Deep-borehole drilling device with magnetic coupling

• US 4,732,225 A
• Filed: 02/04/1987
• Issued: 03/22/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eastman Christensen Company
• Original Assignee: Norton Christensen, Inc.
• Inventors: Hense, Ulrich, Jurgens, Rainer
• Primary Examiner(s): Leppink, James A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MELIUS, TERRY L
• Application Number:
  US07/010,750
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 175/92, 175/104, 175/107, 166/65.1, 166/66.4, 166/66.5, 464/29
• US Class Current: 175/92
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 4/00 Drives for drilling, used in the borehole
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 4/02 Fluid rotary type drives
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/0085 Adaptations of electric power generating means for use in boreholes
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 49/106 with a radial air gap
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/128 using air-gap sleeves or air-gap discs

Abstract

A deep-borehole drilling device comprising a drive unit such as a downhole motor and a driven unit such as a generator in which a drive transmission coupling is provided in the form of a contact-free magnetic coupling. The magnetic coupling may be a permanent magnet coupling with the magnets arranged coaxially and is preferably a can-tube coupling comprising an outer magnet carrier and a can-tube disposed coaxially within said outer magnet carrier.

Claims

1. In a deep-borehole drilling device including a casing, at least one driven unit and a drive unit supported inside said casing to drive said at least one driven unit, and wherein mud flows through said casing to drive said driven unit, the improvement comprising:

a drive transmission coupling for effecting a driving relation between said at least one driven unit and said drive unit,

said drive transmission being a contact-free magnetic coupling supported within said casing and including first magnetic means rotatingly driven by said drive unit and second magnetic means spaced from said first magnetic means and rotatingly driven thereby,

said at least one driven unit being supported in said casing in sealed relation with respect to entrance of said mud into said at least one driven unit,

said second magnetic means being sealingly connected to drive said at least one driven means,

non-rotating means supported in said casing in spaced relation to said said first magnetic means, and

seal means cooperating with said non-rotating means to prevent flow of mud into the space between said first and said second magnetic means.

2. In a deep-borehole drilling device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said contact-free magnetic coupling is a coaxial permanent-magnetic coupling.

3. In a deep-borehole drilling device as set forth in claim 2 in which the drive transmission coupling is a can-tube coupling, and

said can-tube coupling including can-tube means disposed between and spaced from each of said first and second magnetic means.

4. In a deep-borehole drilling device as set forth in claim 3 wherein said means to prevent flow into said space includes seal means between said first magnetic means and said can tube means.

5. In a deep-borehole drilling device as set forth in claim 4 wherein said seal means is a labyrinth seal.

6. In a deep-borehole drilling device as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said first and second magnetic means includes a plurality of spaced permanent magnets, the permanent magnets of said first magnetic means being concentrically disposed with respect to the permanent magnets of said second magnetic means.

7. In a deep-borehole drilling device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said drive means is a turbine.

8. In a deep-borehole drilling device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said drive means is a downhole motor.