Permanent magnet thrust bearing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10598221-B2
Application number	US-201615291006-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2016
Priority date	Oct 11, 2016
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

A magnetic thrust bearing is designed for use in a pumping system that includes a pump driven by a motor through a shaft. The magnetic thrust bearing includes one or more platters that remain stationary with respect to the shaft and one or more thrust discs connected to the shaft and interleaved with the one or more platters. Each of the one or more platters includes a plurality of platter magnets and each of the one or more thrust discs includes a plurality of thrust disc magnets. The magnets on the platters and thrust discs are configured to produce repulsive magnetic forces as the thrust discs approach the platters.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric submersible pumping system for use in pumping fluids from a wellbore, the electric submersible pumping system comprising:
a motor;
a pump driven by the motor; and
a thrust chamber connected between the motor and the pump, wherein the thrust chamber comprises:
a housing;
a shaft; and
a magnetic thrust bearing, wherein the magnetic thrust bearing comprises:
a first platter connected to the housing, wherein the first platter produces a first platter magnetic field;
a second platter connected to the housing, wherein the second platter produces a second platter magnetic field; and
a first thrust disc connected to the shaft and located between the first platter and the second platter, wherein the first thrust disc produces a first thrust disc magnetic field that opposes both the first platter magnetic field and the second platter magnetic field.

2. The electric submersible pumping system of claim 1 , further comprising a second thrust disc connected to the shaft and located within the magnetic thrust bearing such that the first platter is between the first thrust disc and the second thrust disc, wherein the second thrust disc produces a second thrust disc magnetic field that opposes the first platter magnetic field.

3. The electric submersible pumping system of claim 2 , wherein each of the first and second thrust discs includes one or more thrust disc magnets.

4. The electric submersible pumping system of claim 3 , wherein the one or more thrust disc magnets comprises rare earth magnets.

5. The electric submersible pumping system of claim 4 , wherein each of the one or more thrust disc magnets comprise nickel-plated neodymium magnets.

6. The electric submersible pumping system of claim 3 , wherein each of the first and second platters includes one or more platter magnets.

7. The electric submersible pumping system of claim 2 , further comprising a third platter connected to the housing and located within the magnetic thrust bearing such that the second thrust disc is between the first platter and the third platter, wherein the third platter produces a third platter magnetic field that opposes the second thrust disc magnetic field.

8. An electric submersible pumping system for use in pumping fluids from a wellbore, the electric submersible pumping system comprising:
a motor;
a pump driven by the motor; and
a seal section connected between the pump and the motor, wherein the seal section includes a thrust chamber and wherein the thrust chamber comprises:
a housing;
a shaft; and
a magnetic thrust bearing, wherein the magnetic thrust bearing comprises:
a plurality of platters connected to the housing, wherein each of the plurality of platters produces a platter magnetic field; and
a plurality of thrust discs, wherein each of the plurality of thrust discs is interleaved between an adjacent pair of the plurality of platters, and wherein each of the thrust discs produces a thrust disc magnetic field that opposes the platter magnetic fields produced by each of the adjacent pair of the plurality of platters.

9. The electric submersible pumping system of claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of thrust discs includes one or more thrust disc magnets.

10. The electric submersible pumping system of claim 9 , wherein each of the one or more thrust disc magnets comprise nickel-plated neodymium magnets.

11. The electric submersible pumping system of claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of platters includes one or more platter magnets.

12. The electric submersible pumping system of claim 11 , wherein each of the one or more platter magnets on the one or more platters comprise nickel-plated neodymium magnets.

13. A magnetic thrust bearing for use in a pumping system that includes a pump driven by a motor through a shaft, the magnetic thrust bearing comprising:
a plurality of platters, wherein each of the plurality of platters produces a platter magnetic field; and
a plurality of thrust discs, wherein each of the plurality of thrust discs is interleaved between an adjacent pair of the plurality of platters, and wherein each of the thrust discs produces a thrust disc magnetic field that opposes the platter magnetic fields produced by each of the adjacent pair of the plurality of platters.

14. The magnetic thrust bearing of claim 13 , wherein each of the plurality platters further includes a central aperture that allows the shaft to pass through each platter without causing the platter to rotate with the shaft.

15. The magnetic thrust bearing of claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of platters includes a plurality of platter magnets and wherein each of the plurality of thrust discs includes a plurality of thrust disc magnets, and wherein the platter magnets and thrust disc magnets are permanent magnets.

16. The magnetic thrust bearing of claim 15 , wherein each of the platter magnets and thrust disc magnets comprise nickel-plated neodymium magnets.

17. The magnetic thrust bearing of claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of thrust disc magnets extends from one side of the thrust disc to the other side of the thrust disc.

18. The magnetic thrust bearing of claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of platter magnets extends from one side of the platter to the other side of the platter.

19. The magnetic thrust bearing of claim 13 , wherein the pumping system further includes a thrust chamber that has a thrust chamber housing, and wherein each of the plurality of platters is secured to the thrust chamber housing.

20. The magnetic thrust bearing of claim 13 , wherein the pumping system further includes a seal section having a housing, and wherein each of the platters is secured to the seal section housing.

Assignees

• Ge Oil & Gas Esp Inc
• Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations Llc

Inventors

• Hyatt James
• Hughes Michael Franklin
• Hayes Connor
• Robbins Erik Stephen
• Chowdhury Mohammad
• Kelly Hannah

Classifications

• H02K5/132

  Submersible electric motors (H02K5/128 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16C32/0427 Primary

  for axial load mainly · CPC title

• F16C43/00

  Assembling bearings · CPC title

• F04D29/048

  magnetic; electromagnetic · CPC title

• F16C2360/44

  Centrifugal pumps · CPC title