System, method and apparatus for open impeller and diffuser assembly for multi-stage submersible pump
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorsChristopher Marvin Brunner, Jason Ives
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multi-stage submersible pump uses impellers having only one shroud to provide stages with shorter stack lengths to allow more stages per housing and more head pressure per housing. The impellers are biased with wave springs to keep the rotating impeller vanes close to the mating diffusers. The entire stack of impellers is assembled in contact with each other using the wave springs and are always under axial load. The wave springs also take up any tolerance variations in the stack to keep the impellers in proper running position. To keep the impellers in their proper locations, thrust washers formed from hard materials are used between adjacent impellers to avoid erosion thereof.
Claims18
A multi-stage submersible pump, comprising:
- a pump housing having an axis and a shaft;
- a plurality of diffusers mounted to the pump housing to define a diffuser stack;
- a plurality of impellers mounted in the pump housing on the shaft between respective ones of the diffusers to define an impeller stack, each of the impellers having a hub with a single shroud extending radially from the hub, and a plurality of vanes extending axially from the single shroud;
- and
- biasing means located between axial ends of adjacent ones of the impellers for directly biasing the impellers against each other.
A multi-stage downhole electrical submersible pump (ESP) for a well, comprising:
- a pump housing having an axis and a shaft;
- a plurality of diffusers mounted to the pump housing to define a diffuser stack;
- a plurality of impellers mounted in the pump housing on the shaft between respective ones of the diffusers to define an impeller stack, each of the impellers having a hub with a single shroud extending radially from the hub, and a plurality of vanes extending axially from the single shroud;
- and
- biasing means located between axial ends of adjacent ones of the impellers for directly biasing the impellers against each other, the biasing means performing as adjustable spacers between the impellers to provide axial forces greater than hydraulic thrust exerted on the impellers to prevent the impellers from floating axially between the diffusers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.