Plunger Pump Research Articles

Component-Oriented Modeling of a Micro-Scale Organic Rankine Cycle System for Waste Heat Recovery Applications

Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems are some of the most suitable technologies to produce electricity from low-temperature waste heat. In this study, a non-regenerative, micro-scale ORC system was tested in off-design conditions using R134a as the working fluid. The experimental data were then used to tune the semi-empirical models of the main components of the system. Eventually, the models were used in a component-oriented system solver to map the system electric performance at varying operating conditions. The analysis highlighted the non-negligible impact of the plunger pump on the system performance Indeed, the experimental results showed that the low pump efficiency in the investigated operating range can lead to negative net electric power in some working conditions. For most data points, the expander and the pump isentropic efficiencies are found in the approximate ranges of 35% to 55% and 17% to 34%, respectively. Furthermore, the maximum net electric power was about 200 W with a net electric efficiency of about 1.2%, thus also stressing the importance of a proper selection of the pump for waste heat recovery applications.

Tests of a two-stage vortex device for homogenization of milk

The subject of the study is milk homogenization process in the original design two-stage vortex device consisting of two vortex tubes connected with each other in series at a right-angle. The aim of this work is to optimize the operational and geometrical parameters of the vortex tubes relative location, with tubes forming the homogenizing device. Experimental study of the vortex devices was conducted on the basis of an OGZM-1.6 plunger pump with a capacity of 1.6 m3/h, using a milk with fat content of 2.5% at a temperature of 60°C. To assess the quality of the homogenization process, the microscopic examination method was used employing BIOLAR high-resolution microscope with immersion lens (1000 x magnification). Process quality was assessed according to the average size of milk fat globules. Experimental studies have shown that the best result for two-stage homogenization is achieved with the installation of the second vortex tube at an angle of 20° to the horizon with the differential pressure of the first stage 14 MPa and in the second stage – 3 MPa.

Discussion on Case Teaching Method of Mechanical Majors in Petroleum Colleges Under New Situation

At present, new knowledge in the field of mechanical engineering and petroleum equipment is emerging, which puts forward requirements for increasing teaching knowledge points. Engineering education professional certification also requires controlling the theoretical class hours on the premise of student-centered. In order to explore the teaching strategies of mechanical specialty in petroleum industry colleges and universities under this new situation, the new knowledge in the field of mechanical engineering and the frontier development trend in the field of petroleum machinery and equipment are combed, as well as the requirements of the current machinery industry for personnel training are analyzed. The case teaching method of integrating new mechanical engineering knowledge into petroleum machinery professional courses is proposed, which can teach students more knowledge points without increasing the class hours, and train students’ ability to apply multi-disciplinary knowledge to solve complex engineering problems according to professional certification requirements comprehensively. Combined with two courses of the oil and gas field downhole equipment and oil and gas field hydraulic machinery, the teaching case of pipe string with special thread and plunger pump is designed by using the method in this paper, and the practice in the teaching has received a good effect. The study recognizes that the integration of mechanical engineering new knowledge into the course of petroleum machinery specialty and the use of case teaching method can effectively solve the contradiction between the increase of knowledge points and the control of school hours under the new situation, which is conducive to the cultivation of mechanical engineering talents to meet the requirements of industry development. This method can be used as a reference for the training of mechanical professionals in other industrial colleges and universities.

Hydraulic axial plunger pump: gaseous and vaporous cavitation characteristics and optimization method

Gaseous and vaporous cavitation have extremely harmful effects on hydraulic axial plunger pumps, reducing flowrate and increasing flow pulsation. The collapse of vapor bubbles strongly impacts the inner wall and produces many pits. Therefore, it is very important to reduce gaseous and vaporous cavitation to improve the performance of hydraulic axial plunger pumps. In this work, a full cavitation model and a compressible model are used to simulate the two kinds of cavitation, which are validated by a series of experiments. It is found that the vapor and gaseous bubbles in the plunger chamber collapse owing to pressurization caused by the water hammer effect. The results show that a better combination of plunger chamber radius and swash plate angle can reduce the two kinds of cavitation when the theoretical flowrate is unchanged; increasing the angle of the inlet of valve plate can effectively reduce its cavitation and increase the filling mass of plunger chambers; increasing the angle of the relief groove can significantly reduce its vapor and gaseous volume fraction. The results can provide a useful reference for reducing gaseous and vaporous cavitation in the optimization and design of hydraulic axial plunger pumps.

