TORSIONAL COUPLING FOR ELECTRIC HYDRAULIC FRACTURING FLUID PUMPS

• US 20150211524A1
• Filed: 02/13/2015
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: U.S. Well Services, LLC (ProFrac Holding Corp.)
• Original Assignee: U.S. Well Services, LLC (ProFrac Holding Corp.)
• Inventors: Broussard, Joel N., McPherson, Jeff, Kurtz, Robert, Oehring, Jared
• Granted Patent: US 9,650,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/26 by forming crevices or fractures
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/2607 Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 17/03 driven by electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 47/00 Pumps or pumping installations specially adapted for raising fluids from great depths, e.g. well pumps by using positive or negative pressurised fluid medium acting directly on the liquid to be pumped F04F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 9/02 the means being mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/044 Arrangements for joining or assembling shafts
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/66 Combating cavitation, whirls, noise, vibration or the like gas-flow silencers for machines or engines in general F01N; Balancing surge control F04D27/02

Abstract

A system for hydraulically fracturing an underground formation in an oil or gas well, including a pump for pumping hydraulic fracturing fluid into the wellbore, the pump having a pump shaft, and an electric motor with a motor shaft mechanically attached to the pump to drive the pump. The system further includes a torsional coupling connecting the motor shaft to the pump shaft. The torsional coupling includes a motor component fixedly attached to the motor shaft and having motor coupling claws extending outwardly away from the motor shaft, and a pump component fixedly attached to the pump shaft of the pump and having pump coupling claws extending outwardly away from the pump shaft. The motor coupling claws engage with the pump coupling claws so that when the motor shaft and motor component rotate, such rotation causes the pump component and the pump shaft to rotate, thereby driving the pump.

Claims

1. A system for hydraulically fracturing an underground formation in an oil or gas well, the system comprising:

a pump for pumping hydraulic fracturing fluid into the wellbore at high pressure so that the fluid passes from the wellbore into the formation and fractures the formation, the pump having a pump shaft that turns to activate the pump;

an electric motor with a motor shaft mechanically attached to the pump to drive the pump; and

a torsional coupling connecting the motor shaft to the pump shaft, the torsional coupling comprising;

a motor component fixedly attached to the motor shaft of the electric motor and having motor coupling claws extending outwardly away from the motor shaft;

a pump component fixedly attached to the pump shaft of the pump and having pump coupling claws extending outwardly away from the pump shaft;

the motor coupling claws engaged with the pump coupling claws so that when the motor shaft and motor component rotate, such rotation causes the pump component and the pump shaft to rotate, thereby driving the pump.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the pump component or the motor component further comprise elastomeric inserts positioned between the pump coupling claws or the motor coupling claws, respectively, to provide a buffer therebetween and to absorb movement and vibration in the torsional coupling.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the motor coupling claws and the pump coupling claws are spaced to allow radial misalignment, axial misalignment, or angular misalignment of the motor component and the pump component while still allowing engagement of the motor component and the pump component to transmit torque.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the torsional coupling further comprises a retainer cap attached to the motor component or the pump component to cover the interface therebetween and to prevent the ingress of debris or contaminates between the motor component and the pump component.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the retainer cap is removable from the torsional coupling to allow access to the inside of the coupling.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the motor component has a tapered central bore for receiving the motor shaft.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the pump and the motor are mounted on separate but aligned weldments.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the pump and the motor are mounted on a single common weldment Pump and motor mounted on single weldment for ease of alignment and stability.

9. A system for pumping hydraulic fracturing fluid into a wellbore, the system comprising:

a pump having a pump shaft;

an electric motor having a motor shaft mechanically attached to the pump to drive the pump; and

a torsional coupling connecting the motor shaft to the pump shaft, the torsional coupling comprising;

a motor component fixedly attached to the motor shaft and having motor coupling claws extending outwardly away from the motor shaft;

a pump component fixedly attached to the pump shaft and having pump coupling claws extending outwardly away from the pump shaft;

the motor coupling claws engaged with the pump coupling claws so that when the motor shaft and motor component rotate, such rotation causes the pump component and the pump shaft to rotate;

the motor coupling claws and the pump coupling claws spaced to allow radial misalignment, axial misalignment, or angular misalignment of the motor component and the pump component while still allowing engagement of the motor component and the pump component to transmit torque.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the pump component or the motor component further comprise elastomeric inserts positioned between the pump coupling claws or the motor coupling claws, respectively, to provide a buffer therebetween and to absorb movement and vibration in the torsional coupling.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the torsional coupling further comprises a retainer cap attached to the motor component or the pump component to cover the interface therebetween and to prevent the ingress of debris or contaminates between the motor component and the pump component.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the retainer cap is removable from the torsional coupling to allow access to the inside of the coupling.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the motor component has a tapered central bore for receiving the motor shaft.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the pump and the motor are mounted on separate but aligned weldments.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the pump and the motor are mounted on a single common weldment.

16. A system for conducting hydraulic fracturing operations in a well, comprising:

hydraulic fracturing equipment, the hydraulic fracturing equipment selected from the group consisting of a hydraulic fracturing pump, a hydraulic motor of a blender, and a hydraulic motor of a hydration unit, the hydraulic fracturing equipment having a hydraulic fracturing equipment shaft;

an electric motor with a motor shaft mechanically attached to the hydraulic fracturing equipment to drive the hydraulic fracturing equipment; and

a torsional coupling connecting the motor shaft to the hydraulic fracturing equipment shaft, the torsional coupling comprising;

a motor component fixedly attached to the motor shaft of the electric motor and having motor coupling claws extending outwardly away from the motor shaft;

a hydraulic fracturing equipment component fixedly attached to the hydraulic fracturing equipment shaft of the hydraulic fracturing equipment and having hydraulic fracturing equipment coupling claws extending outwardly away from the hydraulic fracturing equipment shaft;

the motor coupling claws engaged with the hydraulic fracturing equipment coupling claws so that when the motor shaft and motor component rotate, such rotation causes the hydraulic fracturing equipment component and the hydraulic fracturing equipment shaft to rotate, thereby driving the hydraulic fracturing equipment.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the hydraulic fracturing equipment component or the motor component further comprise elastomeric inserts positioned between the hydraulic fracturing equipment coupling claws or the motor coupling claws, respectively, to provide a buffer therebetween and to absorb movement and vibration in the torsional coupling.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the motor coupling claws and the hydraulic fracturing equipment coupling claws are spaced to allow radial misalignment, axial misalignment, or angular misalignment of the motor component and the hydraulic fracturing equipment component while still allowing engagement of the motor component and the hydraulic fracturing equipment component to transmit torque.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the torsional coupling further comprises a retainer cap attached to the motor component or the hydraulic fracturing equipment component to cover the interface therebetween and to prevent the ingress of debris or contaminates between the motor component and the hydraulic fracturing equipment component.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the motor component has a tapered central bore for receiving the motor shaft.