limiting rods. The limiting plate is fixedly mounted on the ball storage component, the multiple limiting rods extend vertically and are fixedly mounted on the frame, and the multiple limiting cylinders are fitted one-to-one onto the multiple limiting rods and fixed to the limiting plate to limit the ball storage component to move only in the vertical direction.

[0011] Furthermore, the conveying mechanism includes: a conveying cylinder, which extends vertically and is fixedly mounted on the frame; an auger, which extends vertically and is rotatably mounted inside the conveying cylinder; and a motor, which is mounted on the top wall of the conveying cylinder, with its output shaft passing through the top wall of the conveying cylinder and fixedly connected to the auger to drive the auger to rotate; wherein, a ball inlet is provided at the lower part of the side wall of the conveying cylinder, and a ball outlet is provided at the upper part of the side wall of the conveying cylinder, and the auger is used to rotate under the drive of the motor to lift the wax cleaning ball entering from the ball inlet vertically to the ball outlet and send it to the pushing mechanism.

[0012] Furthermore, an infrared sensor is installed at the ball outlet of the conveying cylinder. The infrared sensor is used to monitor the state of the wax removal ball entering the ball outlet. The infrared sensor is electrically connected to the control unit. The control unit is used to control the motor to stop rotating and control the pushing mechanism to push the wax removal ball to the ball thrower when the infrared sensor detects that the wax removal ball has entered the ball outlet.

[0013] Further, the pushing mechanism comprises a pushing cylinder extending in a horizontal direction, a side wall of the pushing cylinder being communicated with the conveying mechanism to receive the wax removal balls, and the pushing cylinder being further communicated with the ball feeder through a flange structure to deliver the wax removal balls into the pipeline to be cleaned; an electric push rod arranged on the rack, a push rod of the electric push rod being arranged in the pushing cylinder; a pushing head arranged at an end of the push rod of the electric push rod to push the wax removal balls one by one; wherein a contact surface of the pushing head and the wax removal ball has a curved surface matched with the wax removal ball.

[0014] Further, a pitch of the spiral blade of the auger is set to be 1.1-1.2 times of the diameter of the wax removal ball, and a gap between the auger and the inner wall of the conveying cylinder is set to be 3-6 mm.

[0015] The wax removal ball loader according to the present application comprises a rack, a ball storage mechanism, a conveying mechanism, a pushing mechanism and a control unit. The rack has a mounting position; the ball storage mechanism is arranged on the rack to store the wax removal balls and deliver the wax removal balls one by one; the conveying mechanism is arranged on the rack and communicated with the ball storage mechanism to receive the wax removal balls delivered by the ball storage mechanism and convey the wax removal balls in a vertical direction; the pushing mechanism is arranged on the rack and communicated with the conveying mechanism to receive the wax removal balls conveyed by the conveying mechanism and push the wax removal balls one by one in a horizontal direction to the ball feeder; and the control unit is electrically connected with the ball storage mechanism, the conveying mechanism and the pushing mechanism to control the conveying mechanism to convey the wax removal balls and the pushing mechanism to push the wax removal balls. Through the above overall arrangement, the device can automatically and continuously deliver, lift and push the wax removal balls one by one to the ball feeder according to a predetermined path, thereby solving the problem of easy jamming in the process of loading the wax removal balls, improving the continuous operation capacity and reducing the labor operation burden. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] The accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification, are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated herein in conjunction with the description of the application. The embodiments of the present application, together with its advantages, can be understood by a study of the following detailed description together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 is a structure schematic view of an optional wax removal ball loader according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 is a sectional view of a ball storage mechanism and a conveying mechanism of an optional wax removal ball loader according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 3 is a partial view of a limiting stop ring of an optional wax removal ball loader according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 4 is a sectional view of a pushing mechanism of an optional wax removal ball loader according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 5 is a partial view of a pushing mechanism of a wax ball loader according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Reference signs:

