Patent Abstract:
A bearing assembly comprising a frame; a rotating disc disposed in the frame, the rotating disc comprising a first set of inserts; and a fixed disc disposed in the frame, the fixed disc comprising a second set of inserts, the second set of inserts configured to interact with the first set of inserts, and a lip disposed adjacent the second set of inserts. Also, a bearing assembly comprising a frame; a rotating disc disposed in the frame, the rotating disc comprising a first set of inserts and at least one groove disposed axially above at least one of the inserts; and a fixed disc disposed in the frame, the fixed disc comprising a second set of inserts, the second set of inserts configured to interact with the first set of inserts.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    Embodiments disclosed herein relate to apparatuses and methods for controlling fluid flow and erosion/cooling of bearing assembly components. More specifically, embodiments disclosed herein relate to apparatuses and methods for controlling fluid flow and erosion/cooling of bearing assembly components through modification of the bearing components or housing of the bearing. 
         [0003]    2. Background Art 
         [0004]    Drilling motors are commonly used to provide rotational force to a drill bit when drilling earth formations. Drilling motors used for this purpose are typically driven by drilling fluids pumped from surface equipment through the drillstring. This type of motor is commonly referred to as a mud motor. In use, the drilling fluid is forced through the mud motor(s), which extracts energy from the flow to provide rotational force to a drill bit located below the mud motors. There are two primary types of mud motors: positive displacement motors (“PDM”) and turbodrills. 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  shows a prior art turbodrill which is used to provide rotational force to a drill bit. A housing  45  includes an upper connection  40  to connect to the drillstring (not shown). Turbine stages  80  are disposed within the housing  45  to rotate a shaft  50 . A stage in this context may be defined as a mating set of rotating and stationary parts. A turbine stage typically includes a bladed rotor (not shown) and a bladed stator (not shown). At a lower end of the turbodrill, a drill bit  90  is attached to the shaft  50  by a lower connection (not shown). A radial bearing  70  is provided between the shaft  50  and the housing  45 . Stabilizers  60  and  61  disposed on the housing  45  help to keep the turbodrill centered within the wellbore. A turbodrill uses turbine stages  80  to provide rotational force to drill bit  90 . In operation, drilling fluid is pumped through a drillstring (not shown) until it enters the turbodrill. The drilling fluid passes through a rotor/stator configuration of turbine stages  80 , which rotates shaft  50  and ultimately drill bit  90 . 
         [0006]    While providing rotational force to the shaft  50  through the rotor (not shown), the turbine stages  80  also produce a downward axial force (thrust) from the drilling fluid. Upward axial force results from the reaction force of the drill bit  90 , also called weight on bit “WOB.” To transfer axial loads between the housing  45  and the shaft  50 , thrust bearings  10  are provided. As shown in  FIG. 2A , multiple stages of thrust bearings  110  are “stacked” in series;  FIG. 2A  shows a portion of a bearing stack in which four bearing stages can be seen. A bearing stage in this context may comprise a rotating bearing subassembly and a stationary bearing subassembly. A bearing subassembly as defined herein may simply comprise the bearing itself, for example a bearing comprised of polycrystalline diamond compacts inserted into a ring, or may additionally comprise components, including but not limited to spacers, frames, wear plates, pins, and springs. 
         [0007]    It is necessary to positionally arrange the bearing stages in series in order to fit them within the confines of the turbodrills tubular body. Though the bearing stages are positionally in series, the axial load, at least in principle, is carried in parallel by the bearing stages and shared to some extent by each bearing stage. The bearing stages are held in position in the stacks by axial compression. The primary purposes of compression are to allow the components to transfer torque and to provide a sealing force between components. The compression may be maintained by threaded components on one or both ends of the inner and outer bearing stacks. In a free, uncompressed state, all stage lengths may be nominally equal. Ideally, all stages have identical lengths so the load is distributed evenly among all stages. 
         [0008]    A limitation of prior art bearings has been balancing the requirement to cool the bearing with the negative effects of erosion of the thrust bearing components. In circumstances where there is not enough flow through the bearing surfaces, inadequate cooling may cause the bearing to premature fail. In circumstances where there is too high an amount of fluid flowing through the bearing, erosion on the bearing surfaces has been observed, which may also result in premature failure. 
