US1730051A - Compressed-air well pump - Google Patents

Description

T. T E N N E B c R.

COMPRESS-ED AIR WELL PUMP Filed April 21, 1928 Patented Oct. 1, 1929 UNITED STATES -1 nri=iNTorme ROGER U.` BENNETT, OF SEMINOLE, OKLAHOllI-A, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T FRANCIS T. PATTERSON, OE SEMINOLE, OKLAHOMA COMPRESSED-ATR WELL TUM? Appntion mea April 21,

This invention relates to pumping mechanisms used principally in withdrawing oil from oilwells, the mechanism being of that character wherein there is a displacement space or area having an inlet and an out-' the motive iiuid or iuid pressure is dis` p charged into the displacement area.

A further object is to provide means for directing the fluid under pressure against, the valve, which valve acts to prevent the fluid under pressure exerting any pressure up on the sands so as to thus keep this valve cleaned oi.

A still further object is to provide a very simple but effective mechanism for this purpose having few and very simple parts so that there will be the least possible chance of this mechanism getting out of order.

Another object is to provide a construction of this kind having a valve preventing the fluid pressure from exerting pressure upon the sands, and provide a'piston for the valve operable under Huid pressure, t-he piston acting first to close the valve and then acting as a valve itself to open the by-pass, permitting. fluid pressure to pass down around the piston and be discharged into the displacement area. l

Other objects willappear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein l Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of the casing ofan oil well, a motive f iuid tube, and my improved regulatingvalve, the

valvebeing shown in its open position;

Figure 2 is a like view to Figure 1 but showing the valve in its closed position and the piston depressed'. -V

Referring to this drawing, 10 designates a well casing and 11 an interior tubing formed 192s. serial No. 271,846.

of sections connected by collars ,l 12. This tubing at one point in its length'is provided with openings 13, these being located below a packer 14 and the packer being of any suitable character and extending between the tubing l1 and the casing wall 10. I The tube l1 adjacent one end is provided with an annular piston stop 14 and below this with an' exterior sleeve 16, apertures 17 extending from the interior of the tube 11 into the upper portion of said sleeve and apertures 18 connecting between-the`interior 0f the tube 11 and the interior of the sleeve.

Disposed a distance below the sleeve isa valve seat 19 and just above this valve seat the tube 11 is apertured, as at 20.- Disposed within the tube 11 between the sleeve 16 and the valve seat are the spiders 21 and 22. Disposed within the tube4 ll'adjacent the piston stop 14 isa piston 23, the upper end-` of which -is beveled so as to seat against the stop 14. This piston has a tubular stem 24 which extends down through the spiders 21 and 22. 'Extending downward through the piston 23 and through its tubular stem is ar valve stem 25 having a nut 26 at its upper end bearing against the upper end of the piston and at its lower end provided with a conical valve I'27, this valve coacting with the seat 19 and seating thereagainst when the valve is lowered.

Disposed to surround the tubular stem of the piston and disposed between the under face of the piston 2 3 and the spider 214is a coiled compression spring 28 which urges the piston upward and thus urges the valve upward, the piston bearing against' the nut 26 under these circumstances. Surroundingl the lower end of the valve stem 25 is a coiled compression spring 29 which bears at one end against the valve and at the other end against a fiange or head 8O formed upon the lower end of the tubular piston stem. Thus any downward movement of the piston stemwill iirst act to compress the spring 29 and when the spring 29' has been compressed to a proper degree the valve will move with, the piston. v y

Inthe operation of the mechanism, the upper end of the tube 11 is to be connected to Qany suitable source of constant lluid pressure. This may be, for instance, gas or air `under pressure but preferably will be compressed air. raised, closes the ports or perforations 17 so that the fluid pressure can only bear against the upper contracted end of the piston;

When the air or gas is forced down the tube 11 under suilicient pressure, it will force the plunger 23 down againstthe action of the.. spring 28. The downward-movement of the tubular piston stem 24 willcause' the ctliig l.. strength that the valve 27 will move down:

pressionvor spring 29, which is of s,"

V immediately that the piston. moves downward and the valve will seat against the seat.

19, thus cutting od all communication'be# vtweenthe upper end of the tube 11 and the` lower end thereof.'

A further downward movement of the piston under the pressure of the air. will open the ports 17, as'shown in vFigure 2, and the compressed air or other motive fluid will pass out through the -ports 17, downward 25 around the by-pass sleeve 16, through the ports 18 into the tube 11 below. the piston,

downward through the spiders 21 and 22, and out through the ports 20, the valve 27 being closed and preventing any further down-1' 3o ward movement of the motive fluid. Mo-jv tive fluid will thus pass into thevdis lace` ment area A, which is previouslyiille with o il, andV will rise or rush upward, carrying with it the oilina well known manner.

As soon as the pressure has been reduced 'beyond a certain point and before the oil has been pumped out and pressure reduced, the spring 28 will cause the piston valveto move rearward, closing the port 17, and eventual-- ly the piston valve strikes the nut 26er stop, vlifting the valve stem and the valve from the position'shown in Figure 2 to the osition shown in Figure 1. Oil will then ow up ward intothe lower portion of the pipe 11 -by means of the ports 13 and flow through the seat 19v and apertures 20 into the displacement space A. When the displacenrientv space has been filled the operation isrepeated.

