Downhole power generation

• US 10,697,276 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2017
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Upwing Energy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Upwing Energy, LLC
• Inventors: McMullen, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Kristyn A
• Application Number:
  US15/857,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20180179860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 4/003 Bearing, sealing, lubricating details for roller bits E21B10/22
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/0085 Adaptations of electric power generating means for use in boreholes
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/272 the magnetisation axis of the magnets being perpendicular to the rotor axis
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/2795 the rotor consisting of two or more circumferentially positioned magnets
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 47/20 Motor/generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/003 Couplings; Details of shafts means for mounting rotors on shafts H02K1/28
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/04 by static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 2103/20 of the synchronous type
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/04 using variable-frequency supply voltage, e.g. inverter or converter supply voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/40 Regulating or controlling the amount of current drawn or delivered by the motor for controlling the mechanical load
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/48 Arrangements for obtaining a constant output value at varying speed of the generator, e.g. on vehicle H02P9/04 - H02P9/46 take precedence

Abstract

Providing power to a downhole-type tool includes rotating a rotor of a downhole power unit about a longitudinal axis, generating, with a generator stator assembly of a generator positioned adjacent the downhole power unit, an amount of power in response to rotating the rotor, and supplying, with the generator, the amount of power to at least one downhole-type tool proximate to the downhole power unit. The at least one downhole-type tool is operable using the supplied amount of power.

Claims

1. A method for providing power to a downhole-type tool, comprising:

rotating a rotor of a downhole power unit about a longitudinal axis, the downhole power unit comprising an electric motor comprising an electric stator, and the rotor comprising a permanent magnet;

generating, with a generator stator assembly of a generator positioned adjacent the downhole power unit, an amount of power in response to rotating the rotor, the generator stator assembly positioned adjacent to the electric stator of the electric motor; and

supplying, with the generator, the amount of power to at least one downhole-type tool proximate to the downhole power unit, the at least one downhole-type tool operable using the supplied amount of power.

2. The method of claim 1, where the generator comprises a generator rotor, and the generator rotor comprises a permanent magnet.

3. The method of claim 2, where the generator rotor is mechanically coupled to the rotor of the downhole power unit, and the generator stator assembly is positioned surrounding the generator rotor.

4. The method of claim 1, where the generator stator assembly is integral with the electric stator of the electric motor.

5. The method of claim 1, where the generator stator assembly is separate from the electric stator of the electric motor.

6. The method of claim 5, where the generator comprises a barrier between the generator stator assembly and the electric stator of the electric motor, the barrier configured to separate the generator stator assembly and the electric stator.

7. The method of claim 1, where the generator is a radial generator.

8. The method of claim 7, where the generator stator assembly comprises a set of generator coil windings disposed radially about the rotor.

9. The method of claim 1, where the generator is an axial generator.

10. The method of claim 9, where the axial generator comprises at least one axial gap generator.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising, in response to generating the amount of power with the generator stator assembly, converting the amount of power from the generator stator assembly to a direct current supply with a rectifier;

and

where supplying the amount of power to the at least one downhole-type tool comprises supplying the direct current supply to the at least one downhole-type tool.

12. The method of claim 11, where the rectifier comprises a voltage regulator configured to smooth an output voltage of the amount of power, and supplying the amount of power to the at least one downhole-type tool comprises smoothing an output voltage of the rectifier with the voltage regulator.

13. The method of claim 12, where the voltage regulator comprises a boost chopper, and smoothing an output voltage comprises providing a constant voltage output to the at least one downhole-type tool with the boost chopper.

14. The method of claim 12, where the voltage regulator comprises a buck-boost chopper, and smoothing an output voltage comprises providing a constant voltage output to the at least one downhole-type tool with the buck-boost chopper.

15. The method of claim 1, where the at least one downhole-type tool comprises at least one of a sensor, a magnetic bearing, a generator, a damper, or a communication device.

16. A system for providing power to a downhole-type tool, comprising:

a downhole-type power unit comprising a rotor and an electric motor comprising an electric stator, the rotor comprising a permanent magnet, the rotor configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis;

a generator comprising a generator stator assembly positioned adjacent to the rotor of the downhole power unit, the generator stator assembly positioned adjacent to the electric stator of the electric motor, and the generator configured to generate an amount of power in response to rotation of the rotor; and

at least one downhole-type tool proximate to the downhole power unit, the generator configured to supply the amount of power to the at least one downhole-type tool, and the at least one downhole-type tool being operable using the amount of power.

17. The system of claim 16, where the at least one downhole-type tool comprises at least one of a sensor, a magnetic bearing, a generator, a damper, or a communication device.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a rectifier electrically connected to the generator, the rectifier configured to convert the amount of power to a direct current supply and supply the direct current supply to the at least one downhole-type tool.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising a voltage regulator electrically connected to the generator, the voltage regulator configured to smooth an output voltage of the amount of power.

20. The system of claim 19, where the voltage regulator comprises a boost chopper, the boost chopper to provide a constant voltage output to the at least one downhole-type tool.

21. The system of claim 19, where the voltage regulator comprises a buck-boost chopper, the buck-boost chopper to provide a constant voltage output to the at least one downhole-type tool.

22. The system of claim 16, where the generator stator assembly is integral with the electric stator of the electric motor.

23. The system of claim 16, where the generator stator assembly is separate from the electric stator of the electric motor.

24. The system of claim 23, comprising a barrier residing between the generator stator assembly and the electric stator of the electric motor, the barrier configured to separate the generator stator assembly and the electric stator.

25. The system of claim 16, comprising an isolation barrier extending between the rotor and the generator stator assembly and between the rotor and the electric stator, the isolation barrier configured to isolate the electric stator and the generator stator assembly from a well environment about the downhole power unit.

26. The system of claim 16, comprising an isolation barrier surrounding the electric motor and the generator to isolate the electric motor and the generator from a well environment about the downhole power unit.

27. The system of claim 26, where the rotor comprises a magnetic coupling configured to transfer torque of the rotor.

28. The system of claim 16, where the generator is an axial generator.

29. The system of claim 28, where the axial generator comprises at least one axial gap generator.

30. The system of claim 16, where the generator comprises a generator rotor, and the generator rotor comprises a permanent magnet.

31. The system of claim 30, where the generator rotor is mechanically coupled to the rotor of the downhole power unit, and the generator stator assembly is positioned surrounding the generator rotor.

32. A method for providing power to a tool, comprising:

rotating a rotor of an electric motor about a longitudinal axis;

generating, with a generator stator assembly of a generator positioned adjacent the rotor of the electric motor, an amount of power in response to rotating the rotor, where the generator comprises a generator rotor, the generator rotor comprises a permanent magnet, the generator rotor is mechanically coupled to the rotor of the electric motor, and the generator stator assembly is positioned surrounding the generator rotor; and

supplying, with the generator, the amount of power to at least one electric device proximate to the electric motor, the at least one electric device operable using the amount of power.

33. The method of claim 32, where the at least one electric device comprises at least one of a sensor, a magnetic bearing, a generator, a damper, or a communication device.