WO2011088585A1 - System for pumping corrosive fluid, comprising at least one piston pump and a fluid displacement cylinder - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for pumping corrosive fluid, said system preventing the fluid from coming into contact with humidity and preventing water hammers or overpressures in the tubing (20) transporting the corrosive fluid. Said system comprises at least one piston pump (2, 3), each pump consisting of a hydraulic master cylinder (4) and a cylinder (5) displacing the corrosive fluid. The hydraulic master cylinder (4) consists of a cylindrical tube or hydraulic cylinder pipe (6) with end walls (7, 8), creating a confined space containing a rod (9) that passes through the centre of the end wall (8) at one end, and ends in a hydraulic cylinder piston (10) at the other end. The corrosive fluid displacement cylinder (5) consists of a cylindrical tube or displacement cylinder pipe (11) closed by end walls (12, 13), creating a space that contains said rod (9) and extends through both the hydraulic master cylinder (4) and the corrosive fluid displacement cylinder (5), wherein said rod (9) passes through the centre of the end wall (12) at one end, and ends in a displacement cylinder piston (14) at the other end. A variable chamber is generated between the piston (14) of the displacement cylinder and the end wall (13), said chamber sucking and ejecting the corrosive fluid via an opening (15) in the end wall of the displacement cylinder (13). The hydraulic master cylinder (4) has valves (16, 17) for the inflow and outflow of hydraulic fluid. The opening (15) of the corrosive fluid displacement cylinder (5) is connected between a first retention valve (21) and a second retention valve (22) that only allow the fluid to flow in a single direction.

Description

 A CORROSIVE FLUID PUMP SYSTEM THAT INCLUDES AT LEAST A PISTON PUMP AND A FLUID PUMP CYLINDER.

DESCRIPTIVE MEMORY

 The present invention relates to a pumping system for the transport of corrosive fluids, which is made up of two cylinders, one for hydraulic fluid as a conductive cylinder, and one for corrosive fluid as a driven cylinder, where the cylinder The driver uses a hydraulic station as a source of energy to move the pistons that give him the alternative movement of suction and expulsion, allowing the corrosive fluid to be transported in the pipe. This invention allows the transport of corrosive fluid for long distances, where said system can be installed in series along the transport pipe, without the need for transfer ponds, repeating the installation as many times as required, to arrive with the corrosive fluid to its final destination. One of the preferred applications of this invention is the transport of acid, more specifically, sulfuric acid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the state of the art one of the known technologies for the transport of acid, is by means of acidic (pipes that carry acid) that are used in the transport over short distances and on flat surfaces and that uses a centrifugal pump as the driving means. If the transport is required to be at a greater distance and in the plain, ponds are used as intermediate storage, as many times as required, but always driven with centrifugal pumps. The problem changes when the acid must be raised because the pressure in the ducts becomes relevant due to the density of the fluid. On rugged, broken surfaces, mountains and hillsides among others, the pipeline must not only conduct the fluid but also support the pressure columns that involve raising that fluid. In addition, this type of technology makes the transport process more expensive, because the installation requires more personnel to operate, more maintenance time, and also has a greater probability of failures, incidents, spills and contamination.

 There are patent documents, which disclose solutions for the transport of fluids over long distances through pipes. For example, EP 1126089 (takura et al) published in 2005, discloses a high-altitude water distribution and supply system, which has multiple water supply ponds which are arranged in series along a vertical direction. . Water supply pipes are connected to each water supply pond. The system has pipe connection passages that connect to each water supply tank, being connected between them. A pump supplies water and a set of valves are arranged in the connection passages. This document mainly refers to the use of intermediate ponds to distribute the total pressure load at different stages and in its application to the water supply.

