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The VARI FLOTM Motor: A New Mud Motor Concept, its Design, Development and Applications
Dr. Hector Susman, Senior Consultant to Volker Stevin Offshore (UK) Limited, Aberdeen, Scotland.
~ lot preunlalion al thlI Offshore EutOpa Conference hald in Abercl..". 7-9 Saptamber 1993.
'fbs w.. lalae:teel for presentalion by en SPE Progrlm Commlllaa follOWIng revIew at informatIon contllnea In an aostrlC! submlllad by tha author/s) Contanls of Iha paper
IS ores_eel. havasnol baan rev'ewea by the SocIety of PetlOleum Eng,neers and ara subject 10 correelion by Ihaautnorts'. The matenal .s DreSan18d dO~S not neeessenly reflec;
a~v oosmon ot the oelery ot PetrOleum Engineers ItS oN cars or m o P
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aDefS oresenleo at PE meetings are sublect to DUOllcatlon reVIew by EditOrial COmmlMftS of the Soclelv
. errol.urn Engineers PenTllSSIOn 10 CODY IS restnctea to an aCStracr of nor more than 300 wores, illustrations may not be COOled. The acstract Should contain conspICuous
acxnowoeagmenl of wn.... ana lly wnom Ine . '~er IS Dresentee INnte ~'brlnen. SPE POBox 833836. Richaroson. TX 75063.3836 USA Telex. 730989 SPEDAL.
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direction. it will produce some. but not as much as the rollers in the
after 2 o'clock positions. The roller in the wider part of the stator.
after the 2 o'clock position. is fully extended and thus fully
exposed to the fluid flow so generating motion and torque. This
process takes place in two positions along the circumference of the
stator as each stator contains "two deflectors" and two sets of inlet
and outlet ports.
This concept makes for a very short motor compared with a
Moyneau type motor of similar diameter, torque and power. A
4 4 inch tool for instance is only T 10" long compared to a length
of 24 - 28' for an equivalent Moyneau motor.
Servicing the VARI FLOTM motor is simpler and less expensive
than the Moyneau type motor. The Moyneau motor's size requires
hydraulic actuators or fork lift trucks to extract the rotor. Our motor
only requires nonnal force to undo a number of threads on the subs
that hold the motor together. Replacing the rollers is at the most a
30 minute job and the cost of rollers is considerably less than the
price of a new stator. saving down time and money for the operator.
Why then have vane type motors not found wider application in
drilling technology?
The probable answer is that the pure vane motor cannot be made to
work in a drilling mud environment. The clearance between rotor
slots and vanes are by necessity. in connection with efficiency, too
small to accommodate the solids and the often thixotropic
character of drilling fluids.
We therefore replaced the rectangular vanes with loosely filling
rollers, as in roller bearings, and found that the motor could now
cope with fluids containing a 'practical' percentage of solids. We
are now at a stage where drilling fluids with weights up to
12 lbs/gal can be accommodated without problems.
THE VARI FLOTY MOTOR: A NEW MUD MOTOR CONCEPT. ITS DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATIONS
SPE 26751
THE VARI FLOTU MOTOR: A NEW MUD MOTOR CONCEPT,ITS DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATIONS
Figure 1:
Motor Assembly
Inlet Ports
Inlet Ports
Outlet Ports
CROSS-SECTION
OVER THE POWER SECTION
SPE 26751
THE VARI FLO'" MOTOR: A NEW MUD MOTOR CONCEPT, ITS DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATIONS
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SPE 26751
THE VARI FLO'" MOTOR: A NEW MUD MOTOR CONCEPT, ITS DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATIONS
SPE 26751
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THE VARI FLOTU MOTOR: A NEW MUD MOTOR CONCEPT,ITS DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATIONS
SPE 26751
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