Flangeless Multi-Piece Fluid End Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current fluid end designs with flanges in oil and gas operations suffer from reduced strength due to machining-induced stress concentrations, increased manufacturing costs, and shorter lifespan due to wear from high-pressure corrosive and abrasive fluids, while traditional flangeless designs require unique 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, thereby 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 entirely from the fluid end body, extracting the problematic machining operation that creates stress concentrations. Instead, connection points are provided directly on the fluid end body through recesses that receive the stay rods, eliminating the need for flange machining while maintaining connection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than adding a flange to the fluid end body for connections, the patent inverts the approach by providing connection points directly on the fluid end body surface through recesses. This reverses the traditional design paradigm and eliminates the stress concentration issue associated with flange machining.
2Ease of manufacture
If a flange is machined into the fluid end body, then stay rods can be attached, but significant amounts of material are removed and manufacturing time and labor increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the flange machining operation entirely, extracting the time-consuming process of cutting and shaping flange features. Connection points are instead formed by machining recesses directly into the fluid end body, which requires significantly less material removal and manufacturing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adopts a design where the fluid end body itself provides the connection points directly, rather than using a separate flange component. This eliminates the need for flange manufacturing and attachment, reducing overall manufacturing complexity and time.
3Strength
If the fluid end body is made from a single piece, then structural integrity is maintained, but more material is used and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the fluid end body into multiple segments or pieces, each optimized for specific functions. This segmentation allows material to be used only where needed, reducing overall material consumption while maintaining structural integrity through proper design of the segmented components and their connections.
4Loss of substance
If traditional flangeless designs are used, then material usage is reduced, but unique stay rods must be designed and replaced frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the fluid end body with universal connection points that are compatible with traditional stay rods used in the industry. This allows the fluid end to work with standard stay rod configurations while still utilizing the material-saving benefits of a flangeless design, achieving both efficiency and compatibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-piece fluid end that can be produced with fewer raw materials and at a lower cost. In one embodiment, a fluid end is formed from a first body attached to a separate second body. Their respective external surfaces may be engaged flushly, partially, or via one or more spacer elements. In some embodiments, the body pieces are flangeless to reduce stress on the fluid end. The second body may have a plurality of bores that are alignable with a plurality of corresponding bores formed in the first body. The second body may be connected to a power end using a plurality of stay rods. In other implementations, more than two body pieces may be utilized.