US2277181A - Apparatus for pumping deep driven wells - Google Patents

Description

March 24, 1942. D, w. ZUCK APPARATUS FOR PUMPING DEEP DRIVEN WELLS Filed Sept. 20, 1939 .UL/EI?. DF ona/cf WZUC( l I Z 3 l e 1 vo.. /%m..|5n Hur n.4 MM E H W 5 J 7 7./r..n.... .U..........H...,..,Jm f WX fr IY .l

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Patented Mar. 24, 1942 APPARATUS FOR PUMPING DEEP DRIVEN WELLS Donald W. Zuck, Dewey, Okla. Application September 20, 1939, Serial No. 295,734

7 Claims.

This invention relates to oil Wells and particularly to deep driven wells, and it has as one of its principal objects, the provision of a mechanism for pumping oil or other valuable iiuids from the bottom of the deep driven well.

Shallow wells can be readily pumped by means of a pump at the bottom of the well and supplied with power through a mechanical connection extending to the surface ofthe ground, this connection being, for example, a reciprocating rod or cable. When this type of pumping unit is employed in relatively deep wells or in wells which are curved, certain diiculties are encountered. In deep wells the inertia of the reciprocating rod or cable becomes relatively great and prevents the pump from being operated at a high speed, thus limiting its capacity.

`In curved wells, the pump rod may bear against the side of the Well and both the pump rod and the well casing are subjected to wear at this point.

The above mentioned dimculties in the use of pumps operated mechanically from the surface of the ground are obviated by employing a pumping unit which includes an air motor and which can be placed, complete with its air motor, at the bottom of the well. One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide such a pumping unit.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a compressed air pumping unit adapted to be placed at the bottom of a well and incorporating a minimum of moving parts which are ruggedly constructed in order that the device may be extremely reliable in operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a compressed air pumping unit for use at the bottom of a Well and having a large pumping capacity in relation to its size, the size of the unit being, of course, limited by the size of the Well.

In order to attain these and other objects, I

have provided a direct acting pumping unit in which the piston of a double acting air motor is directly connected to the sucker or piston of a pump and in which the admission and release of compressed air to either side of the motor `piston is controlled by an extremely simple valve mechanism directly operated by the movevment of the piston itself and by auxiliary valve operating pistons.

'Ihe novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My invention itself, however, both as to its organizaltion of the section being broken to permit the drawing to be made on a larger scale;

Figure 3 is a cross-section on the line III-III of Figure l looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a cross-section taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 5 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a, longitudinal section of a portion of the device, the section being taken on the line V-V of Figure 3 and looking in the direc- I tion of the arrows;

Figure 6 is a cross-section on the line V'I-VI of Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 7 is a cross-section on the line VII- VII of Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows; I

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view, with portions broken away and shown in vertical cross section, of a modified form of construction of the top portion of the device as illustrated in Figure 2; and,Figure 9 is anenlarged fragmentary view in vertical cross section of a further modied form of construction similar to Figure 8.

The embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing comprise a motor cylinder I0 closed at each end by cylinder heads II and I2 and having the Working barrel I3 of a pump secured to one cylinder head I2 by a coupling I4. The cylinder head II at the opposite end of the motor cylinder I Il from the working barrel I3 carries a plurality of longitudinally'extending casings or receptacles I5, I 6, and Il which serve to accommodate the ends of tubes secured to and reciprocating with the piston within the motor cylinder I0.

The motor cylinder I0 is made of such a diameter as to enable it to be lowered Within the well to 'be pumped, and the working barrel lI3 and the casings I5, I 6, and I 'l projecting from the cylinder heads II and I2 lie in line with the cylinder so that they do not interfere with any well casing large enough to receive the cylinder I itself.

