Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC

Baker Hughes, a Ge Compnay, LLC

Baker Hughes Holdings LLC

Zheng Ye

Risa Rutter

Ignacio Martinez

Randal Perisho

Brett Taylor Williams

Nikolas Davis

Carroll Dearman

Ameen Muhammed

Mark Paquette

Ryan P Semple

David Tanner

Chengbao Wang

Gary Williams

Michael Forsberg

Jason Ives

Yong Li

Mike Allen Swatek

Xiaonan Lu

Ryan Anthony Lack

Jimmy J Donnell

Howard Thompson

Joseph Robert McManus

Xiao Nan Lu

Rissa Rutter

Charles Collins

A submersible pumping system for producing a fluid from a wellbore through production tubing to a wellhead includes a pump assembly that has at least one pump, a motor that drives the at least one pump, and a recirculation module. The recirculation module includes a recirculation mandrel positioned within the production tubing and a recirculation line extending from the recirculation valve to the pump assembly. The recirculation module delivers a volume of priming fluid from the production tubing to the pump assembly. In some embodiments, the recirculation module further includes a recirculation valve, which can be positioned in an offset relationship from the recirculation mandrel.

External recirculation for gas lock relief

An ESP system having a driveshaft assembly; an electrical motor coupled with an end of the driveshaft assembly, and that when energized rotates the driveshaft assembly in a first direction. The ESP system also includes a pump coupled with an end of the driveshaft assembly distal from the motor, and a one-way clutch train in the driveshaft assembly that arrests rotation of the driveshaft assembly in a second direction. In this example the driveshaft assembly includes a pump shaft having an end engaged with an end of a motor shaft; opposing ends of the pump and motor shafts respectively couple with the pump and motor. The one-way clutch train includes a shaft-to-shaft clutch coupled between inner and outer surfaces of the pump and motor shafts and a shaft to housing clutch coupled between an outer surface of one of the pump and motor shafts and an outer housing.

One way clutch train for arresting backspin

Systems and methods for monitoring and suppressing a back EMF generated by an ESP motor when the ESP system is moved in a well. Embodiments provide both electrical braking to reduce the rotation of the motor (and corresponding back EMF) and warnings to alert users to hazardous conditions caused by the back EMF. One embodiment includes an ESP system having a permanent magnet motor, a back EMF safety system, and a power cable connected between them. The proximal ends of the cable's conductors are connected terminals of the back EMF safety system, which has switches that are closed to short circuit the conductors so that back EMF currents from rotation of the motor induce electrical braking in the motor. Currents and phase-to-phase voltages on the conductors are monitored to detect overcurrent and overvoltage conditions that may trigger alarms or other actions.

Systems and methods for back-EMF monitoring and suppression during installation or pulling of PMM-driven ESP

An electrical submersible well pump assembly has shaft couplings. One of the couplings has a lower hub that rotates in unison with the motor shaft and an upper hub that rotates in unison with the pump shaft. A helical spring clutch engages both hubs when the motor shaft is being driven by the motor. Ceasing driving rotation of the motor shaft causes the spring clutch to disengage from the upper hub, enabling the pump shaft to rotate the upper hub without rotating the lower hub.

Motor drive shaft spring clutch in electrical submersible pump

An electrical submersible pump has a stack of diffusers within the housing, each of the diffusers having a conical upper shoulder and a conical lower shoulder. The lower shoulder of each of the diffusers is in abutment with the upper shoulder of an adjacent one of the diffusers. The upper and lower shoulders of each of the diffusers slope downward and outward relative to the axis. Impeller hubs have conical upper and lower ends. At least some of the upper ends of the hubs abut and transfer up thrust to the lower end of an adjacent one of the hubs. At least some of the lower ends of the hubs abut and transfer down thrust to the upper end of an adjacent one of the hubs.

Centralizing features in electrical submersible pump

An electrical submersible well pump assembly (ESP) has a spring brake having helical turns mounted between the shaft and one of the housings. The spring brake allows free rotation of the shaft in a driving direction and stops the shaft from rotating in a reverse direction. The spring brake may have one end be affixed to the housing to rotate in unison in both directions. Alternately, the spring brake may have one end affixed to the shaft for rotation with the shaft. Further, the spring brake could be free of being connected to either the shaft or the housing. A shear member may be mounted between the shaft and the housing to prevent any rotation of the shaft during run-in.

