FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosures made herein relate generally to pumps for flowable materials and, more particularly, to rotary in-line pumps for flowable materials and preferably for liquid materials.

BACKGROUND

The need to generate pressurized flow by imparting a pumping action on a flowable material or other suitably viscous form of material through a material flow conduit (i.e., a pumpable material) is well known. Examples of such material flow conduit include, but are not limited to, pipes, pipelines, conduits, tubular flow members, and the like. The pumping action is provided by a pump to increase a pressure of the flowable material at an outlet of the pump and thereby increases flow velocity of the flowable material downstream of the pump.

As shown inFIG. 1, conventional flow of flowable material5within a flow passage10of material flow conduit15has a flow profile characterized by laminar flow effect (i.e., laminar flow20). The parabolic flow profile is a result of the laminar boundary layer along the surface of the material flow conduit15defining the flow passage10. Flowable material at the surface of the flow passage10exhibits considerable friction and zero flow velocity, thereby reducing velocity of the flowable material even at a considerable distance from the surface of the flow passage10. In association with this reduced velocity, the laminar flow effect (e.g., friction at the surface of the material flow conduit) is known to increase head loss and heating of the flowable material.

There are various well-known flow considerations that arise when a flowable material and, particularly abrasive flowable material, flows through a material flow conduit such as a pipeline. One such consideration is erosion (i.e., wearing) of the material flow conduit. Transport and pumping flowable material comprising abrasive contents, such as coal and sand slurries, wet sand, gravel and the like can cause especially high costs associated with component wear due to interaction between the flowable material and the surface defining the passage through which such material flows. Additionally, uneven erosion in piping systems, especially elbow fittings, is well known to lead to fitting failure or early fitting replacement, either of which is costly in material, manpower and downtime.

When flowable materials pass through an elbow fitting, the change in direction creates turbulent conditions, flow separation and vortex shedding along the pipe wall at the inside of the bend of the elbow fitting. This change in direction may also create standing eddies causing backflow conditions at points along the elbow fitting pipe walls. These conditions generally cause the elbow fitting pipe wall along the outside of the bend to erode substantially faster than the pipe wall along the inside of the bend because the flowable material impinges directly against the wall along the outside of the bend as it enters the fitting and changes direction. Additionally, due to centrifugal force, heavier solids and particulates are generally thrown to the outside wall as the flowable material changes direction and tend to continually scour the outer wall.

A similar uneven erosion effect is often experienced in straight pipe runs. For example, the concentration of particulates of a flowable material will increase in the lower region of the fluid in long straight runs (i.e., particulate dropping out of suspension), making the bottom portion of the fluid stream more abrasive or prone to material deposition and/or aggregation than the upper portion. Such material deposition and/or aggregation can alter fluid flow conditions (e.g., velocity, temperature, pressure and the like) and can alter the material composition of the flowable material (e.g., less downstream concentration of particular material than required or intended). Additionally, in large diameter piping systems, the weight of the flowable material is borne by the lower pipe wall portion thereby causing higher erosion rates.

Another well-known flow consideration that arises is head loss due to turbulence and flow separation in an elbow fitting. Higher pumping pressures can be utilized for mitigating this head loss resulting from such head losses. However, higher pumping pressures are generally implemented at the expense of higher energy consumption and associated cost. Additionally, implementation of higher pumping pressures often creates vibration and heating problems in the piping system.

Long radius elbow fittings and pipe sections can reduce these adverse flow considerations. However, long radius fittings require a great deal of space relative to standard (i.e., short) radius fittings. Additionally, long radius fittings still suffer accelerated erosion rates along the pipe wall along the outside of the bend because centrifugal force still causes heavier, more abrasive flowable materials to be thrown to the outer wall, and they are continually scoured by on-going flow of such flowable material.

Therefore, a pump adapted to produce material flow characteristics that overcome drawbacks associated with known flow considerations that arise from flow of flowable materials flowing through a material flow conduit would be beneficial, desirable and useful.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments of the disclosures made herein are directed to a pump adapted to produce material flow characteristics that overcome drawbacks associated with known adverse flow conditions in pipe structures through a material flow conduit. In preferred embodiments, the pump is a rotary in-line pump that can be connected between two sections of material flow conduit. A pump in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosures made herein provides for flow of flowable material within a flow passage of a material flow conduit (e.g., a portion of a pipeline, tubing or the like) to have a cyclonic flow (i.e., whirlpool, vortex or rotational) profile. Advantageously, such a cyclonic flow profile centralizes flow toward the central portion of the flow passage, thereby reducing the magnitude of laminar flow. Such cyclonic flow profile is also known to provide a variety of other advantages as compared to a parabolic flow profile resulting from laminar flow e.g., increased flow rate, reduce inner pipeline wear, more uniform inner pipe wear, reduction in energy consumption, reduced or eliminated slugging and the like.