         [0009]    Referring to  FIG. 2B , a cross-sectional view of a thrust bearing is shown. In such thrust bearings, the bearing includes a rotating disc  200  and a fixed disc  201 . Each disc  200 ,  201  may include inserts  203  formed from ceramic, PDC, or similar materials. During use, fluid is flossed through the bearings along path A, such that fluid is allowed to flow between inserts  203  and along outer housing  204 . 
         [0010]    Referring to  FIG. 2C , a fluid flow schematic of fluid flowing through the thrust bearing of  FIG. 2B  is shown. As may be seen at Region B, the fluid along flat section  205  of fixed disc  201  may cause recirculation. The recirculation may result in erosion to the flat section  205 . 
         [0011]    Accordingly, there exists a need for improved bearing design for controlling cooling and erosion. 
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0012]    In one aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a bearing assembly comprising a frame; a rotating disc disposed in the frame, the rotating disc comprising a first set of inserts; and a fixed disc disposed in the frame, the fixed disc comprising a second set of inserts, the second set of inserts configured to interact with the first set of inserts, and a lip disposed adjacent the second set of inserts. 
         [0013]    In another aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a bearing assembly comprising a frame; a rotating disc disposed in the frame, the rotating disc comprising a first set of inserts and at least one groove disposed axially above at least one of the inserts; and a fixed disc disposed in the frame, the fixed disc comprising a second set of inserts, the second set of inserts configured to interact with the first set of inserts. 
         [0014]    In another aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a bearing assembly comprising a frame; a rotating disc disposed in the frame, the rotating disc comprising a first set of inserts; and a fixed disc disposed in the frame, the fixed disc comprising a second set of inserts, the second set of inserts configured to interact with the first set of inserts and wherein the fixed disc comprises a chamfer. 
         [0015]    In another aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a bearing assembly comprising a frame; a rotating disc disposed in the frame, the rotating disc comprising a first set of inserts; and a fixed disc disposed in the frame, the fixed disc comprising a second set of inserts, the second set of inserts configured to interact with the first set of inserts and wherein the fixed disc comprises a chamfer. 
         [0016]    In another aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a bearing assembly comprising a frame; a rotating disc disposed in the frame, the rotating disc comprising a first set of inserts; and a fixed disc disposed in the frame, the fixed disc comprising a second set of inserts, the second set of inserts configured to interact with the first set of inserts; wherein at least one of the frame, the rotating disc, and the fixed disc comprises a fluid control feature. 
         [0017]    Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is an assembly view of a conventional turbo drill. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2A  is a section view of a multi-stage thrust bearing assembly. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2B  is a cross-sectional view of a conventional bearing assembly. 
           [0021]      FIG. 2C  is a fluid flow diagram of the bearing assembly of  FIG. 2B . 
           [0022]      FIG. 3A  is a cross-section view of a bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
           [0023]      FIG. 3B  is a fluid flow schematic of a bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
           [0024]      FIG. 4A  is a top perspective view of a bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
           [0025]      FIG. 4B  is a fluid flow schematic of a bearing assembly according to the bearing assembly of  FIG. 4A . 
           [0026]      FIG. 5  is a cross-section view of a bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
           [0027]      FIG. 6A  is a cross-section view of a bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
           [0028]      FIG. 6B  is a cross-section view of a bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
           [0029]      FIG. 7  is a cross-section view of a bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
           [0030]      FIG. 8  is a cross-section view of a bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
           [0031]      FIG. 9  is a cross-section view of a bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
           [0032]      FIG. 10A  is a cross-section view of a bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
           [0033]      FIG. 10B  is a top view of a bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
           [0034]      FIG. 10C  is a bottom view of a bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0035]    In one aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to apparatuses and methods for controlling fluid flow and erosion/cooling of bearing assembly components. In other aspects, embodiments disclosed herein relate to apparatuses and methods for controlling fluid flow and erosion/cooling of bearing assembly components through modification of the bearing components or housing of the bearing. 
         [0036]    Referring to  FIG. 3A , a thrust bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In this embodiment, thrust bearing assembly  300  includes a first disc  301  and a second disc  302 . In certain embodiments, the first disc  301  may be a rotating disc, while second disc  302  may be a fixed disc. In alternative embodiments, the first disc  30  a may be a fixed disc, while the second disc  302  may be a rotating disc. In certain embodiments, the orientation of the first and second discs  301  and  302  and the determination of which disc is fixed versus rotating will depend on the direction of flow through the bearing assembly. For example, as fluid flows in direction A, axially downward through the bearing assembly, the fluid flows past the first rotating disc  301  to the second fixed disc  302 . In alternate embodiments the direction of flow may be reversed and/or the orientation of first and second discs  301  and  302 , as well as which disc rotates and which disc is fixed, may vary. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the relative orientation of first and second discs  301  and  302  and the determination of whether first or second disc  301  or  302  rotates or is fixed will depend on the requirements of a particular thrust bearing assembly and/or drilling tool. 