DE 40355885 (Gruner), published in 1991, describes a pumping system for the extraction of liquid specimen with small diameter pumps in series of acid-resistant material with acid-resistant connections. This pumping system that has small diameter pumps in series separated by intervals smaller than the feed heights of each lower pump. The pumps and connections are made of an acid resistant material. The pumps can be powered by DC current, by means of a shaft or compressed air. Each pump can be encapsulated and the pumps can be housed in a tube. No background of the prior art solves the problem of conducting acid to pipes over large distances both horizontally and inclined using only a pumping system formed by piston pumps with a conductive cylinder and another driven, to generate the movement of transport of the fluid inside of the pipe, without using ponds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

 As seen in the prior art, systems for conducting fluids through pipes over long distances are known, those that use pipes and where the movement is generated by pumps, but these systems require storage ponds, in an amount that It will vary depending on the distance, which makes the transport process more expensive, because the installation requires more personnel to operate, more maintenance time, and also, it has a greater probability of failures and spills generating serious pollution problems and risks to people. Another disadvantage of these storage ponds is that they have breathing means open to the atmosphere, and by containing acid, said medium becomes a disadvantage since they emit from it contaminating vapors and absorb moisture.

 To solve this problem, the present invention aims to provide an acid or corrosive fluid pumping system, which is formed by a positive flow pump designed to be used with an energy source, which is constituted by a station hydraulic to move the pistons that give the movement to said positive flow pump, which allows the transport of corrosive fluids in pipelines, such as acids and seawater among others.

Each pumping system is installed along the path of the transport pipes, which are subsequently synchronized, using a PLC, programmable logic controller, by its acronym in English, in each pump of the system, where said PLCs are connected by wired media such as cables, fiber optic or wireless media, such as radio frequency (RF) to maintain communication with the pump that precedes it, in order to synchronize its operation and thus coordinate all the pumps in the system so that they drive the fluid in an orderly manner, avoiding water hammers or over pressures in the transport line. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

 The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide greater compression of the invention, are incorporated and constitute part of this description, illustrate one of the embodiments of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of this invention. These drawings, which have only an illustrative character, do not limit the scope of the invention, neither to the dimensions, nor to the quantity of elements illustrated, nor to the exemplified fastening means.

 Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the corrosive fluid pumping system of the present invention.

 Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a set of pumping stations, connected synchronously to drive the corrosive fluid into a transport pipe.

 Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the exploded view of a piston pump comprising the system of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a pumping system for corrosive fluids, such as acid or seawater, which is made up of a set of piston pumps, which are constituted by a conductive hydraulic cylinder driven by a hydraulic fluid, where said cylinder has a round trip movement. This conductive cylinder is attached by a rod to a corrosive fluid drive cylinder, which will move with similar characteristics to the conductive hydraulic cylinder.

 The corrosive fluid pumping system (1) is composed of at least one piston pump (2, 3), each of which is made up of a conductive hydraulic cylinder (4) and a corrosive fluid impeller cylinder (5) , driven by the conductive hydraulic cylinder (4).

The conductive hydraulic cylinder is formed by a cylindrical tube or horn of hydraulic cylinder (6), which is closed by a first end wall of hydraulic cylinder (7) and a second end wall of hydraulic cylinder (8), leaving a confined space within which, coaxially to the axis of said cylindrical tube or horn (6), a rod (9) is located which at one end crosses said second end wall (8) centrally and at the other end, ends at a hydraulic cylinder piston (10)

The corrosive fluid drive cylinder (5) is formed by a cylindrical tube or a drive cylinder horn (11), which is closed by a first end wall of drive cylinder (12) and a second end wall of drive cylinder (13 ), leaving a confined space within which, coaxially al _. axis of said cylindrical tube or impeller horn (11), the rod (9) is located, which is coaxially common with the conductive hydraulic cylinder (4) and with the corrosive fluid impeller cylinder (5), wherein said rod (9) at one end it crosses centrally the first end wall (12) and at the other end, it ends at a drive cylinder piston (14). Between the drive cylinder piston (14) and the second end wall of the drive cylinder (13), a variable chamber is generated, which sucks and expels the corrosive fluid through an opening (15) located in the second end cylinder wall impeller (13).

In order to achieve the suction and expulsion of the corrosive fluid, the conductive hydraulic cylinder (4) has a first valve (16) at a first end and a second valve (17) at a second end, intended for the entry and exit of the hydraulic fluid coming from from a source of provisioning, monitoring and hydraulic control (18), which synchronizes the entry and exit of the fluid through said valves (16, 17), achieving an alternative movement of the hydraulic cylinder piston (10). Said source of fluid supply, monitoring and hydraulic control (18), has a positive flow hydraulic pump, which injects the hydraulic fluid into said hydraulic cylinder (4), where the pump is driven by a motor, this It can be electric or wind, or diesel or benzine or hydraulic.

