Sealing rings for abrasive slurry pumps

This application is a continuation of U.S. Nonprovisional application Ser. No. 11/594,615 filed on Nov. 8, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,758 issued on Apr. 7, 2009, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/734,487 entitled “SEALING RINGS FOR ABRASIVE SLURRY PUMPS” filed on Nov. 8, 2005, which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

The invention relates generally to a wear ring and, more particularly, to a wear ring for use in pumping viscous and abrasive fluids, namely cement slurries.

In concrete pumping applications, a common feature is the use of a multi-cylinder pump. A hydraulic actuator alternates piping between different cylinders. This configuration, though, does not lend itself to utilizing particular fittings that tightly seal the cylinders to the sections of piping. Moreover, it is well known that abrasive slurries are notorious for excessively wearing piping, fittings, and seals. Hence, when loose fitting seals, as with multi-cylinder pumps, are employed, the likelihood of both wear and failure dramatically increases because of the increased number of wearing surfaces.

One conventional solution is to employ a generally uniform hard seal or ring. The seal can be made of a variety of hard materials, such as tungsten carbide. Hard material can withstand a substantial amount of abuse from abrasive slurries. However, the hardness of the material generally results in a brittle material, one that is subject to fracture. Fractures can cause the seal to fail. Therefore, hard materials lack the inherent flexibility of softer materials, but are better equipped to withstand abrasion than softer materials.

Oftentimes, however, as a hydraulic actuator alternates piping between the different cylinders, the abrasive slurry is sheared. Typically, the shearing of the abrasive slurry, like concrete, causes stones and other abrasive components contained in the abrasive slurry to be sheared as well. Thus, by shearing the abrasive slurry, it is not uncommon to fracture very hard materials that provide seals between the sections of piping. However, if the hard materials are replaced with a softer material to avoid fracturing, then the good sealing properties of the harder materials can be lost.

Therefore, there is a need for a method and/or apparatus for efficiently sealing abutted pipes in abrasive and viscous fluid pumping applications that provides both a good seal and the ability to withstand the shearing of abrasive slurries.

The present invention, accordingly, provides a pipe seal for an abrasive materials pump. A core base ring is formed of a first material selected for strength and fracture toughness. Specifically, the core base ring has at least one aperture, a front side, and a rear side. A plurality of tiles of a first size, formed of a second material, are arranged along an inner surface of the at least one aperture. Also, a plurality of tiles of a second size, formed of a third material, are arranged along the perimeter of the aperture on at least the front side. Additionally, a plurality of tiles of additional sizes, formed of a fourth material, are arranged along at least a portion of the remainder of the front side. Moreover, the fourth material is harder than the first material, and the second material is harder than the fourth material. The third material is also harder than the second material.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, an improved pump assembly for moving abrasive slurries is also provided. A pair of slurry conduits are provided where each conduit has a circular opening. A transfer conduit is also provided where the transfer conduit has a circular opening. The opening of the transfer conduit is also movable between the openings of each of the pair of conduits to establish fluid communication between one of the slurry conduits and the transfer conduit. A seal ring associated with at least one of the openings in the slurry and transfer conduits is also included. This seal ring comprises a core base ring, a plurality of tiles of a first size, a plurality of tiles of a second size, and a plurality of tiles of additional sizes. The core base ring is formed of a first material selected for strength and fracture toughness. Specifically, the core base ring has at least one aperture, a front side, and a rear side. A plurality of tiles of a first size, formed of a second material, are arranged along an inner surface of the at least one aperture. Also, a plurality of tiles of a second size, formed of a third material, are arranged along the perimeter of the aperture on at least the front side. Additionally, a plurality of tiles of additional sizes, formed of a fourth material, are arranged along at least a portion of the remainder of the front side. Moreover, the fourth material is harder than the first material, and the second material is harder than the fourth material. The third material is also harder than the second material.

In yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention, a seal for an abrasive slurry pump assembly is provided. There is a core base plate formed of a first material selected for strength and fracture toughness having a front side and a rear side, said core plate having two or more ring shaped apertures of at least one selected inner diameter therein which extend from said front side to said rear side. Additionally, there is a plurality of first tiles formed of a second material arranged around each inner diameter of each of said ring shaped apertures, and there is a plurality of second tiles formed of a third material arranged to at least partially covering the front side. The third material is also harder than the first material, while the third material is harder than the second material.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a multi-cylinder abrasive slurry pump utilizing wear rings in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a wear ring of FIG. 1;

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