Diamond thrust bearing and method for manufacturing same
AssigneeAnadrill, Inc.
InventorDavid R. Hall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A diamond thrust bearing and method for manufacturing the diamond thrust bearing wherein diamond bearing pads are interference fitted at ambient temperatures into a plurality of equidistantly spaced bearing pad recesses located in a circle in a receiving surface of a bearing pad retainer. The bearing faces of the diamond bearing pads are located coplanar with a predetermined common bearing plane by pressing the bearing faces into the bearing pad retainer with a ram and inflexible pressing plate until the pressing face of the pressing plate is stopped by a press stop block. The diamond thrust bearing manufactured using the method will be free from heat induced stresses that cause bearing face misalignment.
Claims44
A diamond thrust bearing for use in downhole drilling operations, said thrust bearing comprising:
- (a) a bearing pad retainer having a plurality of bearing pad recesses formed in a receiving surface thereof;
- (b) a plurality of diamond bearing pads, each of said diamond bearing pads being interference fitted into a corresponding one of said bearing pad recesses, and each of said diamond bearing pads comprising:
- (i) an insertion end interference fitted into said corresponding one of said bearing pad recesses;
- and
- (ii) a bearing end projecting from said receiving surface of said bearing pad retainer and terminating in a substantially planar bearing face, said substantially planar bearing face being coplanar in a predetermined bearing plane with the bearing faces of all of said plurality of diamond bearing pads;
- and
- (c) support means for maintaining said substantially planar bearing faces in said predetermined bearing plane, said support means being cold pressed in each of said plurality of bearing pad recesses.
A diamond thrust bearing as recited in claim I, wherein said bearing pad retainer is free from heat induced stresses.
A diamond thrust bearing for use in downhole drilling operations, said thrust bearing comprising:
- (a) a bearing pad retainer having a plurality of bearing pad recesses formed in a receiving surface thereof, said bearing pad recesses having an insertion chamber, a receiving end in said receiving surface and a deformation end in the bottom thereof;
- (b) a plurality of diamond bearing pads, each of said diamond bearing pads being interference fitted into a corresponding one of said bearing pad recesses, and each of said diamond bearing pads comprising:
- (i) an insertion end interference fitted into said corresponding one of said bearing pad recesses;
- and
- (ii) a bearing end projecting from said receiving surface of said bearing pad retainer and terminating in a substantially planar bearing face, said substantially planar bearing face being coplanar in a predetermined bearing plane with the bearing faces of all of said plurality of diamond bearing pads;
- and
- (c) a plurality of malleable shims, one malleable shim cold pressed in each of said plurality of bearing pad recesses for maintaining said substantially planar bearing faces of said plurality of diamond bearing pads in said predetermined bearing plane.
A diamond thrust bearing for use in downhole drilling operations, said thrust bearing comprising:
- (a) an annular bearing pad retainer having a plurality of bearing pad recesses equidistantly spaced in a circle concentric with said annular bearing pad retainer, formed in a receiving surface thereof, each of said plurality of bearing pad recesses having a cylindrical insertion chamber, an open receiving end in said receiving surface of said annular bearing pad retainer and a deformation end in the bottom of said cylindrical insertion chamber;
- (b) a plurality of cylindrical diamond bearing pads, each of said diamond bearing pads being interference fitted into a corresponding one of said bearing pad recesses, and each of said diamond bearing pads comprising:
- (i) an insertion end interference fitted into said corresponding one of said insertion chambers;
- and
- (ii) a bearing end projecting from said receiving surface of said bearing pad retainer and terminating in a substantially planar bearing face, said substantially planar bearing face being coplanar in a predetermined bearing plane with the bearing faces of all of said plurality of diamond bearing pads;
- and
- (c) a plurality of malleable copper shims, one malleable copper shim being cold pressed at ambient temperature into each of said plurality of bearing pad recesses, said malleable copper shims each having an upper surface and a lower surface, said upper surface supporting said diamond bearing pad and said lower surface being cold formed into said deformation end of a corresponding one of said insertion chambers to position wherein said bearing face of said diamond bearing pad is coplanar with said predetermined bearing plane.
A diamond thrust bearing assembly for use in downhole drilling operations, said thrust bearing assembly comprising:
- (a) a first bearing pad retainer free from heat induced stresses having a plurality of bearing pad recesses formed in a receiving surface thereof;
- (b) a second bearing pad retainer free from heat induced stresses having a plurality of bearing pad recesses formed in a receiving surface thereof, said receiving surface of said first bearing pad retainer being disposed in an opposing position to said second bearing pad retainer;
- (c) a plurality of diamond bearing pads interference fitted into each of said plurality of bearing pad recesses, each of said diamond bearing pads comprising:
- (i) an insertion end interference fitted into a corresponding one of said bearing pad recesses;
- and
- (ii) a bearing end projecting from said receiving surface of said bearing pad retainer and terminating in a substantially planar bearing face, said substantially planar bearing face being coplanar with the bearing faces of said plurality of the diamond bearing pads in a predetermined bearing plane;
- and
- (d) support means for maintaining said substantially planar bearing faces of said diamond bearing pads coincident with a predetermined bearing plane, said support means being cold pressed in said bearing pad recess.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.