 Because the hydraulic cylinder piston (10) and the impeller cylinder piston (14) are connected by the same rod (9), said alternative movement is transmitted inside the corrosive fluid impeller cylinder (5), allowing the recoil and advancing the impeller cylinder piston (14), achieving a harmonious and continuous movement between both cylinders (4, 5). The opening (15) of the corrosive fluid impeller cylinder (5) is connected between a first check valve (21) and a second check valve (22), which allow the passage of a fluid in one direction and not in the direction opposite direction. This allows the corrosive fluid to be sucked from the transport pipe (20) with the backward movement of the impeller cylinder piston (14), and with its advance, it is expelled under pressure towards the same transport pipe (20), because the valves (16, 17) allow one-way flow. At the beginning of the corrosive fluid path, the system may have a supply line (19) that enters said at least one piston pump (2, 3) to begin transporting.

The confined flow rate of the conductive hydraulic cylinder (4) is equivalent to the confined flow rate of the corrosive fluid drive cylinder (5), with flow volumes ranging from 5 liters per minute to 10,000 liters per minute.

Both cylinders (4, 5) that are joined by means of said rod (9), have viton seals that prevent fluid leakage independently. . As shown in Figure 2, the pumping system (1) is connected to a corrosive fluid transport pipe (20), said pumping system (1) constituting pumping stations along the path of the corrosive fluid that It is driven by the pipe (20). The transport is done from an initial pumping station (23), which is connected to the supply line (19). From said initial pumping station (23) the corrosive fluid is conducted to the next station (24) where only the corrosive fluid is received within the confined interior of the drive cylinder (5) of said pumping station (24). Subsequently, the corrosive fluid is delivered to the impeller cylinder (5) of the pumping station (25), continuing successively thus, through all the stations (26, 27) along the path. The conduction of the corrosive fluid can be carried out, because the central line is a sealed transport pipe (20), also having check valves (21, 22) that prevent the return of the fluid, keeping it confined, both in the pipe transport (20) as in the next drive cylinder (5).

 Thus, a corrosive fluid drive cylinder (5) driven by a hydraulic cylinder (4), delivers a flow of corrosive fluid to the next drive cylinder (5) in a confined manner and without contact with the atmosphere and at distances marked only by the gauge height , from 10 meters to 500 meters high.

 In this way the volume inside the drive cylinders (5) is maintained along the transport pipe (20), being able to install as many pumping stations as required.

So that all the driving cylinders (5) carry out their synchronized travel, the respective conductive hydraulic cylinders (4) are connected to a control means, which allows said synchronization, using a PLC in each conducting hydraulic cylinder (4), wherein said PLCs are communicated and connected by fiber optic or radio frequency (RF) to maintain communication with the hydraulic conductor cylinder (4) that precedes it, in order to synchronize its operation and thus coordinate all pumping stations, so that they drive the corrosive fluid neatly, avoiding over pressures in the transport pipe (20). The corrosive fluid pumping system of the present invention has several applications, such as acidic fluids and seawater among others.

 In the case of application for acid fluids, the confinement situation within this system prevents moisture, which is the biggest enemy of acid transport and storage, from accessing the transport circuit. One of the purposes of this system is to transport sulfuric acid over long distances from 5 to 300 km and more, both in horizontal planes and in inclined planes given the advantages of a transport system with confined fluid, without contact with the atmosphere.

