Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DISCHARGE HEADS WITH BENT SUPPORTING LEGS FOR VERTICAL PUMPS
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application
Ser. No.
63/240,482 filed on September 3, 2021. The disclosure of the Provisional
Application is hereby
incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Vertical pumps operate in an upright position and employ a bowl
assembly
including a rotary impeller submerged in a body of liquid or fluid to be
pumped, where the liquid
or fluid may include entrained stringy material and other solids. An example
implementation of
vertical pumps is offshore oil rigs. The above ground component of vertical
pumps called
discharge head or discharge elbow, which supports a driver (typically an
electric motor) and
passes through the shaft to the below-surface impeller(s). The discharge head
also contains a
discharge flange for connection to above-surface piping.
SUMMARY
[0003] The present disclosure generally describes discharge heads with bent
supporting
legs for vertical pumps.
[0004] According to some examples, a discharge head for vertical pump systems
may
include a mounting interface to place a motor; a central plate positioned
substantially centrally
between the mounting interface and a bottom plate; a discharge pipe to provide
an elbow
transition from below-surface piping to above-surface piping, the discharge
pipe comprising a
vertical portion that couples to the central plate and a horizontal portion
coupled to a discharge
flange; a plurality of supporting legs to couple the mounting interface to the
bottom plate, where
each supporting leg has an inward bent shape and the supporting legs are
distributed substantially
equally around a perimeter of the mounting interface and the bottom plate; a
plurality of
stabilizers, where each stabilizer is horizontally coupled between the central
plate and each
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supporting leg; and the bottom plate to couple the vertical portion of the
discharge pipe with the
below-surface piping.
[0005] According to other examples, a vertical pump system may include a motor
to drive
impellers; below-surface piping that contains one or more impellers; above-
surface piping to
receive pumped liquids from the below-surface piping; and a discharge head to
provide the
pumped liquids from the below-surface piping to the above-surface piping. The
discharge head
may include a mounting interface to place a motor; a central plate positioned
substantially
centrally between the mounting interface and a bottom plate; a discharge pipe
to provide an
elbow transition from below-surface piping to above-surface piping, the
discharge pipe
comprising a vertical portion that connects to the central plate and a
horizontal portion coupled
to a discharge flange; a plurality of supporting legs to couple the mounting
interface to the
bottom plate, where each supporting leg has an inward bent shape and the
supporting legs are
distributed substantially equally around a perimeter of the mounting interface
and the bottom
plate; a plurality of stabilizers, where each stabilizer is horizontally
coupled between the central
plate and each supporting leg; and the bottom plate to couple the vertical
portion of the discharge
pipe with the below-surface piping.
[0006] According to further examples, a method for manufacturing a discharge
head for
vertical pump systems may include forming a mounting interface to place a
motor based on one
or more of a size, a strength, or a weight of the motor; determining one or
more of a length, a
thickness, or a bend angle of each supporting leg based on one or more of a
size of the mounting
interface, a weight of the motor, a strength of the motor, a size of below-
surface piping, or a size
of above-surface piping; forming a plurality of supporting legs to couple the
mounting interface
to a bottom plate, where each supporting leg has an inward bent shape and the
supporting legs
are distributed substantially equally around a perimeter of the mounting
interface and the bottom
plate; forming a plurality of stabilizers to be horizontally coupled between a
central plate and
each supporting leg; forming the central plate to be positioned substantially
centrally between the
mounting interface and the bottom plate; forming a discharge pipe to provide
an elbow transition
from the below-surface piping to the above-surface piping; forming the bottom
plate; and
assembling the mounting interface, the supporting legs, the central plate, the
bottom plate, the
stabilizers, and the discharge pipe together through one or more of welding or
nut/bolt pairs.