'I'he air inlet casing I5 is connected to an air supply line I3 through which compressed air for operating the pumping unit 1s supplied. Similarly, the air outlet casing I6 is provided with an exhaust line I3 through which the air passes after having performed its work in the pumping unit. The piston rod casing I1 similarly is provided with an oil line 2I through which the oil pumped bythe pumping unit is delivered. As the pumping unit is lowered into a well. the air, exhaust and oil lines may be lengthened by screwing on additional lengths of pipe so that they alwaysextend to the surface of the ground. They may thus be employed, not only for the passage of air and oil, but also for supporting the pumping unit in the well. If desired, the exhaust line IQa can be connected to the oil line 2Ia immediately above the pumping unit, as shown in Figure 8, so that the exhaust air from the pumping unit will be discharged into the 4oil line and help to lift the oil therein after the manner of an air lift.

As shown in Figure 2, the cylinder I3 contains a piston 22 having a central bore 23 and a pair of chambers 24 and 25 separate from each other and from the central bore 23. The two ends of the piston 22 are provided with hollow piston rods 26 and 21 screwed into the ends of the central bore 23 of the piston and cooperating with the bore 23 to form a straight continuous passage. One piston rod 26 extends through the lower head I2 and into the working barrel I3 of the pump and carries therein a conventional sucker 28. The sucker 23 tits the barrel I3 in a substantially liquid tight manner and is provided with a passageway 23 extending through it and communicating with the space below the sucker, the space above the sucker around the piston rod 26 and with the interior of the piston rod 26. The passageway 23 is provided with a ball check valve 3l which allows liquid to flow through the sucker 23 to either the piston rod 26 or to the space around the piston rod but which prevents ow to the space below the sucker.

The upper piston rod 21 extends from the piston 22 through the upper head II and into the piston rod casing I1 in which it terminates, the end of the piston rod 21 being open and in' free communication with the space within the piston rod casing I'I. The two cylinder heads II and I2 are provided with packings 32 and 33 around the piston rods 26 and 2 1 to prevent any leakage along the piston rods while permitting them to reciprocate freely. A conlventional check valve 34 is provided between the piston rod casing I1 and the oil line 2l in order to permit flow from the casing I1 tc the oil line 2l and to prevent flow in the opposite direction.

The portion of the device which has been described above constitutes the pumpand functions as follows. As the piston 22 moves toward the lower cylinder head I2, the upper piston rod 21 moves out of the piston rod casing I1, thus increasing the volume within the piston rod casing I1 to be occupied by oil or other liquid to be pumped. At the same time, the sucker 28 is moved away from the lower cylinder head I2 by the piston rod 26 and the space or volume around the lower piston rod 26 within the working barrel I3 is increased. The open or lower end of the barrel I3 is immersed in oil onother liquid to be pumped. which is under a pressure equal to or greater than atmospheric. This pressure forces the oil or other liquid up through the passagewaya 23 in the sucker 23 and keeps full the spaces in the; piston rod casing I1 and in the working barrel I3 above the sucker 23. These spaces cannot be filled by oil flowing down from the oil line 2l because such flow is prevented by the check valve 34.

Upon upward movement of the piston 22 towards the upper cylinder head I3, the check valve 3| in the sucker 23 closes, and the oil or other liquid in the working barrel I3 above the sucker 23 is forced through the passageways 23 in the sucker and through the hollow piston rods 26 and 21 and the central bore 23 of the piston into the piston rod casing I1. Since the piston rod casing I'I is already full of oil and its volume is being decreased by the movement of the upper piston rod 21 into it, the oil or other liquid is forced on up through the check valve 34 and into the oil line 2l which. as mentioned above. leads to the surface of the ground. Thus, for every alternate reciprocation of the piston 22 a substantial volume of oil, or other liquid, is pumped up through the oil line 2l to the surface of the ground.

The reciprocation of the-piston which causes the above described pumping action is brought about by the action of compressed air or other gas acting alternately upon the two ends of the piston 22 and controlled by the following described mechanism. As has been described above, the piston 22 contains two chambers 24 and 25 which are connected respectively to a source of air or other gas under pressure through an air line I3 and to the atmosphere or other regions of relatively low pressure through an exhaust line I3. The connection of the air chamber 24 to the air line I3 is accomplished through an air tube 35 fastened in one end of the piston 22 and passing slidably through a packing 36 in the upper cylinder head I3 and into the air inlet casing I5. Thus, the air inlet or air pressure chamber 24 in the piston is always in communication with the interior of the air inlet casing I5 and the air supply line I3 irrespective of the position of the piston 22 within the cylinder I0.

