Patent Publication Number: US-2016230748-A1

Title: Mechanical lever-driver for pressure pump

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to a drive mechanism for a pressure pump, and more particularly to a mechanical lever-driver for a positive displacement pressure pumps. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section. 
     Positive displacement pumps come in many designs and operating ranges and work on a principle that a volume is opened for suction and is filled, closed, and moved to discharge. The flow is created by enclosing a predefined volume at suction point and moving such volume to release it. Pressure is a result of the flow and flow restriction. For example, if there is no restriction at the discharge end, the flow would exit the pump at atmospheric pressure. 
     Pressure in the positive displacement pumps is a function of the driver&#39;s horsepower. The driver is usually a motor that can be an electric, internal combustion (e.g. gas or diesel motor), pneumatic or hydraulic. In order for the pump to pump the fluid at the discharge end the motor needs to provide enough force to push the fluid through the flow restriction. For example, a conventional pressure pump may require a motor power of about 25 kW (approximately 33 horsepower) to provide a pressure of about 8000 psi (pounds per square inch). In order to get higher pressures the pump driver needs to provide more power and such pumps are very expensive and inefficient. 
     Therefore there is a need for a pressure pump that would be more efficient so that it can provide high pressures with a lower input power. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect a lever-driven pumping system is provided. The system comprises a motor that is configured to drive a motor crank, a positive displacement pump with at least one piston and a pump chamber, and a lever-driver with at least one lever therein to drive the at least one piston. The at least one lever has a load end in communication to the crank, a force end in communication with the piston and a body extending between the load end and the force end. A fulcrum point is formed at a predefined distance from the load end and the force end of the lever so that a distance from the fulcrum to the load end is greater than a distance from the fulcrum to the force end. The lever is configured to oscillate up and down on the fulcrum point. The lever-driver includes a load connector to connect the load end of the at least one lever to the crank and a force connector to connect the force end of the at least one lever to the piston. The motor provides an input energy to the crank and the lever oscillates up and down with the rotation of the crank wherein the output energy provided by the at least one lever at the force end of the lever is greater from the input energy provided by the motor via the crank at the load end of the at least one lever. 
     In another aspect the lever driver further comprises a pivot block so that the at least one lever is pivotally connected to the pivot block at the fulcrum point. 
     In yet another aspect the crank comprises a crank shaft and at least one crank plate connected to the crank shaft. The load connector of the at least one lever is eccentrically connected to the crank plate. The load connector comprises an elongated arm with a lobe end formed at one end of the elongated arm and a hinge at the opposite end. The lobe end of the elongated rod is connected to the crank plate while the hinge is connected to the load end of the lever. 
     In one aspect the lever-driven pumping system is powered by a battery. 
     In addition to the aspects and embodiments described above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by reference to the drawings and study of the following detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Throughout the drawings, reference numbers may be re-used to indicate correspondence between referenced elements. The drawings are provided to illustrate example embodiments described herein and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the shapes of various elements and angles are not drawn to scale, and some of these elements are arbitrarily enlarged and positioned to improve drawing legibility. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an example of a pressure pump showing a pump with mechanical lever-driver mount within a driver&#39;s housing and a motor in communication with the lever-driver. 
         FIG. 2  is perspective view of the pump of  FIG. 1  with the driver&#39;s housing omitted showing the lever connected to a piston rod at one end and with a crank on the opposite end. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of a lever used in a lever-driver. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an example of a housing of a lever-driver. 
         FIG. 5A  is a cross-sectional top view of an example of a housing of  FIG. 4  shoving a crank assembly, a pivot block for holding the levers and a pump housing with piston rods protruding out of a pump housing. 
