Reduced profile abrasion resistant pump thrust bearing
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorsChristopher M. Brunner, David W. Chilcoat, Jason B. Ives
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A centrifugal pump has a stationary diffuser with a bore. A thrust bearing is pressed into the diffuser bore and has a curved interior. A thrust runner having a curved exterior is correspondingly and closely received by the thrust bearing interior. The thrust runner is keyed to a shaft and transmits thrust from a rotating impeller to the diffuser via the thrust bearing. The curved surface of the thrust bearing allows for handling of both axial and radial thrust without the need for multiple thrust bearings. The increased surface area of the curved surface in the thrust bearing can also handle higher loads.
Claims19
A centrifugal pump comprising:
- a rotatably driven drive shaft;
- a diffuser having a bore through which the shaft passes, the diffuser having a generally concave receptacle surrounding the bore of the diffuser;
- a thrust bearing base having a generally convex side bonded to the receptacle of the diffuser, the thrust bearing base having a generally concave thrust face;
- a thrust runner having a generally convex side in rotating engagement with the thrust face of the thrust bearing base, the thrust runner being axially movable relative to the shaft and rotatable with the shaft;
- a downstream impeller rotated by the shaft downstream of the diffuser;
- a thrust sleeve surrounding and rotatable with the shaft and extending between the downstream impeller and the thrust runner for transmitting down thrust to the thrust bearing base;
- and
- wherein the thrust sleeve, the thrust runner, and the thrust bearing base are made of a harder material than the diffuser and the downstream impeller.
A centrifugal pump comprising:
- a rotatably driven drive shaft;
- a diffuser having a bore through which the shaft passes and a generally concave receptacle at an upper end of the bore;
- a thrust bearing base having a generally convex side that mates with and is bonded into the receptacle, the thrust bearing base having a generally concave thrust face opposite the convex side;
- a thrust runner having a generally convex lower side in rotating engagement with the thrust face of the thrust bearing base, the thrust runner being axially movable relative to the shaft and rotatable with the shaft;
- an impeller adjacent to and above the diffuser and rotated by the shaft;
- a thrust sleeve surrounding and rotatable with the shaft and extending between the impeller and the thrust runner for transmitting down thrust to the thrust bearing base;
- and
- wherein the thrust sleeve, the thrust runner, and the thrust bearing base are made of a harder and more wear resistant material than the impeller and the diffuser.
A centrifugal pump comprising:
- a rotatably driven shaft;
- a first diffuser having a bore through which the shaft passes, the first diffuser having a concave receptacle on an upper portion;
- a down thrust bearing base having a convex side bonded in the receptacle, the down thrust bearing base having a concave thrust face;
- a down thrust runner having a convex side in rotating engagement with the thrust face of the down thrust bearing base, the down thrust runner being axially movable relative to the shaft and rotatable with the shaft;
- a first impeller rotated by the shaft above the first diffuser;
- a thrust sleeve surrounding and rotatable with the shaft and extending between the first impeller and the down thrust runner for transmitting down thrust to the down thrust bearing base;
- a second diffuser spaced above the first diffuser;
- a second impeller spaced above the first impeller and in rotatable engagement with the second diffuser;
- a spacer sleeve surrounding the shaft engaging a hub of the second impeller with a hub of the first impeller, the spacer sleeve being axially movable relative to the shaft to transmit down thrust from the second impeller to the first impeller;
- and
- wherein the thrust sleeve, the thrust runner, and the thrust bearing base are made of a harder material than the first and second diffusers and the first and second impellers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.