System and method for hydrostatic bearings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016138649-A1
Application number	US-201514943318-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 17, 2015
Priority date	Nov 18, 2014
Publication date	May 19, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system, includes a hydraulic transfer system configured to exchange pressures between a first fluid and a second fluid, wherein the first fluid has a pressure higher than the second fluid, comprising: a sleeve; a cylindrical rotor disposed within the sleeve in a concentric arrangement and has a first end face and a second end face disposed opposite each other; a first end cover having a first surface that interfaces with the first end face of the cylindrical rotor; a second end cover having a second surface that interfaces with the second end face of the cylindrical rotor; and a hydrostatic bearing system configured to utilize a bearing fluid at a pressure higher than the second fluid to resist axial displacement, radial displacement, or both axial and radial displacement of the cylindrical rotor.

First claim

1 . A system, comprising:
a hydraulic transfer system configured to exchange pressures between a first fluid and a second fluid, wherein the first fluid has a pressure higher than the second fluid, comprising:
a sleeve;
a cylindrical rotor disposed within the sleeve in a concentric arrangement, wherein the cylindrical rotor is configured to rotate circumferentially about a rotational axis and has a first end face and a second end face disposed opposite each other;
a first end cover having a first surface that interfaces with the first end face of the cylindrical rotor;
a second end cover having a second surface that interfaces with the second end face of the cylindrical rotor; and
a hydrostatic bearing system configured to utilize a bearing fluid at a pressure higher than the second fluid to resist axial displacement, radial displacement, or both axial and radial displacement of the cylindrical rotor.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic transfer system comprises a rotary isobaric pressure exchanger.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic transfer system comprises a hydraulic turbocharger.

4 . The system of claim 1 , comprising a frac system having the hydraulic transfer system, wherein the first fluid comprises a proppant free fluid and the second fluid comprises a frac fluid having proppants.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the hydrostatic bearing system comprises an axial hydrostatic bearing system configured to resist axial displacement of the cylindrical rotor.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the axial hydrostatic bearing system comprises a notch formed in at least one of the first surface of the first end cover that extends at least in an axial direction relative to a longitudinal axis of the cylindrical rotor, the second surface of the second end cover, the first end face of the cylindrical rotor, and the second end face of the cylindrical rotor.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the axial bearing system comprises a notch formed in at least two of the first surface of the first end cover, the second surface of the second end cover, the first end face of the cylindrical rotor, and the second end face of the cylindrical rotor.

8 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the sleeve, the cylindrical rotor, and the first and second end covers define a plenum for the bearing fluid to flow within, and wherein the bearing fluid upon flowing into the plenum flows from a high pressure region to a low pressure region to facilitate axial and radial load bearing, and the high pressure region is disposed between the sleeve and an outer lateral surface of the cylindrical rotor and the low pressure region is disposed between the first and second surfaces of the first and second end covers and the first and second end faces of the cylindrical rotor, respectively.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the first surface of the first end cover or the second surface of the second end cover comprises a groove that extends circumferentially about the rotational axis to form a low pressure sink.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the first surface of the first end cover or the second surface of the second end cover comprises at least one channel that extends in a radial direction relative to the rotational axis and fluidly coupled the low pressure region to the low pressure sink.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the groove extends 360 degrees about the rotational axis.

12 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the groove extends partially about the rotational axis.

13 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the first surface of the first end cover or the second surface of the second end cover comprises a groove that extends circumferentially about the rotational axis and is configured to receive the bearing fluid to provide a fluidic bearing between the first end cover and the cylindrical rotor or the second end cover and the cylindrical rotor.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the first surface of the first end cover or the second surface of the second end cover comprises at least one additional groove that extends circumferentially at least partially about the rotational axis, and wherein the at least one additional groove comprises an axial hydrostatic bearing, and the at least one additional groove is radially offset from the groove relative to the rotational axis.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the axial hydrostatic bearing is configured to utilize a pressure of the first fluid to apply an axial force against the first end face or the second end face to avoid contact between the cylindrical rotor and the first end cover or the second end cover.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the first end cover or the second cover comprises an inlet to receive the first fluid, the inlet is fluidly coupled to a first fluid passage disposed within the first end cover or the second end cover, and the at least one additional groove comprises an outlet fluidly coupled to the first fluid passage and disposed within the at least one additional groove, and the outlet is configured to discharge the first fluid from the at least one additional groove to apply the axial force against the first end face or the second end face.

17 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the hydrostatic bearing system comprises a radial hydrostatic bearing system configured to resist radial displacement of the cylindrical rotor.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the radial hydrostatic bearing system is configured to apply a radial force to the cylindrical rotor to align the rotational axis of the cylindrical rotor with a central axis of the hydraulic transfer system.

19 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the radial hydrostatic bearing system comprises at least one radial bearing disposed within the sleeve.

20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the at least one radial bearing comprises an inlet disposed on an outer surface of the sleeve configured to receive the first fluid, a first fluid passage fluidly coupled to the inlet, a groove formed on an inner surface of the sleeve, and an outlet disposed within the groove and configured to discharge the first fluid to apply a radial force against an outer lateral surface of the cylindrical rotor.

21 . A system, comprising:
a rotary isobaric pressure exchanger (IPX) configured to exchange pressures between a first fluid and a second fluid, wherein the first fluid has a pressure higher than the second fluid, comprising:
a sleeve;
a cylindrical rotor disposed within the sleeve in a concentric arrangement, wherein the cylindrical rotor is configured to rotate circumferentially about a rotational axis and has a first end face and a second end face disposed opposite each other;
a first end cover having a first surface that interfaces with the first end face of the cylindrical rotor;
a second end cover having a second surface that interfaces with the second end face of the cylindrical rotor; and
a hydrostatic bearing system configured to utilize to the first fluid to resist both axial and radial displacement of the cylindrical rotor, wherein the hydrostatic bearing system comprises:
an axial hydrostatic bearing system comprising at least one axial hydrostatic bearing disposed within the first end cover or the second end cover, and the at least one axial hydrostatic bearing is configured to utilize a pressure of
the first fluid to apply an axial force against the first end face or the second end face to avoid contact between the cylindrical rotor and the first

Assignees

• Energy Recovery Inc

Inventors

• Anderson David Deloyd
• Deshpande Chinmay Vishwas

Classifications

• F16C32/0644 Primary

  Details of devices to control the supply of liquids to the bearings · CPC title

• F04F13/00 Primary

  Pressure exchangers · CPC title

• E21B43/267

  reinforcing fractures by propping · CPC title

• E21B43/16

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title

• F16C32/06

  with moving member supported by a fluid cushion formed, at least to a large extent, otherwise than by movement of the shaft, e.g. hydrostatic air-cushion bearings · CPC title