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US 9,797,402 B2Granted
Cooling devices and methods for use with electric submersible pumps
AssigneesChevron U.S.A. Inc., Los Alamos National Security, LLC
InventorsTodd Andrew Jankowski, Jose A Gamboa
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.
Claims15
A cooling system for an electric submersible pumping system, the cooling system comprising:
- a cooling device comprising at least one cooling device passageway;
- a plurality of motors coupled to the cooling device, wherein each motor of the plurality of motors comprises:
- a substantially cylindrical motor housing having a bottom end and a top end;
- a coupling system disposed at the bottom end of the motor housing, wherein the coupling system mechanically couples to a complementary coupling system of the cooling device;
- a shaft oriented vertically between the top end and the bottom end of the motor housing and substantially centered within the motor housing, wherein the shaft is coupled to a drive system of the cooling device;
- a shaft passageway disposed within the shaft;
- at least one stator passageway disposed within a plurality of channels in a stator of the motor, wherein the shaft passageway and the at least one stator passageway couple to the at least one cooling device passageway where a top end of a cooling device housing meets the bottom end of the motor housing;
- and
- at least one regulator disposed within the shaft;
- and
- working fluid circulating through the at least one cooling device passageway and the shaft passageway,
- wherein the at least one regulator diverts a first portion of the working fluid through the at least one stator passageway in one of the stators while allowing a second portion of the working fluid to flow through the at least one stator passageways disposed in a remainder of the stators of the plurality of motors,
- wherein each stator of the plurality of motors is coupled to an adjacent stator so that the at least one stator passageway is continuous among the plurality of motors.
10 more elements
A motor of an electric submersible pumping system, wherein the motor comprises:
- a substantially cylindrical housing having a bottom end and a top end;
- a coupling system disposed at the bottom end of the housing, wherein the coupling system mechanically couples to a complementary coupling system of a cooling device;
- a shaft oriented vertically between the top end and the bottom end of the housing and substantially centered within the housing, wherein the shaft is coupled to a drive system of the cooling device;
- a plurality of rotors coupled to the shaft;
- a plurality of stators disposed around the plurality of rotors;
- a shaft passageway disposed within the shaft;
- at least one regulator disposed within the shaft;
- and
- at least one stator passageway disposed within the plurality of stators, wherein the shaft passageway is configured to couple to at least one cooling device passageway where a top end of the cooling device meets the bottom end of the housing,
- wherein the at least one stator passageway is continuous throughout the plurality of stators, and
- wherein the at least one regulator is configured to divert a first portion of working fluid through the at least one stator passageway in one of the stators while allowing a second portion of the working fluid to flow through the at least one stator passageway disposed in a remainder of the stators.
8 more elements
A cooling device of an electric submersible pumping system, wherein the cooling device comprises:
- a substantially cylindrical cooling device housing having a top end, a bottom end, a length defined as the distance between the top end and the bottom end, and a diameter;
- a compressor, a condenser, a pressure reduction device, and an evaporator contained within the cooling device housing;
- a drive system disposed within the cooling device housing toward the top end of the housing, wherein the drive system is coupled to the compressor, wherein the drive system generates energy to operate the compressor;
- at least one cooling device passageway disposed within the cooling device housing and that connects the compressor, the condenser, the pressure reduction device, and the evaporator;
- a coupling system disposed at the top end of the cooling device housing;
- a clutch coupled to the compressor of the cooling device, wherein the clutch turns the compressor on and off;
- and
- at least one valve that operates in conjunction with the clutch, wherein the at least one valve closes to isolate a portion of the at least one cooling device passageway when the clutch turns the compressor off.
5 more elements
A cooling system for an electric submersible pumping system, the cooling system comprising:
- a cooling device comprising at least one cooling device passageway;
- a clutch coupled to a compressor of the cooling device, wherein the clutch turns the compressor on and off;
- at least one valve that operates in conjunction with the clutch, wherein the at least one valve closes to isolate a portion of the at least one cooling device passageway when the clutch turns the compressor off;
- a plurality of motors coupled to the cooling device, wherein each motor of the plurality of motors comprises:
- a substantially cylindrical motor housing having a bottom end and a top end;
- a coupling system disposed at the bottom end of the motor housing, wherein the coupling system mechanically couples to a complementary coupling system of the cooling device;
- a shaft oriented vertically between the top end and the bottom end of the motor housing and substantially centered within the motor housing, wherein the shaft is coupled to a drive system of the cooling device;
- a shaft passageway disposed within the shaft;
- and
- at least one stator passageway disposed within a plurality of channels in a stator of the motor, wherein the shaft passageway and the at least one stator passageway couple to the at least one cooling device passageway where a top end of a cooling device housing meets the bottom end of the motor housing;
- and
- working fluid circulating through the at least one cooling device passageway and the shaft passageway.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.