         [0037]    Both first disc  301  and second disc  302  have a wear resistant surface  303  disposed thereon. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that wear resistant surfaces  303  may be formed from a variety of materials, such as ceramics, PDC, or other materials having material properties making wear resistant surfaces  303  resistant to abrasive wear. In certain embodiments, the wear resistant surface  303  may be formed of a variety of hard or ultra-hard particles. In one embodiment, the wear resistant surface  303  may be formed from a suitable material such as tungsten carbide, tantalum carbide, or titanium carbide. Additionally, various binding metals may be included in the substrate, such as cobalt, nickel, iron, metal alloys, or mixtures thereof. In such wear resistant surfaces  303 , the metal carbide grains are supported within the metallic binder, such as cobalt. Additionally, the wear resistant surface  303  may be formed of a sintered tungsten carbide composite structure. It is well known that various metal carbide compositions and binders may be used, in addition to tungsten carbide and cobalt. Examples of other hard and ultra-hard materials that may be used include polycrystalline diamond, thermally stable diamond, natural diamond, a diamond/silicon carbide composite, and cubic boron nitride. 
         [0038]    In this embodiment, wear resistant surfaces  303  include a plurality of inserts. Thus, the inserts may be formed from the materials discussed above. In alternate embodiments, wear resistant surfaces  303  may include a substantially continuous sleeve, such as a ceramic sleeve. In still other embodiments, the substantially continuous sleeve may be formed from various other hard and ultra-hard materials, as discussed above. 
         [0039]    Wear resistant surfaces  303  may be disposed circumferentially around first disc  301  and second disc  302 . In an embodiment where the wear resistant surfaces  303  include a plurality of inserts a first set of inserts may be disposed on first disc  301  and a second set of inserts may be disposed on second disc  302 . The inserts of the first and second sets may be disposed so individual inserts  303  of the first and second sets contact during use of the tool in which the bearing assembly is disposed. 
         [0040]    In this embodiment, second disc  302  also includes a lip  304  disposed around the periphery of the second disc  302 . As illustrated, lip  304  may include an angled protrusion extending longitudinally upward. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a lip angle α may be formed as lip  304  extends from second disc  302 . By varying lip angle α, as well as the length of the protrusion, flow through wear resistant surfaces  303  and between second disc  302  and a frame  306  may be adjusted. For example, by increasing the length of lip  304  and/or increasing lip angle α, the volume of fluid flowing through inserts  303  may be increased, while decreasing the volume of fluid flowing between second disc  302  and frame  306 . Lip  304  may extend around second disc  302 , thereby forming a continuous lip  304 . In certain embodiments, lip angle α may be in a range between about 5 degrees and about 90 degrees. In other embodiments, lip angle α may be between about 10 degrees and about 80 degrees, while in still other embodiments, lip angle α may be in a range between about 20 degrees and about 60 degrees. 
         [0041]    Referring briefly to  FIG. 3B  a fluid flow schematic of a bearing assembly having a lip is shown. As illustrated, fluid flowing between frame  306  and first disc  301  is directed over lip  304  and through inserts of wear resistant surfaces  303 . Additionally, the fluid flow between second disc  302  and frame  306  is streamlined, and recirculation (i.e., fluid flowing back up second disc  302 ) (as illustrated in  FIG. 2C ) is minimized at portion  307 . By decreasing the amount of recirculation, dead zones that may otherwise occur may be minimized, thereby keeping fluid flow through the ports (not individually shown), allowing fluid to continue flowing into other down hole components, which may include additional bearing assemblies. Recirculation is reduced because, as the fluid flow contacts lip  304 , the flow velocity is decreased causing the flow to climb uphill along lip  304 , which results in decreased overshoot of the fluid at the periphery of lip  304 . 
         [0042]    Inclusion of lip  304  may thereby promote fluid flow through inserts of wear resistant surfaces  303 , as well as minimize flow recirculation. A fluid control feature, such as lip  304 , may thereby be used when cooling of inserts of wear resistant surfaces  303  is an issue due to lack of sufficient fluid flow through the bearing components. 
