Fluid pump housing section having one or more joining flanges collectively extending along a substantial percentage of a circumference thereof

Abstract

Provided is a fluid pump housing section, a pumping system, and a method for forming a fluid pump housing. The fluid pump housing section, in one aspect, includes a main plate, the main plate having a circumference, as well as a thickness (t) defining a first side edge and a second opposing side edge, and one or more transverse openings located through the thickness (t) of the main plate. The fluid pump housing section, according to this aspect, further includes one or more joining flanges extending from the first side edge of the main plate, the one or more joining flanges collectively extending along at least 60 percent of the circumference.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A fluid pump housing section, comprising:
 a main plate, the main plate having a circumference, as well as a thickness (t) defining a first side edge and a second opposing side edge;   one or more transverse openings located through the thickness (t) of the main plate; and   one or more joining flanges extending from the first side edge of the main plate, the one or more joining flanges collectively extending along at least 60 percent of the circumference.   
     
     
         2 . The fluid pump housing section as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more joining flanges collectively extend along at least 75 percent of the circumference. 
     
     
         3 . The fluid pump housing section as recited in  claim 2 , wherein a single one of the one or more joining flanges individually extends along at least 50 percent of the circumference. 
     
     
         4 . The fluid pump housing section as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more joining flanges collectively extend along at least 90 percent of the circumference. 
     
     
         5 . The fluid pump housing section as recited in  claim 4 , wherein a single one of the one or more joining flanges individually extends along at least 75 percent of the circumference. 
     
     
         6 . The fluid pump housing section as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more joining flanges is a single joining flange that extends along at least 90 percent of the circumference. 
     
     
         7 . The fluid pump housing section as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more flanges form a first circumferential weld profile, and further wherein at least 60 percent of the first circumferential weld profile is in a same first plane. 
     
     
         8 . The fluid pump housing as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more joining flanges have a first similarly shaped groove at a first outer edge of the one or more joining flanges or at a second opposing inner edge of the one or more flanges, the first similarly shaped grooves forming a reduced thickness weld profile for obtaining a full penetration weld when coupling two adjacent fluid pump housing sections together to form a fluid pump housing. 
     
     
         9 . The fluid pump housing section as recited in  claim 1 , further including one or more second joining flanges extending from the second side edge of the main plate, the one or more second joining flanges collectively extending along at least 60 percent of the circumference. 
     
     
         10 . The fluid pump housing section as recited in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more transverse openings is a crank shaft bore. 
     
     
         11 . A pumping system, comprising:
 a fluid pump, the fluid pump having a fluid pump housing, the fluid pump housing including two or more fluid pump housing sections, each fluid pump housing section including:
 a main plate, the main plate having a circumference, as well as a thickness (t) defining a first side edge and a second opposing side edge; 
 one or more transverse openings located through the thickness (t) of the main plate; and 
 one or more joining flanges extending from the first side edge of the main plate, the one or more joining flanges collectively extending along at least 60 percent of the circumference; and 
   a gearbox coupled to the fluid pump housing, the gearbox configured to rotate a crank shaft located within the fluid pump housing to move a servicing fluid therethrough.   
     
     
         12 . The pumping system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the fluid pump includes a power section and a fluid section, and further wherein the fluid pump housing is located in the power section. 
     
     
         13 . The pumping system as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the crank shaft is located in the transverse opening. 
     
     
         14 . The pumping system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the one or more joining flanges collectively extend along at least 75 percent of the circumference. 
     
     
         15 . The pumping system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the one or more joining flanges collectively extend along at least 90 percent of the circumference. 
     
     
         16 . The pumping system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the one or more joining flanges is a single joining flange that extends along at least 90 percent of the circumference. 
     
     
         17 . The pumping system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the one or more joining flanges have a first similarly shaped groove at a first outer edge of the one or more joining flanges or at a second opposing inner edge of the one or more flanges, the first similarly shaped grooves forming a reduced thickness weld profile for obtaining a full penetration weld when coupling two adjacent fluid pump housing sections together to form the fluid pump housing. 
     
     
         18 . The pumping system as recited in  claim 11 , further including one or more second joining flanges extending from the second side edge of the main plate, the one or more second joining flanges collectively extending along at least 60 percent of the circumference. 
     
     
         19 . The pumping system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the fluid pump housing section is a first fluid pump housing, and further including second and third fluid pump housing sections coupled with the first fluid pump housing section to form the fluid pump housing, the second and third fluid pump housing sections each including:
 another main plate, the another main plate having another circumference, as well as another thickness (t) defining another first side edge and another second opposing side edge;   another one or more transverse openings located through the another thickness (t) of the another main plate; and   another one or more joining flanges extending from the another first side edge of the another main plate, the another one or more joining flanges collectively extending along at least 60 percent of the another circumference.   
     
     
         20 . A method for forming a fluid pump housing, comprising:
 providing a first fluid pump housing section, the first fluid pump housing section including:
 a first main plate, the first main plate having a first circumference, as well as a first thickness (t) defining a first side edge and a first opposing side edge; 
 one or more first transverse openings located through the first thickness (t) of the first main plate; and 
 one or more first joining flanges extending from the first side edge of the first main plate, the one or more first joining flanges collectively extending along at least 60 percent of the first circumference; 
   providing a second fluid pump housing section, the second fluid pump housing section including:
 a second main plate, the second main plate having a second circumference, as well as a second thickness (t) defining a second side edge and a second opposing side edge; 
 one or more second transverse openings located through the second thickness (t) of the second main plate; and 
 one or more second joining flanges extending from the second side edge of the second main plate, the one or more second joining flanges collectively extending along at least 60 percent of the second circumference; and 
   welding the first fluid pump housing section and the second fluid pump housing section together using a full penetration weld to form a fluid pump housing.