Patent ID: 11946472
Assignee: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
Field: Engines, pumps, turbines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F  E | IPC E  F

Claim 0:
1. An electric submersible pump (ESP) assembly, comprising:
an electric motor having a first drive shaft;
a seal section coupled at an upstream end to a downstream end of the electric motor having a second drive shaft coupled to the first drive shaft;
a charge pump assembly disposed downstream of the seal section, wherein the charge pump assembly comprises
a third drive shaft coupled to the second drive shaft,
a first fluid mover mechanically coupled to the third drive shaft and having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet,
a fluid reservoir concentrically disposed around the third drive shaft and located downstream of the first fluid mover, wherein an inside surface of the fluid reservoir and an outside surface of the third drive shaft define a first annulus that is fluidically coupled to the fluid outlet of the first fluid mover, wherein the third drive shaft is not radially supported within the first annulus, wherein when the separator drive shaft is about 0.6875 inches in diameter, the first annulus has a volume of at least 70 cubic inches and less than 100 cubic inches, when the separator drive shaft is about 0.875 inches in diameter, the first annulus has a volume of at least 85 cubic inches and less than 120 cubic inches, when the separator drive shaft is about 1.0 inches in diameter, the first annulus has a volume of at least 180 cubic inches and less than 250 cubic inches, and when the separator drive shaft is about 1.1875 inches in diameter, the first annulus has a volume of at least 220 cubic inches and less than 300 cubic inches, and
a second fluid mover mechanically coupled to the third drive shaft and having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, wherein the second fluid mover is located downstream of the fluid reservoir, and wherein the fluid inlet of the second fluid mover is fluidically coupled to the first annulus;

a gas separator assembly coupled at an upstream end to a downstream end of the charge pump assembly, having a fourth drive shaft coupled directly or indirectly to the third drive shaft and having an inlet in fluid communication with an outlet of the charge pump assembly, having a gas flow path and liquid flow path separator having a gas phase discharge port open to an exterior of the gas separator assembly and a liquid phase discharge port;
an inverted shroud coupled at an uphole end to the gas separator assembly or to the charge pump assembly and coupled at a downhole end to the ESP assembly downhole of the charge pump assembly; and
a production pump assembly coupled at an upstream end to a downstream end of the gas separator assembly and having an inlet in fluid communication with the liquid phase discharge port of the gas flow path and liquid flow path separator.