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[0007] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in
any way
limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features
described above,
further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference
to the drawings
and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The foregoing and other features of this disclosure will become more
fully apparent
from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with
the
accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only several
embodiments in
accordance with the disclosure and are, therefore, not to be considered
limiting of its scope, the
disclosure will be described with additional specificity and detail through
use of the
accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a vertical pump system;
FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a conventional discharge head for a
vertical
pump;
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a vertical pump system with bent
supporting legs
discharge head;
FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an example discharge head with bent
supporting
legs;
FIG. 5A illustrates a side-by-side comparison of a discharge head with bent
supporting
legs and a discharge head with straight supporting legs;
FIG. 5B illustrates a side-by-side comparison of bottom plate footprints of a
discharge
head with bent supporting legs and a discharge head with straight supporting
legs; and
FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart for a process of manufacturing a discharge head
with bent
supporting legs,
some of which arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described
herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the
accompanying
drawings, which form a part hereof In the drawings, similar symbols typically
identify similar
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components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments
described in the
detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other
embodiments may
be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit
or scope of the
subject matter presented herein. The aspects of the present disclosure, as
generally described
herein, and illustrated in the Figures, can be arranged, substituted,
combined, separated, and
designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are
explicitly contemplated
herein.
[0010] This disclosure is generally drawn, inter al/a, to methods, apparatus,
systems and/or
devices related to discharge heads with bent supporting legs for vertical
pumps.
[0011] Briefly stated, technologies are generally described for discharge
heads with bent
supporting legs for vertical pumps. A discharge head, according to examples,
with bent
supporting legs for vertical pump systems allows substantially reduced
footprint (i.e., bottom
plate size) and weight of discharge head without compromising torsional
rigidity and structural
integrity. The bent supporting legs coupling the mounting interface and the
bottom plate and
further connected through orthogonal stabilizers create a monocoque type
frame. The reduction
in the size of the bottom plate and (and thereby, the weight) allows
utilization of valuable space
in rig applications for other systems while preserving structural resonance,
torsional rigidity
performances.
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a vertical pump system.
[0013] As illustrated in diagram 100, an example vertical pump system may
include a
pump driver (motor 104) and a connection box 102 to provide power and control
connections to
the motor 104. The motor 104 may be affixed to a mounting interface 106 of a
discharge head
108. Below-surface piping 114 may be affixed to the discharge head 108 through
bottom plate
110 of the discharge head 108. The discharge head 108 may also include a
discharge flange 112
for coupling to above-surface piping. One or more impellers (not shown) may be
placed inside
the below-surface piping 114 and coupled to the pump driver (motor 104)
through a shaft also
inside the below-surface piping 114.
[0014] The discharge head 118 supports the weight of the motor 104 while
providing a
structural frame for the shaft to pass through to the below-surface impellers
and the discharge
piping. Because of the rotational forces applied by the motor (and the shaft)
and resonance
during operation, the discharge head's structure and configuration is a
substantial design
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consideration for vertical pump systems. While conventional systems address
the resonance and
torsional rigidity requirements by having a larger bottom plate (thus, larger
footprint), the size
and weight of such systems creates a challenge in environments with limited
space or susceptible
to overall weight, for example, offshore rig installations.
[0015] A discharge head according to examples includes bent supporting legs
forming a
monocoque frame along with the stabilizers and top / bottom plates. The design
of the supporting
legs allows substantial reduction in size of the bottom place, and thereby,
the weight of the
bottom plate addressing the challenges in environments such as rigs and
similar ones.
[0016] In an operation, the motor 104 provides rotational force to the shaft,
which passes
through the discharge head 118 and rotates one or more impellers pushing
liquids (often with
solid particles in them) to the surface. The pumped liquids are pushed to
above-surface piping for
processing through the discharge head 118 (a pipe that is usually horizontal
or similarly angled
relative to the below-surface piping 114)). Motor 104 may be an electrical
motor, and its
operation may be controlled remotely (e.g., speed).
[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a conventional discharge head
for a vertical
pump.
[0018] Diagram 200 shows mounting interface 206, bottom plate 210, inclined,
straight
supporting legs 220, stabilizers 223 forming a discharge head. The diagram
further includes a
discharge pipe 224 coupling a below-surface pipe (not shown) to an above-
surface pipe (not
shown) at an angle through a discharge flange 212. A seal housing pipe may
contain the shaft
providing rotational force from a motor to impellers below the surface.
[0019] Discharge heads are designed to prevent substantially lateral and
torsional
movement, including movement due to reacting hydraulic forces at a pump nozzle
and inertia
from a driver. The example configuration with four supporting shown in diagram
200 supports a
vertical motor weight, torque, pump downthrust and nozzle forces and moments.