Claims

1.- A pumping system of a corrosive fluid, which prevents said fluid from coming into contact with moisture and avoiding overpressures in the pipeline that carries the corrosive fluid, CHARACTERIZED because said system comprises: at least one piston pump (2, 3), each consisting of a conductive hydraulic cylinder (4) and a corrosive fluid drive cylinder (5), driven by the conductive hydraulic cylinder (4); said conductive hydraulic cylinder (4) is formed by a cylindrical tube or a hydraulic cylinder horn (6), which is closed by a first end wall of a hydraulic cylinder (7) and a second end wall of a hydraulic cylinder (8), leaving a confined space within which, coaxially to the axis of said cylindrical tube or horn (6), a rod (9) is located which at one end crosses said second end wall (8) centrally and at the other end, ends at a hydraulic cylinder piston (10); said corrosive fluid impeller cylinder (5) is formed by a cylindrical tube or impeller horn (11), which is closed by a first end wall of impeller cylinder (12) and a second end wall of impeller cylinder (13) , leaving a confined space within which, coaxially to the axis of said cylindrical tube or impeller horn (11), the rod (9) is located, which is coaxially common with the conductive hydraulic cylinder (4) and with the impeller cylinder of corrosive fluid (5), wherein said rod (9) through one end crosses the first end wall (12) centrally and at the other end, ends at a drive cylinder piston (14); wherein between the drive cylinder piston (14) and the second end wall of the drive cylinder (13), a variable chamber is generated, which sucks and expels the corrosive fluid through an opening (15) located in the second end wall drive cylinder (13). 2. - A corrosive fluid pumping system, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the conductive hydraulic cylinder (4) has a first valve (16) at a first end and a second valve (17) at a second end, for the inlet and outlet of hydraulic fluid. 3. - A corrosive fluid pumping system, according to claim 2, CHARACTERIZED in that said system has a source of hydraulic supply, monitoring and control (18), which synchronizes the fluid inlet and outlet through said valves (16 , 17). 4. - A corrosive fluid pumping system according to claim 3, CHARACTERIZED in that the opening (15) of the corrosive fluid drive cylinder (5) is connected between a first check valve (21) and a second check valve. retention (22), which allow one-way flow. 5. - A corrosive fluid pumping system, according to any of claims 1 to 4, CHARACTERIZED because said system has a supply line (19) that enters said at least one piston pump (2, 3) to start With the transport. 6. - A corrosive fluid pumping system, according to any of claims 3 to 5, CHARACTERIZED because said source of fluid supply, monitoring and hydraulic control (18), has a positive flow hydraulic pump, which injects the fluid hydraulic into said hydraulic cylinder (4). 7. A pumping system for a corrosive fluid, according to claim 6, CHARACTERIZED because said pump is driven by an electric or wind motor. 8. - A corrosive fluid pumping system, according to claim 6, CHARACTERIZED in that said pump is driven by a diesel or benzine or hydraulic motor. 9. - A corrosive fluid pumping system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, CHARACTERIZED because the flow confined in the conductive hydraulic cylinder (4) is equivalent to the flow confined in the corrosive fluid drive cylinder (5). 10. - A corrosive fluid pumping system according to claim 9, CHARACTERIZED because the volume of flow is in a range from 5 liters per minute to 10,000 liters per minute. 11. - A corrosive fluid pumping system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, CHARACTERIZED because the conductive hydraulic cylinder (4) and the impeller cylinder (5) have viton seals that prevent the leakage of both hydraulic fluids and corrosive fluid. 12. A pumping system for a corrosive fluid, according to any of claims 1 to 11, CHARACTERIZED because corrosive fluid is acidic. 13. A pumping system for a corrosive fluid, according to claim 12, CHARACTERIZED because the acid is sulfuric acid. 14. A pumping system for a corrosive fluid, according to any of claims 1 to 11, CHARACTERIZED because corrosive fluid is seawater. 15. - A corrosive fluid pumping system, according to any of the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED because the conductive hydraulic cylinders (4) of the system are connected to a control means for synchronizing the driving cylinders (5). 16. - A corrosive fluid pumping system, according to claim 15, CHARACTERIZED because the control means has a PLC located in each conductive hydraulic cylinder (4). 17. - A corrosive fluid pumping system according to claim 16, CHARACTERIZED because said PLCs are connected by optical fiber. 18. A pumping system for a corrosive fluid, according to claim 16, CHARACTERIZED because said PLCs are connected by radio frequency (RF). 19. A pumping system for a corrosive fluid, according to claim 16, CHARACTERIZED because said PLCs are connected by wiring.