US2064429A - Tubing seal for reciprocating pumps - Google Patents

Description

F. M. HUDSON -TUBING SEAL FOR RECIPROCATING PUMPS Dec. 15, 1936.

Filed April 1o', 1954 rTaeA/E CTI Patented Dec. 15, 1936 omen STATES PATENT FFHCE Frank M. Hudson, Walnut Park, Calif., assignor to Pacific Pump Works, Ltd., Huntington Park, Calif., a corporation l California Application April 10, 1934, Serial No. 719,873

16 Claims.

lVly invention relates to a means for sealing an annular passage formed between two concentric pipe members, and relates in particular to a device of this character adapted to seal off an oil tube or pump tube around a pump placed therein.

in the pumping of oil wells modern practice is tending toward the use of what is known as the insert type of pump which is lowered into a pump tube ordinarily left in the well, instead of the pump being secured to the lower end of the tube so as to require the pulling of the pump tube each time repair or replacement of pump parts is necessary. Such insert pumps are provided with metal seat members which engage a seat member secured in the lowerend of the pump tube, there being an annular space around the pump body, within the tube, in which sand and other solid materials from the pumped oil may settle so as to bind the pump so as to resist removal thereof.

An object of my invention is to provide a simple means adapted for use at or above the upper end of a pump or other member which is lowered into a well, such means being capable of sealing engagement with the tubing. In the preferred use of the invention the sealing means prevents the settling of sand into the space around an insert pump and therefore assures freedom of the pump for removal from the pump tube.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tubing seal of such construction that it may be removed upwardly through the tubing Without a Swabbing action relative to the tubing. This new sealing means is adapted to be held in operative engagement with the tubing in the working position thereof, and is so constructed that when it is lifted from its working position, a space may be produced therearound through which fluid may downwardly iiow, and a condition is produced in the sealing means which will not cause a svvabbing of the pump tube during the removal of the sealing means therethrough.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sealing device having a sealing element adapted for sealing engagement with the tube, the sealing device further having a by-pass extending above and below the sealing means and adapted to be opened when it is desired to lift the pump so that fluid may readily ilow from one side to the other of the sealing means through the open by-pass.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sealing device having cooperating parts of (Cl. 10S-181) simple form adapted for telescoping engagement so as to be relatively moved from collapsed to extended position, such Sealing device having cooperating parts which will produce effects such as hereinabove set forth when the principal parts of the sealing device are respectively in collapsed or extended relation.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be made evident throughout the following part of the specification.

Referring to the drawing, which is for illustrative purposes only,

Fig. 1 is a vertically sectioned view showing a pump tube having an insert pump therein equipped with a form of my new sealing device.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section showing the sealing device with the parts thereof in sealing position.

Fig. 3 is a cross section similar to Fig. 2, showing the parts of the sealing device in extended relation.

To illustrate the general utility of the invention, I show a pump tube II extending downwardly in a well casing I2, this pump tube having a seat tting I3 at its lower end which may be equipped with an intake tube I4. Into this pump tube II a reciprocating type pump I5 has been lowered by means of a string of sucker rods I6, the lower end of which extends through a sealing device I1 into the interior of the pump I5 wherein connection of the sucker rod string I6 to the pump piston, not shown, is made. The sealing device I1 has a sealing element I8 which separates the annular space 20 around the pump I5 from the space 2l within the tube II above the sealing element I8, so that sand or other material cannot settle into the space 2D so as to lock the pump I5 against removal. The sealing device Il, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, comprises a lower sleeve member 22 which is adapted to be connected by threads 23 at its lower end to the upper end 24 of the pump I5. Cooperating with the lower sleeve member 22 is an upper sleeve member 25 consisting of an annular body 26 having a plurality of spring fingers 21 extending downwardly therefrom, and an upwardly extended threaded portion 28 adapted to receive an internally threaded locking ring 30 and a guide fitting 3| for the sucker rod lSa of the sucker rod string I6.

The upper and lower sleeve members 25 and 22 are in telescoping relation so that they may move between the collapsed relation shown in Fig. 2 and the extended relation shown in Fig. 3. 55