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It willl be noted that in my construction the'piston lirst acts to close the valve and then continues to travel downward so as to open the by-pass and permit the passage oi motive fluid down the tube 11 and intothe displacement area, and attention is directed to the fact that the ports 20 are located so close to the valve 27 that the motive fluid, moving down swiftl under pressure cleanses the valve of irt and foreign matter so as to keep the valve in proper condition to seat at all times. When valve 27v is closed, the pressure on the motive y fluid cannot be transmitted to the oil sands The piston 23, when it is back pressure at anytimeupon the oil sands.l

an upward movement of the piston, air -is I claim; y

1. In a pump adapted tobe associated withl a displacement zone having'a'liquid inlet and.

liquid outlet a tubular'member having a valve seat and having an inlet belowgtheivalve seat kand anjoutlet above the valve seat, theoutlet' --discharging into said displacement zone, 'a valve' engageable with vsaid Aseatyapiston" mounted within the tubular member above the valve, isa stem extending from the valve and` sliding through said piston and having a stop on its outer endbeyond the piston, a spring 1 urging .the piston to a raised position and the valve from its seat, a yieldable connecltion between the piston and the valve permitting the piston to move after the valve has seated to cause the inward movement of 'thepiston to shift the valveto a closed v"position, and a by-pass, opening at its upper and' lower ends into said tube, vthe piston normally closing the upper end of the by-pass when the valve 1s raised but the piston, when depressed and the valve seated, acting to open theI upper end of the by-pass whereby fluidl in the tube may pass around the by-pass and into thetube below the piston.

2. In a pump adapted for association with -a displacement .area a tube having a valve seat, inlet apertures in the tube below the valve seat, liquid outlet aperturesin the tube above thevalve seat into the displacement area, a valve' coacting with said seat, a piston disposed above the valve, a by-pass surrounding the tube andopeningat its upper and lower ends thereinto, the piston when in a raised.positionclosing the upper opening of the hy-pass, means operated by a downward movement of the-...piston under the action of pressurefluid initially' causing the closing of the valve, the piston having further movement independently of the valve after the latter has closed act-ing to pass the upper end of the by-pass to thus permit pressure fiuid to pass through said by-pass into the tube below the piston and'then pass downward and outward into' the displacement zone, and means acting when the pressure of motive Huid on the piston is relieved causing the .initial return ofthe piston`to a position .closing the upper end of the by-pas's and causing the opening of. the valve.A I

3. The combination with a wellcasing, of

means for lifting liquidupward in the well 1 casing comprising a tube disposed within thel well casingr and having a-liquid inletfa packing engaging'the well casingand tube above the inlet, 'the tubeabo've the packing being formed with a valve seat,'and with ports immediately above the' lseat opening into the area between the tube and casing, 'a valve coacting with this seat, a piston disposed above the valve, a by-pass sleeve opening at its upper and lower ends into said tube, a seat for the piston disposed above. the by-pass and 5 stopping the piston when it has closed the" upper by-pass opening, a spring urging said piston against said stop, the valve having a f stem extending through and sliding in the Y piston-.axidfgformed with a stop at its upper p l@ end, a spring surrounding the valve stem, the

piston having a stein loosely surrounding the f valve stem and bearing against said last l named spring.

4. The combination with a well casing, of

15 a centrally disposed tube, packing between the tube and the valve casing, the tube below the packing having liquid inlet apertures and above the packing havingV a valve seat, ports immediately above the valve seat opening 2o into the space between the tube and the well casing and valve, a valve coacting with said e seat and having an upwardly extending stem having a stop at its upper end, a piston slid- .able on the-up er end of the stem, a stop 2o against which tlie iston normally bears, the piston having a tubular stem through which the valve stem loosely passes, a spring4 surrounding the valve stem and bearing operatively at one end against the valve and at'the other end bea-ring against said tubular piston stem, a compression spring disposed to surround the tubular stem operatively supported at one end upon the tubular member and at the other end bearing against the piston and urging the piston upward against the stop, and a by-pass sleeve disposed around the tubular member and opening atits upper and lower ends into the tubular member, the upper end of the by-pass being normally ao closed by the piston.

5. ln a pumping apparatus operated by the displacement of liquid by fluid under pressure, a casing having an outlet, a central pressure Huid conducting tube, packing disposed 'between the casing and the tube, the

space above the packing constituting a dis# placement space, the tube having liquid inlet ports below the packing, and a valve seat above 'the packing, a valve adapted to rest on said seat, means normally preventing the passage of pressure fluid through the ports to the displacement spaoe and holding the valve raised but acting upon an increase in fiuid pressure toclose the valve and'after the halve has closed open communication between the upper portion of the tube and said ports to permit the passage of Huid pressure to the displacement space and upon a decrease in fluid pressure acting to rst close said coni-l munication and then open the valve to permit passage of liquid to the displacement space.

ln testimony whereof lhereunto afhx my signature.

o5 ROGER.Y C. BENNETT.

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