Self-cooling electric submersible pump

• Main Authors: Zia, Jalal Hunain, Hawes, Nathaniel Benedict, Utturkar, Yogen Vishwas
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 24.11.2020
• Subjects: BLASTING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; EARTH DRILLING; EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; HEATING; LIGHTING; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; MINING; NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT PUMPS; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR ASLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS; POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS; REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; WEAPONS

A self-cooling electric submersible pump having an integrated cooling system is provided. The cooling system is configured to cool and lubricate the electric motor section of the pump by expanding a compressed multi-component coolant fluid through flow channels within the motor. The coolant fluid contains a first fluid having a boiling point of at least 230° C. and a second fluid having a boiling point of less than 150° C. During pump operation the first fluid acts as a largely incompressible liquid and the second fluid behaves as a compressible gas. A compressor compresses the second fluid in the presence of the first fluid to produce a hot compressed coolant fluid from which heat is transferred to a production fluid being processed by the pump. The compressed coolant fluid is expanded through an orifice and into the motor flow channels, returning thereafter to the compressor.