[0023] 10, rack; 20, ball storage mechanism; 21, ball storage component; 211, ball storage cylinder; 212, conveying pipe; 213, corrugated pipe; 214, cushion layer; 215, limiting stop ring; 22, weight measuring component; 221, weight measuring flange; 222, pressure receiving plate; 223, gravity sensor; 23, limiting component; 231, limiting plate; 232, limiting cylinder; 233, limiting rod; 30, conveying mechanism; 31, conveying cylinder; 311, ball inlet; 312, ball outlet; 32, auger; 33, motor; 34, infrared sensor; 40, pushing mechanism; 41, pushing cylinder; 42, electric push rod; 43, pushing head; 50, control unit; 60, ball launcher. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] It should be noted that the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict. The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and in combination with embodiments.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1 , a wax ball loader according to the present application comprises a rack 10, a ball storage mechanism 20, a conveying mechanism 30, a pushing mechanism 40, and a control unit 50. The rack 10 has a mounting position; the ball storage mechanism 20 is arranged on the rack 10 to store and sequentially deliver the wax balls; the conveying mechanism 30 is arranged on the rack 10 and communicates with the ball storage mechanism 20 to receive the wax balls delivered by the ball storage mechanism 20 and convey the wax balls in the vertical direction; the pushing mechanism 40 is arranged on the rack 10 and communicates with the conveying mechanism 30 to receive the wax balls conveyed by the conveying mechanism 30 and sequentially push the wax balls horizontally to a ball launcher 60; and the control unit 50 is electrically connected with the ball storage mechanism 20, the conveying mechanism 30, and the pushing mechanism 40 to control the conveying of the wax balls by the conveying mechanism 30 and the pushing of the wax balls by the pushing mechanism 40. Through the above overall arrangement, the device can automatically and continuously deliver, lift, and push the wax balls to the ball launcher one by one according to a predetermined path, thereby solving the problem of easy jamming during the loading of the wax balls, improving the continuous operation capability, and reducing the manual operation burden.

[0026] Further, as shown in Figure 1As shown, the ball storage mechanism 20 comprises a ball storage component 21, a weight measuring component 22 and a limiting component 23. The ball storage component 21 is arranged above the frame 10 and communicates with the conveying mechanism 30, and is used to store and deliver the wax removal balls one by one; the weight measuring component 22 is arranged on the frame 10 and is connected with the ball storage component 21 to measure the total weight of the ball storage component 21 and the wax removal balls in the ball storage component 21; the limiting component 23 is arranged on the frame 10 and is connected with the ball storage component 21 to limit the movement of the ball storage component 21 in the vertical direction only. Since the load of the ball storage component 21 will change continuously during the ball loading process, and the conveying mechanism 30 will generate a certain vibration during operation, the weight measuring component 22 is used to undertake the weighing task, the limiting component 23 is used to limit the lateral swing and torsion, so that the ball storage component 21 only has a slight displacement in the vertical direction, which facilitates the control unit 50 to judge the remaining amount according to the weight change and coordinate the subsequent ball loading. By adopting the scheme of mutual cooperation of ball storage, weighing and guidance, the stability of ball storage and the accuracy of weighing can be considered.

[0027] Further, as Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown, the ball storage component 21 comprises a ball storage cylinder 211, a conveying pipe 212, a corrugated pipe 213 and a buffer layer 214. The ball storage cylinder 211 extends in the vertical direction and is arranged above the rack 10 for storing the wax removal balls, the bottom of the ball storage cylinder 211 is in a conical structure; the conveying pipe 212 is arranged below the ball storage cylinder 211, the first end of the conveying pipe 212 communicates with the bottom of the ball storage cylinder 211 to deliver the wax removal balls one by one; the first end of the corrugated pipe 213 communicates with the second end of the conveying pipe 212, the second end of the corrugated pipe 213 communicates with the conveying mechanism 30, the corrugated pipe 213 is used to reduce the influence of the conveying mechanism 30 on the measurement result of the weighing component 22 by deformation; the buffer layer 214 is arranged on the inner wall of the ball storage cylinder 211. The ball storage cylinder 211 is preferably a cylindrical structure, the height thereof can be 300-400 mm, and the inner diameter thereof can be 150-200 mm, so as to store a plurality of wax removal balls with a diameter of 40-48 mm; the bottom of the ball storage cylinder 211 is arranged in a conical structure, the conical angle is preferably 60°-90°, so as to facilitate the wax removal balls in the cylinder to gather to the center under the action of gravity and orderly enter the lower passage. The buffer layer 214 is attached to the inner wall of the ball storage cylinder 211, and is preferably formed of oil-resistant rubber, polyurethane or other elastic wear-resistant materials with a thickness of 5-8 mm, so as to reduce the collision of the wax removal balls when being loaded, stacked and sliding down. The conveying pipe 212 is arranged below the ball storage cylinder 211, the first end thereof communicates with the bottom of the ball storage cylinder 211, and is used to receive the wax removal balls guided by the conical bottom; the corrugated pipe 213 is arranged between the conveying pipe 212 and the conveying mechanism 30, the first end thereof communicates with the second end of the conveying pipe 212, and the second end thereof communicates with the conveying mechanism 30, the corrugated pipe 213 is preferably an oil-resistant flexible corrugated hose, which allows a certain deformation while passing the balls, so as to absorb the vibration generated by the conveying mechanism 30 and reduce the influence of the conveying mechanism 30 on the measurement result of the weighing component 22. Through the above arrangement, the transition of the wax removal balls from the storage end to the conveying end is more gentle, and the weighing result is more stable.

