Submersible pump impeller design for lifting gaseous fluid
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorAlan Lin Kao
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gas-handling centrifugal pump has impellers for pumping gaseous materials containing up to 50% by volume free gas. The impellers have split vanes with high exit angles up to about 90 degrees and preferably greater than 50 degrees. The split vanes define flow passages that contain large diameter balance holes that typically range between 45% to 100% of the width between each split vane. The gas-handling centrifugal pump can be used as a charge pump for a centrifugal pump in a lower tandem configuration within a well.
Claims21
A centrifugal pump comprising:
- a plurality of impellers;
- a plurality of vanes on the impellers each of the vanes having an inner radial member and an outer radial member, defining a plurality of flow passages;
- wherein the inner radial member and the outer radial member have a different radius of curvature;
- and
- wherein an outer end of the inner radial member is offset from and leads an inner end of the outer radial member, considering a direction of rotation.
A centrifugal pump comprising:
- a plurality of impellers;
- a plurality of vanes on the impellers, defining a plurality of flow passages;
- a balance hole located in each flow passage and extending through an upper side of the impeller;
- and
- wherein each of the balance holes has a diameter in a range of about 45% to about 100% of a distance between the vanes of each of the flow passages.
A system for pumping a gaseous fluid comprising:
- a centrifugal pump having a plurality of impellers;
- a plurality of vanes on the impellers each of the vanes having an inner radial member and an outer radial member, defining a plurality of flow passages;
- wherein the inner radial member and the outer radial member have a different radius of curvature;
- wherein an outer end of the inner radial member is offset from and leads an inner end of the outer radial member, considering a direction of rotation;
- a balance hole located in each flow passage and extending through an upper side of the impeller;
- and
- wherein each of the balance holes has a diameter in a range of about 45% to about 100% of a distance between the inner radial members of each of the flow passages.
A method of pumping a gaseous fluid in a well, comprising the following steps:
- a. providing a centrifugal pump comprising a plurality of impellers with a plurality of vanes on at least one of the impellers defining flow passages, wherein the vanes include an inner radial member and an outer radial member such that the inner radial member and the outer radial member have a different radius of curvature and an outer end of the inner radial member is offset from and leads an inner end, considering a direction of rotation, and is separated by a gap from the outer radial member,
- b. lowering the pump into the gaseous fluid in the well;
- c. introducing the gaseous fluid into the gas-handling centrifugal pump;
- d. rotating the impellers, causing the gaseous fluid to flow through and out flow passages, with some of the fluid circulated back through the gaps between the inner and outer radial members prior to discharging from the flow passages.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.