Other

The United States of America As Represented by the Department of Energy

Eastman Christensen Company

Eastman Christensen

Utah Bioreseach, Inc.

Oleg M Kotlyar

Owen D Brimhall

Phillip B West

Stephen C Peterson

Dilip N Ghosh Roy

An electrical linear motor for propelling a marine vessel through a liquid medium, comprises a housing secured to the marine vessel and submerged in the liquid medium, an insert within the housing and having at least two electrical coil windings disposed on internal walls of the insert; a thruster subassembly moves between the internal walls of the insert, the thruster subassembly having a front cover, an internal channel with check valve and at least two sets of permanent magnets attached to the thruster subassembly and maintained in sufficiently close proximity to the electrical coil windings so that an electromagnetic field created by a controlled energizing of the electrical coil windings interacts with a magnetic field from the permanent magnets to provide a resulting linear force, which causes a reciprocating linear motion of the thruster subassembly, wherein the check valve is in an open position during a back stroke of the thruster subassembly so that the liquid medium flows freely through the thruster subassembly internal channel and wherein the check valve is closed during a working stroke of the thruster subassembly so that the front cover of the thruster subassembly displaces the liquid medium, thereby propelling the marine vessel through the liquid medium.

Electrical linear motor for propulsion of marine vessel

An electrical linear motor for propelling a marine vessel comprises a thruster assembly disposed within a guide tube. Permanent magnets are attached to the thruster assembly and placed in close proximity to electrical coil windings, which are positioned outside of and parallel to the guide tube. Electrical current energizing the coil windings creates an electromagnetic field, which interacts with the magnetic field of the magnets to cause reciprocating linear motion of the thruster assembly with the guide tube. During the non-propelling back stroke, a check valve on the thruster assembly is in open position to allow free passage of water. The check valve is moved to a closed position during the working stroke of the thruster assembly, allowing the thruster assembly to propel the marine vessel.

Electrical linear motor for marine propulsion

An improved mechanical seal assembly is provided for sealing rotating shafts with respect to their shaft housings, wherein the rotating shafts are subject to substantial axial vibrations. The mechanical seal assembly generally includes a rotating sealing ring fixed to the shaft, a non-rotating sealing ring adjacent to and in close contact with the rotating sealing ring for forming an annular seal about the shaft, and a mechanical diode element that applies a biasing force to the non-rotating sealing ring by means of hemispherical joint. The alignment of the mechanical diode with respect to the sealing rings is maintained by a series of linear bearings positioned axially along a desired length of the mechanical diode. Alternative embodiments include mechanical or hydraulic amplification components for amplifying axial displacement of the non-rotating sealing ring and transfering it to the mechanical diode.

Mechanical seal assembly

An improved mechanical seal assembly is provided for sealing rotating shafts with respect to their shaft housings, wherein the rotating shafts are subject to substantial axial vibrations. The mechanical seal assembly generally includes a rotating sealing ring fixed to the shaft, a non-rotating sealing ring adjacent to and in close contact with the rotating sealing ring for forming an annular seal about the shaft, and a mechanical diode element that applies a biasing force to the non-rotating sealing ring by means of hemispherical joint. The alignment of the mechanical diode with respect to the sealing rings is maintained by a series of linear bearings positioned axially along a desired length of the mechanical diode. Alternative embodiments include mechanical or hydraulic amplification components for amplifying axial displacement of the non-rotating sealing ring and transferring it to the mechanical diode.

A magnetostrictive method and apparatus for propelling an object through a medium wherein one end of a magnetostrictive rod is firmly attached to a housing connected to the object and the other end of the rod is in contact, direct or through a flexible membrane, with the medium. Magnetic field pulses are created by energizing a coil located radially around and proximate to the magnetostrictive rod, said magnetic field pulses causing the rod to rapidly expand and contract longitudinally, in the presence and absence, respectively, of the magnetic field. A plurality of magnetostrictive rods can also be used to propel the object.

Magnetostrictive method and apparatus for propelling an object

A autonomous borehole data transmission apparatus for transmitting measurement data from measuring instruments at the downhole end of a drill string by generating pressure pulses utilizing a transducer longitudinally responsive to magnetic field pulses caused by electrical pulses corresponding to the measured downhole parameters.

Autonomous data transmission apparatus

A fast-acting nuclear reactor control device for moving and positioning a fety control rod to desired positions within the core of the reactor between a run position in which the safety control rod is outside the reactor core, and a shutdown position in which the rod is fully inserted in the reactor core. The device employs a hydraulic pump/motor, an electric gear motor, and solenoid valve to drive the safety control rod into the reactor core through the entire stroke of the safety control rod. An overrunning clutch allows the safety control rod to freely travel toward a safe position in the event of a partial drive system failure.

