US1740821A

US1740821A - Apparatus for lifting viscous fluids

Info

Publication number: US1740821A
Application number: US296282A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alexander D Kneuper
Original assignee: LOUISE KNEUPER
Current assignee: LOUISE KNEUPER
Priority date: 1928-07-30
Filing date: 1928-07-30
Publication date: 1929-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 1946-12-24

Description

Dec. 24, 1929. A. D. KNEUPER I APPARATUS FOR LIFTING VISCOUS FLUIDS Filed July so. 1928 Patented Dec. 24, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALEXANDER D. KNEUPEB, OF LOS ANGELES, GALIIORfiIA, ASQIGNOB TO LOUISE KNEUIER APPABA'IUS FOB LIFTING VISOOUS FLUIDS Application filed July 30,

My invention relates to a method of and apparatus for lifting viscous fluids and the method and apparatus herein described are particularly adapted for elevating low specific oils from wells.

It will be understood that under ordinary conditions it is practically impossible to lift relatively heavy or low specific gravity oils from wells, and in order toovercome this condition it has heretofore been the practice to heat low gravity oils in order to render them sufliciently mobile to be lifted by means or" ordinary oil well pumping apparatus, but suchpractice involves considerable time,

is labor and expense.

it is the principal object of my invention to provide a relatively simple and easily practised method and likewise a relatively simple apparatus that may be economically and efiec 2o tively used for lifting relatively heavy viscous fluids such as low gravity oils, and which method involves the use of an endless flexible carrier that is caused to pass through the body of viscous fluid in order that the latter may adhere to the carrier and be elevated to a convenient point where it is removed from the carrier and discharged into suitable tanks or containers.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts that will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: V Fig. 1 is an elevational view partly in section of a relatively simple form of apparatus that may be conveniently and economically employed in practising my improved method.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through the center of a pulley and its supporting bracket that are positioned at the lower end of the well tube.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a practical embodiment of my. invention, 10 designates a suitable supporting frame that is arranged at the top of an oil well and journaled for rotation in bearings 11 that are mounted for vertical adjustment on the upper portion of said frame is a pulley 12. The pulley 12 is pro- 1938. Serial No. 226,282.

vided with suitable driving means (not shown). J ournaled in the lower portion of a the frame 10 is a pulley 13. Extending downwardly into the well hole is the usual well casing 14, and that portion thereof that is adjacent. to the producing horizon is perforated as designated by 15 in order that oil may readily enter the chamber within said casing.

Extending downwardly through the casing 14 is the well tubing 16, the lower portion of which is perforated as designated by 17, and screw seated in lower end of the tubing is a threaded nipple 18 that is formed integral with and which projects upwardly from one end of the top of a bracket 12.,

Journaled in the bracket 19 is a pulley 20, and mounted for operation upon the

pulleys

12, 13 and 20 is a flexible endless carrier, preterably a marlin covered cable 21.

The up-running portion of this flexible carrier passes from pulley 2O upwardly through the tubing 16, thence over pulley 12 and the down-running portion of said flexible member passes from the pulley 12 downward- 1y through the casing 14 to pulley 20. Pulley 13 serves as a support and guiding member to cause the down-running portion of the flexible member to travel downwardly through the casing 142 in a plane parallel with and adjacent to the tubing 16.

Secured within the upper portion of the bracket 19 is a short arm or finger 22 of resilient material, the free end of which bears lightly in the grooved periphery of pulley 20, and said finger functions as a scraper to remove sand or the like that might otherwise tend to accumulate within said grooved periphery and thereby interfere with the operation of the flexible carrier around said pulley.

The upper end of the tubing 16 terminates in front of frame 10 and projecting outwardly and upwardly from said frame a short distance above the upper end of the tubing is a bracket 23 through whichpasses the uprunning portion of the flexible carrier 21, and arranged on said bracket is a scraper 24 that is designed to engage the surface of the carrier and remove therefrom by a brushing or scraping action theriscous fluid that Y will pass through the relatively hea is elevated by the up-running portion of theing 14 and said oil, due to its viscosity, will adhere to the up-running portion of the carrier and will, by such carrier, be elevated to the upper end of the apparatus where said I oil will be scraped from the carrier and permitted to pass into suitable tanks or containers.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a relatively sim lo and practical method of and apparatus or lifting viscous fluids and particularly low gravity oils which cannot be elevated from oil wells by the generally used pumping apparatus.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved method of and apparatus for lifting viscous fluids maybe made and substituted for those herein shown. and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with an oil well tube, of a pulley located at the lower end thereof, a pulley located adjacent to the upper end of said tube, an endless flexible carrier arranged for operation on said pulleys with the up-runni'ng portion of said flexible carrier passing through said tube and a scraper engaging the grooved periphery of said pulley between the down and up running portions of said flexible carrier.

2. The combination with an oil well tube, of a pulley located at the lower end thereof, a scraper engaging the grooved periphery of said pulley at the top thereof, a pulley located adjacent tothe upper end of saidtube, an endless flexible carrier arranged for operation on said pulleys with the up-running portion of said flexible carrier passing through said tube, and means located adjacent to the upper end of the tube for removing oil thatadheres to said flexible carrier.

3. The combination with an oil well tube,

ture;

ALEXANDER D.

the lower end of which is perforated, of a 1 frame carricdby the lower end of said tube, a pui'ley arranged for operation within said frame, a pulley arranged adjacent to the 7 upper end of the well tube, an endless flexible carrier arranged for operation on said pulleys with its up running portion passing through said tube and a scraper'carried .by a