Motor assembly for drawworks systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10508715-B2
Application number	US-201715450312-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2017
Priority date	Mar 6, 2017
Publication date	Dec 17, 2019
Grant date	Dec 17, 2019

Abstract

A system includes a first transmission having a first planetary gearset, a first drive shaft, and a first annular sleeve. The first annular sleeve is positioned circumferentially about the first drive shaft, and the first annular sleeve is configured to move axially relative to the first drive shaft and the first planetary gearset from a first axial position in which the first annular sleeve engages a first sun gear of the first planetary gearset to a second axial position in which the first annular sleeve engages a first ring gear of the first planetary gearset to adjust a gear ratio of the first transmission.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a first transmission, comprising:
a first planetary gearset;
a first drive shaft;
a first annular sleeve positioned circumferentially about the first drive shaft, wherein the first annular sleeve is configured to move axially relative to the first drive shaft and the first planetary gearset from a first axial position in which the first annular sleeve engages a first sun gear of the first planetary gearset to a second axial position in which the first annular sleeve engages a first ring gear of the first planetary gearset to adjust a gear ratio of the first transmission; and
a motor assembly comprising the first transmission and a first motor, wherein the first transmission is configured to adjust a first power output of the first motor, and the motor assembly is configured to drive rotation of a drum of a drawworks system of a mineral extraction system.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein an internal surface of the first annular sleeve is configured to engage an external surface of the first drive shaft to non-rotatably couple the first annular sleeve to the first drive shaft.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein a radially-outer surface of the first annular sleeve is configured to engage a first radially-inner surface of the first sun gear when the first annular sleeve is in the first axial position and a second radially-inner surface of the first ring gear when the first annular sleeve is in the second axial position.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the radially-outer surface of the first annular sleeve comprises a splined surface configured to engage the first radially-inner surface of the first sun gear and the second radially-inner surface of the first ring gear.

5. The system of claim 1 , comprising an extension cavity defined between the first annular sleeve and the first drive shaft, wherein the extension cavity is configured to receive a fluid to drive the first annular sleeve axially relative to the first drive shaft to the first axial position.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the fluid is provided to the extension cavity via an extension passageway that extends through the first drive shaft.

7. The system of claim 6 , comprising a rotary union comprising a first component supported by a housing of the first transmission and a second component non-rotatably coupled to the first drive shaft, wherein the rotary union facilitates flow of the fluid from a fluid source into the extension passageway within the first drive shaft.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first motor is configured to drive a motor shaft that is non-rotatably coupled to the first sun gear of the first planetary gearset.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the motor shaft and the first drive shaft are coaxial, and one end of the motor shaft is positioned within a cavity formed in a respective end of the first drive shaft.

10. The system of claim 8 , comprising a motor housing supporting the first motor, a transmission housing supporting the first transmission, and an annular adapter coupled to the motor housing and the transmission housing.

11. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
a second transmission comprising a second planetary gearset, a second drive shaft, and a second annular sleeve configured to move axially relative to the second drive shaft and the second planetary gearset to adjust a second gear ratio of the second transmission;
and
a second motor, wherein the first transmission is configured to adjust a first power output of the first motor and the second transmission is configured to adjust a second power output of the second motor.

12. A system, comprising:
a motor assembly configured to drive rotation of a drum of a drawworks system of a mineral extraction system, comprising:
a first motor housing supporting a first motor;
a first transmission housing supporting a first transmission configured to adjust a first power output of the first motor, wherein the first transmission comprises a first drive shaft and a first annular sleeve positioned circumferentially about the first drive shaft, and the first annular sleeve is configured to move axially relative to the first drive shaft to change a first gear ratio of the first transmission; and
a second motor and a second transmission configured to adjust a second power output of the second motor.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first motor comprises a motor shaft, and the motor shaft and the first drive shaft are coaxial.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein a motor shaft of the first motor is non-rotatably coupled to a sun gear of a planetary gearset of the first transmission, and the first annular sleeve is configured to engage the sun gear in a first axial position and to engage a ring gear of the planetary gearset in a second axial position.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first annular sleeve comprises a splined external surface that is configured to engage the sun gear in the first axial position and the ring gear in the second axial position.

16. The system of claim 14 , comprising fluid passageways within the first drive shaft that are configured to flow a fluid to drive the first annular sleeve between the first axial position and the second axial position.

17. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first motor housing and the first transmission housing are coupled to one another via an annular adapter.

18. A method of operating a motor assembly of a drawworks system of a mineral extraction system, comprising:
operating a first motor coupled to a first transmission to adjust a first power output of the first motor while a first annular sleeve positioned about a radially-outer surface of a first drive shaft of the first transmission is in a first axial position relative to the first drive shaft, wherein the first transmission provides a first gear ratio while the first annular sleeve is in the first axial position;
adjusting the first annular sleeve from the first axial position to a second axial position relative to the drive shaft of the transmission to provide a second gear ratio; and
operating a second motor coupled to a second transmission to adjust a second power output of the second motor.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first annular sleeve is adjusted to provide a neutral gear ratio and the second transmission is adjusted to enable the motor assembly to lift a load using the second motor only.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein operating the first motor and the second motor comprises receiving a sensor signal that indicates a condition of the motor assembly and automatically adjust the first power output or the second power output based on the sensor signal.

Assignees

• Cameron Int Corp

Inventors

• Cave Peter William
• Deagle Jonathan David
• Netecke Michael
• Cabrera Rogelio

Classifications

• F16H2200/2005

  with one sets of orbital gears · CPC title

• B66D5/14

  embodying discs · CPC title

• H02P29/024

  Detecting a fault condition, e.g. short circuit, locked rotor, open circuit or loss of load · CPC title

• B66D1/485

  electrical · CPC title

• B66D1/12

  incorporating electric motors · CPC title