         [0043]    Referring to  FIG. 4A , a thrust bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In this embodiment, thrust bearing assembly  400  includes a first disc  401  and a second disc (not illustrated). Both first disc  401  and the second disc have a plurality of inserts (not illustrated) disposed thereon. Both first disc  401  and the second disc are disposed in a frame  406 . 
         [0044]    In this embodiment, first disc  401  includes a plurality of grooves  408  formed above the inserts. The grooves  408  may have various geometries, such as, for example, circular, triangular, rectangular, square, and/or combinations thereof. Additionally, the grooves  408  may have sharp or round edges and/or may have chamfered edges. In  FIG. 4A , grooves  408  may be axially aligned relative to a longitudinal axis of bearing assembly  400 . However, in alternate embodiments, grooves  408  may be at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of bearing assembly  400 . 
         [0045]    Referring to  FIG. 4B , a fluid flow schematic of a bearing assembly according to the bearing assembly of  FIG. 4A  is shown. In  FIG. 4B , a top cross-sectional view during computational fluid dynamics modeling allows the flow of fluid through a thrust bearing to be observed. As illustrated, grooves  408  may increase cross-flow in slots  409  between inserts  403 . Increased fluid flow may thereby allow inserts  403  to be more effectively cooled during use, thereby decreasing the likelihood of premature failure of the thrust bearing. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in alternative embodiments, grooves  408  may be aligned at an angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the thrust bearing, thereby diverting fluid around the bearing components. Such a design may be beneficial to prevent erosion of bearing surfaces that may be caused by excessive fluid flowing through the bearing components. 
         [0046]    Referring to  FIG. 5  a thrust bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In this embodiment, thrust bearing assembly  500  includes a first disc  501  and a second disc  502 . Both first disc  501  and the second disc  502  have wear resistant surfaces  503  disposed thereon. As explained above, wear resistant surfaces  503  may include a plurality of inserts and or a substantially continuous sleeve. Both first disc  501  and the second disc  502  are disposed in a frame  506 . 
         [0047]    In this embodiment, frame  506  includes a blade protrusion  509  extending from the internal diameter of frame  506 . Blade protrusion  509  may include various geometries, such as a crescent shaped geometry (e.g., an arcuate surface), thereby controlling the flow of fluid through various bearing components. Blade protrusion  509  having a crescent shaped geometry increases the flow of fluid through wear resistant surfaces  503 , thereby providing increased cooling to the wear resistant surfaces  503 . Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the angle of blade protrusion  509  may vary, thereby allowing for the flow of fluid to be controlled, which may further extend the operating life of thrust bearing  500 . Additionally, blade protrusion  509  may be one continuous protrusion extending circumferentially around the entire frame  509 , or may include protrusion segments that extend from a portion of the circumference of frame  509 . 
         [0048]    In certain embodiments, blade protrusion  509  may be formed to include an arcuate surface such as a continuous curve. Blade protrusion  509  may thus be formed by joining two tangency lines that are non-collinear, thereby forming a substantially continuous curve. In an alternate embodiment, blade protrusion  509  may be formed to include a substantially straight line. In such an embodiment, blade protrusion  509  may be formed by joining two tangency lines that are collinear. 
         [0049]    Referring to  FIG. 6A , a thrust bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.  FIG. 6A , similar to  FIG. 5 , illustrates a thrust bearing assembly  600  having a first disc  601  and a second disc  602 . Both first disc  601  and second disc  602  have a wear resistant surface  603  disposed thereon. Wear resistant surfaces  603  may include a plurality of inserts or a substantially continuous sleeve. Additionally, first disc  601  and the second disc  602  are disposed in a frame  606 . 
         [0050]    In this embodiment, second disc  602  further includes a blade protrusion  609 . As with blade protrusion  509  of  FIG. 5 , blade protrusion  609  may promote the flow of fluid between bearing components, thereby providing greater cooling of the bearing components, during use. The location of blade protrusion  609  may be varied in order to change the amount of fluid flowing between bearing components  609 . For example, by varying the angle of blade protrusion  609 , or varying the location with respect to the outer diameter of second disc  602  and/or the inner diameter of frame  606 , the amount of fluid flowing between bearing components may be adjusted. In certain embodiments, blade protrusion  609  may include an extended region that may be formed integrally with second disc  602 , or alternatively, formed separately from blade protrusion  609  and affixed to second disc  602 . In certain aspects, blade protrusion  609  is integral to frame  606 . 
