Hyper-pressure pulse excavator

• US 9,057,262 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2013
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tempress Technologies, Inc. (Oil States International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Tempress Technologies, Inc. (Oil States International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kolle, Jack J.
• Primary Examiner(s): KRECK, JOHN J
• Application Number:
  US13/953,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20140028078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 299/17
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 25/60 Slitting by jets of water or other liquid picks with arrangement of fluid-spraying nozzles E21C35/187; distribution of spraying fluids in rotating cutter-heads E21C35/23
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 45/04 by use of highly pressurised liquid

Abstract

A hyper-pressure water cannon, or pulse excavator, is able to discharge fluid pulses at extremely high velocities to fracture a rock face in excavation applications. A compressed water cannon can be used to generate hyper-pressure pulses by discharging the pulse into a straight nozzle section which leads to a convergent tapered nozzle. The hyper-pressure water cannon design is relatively compact, and the pulse generator can readily be maneuvered to cover the face of an excavation as part of a mobile mining system.

Claims

1. A hyper-pressure water cannon system for producing a fluid pulse comprising:

a pressure vessel configured to couple to a source of pressurized fluid, the pressure vessel comprising a dump valve; and

a nozzle comprising a straight section and a convergent tapered section, the nozzle coupled to the pressure vessel after the dump valve,

wherein pressurized fluid discharged from the pressure vessel by the dump valve increases in velocity as it travels through the nozzle, wherein the internal volume of the straight section is between 2% to 10% of the internal volume of the pressure vessel.

2. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 1, wherein the fluid pulse comprises water.

3. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 1, wherein the fluid pulse comprises water with additives.

4. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 3, wherein the additives comprise salt or polymer.

5. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 1, further comprising:

a compressor coupled to the base of the nozzle,

wherein the compressor discharges air into the nozzle after the pressurized fluid travels through the nozzle.

6. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 1, further comprising:

a metering pump coupled to the base of the nozzle,

wherein the metering pump discharges a metered supply of gelled fluid into the nozzle.

7. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 1, wherein the pressurized fluid in the pressure vessel is charged to a pressure between 100 MPa to 400 MPa.

8. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the straight section is equal to the inlet diameter of the convergent tapered section.

9. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 1, wherein the length of the convergent tapered section is 30% to 200% of the length of the straight section.

10. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 1, wherein the outlet diameter of the convergent tapered section is 10% to 50% of the diameter of the inlet diameter of the convergent tapered section.

11. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 1, wherein the diameter of a taper profile of the convergent tapered section decreases exponentially across the length of the convergent tapered section.

12. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 1, wherein the diameter of a taper profile is modeled based on a series of linear approximations to an exponential equation with an asymptote at the outlet of the convergent tapered section.

13. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 1, wherein the dump valve is a piloted poppet valve.

14. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 13, wherein the piloted poppet valve is opened through a series of cascading valves by a solenoid valve.

15. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 14, wherein the piloted poppet valve is coupled to an accumulator.

23. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 11, wherein the cross-sectional area of the taper profile is derived from the equation:

24. The hyper-pressure water cannon of claim 1, wherein the straight section has a length substantially similar to the length of a fluid pulse of pressurized fluid discharged from the pressure vessel absent the nozzle.

16. A method of producing a fluid jet pulse with discharge velocity of 1 to 2 km/s, comprising:

charging a pressure vessel to 100 to 400 MPa with a water-based fluid;

releasing the water-based fluid though a discharge passage with a dump valve;

directing the flow of the water-based fluid into an elongated straight nozzle section; and

directing the flow of the water-based fluid into an elongated convergent tapered section,

wherein the internal volume of the straight nozzle section is between 2% to 10% of the internal volume of the pressure vessel.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

purging the elongated straight nozzle section and the elongated convergent tapered nozzle section by introducing compressed air at the inlet of the elongated straight nozzle section.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

precharging the elongated straight nozzle section with a gelled fluid.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

excavating a rock surface by directing the water-based fluid at the rock surface.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the nozzle exit is located at a range of zero to ten times the diameter of the nozzle exit from the rock face.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the dump valve is opened within 20 ms.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the dump valve is opened through a series of cascading valves by a solenoid valve.