While the
inclined supporting leg design reduces the overall pump vibration due to less
cantilever distance
from the foundation to the motor top bearing, a footprint of the discharge
head (size of bottom
plate 110) is inherently larger due to the outward inclination of the
supporting legs. Negative
angled (inverted) supporting legs may reduce a size of the bottom plate, but
may also cause some
buckling issues, and/or undesirable natural frequency (modal) responses of the
discharge head.
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[0020] In pump systems requiring larger size (diameter) motors for performance
needs, the
bottom plate in illustrated conventional systems may become even larger. With
the size of the
bottom plate its weight increases too. In addition, a larger size discharge
head results inherently
in a longer discharge pipe, thus, more weight of the overall system. As
mentioned above, a
common implementation environment for vertical pump systems is offshore rigs,
where the
additional weight and size are substantial drawbacks.
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a vertical pump system with
bent supporting
legs discharge head, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments
described herein.
[0022] Diagram 300 shows a vertical pump system that includes connection box
302 to
provide power and control connections to motor 304, which drives the impellers
through a shaft.
The motor is supported on the mounting interface 306 of the discharge head,
which includes four
bent supporting legs 320, bottom plate 310, and central plate 322. The
discharge head also
includes discharge pipe 324, which is coupled to above-surface piping through
discharge flange
312. The discharge pipe 324 provide an elbow transition for the pumped liquids
from the below-
surface piping to the above-surface piping. The discharge pipe 324 and the
shaft are coupled to
the below-surface piping 314 at the bottom plate 310. Some vertical pump
systems may include a
single impeller, while others may include multiple, cascaded impellers. The
illustrated example
system is shown with multiple impeller sections in the below-surface pipe 314.
[0023] The monocoque frame formed by the bent supporting legs 320, mounting
interface
306, and bottom plate 310 provides 360-degree access to the discharge pipe
coupling and seal
housing allowing field maintenance people to easily remove the coupling and
seal components.
By having a shorter discharge head compared to conventional systems, less
overall vibration
amplitude may be achieved. As mentioned above, smaller bottom plate area
allows real estate
savings and weight reduction in implementation environments such as rigs.
[0024] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an example discharge head with
bent
supporting legs, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments
described herein.
[0025] Diagram 400 shows a discharge head according to some examples with a
"0"
shaped mounting interface 406, central plate 422, stabilizers 423, bent
supporting legs 420, and
square shaped bottom plate 410. Discharge pipe 424, which is coupled to the
below-surface
piping through the bottom plate 410 and is angled, connects to above-surface
piping through
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discharge flange 412. The stabilizers 423 connect from the central plate 422
to the individual
supporting legs 420 at the "bend" region 421 providing structural support to
the legs.
[0026] The example discharge head is shown with four bent supporting legs 420.
A 3-leg
design may not provide sufficient stability and structural resonance
resistance. While other
designs with more than four supporting legs may be implemented, four legs may
be optimal for
commonly implemented single discharge pipe vertical pump systems. As
illustrated in the
diagram, the supporting legs may comprise three segments: a straight segment
coupled to the
mounting interface, another straight segment coupled to the bottom plate, and
a bend coupling
the two straight segments. An angle of the bend may depend on the sizes of the
top and bottom
plates, diameter of the supporting legs, desired resonance and torsional
rigidity, and other
configuration parameters. Yet, in some examples, instead of the shown
configuration, the
supporting legs may be designed with a continuous or semi-continuous curve.
The bend region
421 may be selected based on the height of the discharge head, height of the
discharge pipe 424,
and/or other dimensions of the discharge head. The stabilizers 423 may be
optimally placed at
the bend region 421 between the central plate 422 and supporting legs 420, but
may also be
located higher or lower than the bend region 421 (e.g., the central plate may
be designed thicker).
The supporting legs may be solid or hollow, while hollow design provides
further weight
reduction of the discharge head. While in typical implementations, the
supporting legs (and the
top and bottom plates) may be manufactured from suitable metals and/or metal
alloys, other
durable materials such as composites may also be used.
[0027] In typical metal implementations, various components of the discharge
head may be
affixed to each other through welding or similar robust coupling methods. The
mounting
interface 406, the bottom plate 410, and/or the discharge flange 412 may be of
any suitable shape
such as "0" shape, square, rectangular, elliptical, and others.