[0028] Further, as Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the second end of the conveying pipe 212 is provided with a limiting baffle 215, the passing size of which is greater than the diameter of the wax removal ball and less than twice the diameter of the wax removal ball so that the wax removal balls pass through the limiting baffle 215 one by one. The limiting baffle 215 can adopt a detachable annular structure, which is convenient for replacement according to the specifications of the wax removal ball. The passing size of the limiting baffle 215 is greater than the diameter of the wax removal ball and less than twice the diameter of the wax removal ball, so that a single wax removal ball can pass smoothly, and it is difficult for two wax removal balls to enter the downstream channel side by side at the same time; when the wax removal ball with a diameter of 40-48 mm is used, the inner diameter of the limiting baffle 215 is preferably 49-60 mm. The limiting baffle 215 can be made of stainless steel, nylon or high-molecular wear-resistant material, and the connection mode of the limiting baffle 215 with the conveying pipe 212 can be threaded connection or clamping connection, so as to facilitate maintenance and specification switching. By arranging the limiting baffle 215 at the outlet of the conveying pipe 212, the risk of multiple balls entering the downstream can be controlled at the front end, thereby improving the orderliness of the subsequent single ball conveying.

[0029] Further, as Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown, the weight measuring component 22 comprises a weight measuring flange 221, a pressure bearing plate 222 and a gravity sensor 223. The weight measuring flange 221 is horizontally arranged and fixedly sleeved on the ball storage component 21; the pressure bearing plate 222 is arranged below the weight measuring flange 221 and detachably connected with the weight measuring flange 221 to bear the ball storage component 21; the gravity sensor 223 is arranged on the rack 10 and abuts against the bottom wall of the pressure bearing plate 222 to measure the total weight of the ball storage component 21 and the wax removal balls in the ball storage component 21. The gravity sensor 223 is electrically connected with the control unit 50, and the control unit 50 detects the number of the wax removal balls in the ball storage component 21 through the gravity sensor 223 to control the conveying mechanism 30 to stop running when the number of the wax removal balls is lower than a preset value. The weight measuring flange 221 is preferably fixed at the lower part of the outer periphery of the ball storage cylinder 211, so that the weight of the ball storage component 21 and the load of the wax removal balls are downwardly transmitted through the weight measuring flange 221; the pressure bearing plate 222 is arranged below the weight measuring flange 221 and detachably connected with the weight measuring flange 221, so as to be quickly disassembled during maintenance; the gravity sensor 223 is fixedly arranged on the rack 10 and abuts against the bottom wall of the pressure bearing plate 222, and is preferably a tension-compression type or column type weighing sensor, and an explosion-proof sensor can be selected as necessary to adapt to the field working conditions. In the embodiment, two gravity sensors 223 are selected and symmetrically arranged. The control unit 50 pre-stores the parameters of the empty weight and the average weight of a single wax removal ball, and calculates the number of the wax removal balls in the ball storage component 21 according to the detection value of the gravity sensor 223 during operation, and controls the conveying mechanism 30 to stop running when the number is lower than a preset value; in some embodiments, the control unit 50 can also synchronously output a ball shortage prompt information, so as to facilitate the operator to supplement the balls. The force receiving path formed by the weight measuring flange 221, the pressure bearing plate 222 and the gravity sensor 223 not only facilitates the weighing calibration and component replacement, but also facilitates the accurate acquisition of the residual ball quantity information.

