A thrust bearing assembly configured to reduce the axial displacement of a shaft includes a stationary thrust bearing, a thrust runner adjacent to the thrust bearing and a taper sleeve driver. The thrust runner includes a central passage. The taper sleeve driver includes an interior surface in contact with the shaft and an exterior surface in contact with the central passage of the thrust runner. The taper sleeve driver has a tapered exterior surface that applies a radially directed clamping force against the thrust runner as the taper sleeve driver is engaged within the central passage.

A submersible pump assembly includes a centrifugal pump driven by a motor. The pump has a number of stages, each of the stages having a diffuser and an impeller. An upthrust washer is located between a diffuser upthrust surface and an impeller upthrust surface. Balance holes extend from an inlet on an upper side of the impeller to an outlet within one of the impeller passages. The upthrust washer overlies the inlets while the impeller is in the upthrust position. Slots are located at an interface between the upthrust washer and the impeller upthrust surface. Each of the slots registers with the inlet of one of the balance holes to allow fluid flow into the inlets of the balance holes while the impeller is in the upthrust position.

A submersible well pump has diffusers fixed within the housing and an impeller mounted between each of the diffusers. Spacer sleeves located between and in abutment with hubs of adjacent ones of the impellers define a stack wherein the impellers rotate in unison with the shaft and are axially movable in unison with each other relative to the shaft. A stop shoulder on the shaft abuts the lower end of the stack. A spring mounted in compression around the shaft in abutment with the upper end of the stack urges the lower end of the stack against the stop shoulder. Upward movement of the stack requires further compression of the spring. Up thrust and down thrust gaps between each impeller and adjacent diffusers prevent up thrust and down thrust from being transferred to any of the diffusers.

A submersible well pump assembly has a motor that rotates a drive shaft within the pump. The pump has a number of pump stages, each stage having a diffuser and an impeller. A bushing is fixed for non-rotation within the diffuser. A thrust runner sleeve mounted to the drive shaft has an outer diameter surface in sliding rotating engagement with an inner diameter surface of the bushing. At least one seal ring is mounted to the sleeve in sealing engagement with the drive shaft to block the entry of well fluid particulates between the sleeve and the drive shaft.

A centrifugal pump for delivering coolant in vehicles and providing a centering of a pump impeller and a dampening of motor vibrations. The centrifugal pump having a pump housing consisting of a pump head, which forms a single part with a suction nozzle, a discharge nozzle, a spoke, and a bearing support, in which a counter bearing is mounted, in which a first region of a shaft is supported, around which a pump impeller is rotatably mounted via a slide bearing secured in the pump impeller, the spoke retaining the bearing support in a central position within the pump head and having a containment shell, which separates a wet chamber from a dry chamber and in which a second region of the shaft is supported. The invention seeks to solve the problem of providing in a generic centrifugal pump.

A submersible well pump assembly has upper and lower seal sections connected between the pump and a motor. The seal sections have drive shafts with thrust runners that engage thrust bearing bases. The upper drive shaft will undergo a limited amount of downward movement toward the lower drive shaft in response to wear of the upper thrust bearing base. A spring between ends of the drive shafts transfers a portion of the down thrust on the upper drive shaft to the lower drive shaft prior to the limited amount of downward movement of the upper drive shaft toward the lower drive shaft being reached. A rigid stop member in the coupling transfers down thrust directly from the upper drive shaft to the lower drive shaft, bypassing the spring, only after the limited amount of downward movement of the upper drive shaft toward the lower drive shaft has been reached.

A thrust balancing mechanism for balancing axial loads on a rotor thrust bearing 3 is described. The mechanism comprises a piston arrangement 6 axially mounted on a stationary structure 2, about a centre axis arranged, in use, in coaxial alignment with a rotating shaft 1 carrying the rotor thrust bearing 3. A hydrodynamic thrust bearing 8 is mounted, in use, between the piston 6 and the rotor thrust bearing 3. The piston 6 is pressurised so as to impart to the rotor thrust bearing 3, via the hydrodynamic thrust bearing 8, an axial load which counters an axial load imparted to the rotor thrust bearing 3 by the rotating shaft 1.

An electric submersible pumping system for use in pumping fluids from a wellbore includes a motor that is filled with a motor lubricant, a pump driven by the motor, a thrust chamber connected between the motor and the pump, and a seal section. The thrust chamber is filled with thrust chamber lubricant and the motor and seal section are filled with motor lubricant. To prevent the mixing of the thrust chamber lubricant with the motor lubricant, the thrust chamber is in fluid isolation from the motor and the seal section. The electric submersible pumping system may include an upper seal section, a lower seal section or both upper and lower seal sections.

A seal section for use in a downhole submersible pumping system includes one or more fluid separation mechanisms, a shaft, a mechanical seal chamber and a mechanical seal inside the mechanical seal chamber. The seal section further comprises a mechanical seal protector around the mechanical seal. The mechanical seal protector includes a cap that surrounds a portion of the mechanical seal and a filter screen. The cap may also include one or more expulsion ports extending through the cap. The cap may be stationary or connected to the shaft and configured for rotation.

An electrical submersible pump assembly has a thrust bearing mechanism with first and second thrust runners axially and rotationally secured to the shaft and located within a housing. First and second thrust receiving structures are rigidly mounted in the housing to receive thrust from the first and second thrust transferring devices. A deflectable member located in the first thrust transfer thrust device decreases in axial thickness in response to thrust of a selected level. The second thrust transfer thrust device has an axial length less than an axial distance from the second thrust receiving structure to the second thrust runner, defining an initial axial gap. During operation of the pump, the shaft and the first and second thrust runners move axially a limited extent, closing the gap and transferring thrust from the second thrust transfer device to the second thrust receiving structure.