US2248302A - Oil well pump - Google Patents

Description

July 8, 1941. w. R. MOKAY 2,248,302

oIL WELL PUMP Filed March 10, 1937 az 2a 23 z8 30 [l ao 2z aa Fig! a I R. .34 W ,Z INVENTO 22 BY dw- @JW-w.

2z ATTORNEY.

v E ze@ Patented July 8, 1941 OIL WELL PUMP WilliamR. McKay, Southgate, Calif., assignor of one-half to Harry F. Langlois and Herbert N.

Langlois Application March 10, 1937, Serial No. 130,060

(Cl. S-239) 4 Claims.

My invention relates to oil well pumps, and it has for a purpose the provision of a pump which embodies a chamber or barrel adapted to be filled with oil through a gravity flow in a Well and producing a pumping action by direct application of an impelling fluid such as gas or air upon the surface of the oil contained in the chamber or barrel, with valved means for controlling the admission and exhaust of the impeiling iluid, and other valved means for controlling the oil induction and eduction.

It is also a purpose of my invention to provide an apparatus embodying a plurality of pumping units, each of which is characterized as above described, and the several units structurally associated to form a unitary pumping mechanism, but acting successively upon the oil to elevate it in steps or stages.

I will describe only one form of oil Well pump embodying my invention and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view showing in side elevation with portions thereof broken away and other portions in section, one form of oil well pump embodying my invention in applied position within a well.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged central vertical sectional view of the lowermost pumping unit of the pump shown in Fig. 1 disposed within a well.

Although my invention may consist of a single pumping unit, in its present exemplii'lcation and to render it adaptable to oil wells of present day depths, it consists of a plurality of pumping units identical in construction and operation and structurally associated one with the other as to form a unitary pumping mechanism, as shown in Fig. 1. There are a suicient number of these units to form a string of such length that the uppermost unit is at the top of the well and the lowermost submerged in the oil within the Well.

Each pumping unit comprises a barrel l5 closed at its upper end by a head I6, while its lower end is formed with a head I1 having ports I8 for admitting oil or any other influent into the barrel. Below the upper head is a subhead or partition I9 which forms therewith an intervening chamber 20, and this subhead is formed with ports 2|.

A section of a conduit 22 for air, gas or any on the conduit 22 and occupy an upper extreme position (shown in solid lines in Fig. 2) in which it closes the ports 2|, and a lower extreme posi- Vtion in which it closes the ports I8, as shown in broken lines in the same iigure. The impelling fluid from the conduit 22 is admitted to the chamber 20 through ports 25 for application through the ports 2| to the float valve and the influent contained in the barrel, as will be described hereinafter.

Housing the barrel I5 but spaced therefrom is a container 26 depending from an upper head 21 having a central flanged opening 28 into which the upper end of the conduit section 22 is screwed, for connection to the conduit section 22 for the next pumping unit above which is likewise screwed into the opening. This head 21 contains a plurality of eduction valves 29 which open upwardly only to allow the influent to flow from the container upwardly into a tubular connecting housing 30 for the next pumping unit above and to thus trap such influent in the housing. This housing is threaded at its lower end on the ilanged periphery 3| of the head 26, and at its upper end on the periphery 3| of the next head above to form a chamber 32 connecting the two adjacent pumping units. In practice, it is unnecessary to provide the lowermost pumping unit with a housing 30, but it has been shown to illustrate how another pumping unit may be connected thereto when required.

The lower end of the container 26 is closed by a head 33 containing induction Valves 34 which permit the influent to flow into the container but which prevent its expulsion therefrom. These valves 34 as Well as the eduction valves 29 are of the convention ball check type with cages 34a and 29a, as illustrated.

In the application of my pump to an oil well, the several pumping units form a string of sufflcient length to cause the lowermost pumping unit to be partly or completely submerged in the oil within the well, while the housing 30 for the uppermost pumping unit projects from the well casing 35, as shown in Fig. l. This particular housing is closed by a plate 36 through which the conduit 22 extends for connection to a tank 31 in which the impelling iluid for operating the pump is stored from a pressure pump P.

A three-Way rotary control valve 38 is interposed in the conduit 22 between the storage tank 38 and the pump housing 30, and the body of this valve has a port 39 leading to atmosphere, a port 40 leadingv .'to the conduit, and a third port 4| leading to the tank. Suitable mechanism (not shown) is provided for rotating the valve-38 continuously and at a predetermined speed to cause it to rst supply the impelling fluid to .the conduit at the required pressure to operate the several pumping units, and then to relieve the units of the impelling fluid by exhausting it to atmospherethrough the port 40, all in a continuous operation to complete one cycle of operation of the pump. Oil as lifted from the well by the pump is discharged from the housing 30 of the uppermost pumping unit Ithrough a; pipe 42 which is adapted for connection to a storage tank (not shown), as will be understood.

In the operation of the pump, the string is lowered into the Well until the lowermost pumping unit is submerged in the oil contained in the well, as illustrated in Fig. 1. With such submergence oil ows by gravity through the induction valves 34 to partly fill the container 26 and through the ports I8 to completely iill the barrel I5. Filling of the barrel causes the float valve 23 to rise to the top of the barrel and close the ports 2l to prevent overflow of oil into the chamber 20.

