US1479142A

US1479142A - Automatic air-lift-control system

Info

Publication number: US1479142A
Application number: US543741A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles I Lindau; Edward J Franklin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1922-03-14
Filing date: 1922-03-14
Publication date: 1924-01-01
Anticipated expiration: 1941-01-01

Description

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C. E. LENDAU ET AL. AUTOMATIC AIR LIFT CONTROL SYSTEM Filed March 14. 1922! INVENTORS Charles 1'. Linda Edward J? Fran A TTORNEY.

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enemas r. LINDAU, or HURLEY, new MEXICO, Am) EDWARD J. FRANKLIN, or saw man our, UTAH.

AUTOMATIC AIR-LIFT-CONTROL SYSTEM.

Application filed march 14', 1922. Serial No. 543,741.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES I. LINDAU and EDWARD J. FRANKLIN, residing, respec-* tively, at Hurley, in the county of Grant and State of New Mexico, and at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented a new and useful Automatic Air-Lift-Control System, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for controlling the supply of air to airlift apparatus so as to maintain the pressure and volume of air supply required for effective operation of such apparatus. The submergence at a well or wells operating by the air lift principle varies from time to time and from well to well, requiring corresponding variation in the pressure and volume demands in the compressor. The main object of the present invention is to provide for automatic control of the compressor means for this purpose. Vi e obtain such automatic control by utilizing the submergence pressure (or the pressure due to submergence),

- provided with for controlling the operation of the compressor means, so as to control the volume of air supplied thereby.

The accompanying drawings illustrate em bodiments of our invention, and referring thereto:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of an air lift system, provided with our control means.

Fig. 2 is a detail section of the control valve, the connection thereof being shown in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a form of control means in conneo ,ion with electric motor drive for the compressor.

In Fig. 1, two air lift wells are shown at 1 and2; it being understood that the invention is applicable to one or more wells, although it has special advantages as applied toaplurality of wells. Each of these wells is supply pipe 3 for compressed air, said pipes leading to the foot pieces of the respective wells or air lift columns and communicating through an automatic valve 4 with a pipe 3 leading to a pressure line 5, connected to the compressor 6. The air supply line 3 for each well is connected to pipe 7 communicating with a receiver 8, from which a pipe 9 including a check valve kl) opening away from the receiver, leads to a control line 11 which is connected to con-' trol the operation of the compressor. Another pipe 12 leads from each receiver 8 to a controlling cylinder 13 for the corresponding automatic valve 4. Each pipe line 3 may also have a valve 17 for. manual control.

The automatic valve 4, included in the air supply line 3, is operated by connection of its valve plug or sleeve 14 to a piston 15 working in cylinder 13. Said valve tends to close position by operation of a weight 16 connected to a lever 18,-which presses on the stem 19 of said valve, lever 18 being pivoted at 20 to a fixed support and its movement being limited by a stop screw 22, so as to limit the opening of the valve providing for gradual variation of the supply of air therethrough. Any desired form of valve may be used, for example, a sleeve valve as shown, the sleeve 14-working in a valve cylinder 23, having ports 24 adapted to register with ports 25, in the sleeve 14 so as to provide for gradual opening and closing of the valve. Lever 18 may also have an adjustable compensating spring control as indicated at 26.

Any suitable means may be used for controlling the operation of the compressor by the pressure in control line 11. For example, said line may lead to a cylinder 28 as shown in Fig. 1, operating a piston member 29 which is connected to the usual governor means 30 for the compressor so as to effect an increase in speed of the compressor when the pressure in control line 11 increases. In Fig. 1, the governor 30 and piston member 29 are shown, for purpose of illustration, as operating a throttle valve 31 for the engine of the compressor, but it will be understood that in large installations where more efficient governor operated means for controlling the compres or are in use, the piston means 29 will be connected to control such governor operated means, acting in op position to the governor, and in such manner as to increase the speed of the compressor on increase of pressure in the control line. In the case of electrically driven coi' pressors. the controlling piston'means :1 cperated by the cylinder 28, connected to the control ha, 11, may as shown in Fig. 3, operate a resistance controlme'ans 33 for controlling the operation of-the electric motor The operation of the air lift involves a cerincreases or decreases in any of tain submergence of the air supply below the water level in the Well' and variations in the water level result in variations in the submergence. As the submergeice pressure i he wells; a corresponding change in the ir pressure takes place, and likewise the volume of air required, necessitating a change in the speed,

ravens-a that particular air lift. The operation is thus to put the compressor under control of the air lift being the maximum submergence and to maintain a pressure in the pressure line sufficiently high for such maximum submergence, and to reduce the pressure passing to each individual air lift according to the pressure requirements thereof; it being understood that if at any time the maximum subniergence shifts from one well to another, the control of the compression will shift correspondingly to such well, being for the time being the maximum-submergence.