Fast-acting nuclear reactor control device

A borehole data transmission apparatus whereby a centrifugal pump impeller(s) is used to provide a turbine stage having substantial pressure characteristics in response to changing rotational speed of a shaft for the pressure pulsing of data from the borehole through the drilling mud to the surface of the earth.

Borehole data transmission apparatus

Pulse rates, rise and fall times of pulses and lifetimes of mud pulsing valves are substantially increased by providing a valve with a plurality of openable ports which simultaneously open and close to provide a collective flow path of the mud through the valve. By employing a plurality of ports, instead of one port, the time rate of change in the flow area, as the plurality of ports opens and closes, is substantially greater in the case of a single port. As a result, mud velocity falls much more quickly and the abrasion damage within the mud valve is less. The rate of change of the flow area on opening and closing is further increased by providing noncircular ports. In particular, trapezoidal ports are utilized so that they open across a corresponding straight edges. A plurality of such trapezoidal ports may be utilized to increase the rate of change of flow area with time to an even greater extent. The number of ports may be substantially multiplied by utilizing a center fed stator with an upper and lower surface and opposing upper and lower rotors through which the ports are defined.

Mud pulse valve and method of valving in a mud flow for sharper rise and

This invention is a dual axis, continuous flow centrifuge apparatus and method. A centrifuge head rotates in a vertical orientation about a first axis which, in turn, is rotated in a horizontal plane about a second axis. The rotation of the centrifuge head is matched to the rotation of the second axis to cancel out any net rotation of flexible conduits attached to the centrifuge head. The nonrotating coupling of the conduits permits continuous flow through the centrifuge head in the absence of seals. An angled centrifuge chamber inside the centrifuge head provides a more rapid separation of the components in the liquid passing through the centrifuge head. The path of travel of a particle in a centrifuge chamber inside the centrifuge head follows a generally cycloidal path thereby undergoing a pulsatile centrifugal force component.

Dual axis continuous flow centrifugation apparatus and method

Multistate mud pulsing is achieved by generating both positive and negative pulses within a drill string by means of a plurality of selectively operable bypass passages around a restriction to primary mud flow within a drill string or by venting to outside of the drill string. A fraction of the hydraulic mud is drawn from a location upstream from the restriction into a valve manifold. The removed fraction of hydraulic mud is selectively communicated from the valve manifold either to a point inside a drill string downstream from the restriction or to a point exterior to the drill string in annulus between the outside of the drill string in the borehole. Mud reinjected downstream from the restriction creates a positive pressure pulse within the drill string. Mud which is diverted to the annulus outside of the drill string creates a negative mud pulse within the drill string. Selective activation of valving for distributing the mud downstream from the restriction or to the exterior drill string annulus allows the apparatus to be used as a simple positive pressure pulse telemetry system, a simple negative pressure telemetry system or a multistate mud pulse telemetry system.

Universal mud pulse telemetry system

A logging-while-drilling tool includes a housing positioned in a drill string, a shaft journaled in the housing, a turbine stage or stages, a rotor or rotors, the latter mounted on the shaft outside of the housing and driven by the drilling fluid and a braking device for variably controlling the rotational speed of the rotor in order to produce pressure pulses which are transmitted to the surface through the drilling fluid. A generator or other energy storing device is provided to power an electronic package which interprets downhole conditions for transmission of the same as pressure pulses.

Method and tool for logging-while-drilling

Multistate mud pulsing is achieved by generating both positive and negative pulses within a drill string by means of a plurality of selectively operable bypass passages around a restriction to primary mud flow within a drill string or by venting to outside of the drill string. A fraction of the hydraulic mud is drawn from a location upstream from the restriction into a valve manifold. The removed fraction of hydraulic mud is selectively communicated from the valve manifold either to a point inside a drill string downstream from the restriction or to a point exterior to the drill string in annulus between the outside of the drill string in the borehole. Mud reinjected downstream from the restriction creates a positive pressure pulse within the drill string. Mud which is diverted to the annulus outside of the drill string creates a negative mud pulse within the drill string. Selective activation of valving for distributing the mud downstream from the restriction or to the exterior drill string annulus allows the apparatus to used as a simple positive pressure pulse telemetry system, a simple negative pressure telemetry system or a multistate mud pulse telemetry system. A system capable of three or four state telemetry is comprised of a single bypass passage for diverting a portion of hydraulic mud from the main flow in the drill string, and a single bypass passage for recombining it with the main flow downstream from the restriction within the drill string. Depending upon nonsimultaneous or simultaneous operation of the passages, a three or four state telemetry system is provided.

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Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America

Oleg M Kotlyar