Reciprocating Pump Power End Frame with Integral Cellular Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
High pressure reciprocating pumps face challenges in maintaining structural integrity and reducing material usage while withstanding operational stresses, which affects their performance and maintenance requirements.
Innovation Solution
The power end frame of the reciprocating pump is designed with multiple integral rings and connections that include struts forming open cells, manufactured using additive manufacturing to enhance structural integrity and reduce material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional separate component design is used for power end frame, then ease of manufacture is improved, but structural integrity deteriorates due to weak interfaces between components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate components (rings and connections) into a single integral power end frame structure. This eliminates the weak interfaces between separate components while maintaining manufacturability through additive manufacturing processes that can create complex integral structures in one piece.
2Strength
If solid structure is used for power end frame, then structural integrity is improved, but material usage increases leading to higher costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a lattice or cellular structure within the power end frame that provides structural integrity through geometric design rather than solid material. This open-cell structure reduces material usage and weight while maintaining strength through the distributed strut network that efficiently handles operational stresses.
Solution Approach 2:
The power end frame is segmented into multiple rings connected by struts, creating a cellular structure. This segmentation allows the frame to maintain strength through the distributed network of connections while using significantly less material than a solid structure would require.
3Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate components are used for power end frame, then ease of manufacture is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate components into a single integral structure, eliminating the complexity of assembling and interfacing multiple parts. The unified structure reduces device complexity while additive manufacturing maintains ease of production for this single complex component.
Data Source
AI summary
A power end frame of a reciprocating pump includes a first ring, a second ring, and a plurality of connections extending between the first ring and the second ring. The first ring, the second ring, and the plurality of connections are integral with one another, and the plurality of connections comprises a plurality of struts that form a plurality of open cells between the first ring and the second ring.