Abrasion resistant gas separator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9283497-B2
Application number	US-201313757309-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2013
Priority date	Feb 1, 2013
Publication date	Mar 15, 2016
Grant date	Mar 15, 2016

Abstract

A gas separator is configured to separate gas from a two-phase fluid. The gas separator includes a rotatable shaft and one or more separation stages. At least one of the one or more separation stages includes a rotor connected to the rotatable shaft and a channeled compression tube, wherein the channeled compression tube includes a compression tube hub and a plurality of channels. The channels are configured to isolate abrasive solid particles from the rotary components within the gas separator. The gas separator may optionally include a streamer upstream from the separation stage that reduces rotational currents upstream from the rotor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas separator configured to separate gas from a two-phase fluid, the gas separator comprising:
a rotatable shaft; and
one or more separation stages, wherein at least one of the one or more separation stages comprises:
a rotor connected to the rotatable shaft; and
a channeled compression tube, wherein the channeled compression tube comprises:
a compression tube hub; and
a plurality of channels, wherein the plurality of channels are spiraled.

2. The gas separator of claim 1 , further comprising a streamer positioned upstream from at least one of the one or more separation stages.

3. The gas separator of claim 2 , wherein the streamer comprises:
a streamer hub; and
a plurality of streamer vanes extending inward from the streamer hub.

4. The gas separator of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of streamer vanes are straight and axially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the gas separator.

5. A gas separator configured to separate gas from a two-phase fluid, the gas separator comprising:
a rotatable shaft; and
one or more separation stages, wherein at least one of the one or more separation stages comprises:
a rotor connected to the rotatable shaft; and
a channeled compression tube, wherein the channeled compression tube comprises:
a compression tube hub; and
a plurality of channels;

a diffuser downstream from the rotor; and
a crossover downstream from the diffuser, wherein each crossover is configured to remove gas from its respective separation stage.

6. The gas separator of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of channels are straight and axially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the gas separator.

7. The gas separator of claim 5 , further comprising an outer housing, wherein the outer housing includes a separate group of discharge ports for each separation stage to permit the removal of gas from each separation stage.

8. A gas separator configured to separate gas from a two-phase fluid, the gas separator comprising:
a rotatable shaft;
one or more separation stages, wherein at least one of the one or more separation stages comprises:
a rotor connected to the rotatable shaft; and
a channeled compression tube, wherein the channeled compression tube comprises:
a compression tube hub; and
a plurality of channels, wherein the plurality of channels are spiraled; and

a streamer positioned upstream from at least one of the one or more separation stages.

9. The gas separator of claim 8 , wherein the streamer comprises:
a streamer hub; and
a plurality of streamer vanes extending inward from the streamer hub.

10. The gas separator of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of streamer vanes are straight and axially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the gas separator.

11. A gas separator configured to separate gas from a two-phase fluid, the gas separator comprising:
a rotatable shaft;
one or more separation stages, wherein the one or more separation stages comprises:
a rotor connected to the rotatable shaft;
a diffuser downstream from the rotor; and
a crossover downstream from the diffuser, wherein each crossover is configured to remove gas from its respective separation stage; and

a streamer positioned upstream from at least one of the one or more separation stages.

12. The gas separator of claim 11 , further comprising an outer housing, wherein the outer housing includes a separate group of discharge ports for each separation stage to permit the removal of gas from each separation stage.

13. The submersible pumping system of claim 12 , wherein the gas separator further comprises a streamer positioned upstream from at least one of the one or more separation stages.

14. The gas separator of claim 11 , wherein the one or more separation stages further comprises a channeled compression tube.

15. The gas separator of claim 14 , wherein the channeled compression tube comprises:
a compression tube hub; and
a plurality of channels, wherein the plurality of channels are spiraled.

16. The gas separator of claim 14 , wherein the channeled compression tube comprises:
a compression tube hub; and
a plurality of channels, wherein the plurality of channels are straight and axially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the gas separator.

17. A submersible pumping system for use in a wellbore having two-phase fluids, the pumping system comprising:
a pump assembly;
a motor assembly; and
a gas separator disposed between the pump assembly and the motor assembly, wherein the gas separator comprises:
a rotatable shaft; and
one or more separation stages, wherein at least one of the one or more separation stages comprises:
a rotor connected to the rotatable shaft; and
a channeled compression tube, wherein the channeled compression tube comprises:
a compression tube hub; and
a plurality of channels, wherein the plurality of channels are spiraled.

Assignees

• Ge Oil & Gas Esp Inc

Inventors

• Wang Chengbao
• Pidsadowski Kelly

Classifications

• E21B43/38

  in the well · CPC title

• E21B43/121

  Lifting well fluids (monitoring of down-hole pump systems E21B47/008) · CPC title

• E21B43/128

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

• B01D19/0052 Primary

  in rotating vessels, vessels containing movable parts or in which centrifugal movement is caused (B01D19/0026 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B01D21/267

  by using a cyclone · CPC title