MINI-DAMPENERS AT PUMP COMBINED WITH SYSTEM PULSATION DAMPENER

• US 20200132237A1
• Filed: 12/30/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Performance Pulsation Control, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Performance Pulsation Control, Inc.
• Inventors: Rogers, John Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 11,460,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 11/0008 using accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 11/0091 using a special shape of fluid pass, e.g. throttles, ducts
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 23/04 Combinations of two or more pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 39/0027 Pulsation and noise damping means
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 47/00 Pumps or pumping installations specially adapted for raising fluids from great depths, e.g. well pumps by using positive or negative pressurised fluid medium acting directly on the liquid to be pumped F04F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 55/02718 placed transversely
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 55/04 Devices damping pulsations or vibrations in fluids F16L55/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 55/053 the gas in the reservoir being separated from the fluid in the pipe

Abstract

A multi-pump pump system includes at least two pumps and a system pulsation dampener sized and configured to reduce a magnitude of pressure pulsations within a combined flow output by the at least two pumps, together with at least one mini-dampener coupled between the outlet of one of the pumps and header pipe(s) carrying flow from one of the pumps into the system pulsation dampener, the at least one mini-dampener sized and configured to reduce the magnitude of pressure pulsations over the system pulsation dampener alone. Optionally, a mini-dampener may be coupled between each pump and the system pulsation dampener. A single header pipe may carry combined flow from the at least two pumps into the system pulsation dampener, or separate header pipes may carry individual flows from the pumps into the system pulsation dampener.

Claims

1. A pump system, comprising:

at least two pumps each having an outlet;

at least one header pipe receiving flow pumped by the at least two pumps, combining the pumped flow, and feeding the combined pumped flow into a single pipe connection; and

at least one mini-dampener coupled between the outlet of one of the pumps and the at least one header pipe, the at least one mini-dampener sized and configured to reduce a magnitude of pressure pulsations.

2. The pump system according to claim 1, wherein the single pipe connection is an inlet to a system pulsation dampener,

wherein the system pulsation dampener is sized and configured to reduce the magnitude of pressure pulsations within the combined flow pumped by the at least two pumps, and

wherein the at least one mini-dampener sized and configured to reduce the magnitude of pressure pulsations over the system pulsation dampener.

3. The pump system according to claim 2, wherein the at least one header pipe comprises a single header pipe carrying a combined flow from the at least two pumps into the system pulsation dampener.

4. The pump system according to claim 2, wherein the system pulsation dampener is a reactive dampener employing a flow resistance device.

5. The pump system according to claim 2, wherein the at least one header pipe comprises a first header pipe carrying a flow from a first of the at least two pumps into the system pulsation dampener and a second header pipe carrying a flow from a second of the at least two pumps into the system pulsation dampener.

6. The pump system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one mini-dampener comprises a first mini-dampener coupled between a first of the two pumps and the at least one header pipe and a second mini-dampener coupled between a second of the two pumps and the at least one header pipe.

7. The pump system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an ephemeral pulsation dampener installed at an output for each of the at least two pumps, wherein the ephemeral pulsation dampener is a gas-charged pulsation dampener, and wherein the gas-charged pulsation dampener includes a shell without a bladder.

8. The pump system according to claim 7, wherein the ephemeral pulsation dampener is a charge-free design dampener, and wherein the charge-free design dampener includes a shell without a compression material.

9. The pump system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one mini-dampener is a reactive dampener employing a flow resistance device.

10. The pump system according to claim 1, wherein a length of the at least one header pipe between an output of a first mini-dampener and an output of a second mini-dampener is based on an operational pumping pressure.

11. A method, comprising:

connecting at least two pumps each having an outlet to a combined flow;

receiving, at at least one header pipe, flow pumped by the at least two pumps;

combining the pumped flow;

feeding the combined pumped flow into a single pipe connection;

sizing and configuring a system pulsation dampener to reduce a magnitude of pressure pulsations within the combined flow pumped by the at least two pumps; and

coupling at least one mini-dampener between the outlet of one of the pumps and the at least one header pipe, the at least one mini-dampener sized and configured to reduce a magnitude of pressure pulsations over the system pulsation dampener.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the single pipe connection is an inlet to a system pulsation dampener,

wherein the system pulsation dampener is sized and configured to reduce the magnitude of pressure pulsations within the combined flow pumped by the at least two pumps, and

wherein the at least one mini-dampener sized and configured to reduce the magnitude of pressure pulsations over the system pulsation dampener.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the at least one header pipe comprises a single header pipe carrying a combined flow from the at least two pumps into the system pulsation dampener.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the at least one header pipe comprises a first header pipe carrying a flow from a first of the at least two pumps into the system pulsation dampener and a second header pipe carrying a flow from a second of the at least two pumps into the system pulsation dampener.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the system pulsation dampener is a reactive dampener employing a flow resistance device.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one mini-dampener comprises a first mini-dampener coupled between a first of the two pumps and the at least one header pipe and a second mini-dampener coupled between a second of the two pumps and the at least one header pipe.

17. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

an ephemeral pulsation dampener installed at an output for each of the at least two pumps.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein one of the ephemeral pulsation dampener is a gas-charged pulsation dampener, and wherein the gas-charged pulsation dampener includes a shell without a bladder.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein one of the ephemeral pulsation dampener is a charge-free design dampener, and wherein the charge-free design dampener includes a shell without a compression material.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one mini-dampener is a reactive dampener employing a flow resistance device.

21. The method according to claim 11, wherein a length of the at least one header pipe between an output of a first mini-dampener and an output of a second mini-dampener is based on an operational pumping pressure.