In one or more embodiments of the disclosures made herein, a rotary in-line pump comprises a material pressurizer and a plurality of mounting units attached thereto. The material pressurizer including a plurality of helical flow passages each jointly defined by a respective portion of an exterior body, a respective portion of a centralizer tube and adjacent ones of a plurality of helical vanes that extended between the exterior body and the centralizer tube at least partially along a length of the exterior body. A longitudinal centerline axis of the exterior body and a longitudinal centerline axis of the centralizer tube extend colinearly with a longitudinal reference axis. Each of the helical flow passages includes a divergent portion having increasing cross-sectional area along a first portion of a length of the exterior body and a convergent portion having decreasing cross-sectional area along a second portion of a length of the exterior body. The convergent portion is in fluid communication with and extends from the divergent portion such that each of the helical flow passages is contiguous along a length thereof. The plurality of mounting units each have a support body and a bearing assembly. An upstream one of the mounting units has the bearing assembly thereof engaged with an upstream portion of the exterior body. A downstream one of the mounting units has the bearing assembly thereof engaged with a downstream portion of the exterior body. A centerline longitudinal axis of the bearing assembly of the upstream one of the mounting units and a centerline longitudinal axis of the bearing assembly of the downstream one of the mounting units each extend colinearly with the longitudinal reference axis thereby enabling the material pressurizer to rotate in a radially constrained manner about the longitudinal reference axis.

In one or more embodiments of the disclosures made herein, a rotary in-line pump system comprises a material pressurizer, a plurality of mounting units and a drive apparatus. The material pressurizer includes an exterior body, a plurality of helical vanes within an interior space of the exterior body and a centralizer tube within the interior space of the exterior body. The exterior body includes a conically divergent section and a conically convergent section. The conically divergent section and the conically convergent section each have an upstream end portion and a downstream end portion. The downstream end portion of the conically divergent section is attached to the upstream end portion of the conically convergent section. A longitudinal centerline axis of the conically divergent section, a longitudinal centerline axis of the conically convergent section and a longitudinal centerline axis of the centralizer tube extend colinearly with a longitudinal reference axis. Each of the helical vanes extends between an interior surface of the exterior body and an exterior surface of the centralizer tube at least partially along a length of the exterior body to define a plurality of helical flow passages extending between the exterior body, the centralizer tube and adjacent ones of the helical vanes. The plurality of mounting units each have a support body and a bearing assembly. An upstream one of the mounting units has the bearing assembly thereof engaged with the conically divergent section of the exterior body. A downstream one of the mounting units has the bearing assembly thereof engaged with the conically convergent section of the exterior body. A centerline longitudinal axis of the bearing assembly of the upstream one of the mounting units and a centerline longitudinal axis of the bearing assembly of the downstream one of the mounting units each extend colinearly with the longitudinal reference axis thereby enabling the material pressurizer to rotate about the longitudinal reference axis. The drive apparatus is engaged with the material pressurizer and exerts rotational force on the material pressurize for causing the material pressurizer to rotate about the longitudinal reference axis.

In one or more embodiments, the centralizer tube has a uniform outside diameter.

In one or more embodiments, the centralizer tube has a cylindrical cross-sectional profile.

In one or more embodiments, the exterior body has a first tapered section defining a profile of the divergent portion of each of the helical flow passages and a second tapered portion defining a profile of the convergent portion of each of the helical flow passages.

In one or more embodiments, the exterior body includes a conically divergent section and a conically convergent section, the conically divergent section and the conically convergent section each have an upstream end portion and a downstream end portion, the downstream end portion of the conically divergent section is attached to the upstream end portion of the conically convergent section, and a longitudinal centerline axis of the conically divergent section and a longitudinal centerline axis of the conically convergent section each extend colinearly with the longitudinal reference axis.

In one or more embodiments, each of the helical flow passages extends along an entire length of the centralizer tube.

In one or more embodiments, each of the helical flow passages and a central passage of the centralizer tube terminate at a flow mixer section of the material pressurizer.

In one or more embodiments, an inside diameter of the centralizer tube is uniform over an entire length of thereof.

In one or more embodiments, an inside diameter of the centralizer tube is non-uniform over at least a portion of a length of thereof.

In one or more embodiments, at least one helical projection is on an interior surface of the central passage of the centralizer tube.

In one or more embodiments, the at least one helical projection extends at least partially along an entire length of the centralizer tube.

In one or more embodiments, a pitch of the at least one helical projection is the same as a pitch of each of the helical flow passages.

In one or more embodiments, a maximum inside diameter of the exterior body is at least 4 times the inside diameter of the centralizer tube and a minimum inside diameter of the exterior body is approximately the same as the inside diameter of the centralizer tube.

In one or more embodiments, an inlet of each of the helical flow passages and an inlet of the centralizer tube all lie in a common plane.

In one or more embodiments, the exterior body includes a material inlet body at an upstream end portion thereof and a material outlet body at a downstream end portion thereof.

In one or more embodiments, a longitudinal centerline axis of the material inlet body and a longitudinal centerline axis of the material outlet body each extend colinearly with the longitudinal reference axis.

In one or more embodiments, the material inlet body, the material outlet body and the centralizer tube each have a common inside diameter that is uniform over an entire length of thereof.

In one or more embodiments, the material outlet body and the centralizer tube each have a common inside diameter that is uniform over an entire length of thereof.

In one or more embodiments, at least about 80% of a length of the centralizer tube resides within an interior space of the exterior body defined by a conically convergent section thereof.

These and other objects, embodiments, advantages and/or distinctions of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification, associated drawings and appended claims.