[0030] Further, as Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown, the limiting component 23 comprises a limiting plate 231, a plurality of limiting cylinders 232 and a plurality of limiting rods 233. The limiting plate 231 is fixedly arranged on the ball storage component 21, the plurality of limiting rods 233 extend in the vertical direction and are fixedly arranged on the rack 10, and the plurality of limiting cylinders 232 are correspondingly sleeved on the plurality of limiting rods 233 and fixed on the limiting plate 231 to limit the movement of the ball storage component 21 in the vertical direction only. The limiting plate 231 is preferably an annular plate body, which is sleeved on the outer periphery of the ball storage cylinder 211 and fixedly connected thereto to meet the requirement that the ball storage component 21 as a whole is vertically slightly displaced with the change of load. The limiting cylinder 232 and the limiting rod 233 are preferably gap-fitted or sliding-fitted. The plurality of limiting rods 233 can be evenly arranged as three or four along the circumference of the ball storage cylinder 211 to make the force on the limiting plate 231 more balanced. The limiting rod 233 can be a metal rod with smooth surface, and the inner wall of the limiting cylinder 232 can be provided with a wear-resistant lining. With the above structure, the ball storage component 21 can be limited to move in the vertical direction only during the weighing process, thereby reducing the influence of lateral shaking on the measurement accuracy and the stability of the ball.

[0031] Further, as Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the conveying mechanism 30 comprises a conveying cylinder 31, an auger 32 and a motor 33. The conveying cylinder 31 extends in the vertical direction and is fixedly arranged on the frame 10; the auger 32 extends in the vertical direction and is rotatably arranged in the conveying cylinder 31; the motor 33 is arranged on the top wall of the conveying cylinder 31, the output shaft of the motor 33 penetrates the top wall of the conveying cylinder 31 and is fixedly connected with the auger 32 to drive the auger 32 to rotate; wherein the lower part of the side wall of the conveying cylinder 31 is provided with a ball inlet 311, and the upper part of the side wall of the conveying cylinder 31 is provided with a ball outlet 312, and the auger 32 is used to rotate under the drive of the motor 33 to lift the wax removal balls entering from the ball inlet 311 in the vertical direction to the ball outlet 312 and to the pushing mechanism 40. The conveying cylinder 31 is fixedly arranged on the frame 10 in the vertical direction, preferably in a hollow cylindrical structure, which can have a height of 500-600 mm and an inner diameter of 55-60 mm, and the inner wall is preferably polished to reduce the frictional resistance of the wax removal balls during lifting; the lower part of the side wall of the conveying cylinder 31 is provided with a ball inlet 311 for corresponding communication with the corrugated pipe 213, and the upper part of the side wall of the conveying cylinder 31 is provided with a ball outlet 312, which is preferably arranged at the side wall close to the top wall but lower than the output shaft connection position of the motor 33, forming a lateral ball outlet passage, so as to send the wax removal balls to the pushing mechanism 40 without interfering with the upper transmission part. The auger 32 is rotatably arranged in the conveying cylinder 31 in the vertical direction, preferably integrally formed by using high-strength wear-resistant, oil-resistant and anti-aging non-metallic materials, so as to reduce the extrusion damage to the surface of the wax removal balls; the motor 33 is arranged on the top wall of the conveying cylinder 31, and its output shaft penetrates the top wall and is fixedly connected with the auger 32, and when necessary, an explosion-proof motor can be used and a speed regulation function can be configured. When working, the wax removal balls enter the conveying cylinder 31 through the ball inlet 311 and are lifted in the vertical direction to the ball outlet 312 under the drive of the auger 32, and then enter the ball receiving position of the pushing mechanism 40. The above arrangement enables the wax removal balls to be stably lifted in a limited space, and also takes into account the smoothness of conveying and on-site adaptability.

[0032] Further, as Figure 2 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the ball outlet 312 of the conveying cylinder 31 is provided with an infrared sensor 34 for monitoring the state of the wax removal ball entering the ball outlet 312, and the infrared sensor 34 is electrically connected with the control unit 50, which is used to control the motor 33 to stop rotating and control the pushing mechanism 40 to push the wax removal ball to the ball thrower 60 when the infrared sensor 34 monitors the wax removal ball entering the ball outlet 312. The infrared sensor 34 can adopt a through-beam type or a reflection type structure, and is preferably installed at the corresponding detection position of the ball outlet 312, so that when a single wax removal ball is lifted to the target position by the auger 32, the infrared light path is blocked or the reflection state changes, thereby outputting a signal to the control unit 50. When it is necessary to adapt to flammable and explosive working conditions, the infrared sensor 34 preferably adopts an explosion-proof structure. After the control unit 50 receives the signal to the position, the motor 33 is immediately controlled to stop rotating, and the pushing mechanism 40 is controlled to push the wax removal ball to the ball thrower 60; after the pushing is completed, the control unit 50 can control the motor 33 to resume rotating to perform the next round of ball loading cycle. Through real-time detection of the ball position by the infrared sensor 34, the situation that another ball continues to be sent while one ball is not pushed out can be avoided, and the reliability of single ball beat control is improved.