         FIG. 5B  is a perspective view of an arm with a lobe end for connecting a lever to a crank shaft. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention is a mechanical advantage drive mechanism that can provide a more efficient pressure pump with a significantly lower input energy to obtain higher output energy. It comprises a leverage and mechanical advantage drive system that can be added to a conventional positive displacement pressure pump. By offsetting the input motor through the use of a lever and a fulcrum a mechanical advantage is gained thereby lowering the necessary input energy to reciprocate the pump&#39;s pistons/plungers while generating the same or higher pressures and volumes as in the conventional pumps. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates such mechanical pump system  10  with a motor  12  and a pressure pump  14 . The motor  12  can be an electric motor, an internal combustion motor or any other suitable motor. For example, the motor  12  can be a 2 horsepower electric motor. The motor  12  can be positioned in a housing and is electrically isolated from the other components of the system  10 . In one implementation the motor  12  can be operated by battery, such as for example 120 V batteries. Power generated by the motor  12  can be transferred using a belt  13  to a crank  16  so that the crank  16  rotates at a certain speed defined by the motor&#39;s parameters. Alternatively, the belt  13  can be omitted and the motor  12  can rotate the crank  16  using any other known gear or direct drive mechanism without departing from the scope of the invention. The pump  14  can be any known conventional positive displacement pump with a housing that comprises one or more pump&#39;s chambers. For example, the pump  14  can be a conventional positive displacement triplex pump. The pump  14  can comprise one or more chambers that communicate with a suction line via an inlet valve and with a discharge (pressure) line via an outlet valve. Since the positive displacement pumps cannot operate against a closed discharged valve (flow created by the pump will cause the pressure in the pump to rapidly build up), a relief valve needs to be provided to circulate the fluid back to the suction line when the outlet (discharge) valve is closed. The pump  14  can further comprise one or more pistons/plungers that can oscillate back and forth within the pump&#39;s chamber to displace the fluid out through the discharge line. In the illustrated example the pump  14  comprises three chambers with three pistons oscillating within respective chambers. Person skilled in the art would understand that the pump  14  can comprise less or more than three pistons without departing from the scope of the invention. Each of the pistons has a rod  15  that protrudes out of the pump&#39;s housing.  FIG. 2  shows three piston rods  15  that protrude out of the pump  14 . The pump  14  can further comprise one or more fluid tight seals to prevent any unwanted fluid leakage within or out of the pump  14 . 
     The system  10  further comprises a lever driver  17  mounted between the pump  14  and the motor  12 . The lever driver  17  comprises a housing  18 , at least one lever  19  and means for connecting one end of the at least one lever  19  to the respective piston&#39;s rod  15  and the opposite end of the at least one lever  19  to the crank  16  or any other suitable structure configured to provide an input energy from the motor  12  to the lever  19 . The number of levers  19  in the lever driver  17  is defined by the number of pistons in the pump  14 . In case of a triplex pump (three pistons&#39; pump), three levers  19  are provided. In the illustrated example, the lever driver  17  is positioned in the fluid tight housing  18  that is connected to the pump  14  so that the piston rods  15  can be connected to the respective levers  19 . The housing  18  can comprise one or more seals to prevent any fluid leakage in or out of the housing  18 . Alternatively, the housing  18  of the lever driver  17  can be omitted and the lever driver  17  can be mounted within the pump&#39;s housing and can make an integral part of the pump  14 . 
     The lever  19  has a force end  19   a  (see  FIGS. 2 and 3 ) and a load end  19   b . The force end  19   a  is connected to the piston&#39;s rod  15  by a force connector  20  (see  FIG. 2 ). The load end  19   b  of the lever  19  is connected to the crank  16  by a load connector  22 . So the input energy generated by the motor  12  in applied on the load end  19   b  of the lever  19  while the force end  19   a  applies the output energy to the pistons of the pump  14 . The force connector  20  can comprise a connecting rod  21  having a first end  21   a  with a joint  26  for connecting to the piston rod  15  and a second end  21   b  with a hinge  27  for connecting to the force end  19   a  of the lever  19 . In one implementation the connecting rod  21  can be omitted and the lever  19  can be connected to the piston rod  15  directly using any suitable connecting means, e.g. a ball or a pin, so that the lever  19  can apply force to the rod  15  to reciprocatively drive the respective piston during the pumping operation. The load connector  22  can comprise an elongated arm  23  with a lobe end  24  (see  FIG. 5B ) formed at one end of the arm  23  to connect it to the crank  16 , and a hinge  28  at the opposite end to connect the arm  23  to the load end  19   b  of the lever  19 . Person skilled in the art would understand that any other suitable connecting means can be used to connect the force end  19   a  of the lever  19  to the piston rod  15  and the load end  19   b  to the crank  16  without departing from the scope of the invention. 
