Diffuser Anti-Rotation Coupling Ring for ESP Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional diffuser anti-rotation systems in electric submersible pumps (ESP) fail to prevent rotation in high temperature or gassy wells, leading to production issues due to lost compression and mechanical locking complexities.
Innovation Solution
A diffuser anti-rotation system featuring a coupling ring with radial projections that interlock with male register tabs and female register slots, preventing rotation between adjacent diffusers without requiring complex casting geometries or machining.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional overlapping locating features (male and female registers) are used to stack diffusers, then diffusers can be easily assembled, but thermal expansion in high temperature wells causes lost compression and allows diffuser spin
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling ring is segmented with multiple radial projections that engage with corresponding features on adjacent diffusers. This segmentation allows the anti-rotation mechanism to be distributed across multiple engagement points, providing reliable prevention of diffuser spin while maintaining ease of assembly through modular engagement features.
Solution Approach 2:
A coupling ring is introduced as an intermediary component between adjacent diffusers to provide the anti-rotation function. The coupling ring with its radial projections acts as a mediator that mechanically links diffusers while preventing relative rotation, solving the reliability issue without complicating the diffuser stacking process.
2Reliability
If mechanical locking features are added to prevent diffuser spin, then diffuser anti-rotation is improved, but casting geometries become complicated and machining becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding complex locking features to the diffusers themselves, the invention inverts the approach by using a separate coupling ring that provides the locking function. The radial projections on the coupling ring engage with simple features on the diffusers, maintaining ease of manufacture while achieving reliable anti-rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling ring serves as an intermediary that carries the anti-rotation mechanism, allowing the diffusers to remain simple and easy to manufacture. The complex radial projection geometry is confined to the coupling ring rather than the diffusers themselves, simplifying the casting and machining of the primary components.
3Device complexity
If friction compression is used to hold diffusers in place, then the system is simple, but at high temperatures the compression is lost and diffusers can spin
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling ring with radial projections is pre-installed on the diffuser stack during assembly, establishing the anti-rotation mechanism before the pump enters service. This preliminary action ensures that when thermal expansion occurs during operation, the mechanical interlocking is already in place to prevent diffuser spin, unlike friction-based compression that degrades over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the friction-based compression mechanism with a mechanical interlocking system using radial projections on the coupling ring. This substitution eliminates reliance on friction that can be lost to thermal expansion, providing positive mechanical prevention of diffuser rotation while maintaining relative simplicity.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A diffuser anti-rotation system and apparatus is described. A diffuser anti-rotation system includes a circumferential coupling ring interlocked between a top of a first diffuser and a bottom of an adjacent diffuser. One end of the first diffuser includes at least one male register tab, the opposing end of the adjacent diffuser has at least one female register slot, and the coupling ring interlocks with the male register tab and the female register slot. One of the male register tabs and one of the female register slots are aligned axially and a single projection from the coupling ring interlocks with both the male register tab and the axially aligned female register slot. Impellers are mated with and rotating within each of the first diffuser and the adjacent diffuser, and the interlocked coupling ring prevents rotation of the first diffuser with respect to the adjacent diffuser.