[0033] Further, as Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the pushing mechanism 40 comprises a pushing cylinder 41, an electric push rod 42 and a pushing head 43. The pushing cylinder 41 extends in the horizontal direction, the side wall of the pushing cylinder 41 is communicated with the conveying mechanism 30 to receive the wax removal balls, and the pushing cylinder 41 is further communicated with the ball feeder 60 through a flange structure to transfer the wax removal balls into the pipeline to be cleaned; the electric push rod 42 is arranged on the rack 10, the push rod of the electric push rod 42 penetrates into the pushing cylinder 41; the pushing head 43 is arranged at the end of the push rod of the electric push rod 42 to push the wax removal balls one by one; wherein the contact surface of the pushing head 43 with the wax removal ball has a curved surface adapted to the wax removal ball. The flange structure can adopt a conventional flange connection and cooperate with a sealing gasket, and an elastic sealing sleeve can also be arranged at the flange connection under normal pressure working condition to reduce the risk of leakage during the transition of the ball. The inner diameter of the pushing cylinder 41 is preferably slightly larger than the diameter of the wax removal ball, when the wax removal ball with a diameter of 40-48 mm is used, the inner diameter thereof can be 50-60 mm and the length thereof can be 200-250 mm, so as to form a single ball receiving and pushing channel. The electric push rod 42 is arranged on the rack 10, the push rod of the electric push rod 42 penetrates into the pushing cylinder 41, and an explosion-proof electric push rod can be used if necessary; the pushing head 43 is arranged at the end of the push rod of the electric push rod 42, and the contact surface of the pushing head 43 with the wax removal ball is preferably a spherical concave curved surface adapted to the outer contour of the ball, the curvature radius thereof can be 20-24 mm, and an anti-skid pattern can be arranged on the contact surface, and the material can be selected from wear-resistant materials such as nylon, polyformaldehyde or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, so as to reduce the pressure injury to the surface of the ball during pushing. With the above structure, the wax removal ball can maintain stable posture during ball receiving, sealing transition and horizontal pushing, thereby improving the ball entering accuracy. In the embodiment, the ball feeder 60 is a device communicated with the pipeline and used for receiving and feeding the wax removal ball into the pipeline to be cleaned, which belongs to the external structure.

[0034] Further, the pitch of the helical blade of the auger 32 is set to be 1.1-1.2 times the diameter of the wax removal ball, and the gap between the auger 32 and the inner wall of the conveying cylinder 31 is set to be 3-6 mm. When the wax removal ball with a diameter of 40-48 mm is used, the pitch of the auger 32 can be correspondingly set to 44-57.6 mm; within the parameter range, each pitch section has a good supporting and pushing effect on a single wax removal ball. In combination with the foregoing vertical conveying mode, the smooth conveying cylinder 31 and the front end limiting structure for feeding the balls one by one, the auger 32 is not easy to cause the phenomena of ball jamming, ball cutting and ball damage during lifting, thereby making the whole machine run more stably.

[0035] In order to adapt to the flammable and explosive operation environment that may exist in the oil transportation site, the electric control and drive related components of the device can be configured to be explosion-proof. Among them, the control unit 50 can be configured with an explosion-proof controller and an explosion-proof control panel to start, stop, set parameters and adjust the state. The infrared sensor 34 arranged at the ball detection position of the conveying mechanism 30 can be configured with an explosion-proof infrared sensor to detect the position of the wax removal ball. The gravity sensor 223 in the weight measuring component 22 can be configured with an explosion-proof gravity sensor to detect the weight change of the wax removal ball in the ball storage component 21. The electric push rod 42 in the pushing mechanism 40 can be configured with an explosion-proof electric push rod to ensure that the pushing action is stable in the field working condition. The motor 33 in the conveying mechanism 30 can also be configured with an explosion-proof drive motor to drive the auger 32 to complete the vertical conveying of the wax removal ball. The above-mentioned explosion-proof components can be configured as a whole or partially according to the field working condition, thereby improving the adaptability of the equipment to complex use environments such as oil fields and gathering stations.

