Pressure compensation device for a fluid pressure pulse generating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10641086-B2
Application number	US-201615551546-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2016
Priority date	Feb 18, 2015
Publication date	May 5, 2020
Grant date	May 5, 2020

Abstract

A pressure compensation device for a downhole fluid pressure pulse generator comprising: a membrane sleeve; a membrane support with a bore for receiving a drive-shaft, a central section which receives the membrane sleeve, a male mating section on each side, each having a groove extending around an external surface and at least one opening aligned with the groove; a pair of female mating components with a bore and a channel in an internal surface, each female mating component configured to mate with one of the male mating sections to axially clamp the membrane sleeve between the membrane support and the female mating components; and a pair of retaining rings each received between the male mating section groove and the female mating component channel, where the retaining rings are accessible through the opening in the male mating section and radially expandable into a space in the female mating component to unseat the retaining ring from the groove for removal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pressure compensation device for a downhole fluid pressure pulse generating apparatus comprising:
(a) a membrane sleeve;
(b) a membrane support comprising a body with a bore therethrough for receiving a driveshaft of the fluid pressure pulse generating apparatus, the body comprising a central section which receives the membrane sleeve and a male mating section either side of the central section, each male mating section having a groove extending around at least a portion of an external surface thereof and at least one opening therethrough aligned with the groove;
(c) a pair of female mating components each comprising an inner end and an outer end with a bore therethrough and at least one channel extending around at least a portion of an internal surface thereof, each of the female mating components configured to mate with one of the male mating sections to axially clamp the membrane sleeve between the body and the female mating components; and
(d) a pair of retaining rings each received in the channel of one of the female mating components and in the groove of one of the male mating sections such that the retaining ring is positioned between the male mating section and the female mating component to retain the female mating component on the male mating section, wherein the retaining ring is accessible through the opening in the male mating section and radially expandable into a space between the retaining ring and the female mating component to unseat the retaining ring from the groove for removal of the female mating component from the male mating section.

2. The pressure compensation device of claim 1 , further comprising an outer sleeve surrounding the membrane sleeve with a space therebetween.

3. The pressure compensation device of claim 2 , wherein each of the female mating components comprises an outer sleeve receiving section on an external surface thereof which receives an end portion of the outer sleeve with a space therebetween.

4. The pressure compensation device of claim 1 , wherein the membrane support further comprises a pair of shoulders surrounding the body, with each shoulder positioned between the central section and one of the male mating sections.

5. The pressure compensation device of claim 4 , wherein each of the shoulders taper towards the male mating sections to form a sloped wall, and the inner end of each of the female mating components has a sloped surface, whereby the membrane sleeve is axially clamped between the sloped wall and the sloped surface when the female mating component is mated with the male mating section.

6. The pressure compensation device of claim 5 , wherein the membrane sleeve comprises a central portion and a sloped end portion either side of the central portion, wherein the taper of the sloped end portion corresponds to the taper of the sloped wall and each sloped end portion is axially clamped between one of the sloped walls and the sloped surface of one of the female mating components.

7. The pressure compensation device of claim 1 , wherein the central section of the body of the membrane support further comprises at least one longitudinally extending slot therethrough.

8. The pressure compensation device of any one of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the female mating components comprises one or more pair of projections comprising an inner projection and an outer projection on an internal surface thereof with the channel extending between the inner projection and the outer projection, and at least one of the male mating sections comprises a corresponding number of teeth defining one or more slot therebetween whereby the groove extends around an external surface of the teeth and the opening through the body is provided by the slot, wherein the slot receives the pair of projections when the female mating component is mated with the male mating section.

9. The pressure compensation device of claim 8 , wherein an outer external edge of the teeth is bevelled.

10. The pressure compensation device of claim 8 , wherein an inner internal edge of the inner projection is bevelled.

11. The pressure compensation device of claim 1 , wherein the outer end of at least one of the female mating components comprises one or more threaded bore for receiving a threaded screw for releasably securing the retaining ring in the groove on the external surface of the male mating section.

12. A fluid pressure pulse generating apparatus for downhole drilling comprising a fluid pressure pulse generator and a pulser assembly comprising:
a housing with one or more opening therethrough;
a motor enclosed by the housing;
a driveshaft extending from the motor out of the housing and coupled with the fluid pressure pulse generator;
the pressure compensation device of claim 1 enclosed by the housing and surrounding a portion of the driveshaft, wherein an outer surface of the membrane is in fluid communication with the opening in the housing and an inner surface of the membrane is in fluid communication with a chamber between the driveshaft and the membrane; and
a seal enclosed by the housing and surrounding a portion of the driveshaft between the fluid pressure pulse generator and the pressure compensation device.

Assignees

• Evolution Engineering Inc

Inventors

• Lee Gavin Gaw-Wae
• Logan Justin C
• Logan Aaron W

Classifications

• E21B47/18 Primary

  through the well fluid {, e.g. mud pressure pulse telemetry} · CPC title

• E21B47/182

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic

• E21B47/20 Primary

  by modulation of mud waves, e.g. by continuous modulation · CPC title