Latching mechanism for changing pump size
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorsKetankumar K. Sheth, Steven K. Tetzlaff
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A latching mechanism for selectively disengaging an upper pump from a motor in an ESP. The latching mechanism comprises barbs formed on an upper end of an upper shaft that are engaged by a tool to lift the upper shaft until a lower end of the upper shaft disengages from an upper end of a motor shaft. When the upper pump is disengaged from the motor shaft, only a lower pump is driven by the motor and flow of well fluid is circulated past the disengaged upper pump via a bypass line. The upper pump shaft may reengage the motor shaft if additional lift is required.
Claims19
A well pump assembly, comprising:
- upper and lower pumps adapted to be suspended within a well, each of the pumps having a rotatable shaft enclosed within a housing, the shafts having mating ends that are coupled together by a splined coupling;
- the shaft of the upper pump being upwardly movable relative to the housing of the upper pump and relative to the shaft of the lower pump from a coupled position to a de-coupled position;
- an upper portion of a latch mounted in the housing of the upper pump;
- a lower portion of the latch mounted to the shaft of the upper pump for upward movement therewith, the lower portion of the latch engaging the upper portion of the latch when the shaft of the upper pump is moved upwardly to the de-coupled position to retain the shall of the upper pump in the de-coupled position.
A well pump assembly, comprising:
- upper and lower pumps adapted to be suspended within a well, each of the pumps having a rotatable shaft enclosed within a housing, the shafts having mating ends that are coupled together by a splined coupling;
- the shaft of the upper pump being upwardly movable relative to the housing of the upper pump and relative to the shaft of the lower pump from a coupled position to a de-coupled position;
- a grapple stationarily mounted in the housing of the upper pump;
- and
- a protrusion mounted to the shaft of the upper pump for upward movement therewith, the protrusion extending radially outward from the shaft, the protrusion being spaced below the grapple while the shaft of the upper pump is in the coupled position, the protrusion moving upward with the shaft of the upper pump and being grasped by the grapple when the shaft of the upper pump moves to the de-coupled position, thereby retaining the shaft of the upper pump in the de-coupled position.
A well having a pumping assembly, comprising:
- a string of production tubing extending into the well;
- upper and lower pumps suspended on the string of tubing, each of the pumps having a rotatable, shall enclosed within a housing, the shafts having mating ends that are coupled together by a splined coupling;
- the shaft of the upper pump being upwardly movable relative to the housing of the upper pump and relative to the shaft of the lower pump from a coupled position to a de-coupled position;
- a retainer in the upper pump that releasably holds the shaft of the upper pump in the de-coupled position;
- and
- a motor located below the lower pump and operably connected to the shaft of the lower pump for rotating the shafts while the shafts are in the coupled position, the motor rotating the shaft of the. lower pump while the shafts are in the de-coupled position.
A method for disconnecting an upper well pump from a lower well pump of a submersible wed pump assembly, each of the well pumps having, a housing enclosing a rotatable shaft, the shafts being coupled together by a splined coupling, the pump assembly having a motor coupled to the shaft of the lower pump for rotating the shafts while coupled together, the method comprising:
- (a) moving the shaft of the upper pump upward relative to the housing of the upper pump and relative to the shaft of the lower pump from a coupled position to a decoupled position;
- (b) retaining the shaft of Me upper pump in the housing of the upper pump in the de-coupled position;
- then
- (c) operating the motor to rotate the shaft of the lower pump relative to the shaft of the upper pump.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.