РАЗРАБОТКА МОБИЛЬНОГО КОНТРОЛЬНО-ДИАГНОСТИЧЕСКОГО УСТРОЙСТВА

Service and repair of operating and servicing organizations are largely equipped with outdated, low-power, highly specialized bench equipment from former specialized enterprises and do not always meet the technical requirements of the manufacturer, especially for conducting quality control programs for the repair of powerful and modern tractors. These circumstances together reduce the reliability of the obtained diagnostic parameters and may lead to the risk of errors in determining the technical readiness of the repaired equipment, in particular, internal combustion engines, transmission units and chassis, hydraulic drive. (Research purpose) The research purpose is in developing a mobile control and diagnostic device for monitoring the power and fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine, as well as the quality of repair of hydrostatic transmission and hydraulic drive units. (Materials and methods) The article presents an analysis of scientific works on improving methods for diagnosing energy indicators of mobile agricultural machinery, as well as conducted extensive research on the use of axial plunger pumps and throttling the flow of liquid injected by them with a constant and variable cross-section throttle for engine braking. (Results and discussion) Authors developed an experimental model of a mobile control and diagnostic device and experimentally tested the methods for determining its parameters and control and diagnostic operations. (Conclusions) The use of the proposed mobile control and diagnostic device will eliminate excessive fuel consumption by tractors when reducing the effective power of their internal combustion engines below the permissible limits, and will also allow the diagnosis of hydrostatic transmission units in the conditions of agricultural and service enterprises and exclude the sending of serviceable units with unused resources for repair.

Correlative Characteristics of Leakage and Structural Factors in Multistage Soft Plunger Pump

Correlative Characteristics of Leakage and Structural Factors in Multistage Soft Plunger Pump

Making precious metals cheap: A sonoelectrochemical – Hydrodynamic cavitation method to recycle platinum group metals from spent automotive catalysts

Platinum group metals, such as Pd and Pt, found in three-way catalyst converters were recycled in a two-step method: hydrodynamic cavitation followed by sonoelectrochemical dissolution. High shear forces were obtained by using a convergent nozzle with a throat diameter of 0.2 mm, feeded by a plunger pump at a pressure of 60 MPa. Cavitating submerged jets acted locally on the water dispersed waste catalyst. As-obtained samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Electron microscopy on the initial sample showed that round shaped Pd and Pt nanoparticles were randomly distributed on the Al2O3 matrix. Cavitated samples show two zones in which Pt and Pd were partially and completely separated from the cordierite. The hydrodynamic cavitation separates the Pd and Pt from the cordierite leading to an apparent increase in Pd and Pt concentrations of 9% and 34% respectively. Conventional electrochemistry showed a dissolution of 20% in 1 h. To further accelerate the dissolution, a sonotrode operating at 20 kHz and 75 W was placed inside an electrochemical cell in order to increase the mass transport and obtain high dissolution rates. Indeed, the results showed that 40% of the available Pd and Pt can be recycled in just 1 h. In the absence of hydrodynamic cavitation and using conventional electrochemistry less than 10% of the available Pt and Pd is recovered in 1 h. The cost analysis showed that Pd and Pt can be recovered at less than 10 EUR per g which is 5 times smaller than their current market price.

Method of calculating pneumatic compensators for plunger pumps with submersible drive

One of the most promising ways to improve the efficiency of mechanized oil production is a plunger pump with a submersible drive, which allows obtaining harmonic reciprocating movement of the plunger. In the pumping process of well products by plunger pumps, oscillations in the velocity and pressure of the liquid in the lifting pipes occur, which lead to an increase in cyclic variable loads on the plunger, a decrease in the drive life period and the efficiency of the pumping unit. 
 To eliminate the pulsation characteristics of the plunger pump and increase the reliability indicators of the pumping unit (in particular, the overhaul period), pneumatic compensators can be used. A method for calculating the optimal technological parameters of a system of deep pneumatic compensators for plunger pumping units with a submersible drive, based on mathematical modeling of hydrodynamic processes in pipes, has been developed.
 Calculations of the forming flow velocity and pressure in the lifting pipes of submersible plunger units equipped with pneumatic compensators (PC) have been carried out. Influence of the PC technological parameters on the efficiency of smoothing the oscillations of velocity and pressure in the pipes has been analyzed. Non-linear influence of the charging pressure and PC total volume on the efficiency of their work has been established. Optimal pressure of PC charging, corresponding to the minimum pressure in the tubing during the pumping cycle for the considered section of the tubing, is substantiated. 
 Two ultimate options of PC system placement along the lifting pipes are considered. In the first option, PC are placed sequentially directly at the outlet of the plunger pump, in the second - evenly along the lift. It is shown that the first option provides the minimum amplitude of pressure oscillations at the lower end of the tubing and, accordingly, variable loads on the pump plunger. Nature of the pressure and flow velocity oscillations in the tubing at the wellhead for both options of PC placement has similar values.

