High temperature radial bearing for electrical submersible pump assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9127683-B2
Application number	US-201213667645-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2012
Priority date	Nov 2, 2012
Publication date	Sep 8, 2015
Grant date	Sep 8, 2015

Abstract

A submersible pump assembly includes a rotary pump and an electrical motor operatively connected to the pump for driving the pump. A seal section is connected between the motor and the pump for reducing a pressure differential between lubricant in the motor and hydrostatic well fluid pressure. A shaft assembly extends from the motor through the seal section and the pump. A sleeve surrounds the shaft assembly. A carrier body has an inner diameter surface. An anti-rotation member is on an exterior of the carrier body in static engagement with an inner diameter surface of the pump assembly for preventing rotation of the carrier body. An annular metal radially deflectable spring is located between and in contact with an outer diameter surface of the sleeve and with the inner diameter surface of the carrier body. The spring is a wave spring with undulations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A submersible pump assembly, comprising:
a rotary pump having a longitudinal axis;
an electrical motor operatively connected to the pump for driving the pump;
a seal section connected between the motor and the pump for reducing a pressure differential between lubricant in the motor and hydrostatic well fluid pressure;
a shaft assembly extending from the motor through the seal section and the pump;
a sleeve surrounding the shaft assembly;
a carrier body having an inner diameter surface;
an anti-rotation member on an exterior of the carrier body in static engagement with the inner diameter surface of the pump assembly for preventing rotation of the carrier body; and
an annular metal radially deflectable spring located between and in contact with an outer diameter surface of the sleeve and with the inner diameter surface of the carrier body for preventing the sleeve from rotating; wherein:
the spring comprises a wave spring having a circumscribed outer diameter that prior to insertion between the carrier body and the sleeve is initially greater than the inner diameter surface of the carrier body; and
the wave spring has a circumscribed inner diameter that prior to insertion between the carrier body and the sleeve is initially smaller than the outer diameter surface of the sleeve.

2. The pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the spring comprises a wall having a plurality of indentations formed therein.

3. The pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the spring comprises:
a cylindrical wall; and
a plurality of outward-extending indentations formed in and spaced around the wall, each of the outward-extending indentations protruding radially outward from the wall into static, frictional engagement with the inner diameter surface of the carrier body.

4. The pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the spring comprises:
a cylindrical wall having spaced apart ends that define an end gap to enable the spring to be contracted and expanded;
a plurality of outward-extending indentations formed in and extending around the wall in static, frictional engagement with the inner diameter surface of the carrier body; and
a plurality of inward-extending indentations formed in and extending around the wall in static, frictional engagement with the outer diameter surface of the sleeve, the inward-extending indentations alternating with the outward-extending indentations.

5. The pump assembly according to claim 4 , wherein each of the outward-extending indentations and each of the inward-extending indentations has a length greater than a width.

6. The pump assembly according to claim 4 , wherein the outward-extending indentations and the inward-extending indentations define a sinusoidal configuration while viewed in a transverse cross-section.

7. The pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the spring comprises:
a cylindrical wall having spaced apart ends that define a gap to enable the spring to be contracted and expanded;
circumferentially extending bands at opposite ends of the cylindrical wall;
a plurality of indentations formed in and extending around the cylindrical wall, each of the indentations extending axially between the bands and having a length greater than a width, the indentations protruding radially outward and radially inward in an alternating manner.

8. The pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the spring is in static, frictional engagement with the inner diameter surface of the carrier body and the outer diameter surface of the sleeve.

9. The pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein:
the motor comprises a stator having a central opening that defines the inner diameter surface of the pump assembly;
a plurality of rotor sections are mounted to the shaft assembly and located within the central opening of the stator;
the radial bearing is mounted between two of the rotor sections.

10. A submersible pump assembly, comprising:
a rotary pump;
an electrical motor operatively coupled to the pump for driving the pump; the motor comprising:
a stator having an inner diameter surface defining a central opening with a longitudinal axis;
a shaft extending axially through the central opening;
a plurality of rotor sections mounted to the shaft and located within the central opening;
an inner sleeve mounted to the shaft between the rotor sections for rotation therewith;
a metal outer sleeve surrounding the inner sleeve in sliding engagement;
a metal carrier body having an inner diameter surface defining a bore in which the hub outer sleeve is located;
an anti-rotation member on an exterior of the carrier body in static engagement with the inner diameter surface of the stator for preventing rotation of the carrier body; and
an annular metal wave spring located in an annular space between the carrier body and the outer sleeve and in static frictional contact with an outer diameter surface of the outer sleeve and in static frictional contact with the inner diameter surface of the carrier body, thereby preventing rotation of the outer sleeve relative to the carrier body.

11. The pump assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the annular metal wave spring comprises:
a cylindrical wall;
a plurality of outward-extending indentations that alternate with inward-extending indentations formed in and spaced around the wall, each of the outward-extending indentations and the inward-extending indentations having a length greater than a width; wherein
the outward-extending indentations engage the inner diameter surface of the carrier body; and
the inward-extending indentations engage the outer diameter surface of the outer sleeve.

12. The pump assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the outward-extending indentations and the inward-extending indentations define a sinusoidal configuration while viewed in a transverse cross-section.

13. The pump assembly according to claim 10 , wherein:
the annular metal wave spring has a circumscribed outer diameter that prior to insertion between the carrier body and the outer sleeve is initially greater than the inner diameter surface of the carrier body; and
the annular metal wave spring has a circumscribed inner diameter that prior to insertion between the carrier body and the outer sleeve is initially smaller than the outer diameter surface of the outer sleeve.

14. The assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the annular metal wave spring comprises:
a cylindrical wall formed into a cylindrical configuration with an end gap between ends of the cylindrical wall;
circumferentially extending bands at opposite ends of the cylindrical wall; and
a plurality of indentations formed in and extending around the cylindrical wall, each of the indentations extending axially between the bands and having a length greater than a width, the indentations protruding radially outward and radially inward in an alternating manner.

15. The pump assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the indentations comprise outward-extending indentations with rounded convex configurations and inward-extending indentations with rounded concave shapes.

16. The pump assembly according to claim 10 , wherein:
the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve are formed of tungsten carbide, and the carrier body is formed of a metal having a different coefficient of thermal expansion than the tungsten carbide of the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve, causing a radial width of the annular space to increase and decrease in response to temperature changes of the bearing; and
the spring increases and decreases in radial width measured from

Assignees

• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Knapp John M

Classifications

• F04D29/669

  especially adapted for liquid pumps (F04D29/18 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F04D13/10 Primary

  adapted for use in mining bore holes · CPC title

• H02K5/1677

  radially supporting the rotor around a fixed spindle; radially supporting the rotor directly · CPC title

• F16C27/02

  Sliding-contact bearings · CPC title

• H02K5/132

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