Adjustable fit progressive cavity pump/motor apparatus and method
AssigneeWeatherford/Lamb, Inc.
InventorWilliam Lane
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides an adjustable rotor and/or stator, so that the interference fit and/or clearance can be adjusted. The rotor and/or stator are tapered to provide a difference in fit between the rotor and stator by longitudinal adjustment of their relative position. In one embodiment, the adjustment may occur while the PCP in mounted downhole in a wellbore. In another embodiment, the adjustment may occur automatically depending on sensor input of operating conditions of the PCP.
Claims33
A progressive cavity pump having an inlet and an outlet, comprising:
- a) a stator having a helical internal bore with at least two helical threads, the stator being tapered at least partially between the inlet and the outlet;
- b) a rotor having a helical periphery with one helical thread less than the stator and disposed at least partially within the stator to form a plurality of cavities between the rotor and the stator, the rotor being tapered at least partially between the inlet and the outlet;
- c) an adjustor coupled to the rotor that allows manual adjustment of the rotor relative to the stator;
- and
- d) a shaft extending from a wellbore surface coupled to the rotor and coupled to the adjustor.
A progressive cavity pump having an inlet and an outlet, comprising:
- a) a stator having a helical internal bore with at least two helical threads, the stator being tapered at least partially between the inlet and the outlet;
- b) a rotor having a helical periphery with one helical thread less than the stator and disposed at least partially within the stator to form a plurality of cavities between the rotor and the stator, the rotor being tapered at least partially between the inlet and the outlet;
- a shaft coupled to the rotor
- c) an adjustor coupled to the rotor that allows manual movement of the rotor relative to the stator, wherein the adjustor comprises a threaded coupling and a sensor coupled to the shaft.
A progressive cavity pump having an inlet and an outlet, comprising:
- a) a stator having a helical internal bore with at least two helical threads, the stator being tapered at least partially between the inlet and the outlet;
- b) a rotor having a helical periphery with one helical thread less than the stator and disposed at least partially within the stator to form a plurality of cavities between the rotor and the stator, the rotor being tapered at least partially between the inlet and the outlet;
- and
- c) an adjustor coupled to the stator that axially changes a relative position of the rotor with respect to the stator.
A method of adjusting a progressive cavity pump, comprising:
- a) inserting a progressive cavity pump into a wellbore, the pump comprising:
- i) a stator having a helical internal bore with at least two helical threads, the stator being tapered at least partially between the inlet and the outlet;
- ii) a rotor having a helical periphery with one helical thread less than the stator and disposed at least partially within the stator to form a plurality of cavities between the rotor and the stator, the rotor being tapered at least partially between the inlet and the outlet;
- b) positioning the rotor at a first longitudinal position relative to the stator;
- and
- c) adjusting the rotor to a second longitudinal position relative to the stator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.