[0036] The device can continuously complete the ball loading process by the cooperation of the ball storage mechanism 20, the conveying mechanism 30, the pushing mechanism 40 and the control unit 50, so as to reduce manual intervention and improve the continuity of the ball loading operation. Among them, the conical bottom of the ball storage cylinder 211, the limiting ring 215 at the end of the conveying pipe 212, the pitch and gap of the auger 32 matched with the size of the wax removal ball, and the pushing head 43 matched with the contact surface of the wax removal ball, all work together to help reduce the risk of multiple balls entering at the same time, conveying jamming, ball damage and pushing deviation. At the same time, the setting of the buffer layer 214, the corrugated pipe 213, the gravity sensor 223 and the infrared sensor 34 can improve the accuracy of the remaining amount judgment and the ball position detection on the basis of protecting the wax removal ball, so that the whole machine runs more smoothly and reliably, thereby improving the stability of the wax removal ball loaded into the ball thrower 60 and the practicality of the field use.

[0037] In specific work, the wax removal balls are added into the ball storage part 21 of the ball storage mechanism 20, temporarily stored in the ball storage cylinder 211, and the buffer pad layer 214 is arranged in the ball storage cylinder 211, the tapered bottom of which guides the wax removal balls into the conveying pipe 212, then the limiting ring 215 limits the single ball to pass through in turn, and the wax removal balls enter the conveying mechanism 30 through the corrugated pipe 213. The cooperation of the weight measuring flange 221, the pressure bearing plate 222 and the gravity sensor 223 in the weight measuring part 22 detects the total weight of the ball storage part 21 and the wax removal balls in it, and the limiting plate 231, the limiting cylinder 232 and the limiting rod 233 in the limiting part 23 vertically guide the ball storage part 21. Then, the wax removal balls enter the ball inlet 311 of the conveying cylinder 31, are lifted to the ball outlet 312 under the rotation of the auger 32 driven by the motor 33, and the signal is transmitted to the control unit 50 after the infrared sensor 34 detects the position, the control unit 50 controls the motor 33 to stop rotating, and controls the electric push rod 42 to drive the push head 43 to move forward in the push cylinder 41, and pushes the wax removal balls horizontally into the ball feeder 60, thereby completing a ball loading cycle.

[0038] The above only describes the preferred embodiments of the present application and is not used to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can have various changes and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A device for loading wax-removing balls, characterized in that, include: Frame (10), the frame having mounting positions; A ball storage mechanism (20) is provided on the frame (10) for storing wax cleaning balls and transferring the wax cleaning balls one by one; A conveying mechanism (30) is provided on the frame (10) and communicates with the ball storage mechanism (20) to receive the dewaxing balls transferred by the ball storage mechanism (20) and to convey the dewaxing balls in the vertical direction; Pushing mechanism (40), which is disposed on the frame (10) and communicates with the conveying mechanism (30) to receive the wax removal balls conveyed by the conveying mechanism (30) and push the wax removal balls horizontally one by one to the ball thrower (60). Control unit (50), which is electrically connected to ball storage mechanism (20), conveying mechanism (30) and pushing mechanism (40) to control the conveying mechanism (30) to convey the wax removal ball and the pushing mechanism (40) to push the wax removal ball.

2. The dewaxing ball loading device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ball storage mechanism (20) includes: A ball storage component (21) is disposed above the frame (10) and communicates with the conveying mechanism (30). The ball storage component (21) is used to store and transfer the dewaxing balls one by one. A weighing component (22) is mounted on the frame (10) and connected to the ball storage component (21) to measure the total weight of the ball storage component (21) and the wax balls inside the ball storage component (21). A limiting component (23) is disposed on the frame (10) and connected to the ball storage component (21) to limit the ball storage component (21) to move only in the vertical direction.