[0028] The discharge head may be optimally designed top to bottom, that is, a
size,
strength, and weight of the motor may dictate the sizes of the top and bottom
plates, as well as,
sizes, bend angle, and thickness of the supporting legs. In some examples, the
discharge head
design may be optimized based on specific operational parameters such as
motor, piping sizes,
pumped liquid type (expected resistance to pumping action), etc. Thus, size,
bend angle,
thickness of the supporting legs, thickness and location of the stabilizers,
etc. may be modified
while performing structural resonance and torsional load analysis to optimize
the configuration.
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[0029] Another advantage of the bent supporting leg type discharge head over
inclined,
straight leg designs or walled discharge head designs is reduction of the
horizontal portion of the
discharge pipe 424. Because the bottom plate 410 can be reduced in the example
configurations,
the discharge pipe 424 may also be shortened providing further weight
reduction. In some
example implementations, the weight reduction from the reduced discharge pipe
alone may
exceed 21%. The footprint reduction of the bottom plate may also exceed 38%
with a
corresponding weight reduction. The bent supporting leg design also eliminated
a need for
external stabilizers used in some walled discharge head designs.
[0030] FIG. 5A illustrates a side-by-side comparison of a discharge head with
bent
supporting legs and a discharge head with straight supporting legs, arranged
in accordance with
at least some embodiments described herein.
[0031] Diagram 500A shows side-by-side comparison of discharge head 530 with
bent
supporting legs and discharge head 531 with straight supporting legs.
Discharge head 530 with
bent supporting legs includes mounting interface 506, central plate 522,
supporting legs 520,
stabilizers 526, and bottom plate 510. Discharge head 531 with straight
(inclined) supporting
legs includes mounting interface 507, central plate 523, supporting legs 521,
stabilizers 527, and
bottom plate 511.
[0032] While mounting interfaces 506, 507 and central plates 526, 527 may be
similarly
dimensioned between the two different discharge head types, the bent
supporting legs 520 allow
smaller footprint bottom plate 510 compared to larger bottom plate 511 of the
discharge head
531. The stabilizers 526 of the discharge head 530, compared to stabilizers
527 of the discharge
head 531, are also shorter due to the bent formation of the supporting legs
520. The diagram also
illustrates how the horizontal portion 532 of the discharge pipe in the
discharge head 530 is
shorter than the horizontal portion 534 of the discharge pipe in the discharge
head 531. The
reduction in size of the bottom plate, stabilizers, and the horizontal portion
of the discharge pipe
contribute to substantial weight reduction in the discharge head 530 without
losing structural
resonance or torsional rigidity performance.
[0033] FIG. 5B illustrates a side-by-side comparison of bottom plate
footprints of a
discharge head with bent supporting legs and a discharge head with straight
supporting legs,
arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein.
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[0034] Diagram 500B shows a bottom view of the discharge head 530 with bent
supporting
legs and discharge head 531 with straight supporting legs. The "0" shaped
mounting interfaces
506, 507 are shown in the background. The substantial size difference between
the bottom plates
510 and 511 are also illustrated. The size reduction due to the bent formation
of the supporting
legs in the discharge head 530 allows, in turn, substantial weight reduction,
an important
consideration in offshore rig and similar implementations.
[0035] Some of the above-discussed elements are typical features of knife gate
valves
generally and are not unique or critical to the present disclosure.
Accordingly, embodiments are
not limited to valves having any particular components except those
specifically recited in the
claims
[0036] FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart for a process of manufacturing a
discharge head with
bent supporting legs, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments
described herein.
[0037] Example methods may include one or more operations, functions, or
actions as
illustrated by one or more of blocks 610, 620, 630, 640, 650, and 660 may in
some embodiments
be performed by a manufacturing system, automated, manual, or a combination
thereof. Such
operations, functions, or actions in FIG. 6 and in the other figures, in some
embodiments, may be
combined, eliminated, modified, and/or supplemented with other operations,
functions or
actions, and need not necessarily be performed in the exact sequence as shown.
The operations
described in the blocks 610-660 may be implemented through execution of
computer-executable
instructions stored in a computer-readable medium and executed by a computer
controlling the
manufacturing system.