Simulation modelling of the pumping station with a high-speed motor

Using a quadripole network, a model has been built for a metalworking-machine pump unit consisting of a triple plunger pump. It is shown that the use of a high-speed electric motor may lead to the appearance of resonance with a pump-unit manifold, and as a result, the equipment for pulsations control fails to operate effectively. To solve the problem it is necessary either to update the pump manifold in order to change its oscillation eigenfrequency or to use a different motor speed.

Effect of compound texture on lubrication and sealing performance of plunger pump

AbstractA type of compound texture combining micro‐dimple and variable‐depth groove was designed to improve sealing performance and reduce wear of the plunger couple in diesel engine. The simulation results indicate that moderate oil film thickness can be produced by compound texture to settle the lack of lubrication of groove mode. Meanwhile, higher hydrodynamic pressure is produced to improve sealing performance of a plunger couple, tackling the problem of relatively high leakage of micro‐dimple mode. The compound texture was fabricated on the plunger surface by laser surface texturing (LST) and the test results confirmed the improvement of lubrication and sealing performance. The basic tribological test result shows that that the deepest wear depth and average roughness were reduced by 72.4% and 22.6%, respectively. Meanwhile, the engine bench test result shows that the amount of fuel leakage was reduced by 73.1% as well.

Application of profile joints of various types and standard sizes

The features of the use of profile connections in small-sized pumping units and large-size prefabricated railway wheels are considered. Keywords RC-profile, profile curve, diameter, plunger pump, railway wheel. somovAii@Yandex.ru

Neck-spinning quality analysis and optimization of process parameters for plunger components: Simulation and experimental study

The plunger component is a key part of the plunger pump in the aircraft hydraulic system. Neck-spinning process is commonly used to fabricate plunger components, of which the quality of the spinning process significantly affects the performance of plunger pumps. One of the bottlenecks faced by the industry in the spinning process is to choose a suitable neck-spinning process so as to ensure the quality of plunger components. It is necessary to propose a reliable method to optimize the process parameters which affect the neck-spinning quality of plunger components. In this study, a calculable finite element analysis (FEA) model is established to simulate the three-roller neck-spinning process of the plunger component, which includes six typical slipper structures, two roller structures, and two spinning parameters. The FEA model is then validated by comparing the simulated spinning forces with the corresponding experimental results. The influence of the process conditions on the neck-spinning quality is investigated. And the orthogonal simulation results are analyzed by a combination of range method and fuzzy mathematical analysis method to recommend a reasonable slipper structure, roller structure and neck-spinning parameters. This study provides a promising method to improve the manufacturing quality of the typical plunger components.

Interpretable Anomaly Prediction: Predicting anomalous behavior in industry 4.0 settings via regularized logistic regression tools

Prediction of anomalous behavior in industrial assets based on sensor reading represents a key focus in modern business practice. As a matter of fact, forecast of forthcoming faults is crucial to implement predictive maintenance, i.e. maintenance decision making based on real time information from components and systems, which allows, among other benefits, to reduce maintenance cost, minimize downtime, increase safety, enhance product quality and productivity. However, building a model able to predict the future occurrence of a failure is challenging for various reasons. First, data are usually highly imbalanced, meaning that patterns describing a faulty regime are much less numerous than normal behavior instances, which makes model design difficult. Second, model predictions should be not only accurate (to avoid false alarms and missed detections) but also explainable to operators responsible for scheduling maintenance or control actions. In this paper we introduce a method called Interpretable Anomaly Prediction (IAP) allowing to handle these issues by using regularized logistic regression as core prediction model. In particular, in contrast to anomaly detection algorithms which permit to identify if the current data are anomalous or not, the proposed technique is able to predict the probability that future data will be abnormal. Furthermore, feature extraction and selection mechanisms give insights on the possible root causes leading to failures. The proposed strategy is validated with a large imbalanced multivariate time-series dataset consisting of measurements of several process variables surrounding an high pressure plunger pump situated in a complex chemical plant.