3. The dewaxing ball loading device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The ball storage component (21) includes: A ball storage cylinder (211) extends vertically and is positioned above the frame (10) for storing the dewaxing balls. The bottom of the ball storage cylinder (211) has a conical structure. A conveying pipe (212) is disposed below the ball storage cylinder (211), and the first end of the conveying pipe (212) is connected to the bottom of the ball storage cylinder (211) to transfer the wax balls one by one. A corrugated pipe (213) is provided, the first end of which is connected to the second end of the conveying pipe (212), and the second end of which is connected to the conveying mechanism (30). The corrugated pipe (213) is used to reduce the influence of the conveying mechanism (30) on the measurement result of the weighing component (22) by deformation. A buffer pad (214) is disposed on the inner wall of the ball storage cylinder (211).

4. The dewaxing ball loading device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second end of the conveying pipe (212) is provided with a limiting ring (215). The passage size of the limiting ring (215) is greater than the diameter of the wax cleaning ball and less than twice the diameter of the wax cleaning ball, so that the wax cleaning ball passes through the limiting ring (215) one by one.

5. The dewaxing ball loading device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The weighing component (22) includes: Weight measuring flange (221), which is horizontally set and fixedly sleeved on the ball storage component (21); A pressure plate (222) is disposed below the weighing flange (221) and detachably connected to the weighing flange (221) to support the ball storage component (21). A gravity sensor (223) is installed on the frame (10) and abuts against the bottom wall of the pressure plate (222) to measure the weight of the ball storage component (21) and the total weight of the dewax balls in the ball storage component (21). The gravity sensor (223) is electrically connected to the control unit (50). The control unit (50) detects the number of dewax balls in the ball storage component (21) through the gravity sensor (223) and controls the conveying mechanism (30) to stop operating when the number of dewax balls is lower than a preset value.

6. The dewaxing ball loading device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The limiting component (23) includes a limiting plate (231), multiple limiting cylinders (232) and multiple limiting rods (233). The limiting plate (231) is fixedly mounted on the ball storage component (21). The multiple limiting rods (233) extend vertically and are fixedly mounted on the frame (10). The multiple limiting cylinders (232) are fitted one-to-one onto the multiple limiting rods (233) and fixed on the limiting plate (231) to limit the ball storage component (21) to move only in the vertical direction.

7. The dewaxing ball loading device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conveying mechanism (30) includes: A conveying cylinder (31) extends vertically and is fixedly mounted on the frame (10); Screwdriver (32), which extends vertically and is rotatably disposed inside the conveying cylinder (31); The motor (33) is mounted on the top wall of the conveying cylinder (31), and the output shaft of the motor (33) passes through the top wall of the conveying cylinder (31) and is fixedly connected to the auger (32) to drive the auger (32) to rotate. The lower part of the side wall of the conveying cylinder (31) is provided with a ball inlet (311), and the upper part of the side wall of the conveying cylinder (31) is provided with a ball outlet (312). The auger (32) is used to rotate under the drive of the motor (33) to lift the wax cleaning ball that enters from the ball inlet (311) vertically to the ball outlet (312) and send it to the pushing mechanism (40).

8. A dewaxing ball loading device according to claim 7, characterized in that, An infrared sensor (34) is provided at the ball outlet (312) of the conveying cylinder (31). The infrared sensor (34) is used to monitor the state of the wax-removing ball entering the ball outlet (312). The infrared sensor (34) is electrically connected to the control unit (50). The control unit (50) is used to control the motor (33) to stop rotating and control the pushing mechanism (40) to push the wax-removing ball to the ball thrower (60) when the infrared sensor (34) detects that the wax-removing ball has entered the ball outlet (312).

9. A dewaxing ball loading device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The push mechanism (40) includes: Push cylinder (41), the push cylinder (41) extends horizontally, the side wall of the push cylinder (41) is connected to the conveying mechanism (30) to receive the dewaxing ball, the push cylinder (41) is also connected to the ball thrower (60) through a flange structure to transfer the dewaxing ball to the pipe to be cleaned; An electric push rod (42) is mounted on the frame (10), and the push rod of the electric push rod (42) passes through the push cylinder (41); Push head (43), the push head (43) is disposed at the end of the push rod of the electric push rod (42) to push the wax removal balls one by one; The contact surface between the push head (43) and the wax removal ball has a curved surface adapted to the wax removal ball.

10. A dewaxing ball loading device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The pitch of the spiral blades of the auger (32) is set to 1.1 to 1.2 times the diameter of the wax removal ball, and the gap between the auger (32) and the inner wall of the conveying cylinder (31) is set to 3 to 6 mm.

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