Impeller Vanes With Nozzle-Shaped Slots for Gas Lock Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Centrifugal well fluid pumps face issues with gas lock due to accumulated gas pockets, which can lead to excessive heat and damage, despite the use of gas separators and various impeller designs, as some gas still reaches the pump and causes gas pockets to form.
Innovation Solution
The centrifugal pump impeller design features vanes with nozzle-shaped slots that divert fluid from the high pressure side to the low pressure side, creating jets that push gas out of the flow stream, reducing gas accumulation and the likelihood of gas lock.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If gas separators are used to separate gas from liquid, then gas separation is improved, but some gas still reaches the pump causing gas pockets to accumulate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the vane structure by introducing slots with specific geometric characteristics (cross-sectional area, orientation, position) to modify fluid flow behavior. The slots create jets that change the flow dynamics to prevent gas pocket accumulation, addressing the limitation of gas separators alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The vane is segmented by introducing slots that divide the flow path into distinct regions. These slots create multiple jet streams that interact with the fluid flow to disrupt gas pocket formation and accumulation, enhancing the gas separation function beyond what a single continuous vane can achieve.
2Reliability
If impeller design is modified to inhibit gas pockets, then gas lock prevention is improved, but pump performance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The slots are positioned and dimensioned to create localized jets at specific locations on the vane surfaces. This local modification of flow characteristics prevents gas pocket accumulation in critical areas without disrupting the overall pump performance and fluid handling capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of gas pockets into a beneficial jet flow pattern. The slots utilize the pressure differential across the vane to create jets that actively push gas pockets away, transforming what would be a harmful accumulation into a useful gas-removal mechanism that maintains pump performance.
3Reliability
If slots are added to divert fluid from high pressure to low pressure side, then gas pocket formation is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The slots are designed with dynamic flow characteristics where the jet formation and gas-pushing effect are achieved through the natural pressure differential and flow velocity across the vane. This dynamic approach eliminates the need for complex adjustable mechanisms, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving gas pocket prevention.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design effectively reduces gas pocket formation, allowing the pump to maintain a higher pumping head and preventing damage by ensuring continuous operation.
Implementation Method 1
At least one slot extends through the vane from the high pressure to the low pressure side to divert some of the fluid flowing along the high pressure side into the low pressure side
Implementation Method 2
creating jets that push gas out of the flow stream
Data Source
AI summary
A well fluid centrifugal pump has a number of stages, each of the stages having an impeller and a diffuser. The impeller has vanes curving outward from a central intake area to a periphery of the impeller. Each of the vanes has a convex side and a concave side. An upstream slot and a downstream slot extend through the vane from the convex side to the concave side. Each of the slots has an entrance on the convex side and an exit on the concave side, with the entrance being located upstream from the exit. The entrance has a greater cross-sectional area than the exit to divert well fluid flowing along the convex side to the concave side to remove accumulated gas.