       FIG. 3  shows in details the lever  19  with the force end  19   a , the load end  19   b  and an elongated body  19   c  extending between the ends  19   a  and  19   b . The lever  19  can be made of a stainless steel or any other material suitable to withstand the force applied to the lever  19  and the environmental conditions within the system  10 . The lever comprises a fulcrum (pivot)  25  so that it can actually act as a movable bar that pivots on the fulcrum  25 . So, the lever  19  operates by applying forces at different distances from the fulcrum  25 . According to the law of the lever, if a distance from the fulcrum to where the input force is applied (load end  19   b ) is greater than the distance from the fulcrum to the output force point (force end  19   a ), then the lever amplifies the input force. On the other hand, if the distance from the fulcrum to the input force is less than the distance from the fulcrum to the output force, then the lever reduces the input force. Accordingly, if the distance (a) from the load end  19   b  to the fulcrum  25  is greater than the distance (b) from the force end  19   a  to the fulcrum  25 , then the lever  19  will amplify the input force (energy). So, by using the lever  19 , the system  10  can use less powerful motor  12  that will provide lower input energy to reciprocate the pumps&#39; piston, but at the same time will generate higher output energy (high volume and pressures). Mechanical advantage of the system  10  is given by the ratio of the output force F B  to the input force F A  or the ratio of the distances a/b 
     
       
         
           
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     Force F A  applied to point A is the input energy and the force F B  at point B is the output energy amplified by the lever  19 . Point A is actually defined as a connecting point between the lever  19  and the crank  16  or point at which the motor  12  applies the input force to the lever  19  via the crank  16 . Point B is a connecting point between the lever  19  and the piston&#39;s rod  15 . The lever  19  can comprise a bushing/bearing  27   a  (at point B) to support the hinge  27  of the connecting rod  21  and a bushing/bearing  28   a  (at point A) to support the hinge  28  of the arm  23 . So the mechanical advantage of the system  10  can be optimized by optimizing the size of the lever  19  and more particularly the position of the fulcrum  25  with respect to the load end  19   b  (the load point A), and the force end  19   a  (force point B). 
     The crank  16  and the load connector  22  facilitate the necessary travel of the lever  19  to drive the pump&#39;s pistons. In one implementation the crank  16  can be positioned within the lever-driver housing  18 .  FIG. 4  shows an example of the lever-driver housing  18  accommodating the crank  16 . The crank  16  can comprise an elongated shaft  46  having a first end (input end)  46   a  and a second end  46   b  (see  FIG. 5A ) and a body extending between the ends  46   a  and  46   b . The first (input) end  46   a  can protrude out of the housing  18  and is in communication with the motor  12  so that the motor  12  can provide an input energy to the crank  16  thus rotating the crank shaft  46 . An end plate  48  is secured to an outside wall of the housing  18  to hold the crank  16  within the housing  18 . Another end plate  48  can be provided at the second end  46   b  that can be secured to the inner wall of the housing  18 . A bearing and a seal  47  can be provided to hold the crank  16  and prevent any leakage out of the housing  18 . The housing  18  can be filled with oil to provide sufficient lubrication for the crank  16  during operation of the system  10 . The housing  18  can further comprise a pivot block  40  on which the lever  19  is mounted and connected at the fulcrum  25 . The pivot block  40  can be made of a solid stainless steel or any other suitable material and can comprise at least one lever seat  42  and at least one fulcrum bushing  44 . The lever  19  can be positioned in the lever seat  42  so that the fulcrum  25  of the lever  19  is aligned with the bushings  44 , so that the lever  19  can be secured to the pivot block  40  at the fulcrum point  25 . A pivoting shaft (not shown) is inserted through the bushings  44  and the fulcrum  25  of the lever  19  so that the lever  19  can pivot on the fulcrum  25  and its ends  19   a  and  19   b  can travel up and down of the fulcrum  25 . In the illustrated example, the pivot block comprises three lever seats  42  for accommodating three levers  19  for the three pistons of the triplex pump  14 , however person skilled in the art would understand that fewer or more than three seats  42  can be provided without departing from the scope of the invention.  FIG. 5A  shows a top view of the lever-driver housing  18  with the crank  16 , the lever driver  17  with three levers  19  and the three piston rods  15  protruding out of the pump  14 . The crank  16  can further comprise one or more separating plates  45  connected to the crank shaft  46  to hold the lobe end  24  (see  FIG. 5B ) of the load connector  22 . Each of the separating plates  45  comprises a number of bushings and pins or any other connecting means (not shown) mounted eccentrically on the plate  45  to hold the lobe end  24  of the connecting arm  23  attached to the plate  45 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5A , each of the lobe ends  24  are at pre-defined radial distance them the axis of rotation  50  and at different eccentrical position/direction on the plate  45 , so that when the motor  12  rotates the crank shaft  46  each of the lobes  24  of the load connector  22  are at different position/direction and distance from the axis of rotation  50 . Thus when the crank shaft  46  rotates driven by the motor  12  the load end  19   b  of each of the levers  19  can travel independently one from the other between their respective upper and lower positions with respect to the fulcrum  25 . So, when a load end  19   b  of one lever  19  is in its upper position the load end  19   b  of another lever  19  can be in its lower position and vice versa. 
