High-Power Pump Cover Assembly Seal Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-power pumps, especially those used in hydraulic fracturing, face challenges with seal degradation and installation due to pressure fluctuations and abrasive/corrosive fluids, leading to frequent replacements and increased downtime.
Innovation Solution
A cover assembly for high-power pumps featuring a cap and retainer that can be separated to facilitate easier installation and replacement of annular seals, reducing the need for special tools and minimizing damage to the pump components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an annular seal is installed in an annular groove with opposing radial side walls formed by a single cover component, then the seal provides fluid sealing between the port and cover, but the seal becomes difficult to install and replace, requiring special tools and causing damage to pump components
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is divided into two separate components: a cap that forms the annular groove and a retainer that closes the groove. This segmentation allows the seal to be easily installed by placing it in the groove formed by the cap, then closing it with the retainer, eliminating the need for special installation tools and damage-prone stretching operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal is nested within the annular groove formed by the cap and retainer components. The cap and retainer are assembled around the seal in a nested configuration, allowing easy installation and removal of the seal without affecting the port or other pump components.
2Stability of the object's composition
If pressure fluctuations cause the seal to deflect or compress during operation, then the seal responds to pressure changes, but fluid migrates into the groove causing accelerated wear and shortened service life
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer component acts as a protective cover that closes the annular groove, preventing fluid from entering the groove during pressure fluctuations. This beforehand protection cushions the seal from direct exposure to pressurized fluid that would otherwise cause accelerated wear, thereby extending seal service life while allowing normal pressure-responsive deflection.
3Shape
If the outer cylindrical surface of the cover has a relatively larger diameter adjacent to the annular groove, then the cover structure is formed, but the annular seal must be stretched radially outward for installation, making installation challenging and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cover into a cap and retainer, the annular groove is formed in the cap with a diameter suitable for the seal, eliminating the need for radial stretching. The retainer is then assembled over the cap and seal, achieving the required structural geometry without compromising installation ease.
4Productivity
If seals require frequent replacement due to wear from abrasive and corrosive fluids, then the pump can handle high-power fracturing operations, but downtime increases and operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented cap and retainer design enables rapid seal replacement by simply separating these two components, allowing maintenance personnel to quickly access and replace seals without special tools or complex disassembly procedures, thereby minimizing downtime while maintaining high-power pump productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The design facilitates easy discarding of worn seals and rapid recovery of pump operation through simple component separation and reassembly, reducing the time penalty associated with frequent seal replacement in high-wear fracturing applications.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, assemblies, apparatuses, and methods herein may provide a cover assembly for closing a port of a high-power pump. The cover assembly may include a cap and a retainer that may be connected to one another and separated from one another. The cap may include a cap body forming a radial wall, an axial wall, and a cap connector. The retainer may include a retainer body having a retainer connector at an end of the retainer. The cap connector and the retainer connecter may be positioned to connect the cap and the retainer to one another, thereby to provide an annular location for an annular seal between the radial wall and the end of the retainer.