Particle guard ring for mixed flow pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11041496-B2
Application number	US-201515740679-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2015
Priority date	Jun 30, 2015
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

A mixed-flow impeller for an electric submersible pump can include a lower end and an upper end; a hub that includes a through bore that defines an axis; blades that extend at least in part radially outward from the hub where each of the blades includes a leading edge and a trailing edge; an upper balance ring that includes a radially inward facing balance chamber surface and a radially outward facing diffuser clearance surface; and an upper guard ring disposed radially outwardly from the upper balance ring where the upper guard ring includes an axially facing diffuser clearance surface that is disposed axially between the trailing edges of the blades and the upper end.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mixed-flow impeller for an electric submersible pump, the mixed flow impeller comprising:
a lower end and an upper end, wherein in use, fluid flows through the mixed flow impeller in a direction such that the lower end is an upstream end and the upper end is a downstream end;
a hub that comprises a through bore that defines an axis;
blades that extend at least in part radially outward from the hub wherein each of the blades comprises a leading edge and a trailing edge;
an upper balance ring that comprises a radially inward facing balance chamber surface and a radially outward facing diffuser clearance surface; and
an upper guard ring disposed radially outwardly from the upper balance ring and extending axially parallel to the upper balance ring, wherein the upper guard ring comprises an axially facing diffuser clearance surface that is disposed axially between the trailing edges of the blades and the upper end.

2. The mixed-flow impeller of claim 1 wherein the upper guard ring comprises a radially inward facing chamber surface that defines at least a portion of a chamber intermediate the upper balance ring and the upper guard ring.

3. The mixed-flow impeller of claim 1 wherein the upper balance ring comprises an axially facing surface that defines the upper end.

4. The mixed-flow impeller of claim 1 wherein the hub comprises an axially facing surface that defines the upper end.

5. The mixed-flow impeller of claim 1 wherein the upper end comprises an annular surface.

6. The mixed-flow impeller of claim 1 wherein the axially facing diffuser clearance surface of the upper guard ring comprises an annular surface.

7. The mixed-flow impeller of claim 1 wherein the upper balance ring comprises an axial span that exceeds an axial span of the upper guard ring.

8. The mixed-flow impeller of claim 1 wherein the hub comprise at least one balance passage that is located axially between the leading edges and the trailing edges of the blades.

9. The mixed-flow impeller of claim 1 wherein the upper guard ring comprises at least one bleed hole.

10. The mixed-flow impeller of claim 1 comprising a lower balance ring.

11. The mixed-flow impeller of claim 1 comprising a lower guard ring.

12. A mixed-flow impeller and diffuser assembly for an electric submersible pump, the assembly comprising:
an impeller that comprises a lower end and an upper end, the lower end being an upstream end and the upper end being a downstream end, a hub that comprises a through bore that defines an axis, blades that extend at least in part radially outward from the hub wherein each of the blades comprises a leading edge and a trailing edge, an upper balance ring that comprises a radially inward facing balance chamber surface and a radially outward facing diffuser clearance surface, and an upper guard ring disposed radially outwardly from the upper balance ring and extending axially parallel to the upper balance ring, wherein the upper guard ring comprises an axially facing diffuser clearance surface that is disposed axially between the trailing edges of the blades and the upper end; and
a diffuser that comprises a lower end and an upper end, the lower end being an upstream end and the upper end being a downstream end, a hub that comprises a through bore that defines an axis, and vanes that extend at least in part radially outward from the hub wherein each of the vanes comprises a leading edge and a trailing edge.

13. The assembly of claim 12 wherein the hub of the diffuser comprises an annular notch that receives at least a portion of the upper guard ring.

14. The assembly of claim 13 wherein the at least a portion of the upper guard ring is received in the annular notch between a portion of the hub of the diffuser and portions of the vanes of the diffuser.

15. The assembly of claim 12 wherein the upper guard ring comprises at least one bleed hole.

16. The assembly of claim 12 wherein the impeller comprises a lower guard ring.

17. The assembly of claim 12 , wherein the axially facing diffuser clearance surface of the upper guard ring is downstream facing, the assembly further comprising an axial clearance defined between the axially facing diffuser clearance surface of the upper guard ring and an axially facing and upstream facing clearance surface of a portion of the diffuser, and a radial clearance defined between the radially outward facing diffuser clearance surface of the upper balance ring and a radially inward facing surface of the portion of the diffuser.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Cheah Kean Wee
• Eslinger David Milton

Classifications

• F04D1/06

  Multi-stage pumps (F04D1/02, F04D13/10 take precedence) · CPC title

• F04D29/2272

  for influencing flow or boundary layer · CPC title

• F04D7/04

  the fluids being viscous or non-homogenous · CPC title

• F04D29/708

  specially for liquid pumps · CPC title

• F04D29/0413

  hydrostatic; hydrodynamic thrust bearings · CPC title