Bearing apparatus including tilting pads
View Patent ↗Embodiments of the invention relate to tilting pad bearing assemblies and apparatuses. The disclosed tilting pad bearing assemblies and apparatuses may be employed in downhole motors of a subterranean drilling system or other mechanical systems. In an embodiment, a bearing assembly or apparatus includes a support ring and a plurality of tilting pads. Each tilting pad is tilted and/or tiltably secured relative to the support ring. In some embodiments, one or more of the tilting pads include a plurality of superhard bearing segments assembled to form a superhard bearing surface. One or more seams may be positioned between adjacent superhard bearing segments of the superhard bearing segments. In other embodiments, one or more of the tilting pads may include at least one or only one superhard bearing segment, such as a polycrystalline diamond bearing segment.
1. A method of operating a bearing assembly, the method comprising:
providing a runner and a bearing assembly;
wherein the runner includes at least one runner superhard bearing surface comprising a chemically-vapor-deposited carbide material;
wherein the bearing assembly includes a support ring and a plurality of tilting pads, each of the plurality of tilting pads includes at least one polycrystalline diamond bearing element having a cemented carbide substrate bonded to a polycrystalline diamond table, the polycrystalline diamond table including a tilting pad superhard bearing surface; and
rotating at least one of the at least one runner superhard bearing surface or the tilting pad superhard bearing surfaces of the plurality of tilting pads at a sufficient rotational speed so that a hydrodynamic film develops between the first bearing surface and the second bearing surfaces.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein rotating at least one of the at least one runner superhard bearing surface or the tilting pad superhard bearing surfaces of the plurality of tilting pads includes rotating a shaft using one or more of a pump, motor, compressor, turbine, generator, or gearbox to effect the rotating.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein rotating at least one of the at least one runner superhard bearing surface or the tilting pad superhard bearing surfaces of the plurality of tilting pads includes allowing a tilt angle of the plurality of tilting pads to adjust while rotating at least one of the at least one runner superhard bearing surface or the tilting pad superhard bearing surfaces of the plurality of tilting pads.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the runner is a rotor and the bearing assembly is a stator.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the chemically-vapor-deposited carbide material includes tungsten carbide.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the tungsten carbide includes a binderless tungsten carbide.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the runner includes a plurality of superhard bearing elements defining the at least one runner superhard bearing surface and a plurality of seams therebetween that are at least partially filled with the chemically-vapor-deposited carbide material.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of tilting pads are decoupled from one another.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising a plurality of support plates each of which is attached to a respective pin of the plurality of pins.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the bearing assembly includes a plurality of pins each of which at least one of tiltably supports a respective tilting pad of the plurality of tilting pads or supports the respective tilting pad in a tilted position and secures the respective tilting pad to the support ring.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein each of the plurality of tilting pads is secured to a respective support plate of the plurality of support plates.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein each of the plurality of support plates includes a pocket, and each of the plurality of tilting pads is secured within a respective pocket of the plurality of pockets.
13. A method of operating a bearing assembly, the method comprising:
providing a rotor and a stator;
wherein the rotor includes at least one rotor superhard bearing surface comprising a chemically-vapor-deposited carbide material;
wherein the stator includes a plurality of tilting pads decoupled from one another, each of the plurality of tilting pads includes at least one polycrystalline diamond bearing element having a tilting pad superhard bearing surface; and
rotating at least one of the at least one rotor superhard bearing surface or the tilting pad superhard bearing surfaces of the plurality of tilting pads at a sufficient rotational speed so that a hydrodynamic film develops between the first bearing surface and the second bearing surfaces.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein rotating at least one of the at least one rotor superhard bearing surface or the tilting pad superhard bearing surfaces of the plurality of tilting pads includes rotating a shaft using one or more of a pump, motor, compressor, turbine, generator, or gearbox to effect the rotating.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the chemically-vapor-deposited carbide material includes tungsten carbide.
16. A method of operating a bearing assembly, the method comprising:
providing a rotor and a stator;
wherein the rotor includes at least one rotor superhard bearing surface comprising a vapor-deposited carbide material;
wherein the stator includes a support ring and a plurality of tilting pads, each of the plurality of tilting pads including at least one polycrystalline diamond bearing element having a cemented carbide substrate bonded to a polycrystalline diamond table, the polycrystalline diamond table including a tilting pad superhard bearing surface; and
rotating at least one of the at least one rotor superhard bearing surface or the tilting pad superhard bearing surfaces of the plurality of tilting pads at a sufficient rotational speed so that a hydrodynamic film develops between the first bearing surface and the second bearing surfaces.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein rotating at least one of the at least one rotor superhard bearing surface or the tilting pad superhard bearing surfaces of the plurality of tilting pads includes rotating a shaft using one or more of a pump, motor, compressor, turbine, generator, or gearbox to effect the rotating.
18. The method of claim 16 wherein the vapor-deposited carbide material includes a chemically-vapor-deposited carbide material.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the chemically-vapor-deposited carbide material includes tungsten carbide.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the tungsten carbide includes a binderless tungsten carbide.