The function-of the receiver is to steady the pressure under the piston operating the control valve. Without this storage in the receiver the velocity of the air through the air line to the well is a hindrance to sensitive operation of the control valve if at any time of the compressor and the volume. of air de i the well pulsates.

livered therefrom. Such variations in submergence pressure result in corresponding variations in the pressure in the pipes 7 and the receivers 8 and control line 11 communicating therewith. Considering the operation of a single well, the primary effect of increase of the pressure in line 11 is to effect operation of the governor or control means for the compressor 6, to speed up the compressor and deliver more air to the air lift, as required by the increase in submergence. When several wells are, supplied from a single pressure line, as shown, the check valves 10in the connections from the respective receivers to the control line, operate oiily when the pressure in the receiver exceeds that in the line, so that if any one of the receivers is at higher pressure than the others; the corresponding check .valve will open and'connect such receiver to the control line, and the check valves for theother receivers will be closed, the effect of this being'to automatically connect the control line to the well or air lift having-the highest submergence for-the time being, as the respective receiversare always in connection with the corresponding air lift pipe and are responsiveto the pressure therein.

i The control line being thus responsive to the pressure at the air lift having the maximum submergence, the compressor is controlled by operation-of such control line soas to furnish the volume of air required to maintain the pressure in the service or pressure line, corresponding to such maximum submergence. The pressure of the air which is' delivered to the individual air lifts is then controlled by the operation of the automatic valve, which is operated responsively to the pressure in the corresponding re ceiver 8, by the cylinder and piston means 13 and 15 and acts as a control valve, re-

ducing the pressure in the line leading to each air lift, so as to give the proper pressure correspondingly to the submergence for What we claim is:

1. In combination with an air lift apparatus and a compressor connected to supply compressed air tosuch apparatus, control means for said compressor responsive to the submergence pressure of said air lift apparatus andeadapted to automatically control the operation of the compressor to increase the volume of air compressed thereby as the submergence increases.

2. An air lift control system comprising, in combination with a compressor, a pressure line supplied thereby and a plurality of air lifts connected to receive compressed air from said pressure line, means for controlling the operation of the compressor responsively to the submergence pressure at the air lift having maximum submergence, and means for controlling the supply of air from the pressure line to each air ift responsively to the submergence pressure at such air lift.

"3. An air lift control system comprising, in combination with a compressor, a pressure line suppliedthereby and'a pluralit of air lifts connected to receive compresse air from said pressure line control means for the compressor adapted to be operated by air pressure and having an operating connection through a check valve with each airlift, so

as to control the operation of the-compressor roe responsively to-the submergence ressurc at] the air lift having maximum su mer 'ence,

and control means responsive to the su mer gence pressure at each air lift for'controlling I the supply of-a'ir to each air lift from 'tliej pressure ine; in correspondence with the submergence at such air lift.

4. In an air lift control system, the combi-v nation with anair lift apparatus andacOm 1' pressor' connected to supply air thereto, of pressure operatedi'neans' connected to said air lift apparatus and res OHSlVQ'tO thesub f lll air delivered-thereby in correspondence with variations in submergence pressure of said air lift apparatus.

5. An airI-lift control system comprising, in combination with a plurality of air lifts and a pressure line connected to supply air to said air lifts, an' automatic valve included in the connection from the pressure line to each air lift and controlling means for said valve adapted to be operated by pressure and connected tothe corresponding air lift so as to be responsive to the submergence pressure of said air lift and to gradually open or close the valve so as to gradually vary the supply of air therethrough and (-Ontl'Ol the supply of air from the pressure line to the said air lift in correspondence with the submergence pressure thereof.

6. In combination With a plurality of air lifts and a pressure line adapted to supply the same with compressed air, a valve included in the connection from said pressure line to each air lift, pressure controlled means for operating each of said valves and adapted to gradually open or close the valve so as to gradually vary the supply of the air therethrough, a connection from each air lift in the pressure controlled means for operating the valve for said air lift to effect operation of the pressure controlled means and of the valve for said air .lift responsively to the submergence pressure of said air lift.

7. A combination asset forth in claim 6 and comprising, in addition, a receiver connected to the connection from each air lift to the corresponding pressure controlled means, for equalizing the operation.

8. In combination with a compressor, a pressure line' supplied thereby a plurality of air lifts, and connections from said pressure line to the respective air lifts, said connections including automatic valves, a control line having check valve connections to the respective air lifts, so as to be responsive to the pressure of the air lift having maximum submergenee pressure, control means operated by the pressure in said contr 1 line and adapted to control the operation of the compressorin correspondence with the pressure in said control line, and control means responsive to the sulnnm'gence pressure of each air lift and adapted to control the automatic valve for said air lift in correspondence with the variations of submergence pressure of said air lift.

CHARLES I. LIN DAU. EDWARD J. FRANKLIN.