With the lowermost pumping unit primed with oil as. described, operation of the control valve 38 causes the impelling iiuid to be supplied to all of the pumping units but inasmuch as the lowermost unit is the only one primed with oil the impelling uid is only operativeto actuate this one unit, and in the following manner.

The impelling fluid from the conduit 22 enters the chamber 20 through the ports 25 where it is evenly distributed and so applied to lthe float valve 23 through the ports 2|. Thus in effect the impelling fluid is applied to the surface of the oil in the barrel to displace the oil therefrom and cause it to pass into the container 26. It will be understood that the valve 23 does not have la piston-like fit in the barrel and hence, impelling fluid will leak by the valve. Such fluid leakage is effective on the surface of the oil to displace it from the barrel. 'Ihe oil thus added to the container is suiiicient to overflow the latter and pass into the chamber 32 through the eduction valves 29 where it is retained against backow by the valves.

As the oil is expelled from the barrel the float valve descends, finally reaching its lower extreme position in which it closes the ports I8 to prevent the impelling fluid from passing into the container 26.

Through continued operation of the control valve 38 the impelling fluid in the barrel and the conduit is now exhausted .to atmosphere relieving the oil in the container 26 of pressure so that the oil in the well again flows into the container through the induction valves 34 to refill the barrel. I n this operation, the oat valve 23 is again elevated to its upper extreme position to close the ports 2|.

Thus, one cycle of operation of the lowermost pumping unit is completed, and by succeeding operations suiiicient in number to fill the housing 30 for the next unit above, such unit becomes primed and the barrel l for that unit filled with oil to elevate the respective float valve 23. Upon applying the impelling fluid to that barrel in the continuous operation of the control valve, the oil is displaced from the barrel into the respective container and retained therein by the corresponding induction valves.

Manifestly with continued operation of the pump all pumping units become primed and are thus set-into operation to lift the oil in successive stages until it ows in a continuous stream from the discharge pipe 42.

A pump constructed in accordance with my invention does not require a high starting pressure of the impelling fluid, and the running or working pressure is relatively low and hence the pump is economical in operation. Also, regardless of the depth of the well or the number of pumping units the pressure of the impelling fluid required to lift the oil or other influent from any one pumping unit to the other is the same for al1 of the units.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of piston embodying my invention, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the spirit of my invention and the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pump for oil wells and the like, comprising a housing, a container on the lower end of the housing, valved means in .the lower end of the container for admitting oil to the container when the latter is submerged in oil, valved means in the upper end of the container permitting oil to pass only from the container into the housing, a barrel within the container having lower ports in its bottom forv admitting oil from the container into lthe barrel to ll the latter upper ports in the top of the barrel, a float valve movable in the barrel to close the lower ports when the barrel is empty and .to close the upper ports when the barrel is lled, and means for supplying an impelling uid to the upper ports for displacing oil from the lled barrel into the container, and then exhausting the fluid from the barrel to permit refilling thereof with oil from the container.

2. A pump for oil Wells and the like, comprising a housing, a container on the lower end of the housing, valved means in the lower end of the container for admitting oil to the container when the latter is submerged in oil, valved means in the upper end of the container permitting oil to pass only from the container into the housing, a barrel withinthe container having an upper head, a lower head, and a subhead beneath the upper head to form an intervening chamber,

a conduit extending axially through the barrel and closed at its lower end, upper ports in the conduit at the point opposite said chamber, lower ports in the lower head for admitting oil to the barrel from the container, a oat valve in the barrel and slidable on the conduit to close the lower ports when the barrel is empty and to close the upper ports when the barrel is filled, and means for supplying an impelling fluid to the upper ports for displacing oil from the lled barrel into the container, and then exhausting the fluid from the barrel to permit refilling thereof with oil from the container.

3. A pump for oil wells and the like, comprising; a plurality of pumping units arranged one above the other and each comprising a container, valved means in the lower end of the container for controlling the induction of oil into the container, a second valved means in the upper end of the container for controlling the eduction of oil from the container, a barrel within the container having lower ports in its bottom and upper ports in its top; a conduit common to all of the pumping units extending axially through all of the barrels, and adapted for connection to a source of impelling fluid, ,ports in said conduit positioned to admit the impelling fluid into each barrel through said upper ports for displacing oil from the barrel, a oat valve in each of the barrels slldable on the conduit to close said upper ports in its upper extreme position and to close said lower ports in its lower extreme position, land housings each connecting the containers of forming a closed chamber connecting the two, a conduit having ports leading to all of the barrels at the top thereof, a source of pressure iluid adapted for vconnection to the conduit, a valve controlling the supply of fluid from said source to the conduit for displacing the liquid from the barrels upwardly into said containers and then connecting the conduit to atmosphere for relieving the barrels of the pressure iiuid to allow re- 10 iilling thereof with liquid, and valved means in the containers controlling the induction and eduction of liquid into and from the containers in such manner that the liquid educted from one container is induced into the next container 15 above.

WILLIAM R. MCKAY.

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