Auxiliary Face Seal for Submersible Well Pump Seal Section

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016145984-A1
Application number	US-201414548945-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 20, 2014
Priority date	Nov 20, 2014
Publication date	May 26, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A well fluid submersible pump assembly includes a pump operatively coupled to a motor and a seal section located between the motor and the pump. The seal section has a single piece tubular housing with adapters secured to opposite ends of the housing. A shaft extends axially through the housing for driving the pump. An auxiliary seal carrier located in the housing has a central bore through which the shaft extends and has an outer diameter portion that seals to the bore of the housing. Opposed check valves in the seal carrier allow lubricant to flow from one side of the auxiliary carrier to an opposite side of the seal carrier in response to a selected pressure differential. A mechanical face seal mounts to the auxiliary seal carrier and seals around the shaft.

First claim

1 . A well fluid submersible pump assembly, comprising:
a plurality of modules, including a pump operatively coupled to a motor and a seal section located between the motor and the pump, the seal section comprising: a motor end adapter for operatively connecting to the motor; a pump end adapter for operatively connecting to the pump; a housing having one end secured to the pump end adapter and another end secured to the motor end adapter, the housing having a longitudinal axis and being in fluid communication with lubricant in the motor via the motor end adapter; a drive shaft driven by the motor and extending axially through the seal section for driving the pump; a main seal sealing around the shaft at the pump end adapter, the main seal having an outer side for exposure to well fluid and an inner side in contact with lubricant in the seal section; an auxiliary seal carrier entirely located within the housing, the seal carrier having a bore through which the shaft extends and a cylindrical outer diameter portion, the seal carrier having a maximum outer diameter less than a minimum inner diameter of the housing; an outer diameter seal that seals between the outer diameter portion of the seal carrier and an interior surface of the housing; a check valve in the seal carrier that allows lubricant flow from one side of the seal carrier to an opposite side of the seal carrier in response to a selected pressure differential; and a mechanical face seal mounted in the bore of the seal carrier and in engagement with the shaft, the face seal having one side exposed to motor lubricant in the housing on the pump side of the seal carrier and another side exposed to motor lubricant in the housing on the motor side of the seal carrier.

2 . The pump assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an additional check valve in the seal carrier in addition said first mentioned check valve, the additional check valve configured to allow lubricant in the housing to pass through the seal carrier in an opposite direction from the first mentioned check valve in response to a selected pressure differential.

3 . The pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein:
the seal carrier has a central portion extending radially outward from the bore to the outer diameter portion; the outer diameter portion has a greater axial dimension that the any part of the central portion, defining a central cavity on one of the sides of the seal carrier; and the check valve is located in a check valve port extending through the central portion.

4 . The pump assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an axially extending anti rotation pin in engagement with a hole formed in one of the sides of the seal carrier to prevent rotation of the seal carrier within the housing.

5 . The pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein:
the mechanical face seal is located on the pump side of the seal carrier.

6 . The pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein:
the mechanical face seal is located on the pump side of the seal carrier; and the seal carrier has a central cavity extending axially from the bore on the motor side of the seal carrier; and the check valve is located in a check valve port that extends from the pump side of the seal carrier to the central cavity.

7 . The pump assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a labyrinth disc mounted entirely within the housing adjacent to the seal carrier, the disc having a central bore through which the shaft passes, the disc having a maximum outer diameter portion with an outer diameter substantially the same as the maximum outer diameter portion of the seal carrier; a disc outer diameter seal that seals between the outer diameter portion of the disc and the interior surface of the housing; a disc shaft seal in the bore of the disc that seals around the shaft; and a communication port extending through the disc from a motor side of the disc to a pump side of the disc, enabling motor lubricant in the housing to flow through the communication port between the motor side and the pump side of the disc.

8 . The pump assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a labyrinth motor side disc mounted entirely within the housing adjacent to the motor side of the seal carrier, the motor side disc having a central bore through which the shaft passes, the motor side disc having a maximum outer diameter portion with an outer diameter the same as the outer diameter portion of the seal carrier, a labyrinth pump side disc mounted entirely within the housing adjacent to the pump side of the seal carrier, the pump side disc having a central bore through which the shaft passes, the pump side disc having a maximum outer diameter portion with an outer diameter the same as the maximum outer diameter portion of the motor side disc; outer diameter seals on the outer diameter portions of the motor side and pump side discs that seal between the outer diameter portions of the motor side and pump side discs and the interior surface of the housing; shaft seals in the bores of the pump side and motor side discs that seal around the shaft; communication ports extending through the motor side and pump side discs, enabling motor lubricant in the housing to flow through the communication ports; and wherein the communication port in the motor side disc is located at a different angular position from the communication port in the pump side disc, so that when the pump assembly is operated at an inclination, the communication ports will be at different elevations.

9 . The pump assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a pump side and a motor side disc mounted in the housing, the pump side disc being on the pump side of the seal carrier and the motor side disc being on the motor side of the seal carrier, each of the discs having a central bore through which the shaft sealingly passes, each of the discs having an outer diameter portion in sealing engagement with the interior surface of the housing, the outer diameter portions of the discs having maximum outer diameters substantially the same as the maximum outer diameter portion of the seal carrier, a motor side of the outer diameter portion of the pump side disc being in abutment with a pump side of the outer diameter portion of the seal carrier; a pump side of the outer diameter portion of the motor side disc being in abutment with a motor side of the outer diameter portion of the seal carrier; a communication port extending through each of the discs, the communication port in the pump side disc being at a different angular position than the communication port in the motor side disc; and wherein the outer diameter portion of each of the discs has a same axial length as the outer diameter portion of the seal carrier.

10 . A well fluid submersible pump assembly, comprising:
a plurality of modules, including a pump operatively coupled to a motor and a seal section located between the motor and the pump, the seal section comprising: a single piece tubular housing having a central bore extending along a longitudinal axis of the housing; adapters secured to opposite ends of the housing for operatively securing the housing to the motor and to the pump; a shaft extending axially through the bore of the housing and through the adapters for driving the pump; a plurality of labyrinth discs located within the housing between the adapters, each mounted sealingly around the shaft and having an outer diameter portion that sealingly engages a bore interior surface of the housing, defining motor lubricant chambers between the discs; a communication port extending through each of the discs to communicate motor lubricant in the housing bet

Assignees

• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Tetzlaff Steven K
• Robinson Lance T
• Bierig Kevin R
• Shaffer Daniel A

Classifications

• F04D13/086

  the pump and drive motor are both submerged · CPC title

• E21B43/128 Primary

  Adaptation of pump systems with down-hole electric drives · CPC title

• F04D29/12

  using sealing-rings · CPC title

• F04D29/126

  especially adapted for liquid pumps · CPC title

• F04D13/10

  adapted for use in mining bore holes · CPC title