Similarly, the exhaust or air outlet chamber 25 in the piston 22 is connected to an air outlet or exhaust tube 31 which passes slidably through a packing 33 in the upper cylinder head I3 and into the air outlet 'or exhaust casing I6. Thus the exhaust chamber 25 is always in free communication with the air exhaust pipe I3 irrespeotive of the position of the piston 22 in the cylinder.

Alternatively, the exhaust line I9 may be dispensed with, the exhaust air being discharged directly into the bore of the well as shown in Figure 9. In this modified form of construction, the exhaust or air outlet chamber 25 in the piston 22 is connected to the exhaust tube 31a which passes slidably through a packing 33a in the upper cylinder head I3 to exhaust air directly into the bore of the well.

It is necessary, obviously, that the length of the exhaust tube 31a be greater than the length of the stroke of the piston 22 in order that the free end of the tube be above the packing 36a at all times.

'I'he choice of one or the other of the alternative arrangements in which the exhaust line Ila is connected to the oil line 2in. or that the line |-9 be dispensed with depends, of course, upon the particular circumstances associated with the particular well in which the pumping unit is to be employed.

As shown in Figure 5, means are provided for alternately connecting the spaces in the cylinder I at either side of the piston 22 with the air pressure chamber 24 and the air exhaust chamber 25 in the piston. Each end of the piston 22 is provided with a bore extending-into the air inlet chamber 24 and having a valve element 4| longitudinally slidable within it. The bores which contain the two valve elements 4| are colinear and parallel to the axis of the cylinder I0, and the two valve elements 4| are connected to each other by threaded stems 42. 'Ihe threaded valve stems 42 also carry and are joined together by a slide or shoe 43 which bears against one wall of the air inlet chamber 24 and prevents accidental rotation of the valve elements 4| while permitting them to slide longitudinally.

Each of the two valve elements 4I is provided with a shoulder which is adapted to bear against the side of the air inlet chamber 24 and which limits its movement in one direction. Thus each valve element 4I limits the sliding of the mov- Y able valve assembly (formed by the two valve and a lateral port connecting the central bore to the exterior of the valve element near its inner end. The lateral port in the valve element 4| is so located that, when the valve element is withdrawn so that its end lies ush with the end of the piston 22, as shown by the valve element 4| at the lower end of the piston in Figure 5, the lateral port will lie outside of the bore in the end of the piston 22, and free communication will be provided for compressed air to pass from the air inlet chamber 24 in the piston through the lateral port and central bore in the valve element 4| into the space in the cylinder I0 beyond the piston 22. Thus compressed air or other gas will reach and act upon one end of the piston'22 and force 1t in one direction.

A1; the same time, the other valve element 4| at the top in Figure 5 will project out beyond theend of the piston 22, and the lateral port in that valve element 4| will lie within the end of the piston 22.

Each end of the piston 22 is provided with an exhaust passage 41 which extends from the bore containing the valve element 4| to the exhaust chamber 25, and each of the passages 4'| is located so as to register with the lateral port in the valve element 4| when that valve element is in the position shown at the top end of the piston in Figure 5. Thus, when one valve element 4| is in the yposition illustrated at the lower end of the piston in Figure 5 and places one end of the cylinder in communication with the air pressure or supply chamber v24, the other valve element 4| at the other end of the piston places the other end of the cylinder Il) in communication with the air exhaust or outlet chamber 25. i

From the above, it will be seen that, when the valve assembly 4I, 42, 43 is in either of its extreme positions, one end of the piston 22 will be subjected to air under pressure and the other end will be subjected to air undercomparatively low pressure. This will cause the piston 22 to move in the direction of lower pressure until it reaches the end of the cylinder I0.

