Patent ID: 11939844
Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO, L.P.
Field: Civil engineering (Other fields)
Classification: CPC E | IPC E

Claim 17:
18. A system for managing eccentric motion of a progressive cavity machine, comprising:
a progressive cavity machine having a stator and a rotor arranged within the stator, the rotor having a helical portion and a cylindrical rotor head;
an external bearing system comprising:
a housing including:
an inner surface defining a first bore extending through the housing along a central axis; and
a first bearing arranged on the inner surface; and

a continuous shaft member configured to connect a driveshaft of an external device to the cylindrical rotor head of the progressing cavity machine, the continuous shaft member including:
an outer surface extending between a proximal portion and a distal portion of the shaft member; and
a second bearing arranged on the outer surface, the second bearing configured to contact the first bearing to limit eccentric motion of the driveshaft of the external device and the cylindrical rotor head of the progressing cavity machine relative to the stator of the progressing cavity machine during rotation of the rotor head, the shaft member, and the driveshaft.