[0038] An example process to provide a bent supporting legs discharge head may
begin
with block 610, "FORM MOUNTING INTERFACE BASED ON MOTOR SIZE, STRENGTH,
WEIGHT", where the mounting interface may be formed based on a motor size,
strength
(expected resonance and torsional forces), and weight. The mounting interface
may be formed in
any suitable shape such as a ring, a solid circle, square, rectangular,
elliptical, or other. The
motor may be affixed to the mounting interface through nut/bolt pairs,
welding, or other suitable
methods.
[0039] Block 610 may be followed by block 620, "DETERMINE SUPPORTING LEGS
LENGTH, THICKNESS, BEND", where dimensions and configuration of the supporting
legs
may be determined through static and dynamic analysis of the expected forces,
resonance, and
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torsional rigidity. The dimensions and configuration may be selected to
minimize the footprint of
the discharge head while preserving structural resonance and torsional
rigidity performance.
[0040] Block 620 may be followed by block 630, "FORM SUPPORTING LEGS AND
STABILIZERS", where the supporting legs and stabilizers may be formed based on
the
determined dimensions and configuration of the supporting legs. The dimensions
of the
supporting legs also defined a size of the bottom plate and discharge pipe
(specifically, a length
of the horizontal portion of the discharge pipe).
[0041] Block 630 may be followed by block 640, "FORM DISCHARGE PIPE", where
the
discharge pipe may be formed based on the dimensions of the below-surface
piping, the above-
surface piping, and the length of the horizontal portion defined by the
supporting legs.
[0042] Block 640 may be followed by block 650, "FORM BOTTOM PLATE", where the
bottom plate may be formed based on the dimensions of the below-surface piping
and the
dimensions and configuration of the supporting legs. The bottom plate may also
be in any
desired or suitable shape.
[0043] Block 650 may be followed by block 660, "ASSEMBLE MOUNTING
INTERFACE, CENTRAL PLATE, SUPPORTING LEGS, STABILIZERS, DISCHARGE PIPE,
AND BOTTOM PLATE", where the manufacturing system may assemble the formed
components and any other ancillary components. The components may be assembled
through
welding, nut/bolt pairs, and/or other suitable affixation methods.
[0044] The operations included in process 600 are for illustration purposes.
Assembly of a
vertical pump system with a discharge head with bent supporting legs may be
implemented by
similar processes with fewer or additional operations, as well as in different
order of operations
using the principles described herein. The operations described herein may be
executed by one
or more assembly devices / systems managed by one or more computing devices,
one or more
processor cores, and/or specialized processing devices, among other examples.
[0045] While examples are discussed using specific designs herein, embodiments
are not
limited to the example configurations. Embodiments may also be implemented in
other forms of
similar components, shapes, materials, and dimensions.
[0046] Disclosed herein are methods and devices to provide a discharge head
with bent
supporting legs for vertical pumps. Technical advantages of a discharge head,
according to
examples, with bent supporting legs for vertical pump systems include, but are
not limited to,
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substantially reduced footprint (i.e., bottom plate size) and weight of
discharge head without
compromising torsional rigidity and structural integrity.
[0047] According to some examples, a discharge head for vertical pump systems
may
include a mounting interface to place a motor; a central plate positioned
substantially centrally
between the mounting interface and a bottom plate; a discharge pipe to provide
an elbow
transition from below-surface piping to above-surface piping, the discharge
pipe comprising a
vertical portion that couples to the central plate and a horizontal portion
coupled to a discharge
flange; a plurality of supporting legs to couple the mounting interface to the
bottom plate, where
each supporting leg has an inward bent shape and the supporting legs are
distributed substantially
equally around a perimeter of the mounting interface and the bottom plate; a
plurality of
stabilizers, where each stabilizer is horizontally coupled between the central
plate and each
supporting leg; and the bottom plate to couple the vertical portion of the
discharge pipe with the
below-surface piping.