When the piston 22 reaches one end of the cylinder I0, the slidable valve assembly 4|, 42, 43 is moved from one of its extreme positions to the other so as to interchange the connection of the ends of the cylinder with the air inlet chamber 24 and air outlet or exhaust chamber 25 in the piston and to cause the piston to move in the opposite direction. This movement of the valve assembly 4|, 42, 43 is accomplished by the following mechanism. Each of the two cylinder heads and I2 is provided with a small piston 5| slidably mounted in a recess 52 directly in line with the valve elements 4| in the main piston 22. Each valve operating piston 5| is retained in its bore 52 by means of a spring 53 having one end coil engaging in a groove in the end of the bore 52 and the other end coil tting in a groove on the surface of the valveoperating piston 5|. The space in the bore 52 behind the valve operating piston 5| is connected by means of a duct 54 in the wall of the cylinder I0 to a port 55 located in the cylinder wall in such a position as to be uncovered and placed in communication with the air pressure chamber 24 in the main piston 22 when the main piston reaches the end of its travel.

When the main piston 22 approaches the end of its stroke, the projecting valve-member 4| engages the valve operating piston 5| and forces it back into the bore 52, the movement of the valve operating piston 5| being permitted by the resiliency of the spring 53 which holds it. The valve assembly 4|, 42, 43 is not immediately moved relative to the main piston 22 by the pressure within the chamber 24. Thus the main piston moves on until the valve operating port 55 is uncovered to the air inlet chamber 24, whereupon air under pressure ows through the valve operating port 55 and duct 54 to the back of the valve operating piston, 5| and the compressed spring 53 then overbalance the pressure tending to prevent movement of the valve assembly 4|, 42, 43, and the valve assembly is moved towards the opposite end of the main piston.

As soon as the valve assembly 4I, 42, 43, which is being pushed by the valve operating piston 5|, reaches the end of its travel, the end of the cylinder which was formerly connected to the air pressure chamber 24 in the piston 22 is now .connected to the air outlet or exhaust chamber 25,' and the other end of the cylinder is connected to the air supply or pressure chamber 24 instead of to the air outlet or exhaust chamber 25. This causes the main piston 22 to reverse -its direction of travel and to move towards the other end of the cylinder. When it reaches that end of the cylinder, the valve assembly 4|, 42, 43 will be moved back to its original position by the other valve operating piston 5|, and the main piston 22 will again reverse its direction of movement. This action will repeat itself continuously, causing the main piston 22 to re- .ciprocate back and forth from one end of the cylinder I0 to the other. The reciprocation of the main piston 22 will cause the sucker 28 to reciprocate in the working barrel I3 and pump the oil or other liquid as described in the earlier portion of this specification.

It will be noted that one of the slidable valve elements 4| comes into contact with the valve operating pistons 5| before one of the main `pistons 22 reach the end of its stroke, and that the exhaust passage through the valve 4I must not be blocked until the end of the stroke is reached. This is provided for by making the ends of the valve elements 4I which bear against the ends of the valve operating pistons 5I notched or castellated. This prevents the trapping of air in the end of the cylinder before the valve assembly Il, l2, 43 is moved to allow compressed air to reach that end of the cylinder and cause movement of the piston in the opposite direction.

'I'he construction of the valve assembly Il, 42, 43 with the valve stems threaded into the ends of 'the valve elements Il and the central shoe It permits the valve assembly to be readily assembled in the piston and also permits its length to be accurately adjusted by screwing or unscrewing one or both of the valve elements li one or more turns with respect to its valve stem I2. If a nner adjustment is desired than can be provided by a single turn on the threaded valve stem l2, one of the two valve stems 42 may be provided with right and left-hand threads whereupon rotation of the valve stem so threaded will provide as fine an adjustment as may be desired.

From the above, it will be seen that I have provided an extremely compact arrangement of pump and air motor forming a pumping unit adapted to be lowered tothe bottom of a well and operated thereby a supply of compressed air supplied from the surface of the ground. It will also be seen that Ihave provided a pumping unit which is direct acting and extremely simple in construction and therefore able to run for long periods without attention.

