Flangeless Multi-Piece Fluid End for Lower Stress Pump Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fluid end designs with machined flanges suffer from reduced strength, increased manufacturing costs, and shorter lifespan due to stress concentrations and material wastage, while flangeless designs require uniquely designed stay rods that need frequent replacement.
Innovation Solution
A multi-body-piece fluid end design without flanges, where the fluid end body is formed from multiple pieces rather than a monolithic piece, reducing stress and material usage, and allowing attachment using traditional stay rods, thus extending lifespan and lowering manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a flange is machined into the fluid end body to provide connection points for stay rods, then the fluid end can be attached to the power end, but the machining process creates stress concentrations that reduce the strength and lifespan of the fluid end
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the flange component entirely from the fluid end body. Instead of machining a flange into the fluid end, the invention uses a flangeless design where the fluid end body directly interfaces with the power end through stay rods attached to the main body structure, eliminating the stress concentration problem caused by flange machining while maintaining attachment functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the fluid end into multiple pieces (first body piece and second body piece) that can be assembled without requiring flange machining on the complete fluid end body. This segmentation allows stay rods to be attached to individual body pieces in a manner that avoids stress concentrations while maintaining structural integrity
2Ease of manufacture
If a flange is machined into the fluid end body, then the fluid end can be attached to the power end, but significant amounts of raw material are wasted and manufacturing time and labor increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the flange component from the fluid end design. By removing the need to machine a flange into the fluid end body, the design eliminates the associated material wastage and reduces manufacturing time and labor requirements while maintaining the essential attachment function through direct stay rod attachment to the fluid end body
Solution Approach 2:
The flangeless design creates a universal interface that can accommodate traditional stay rods without requiring specialized flange machining. The fluid end body is designed with attachment features that serve multiple purposes: structural integrity, stress distribution, and stay rod mounting, eliminating the need for separate flange components and reducing overall manufacturing complexity
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional stay rods are used with a flangeless fluid end design, then manufacturing costs are reduced, but uniquely designed stay rods would need to be replaced with each fluid end
Solution Approach 1:
The flangeless fluid end design incorporates universal attachment features that are compatible with traditional stay rods used in the industry. The fluid end body is designed with mounting surfaces and attachment points that accept standard stay rod configurations, allowing the use of existing traditional stay rods rather than requiring uniquely designed proprietary components, thereby maintaining adaptability while reducing manufacturing costs
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid end is formed from a first body attached to a separate second body. Each body includes an external surface. When the bodies are attached, their respective external surfaces are in flush engagement. A plurality of bores are formed in the second body that are alignable with a plurality of corresponding bores formed in the first body. The fluid end may be used with seals disposed within recesses within each bore to seal against corresponding sealing surfaces. Further, retaining closures may be bolted to the fluid end bodies, such that the closures have a threadless connection to the fluid end bodies. Various combinations of such components may be utilized.