Discharge heads with bent supporting legs for vertical pumps

Abstract

Discharge heads with bent supporting legs for vertical pumps are described. A discharge head, according to examples, with bent supporting legs for vertical pump systems allows substantially reduced footprint (i.e., bottom plate size) and weight of discharge head without compromising torsional rigidity and structural integrity. The bent supporting legs coupling the mounting interface and the bottom plate and further connected through orthogonal stabilizers create a monocoque type frame. The reduction in the size of the bottom plate and (and thereby, the weight) allows utilization of valuable space in rig applications for other systems while preserving structural resonance, torsional rigidity performances.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A discharge head for vertical pump systems, the discharge head comprising:
 a mounting interface to place a motor;   a central plate positioned substantially centrally between the mounting interface and a bottom plate;   a discharge pipe to provide an elbow transition from below-surface piping to above-surface piping, the discharge pipe comprising a vertical portion that couples to the central plate and a horizontal portion coupled to a discharge flange;   a plurality of supporting legs to couple the mounting interface to the bottom plate, wherein each supporting leg has an inward bent shape and the supporting legs are distributed substantially equally around a perimeter of the mounting interface and the bottom plate;   a plurality of stabilizers, wherein each stabilizer is horizontally coupled between the central plate and each supporting leg; and   the bottom plate to couple the vertical portion of the discharge pipe with the below-surface piping.   
     
     
         2 . The discharge head of  claim 1 , wherein
 each supporting leg has a first straight portion coupled to the mounting interface, a second straight portion coupled to the bottom plate, and a bend portion coupling the first straight portion and the second straight portion, and   each stabilizer is coupled to a corresponding supporting leg at the bend portion.   
     
     
         3 . The discharge head of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of a length, a thickness, or a bend angle of each supporting leg is determined based on one or more of a size of the mounting interface, a weight of the motor, a strength of the motor, a size of the below-surface piping, a size of the above-surface piping, or a reduction of a size of the bottom plate and a length of the horizontal portion of the discharge pipe. 
     
     
         4 . The discharge head of  claim 3 , wherein a location of the bend portion of each supporting leg is determined based on a reduction of a size of the bottom plate and a length of the horizontal portion of the discharge pipe. 
     
     
         5 . The discharge head of  claim 1 , wherein
 the plurality of supporting legs includes four supporting legs, and   the plurality of stabilizers includes four stabilizers.   
     
     
         6 . The discharge head of  claim 1 , wherein
 one or more of the mounting interface, the supporting legs, the central plate, the bottom plate, the stabilizers, or the discharge pipe are coupled together through one or more of welding or nut/bolt pairs, and   one or more of the mounting interface or the bottom plate have an “O” ring shape, a square shape, a rectangular shape, a solid circle shape, or an elliptical shape.   
     
     
         7 . The discharge head of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the supporting legs or the stabilizers are solid or hollow. 
     
     
         8 . The discharge head of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the mounting interface, the supporting legs, the central plate, the bottom plate, the stabilizers, or the discharge pipe are made from metal or metal allow materials. 
     
     
         9 . A vertical pump system comprising:
 a motor to drive impellers;   below-surface piping that contains one or more impellers;   above-surface piping to receive pumped liquids from the below-surface piping; and   a discharge head to provide the pumped liquids from the below-surface piping to the above-surface piping, the discharge head comprising:
 a mounting interface to place the motor; 
 a central plate positioned substantially centrally between the mounting interface and a bottom plate; 
 a discharge pipe to provide an elbow transition from the below-surface piping to the above-surface piping, the discharge pipe comprising a vertical portion that connects to the central plate and a horizontal portion coupled to a discharge flange; 
 a plurality of supporting legs to couple the mounting interface to the bottom plate, wherein each supporting leg has an inward bent shape and the supporting legs are distributed substantially equally around a perimeter of the mounting interface and the bottom plate; 
 a plurality of stabilizers, wherein each stabilizer is horizontally coupled between the central plate and each supporting leg; and 
 the bottom plate to couple the vertical portion of the discharge pipe with the below-surface piping. 
   
     
     
         10 . The vertical pump system of  claim 9 , wherein the below-surface piping contains multiple stages of impellers. 
     
     
         11 . The vertical pump system of  claim 9 , wherein
 each supporting leg has a first straight portion coupled to the mounting interface, a second straight portion coupled to the bottom plate, and a bend portion coupling the first straight portion and the second straight portion, and   each stabilizer is coupled to a corresponding supporting leg at the bend portion.   
     
     
         12 . The vertical pump system of  claim 9 , wherein one or more of a length, a thickness, or a bend angle of each supporting leg is determined based on one or more of a size of the mounting interface, a weight of the motor, a strength of the motor, a size of the below-surface piping, a size of the above-surface piping, or a reduction of a size of the bottom plate and a length of the horizontal portion of the discharge pipe. 
     
     
         13 . The vertical pump system of  claim 12 , wherein a location of the bend portion of each supporting leg is determined based on a reduction of a size of the bottom plate and a length of the horizontal portion of the discharge pipe. 
     
     
         14 . The vertical pump system of  claim 9 , wherein
 the plurality of supporting legs includes four supporting legs, and   the plurality of stabilizers includes four stabilizers.   
     
     
         15 . The vertical pump system of  claim 9 , wherein
 one or more of the mounting interface, the supporting legs, the central plate, the bottom plate, the stabilizers, or the discharge pipe are coupled together through one or more of welding or nut/bolt pairs, and   one or more of the mounting interface or the bottom plate have an “O” ring shape, a square shape, a rectangular shape, a solid circle shape, or an elliptical shape.   
     
     
         16 . The vertical pump system of  claim 9 , wherein one or more of the supporting legs or the stabilizers are solid or hollow. 
     
     
         17 . The vertical pump system of  claim 9 , wherein one or more of the mounting interface, the supporting legs, the central plate, the bottom plate, the stabilizers, or the discharge pipe are made from metal or metal allow materials. 
     
     
         18 . A method for manufacturing a discharge head for vertical pump systems, the method comprising:
 forming a mounting interface to place a motor based on one or more of a size, a strength, or a weight of the motor;   determining one or more of a length, a thickness, or a bend angle of each supporting leg based on one or more of a size of the mounting interface, a weight of the motor, a strength of the motor, a size of below-surface piping, or a size of above-surface piping;   forming a plurality of supporting legs to couple the mounting interface to a bottom plate, wherein each supporting leg has an inward bent shape and the supporting legs are distributed substantially equally around a perimeter of the mounting interface and the bottom plate;   forming a plurality of stabilizers to be horizontally coupled between a central plate and each supporting leg;   forming a central plate to be positioned substantially centrally between the mounting interface and the bottom plate;   forming a discharge pipe to provide an elbow transition from the below-surface piping to the above-surface piping;   forming the bottom plate; and   assembling the mounting interface, the supporting legs, the central plate, the bottom plate, the stabilizers, and the discharge pipe together through one or more of welding or nut/bolt pairs.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 further determining the one or more of the length, the thickness, or the bend angle of each supporting leg based on one or more of a structural resonance analysis or a torsional rigidity analysis.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 further determining the one or more of the length, the thickness, or the bend angle of each supporting leg based on one or more of a pump downthrust, nozzle forces, and moments.