Reliability parameter estimation of repairable systems with imperfect maintenance, repair and overhaul

PurposeIndustries generally require good maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities. Maintenance activities at MRO cover the normal scheduled check-ups known as scheduled preventive maintenance (SPM) whereas an overhaul reviews and rejuvenates the complete system at a scheduled time. The literature is reasonably stocked with reliability modelling of repairable systems considering both the corrective maintenance (CM) and SPM as imperfect. However, in all these situations the overhaul is modelled as perfect repair. Thus, the purpose of this research paper is to develop a mathematical model for the estimation of reliability parameters considering the complete MRO as imperfect.Design/methodology/approachThe paper proposes arithmetic reduction of age (Kijima I) based virtual age model to estimate reliability parameters by considering the complete MRO as imperfect and provides the likelihood and log-likelihood functions for parameter estimation of the proposed model and also presents the various extensions of the proposed model.FindingsFor analysis, two real-time data sets of two components, i.e. turbostarter and plunger pump are considered. The analysis mainly focuses on intensity function and availability of components. The availability analysis of the components directly affects the cost analysis. It is very important to analyze the realistic trend of availability, and the comparative analysis shows that the assumption of perfect overhaul overestimates and minimal overhaul underestimates the performance of the components whereas assumption of imperfect overhaul portraits more sensible deteriorating and availability trend of the components.Originality/valueThe proposed methodology in this paper is a novice and not available in the literature.

Research on Power Matching and Energy Optimal Control of Active Load-Sensitive Electro-Hydrostatic Actuator

Electro-hydrostatic actuator (EHA) is an important type of power-by-wire (PBW) which is a highly integrated closed volume control system with the advantages of high reliability, high efficiency and easy maintenance. However, under heavy load conditions, a large amount of heat the EHA motor produces affects the system’s working time and even the system life, which restricts the widespread application of EHA systems. In order to solve the problem of motor heating and the contradiction between high dynamics and high efficiency of the EHA system, a novel active load-sensitive principle and structure of EHA system is proposed based on the load-sensitive principle. The active load-sensitive EHA (ALS-EHA) is a dual control variable system consisting of a motor pump main loop and a load-sensitive loop. As for the latter, the system load pressure is introduced into a special designed and optimized pressure fellow valve (PFV). The valve outlet is connected to the plunger pump swash plate variable mechanism. The EHA pump displacement is actively adjusted by controlling the current input to PFV. The two-degree-of-freedom cooperative control for the output flow of the pump can be implemented by adjusting the motor speed and the pump displacement. An energy optimal robust control law based on fuzzy and disturbance compensation is presented for the control architecture. The simulation results show that the ALS-EHA system based on the control law proposed in this paper can effectively reduce the motor heat while ensuring the dynamic performance of the system.

Simulation and research of one-way valve Piston Pump based on AMESim

Plunger pump is the main pressure source in high pressure hydraulic system, the inclination Angle of the swash plate in the plunger pump is one of the main factors affecting the performance and efficiency of the hydraulic system. This paper deeply analyzes the swash plate Angle and the plunger form on the influence of the plunger pump flow and pressure, theoretical analysis, numerical calculation and AMESim simulation were used to analyze and compare the flow and pressure of the plunger pump under different conditions, and the pressure flow curve of the plunger pump was obtained, which laid a foundation for the structural design and pressure flow characteristics of the plunger pump.

HYDRODYNAMICS OF GAS-LIQUID FLOW IN THE TUBING OF ROD PUMP INSTALLATIONS

During the operation of rod installations, pressure oscillations occur in the pump and compressor pipes due to the influence of hydrodynamic friction and inertia forces under conditions of uneven supply of the plunger pump during the pumping cycle. Pressure oscillations have a negative impact on the operation of pumping units: they lead to an increase in loads on pumping equipment components, the rate of fatigue wear of pumping rods, etc. Promising direction for improving the efficiency of rod installations is the development of methods and technologies for reducing pressure oscillations in pumping pipes. To smooth out pressure oscillations, pneumatic compensators are used. Pneumatic compensators are designed to equalize the speed of the liquid in the pipes. A mathematical model of the unsteady flow of gas-liquid flow in the pumping pipes of rod installations has been developed. By modeling the pumping of products with different rheological properties (differing in water content, viscosity, and compressibility), the features of pressure dynamics in the lower end of the tubing and in the flushing line at the wellhead are analyzed to assess the potential efficiency of placing wellhead (located in the flushing line at the mouth) and deep (located in the lower part of the tubing) pneumatic compensators. By modeling the pumping of high-viscosity oil it is shown that the maximum pressure at the wellhead and the lower end of the tubing is achieved in different half-cycles of the plunger (at the mouth of the upstroke, at the lower end of the tubing - at moving down) that is associated with the influence of relative movement of the rods and fluid on the formation pressure in the tubing. As a result, when pumping out high viscosity products, the wellhead pneumatic compensator reduces the component of the maximum load on the balancer head due to the hydrodynamic friction of the liquid when it moves in the collector, while the deep one reduces the load of hydrodynamic friction acting on the rod column and ensures free movement of the rods downwards. It is shown that when pumping low-viscosity oil with a high gas content, the amplitude of pressure oscillations is small and in the considered examples does not exceed 0.02 MPa. The influence of inertia forces that are crucial for pumping high-water oil is analyzed. Calculations show that the amplitude of pressure oscillations at the mouth is about 70 % of the amplitude of oscillations at the lower end of the tubing, which allows using wellhead pneumatic compensators to reduce the component of pressure pulsations in the tubing caused by the forces of inertia when the fluid moves in the reservoir.

