Back to results
US 8,899,054 B2Granted
Cooling devices and methods for use with electric submersible pumps
AssigneeLos Alamos National Security, LLC
InventorsTodd A. Jankowski, Dallas D. Hill
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Cooling devices for use with electric submersible pump motors include a refrigerator attached to the end of the electric submersible pump motor with the evaporator heat exchanger accepting all or a portion of the heat load from the motor. The cooling device can be a self-contained bolt-on unit, so that minimal design changes to existing motors are required.
Claims20
A cooling device for an electric submersible pumping system, the cooling device comprising:
- a generally cylindrical housing having a first end, a second end, a length defined as the distance between the first end and the second end, and a diameter;
- a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator contained within the housing;
- and
- a coupling system for powering the compressor from a motor on the electric submersible pumping system.
1 more element
A method of cooling a lubricating fluid in a downhole electric submersible pumping system, comprising:
- coupling a cooling device to the electric submersible pumping system, the cooling device comprising a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator contained within a generally cylindrical housing;
- operatively coupling the cooling device to a motor on the electric submersible pumping system to drive a shaft of the compressor;
- positioning the cooling device downhole with the electric submersible pumping system;
- operating the electric submersible pumping system;
- and
- cooling the lubricating fluid using the cooling device.
3 more elements
A bolt-on refrigerator system comprising:
- a generally cylindrical housing having a first end, a second end, a length defined as the distance between the first end and the second end, and a diameter, the generally cylindrical housing including a compressor housing portion and a finned evaporator housing portion;
- a compressor in the compressor housing portion;
- a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator contained within the finned evaporator housing portion;
- and
- a magnetic coupling system positioned at the first end of the generally cylindrical housing, the magnetic coupling system having a first side that can be driven by an external device and a second side that can drive a shaft of the compressor,
- wherein the ratio of the length to the diameter of the generally cylindrical housing is at least 15:1.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.