Apparatus which include a shaft rotatably connected with a housing are common in many different fields of art. In such apparatus, the shaft may be rotatably connected with the housing such that axial loads along the shaft axis and/or radial loads transverse to the shaft axis may be transferred between the shaft and the housing. Such apparatus may include one or more thrust bearings for transferring the axial loads and one or more radial bearings for transferring the radial loads.
Axial loads will tend to move the housing and the shaft axially relative to each other and may be experienced in two opposite directions. In some cases, a single thrust bearing or a single set of thrust bearings may be utilized to transfer the axial loads in the two directions. In some cases, separate thrust bearings or sets of thrust bearings may be utilized to transfer the axial loads in the two directions. Thrust bearings are typically located within the interior of the housing.
Radial loads will tend to move the housing and the shaft laterally relative to each other and may be experienced in any lateral direction which is transverse to the shaft axis. In some cases, a single radial bearing or a single set of radial bearings may be utilized to transfer the radial loads in all directions by configuring the radial bearing so that it surrounds the shaft in an annular space which is provided between the shaft and the housing.
Apparatus which include a shaft rotatably connected with a housing are common in oil and gas industry applications, including applications which involve the drilling, completion, servicing and/or operation of boreholes and wells. Many of these apparatus are configured to be inserted into a borehole and to be used in a downhole environment.