Reciprocating pump and method for making a system with enhanced dynamic seal reliability

Abstract

A pressure pump may include a reciprocating assembly including a dynamic seal configured to be in sliding contact with a surface. The surface may be implanted with positive ions such as hydrogen ions/protons to provided reduced wear and/or greater service life of the dynamic seal. According to embodiments, a pump may include an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene dynamic seal may substantially fixed relative to a cylinder wall, and a proton impregnated reciprocating plunger may pump high pressure water or a water based fluid in a system. The pump may exhibit increased dynamic seal life.

1 . A reciprocating pump, comprising:
 a block defining a compression volume having a cylinder wall;   a compression member configured to reciprocate in the compression volume; and   a dynamic seal including a high molecular weight aliphatic polymer in a substantially fixed position relative to the cylinder wall and substantially in sliding contact with the compression member to substantially seal a gap between the compression member and the cylinder wall to maintain pressure in the compression volume;   wherein the compression member in sliding contact with the dynamic seal includes a positive ion-doped surface.   
     
     
         2 . The reciprocating pump of  claim 1 , wherein the positive ion-doped surface is a proton-doped surface. 
     
     
         3 . The reciprocating pump of  claim 2 , wherein the proton-doped surface includes enhanced proton concentration substantially through a wear depth of the surface. 
     
     
         4 . The reciprocating pump of  claim 2 , wherein the proton-doped surface is configured to increase the wear life of the dynamic seal by at least 50% compared to a reciprocating pump having the compression member in sliding contact with the dynamic seal not including a proton-doped surface. 
     
     
         5 . The reciprocating pump of  claim 4 , wherein the proton-doped surface is configured to increase the wear life of the dynamic seal by at least 100% compared to a reciprocating pump having the compression member in sliding contact with the dynamic seal not including a proton-doped surface. 
     
     
         6 . The reciprocating pump of  claim 2 , wherein the proton-doped surface includes at least one maximum proton concentration at a specified depth from the surface. 
     
     
         7 . The reciprocating pump of  claim 6 , wherein the proton-doped surface includes a multimodal proton concentration distribution substantially through a wear depth from the surface. 
     
     
         8 . The reciprocating pump of  claim 7 , wherein the proton-doped surface includes a bimodal or trimodal proton concentration. 
     
     
         9 . The reciprocating pump of  claim 7 , wherein the proton-doped surface includes a bimodal proton concentration distribution having peak concentrations between about zero Angstroms and 6000 Angstroms from the surface. 
     
     
         10 . The reciprocating pump of  claim 2 , wherein the proton-doped surface includes at least one peak proton concentration of at least 0.05 atomic percentage. 
     
     
         11 . The reciprocating pump of  claim 1 , wherein the high molecular weight aliphatic polymer includes ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. 
     
     
         12 . The reciprocating pump of  claim 1 , wherein the compression member includes a plunger having substantially fixed diameter along a reciprocating stroke length. 
     
     
         13 . The reciprocating pump of  claim 1 , wherein the compression member is fabricated to include a hard material(s) with a positive ion-doped surface. 
     
     
         14 . The reciprocating pump of  claim 1 , wherein the compression member includes a polished plunger formed to include at least one of; diamond, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, aluminum oxide (alumina), tungsten carbide, cubic boron carbide, boron carbide, titanium diboride, titanium carbide, zirconium carbide, tungsten carbide or a boride treated material. 
     
     
         15 . The reciprocating pump of  claim 1 , wherein the compression member includes a ceramic plunger having substantially constant diameter and a hydrogen ion implanted surface; and
 wherein the dynamic seal includes an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene material held in a substantially fixed position relative to the cylinder wall and substantially in sliding contact with the plunger.   
     
     
         16 . A method for making all or a part of a reciprocating system with enhanced dynamic seal reliability, comprising:
 providing a part including a sliding surface configured to slide in substantial contact with a high molecular weight aliphatic polymer dynamic seal; and   placing the part under vacuum and bombarding at least a portion of the sliding surface with hydrogen ions to produce a proton doped sliding surface.   
     