         [0051]    Additionally, blade protrusion  609  may include various geometries, such as a crescent geometry. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that changing the geometry may promote the flow of fluid through the bearing components or otherwise prevent fluid recirculation or wear to bearing components. 
         [0052]    Referring briefly to  FIG. 6B , in certain embodiments, blade protrusion  609  may be formed to include an arcuate surface such as a continuous curve. Blade protrusion  609  may thus be formed by joining two tangency lines that are non-collinear, thereby forming a substantially continuous curve. In an alternate embodiment, blade protrusion  609  may be formed to include a substantially straight line. In such an embodiment, blade protrusion  609  may be formed by joining two tangency lines that are collinear. 
         [0053]    Referring to  FIG. 7 , a thrust bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.  FIG. 7  illustrates a thrust bearing assembly  700  having a first disc  701  and a second disc  702 . Both first disc  701  and second disc  702  have a wear resistant surface  703  disposed thereon. Wear resistant surfaces  703  may include a plurality of inserts and/or a substantially continuous sleeve. Additionally, first disc  701  and the second disc  702  are disposed in a frame  706 . 
         [0054]    In this embodiment, second disc  702  may further include a chamfer  710  on the outer periphery thereof. Chamfer  710  may be included to increase the volume of fluid flowing into flow ports  711 , located between second disc  702  and frame  706 . By increasing the volume of fluid flowing into flow ports  711 , the volume of fluid flowing through the load bearing surfaces (., between a second wear resistant surface  703  of second disc  702  and a first wear resistant surface  703  of first disc  701 ) of the thrust bearing  700  may be decreased. Chamfer  710  may include various geometries, and in certain embodiments, may include an arcuate surface. Additionally, the angle of chamfer  710  may also be varied to adjust the volume of fluid flowing between thrust bearing components and/or into flow ports  710 . 
         [0055]    Referring to  FIG. 8 , a thrust bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.  FIG. 8  illustrates a thrust bearing assembly  800  having a first disc  801  and a second disc  802 . Both first disc  801  and second disc  802  have a wear resistant surface  803  disposed thereon. As explained above, wear resistant surfaces  803  may include a plurality of inserts and/or a substantially continuous sleeve. Additionally, first disc  801  and the second disc  802  are disposed in a frame  806 . 
         [0056]    In this embodiment, second disc  802  may further include an inclined surface  812  extending from an outer diameter of second disc  802  to an inner diameter of second disc  802 . The inclined surface  812  may thereby direct fluid flow through bearing components, enhancing the cooling effect of the fluid flow during use. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the angle of inclined surface  812  may be varied in order to adjust the volume of fluid flowing through thrust bearing components. Additionally, inclined surface  812  may include various geometric features, such as arcuate surfaces, ridges (not shown), or other varying surface features to further control the flow of fluid therethrough. Inclined surface  812 , as illustrated, is inclined from an outer diameter of second disc  802  to an inner diameter of second disc  802 . In alternative embodiments, the inclination may occur over a portion, such as an area between the outer diameter of second disc  802  and wear resistant surfaces  803 , or may include various inclined portion and flat portions. 
         [0057]    Referring to  FIG. 9 , a thrust bearing assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.  FIG. 9  illustrates a thrust bearing assembly  900  having a first disc  901  and a second disc  902 . Both first disc  901  and second disc  902  have a wear resistant surface  903  disposed thereon. Wear resistant surfaces  903  may include a plurality of inserts and/or a substantially continuous sleeve. Additionally, first disc  901  and the second disc  902  are disposed in a frame  906 . 
         [0058]    In this embodiment, an outer diameter  913  of first disc  901  is larger than an outer diameter  914  of second disc  902 . By increasing outer diameter  913  of first disc  901  relative to an outer diameter  914  of second disc  902 , flow may be directed to flow ports  911  located between second disc  902  and frame  906 . Diverting the flow of fluid through flow ports  906  may decrease erosion through thrust bearing components, thereby preventing the premature failure of the thrust bearing components. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the relative outer diameters of first disc  901  and second disc  902  may be varied in order to adjust the relative volume of fluid flowing into flow ports  906  or through the bearing components. 
         [0059]    Referring to  FIGS. 10A-10C , multiple views of thrust bearing assemblies according to embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.  FIG. 10A  illustrates a thrust bearing assembly cross-section, the cross-section taken between the intersection of a first (rotating) disc (not shown) and a second (fixed) disc  1002 .  FIG. 10B  illustrates a thrust bearing assembly top view and  FIG. 10B  illustrates a thrust bearing assembly bottom view. 
