A process fluid lubricated pump includes a pump having a pump shaft extending from a drive end to a non-drive end, first and last stage impellers, a drive unit exerting torque on the drive end to rotate the pump shaft, a balance drum connected to the pump shaft between the pump and the drive end, the balance drum defining a drum front side facing the pump and a drum back side, a relief passage between the balance drum and a first stationary part configured to be stationary with respect to a housing, the relief passage extending from the drum front side to the drum back side, the pump shaft radially supported in a non-contacting manner during operation of the pump, and a hydrodynamic radial pump bearing supporting the pump shaft, the radial pump bearing arranged at the non-drive end or at the drive end of the pump shaft.

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.

A pump for conveying a fluid includes a stationary housing, an impeller conveying the fluid from a low pressure region to a high pressure region, a shaft to rotate the impeller about an axial direction, and a separation device to restrict a flow of the fluid from the high pressure region to the low pressure region. The separation device includes a rotary part connected to the shaft, and a stationary part stationary with respect to the housing. The rotary and stationary parts face each other and delimit a gap between the stationary part and the rotary part. The gap is arranged between the high and low pressure regions. A recess is disposed in the stationary part or the rotary part, the recess including a bottom, and a non-metallic insert is disposed in the recess. A relief channel enables fluid communication between the bottom and the low pressure region.

A fluid rotor and a fluid stator. The fluid stator surrounds the fluid rotor. The fluid stator has an intake end and a discharge end. The fluid stator is shaped to be inserted into a wellbore. A shaft passes through a rotational axis of the fluid rotor. The shaft is attached to the fluid rotor to rotate in union with the fluid rotor. The shaft defines a central fluid passage that extends from the intake end of the fluid rotor to the discharge end of the fluid rotor. A balance piston surrounds the shaft. The balance piston extends from an outer surface of the shaft to an inner surface of the fluid stator. The balance piston is positioned at the intake end.

A fluid rotor and a fluid stator. The fluid stator surrounds the fluid rotor. The fluid stator has an intake end and a discharge end. The fluid stator is shaped to be inserted into a wellbore. A shaft passes through a rotational axis of the fluid rotor. The shaft is attached to the fluid rotor to rotate in union with the fluid rotor. The shaft defines a central fluid passage that extends from the intake end of the fluid rotor to the discharge end of the fluid rotor. A balance piston surrounds the shaft. The balance piston extends from an outer surface of the shaft to an inner surface of the fluid stator. The balance piston is positioned at the intake end.

A process fluid lubricated pump for conveying a process fluid, includes a common housing, a pump unit arranged in the common housing, a drive unit arranged in the common housing, and a hydrodynamic coupling. The common housing includes a pump inlet and a pump outlet for the process fluid. The pump unit includes at least one impeller configured to convey the process fluid from the pump inlet to the pump outlet, and a pump shaft, on which the impeller is mounted. The drive unit includes a drive shaft configured to drive the pump shaft, and an electric motor configured to rotate the drive shaft about an axial direction. The hydrodynamic coupling is configured to hydrodynamically couple the drive shaft to the pump shaft by a transmission fluid, and is configured to receive the process fluid as the transmission fluid.

A centrifugal pump for conveying a process fluid, includes a pump unit, a drive unit to drive the pump unit, a pump inlet to receive the process fluid, a pump outlet to discharge the process fluid. The pump unit includes an impeller configured to convey the process fluid from the pump inlet to the pump outlet, and a pump shaft, on which the impeller is mounted. The drive unit includes a drive shaft to drive the pump shaft, and an electric motor to rotate the drive shaft about an axial direction. A plurality of bearings is configured to support the pump shaft and the drive shaft, and a hydrodynamic coupling has a casing and is configured to hydrodynamically couple the drive shaft to the pump shaft by a transmission fluid. At least one of the plurality of bearings is arranged in the casing of the hydrodynamic coupling.

The turbomachine comprises a stationary casing with a rotating member configured to rotate about a rotation axis in the stationary casing. The turbomachine further includes a rotating balance drum, arranged for co-rotation with the rotating member. A stationary sleeve is arranged in a fixed relationship with the stationary casing and surrounds the balance drum. The stationary sleeve comprises a plurality of consecutively arranged sleeve sections. A fluid channel is defined by an outer surface of the balance drum and an inner surface of the stationary sleeve. Between at least one pair of sequentially arranged upstream sleeve section and downstream sleeve section an annular chamber is provided, fluidly coupled to the fluid channel. Shunt holes are arranged on the upstream sleeve section, each shunt hole having a shunt hole inlet on an inner surface of the upstream sleeve section, and a shunt hole outlet in the annular chamber.

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 process fluid lubricated pump includes a pump having a pump shaft extending from a drive end to a non-drive end to rotate about an axial direction, a first pump section having a first set of impellers fixedly mounted on the pump shaft to increase the pressure of the process fluid, a drive to exert a torque on the drive end of the pump shaft to drive the rotation of the pump shaft, a first balance drum fixedly connected to the pump shaft between the pump and the drive end of the pump shaft, the first balance drum defining a first front side facing the pump and a first back side, and a second balance drum fixedly connected to the pump shaft between the pump and the non-drive end of the pump shaft, the second balance drum defining a second front side facing the pump and a second back side.