Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Background o the Invention. In the construction of
pumps and more particularly in the construction of large pumps
such as the piston type triplex pumps utilized in drilling and
servicing of oil wells, one particularly troublesome area in the
pump construction involves the valving structure in the fluid end
of the pump. Each cylinder of the pump generally has associated
therewith a suction end and a discharge end each of which communi-
cates the pumped fluid end with intake and discharge conduits via
valving arrangements such as poppet valves.
A particularly troublesome area in the construction of
the valving systems in p~nped ~luid ends involves providing guide
assemblies for these poppet valves which provide lateral support
yet allow the valves to move vertically into and off of the valve
seat. The suction and discharge valves of these large triplex
pumps are usually spring loaded poppet valves having valve stems
at both ends of the valve member. The valve stems provide an
elongated portion of the valve for extension into a cylindrical
or other shaped valve guide opening which prevents lateral dis-
tortion of the valve member during its cyclic operation.
A particular problem arises in the valve guide construc-
tion of the intake valve in a large multiplex pump because of the
necessary requirement that the inner valve stem portion of the
valve must be guided within a valve guide located inside the flow
area of the pump fluid end. Such valve guide must be removable
from the fluid end for repair and replacement of the valve member
and other pump parts, yet the valve guide must be easily placed
within the fluid end in such an orientation that it provides rigid
dependable valve guiding operation.
The pumps available today utilize valve guides on the
intake vaive which valve guides are secured by means such as bolts,
clamps, set screws and other arrangements. These valve guide
anchoring means suffer form the disadvantages that they are complex
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and difficult to install. The problems arise from the close
work~ng space within the fluid end which restricts movement of
the mechanic during installation and removal of the valve
components.
Thus, the bolting, clamping and other arrangements
require extensive use of hand tools within the narrow confines
of the fluid end making change-out of pump components extremely
difficult and hazardous for the working personnel. The present
invention provides valve guide arrangements which may be
installed within the fluid end of a large pump by means requiring
no bolting or clamping or other complex securing arrangements.
Broadly speaking the present invention may be defined
as providing in a pump having a fluid end with a spring-biased
valve therein communicating with a pumped fluid chamber, a valve
guide assembly for placement in the fluid chamber in guiding
relationship with the valve; the valve guide assembly comprising:
valve guide collar means adapted for slitable engagement with
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the valve; support means secured to the collar means and adapted
to extend outward therefrom into abutting engagement with a
wall in the fluid chambers; and, a support bar engageable with
the collar means and adàpted to move the support means into
tight abutting engagement with the wall of the fluid chamber.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRANINGS
Figure 1 is a side cross-sectional view of the valving
apparatus installed in the fluid end of a piston type pump.
Figures 2a and 2b illustrate a portion of the valve
guide apparatus.
Figures 3a and 3b, appearing on the same sheet as
Figure 1, illustrate the support bar for the valve guide
apparatus.
Figures 4a and 4b illustrate schematic views of the
vlave guide arrangement with the valve in place.
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Figures 5a and 5b illustrate an alternate embodiment
of the valve guide apparatus.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Figure 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a piston
type pump 11 having a generally cylindrical fluid piston 12
mounted at the end of an elongated piston rod 14 and slidably
located within pump cylinder 13. A fluid end assembly 15 is
attached by means such as bolts to the end of pump 11 in
communication with cylinder 13. Fluid end 15 has an intake
bore 16 and a discharge bore 17. A fluid supply conduit 18 is
clamped to fluid end 15 in communication with bore 16. The
extension of cylinder 13 denoted as bore 13a past bores 16 and
17 is closed off by a bore plug 19 secured to the fluid end and
sealingly engaged therein.
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During operation of the pumping cylinder illustrated, the
piston 12 and rod 14 move to the left in cylinder 13 thereby estab-
lishing a suction within fluid end chamber 20 which suction reacts
on valve member 21 moving it inward into bore 20 against the com-
pression of spring 22 thereby drawing in fluid from conduit 18.
Valve 21 is provided with an upstream stem 23 and a downstream stem
24 with the upstream stem ~3 being slidable within a central open-
ing 25 of the valve seat insert 26. Valve seat 26 has one or more
flow passages 27 therethrough for communication of fluid from bore
1~ 20 to bore 16. Valve stem 24 is slidably located within a generally
cylindrical valve guide collar 30 having a elastomeric inner linex
28 located concentrically therewithin. An elongated relatively
flat support bar 29 is provided for abutment with the upper extrem-
ity of bore 20 and simultaneous abutmRnt and locking engagement
with collar 30.
L Referring now to figures 2a and 2b, the guide collar 30
is s4Own with a lateral support plate 31 securedly attached thereto
and extending outwardly from diametrically opposed sides of collar
30. Support plate 31 has at each end a downward projecting abutment
shoulaer 32. Collar 30 is a generally cylindrical member having a
guide passage 33 therein, a generally frustro-conical upper surface
34, and a transverse lateral slot 35 passing through the top there-
of. O~e or more fluid pressure relief ports 36 are also provided
through the top of collar 30. Support plate 31 may be secured to
collar 30 by any acceptable means such as welding or press-fitting.
In figure 1, support plate 31 is viewed in cross-sectional end view
and appears in abutment with spring 22.