Shear pin and drive shaft spring brake in electrical submersible pump

A submersible well pump has a rotatable drive shaft extending through pump stages. Each of the stages has a diffuser, an impeller and a bushing fixed for non-rotation in the diffuser. A thrust member has a lower side in sliding rotating engagement with the upward facing surface of the bushing. The bushing and the thrust member are of a harder material than the diffuser and the impeller. A drive member of a softer material than the thrust member is in engagement with the thrust member and has a drive member bore through which the shaft extends. A key extends through the shaft groove, the impeller groove and the drive member groove to cause the impeller and thrust member to rotate with the shaft.

Thrust runner for abrasion resistant bearing of centrifugal pump

A pumping system includes a motor and a drive shaft configured for rotation by the motor. The pumping system includes an upper pump positioned above the motor, an upper pump shaft and an upper directional coupling connected between the drive shaft and the upper pump shaft. The upper directional coupling is configured to lock the upper pump shaft to the drive shaft when the drive shaft is rotated in a first direction. The pumping system further includes a lower pump positioned below the motor, a lower pump shaft, and a lower directional coupling connected between the drive shaft and the lower pump shaft. The lower directional coupling is configured to lock the lower pump shaft to the drive shaft when the drive shaft is rotated in a second direction.

Dual ESP with selectable pumps

An electrical submersible pump has a tubular pump housing containing centrifugal pump stages and a rotatable shaft. A bearing mounts in the housing and has a shaft passage through which the shaft extends. A sensor hole extends through the housing and into the bearing. A temperature sensor is located within the sensor hole. The sensor hole has a closed end radially outward from the shaft passage. A sensor line leads from the temperature sensor to a sensing unit mounted at an upper or a lower end of the pump assembly.

Pump bottom bearing with temperature sensor in electrical submersible well pump assembly

A submersible well fluid pump has diffusers non-rotatably mounted in a pump housing. A drive shaft rotates an impeller between each of the diffusers. A bearing is positioned between and in abutment with two of the diffusers. An annular recess encircles an outer wall of the bearing. A wave spring has undulations with inward protruding indentations in contact with a base of the recess and outward protruding indentations in engagement with an inner wall of the housing. The wave spring is split and radially compressed between the base of the recess and the housing inner wall.

Intermediate bearing in electrical submersible pump

An electrical submersible well pump has upper and lower diffusers non-rotatably mounted in a housing. A rotatable impeller between the upper and lower diffusers has a bottom shroud. An outward-facing wall is on an upper end of the lower diffuser. A lower end of the upper diffuser has an inward-facing wall that fits closely around the outward-facing wall of the lower diffuser. A key mounted between the inward-facing and outward-facing walls prevents relative rotation between the diffusers. The key extends axially above an upper end of the neck and radially inward from the inward-facing wall of the upper diffuser into close proximity to the bottom shroud, creating a sand dam.

Interlocking diffuser arrangement in electrical submersible pump

A well fluid centrifugal pump has a shaft passage in the shaft. The shaft passage has an open upper end above the impellers and a closed lower end below the impellers. An outlet port extends laterally from the shaft passage. A gas-lock re-priming device in the shaft passage diverts a portion of well fluid in the discharge adapter bore through the shaft passage and out the outlet port. The re-priming device may be a pressure actuated valve that is biased to a closed position and opens when the pressure in the discharge adapter bore drops below a minimum. Alternately, the re-priming device may be an orifice member with an orifice passage that continuously diverts a portion of the well fluid in the discharge adapter bore out the outlet port.

Gas-lock re-prime shaft passage in submersible well pump and method of re-priming the pump

A submersible pump assembly has a seal section between the motor and the well fluid pump, the seal section having a housing, a shaft and a thrust bearing unit. The thrust bearing unit includes a thrust runner mounted to the shaft that rotates against a thrust bearing base fixed in the housing. An annular, metal thrust runner wave spring has an inner diameter surface in contact with the shaft and an outer diameter surface in contact with the runner bore. The wave spring has a transverse width between the inner diameter surface and the outer diameter surface that is elastically deflectable, exerting an inward bias force against the shaft and an outward bias force against the runner bore.

Thrust runner vibration dampening spring in electrical submersible pump

A wear resistant mesh for construction of a component includes a plurality of inserts, a web connecting the inserts to one another and maintaining geometry and spacing of the inserts. A component including a mesh including a plurality of inserts and a web connecting the inserts to one another and maintaining geometry and spacing of the inserts, a matrix material disposed about the mesh, the material exposing selected wear surfaces of the mesh. A method for making a mesh to dispose in a component for wear resistance and a method for producing a component having wear resistance and ductility.

Growing community of inventors

Claremore, OK, United States of America

Zheng Ye