Shielding for a magnetic bearing in an electric submersible pump (ESP) assembly
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsDavid Christopher Beck, Ketankumar Kantilal Sheth, Robert Charles De Long
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electric submersible pump (ESP) assembly. The ESP assembly comprises a centrifugal pump, an electric motor mechanically coupled by a drive shaft to the centrifugal pump, wherein the electric motor comprises a stator and a rotor, a bearing, wherein the bearing is disposed inside the electric motor, and a magnetic shield disposed in the electric motor between bearing and the rotor and stator.
Claims20
An electric submersible pump (ESP) assembly, comprising:
- a centrifugal pump;
- an electric motor mechanically coupled by a drive shaft to the centrifugal pump, wherein the electric motor comprises a stator and a rotor;
- a bearing, wherein the bearing is disposed inside the electric motor, the bearing is a hybrid magnetic thrust bearing, the bearing comprises a thrust transfer plate coupled to the drive shaft, and the bearing comprises a thrust support plate;
- and
- a magnetic shield disposed between the bearing and the rotor and stator, wherein the magnetic shield comprises a first thrust bearing magnetic shield disposed between the thrust transfer plate and the rotor and a second thrust bearing magnetic shield that is secured to a housing of the electric motor, and wherein the second thrust bearing magnetic shield holds the thrust support plate.
A method of stabilizing in an electric submersible pump (ESP) assembly, comprising:
- providing electric power to an electric motor of an ESP assembly disposed in a wellbore;
- stabilizing the electric motor at least in part by at least one hybrid magnetic thrust bearing disposed inside the electric motor;
- and
- shielding a magnetic field associated with the at least one hybrid magnetic thrust bearing from a magnetic field produced by the electric motor using a magnetic shield disposed between the hybrid magnetic thrust bearing and the rotor and stator, wherein the magnetic shield comprises a first thrust bearing magnetic shield disposed between a thrust transfer plate of the hybrid magnetic thrust bearing and the rotor and a second thrust bearing magnetic shield that is secured to a housing of the electric motor, and wherein the second thrust bearing magnetic shield holds a thrust support plate of the hybrid magnetic thrust bearing.
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 axially stabilized at least in part by at least one hybrid magnetic thrust bearing disposed inside the electric motor, wherein a magnetic field produced by the at least one hybrid magnetic thrust bearing is shielded from a magnetic field produced by the electric motor;
- providing mechanical torque by the electric motor to a centrifugal pump of the ESP assembly;
- and
- lifting a fluid in a wellbore by the centrifugal pump.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.