A bearing section for a mandrel at least partially disposed within an inner bore of a housing. A radial bearing and a thrust bearing are each disposed around the mandrel and within the inner bore of the housing. The radial bearing includes an outer cylindrical member, an inner cylindrical member, and a series of spherical members disposed within a space between an inner surface of the outer cylindrical member and an outer surface of the inner cylindrical member. One of the inner surface of the outer cylindrical member or the outer surface of the inner cylindrical member includes a flat profile and the other includes a series of circumferential grooves. The flat profile allows relative axial movement between the inner and outer cylindrical members without the radial bearing absorbing any thrust load.

The present invention relates to a subsea multipiston pump module, a subsea multistage pump and skid, having two reciprocating pistons controlled by a control means in such a way that the pistons can be driven either in a parallel mode, where the pistons are driven in phase with each other, or in a serial mode, where the pistons are driven out of phase with each other, wherein the pistons are fluidly connected with each other by a piston connection means in such a way that in parallel mode they are fluidly connected in parallel, and in serial mode, they are fluidly connected in serial. Further, the invention relates to a method of pumping a media fluid under subsea conditions.

The present invention relates to a radial force tool assembly for providing a radial force perpendicularly to an axial extension of the radial force tool assembly in a well for anchoring, centralising or rolling a downhole intervention tool in a well having a borehole, the radial force tool assembly having a centre axis, a front end and a rear end, and comprising a tool body comprising a cavity extending across the tool body, the cavity comprising a first cavity face facing opposite a second cavity face, a first actuator moving a first force-transmitting member in relation to the tool body along the axial extension, wherein the first force-transmitting member has a first end with a first face and a second face, and a first rear arm member having a first end face abutting the first face and a second end face, and a second rear arm member having a first end face abutting the second face and a second end face, and wherein each of the first end faces has a curvature so that when the first force-transmitting member moves towards the front, the first end face of the first rear arm member rolls on the first face, projecting the first rear arm member radially outwards in a first radial direction, and the first end face of the second rear arm member rolls on the second face, projecting the second rear arm member radially outwards in a second radial direction opposite the first direction while projecting the first and second rear arm members. The invention also relates to a downhole intervention tool comprising the radial force tool assembly.

Embodiments of the invention relate to polycrystalline diamond (PCD) exhibiting enhanced diamond-to-diamond bonding. In an embodiment, PCD includes a plurality of diamond grains defining a plurality of interstitial regions. A metal-solvent catalyst occupies at least a portion of the plurality of interstitial regions. The plurality of diamond grains and the metal-solvent catalyst collectively exhibit a coercivity of about 115 Oersteds (Oe) or more and a specific magnetic saturation of about 15 Gauss.Math.cm.sup.3/grams (G.Math.cm.sup.3/g) or less. Other embodiments are directed to polycrystalline diamond compacts (PDCs) employing such PCD, methods of forming PCD and PDCs, and various applications for such PCD and PDCs in rotary drill bits, bearing apparatuses, and wire-drawing dies.

Bearing apparatuses including contacting bearing surfaces comprising superhard materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to bearings including polycrystalline diamond inserts or compacts defining a plurality of surfaces that move relative to one another and contact one another. For example, apparatuses may include radial bearings, or other bearings including arcuate bearing surfaces that more in relation to one another, without limitation. In one embodiment, a superhard bearing element may comprise a superhard table (e.g., polycrystalline diamond) forming an arcuate bearing surface. Further, such a superhard bearing element may comprise a chamfer formed about at least a portion of a periphery of the arcuate bearing surface. Bearing apparatuses including such bearing elements and various mechanical systems are disclosed.

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.

Embodiments of the invention are directed to bearing assemblies configured to effectively carry nonuniform loads, bearing apparatuses including such bearing assemblies, and methods of operating such bearing assemblies and apparatuses. In an embodiment, under some operational conditions, one or more portions of the bearing assemblies and bearing apparatus may be preferentially loaded, such as to carry preferentially higher loads (e.g., radial and/or axial loads) than other portion(s) of the bearing assemblies and bearing apparatus.

In a subsea system where subsea devices are operated using a pressurized fluid from one or more accumulators, the method of providing flow of pressurized fluid to operate a device which is greater than the flow from an accumulator providing the flow, comprising discharging the accumulator to drive one or more motors, driving one or more pumps by the one or more motors, the one or more pumps having a larger displacement than the one or more motors such that the one or more pump outputs a greater volume of fluid than the motor consumes, and delivering the output of the one or more pumps to operated the subsea device.

Bearing assemblies and bearing apparatuses are disclosed. In an embodiment, a first bearing assembly includes tilting pads and a first plurality of sliding superhard bearing elements secured to a first support ring. In an embodiment, a second bearing assembly includes a substantially continuous bearing element secured to a second support ring. In an embodiment, a bearing apparatus includes the first bearing assembly and the second bearing assembly, with the substantially continuous bearing element generally facing the tilting pads. At relatively low rotational speeds, the first plurality of superhard bearing elements supports at least a portion of a load exerted on the bearing assembly. At relatively high rotational speeds, the tilting pads support at least a majority of the load.

In an embodiment, a method of fabricating a polycrystalline diamond compact is disclosed. The method includes sintering a plurality of diamond particles in the presence of a metal-solvent catalyst to form a polycrystalline diamond body; leaching the polycrystalline diamond body to at least partially remove the metal-solvent catalyst therefrom, thereby forming an at least partially leached polycrystalline diamond body; and subjecting an assembly of the at least partially leached polycrystalline diamond body and a cemented carbide substrate to a high-pressure/high-temperature process at a pressure to infiltrate the at least partially leached polycrystalline diamond body with an infiltrant. The pressure of the high-pressure/high-temperature process is less than that employed in the act of sintering of the plurality of diamond particles.