Fluid End Pressure Indicator for Safe Access Cover Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Workers conducting maintenance and repair on fluid ends of frac pumps or mud pumps often unknowingly remove access covers while the fluid end is still under pressure, leading to potential injury from pressurized fluid.
Innovation Solution
A safety device is coupled to the fluid end, featuring an outer housing and a visual indicator that moves between retracted and extended positions based on the pressure within the fluid end, providing a visual indication of whether it is safe to access internal components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If workers remove access covers to access internal components for maintenance, then ease of operation is improved, but safety deteriorates due to risk of injury from pressurized fluid
Solution Approach 1:
The safety device performs preliminary detection of pressurized fluid before the worker attempts to access internal components. The visual indicator is checked before removing access covers, alerting workers to dangerous conditions in advance and preventing injury while still allowing safe maintenance operations to proceed.
2Reliability
If a safety device with visual indicator is added to detect pressurized fluid, then worker safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the safety function from a complex integrated system and implements it as a separate, standalone safety device that can be attached to existing fluid ends. This modular approach provides essential safety functionality without requiring redesign of the entire fluid end system, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety device uses visual indicators that change appearance (extension/retraction, color changes) to communicate pressure status to workers. This simple visual signaling mechanism provides effective safety information without requiring complex electronics, sensors, or power systems, thus minimizing the increase in device complexity.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the visual indicator is made highly visible, then safety information detection is improved, but the device occupies more space
Solution Approach 1:
The visual indicator provides visibility not by increasing size in all dimensions, but by extending in a specific dimension (radially outward from the body) to protrude into the worker's field of view. This dimensional approach to visibility allows the indicator to be detected easily while maintaining a compact overall device volume.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The safety device effectively prevents worker injury by providing a clear visual indication of pressurized fluid within the fluid end, ensuring that maintenance and repair can only be safely conducted when the fluid end is depressurized.
Implementation Method 1
a visual indicator moveable between a first position where the visual indicator is retracted into the outer housing, and a second position where the visual indicator is extended out of the outer housing
Data Source
AI summary
A safety device coupled to a fluid end such that the safety device is in fluid communication with at least one of a suction chamber and a discharge chamber of the fluid end. The safety device has an outer housing and a visual indicator. The visual indicator is moveable between a first position where the visual indicator is retracted into the outer housing, and a second position where the visual indicator is extended out of the outer housing.