[0048] According to other examples, each supporting leg may have a first
straight portion
coupled to the mounting interface, a second straight portion coupled to the
bottom plate, and a
bend portion coupling the first straight portion and the second straight
portion. Each stabilizer
may be coupled to a corresponding supporting leg at the bend portion. One or
more of a length, a
thickness, or a bend angle of each supporting leg may be determined based on
one or more of a
size of the mounting interface, a weight of the motor, a strength of the
motor, a size of the below-
surface piping, or a size of the above-surface piping. The one or more of the
length, the
thickness, or the bend angle of each supporting leg may be further determined
based on a
reduction of a size of the bottom plate and a length of the horizontal portion
of the discharge
pipe. A location of the bend portion of each supporting leg may be determined
based on a
reduction of a size of the bottom plate and a length of the horizontal portion
of the discharge
pipe.
[0049] According to further examples, the plurality of supporting legs may
include four
supporting legs. The plurality of stabilizers may include four stabilizers.
One or more of the
mounting interface, the supporting legs, the central plate, the bottom plate,
the stabilizers, or the
discharge pipe may be coupled together through one or more of welding or
nut/bolt pairs. One or
more of the mounting interface or the bottom plate may have an "0" ring shape,
a square shape,
a rectangular shape, a solid circle shape, or an elliptical shape. One or more
of the supporting
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legs or the stabilizers may be solid or hollow. One or more of the mounting
interface, the
supporting legs, the central plate, the bottom plate, the stabilizers, or the
discharge pipe may be
made from metal or metal allow materials.
[0050] According to other examples, a vertical pump system may include a motor
to drive
impellers; below-surface piping that contains one or more impellers; above-
surface piping to
receive pumped liquids from the below-surface piping; and a discharge head to
provide the
pumped liquids from the below-surface piping to the above-surface piping. The
discharge head
may include a mounting interface to place a motor; a central plate positioned
substantially
centrally between the mounting interface and a bottom plate; a discharge pipe
to provide an
elbow transition from below-surface piping to above-surface piping, the
discharge pipe
comprising a vertical portion that connects to the central plate and a
horizontal portion coupled
to a discharge flange; a plurality of supporting legs to couple the mounting
interface to the
bottom plate, where each supporting leg has an inward bent shape and the
supporting legs are
distributed substantially equally around a perimeter of the mounting interface
and the bottom
plate; a plurality of stabilizers, where each stabilizer is horizontally
coupled between the central
plate and each supporting leg; and the bottom plate to couple the vertical
portion of the discharge
pipe with the below-surface piping.
[0051] According to further examples, the below-surface piping may contain
multiple
stages of impellers. Each supporting leg may have a first straight portion
coupled to the
mounting interface, a second straight portion coupled to the bottom plate, and
a bend portion
coupling the first straight portion and the second straight portion. Each
stabilizer may be coupled
to a corresponding supporting leg at the bend portion. One or more of a
length, a thickness, or a
bend angle of each supporting leg may be determined based on one or more of a
size of the
mounting interface, a weight of the motor, a strength of the motor, a size of
the below-surface
piping, or a size of the above-surface piping. The one or more of the length,
the thickness, or the
bend angle of each supporting leg may be further determined based on a
reduction of a size of
the bottom plate and a length of the horizontal portion of the discharge pipe.
A location of the
bend portion of each supporting leg may be determined based on a reduction of
a size of the
bottom plate and a length of the horizontal portion of the discharge pipe.
[0052] According to some examples, the plurality of supporting legs may
include four
supporting legs. The plurality of stabilizers may include four stabilizers.
One or more of the
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mounting interface, the supporting legs, the central plate, the bottom plate,
the stabilizers, or the
discharge pipe may be coupled together through one or more of welding or
nut/bolt pairs. One or
more of the mounting interface or the bottom plate may have an "0" ring shape,
a square shape,
a rectangular shape, a solid circle shape, or an elliptical shape. One or more
of the supporting
legs or the stabilizers may be solid or hollow. One or more of the mounting
interface, the
supporting legs, the central plate, the bottom plate, the stabilizers, or the
discharge pipe may be
made from metal or metal allow materials.
