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US 2014/0178212 A1Published application
Submersible Pump Motor Cooling Through External Oil Circulation
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorMichael Forsberg
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrical submersible pump motor has motor oil flowing through external circulation tubes for cooling the motor. A substantial portion of the exterior of each tube is submerged in and exposed to wellbore fluid. Heat is transferred from the motor to the motor oil, and then circulated through the external circulation tubes to conduct heat to the wellbore fluid. Internal or external motor oil pumps may be used to propel the motor oil through the circulation tubes. Guards or baffles may be used to protect the circulation tubes and to influence the flow of production fluid over the circulation tubes.
Claims18
An apparatus for pumping production fluid from a well, the apparatus comprising:
- a submersible pump having an inlet;
- a motor assembly coupled to the submersible pump for submersion in the production fluid, the motor assembly having a housing with a cylindrical side wall having an exterior surface and an interior chamber containing a stator, the motor assembly having a longitudinal axis, and a volume of lubricant being located in the interior chamber;
- a shaft connecting the motor assembly and submersible pump, so that when the motor assembly rotates the shaft to drive the submersible pump, the production fluid enters the inlet and is pumped to the surface;
- a plurality of circulating tubes in fluid communication with the lubricant in the interior chamber, each of the circulating tubes extending alongside and at a distance radially outward from the cylindrical side wall of the housing;
- a plurality of guard structures, each of the guard structures being attached to and extending alongside an exterior surface of the cylindrical side wall of the housing;
- and wherein
- an axial length of at least one of the circulating tubes is located within, and circumscribed by, one of the guard structures.
4 more elements
An apparatus for pumping fluid from a well, the apparatus comprising:
- a submersible pump having an inlet for drawing production fluid from the well;
- a motor assembly coupled to and submersible with the submersible pump, the motor assembly having a housing with a cylindrical side wall having an exterior surface, a longitudinal axis, a chamber, a stator in the chamber, and a volume of lubricant being located in the chamber;
- a plurality of circulating tubes in fluid communication with the volume of lubricant, each of the circulating tubes having a first end joining a first port that extends through the cylindrical side wall of the housing adjacent one end of the housing and a second end joining a second port that extends through the cylindrical side wall of the housing adjacent an opposite end of the housing, and an intermediate portion that joins the first end and the second end, each of the circulating tubes extending alongside an exterior surface of the cylindrical side wall of the housing of the motor assembly;
- a plurality of guard structures, each of the respective guard structures is attached to and extends alongside the exterior surface of the cylindrical side wall of the housing of the motor assembly, each of the guard structures protruding radially outward from the housing of the motor assembly a greater distance than each of the circulating tubes;
- and wherein
- the intermediate portion of at least one of the circulating tubes is located within, and circumscribed by, one of the guard structures.
3 more elements
A method for pumping fluid from a wellbore, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a pump coupled to a motor assembly, the motor assembly having a housing with a cylindrical side wall, the motor assembly having a longitudinal axis, a chamber in the housing, a stator in the chamber, a lubricant in the chamber, and a plurality of circulating tubes in fluid communication with the lubricant in the interior chamber, each of the circulating tubes having a first end, a second end, and an intermediate portion joining the first and second ends and extending alongside the exterior surface of the cylindrical side wall of the housing radially outward from the cylindrical side wall of the housing;
- (b) providing the motor assembly with a plurality of guard structures, each of the guard structures being attached to and extending alongside an exterior surface of the cylindrical side wall of the housing, wherein an axial length of at least one of the circulating tubes is located within, and circumscribed by, one of the guard structures;
- (c) lowering the pump and the motor assembly into the wellbore and submerging the pump and the motor assembly in the production fluid;
- and
- (d) operating the motor assembly and circulating the lubricant through the plurality of circulating tubes so that the lubricant flows outside of the housing and within the plurality of circulating tubes and heat is transferred between the lubricant and the production fluid across a wall of each of each of the circulating tubes.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.