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US 11,460,038 B2Granted
Hybrid magnetic radial bearing in an electric submersible pump (ESP) assembly
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsDavid Christopher Beck, Christopher Watson, Robert C. de Long
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electric submersible pump (ESP) assembly. The ESP assembly comprises an electric motor, a centrifugal pump, and a hybrid magnetic radial bearing, wherein the hybrid magnetic radial bearing is disposed inside the electric motor or disposed inside the centrifugal pump.
Claims20
An electric submersible pump (ESP) assembly, comprising:
- an electric motor;
- a centrifugal pump;
- and
- a hybrid magnetic radial bearing that comprises a sleeve that is coupled to a drive shaft of the ESP assembly and a bushing that is coupled to a housing of the ESP assembly, wherein the hybrid magnetic radial bearing is disposed inside the electric motor or disposed inside the centrifugal pump
- wherein the sleeve comprises a sleeve magnetic element,
- wherein the bushing comprises a bushing magnetic element,
- wherein a magnetic field of the sleeve magnetic element is directed opposite to a magnetic field of the bushing magnetic element, and
- wherein an outer surface of the sleeve of the hybrid magnetic radial bearing and an inner surface of the bushing of the hybrid magnetic radial bearing have a roughness of between 8 micro inches and 22 micro inches that provide radially stabilizing fluid film forces during operation of the ESP assembly.
5 more elements
A method of radially stabilizing in an electric submersible pump (ESP) assembly, comprising:
- providing electric power to an ESP assembly disposed in a wellbore;
- and
- as a rotating component of the ESP assembly increases in angular velocity responsive to providing electric power to the ESP assembly, radially stabilizing the rotating component by a hybrid magnetic radial bearing within the ESP assembly, wherein the hybrid magnetic radial bearing comprises a sleeve having a sleeve magnetic element and a bushing having a bushing magnetic element, wherein the sleeve is coupled to a drive shaft of the rotating component and the bushing is coupled to a housing of the ESP assembly, wherein a magnetic field of the sleeve magnetic element is directed opposite to a magnetic field of the bushing magnetic element to provide magnetic stabilizing force, and wherein an outer surface of the sleeve of the hybrid magnetic radial bearing and an inner surface of the bushing of the hybrid magnetic radial bearing have a roughness of between 8 micro inches and 22 micro inches that provide radially stabilizing fluid film force.
A method of lifting fluid in a wellbore, comprising:
- providing electric power to an electric motor of an electric submersible pump (ESP) assembly, wherein the electric motor is radially stabilized at least in part by at least one hybrid magnetic radial bearing disposed inside the electric motor;
- providing mechanical torque by the electric motor to a centrifugal pump of the ESP assembly, wherein a drive shaft of the centrifugal pump is radially stabilized at least in part by at least one hybrid magnetic radial bearing disposed inside the centrifugal pump, wherein the hybrid magnetic radial bearing comprises a sleeve having a sleeve magnetic element and a bushing having a bushing magnetic element, wherein the sleeve is coupled to the drive shaft of the centrifugal pump and the bushing is coupled to a housing of the centrifugal pump, wherein a magnetic field of the sleeve magnetic element is directed opposite to a magnetic field of the bushing magnetic element to provide magnetic stabilizing force, and wherein an outer surface of the sleeve of the hybrid magnetic radial bearing and an inner surface of the bushing of the hybrid magnetic radial bearing have a roughness of between 8 micro inches and 22 micro inches that provide radially stabilizing fluid film force;
- and
- lifting a fluid in a wellbore by the centrifugal pump.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.