[0053] According to further examples, a method for manufacturing a discharge
head for
vertical pump systems may include forming a mounting interface to place a
motor based on one
or more of a size, a strength, or a weight of the motor; determining one or
more of a length, a
thickness, or a bend angle of each supporting leg based on one or more of a
size of the mounting
interface, a weight of the motor, a strength of the motor, a size of below-
surface piping, or a size
of above-surface piping; forming a plurality of supporting legs to couple the
mounting interface
to a bottom plate, where each supporting leg has an inward bent shape and the
supporting legs
are distributed substantially equally around a perimeter of the mounting
interface and the bottom
plate; forming a plurality of stabilizers to be horizontally coupled between a
central plate and
each supporting leg; forming the central plate to be positioned substantially
centrally between the
mounting interface and the bottom plate; forming a discharge pipe to provide
an elbow transition
from the below-surface piping to the above-surface piping; forming the bottom
plate; and
assembling the mounting interface, the supporting legs, the central plate, the
bottom plate, the
stabilizers, and the discharge pipe together through one or more of welding or
nut/bolt pairs.
[0054] According to some examples, the method may also include further
determining the
one or more of the length, the thickness, or the bend angle of each supporting
leg based on one or
more of a structural resonance analysis or a torsional rigidity analysis. The
method may further
include further determining the one or more of the length, the thickness, or
the bend angle of
each supporting leg based on one or more of a pump downthrust, nozzle forces,
and moments.
[0055] The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particular
embodiments
described in this application, which are intended as illustrations of various
aspects. Many
modifications and variations can be made without departing from its spirit and
scope.
Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the
disclosure, in addition
to those enumerated herein, are possible from the foregoing descriptions. Such
modifications and
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variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. The
present disclosure is
to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along with the full
scope of equivalents
to which such claims are entitled. The terminology used herein is for the
purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting.
[0056] The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates different
components
contained within, or connected with, different other components. Such depicted
architectures are
merely examples, and in fact, many other architectures may be implemented
which achieve the
same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to
achieve the same
functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality
is achieved. Hence,
any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality may
be seen as
"associated with" each other such that the desired functionality is achieved,
irrespective of
architectures or intermediate components. Likewise, any two components so
associated may also
be viewed as being "operably connected", or "operably coupled", to each other
to achieve the
desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated
may also be
viewed as being "operably couplable", to each other to achieve the desired
functionality. Specific
examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically
connectable and/or
physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable and/or
wirelessly interacting
components and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactable
components.
[0057] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular
terms herein,
those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular
and/or from the singular
to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various
singular/plural
permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
[0058] In general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims
(e.g., bodies of
the appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term
"including" should
be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be
interpreted as
"having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but
is not limited to,"
etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a
specific number of an
introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly
recited in the claim, and
in the absence of such recitation, no such intent is present. For example, as
an aid to
understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the
introductory phrases "at
least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use
of such phrases
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should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation
by the indefinite
articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced
claim recitation to
embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim
includes the
introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles
such as "a" or "an"
(e.g., "a" and/or "an" should be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or
more"); the same
holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim
recitations. In addition, even if a
specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those
skilled in the art will
recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the
recited number (e.g., the
bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, means at least
two recitations, or
two or more recitations).
[0059] Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to "at
least one of A,
B, and C, etc." is used, in general, such a construction is intended in the
sense one having skill in
the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one
of A, B, and C"
would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C
alone, A and B
together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together,
etc.). It will be further
understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or
phrase presenting
two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or
drawings, should be
understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms,
either of the terms, or
both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the
possibilities of
"A" or "B" or "A and B."
[0060] For any and all purposes, such as in terms of providing a written
description, all
ranges disclosed herein also encompass any and all possible subranges and
combinations of
subranges thereof. Any listed range can be easily recognized as sufficiently
describing and
enabling the same range being broken down into at least equal halves, thirds,
quarters, fifths,
tenths, etc. As a non-limiting example, each range discussed herein can be
readily broken down
into a lower third, middle third and upper third, etc. As will also be
understood by one skilled in
the art all language such as "up to," "at least," "greater than," "less than,"
and the like include the
number recited and refer to ranges which can be subsequently broken down into
subranges as
discussed above. Finally, a range includes each individual member. Thus, for
example, a group
having 1-3 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, or 3 cells. Similarly, a group
having 1-5 cells refers
to groups having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells, and so forth.
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[0061] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other
aspects
and embodiments are possible. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed
herein are for
purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true
scope and spirit being
indicated by the following claims.
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