Explosion proof pump module

Abstract

An explosion proof pump system includes an explosion proof enclosure disposed on a frame. The explosion proof enclosure houses a plurality of batteries and an electric motor configured to receive power from the batteries. A pump is disposed outside of the explosion proof enclosure and configured to receive fluid from a fluid source. The electric motor has a shaft extending through an opening in the explosion proof enclosure. The pump is configured for actuation via the electric motor shaft to output the received fluid under pressure.

Description

EXPLOSION PROOF PUMP MODULECross Reference to Related Applications

[0001] Not Applicable.Background

[0002] This disclosure relates to the field of fluid transfer pump assemblies, and particularly to such pump assemblies in combination with explosion-proof motor enclosures suitable for use in hazardous environments.

[0003] Fluid transfer pumps convey fluid from one location to another. The pump may employ vanes, diaphragms, or other similar structures that are rotated or oscillated inside the pump via some motive force such as an electric motor. Conveyance of certain fluids, however, may pose a risk when utilizing electric motors since such motors have a propensity to generate heat, and even sparks, during abnormal conditions. Placing such motors in potentially flammable environments can, therefore, be hazardous. Explosionproof enclosures have been used to address this problem. The aim of these enclosures is to prevent an internal explosion from propagating to a surrounding explosive atmosphere. Conventional explosion-proof motors typically entail heavy-walled metal structures and expensive components. A need remains for improved motor-pump assemblies for use in hazardous environmentsSummary

[0004] One aspect of this disclosure is a pump system including at least one explosion proof enclosure disposed on a frame. The explosion proof enclosure houses: a plurality of batteries; and an electric motor configured to receive power from the batteries, wherein the electric motor has a shaft extending through an opening in the explosion proof enclosure. A pump is disposed outside of the explosion proof enclosure and configured to receive fluid from a fluid source. The pump is configured for actuation via the electric motor shaft extending through the opening in the explosion proof enclosure to output the received fluid under pressure.

[0005] Another aspect of this disclosure is a method for operating a pump. The method includes disposing at least one explosion proof enclosure on a frame, the explosion proof enclosure housing: a plurality of batteries; and an electric motor configured to receive power from the batteries, wherein the electric motor has a shaft extending through an opening in the explosion proof enclosure. Fluid is provided to a pump disposed outside of the explosion proof enclosure. The pump is actuated via the electric motor shaft extending through the opening in the explosion proof enclosure to output the provided fluid under pressure.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] FIG. 1 shows a side view of an explosion proof pump system according to the present disclosure.

[0007] FIG. 2 shows an expanded view of an explosion proof enclosure according to the present disclosure.

[0008] FIG. 3 shows an end view of an explosion proof pump system according to the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 4 shows an oblique view of an explosion proof pump system according to the present disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 5 shows an expanded view of an explosion proof enclosure according to the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 6 shows a cutaway view of an explosion proof enclosure according to the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 7 shows a schematic of a blowout preventer system equipped with an explosion proof pump system according to the present disclosure.Detailed Description

[0013] Illustrative embodiments are disclosed herein. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation may be described. In the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions may need to be madeto achieve the design- specific goals, which may vary from one implementation to another. It will be appreciated that such a development effort, while possibly complex and timeconsuming, would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. The disclosed embodiments are not to be limited to the precise arrangements and configurations shown in the figures, in which like reference numerals may identify like elements. Also, the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, and certain features may be shown exaggerated in scale or in generalized or schematic form, in the interest of clarity and conciseness.

[0014] FIG. 1 shows a side view of a pump system 10 embodiment of this disclosure. The system 10 comprises a frame structure 12 formed of interconnected rails 14. The individual rails 14 may be coupled together via any suitable means as known in the art (e.g., welding, via fasteners, etc.). Some rail 14 segments may also be manufactured as single-piece sections (e.g., sides, ends, etc.). The rails 14 may also be formed of any suitable materials as desired for a particular application or environment (e.g., metal, plastics, composites, etc.). Although the frame 12 is shown as a general box-like structure, it will be appreciated that other frame embodiments may be formed in any desired geometric configuration. Some frame 12 embodiments may be configured with connection points 16 (e.g., lifting eyes) for lifting and hoisting of the assembly. Embodiments may also be configured with slots or apertures 18 formed on one or more rail 14 segments for coupling to another structure (e.g., oilfield operation systems).

