Compliant abrasion resistant bearings for a submersible well pump

摘要

An electrical submersible pump assembly includes a centrifugal pump having impellers and diffusers. A thrust runner is coupled to a motor shaft for rotation along with the impellers. The runner receives thrust from at least one of the impellers and transfers the thrust to a bushing non rotatably mounted in one of the diffusers. The bushing has a thrust transferring end adjacent a thrust receiving shoulder in the diffuser. The bushing is axially movable in the receptacle. An annular spring located between the thrust receiving shoulder in the receptacle and the thrust transferring end of the bushing urges the bushing away from the thrust receiving shoulder.

主权项

1. An electrical submersible pump assembly, comprising:
a plurality of modules, including a rotary pump module, a motor module, and a seal section module located between the motor module and the pump module; the rotary pump module comprising a centrifugal pump having a driven shaft, a plurality of stages, each of the stages having an impeller and a diffuser, the impeller of each of the stages coupled to the shaft for rotation therewith, at least one of the stages further comprising: a thrust runner coupled to the drive shaft for rotation therewith, the thrust runner having a thrust receiving end that receives axial thrust from the impeller and having an axially facing thrust transferring surface; a bushing having a bore that receives the thrust runner in sliding, rotational engagement, the bushing having an axially facing thrust receiving surface in sliding, rotational engagement with the thrust transferring surface of the thrust runner, the bushing having an axially facing thrust transferring surface facing in an opposite direction to the thrust receiving surface of the bushing; the diffuser having a receptacle that receives the bushing, the diffuser being of less hardness than the bushing, the receptacle having an axially facing thrust receiving shoulder; the bushing being axially movable a limited extent relative to the receptacle; at least one axially extending semi-cylindrical recess formed in a cylindrical inner wall of the receptacle; an anti-rotation member in engagement with a cylindrical outer wall of the bushing and having an outer portion located within the recess to prevent rotation of the bushing relative to the receptacle; and an annular elastomeric seal between the outer wall of the bushing and the inner wall of the receptacle.