     
         17 . The method for making all or a part of a reciprocating system with enhanced dynamic seal reliability of  claim 16 , wherein the part is placed under vacuum and bombarded with hydrogen ions to dope the sliding surface of the part to a depth corresponding to a wear depth. 
     
     
         18 . The method for making all or a part of a reciprocating system with enhanced dynamic seal reliability of  claim 17 , wherein the hydrogen ions are electrically or magnetically accelerated to produce the proton-doped surface including a multimodal proton concentration distribution extending substantially through the wear depth of the sliding surface. 
     
     
         19 . The method for making all or a part of a reciprocating system with enhanced dynamic seal reliability of  claim 17 , wherein the proton-doped surface includes a bimodal or trimodal proton concentration. 
     
     
         20 . The method for making all or a part of a reciprocating system with enhanced dynamic seal reliability of  claim 17 , wherein the proton-doped surface includes a bimodal proton concentration distribution having peak proton concentrations between about zero Angstroms and 6000 Angstroms from the surface. 
     
     
         21 . The method for making all or a part of a reciprocating system with enhanced dynamic seal reliability of  claim 17 , wherein the proton-doped surface includes at least one peak proton concentration of at least 0.05 atomic percentage. 
     
     
         22 . The method for making all or a part of a reciprocating system with enhanced dynamic seal reliability of  claim 16 , wherein placing the part under vacuum and bombarding at least a portion of the sliding surface with hydrogen ions to produce a proton doped sliding surface includes:
 placing the part in a vacuum chamber;   pumping down the vacuum chamber to a vacuum; and   accelerating positive hydrogen ions toward the part at an energy of greater than about 25 keV.   
     
     
         23 . The method for making all or a part of a reciprocating system with enhanced dynamic seal reliability of  claim 22 , wherein placing the part under vacuum and bombarding at least a portion of the sliding surface with hydrogen ions to produce a proton doped sliding surface includes:
 while under vacuum, rotating the part, rotating a source of hydrogen ions, providing plural sources of hydrogen ions, or sequentially energizing a plurality of sources of hydrogen ions to dope a non-planar sliding surface of the part.   
     
     
         24 . The method for making all or a part of a reciprocating system with enhanced dynamic seal reliability of  claim 22 , wherein placing the part under vacuum and bombarding at least a portion of the sliding surface with hydrogen ions to produce a proton doped sliding surface includes:
 accelerating positive hydrogen ions toward the part to produce a dosage of 0.25×10 15  ions per square centimeter or greater.   
     
     
         25 . The method for making all or a part of a reciprocating system with enhanced dynamic seal reliability of  claim 22 , wherein placing the part under vacuum and bombarding at least a portion of the sliding surface with hydrogen ions to produce a proton doped sliding surface includes:
 accelerating positive hydrogen ions toward the part at an energy of between 25 keV and 150 keV.   
     
     
         26 . The method for making all or a part of a reciprocating system with enhanced dynamic seal reliability of  claim 16 , wherein the part includes a piston or plunger. 
     
     
         27 . The method for making all or a part of a reciprocating system with enhanced dynamic seal reliability of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 assembling the part with other parts of a reciprocating system including a high molecular weight aliphatic hydrocarbon dynamic seal in sliding contact with the part.   
     
     
         28 . The method for making all or a part of a reciprocating system with enhanced dynamic seal reliability of  claim 27 , wherein the high molecular weight aliphatic hydrocarbon dynamic seal includes ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene. 
     
     
         29 . The method for making all or a part of a reciprocating system with enhanced dynamic seal reliability of  claim 16 , wherein the compression member includes a polished plunger formed to include at least one of; diamond, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, aluminum oxide (alumina), tungsten carbide, cubic boron carbide, boron carbide, titanium diboride, titanium carbide, zirconium carbide, tungsten carbide or a boride treated material. 
     
     
         30 . A fluid jet system, comprising:
 a nozzle configured to emit a fluid jet; and   a reciprocating pressure pump configured to supply fluid to the nozzle, the reciprocating pressure pump including one or more cylinders, an ultra high molecular weigh polyethylene dynamic seal coupled to each of the one or more cylinders, and a hydrogen ion impregnated plunger configured to reciprocate in each of the one or more cylinders in sliding contact with the dynamic seal.