         [0060]    In this embodiment, the thrust bearing assembly has a first rotating disc  1001  and the second fixed disc  1002 . The second fixed disc  1002  includes a wear resistant surface  1003  including plurality of inserts  1010 , disposed thereon. As explained above, first rotating disc  1001  also includes a wear resistant surface that may include a plurality of inserts or a substantially continuous sleeve, depending on the requirements of a particular operation. The thrust bearing assembly also includes a frame  1006 . 
         [0061]    In this embodiment, second fixed disc  1002  includes a first plurality of grooves  1007 . Additionally, frame  1006  includes a second plurality of grooves  1008 . As illustrated, the first and second pluralities of grooves correspond to one another. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various fluid control features may be combined, and as such, grooves  107  and  18  may be present on the frame  1006  and second disc  1002 , or alternatively or in addition to the first disc  1001 . 
         [0062]    Generally, embodiments of the present disclosure include thrust bearing designs having various fluid control features. Examples of fluid flow control features may include, for example, the presence on thrust bearing assembly of a lip, an inclined surface, a groove, a blade protrusion, a chamfer, and/or relative diameter of a first rotating disc to a second fixed disc. 
         [0063]    In certain embodiments, thrust bearing assemblies in accordance with the present disclosure may have more than one fluid flow control feature. For example, in one aspect, a thrust bearing may have a groove on a first disc and a lip on a second disc, while in an alternate aspect, the thrust bearing may have a groove on a first disc and an inclined surface on a second disc. 
         [0064]    During the design of thrust bearing assemblies in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, various aspects of the thrust bearings may be simulated and/or modeled in a computational fluid dynamics simulator in order to optimize the design of the thrust bearing assembly. For example, in such a computer assisted method for designing thrust bearings, an operator may initially input thrust bearing parameters. Thrust bearing parameters may include, for example, outer diameter of a second disc, outer diameter of a first disc, inner diameter of a second disc, inner diameter of a first disc, material properties of the first disc or second disc, properties of a wear resistant surface, the number of inserts forming a wear resistant surface, a material property of the wear resistant surface, a diameter of the wear resistant surface, the orientation of the wear resistant surface relative to one another, a frame outer diameter, a frame inner diameter, a flow port diameter, a groove geometry, a groove angle, a blade protrusion geometry, a lip geometry, a chamfer geometry, and an inclined top surface angle of the second disc. 
         [0065]    With the model of the thrust bearing assembly inputted, a computational flow dynamics model is generated through simulation of the thrust bearing assembly. The results of the computational flow dynamics model is analyzed to determine the flow of fluid through the thrust bearing, including, for example, a flow rate, a cross-flow potential, fluid pooling, etc. Additionally, the model is analyzed to determine the erosion potential at various positions on the thrust bearing, including, for example, on the first disc, on the second disc, and between inserts of the relative wear resistant surfaces. 
         [0066]    After the analyzing, at least one parameter of the thrust bearing assembly is adjusted to affect a flow control feature. The thrust bearing assembly is then resimulated and readjusted until an optimized flow is achieved. Optimized fluid flow refers to, for example, a balance of fluid flow to cool components of the thrust bearing during operation and erosion of thrust bearing assembly components. Depending on the design of the thrust bearing, optimization may further refer to a thrust bearing assembly that does not experience erosion or have cooling issues that result in premature failure of the thrust bearing during normal flow conditions. 
         [0067]    Advantageously, embodiments of the present disclosure may provide thrust bearing assemblies that have enhanced fluid flow designs. In one aspect, such thrust bearing assemblies may have enhanced fluid flow, thereby allowing for more effective cooling of thrust bearing assembly components while decreasing the erosion typically caused by high fluid flow through thrust bearing assembly components. Also advantageously, embodiments, of the present disclosure may provide thrust bearing assembly design methods that may allow for the optimization of thrust bearings for a particular application. 
         [0068]    Also advantageously, embodiments, of the present disclosure may provide thrust bearing assembly designs that have multiple flow control features, such as lips, inclined surfaces, grooves, chamfers, blade protrusions, etc. Because such embodiments may include multiple fluid control features, a balance may be achieved between erosion and cooling of the thrust bearing assembly components. 
         [0069]    While the present disclosure has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments may be devised which do not depart from the scope of the disclosure as described herein. Accordingly, the scope of the disclosure should be limited only by the attached claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6