Nabors Drilling Technologies USA, Inc.

Axon Downhole Products, Inc.

Rory J Mallard, Jr

Gerard T Pittard

Curtis E Leitko, Jr

A bearing assembly for a downhole motor is provided. The bearing assembly includes a housing and a drive shaft designed to rotate with respect to the housing. The bearing assembly also includes stackable thrust bearings, each pre-loaded via a corresponding spring component. Some thrust bearings are arranged such that their spring components distribute axial loads from the housing in a first direction to the thrust bearings. Other thrust bearings are arranged such that their spring components distribute axial loads from the drive shaft in the first direction to the thrust bearings. Thus, the bearing assembly may be tailored via the stackable bearings to distribute axial thrust forces on the downhole motor evenly across the different thrust bearings. The bearing section may include a machinable spacer used to provide a double shouldered connection between the drive shaft and a drive shaft cap used to compress the stackable bearings.

Bearing section of a downhole drilling motor

Power section and transmission components within a downhole drilling motor that may reduce or eliminate axial thrust loads on the transmission of the drilling motor are provided. The transmission may utilize a driven shaft coupled between two connectors that enable torque transfer to and from the transmission while allowing the driven shaft to move freely in two planes. The power section may include a rotor with a through bore and a flex-shaft disposed in the through bore. The flex-shaft may be designed to rotate with the rotor. The flex-shaft may extend beyond the length of the rotor in one direction to be centralized within a bearing assembly. The opposite end of the flex-shaft may include a load-carrying shoulder that is retained in the bottom end of the rotor.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Rory J Mallard, Jr