Patent ID: 8419390

Claim:
An electrical submersible pumping system comprising: a seal section having a housing with an opening at an end, fluid within the housing, and a seal shaft within the opening in the seal housing; a motor section having a housing having an opening at an end, and a motor shaft extending from the opening in the motor housing; a tubular coupling assembly having a splined axial bore and selectively moveable between a pre-assembly position with the seal shaft partially inserted into an inner end of the coupling assembly and an assembled position axially spaced from the pre-assembly position with the seal shaft fully inserted into the inner end and the motor shaft fully inserted into an outer end of the coupling assembly to transmit torque from the motor shaft to the seal shaft; and a seal assembly having a body selectively coupled to the housing of the seal section and having a seal element that projects radially inward from the body and into sealing engagement with an outer diameter portion of the coupling assembly to thereby form a fluid barrier between the outer diameter of the coupling, assembly and housing of the seal section when the coupling assembly is in the pre-assembly position and when the coupling assembly is moved to the assembled position, the fluid barrier is removed to define a flow path between the seal section and the motor sections.