The annular body 26 of the upper sleeve member 25 has an annular wall portion 32 preferably formed with radial shoulders 33 and 34 at the upper and lower ends thereof. This annular wall portion 32 is received in an annular counterbore 35 formed in the upper end of the lower sleeve member 22 when the members 22 and 25 are in collapsed relation, as shown in Fig. 2, the lower shoulder 34 of the upper sleeve member 25 resting in sealing engagement with an annular radial shoulder 3l forming the lower end of the counterbore 35 of the lower sleeve member 22. For releasably holding the members 22 and 25 in the collapsed relation in which they are shown in Fig. 2, the spring fingers 21 are provided at their lower ends with outwardly eX- tending dogs 33 formed with upwardly facing radial shoulders 39 positioned so as to engage an inwardly and upwardly sloping shoulder 4I formed at the lower end of a ring or annular wall 42 which projects inwardly from the bore 43 of the lower sleeve member 22 near the lower end thereof. The engagement of the upper corners 4&3 of the dogs 38 at the lower ends of the spring fingers 2l with the sloping wall i produces a downward force in the upper sleeve member 25 tending to hold the shoulder 34 tightly against the shoulder 3l. The relative positions of the lower and upper sleeve members and 25 when they are in extended relation are controlled by the engagement of the shoulders 39 of the dogs 38 with a downwardly facing shoulder i5 formedV in the bore of the sleeve near the upper end thereof but below the upwardly facing shoulder 3?.

The sealing element i3 is of cup-shaped character, and the inner annular edge 46 is gripped between the upper shoulder 33 of the annular body 26 and the locking ring 3i! in such position that when the lower and upper sleeve members 22 and 25 are in collapsed relation, as Shown in Fig. 2, the radial web portion 4'! of the sealing element i8. will rest upon the upper end face 48 of the lower sleeve member 22, this upper face being preferably slightly dished as shown. Accordingly, when the sealing device is in operative condition, as shown in Fig. 2, the sealing element lil is supported upon the upper end of the lower sleeve member 22 in such a manner that the lip fila thereof will rest against the inner face of the tube il', to be forced tightly aga-inst the tube H by the pressure of iiuid accumulating in the upper part 2l thereof. The sealing element E23 is of exible character and may be made from a plurality of very thin cups set one within the other or from a number of circular sheets of material of such iiexibility that the peripheral portions thereof will bend upwardly into cup-like form when such sheets, combined in stacked relation to form the sealingr element i3, are forced downwardly within the tube Il. A feature of the invention is that the sealing element i3 shall be of such flexibility that when it is raised from the annular supporting wall 48, as shown in Fig. 3, it will turn inside out so as to assume a drooping position wherein uid may iiow readily downward around the exterior thereof, as indicated by arrows 58, and so that it will not engage the tubing with any material pressure. In other Words, when the sealing element is in the inverted or drooping position in which it is shown in Fig. 3, the sealing device l1 with. its attached pump may be pulled through the tube H without swabbing of the inner Wall of the tube by the sealing means and without frictional resistance due to the engagement of the sealing element i8 with the tube H.

When it is desired to remove the pump i5 from the Well, the sucker rod string i5 is pulled upwardly with some velocity until the piston secured at the lower end thereof within the pump I5 strikes the lower ends of the ling s and forces the dogs 3S from engagement with the latching shoulder 4i, thereby permitting the up per sleeve member to be moved by the into its raised position, or extended relation, shown in Fig. 3. This upward movement of the upper sleeve member 25 will carry the sealing element It upwardly, and the upward movement of the sealing element i8 relative to the tube ii will cause the sealing element iS to turn inside out. The upward movement of the upper sleeve 25 has an additional important function and conn tributes to an additional valuable feature of the invention, namely, the opening of a by-pass 5i consisting of radial ports in the guide tting 3l, the bore of the annuiar body and vertical openings 53 between the iingers 2l, so that the entire flow ci fluid downwardly the sealing device need not be around the exterior of the sealing element it but have a portion thereof diverted through the paths pro vided by the by-pass 5|, as indicated by arrows 52, 54, and 55. Means are provided for i eventn ing relative rotation of the lower and upper sleeve members 22 and 25 so that members of suitable character may be screwed on or oi the upper end of the annular body Such means for preventing relative rotation of the members 22 and 25 comprise radial pins 55 which project into the slots or openings 53 between the fingers 21.

Although I have herein shown and described my invention in simple and practical form, it is recognized that certain parts or elements thereof are representative of other parts, elements, or mechanisms which may be used in substantially the same manner to accomplish subst J the same results; therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a lower sleeve member adapted to be lowered through said tubing; an upper sleeve member in telescoping engagement with said lower sleeve member and adapted to be moved between collapsed and extended relation thereto, there being a sealing element on said upper sleeve member engaging said tubing, such sealing element be ing cup-shaped and being so supported that it may turn inside out when moved upwardly relative to said tubing, and there being a by-pass passage throughsaid upper sleeve member ei:- tending from a point above said sealing element to a point below said sealing element; and means carried by said lower sleeve member for closing said passage when said sleeve members are in collapsed relation, said by-pass passage being open when said sleeve members are in extended relation so as to permit a by-pass of fluid through said sealing device from one side to another of said sealing element.

2. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a lower sleeve member adapted to be lowered through said tubing; an upper sleeve member in telescoping engagement with said lower smeeve mem-- ber and adapted to be moved between collapsed and extended relation thereto, there being a sealing element on said sealing device operative between said sealing device and the wall of said tubing, such sealing element being an upwardly faced, expansible cup of such flexibility and being so supported as to turn inside out when moved upwardly relative to said tubing and permit a downward flow of fluid therearound during the raising of the sealing device through the tubing, and there being a by-pass passage through said sealing device extending from a point above said sealing element to a point below said sealing element; and means forming a part of said sealing device operating to close said by-pass passage when said sleeve members are in one oi said relations and to open said by-pass passage when said sleeve members are in the other of said relations so as to permit a by-pass of fluid through said sealing device from one side to another of said sealing element.

3. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a lower sleeve member adapted to be lowered through said tubing; means for connecting said lower sleeve member to the upper end of a pump; an upper sleeve member extending upwardly from said lower sleeve member and being slidable therein between collapsed and extended relation; a sealing element on said upper sleeve member above said lower sleeve member and having sealing engagement with said tubing, there being a by-pass passage in said upper sleeve member connecting an exterior point above said sealing element with an exterior point below said sealing element; and means forming a part of said lower sleeve member for closing said by-pass passage when said upper sleeve member is in collapsed relation to said lower sleeve member.

4. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a lower sleeve member adapted to be lowered through said tubing; means for connecting said lower sleeve member to the upper end of a pump; an upper sleeve member extending upwardly from said lower sleeve member and being slidable therein between collapsed and extended relation; a sealing element on said upper sleeve member above .said lower sleeve member and having sealing engagement with said tubing, there being a by-pass passage in said upper sleeve member connecting an exterior point above said sealing element with an exterior peint below said sealing element; means forming a part of said lower sleeve member for closing said by-pass passage when said upper sleeve member is in collapsed relation to said lower sleeve member; and releasable latch means operative between said sleeve members to hold them in collapsed relation.

5. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a lower sleeve member adapted to be lowered through said tubing; means for connecting said lower sleeve member to the upper end of a pump; an upper sleeve member extending upwardly from said lower sleeve member and being slidable therein between collapsed and extended re lation; a sealing element on said upper sleeve member above said lower sleeve member and having sealing engagement with said tubing, and being so placed on said upper sleeve member as to engage the upper end of said lower sleeve member when said sleeve members are in collapsed relation, there being a by-pass passage in said upper sleeve member connecting an exterior point above said sealing element with an exterior point below said sealing element; and means forming a part of said lower sleeve member for closing said by-pass passage when said upper sleeve member is in collapsed relation to said lower sleeve member.

6. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a lower sleeve member adapted to be lowered through said tubing; means for connecting said lower sleeve member to the upper end of a pump; an upper sleeve member extending upwardly from said lower sleeve member and being slidable therein between collapsed and extended relation; a sealing element on said upper sleeve member above said lower sleeve member and having sealing engagement with said tubing, and being so placed on said upper sleeve member as to engage the upper end of said lower sleeve member when said sleeve members are in collapsed relation, there being a bypass passage in said upper sleeve member connecting an exterior point above said sealing element with an exterior point below said sealing element; means forming a part ci said lower sleeve member for closing said by-pass passage when said upper sleeve member is in collapsed relation to said lower sleeve member; and releasable latch means operative between said sleeve members to hold them in collapsed relation.

7. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a lower sleeve member adapted to be lowered through said tubing; means for connecting said lower sleeve member to the upper end of a' pump; an upper sleeve member extending upwardly from said lower sleeve member and being slidable therein between collapsed and extended relation; a sealing element in the ferm of an upwardly faced cup mounted on said upper sleeve member in a position to engage the upper end of said lower sleeve member when said upper sleeve member is in collapsed relation to said lower sleeve member, there being a by-pass passage in said upper sleeve member connecting an exterior point above said sealing element with an exterior point below said sealing element; and means forming a part of said lower sleeve member for closing said by-pass passage when said upper sleeve member is in collapsed relation to said lower sleeve member.

8. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a lower sleeve member adapted to kbe lowered through said tubing; means ior connecting said lower sleeve member to the upper end of a pump; an upper sleeve member extending upwardly from said lower sleeve member and being slidable therein between collapsed and .extended relation; a sealing element in the form of an upwardly faced cup mounted on said upper sleeve member in such position that the radial wall thereof will engage the upper end of said lower sleeve member when said sleeve members are in collapsed relation and so that the peripheral portions thereof will engage said tubing, there being a by-pass passage in said upper sleeve member connecting an exterior point above said sealing element with an exterior point below said sealing element; means forming a part of said lower sleeve member for closing said by-pass passage when said upper sleeve member is in collapsed relation to said lower sleeve member; and releasable latch means operative between said sleeve members to hold them in collapsed relation.

9. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a lower sleeve member adapted to be lowered through said tubing; means for connecting said lower sleeve member to the upper end of a pump; an upper sleeve member extending upwardly from, said lower sleeve member and being slidable therein between collapsed and extended relation; a sealing element in the form of an upwardly faced cup mounted on said upper sleeve member in a position to engage the upper end of said lower sleeve member when said upper sleeve member is in collapsed relation to said lower sleeve member, said sealing element being of such ilexibility as to turn inside out when moved upwardly from engagement with the upper end of said lower sleeve member, there being a by-pass passage in said upper sleeve member connecting an exterior point above said sealing element with an exterior point below said sealing element; and means forming a part of said lower sleeve member for closing said bypass passage when said upper sleeve member is in collapsed relation to said lower sleeve member. 10. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a lower sleeve member adapted to be lowered through said tubing; means for connecting said lower sleeve member to the upper end of a pump; an upper sleeve member extending upwardly froml said lower sleeve member and being slidable therein between collapsed and extended relation; a sealing element in the form of an upwardly faced cup mounted on said upper sleeve member in such position that the radial wall thereof will engage the upper end of said lower sleeve member when said sleeve members are in collapsed relation and so that the peripheral portions thereof will engage said tubing, said sealing element being of such flexibility as to turn inside out when moved upwardly from engagement with the upper end of said lower sleeve member, there being a by-pass passage in said upper sleeve member connecting an exterior point above said sealing element with an exterior point below said sealing element; means forming a part of said lower sleeve member for closing said by-pass passage when said upper sleeve member is in collapsed relation to said lower sleeve member; and releasable latch means operative between said sleeve members to hold them in collapsed relation.

11. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a lower sleeve member adapted to be lowered through said tubing; means for connecting said lower sleeve member to the upper end of a pump; an upper sleeve member extending upwardly from said lower sleeve member and being slidable therein between collapsed and extended relation; a sealing element on said upper sleeve member above said lower sleeve member and having sealing engagement with said tubing, there being a by-pass passage in said upper sleeve member connecting an exterior point above said sealing element with an exterior point below said sealing element; means forming a part of said lower sleeve member for closing said by-pass passage when said upper sleeve member is in collapsed relation to said lower sleeve member; releasable latch means operative between said sleeve members to hold them in collapsed relation; and means for preventing relative rotation of said sleeve members.

12. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a lower sleeve member adapted to be lowered through said tubing; means for connecting said lower sleeve member to the upper end of a pump; an upper sleeve member extending upwardly from said lower sleeve member and being slidable therein between collapsed and extended relation; and a sealing element in the form of an upwardly faced cup mounted on said 'upper sleeve member in a position to engage the upper end of said lower sleeve member when said upper sleeve member is in collapsed relation to said lower sleeve membensaid sealing element being of such iiexibility as to turn inside out when moved upwardly from engagement with the upper end of said lower sleeve member.

13. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a lower sleeve member adapted to be lowered through said tubing; means for connecting said lower sleeve member to the upper end of a pump; an upper sleeve member extending upwardly from said lower sleeve member and being slidable therein between collapsed and extended relation; a sealing element on said upper sleeve member above said lower sleeve member and having sealing engagement with said tubing, there being a by-pass passage in said sealing device connecting an exterior point above said sealing element with an exterior point below said sealing element; and means closing said by-pass passage when said sleeve members are in collapsed relation, said by-pass passage being open when said sleeve members are in extended relation.

14. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a lower sleeve member adapted to be lowered through said tubing; means for connecting said lower sleeve member to the upper end of a pump; an upper sleeve member extending upwardly from said lower sleeve member and being slidable therein between collapsed and extended relation; a sealing element on said upper sleeve member above said lower sleeve member and having sealing engagement with said tubing, there being a by-pass passage in said sealing device connecting an exterior point above said sealing element with an exterior point below said sealing element; means closing said by-pass passage when said sleeve members are in collapsed relation, said by-pass passage being open when said sleeve members are in extended relation; and latch means for releasably holding said sleeve members in said collapsed relation.

15. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a seal supporting member adapted to be moved into a position within said tubing; and a cup-shaped sealing member on said supporting member adapted to make sealing engagement with the inner wall of said tubing when in normal position on said supporting member, said sealing member being so flexible and being so supported as to be turned inside out when moved in reverse direction in said tubing so as to permit fluid to ow around the exterior thereof.

16. A sealing device of the character described, adapted for use in a tubing, including: a seal supporting member adapted to be moved into a position Within said tubing; a shoulder member having axial movementJ relative to said seal supporting member; and a cup-shaped sealing member on said supporting member adapted to rest against said shoulder member and make sealing engagement with the inner Wall of said tubing When in normal operating position, Said sealing member being so flexible as to Jturn inside out when moved with said supporting member away from said shoulder member, so as to permit uid to oW around the exterior thereof. 5

FRANK M. HUDSON.

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