Insertable Progressive Cavity Pump Stator Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional progressive cavity pumps require extensive and costly processes for maintenance, repair, and installation, involving the removal and reattachment of the entire production tubing string, which is time-consuming and results in production delays, and often suffer from inadequate sealing and pressure testing within the well.
Innovation Solution
An insertable progressive cavity pump system with a stator and rotor designed to be lowered as a single package, featuring a seating mandrel and seal element for secure positioning and pressure testing within the tubing string, eliminating the need for complex locking mechanisms and allowing for easier handling and manipulation, with a torque resisting device to prevent stator rotation and ensure efficient fluid pumping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If the entire production tubing string is removed and reattached for pump maintenance or installation, then the pump can be accessed and serviced, but production downtime increases and operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump system is divided into separable components: the stator can be independently removed from the production tubing string while the rotor remains in place. This segmentation allows maintenance personnel to access and service the stator without removing the entire pump assembly or production tubing, thereby reducing production downtime while maintaining ease of repair.
2Reliability
If complex locking mechanisms are used to secure the stator in the tubing string, then the stator positioning is secure, but device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The complex locking mechanisms are completely removed from the system. Instead, the stator is secured through a simple friction-fit design where the stator's outer diameter creates sufficient friction against the inner diameter of the production tubing to prevent axial movement during normal operation. This extraction of complex locking mechanisms maintains reliable stator positioning while dramatically reducing device complexity and installation difficulty.
3Reliability
If the stator is securely sealed and positioned within the tubing string, then pressure testing capability is improved, but ease of insertion and manipulation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is localized to specific features of the stator rather than requiring a complex sealing system throughout. The stator incorporates an annular shoulder and sealing surface at its lower end that creates a localized seal against the production tubing. This localized sealing approach provides reliable pressure testing capability while maintaining simple insertion and manipulation procedures, as the stator can be easily lowered into place and the localized seal forms automatically upon insertion.
Data Source
AI summary
A progressive cavity pump system. In an embodiment, the system comprises a tubing string disposed within a borehole. The tubing string including a seating nipple disposed at a predetermined depth in the tubing string. In addition, the system comprises a stator positioned within the tubing string. The stator includes a radially outer housing having an upper end and a lower end, a radially inner liner having a helical-shaped inner surface, a seating mandrel coupled to the upper end of the housing. Further, the system comprises a seal element disposed about the seating mandrel. The seal element forms a static seal with the inner surface of the seating nipple.