System Design and Characteristic Analysis of Intelligent Follow-up Hydraulic Muffler

The pulsating flow output of plunger pump will produce pressure pulsation after flowing through the pipeline. Using hydraulic muffler to attenuate the pressure pulsation of the pipeline is an economical, reliable and easy to implement method. Intelligent follow-up hydraulic muffler, which adapts to pressure pulsation changing at any time by changing its own parameters, has become a research hotspot. Intelligent follow-up hydraulic muffler can accurately and effectively attenuate the pressure pulsation of the system and maximize the attenuation performance of the hydraulic muffler. The structure and performance of the existing intelligent follow-up hydraulic muffler are mainly introduced. The general methods, principles, advantages and disadvantages of intelligent follow-up hydraulic muffler design are summarized. On this basis, the development trend of intelligent hydraulic muffler is predicted and prospected.

MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF A ROD INSTALLATION WITH A WELLHEAD PNEUMATIC COMPENSATOR FOR HIGH-VISCOSITY OIL PUMPING

Maintaining the profitability of oil fields entering the final stage of development is largely determined by improving oil production techniques and technologies. Currently, due to the growth of hard-to-recover reserves, an urgent task is to develop technical means to improve the efficiency of high-viscosity oil production, in particular, when wells are operated with rod pumping units. One of the most promising ways to solve this problem are pneumatic compensators (РС) - devices that allow to reduce the hydrodynamic friction loads acting on the plunger and rod column by smoothing the pressure and flow rate fluctuations in pumping pipes. Based on numerical modeling, hydrodynamic processes are studied in the pumping pipes of rod installations equipped with wellhead (located on the surface and connected with the switch line) and deep (located in the tubing cavity) pneumatic compensators. A mathematical model of non-stationary fluid flow in pumping pipes and a switch line of a rod installation equipped with pneumatic compensators has been developed. The mechanisms of operation of the wellhead and deep PC are analyzed. It is shown that the PC wellhead allows to significantly smooth out fluctuations in the flow rate at the wellhead during the pumping cycle, thereby reducing the amplitude of pressure fluctuations at the wellhead and in the tubing, hence, the load on the pump plunger and the rod column when the plunger goes up. When working with a deep PC, its working chamber receives liquid when the plunger moves down, which reduces the speed of the liquid in the pumping pipes and the force of hydrodynamic friction of the pumping rods against the liquid. Theoretical dynamograms of the rod installation equipped with pneumatic compensators are constructed. It is shown that due to a combination of effects, characterizing the operation of wellhead and in-depth PC (reducing the load on the plunger when the plunger stroke up to the wellhead of the PC, reducing the hydrodynamic friction force of the rod on the fluid when the plunger stroke down to the deep PC) placement system of pneumocompensators in the pumping pipe and wellhead allows to maximize the efficiency of their work: to increase the minimum and decrease the maximum load on the sucker-rod column and the head balancer to reduce tension in the rods.

A New Starting Curve Based on Acceleration and Deceleration Theory of Stepping Motor

This paper makes a comprehensive analysis of various research methods to improve the sampling accuracy of automatic biochemical analyzer, and confirms that the starting mode of plunger pump is taken as the research object to improve the sampling accuracy. A new type of S-curve is designed based on the S-curve proposed by acceleration and deceleration theory. This new type of curve ensures high precision sample addition by accurately controlling the plunger pump to run the same distance in each step of the stepping motor. In order to confirm the validity of the new S-curve, an experimental platform was established to compare the confirming that the optimized S-curve can obviously improve the stability of the sample addition result.