[0015] One or more explosion proof enclosures 20 are disposed on the frame 12. Turning to FIG. 2, the enclosures 20 are configured with a main cylindrical body 21, a first end cap 22, and a second end cap 23. Each enclosure 20 is secured to the frame 12 via conventional fastener means (e.g., clamps, adhesion, flanges, bolted brackets, etc.). The enclosures 20 may be formed of any suitable materials as known in the art (e.g., metals, alloys, composites, etc.), provided the materials can withstand the heat, fire, and explosive pressure specifications required for the application.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, an electric motor 24 is disposed in each enclosure 20. The electric motor 24 is mounted abutting the first end cap 22 such that the motor’s rotation shaft extends through an opening in the first end cap. A fluid pump 26 is mounted on theexterior surface of the first end cap 22. The pump 26 is mounted such that the motor 24 shaft engages with the pump to provide the motive force to actuate the pump. With this configuration, the electric motor 24 is completely enclosed within the explosion proof enclosure 20 while the pump 26 is exposed for easy access and operation. Fluid under pressure is pumped out from a fluid outlet 27 on each pump 26. A conventional fluid conduit (e.g., hoses) can be coupled to the fluid outlet 27 to convey the pressurized fluid as desired.

[0017] Returning to FIG. 1, some embodiments include a fluid reservoir 28 mounted on the frame 12. The reservoir 28 is fluidly coupled to the fluid pump(s) 26 via one or more fluid conduits 30 (e.g., hose) linked between the reservoir and the pump inlet. When the fluid reservoir 28 is placed above the pump(s) 26, fluid from the reservoir will flow into the pump inlet via natural gravity feed. Any conventional fluid reservoirs 28 may be used in implementations of the disclosed systems 10. Some reservoirs 28 may be configured with ports for refilling and / or purging the tank. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that embodiments may also be implemented with pressurized fluid reservoirs 28 for applications requiring a pressurized fluid feed.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, embodiments may be implemented with a control panel 32 disposed on the frame 12 to provide direct and convenient user controls. The control panel 32 may be configured with conventional electronics, a touch screen, and software programmed to allow user control of the system 10 components (e.g., Human Machine Interface). Some embodiments may also be implemented with control panels 32 configured for operation via a user and / or a remote operated vehicle (ROV). Some embodiments may also be implemented with control panels 32 configured with conventional electronics providing for remote wireless communication and user control of the systems 10.

[0019] FIG. 3 shows an end view of a pump system 10 according to this disclosure. As shown in the figure, the explosion proof enclosures 20 may be implemented with multiple port junctions 34A, 34B, 34C on the second end cap 23. The port junctions 34A, 34B, 34C are fluidly sealed ports with threaded or locking pin ends that provide an inlet / outlet port for access to the interior of the enclosure 20 and its internal components without having toremove either end cap 22, 23 or otherwise open the enclosure. FIG. 3 shows a system 10 embodiment with one port junction 34A having a communication conduit 36 coupled thereon.

[0020] Turning to FIG. 4, the other end of the communication conduit 36 is shown linked to a control manifold 38 configured with input / output junctions to link with other systems to coordinate motor 24 and pump 26 activation to provide fluid under pressure to desired components in the other systems. For example, some pump system 10 embodiments may be linked to conventional blowout preventer (BOP) systems requiring hydraulic fluid under pressure to operate the BOP rams (see FIG. 7). In such applications, the control manifold 38 may be configured to control valves channeling pressured fluid flow from the pump(s) 26 to the selected ram(s) or other components on the BOP unit.

[0021] Other port junctions (e.g., 34B, 34C) may be configured to receive a power cable to recharge batteries contained within the explosion proof enclosure 20 (further described below). In some embodiments, a port junction 34B, 34C may be implemented to couple with an ROV configured to recharge the batteries. In some embodiments, one or more of the explosion proof enclosures 20 may be filled with material to provide cooling and / or corrosion prevention for the housed components (e.g., oil, sand, foam, etc.). One or more of the port junctions 34B, 34C may be used to fill and / or purge the explosion proof enclosure 20.

[0022] FIG. 5 shows an expanded view of an explosion proof enclosure 20 according to this disclosure. A plurality of batteries 40 are disposed in the enclosure 20. The batteries 40 are laid out in a series of rows. The batteries 40 are mounted on supporting brackets 42 and spacers 44 are disposed between the batteries. Conventional compact-sized batteries 40 may be used to implement the enclosure 20 embodiments. The batteries 40 may be configured in parallel and / or in series power configurations to provide the necessary electrical power / current to actuate the pump 26 and other components as desired in the system 10 application.

