Various contactless bearing mechanisms including hydrodynamic and magnetic bearings are provided for a rotary pump as alternatives to mechanical contact bearings. In one embodiment, a pump apparatus includes a pump housing defining a pumping chamber. The housing has a spindle extending into the pumping chamber. A spindle magnet assembly includes first and second magnets disposed within the spindle. The first and second magnets are arranged proximate each other with their respective magnetic vectors opposing each other. The lack of mechanical contact bearings enables longer life pump operation and less damage to working fluids such as blood.

The present invention provides a rotary blood pump with both an attractive magnetic axial bearing and a hydrodynamic bearing. In one embodiment according to the present invention, a rotary pump includes an impeller assembly supported within a pump housing assembly by a magnetic axial bearing and a hydrodynamic bearing. The magnetic axial bearing includes at least two magnets oriented to attract each other. One magnet is positioned in the spindle of the pump housing while the other is disposed within the rotor assembly, proximate to the spindle. In this respect, the two magnets create an attractive axial force that at least partially maintains the relative axial position of the rotor assembly. The hydrodynamic bearing is formed between sloping surfaces that form tight clearances below the rotor assembly.

A system for controlling a motor driven compressor (MDC) is provided. The system includes a sensing element and a controller coupled to the sensing element. The controller is configured to determine whether an actual speed of the MDC sensed by the sensing element is below a predicted minimum speed, shut down and then restart the MDC and detect if the restart of the MDC is successful.

A well fluid pump has a housing with a stator having a stack of discs through which windings extend. First and second stage modules in a bore of the stator have rotating impellers and non-rotating diffusers. Magnets mounted in each of the stage modules rotate the impellers in response to electromagnetic fields generated by the windings. Anti-rotation members join adjacent ones of the impellers together in each of the stage modules for rotation in unison. A bearing assembly between the first and second stage modules has a rotatable inner portion in engagement with the impellers in the first and second stage modules for causing them to rotate in unison. The bearing assembly has a non-rotating outer portion in engagement with the stator to prevent rotation.

An electrical submersible pump (ESP) for use in a high viscosity pumping system includes a pump shaft, at least one rotating impeller including an impeller hub and one or more impeller vanes projecting from the impeller hub, each of the one or more impeller vanes including an impeller vane edge, and at least one stationary diffuser positioned below the at least one rotating impeller, the diffuser including a diffuser hub and a diffuser shroud including a diffuser shroud surface, where the impeller vane edge and the diffuser shroud surface are separated only by a clearance gap.

A submersible fluid system for operating submersed in a body of water includes a fluid-end housing having an upper end and a lower end. A fluid rotor is disposed to rotate in the fluid-end housing and to receive and interact with a process fluid flowing from an inlet of the fluid-end housing to an outlet of the fluid-end housing. The fluid rotor is configured to thrust upwards toward the upper end when rotating. A bearing near the lower end of the fluid-end housing has an upward-facing bearing surface coupled to the fluid rotor and a downward-facing bearing surface coupled to the fluid housing, the bearing surfaces cooperate to support the upward thrust of the fluid rotor.

A fluid machine and method of operating the same includes a pump portion having a pump impeller chamber, a pump inlet and a pump outlet, a turbine portion having a turbine impeller chamber, a turbine inlet and a turbine outlet and a shaft extending between the pump impeller chamber and the turbine impeller chamber. The fluid machine also includes a first bearing and a second bearing spaced apart to form a balance disk chamber. A balance disk is coupled to the shaft and is disposed within the balance disk chamber and a turbine impeller coupled to the impeller end of the shaft disposed within the impeller chamber. A first thrust bearing is formed between the balance disk and the first bearing. The thrust bearing receives fluid from at least one of the pump outlet or the turbine inlet.

A bearing system includes a stationary element, a housing, a shaft, a first and second thrust collars, a first and second bearing units, and a mechanical component. The housing includes a first end portion and a second end portion contacting the stationary element. The shaft and second thrust collar are disposed within the housing. The first and second thrust collars are spaced apart from each other and coupled to the shaft. The first bearing unit is disposed between the first thrust collar and a first side of second thrust collar. The first bearing unit contacts the first thrust collar and coupled to the first end portion. The second bearing unit is disposed between a second side of second thrust collar and second end portion. The second bearing unit contacts second thrust collar. The mechanical component extends along the shaft and contacts the second bearing unit and second end portion.

Provided is a water pump including a lower casing, an upper casing coupled to an upper side of the lower casing to form an impeller accommodating space therein by the coupling with the lower casing and having an inlet communicating with the impeller accommodating space and allowing a fluid to be introduced therethrough and an outlet allowing the fluid to be discharged therethrough, an impeller provided in the impeller accommodating space and including an upper plate and a lower plate arranged to be spaced apart from each other vertically and a plurality of blades arranged and coupled between the upper plate and the lower plate, and a rotor coupled to the impeller and rotated together with the impeller, wherein the upper casing has a spacing recess provided on an inner surface corresponding to an outer circumference of the upper plate of the impeller.

The present disclosure relates to a downhole centrifugal pump system designed to include a diffuser configuration which optimally transfers fluid and builds head pressure at a dead zone between the diffuser and an adjacently upper impeller, the dead zone being defined as an open rotational area between the stationary diffuser and the adjacently upper impeller. The diffuser includes a first side for receiving fluid from a first impeller and a second side for transferring the fluid upwardly to the adjacently upper impeller. The diffuser also includes a plurality of vanes that direct fluid flow from the first side to the second side. Each vane of the diffuser includes an edge at the second side that includes a bulge between a proximal edge and a distal edge on the second side. The bulge advantageously extends upwardly toward the second impeller to reduce the dead zone relative to if the second edge extended linearly from the proximal edge to the distal edge. The structure of the bulge facilitates a head pressure buildup at the dead zone that improves the efficiency of the downhole centrifugal pump system as fluid moves from the diffuser to the adjacently upper impeller.