Angled Bearing Interfaces for Shaft Misalignment in Drilling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bearing assemblies in subterranean drilling systems face performance degradation and potential failure due to axial misalignment between the bearing rotor and stator, caused by repeated deflection of the output shaft during drilling operations.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a bearing apparatus with an inner and outer bearing assembly, where the inner bearing elements have a partially spheroid convex outward-facing surface, and the outer bearing elements have a planar inward-facing surface positioned at an oblique angle. This configuration defines an angled interface that allows for contact between the bearing surfaces, even when the inner bearing axis is misaligned with the outer bearing axis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional radial bearing surfaces are used, then the bearing assembly can support radial loads, but axial misalignment between rotor and stator causes performance degradation and bearing failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies spheroidality by configuring the bearing surfaces with curved geometries - specifically, the rotor bearing surface has a radius of curvature between 0.5 to 2 times the rotor radius, and the stator bearing surface has a complementary radius of curvature. This curved configuration allows the bearing elements to maintain contact under axial misalignment conditions, enabling the bearing to accommodate angular and axial deviations while supporting radial loads, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and adaptability to misalignment.
2Reliability
If the output shaft is rigidly constrained to maintain alignment, then bearing performance is optimized, but the system cannot accommodate repeated deflection during drilling operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by designing the bearing assembly to dynamically adapt to shaft deflection rather than rigidly constraining alignment. The curved bearing surfaces with specific radii of curvature enable the rotor and stator to maintain functional contact under varying alignment conditions during operation. This dynamic capability allows the bearing to accommodate repeated shaft deflection while maintaining adequate load support, resolving the contradiction between optimized performance and operational flexibility.
3Ease of operation
If axial misalignment is allowed to occur, then the system can withstand repeated shaft deflection, but bearing performance decreases and failure risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the geometric parameters of the bearing surfaces - specifically the radii of curvature of the rotor and stator bearing surfaces. By optimizing these curvature parameters ( rotor radius of curvature between 0.5 to 2 times rotor radius, stator radius of curvature with complementary value), the bearing maintains adequate contact pressure and load distribution even under axial misalignment conditions. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction by allowing shaft deflection tolerance while minimizing performance degradation.
Data Source
AI summary
Bearing assemblies, apparatuses, systems, and methods include bearing assemblies where one of the bearing assemblies may include angled bearing surfaces having a planar shape.