[0023] FIG. 6 shows a cutaway schematic of an explosion proof enclosure 20 according to this disclosure. As described above, rechargeable batteries 40 may be used in implementations of the explosion proof enclosures 20. Embodiment may be implementedwith conventional battery 40 management components 46, 48 (e.g., AC to DC converter, switching circuitry, circuit breakers, charge controller, etc.), embodiment may also be implemented with conventional heat transfer components (e.g., heat sinks, heat pipes, etc.).

[0024] The disclosed pump systems 10 provide efficient motor-pump modules for use in hazardous environments or applications. Having the pump 26 mounted externally provides for easier maintenance and replacement when necessary. Having the motor 24 mounted inside the enclosure 20 provides the requisite explosion proof rating and protection. The explosion proof enclosures 20 can also be flameproof. The systems 10 provide a compact package with a small footprint. Embodiments configured with slidable rails 14 or rollers also provide pump modules that can be added to existing systems with pull-out capability for easy access to the components. FIG. 7 shows a pump module 10 of this disclosure disposed on a BOP system 100 to provide pressurized hydraulic fluid to the BOP units 110.

[0025] It will be appreciated that embodiments of the disclosed pump system 10 may be implemented for use in numerous applications and fields of endeavor (e.g., oil and gas industry, water production / distribution, chemicals industry, etc.). The example embodiments can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that embodiments may be implemented using conventional processors, memory, software, hardware, and components.

Claims

ClaimsWhat is claimed is:

1. A pump system, comprising: at least one explosion proof enclosure disposed on a frame; the explosion proof enclosure housing: a plurality of batteries; an electric motor configured to receive power from the batteries, wherein the electric motor has a shaft extending through an opening in the explosion proof enclosure; and a pump disposed outside of the explosion proof enclosure and configured to receive fluid from a fluid source, wherein the pump is configured for actuation via the electric motor shaft extending through the opening in the explosion proof enclosure to output the received fluid under pressure.

2. The pump system of claim 1 further comprising battery management components disposed in the at least one explosion proof enclosure and linked to the plurality of batteries.

3. The pump system of claim 1 further comprising a fluid reservoir disposed on the frame and coupled to the pump.

4. The pump system of claim 1 further comprising a control unit disposed on the frame and linked to the at least one explosion proof enclosure.

5. The pump system of claim 1 further comprising a manifold disposed on the frame and linked to the pump.

6. The pump system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of the batteries are configured to provide electrical power in a series configuration.

7. The pump system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of the batteries are configured to provide electrical power in a parallel configuration.

8. The pump system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of the batteries are configured to receive electrical power for charging.

9. The pump system of claim 1 wherein the frame comprises a plurality of explosion proof enclosures disposed thereon, each enclosure housing: a plurality of batteries; an electric motor configured to receive power from the batteries, wherein the electric motor has a shaft extending through an opening in the explosion proof enclosure; each explosion proof enclosure having a pump disposed on the exterior thereof; each pump configured to receive fluid from a fluid source; and each pump configured for actuation via the respective electric motor shaft extending through the opening in the respective explosion proof enclosure to output the received fluid under pressure.

10. The pump system of claim 9 further comprising a fluid reservoir disposed on the frame and coupled to at least one of the pumps.

11. The pump system of claim 10 wherein each explosion proof enclosure is configured to receive electrical power to charge a plurality of the batteries housed therein.

12. The pump system of claim 11 further comprising a control unit disposed on the frame and linked to each explosion proof enclosure.

13. The pump system of claim 11 further comprising a manifold disposed on the frame and linked to each pump.

14. The pump system of claim 11 wherein each explosion proof enclosure comprises battery management components linked to the respective plurality of batteries housed therein.

15. The pump system of claim 11 wherein a plurality of the batteries are configured to provide electrical power in a series configuration.

16. The pump system of claim 11 wherein a plurality of the batteries are configured to provide electrical power in a parallel configuration.

17. A method for operating a pump, comprising: disposing at least one explosion proof enclosure on a frame, the explosion proof enclosure housing: a plurality of batteries; an electric motor configured to receive power from the batteries, wherein the electric motor has a shaft extending through an opening in the explosion proof enclosure; providing fluid to a pump disposed outside of the explosion proof enclosure; and actuating the pump via the electric motor shaft extending through the opening in the explosion proof enclosure to output the provided fluid under pressure.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein a plurality of the batteries are configured to receive electrical power for charging.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising disposing a fluid reservoir on the frame to provide the fluid to the pump.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising disposing a manifold on the frame to control flow of the fluid.

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