While I have described and illustrated only one specific form of my invention, it will of course be understood that numerous modiiications and changes may be made without departing from the broad spirit of my invention. For

example, while I have described my well pumping unit as being operated by compressed air,it

may be operated by other gas under pressure or by steam. I therefore claim as my invention, not only the specific form which I have illustratt-:d and described, but also all modifications which fall within the scope of any one of the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a reciprocating engine, a double acting piston having a chamber therein, axially slidasle valve means extending through the ends of said piston and through said chamber, said valve moans comprising a pair of valve elements siidable in holes in the ends of said piston and havng outwardly facing shoulders adapted to engage the ends of said chamber, and valve stcm means threaded into and interconnecting said valve elements.

2. In a reciprocating engine, a double acting piston having a chamber therein, axially slidable valve means extending through the ends of said piston and through said chamber, said valve means comprising a pair of valve elements slidable in holes in the ends of said piston and having outwardly facing shoulders adapted to engage the ends of said chamber, a guide block slidably and non-rotatably engaging a wall of said chamber, and valve stems threaded into and adjustably interconnecting said valve elements and said guide block.

3. In a reciprocating engine, a. cylinder, apertured heads in the ends of the cylinder, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder having a longitudinally extending opening therethrough. a tubular member at each end of said piston connected thereto and defining an extension of said longitudinal opening and slidably extending through the aperture of an adjacent cylinder head, said piston having circumferentlally spaced recesses extending radially inward from the periphery thereof and terminating in spaced relation from the longitudinally extending opening, a longitudinally extending bore in said piston spaced from said longitudinal opening and connecting one of said radial recesses with the end portions of the cylinder, means for establishing communication between said bore andthe other of said radial recesses, means for maintaining said one radial recess in communi...

cation with a source ofiluid under pressure, means for exhausting duid in said other radial recess, and valve means in said bore extending through said one radial recess for alternately exhausting the fluid in said one radial recess into one end of the cylinder and the fluid in the other lend of the cylinder into the other radial recess.

4. In a reciprocating engine, a cylinder,'he on the ends of said cylinder having axially aligned apertures therethrough, a piston ,reciprocable in said cylinder having an axial opening extending lengthwise therethrough, a tubular member at each end of said piston connected thereto and dening an extension of said axial piston opening and slidably extending through the aperture in an adjacent cylinder head, said piston having circumferentially spaced recesses extending radially inward from the periphery thereof and terminating in spaced relation from said axial piston opening, said piston also having aligned bores in the ends thereof connecting one of said radial recesses with the ends of said cylinder, said radial recesses being connected for uid iiow by uid passageways extending from each of said aligned bores to the other of the radial recesses, a tubular exhaust member extending through an end of said piston to said other radial recess and slidably through one of said cylinder heads, a tubular inlet member extending through an end of said piston to said one radial recess and slidably through said one cylinder head for connecting said one radial recess to a source of liuid supply under pressure, siidable valve members extending through said aligned piston bores, a guide block slidably and non-,rotatably engaging a wall of said one radial recess, valve stems in said one radial recess adjustably interconnecting said valve members and said guide block, and ports in said valve members for alternately exhausting the fluid in said one radial recess into one end of sad cylinder and the `iiuid in the other end of 'che cylinder into the other radial recess.

5. In a reciprocating engine having a cylinder, a reciprocable piston in said cylinder, a recess in said piston extending radially inward from the periphery thereof and defining axially spaced end wall portions on the piston, said end wall portions having aligned bores therethrough conneeiing said recess wtih the ends of said cylinder, a valve member extending through said recess and said aligned bores, a spring-connected plunger in each end of said cylinder in alignnient with said valve member, and means for admitting uid in said recess behind one of said.

plungers when said piston nears the end of the cylinder adjacent said one plunger for actuating the latter against said valve member.

6. In-a reciprocating engine, a double-acting a reciprocable piston inlsaid cylinder, a recess in said piston defining axially spaced wall portions in the piston, said wall portions being provided with bores therethrough connecting said '7. In a reciprocating engine having acylinder, 15

recess with the ends of the cylinder, valve means extending through said recess and said bores, a spring-connected plunger in each end of said cylinder in alignment with the adjacent valve Vmeans, and means for admitting fluid in said recess behind one of said plungers when said piston nearsv the end of the cylinder adjacent said one plunger for actuating .the latter against said valve means.

DONALD W. zUcK.

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