       FIG. 5B  shows details of an example of the load connector  22  with the arm  23  and the lobe end  24  at one end and a base  52  with two side bars  54  formed at the opposite end. An opening  56  is formed at each of the side bars  54  to receive the hinge  28  to connect the arm  23  to the load end  19   b  of the lever  19 . The bushing/bearing  28   a  of the lever  19  is aligned with the openings  56  to connect the lever  19  to the load connector  22 . The lobe end  24  is secured to the separating plate  45  of the crank  16  so that each of the lobe ends  24  is separated from the neighboring lobe  24  by the plate  45 . This is for illustration purposes only and the load connector  22  can have different design as long as it connects the load end  19   b  of the lever  19  to the crank  16 . 
     In operation, the motor  12  provides an input energy so that the crank shaft  46  of the crank  16  can rotate. As the crank shaft  46  rotates so thus the separating plates  45  and the load connector  22  connected thereon transition up and down during one circular movement of the shaft  46 . So the position of the load end  19   b  and the force end  19   a  of the lever  19  will oscillate between their upper to lower positions in relation to the fulcrum  25  during the rotation of the crank shaft  46 . When the load end  19   b  travels from its lower (downward) position toward its upper position the force end  19   a  travels in opposite direction (from its upper position toward its lower position) and actuates the pump&#39;s piston pushing it downward and forcing the volume trapped within the pump&#39;s chamber through the discharge line and flow restriction. As the load end  19   b  travels from its upper position toward its lower position the force end  19   a  goes toward its upper position opening the pump chamber to the suction line to fill up the chamber with a fluid. Since the distance from the hinge  28  (load point A) to the fulcrum  25  is bigger than the distance between the hinge  27  (force point B) and the fulcrum  25 , the input energy that is applied by the motor  12  is multiplied (in accordance with the law of the lever explained herein above) and the lever  19  driving the pump  14  can apply higher power/torque to the fluid and thus higher pressures can be provided. The volume of the pump can be defined by the size of the pump&#39;s chamber and the distance the piston can travel which can also be control by the length of the lever  19  and the distance “b” at the force end  19   a.    
     The pumping system  10  can further comprise a control system with a pressure sensor (not shown) that is in communication with the pump&#39;s chamber, so that when the outlet valve in the pump  14  is closed the pressure sensor can send a signal to the control system to open the relief valve. The pressure sensor can be any known fast or ultra-fast pressure sensors capable to track pressure change in the pump&#39;s chamber. The relief valve can be a solenoid valve or a piezo valve with a driver that is in electrical communication with the control system. 
     Example of the pumping systems can be used to provide the same effect with less input energy (smaller motors) as the inefficient conventional pressure pumps that are driven with powerful electrical of internal combustions motors. Furthermore, the system  10  can be battery operated/driven so it can be used at places where there is no access to huge electrical supplies or enclosed spaces where combustion engines cannot be used. For example, the system  10  can operate using a 120 V, 15 A battery circuit. 
     While particular elements, embodiments and applications of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it will be understood, that the scope of the disclosure is not limited thereto, since modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. Thus, for example, in any method or process disclosed herein, the acts or operations making up the method/process may be performed in any suitable sequence and are not necessarily limited to any particular disclosed sequence. Elements and components can be configured or arranged differently, combined, and/or eliminated in various embodiments. The various features and processes described above may be used independently of one another, or may be combined in various ways. All possible combinations and subcombinations are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure. Reference throughout this disclosure to “some embodiments,” “an embodiment,” or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, step, process, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in some embodiments,” “in an embodiment,” or the like, throughout this disclosure are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment and may refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, additions, substitutions, equivalents, rearrangements, and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions described herein. 
     Various aspects and advantages of the embodiments have been described where appropriate. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such aspects or advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment. Thus, for example, it should be recognized that the various embodiments may be carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other aspects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. 
     Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without operator input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment. No single feature or group of features is required for or indispensable to any particular embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-ended fashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts, operations, and so forth. Also, the term “or” is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in the list. 
     The example calculations, simulations, results, graphs, values, and parameters of the embodiments described herein are intended to illustrate and not to limit the disclosed embodiments. Other embodiments can be configured and/or operated differently than the illustrative examples described herein.