Figures 3a and 3b illustrate the support bar 29 of figure
1. The bar is a substantially flat elongated plate having a plural-
ity of openings 37 therethrough for lightening the member and for
providing flow relief therethrough. The bar 29 has a sloped edge
38, a rounded straight edge 39, and a raised shoulder 40 at one
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end. Figure 3b illustrates a cross-sectional view of bar 29 taken
at line b-b of figure 3a. Figure 3b illustrates the rounded side
39 and the rounded shoulder 40 along one edge of the bar. ~ar 29
is sized for relatively close fitting engagement within channel
35 of collar 30. Furthermore, the curvature of side 39 and shoul-
., .
der 40 is selected to coincide generally with the curvature of the
wall of bore passage 20 in the fluid end.
Figure 4a illustrates a schematic top view of the guide
assembly looking downward toward the valve member 21. A pair of
opposed ledges 42 are provided within the vertical bore 16 and 17
of the fluid end for allowing abutment thereon of shoulders 32 of
support plate 31. The placement of shoulders 42 is arranged to
allow relatively tight fitting engagement of the support p~ate 29
between collar 30 and the Upper surface of bore passage 20.
Referring to figure 4b, the guide assembly is shown in
place in bore passage 20 and placement of the valve 21 is shown
merely for purposes of illustration. It should be noted that the
coil spring 22 normally would be placed in compression between
plate 3~ and the annularly extending portion of valve 21. As pre-
viously mentioned, the location of support ledges 42 is arranged
such that when support plate 31 is placed thereon, the engagement
of bar 29 in channel 35 will provide a downward tightening of the
valve guide arrangement within bore 20. More specifically, it is
preferable that a slight flexing of plate 31 is achieved when bar
29 is moved into place in channel 35 in abutment with the upper
wall of bore 20.
An elastomeric guide sleeve 28 provides sliding contact
between the valve stem 24 and the valve guide mechanism. Assembly
of the valve guide mechanism about the valve is accomplished by
the following procedure: The spring 22 is first placed about the
valve stem. The valve guide collar 30 with support plate 31 is
locatad over the spring until the collar 30 extends over the valve
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stem inside the spring resulting in abutment of the upper portion
of the spring with the bottom side of plate 31. The plate 31 may
then be rotated about the valve stem 24 until shoulders 32 are lo-
cated directly above ledges 42 and then the collar may be comPressed
downward over the spring until the support bar 29 is inserted, nar-
- row end first, into the channel. As the narrow end of bar 29 moves
through the channel, the wider portion of the bar will serve to
wedge the collar and support plate 31 down into tight abutting en-
gagement on ledges 42 until the bar 29 has been moved completely
into its proper location in the fluid end. Proper location of the
bar is insured by providing a recess 41 in the fluid end which re-
cess 41 is shaped generally to compliment shoulder 40 of bar 29,
which shoulder 40 when engaged in recess 41 insures proper align-
ment and placement of support bar 29. The bore plug 19 is then re-
placed and provides abutting engagement with bar 29, maintaining it
in proper lateral orientation. The combination of the abutment of
plug 19 and the engagement of shoulder 40 in recess insures no move-
ment of bar 29 can occur during the cyclic operation of the pumping
appar~tus.
Figures 5a and 5b illustrate an alternate embodiment of
the ~aLve guide mechanism utilizing a tripod support arrangement
rather than the lateral bar arrangement of the first embodiment~
In this embodiment, a generally cylindrical valve guide collar 130
is sec~realy fixed into a horizontal foundation plate 131 to which
are attached thr~e equally spaced arcuate support legs 132. ~
counter bore 142 is formed in the upper portion of passage 16 re-
sulting in an inwardly extending annular ledge. The three support
legs 132 of the guide collar mechanism are adapted for engagement
within the counter bore 142 abutting the resultantly formed inward-
ly extending annular ledge.
A pair of transverse shoulders 135 are attached to the
top of plate 131 in such a manner as to form a transverse seating
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channel for receiving a relatively snug fitting relationship with
the support bar 29. The support plate 131 is adapted to provide
an annular abutting surface outside of collar 130 for receiving in
abutment coil spring 22 encircling the valve stem 24.
Assembly of the valve guide mechanism within the pump
fluid end is achieved by placing the coil spring 22 over the valve
stem, lowering the tripod valve guide over the coil spring and
valve stem 24 and compressing the valve guide downward on the spring
22 until the three support legs 132 bottom-out in counter bore 142.
The transverse support bar 29 is then slid through the channel
formed by shoulders 135 until the locking shoulder 40 on bar 29 en-
gages in locking recess 41 formed internally within the fluid end
housing 15. Thus it can be seen that the present invention pro-
vides a dependable yet easily installed valve guide arrangement ior
reciprocating poppet type valves which arrangement has the advantage
of being easily insertable and removable from the valving mechanism
and yet still provides superior valve guide operation.
Although certain preferred embodiments of the invention
have been herein described in order to provide an understanding of
the seneral principles of the invention, it will be appreciated
that various changes and innovations can be effected in the de-
scribed valve guide mechanism without departing from these prin-
ciples. For example, it is obvious that one could alter the num-
ber of legs provided on the valve guide support structure. Any
number of legs from three on up could be utilized, limited onl~ by
the space provided around the counter bore ledge. Also, it would
be possible to make the support legs wider or narrower or make them
shorter or longer. The collar and plate could be made as an inter-
gral unit or the collar could be used alone with the support legs
attached directly to the collar and providing abutment for the coil
spring. It is also obvious that a liner of some other material,
such as a elastomeric material, coula be used inside the guide
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collar. The invention therefore is declared to cover all changes
and modifications of the specific example of the invention herein
di~closed for purposes of illustration which do not constitute de-
partures from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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