Chapter 2

THREE MAIN TYPES OF

PROGRESSING CAVITY MACHINES:
PCPs9 DHPs 5 AND DHMs

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a PC pump basically consists of a

hydraulic section (a rotor inside a stator) and a drive frame trans-
mitting the shaft rotation to the hydraulic section by means of
a connecting rod. The connection is accomplished by various
means: a pin joint, a universal joint (such as Cardan), or a
flexible joint arrangement.
A driver (motor, diesel, or other prime mover) is coupled
to an input shaft, transmitting its energy into the mechanical
energy of shaft rotation. The shaft is supported by bearings in
the pump drive frame, and drive shaft rotation is translated into
eccentric motion of a rotor in the hydraulic section. The rotor
forms a cavity between itself and a stator, as will be explained
in detail. The eccentric motion of the rotor displaces the fluid
within the cavity, which "moves" (i.e., "progresses"hence,
FIGURE 2
Typical progressing cavity pump (courtesy Monoflo Pump).

FIGURE 3
Progressing cavity cross section (courtesy Monoflo Pump).

the term) along the axis from suction (inlet) to discharge (exit)
(i.e., pumping the fluid against the discharge pressure). Since
the fluid is actually mechanically displaced, PC pumps belong
to a subclass of rotary pumps.
If such a pump is connected to a generator instead of an
electric motor or any other load (e.g., a drill bit), and the rotor
is allowed to rotate driven by the differential pressure, the
pump essentially becomes a hydraulic motor, per terminology
of PD machines. (Note the similarity with centrifugal pumps
operating as hydraulic recovery turbines when operated in
reverse.) It utilizes the fluid's energy to convert it to the
mechanical energy of the rotating shaftfrom the eccentric
rotor, via the connecting rod, to the drive frame shaft, and to
the load. Thus, when mechanical energy is converted to
hydraulic energy, the unit operates as a pump; conversely,
when the hydraulic energy is converted to mechanical rota-
tion, the unit operates as a hydraulic motor. In oil exploration
drilling, such reverse operating units are called "mudmotors,"
which utilize "mud" as a working fluid to drive the rotor inside
the stator, as well as to lubricate the drill bit and flush out the
debris. In that case, the hydraulic section (rotor and stator) is
called a "power section," denoting its utilization to transmit
power to the drill bit. A complete drilling unit (a mudmotor)
is shown in Fig. 4, and contains the power section itself, bear-
ings, seals, drill bit, stabilizers, and other auxiliary equipment.
Such a unit (referred to as a "string" by oil drillers) consists of
a mudmotor, piping, and a drilling mechanism, all of which
are inserted into and operate in a hole (i.e., future potential oil
well). At the surface, the mud is pumped into the hole, usually
by large, high-pressure triplex reciprocating pumps. A good
overview of this can be found in Ref. 2.
The commercial logistics of the supplied equipment dif-
fer for mudmotors and PC pumps. Surface-mounted PC
pumps are typically installed in facilities such as process and
 Saver Sub
Drive System

Power Section Coupling

! Drive Head

Wellhead

Sucker Rod
Lobe Coupling Section

k
Sucker Rod

Tubing

Rotor

Bearing Assembly Section

Centrafizer

Stator

Stop Bushing

FIGURE 4
Complete units: A downbole mudmotor (left, DHM) (courtesy of
Dresser Security Company), and a downhole pump (right, DHP)
(courtesy of PCM Company).
petrochemical plants, paper mills, utilities, wastewater treat-
ment plants, etc. They require much less space than the com-
plete "string" of downhole mudmotor applications. A surface
pump manufacturer supplies a complete pump unit, often
mounted on a base plate and coupled to an electric motor or
other driver. The customer or a contractor's millwright crew
connects the piping and electric power, and the pump is ready
to operate. In the case of mudmotors (DHMs), however, the
power section is typically supplied by a subvendor (often the
same one who manufactures complete PC pumps and has the
facilities and know-how to produce power sectionscutting
the rotors and injecting the elastomers into stator tubes). The
subvendor often then supplies power sections to a mudmotor
(complete unit) manufacturer, who cuts the required threads
on the stator tube to connect to the rest of the mudmotor.
These mudmotors are then sold (or, more often, rented) to the
drillers who own the rigs and perform drilling contract jobs
for the oil companies. Downhole pumps (see Fig. 4, DHP) are
logistically handled according to the specifics of the industry
in which they are applied, similar to DHMs. They are essen-
tially rotor/stator sections, driven via a long drive shaft (in sec-
tions), or by a submersible motor.
Power sections (which are actually pumping sections for
downhole pumps) are supplied unthreaded by the subvendors,
for subsequent completion by the "string" manufacturer. This
commercial practice is part of a tradition, history, and culture
in the oil industry dating back many years.
PC pumps have a low "lobe ratio" (to be discussed in detail
in Chapter 4), such as 1:2 (a one-lobed rotor inside of a two-
lobed stator), although 2:3 lobe ratio designs have recently
been introduced. Mudmotors usually have multilobe configu-
rations to as high as 9:10. Geometry and space constraints in-
side the drilled hole require that power sections must be as
short as possible (i.e., having fewer stages), with more pressure
drop per stage (i.e., more power and torque concentration per
unit length). Multilobe design satisfies such requirements,
albeit with limitations and drawbacks that will be discussed in
Chapter 4.
In the remainder of this book, we will concentrate on the
details of the hydraulic section (rotor/stator) of pumps: surface-
mounted, downhole (DHPs), and motors (DHMs), including
their geometry, performance calculation and evaluation, and
elastomer behavior. References are provided for more infor-
mation on drilling applications, pumping conditions, and aux-
iliaries (seals, bearings, piping, etc.).