System and method for absorbing the expansion and contraction of internal fluids of a sumergible electric motor

A system for absorbing the expansion and contraction of internal fluids of an electric motor, comprising a motor protector having:

• a first chamber in fluid communication with electric motor internal fluid;
• a second chamber disposed for fluid communication with an environmental fluid;
• a communication passage in fluid communication with the first chamber and the second chamber;
• a volume of gas disposed for capture intermediate the electric motor internal fluid in the first chamber and the environmental fluid in the second chamber during operation of the system;
• and
• a barrier to fluid flow disposed between the second chamber and the surrounding environment, wherein the barrier is removed when exposed to a sufficient external pressure.

A system for absorbing the expansion and contraction of internal fluids of an electric motor, comprising a motor protector having:

• a first chamber in fluid communication with electric motor internal fluid;
• a second chamber disposed for fluid communication with an environmental fluid;
• a communication passage in fluid communication with the first chamber and the second chamber;
• and
• a volume of gas disposed for capture intermediate the electric motor internal fluid in the first chamber and the environmental fluid in the second chamber during operation of the system, wherein an upper opening of the communication passage is disposed in an upper region of the first chamber, and a lower opening of the communication passage is disposed in an upper region of the second chamber.

A system for absorbing the expansion and contraction of internal fluids of an electric motor, comprising a motor protector having:

• a first chamber in fluid communication with electric motor internal fluid;
• a second chamber disposed for fluid communication with an environmental fluid;
• a communication passage in fluid communication with the first chamber and the second chamber;
• a volume of gas disposed for capture intermediate the electric motor internal fluid in the first chamber and the environmental fluid in the second chamber during operation of the system;
• and
• a floating partition disposed intermediate the electric motor internal fluid and the environmental fluid.

A pumping system designed for submersion in a production fluid disposed in a wellbore, comprising:

• a submergible pump;
• a submergible motor coupled to the submergible pump and having an internal motor fluid;
• and
• a motor protector coupled to the submergible motor, the motor protector having an interior exposed to the production fluid and to the internal motor fluid, the motor protector further having a gas pocket disposed intermediate to and in contact with the production fluid and the internal motor fluid, wherein the motor protector includes an upper cavity exposed to the production fluid and a lower cavity exposed to the internal motor fluid.

A method of providing for the expansion and contraction of the internal fluids of an electric motor of a submergible system, comprising;

• fluidicly coupling an electric motor internal fluid from an electric motor to a first chamber of sufficient volume to contain any expected increase in electric motor internal fluid volume resulting from an increase in electric motor internal fluid temperature;
• providing a pressure barrier to allow fluid from the surrounding environment to flow into a second chamber at a predetermined pressure;
• fluidicly coupling the first chamber and second chamber in a manner to allow a gas pocket to form between the first chamber and second chamber;
• and
• inserting a sufficient volume of gas to maintain a gas pocket between the first chamber and the second chamber at the operating depth of the submergible system.