Perforated Impeller Vane Gas-Liquid Homogenization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electric submersible pumps (CESPs) face performance deterioration and gas locking issues when dealing with high gas volume fractions, leading to inefficient liquid pumping due to gas-liquid separation, particularly as gas content increases, hindering their ability to maintain hydrostatic pressure for oil production.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of perforated impeller vanes in ESPs, which fluidly connect the pressure and suction sides, allowing for gas-liquid homogenization and preventing gas accumulation, thereby enhancing the pump's ability to handle high gas volume fractions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional impeller vanes are used in CESPs, then the pump can effectively separate gas and liquid phases, but gas accumulation occurs on the low-pressure side leading to gas locking and performance deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the gas accumulation problem from the conventional impeller design by introducing perforations that actively remove gas from the low-pressure side, preventing gas locking while maintaining the natural gas-liquid separation function of the impeller vanes
Solution Approach 2:
The impeller vane is transformed from a solid structure to a porous structure with perforations, allowing liquid to pass through while blocking gas, thereby enabling gas removal from the low-pressure side and preventing gas accumulation that leads to gas locking
2Adaptability or versatility
If the pump handles high gas volume fractions, then the pump can process gas-liquid mixtures, but the liquid passage becomes blocked by gas bubbles resulting in severe performance deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The perforations act as an intermediary structure between the high-pressure and low-pressure sides of the impeller vane, allowing liquid to pass through while preventing gas from blocking the liquid passage, thereby maintaining liquid pumping efficiency in gas-liquid mixtures
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the impeller vane have different properties: the solid portions maintain gas-liquid separation while the perforated portions allow liquid passage and gas removal, creating local quality variations that simultaneously achieve phase separation and prevent gas locking
3Quantity of substance
If gas content in the pumped fluid increases, then the pump can handle higher gas volume fractions, but the vane cavities become filled with gas blocking the fluid passage
Solution Approach 1:
The impeller vane incorporates perforations that create a porous structure, enabling the vane to tolerate high gas volume fractions by allowing liquid to pass through while actively preventing gas from filling the vane cavities and blocking the fluid passage
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
The solution effectively prevents gas locking and premature pump deterioration, maintaining efficient fluid pumping even at high gas volume fractions by ensuring homogenization of gas and liquid phases throughout the pump assembly, reducing operational downtime and equipment failures.
Implementation Method 1
the liquid within the pump assembly flows from a first side of the impeller vane to a second side of the impeller vane via the perforation
Implementation Method 2
The liquid phase is centrifuged by the impeller rotating motion due to its higher density, whereas the gas phase does not centrifuge, resulting in gas/liquid phase separation
Data Source
AI summary
A pump assembly includes multiple impeller stages, each impeller stage including at least one impeller vane. At least one impeller stage includes at least one impeller vane with at least one perforation disposed therethrough.