Abrasive suspension jet cutting system having reduced system wear and process materials reclamation

Abstract

An abrasive suspension jet cutting system, the system includes a cutting head. The cutting head has a feed assembly, nozzle and acceleration cavity therebetween. The feed assembly has a slurry orifice and a shielding fluid orifice. Within the acceleration cavity abrasive slurry and shielding fluid are accelerated together from the slurry orifice to the nozzle while maintaining a shielding fluid barrier substantially unmixed with the abrasive slurry around the abrasive slurry. The cutting head is further configured to have both the slurry and shielding fluid pass substantially unmixed through the nozzle thereby limiting nozzle wear. A wear control system is provided to reduce wear of the nozzle and other system components during start and stop. The system may further include a reclamation system that collects and reclaims used abrasive particles and fluid and returns them back to the cutting head to be reused thereby reducing system operational costs.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An abrasive liquid jet cutting system, comprising:
 a cutting head, including—
 a first port configured to receive a first substance; 
 a second port configured to receive a first portion of a second substance; 
 a third port configured to receive a second portion of the second substance; and 
 a nozzle downstream from the first, second, and third ports, wherein the nozzle is configured to emit a jet, including the first substance and the first and second portions of the second substance, to cut through a workpiece; 
   a catch tank downstream from the cutting head, wherein the catch tank is configured to receive the first substance and the first and second portions of the second substance from the jet and receive fines from the workpiece; and   a reclamation system configured to—
 receive the first substance, the first and second portions of the second substance, and the fines from the catch tank, 
 separate at least a portion of the second substance from the first substance and the fines to form recycled second substance, and 
 return the recycled second substance to at least the third port for reintroduction into the jet. 
   
     
     
         2 . The abrasive liquid jet cutting system of  claim 1  wherein the second and third ports are positioned on opposite sides of the cutting head. 
     
     
         3 . The abrasive liquid jet cutting system of  claim 1  wherein the first port is positioned at least partially between the second port and the third port in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the cutting head. 
     
     
         4 . The abrasive liquid jet cutting system of  claim 1  wherein the first port is aligned with a longitudinal axis of the cutting head, and wherein the second and third ports are spaced apart from the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         5 . The abrasive liquid jet cutting system of  claim 4  wherein the second and third ports are positioned at nonparallel angles relative to the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         6 . The abrasive liquid jet cutting system of  claim 1  wherein the second and third ports are positioned between the first port and the nozzle. 
     
     
         7 . The abrasive liquid jet cutting system of  claim 1  wherein the first substance includes a slurry. 
     
     
         8 . The abrasive liquid jet cutting system of  claim 1  wherein the first and second portions of the second substance include a fluid. 
     
     
         9 . The abrasive liquid jet cutting system of  claim 1  wherein the cutting head further includes a cavity upstream from the nozzle and configured to receive the first substance, the second substance, and the recycled second substance. 
     
     
         10 . The abrasive liquid jet cutting system of  claim 1 , further comprising a pump upstream from the cutting head and configured to provide the first substance to the cutting head at a pressure of up to 30,000 psi. 
     
     
         11 . A method of operating an abrasive liquid jet cutting system, the method comprising:
 providing a first substance and a second substance to a cutting head, wherein the cutting head includes—
 a first port configured to receive the first substance, 
 a second port configured to receive a first portion of the second substance, and 
 a third port configured to receive a second portion of the second substance; 
   emitting, via a nozzle of the cutting head, a jet to cut through a workpiece, wherein the jet includes the first substance and the first and second portions of the second substance;   receiving, within a catch tank downstream from the cutting head, the first substance and the first and second portions of the second substance from the jet and fines from the workpiece; and   at a reclamation system—
 receiving the first substance, the second substance, and the fines from the catch tank, 
 separating at least a portion of the second substance from the first substance and the fines to form recycled second substance, and 
 returning the recycled second substance to the cutting head via at least the third port for introduction into the jet. 
   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein providing the first substance to the cutting head includes providing slurry to the cutting head. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11  wherein providing the first substance to the cutting head includes providing the first substance to the cutting head at a pressure of up to 30,000 psi. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11  wherein providing the first and second portions of the second substance to the cutting head includes providing a fluid to the cutting head. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the cutting head further includes a cavity upstream from the nozzle, and wherein the method further comprises receiving the first substance, the second substance, and the recycled second substance within the cavity. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the second and third ports are positioned on opposite sides of the cutting head. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the first port is positioned at least partially between the second port and the third port in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the cutting head. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the first port is aligned with a longitudinal axis of the cutting head, and wherein the second and third ports are spaced apart from the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the second and third ports are positioned at nonparallel angles relative to the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the second and third ports are positioned between the first port and the nozzle.