US2309827A - Deep well pump - Google Patents

Description

--Hle -Sheet l Sfy 2 Sheets- INVENTOR WILBUR J. CRITES Feb. 2, 194,13. W J. CRITES 2,309,827

` DEEP WELL PUMP Filed Jan. 2, 1942 2 sheets-.sheet 2 8 2 Magi- B3 INVENTOR WILBUR J. GRITES Patented Feb. 2, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEEP WELL PUMP Delaware Application January 2, 1942, vSerial No. 425,447

4 Claims.

This invention relates to oil well pumps and more particularly it relates to an oil well pump employing gas pressure as a means for lifting the oil from the well. An object offI this invention is to devise an oil well pump using'a valve which may be operated from the surface of the ground to inject and eject gas intermittently into or from an accumulation chamber for the purpose of producing iiuid from wells.

Another object of this invention is to provide for such a pump structure, control valves of the poppet type which are operated by a cam.

Still another object of this invention resides in the relatively small number of moving parts.

Still other objects and `advantages of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a study of the following detailed description, which in conjunction with the accompanying drawings are included in these speciiica- 20 tions. In the several drawings, like numerals are employed to designate the same or similar parts throughout.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the pump- 25 ing apparatus taken on the line I-I of Figure 4.

Figure 21s a longitudinal section of the pumping apparatus taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 3.-

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus taken on the line `4--4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of the appa-- ratus taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is also a cross sectional view of the 35 apparatus but taken on the line 6 6, of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is an elevational view of the pump mechanism as herein disclosed showing a diagrammatic installation of the pump in a cased well bore. l

Referring now more particularly to the drawings. numeral I8 represents the well casing, numerals 13 and 69 represent the inner tubing string and the outer tubing string, respectively, these tubing strings being positioned concen- 45 trically within the well casing I9.

Downpipe III is attached by adapter I2 to the housing or casing of the pump standing valve I4. This standing valve-downpipe adapter serves as a seat for the standing valve ball I3. Chamber 50 wall I6 encases the said standing valve and downpipe members. and forms an accumulation chamber or space I5 in which well fluid accumulates previous to the pumping portion of the operating cycle to be disclosed.

(Ul. 10S-244) The standing valve I4 is threaded to an adapter 2 I which in turn is threaded to the pump member 25 as shown specifically in Figures l and 2. Member serves as a coupling between the chamber y wall I6 and the pump ring shoe 29. In adapter 2i are inlet 22 4for the high pressure input gas. outlet I9 for transmission of well uid, and passageway 23 for exhausting gas from chamber I5 while the latter is filling with oi1 previous to the next pumping cycle. Numeral 24 represents a layer of packing or gasket between adapter 2I and pump member 25 for the purpose of preventing possible leakage of high pressure gas or oil. Pump member 25 contains several conduits or passageways, fluid passageway 21, high pressure gas inlet 30, exhaust gas tube 29, passageway 34 around poppet valve stem 36, and tube 35, said members 29, 34 and 35 in conjunction with opening 23 in adapter 2| serve to conduct exhaust gas from chamber I5 to the recessed opening 3| in the pump ring shoe 29. Exhaust gas can then pass freely from this recessed opening 3I through the series of ports or exhaust holes 32 into the annular space between the outer tubing 98 and the wel1 casing I8. Hold down rings 28 around the pump member 25 prevent leakage of high pressure gasy from annular space 6l between the inner and outer tubing strings into the annular space 99 containing chamber exhaust gas through the recessed space 3I and exhaust holes 32, and also between the top of the chamber I5 and said recessed place 3|.

Couplingll connects and holds in iixed relation to one another the outer tubing string 98 and the pump ring'shoe 29, the latter containing for all practical purposes the pumping mechanism.

The annular space 61 between the inner tubing string I3 and the outer tubing string 68 conduct the high pressure gas from the surface of 0 the ground down the well bore to a point from which it may be passed into the pumping mechanism proper. This high pressure gas in reality is utilized for two purposes, iirst, for forcing the oil from the accumulation chamber I5 into the inner tubing string 13, and second, for lifting the oil up the said inner tubing string and into a surface run tank.

High pressure input gas from said annular space 91 passes through chamber input gas orice 59, passageway 49, valve head chamber 48, opening in plug 52, opening 94 and flnally through inlet tubes 39 and 22 into the upper portion of the accumulation chamber I5 for exerting gas pressure on the surface of the accumulated oil. f

, with a balled bearing There are three poppet valve assemblies in my* pumping apparatus, one represented by numeral 18, to control the admittance of the high pres'- sure gas into the accumulation chamber, onev numeral 16, for admittance of high pressure gas into the inner tubing and the third 66, for controlling the exhaust gas from the accumulation chamber. The poppet valve assembly 18, which controls the admittance of high pressure gas into the accumulation chamber is composed of valve head 5|, 51, and the cam end of the valve stem is equipped '58 for reducing theV friction between the cam 62 and valve stem 54. Plug 55 carries a l'ongitudinalopening which serves as a guide to the'valve stem 54. The poppet valve assembly 16, controlling the passage of high pressure gas into the inner tubing is similarin construction to the valve above described,v and is composed of valve head 4|, stem 43, stop 45 and spring 46. The cam end of this valve stem is also equippedwith a balled bearing friction reducer 41. The valve stem 43 passes -through plug 44 which serves as a valve stem guide. .The chamber exhaust valve is composed of1 parts similar to those above lmentioned,the main difference being thatl this valve has a much vlonger valve stem. The valve is `composed of head 33, stem 36, stop 59, spring 60, and balled bearing cam end friction reducer 6|.

The inner tubing string 13 is'threadedto the valve stemli4,l valve stop56, spring tion chamber I5. Attached to the bottom of said chamber standing valve is the perforated bull plug'15 which serves to protect the said standing valve against 4injury from contact with the bottom of the bore hole and to prevent entrance of solid material therefrom. Space |1 between the accumulation chamber wall I6 and the well casing I8 yis the space in which the oil or well fluid accumulates previous to its passage through the perforated bull plug and into the pumping apparatus proper.

g Slip joint 19, see Figure '1, is installed in. the inner tubing string to absorb expansion and contraction effects therein and may be of conventional design.

Exhaust-gas outlet 80 is connected to the annular space 69 for exit of the exhaust gas from the accumulation chamber pressure gas from a gas compressor plant, not shown, into the annular space 61 between the inner tubing and the outer tubing for oil lifting purposes.

packer servesy several inner ring nut 1|, which in turn is threaded to the upper end of the cam 62 so that the rotation of the-inner tubing at the vground surface rotates or operates the said'cam'62 which in turn through the cam knob 64 operates the three above described poppet valves. The cam 62 carries two horizontal holes I at approximately right Yangles to one another for-passage of well fluid and lifting gas from'the cam operating space 65 to the space 63. v

The upper portion of the pumpv member 25 is threaded to the adapter 66, which in turn is threaded to the outer ring nut 12. The outer ring nut 12 and-inner-ring nut 1| are free with respect to one another so that the said inner ring nut may be rotated without imparting rotation to the outer member. Ball bearing 10 serves to reduce the frictional load-on the lower. end of the inner tubing string and to hold or maintain the cam in a fixed position with respect to horizontal or lateral movement while at the same time permitting horizontal rotation thereof. The inner tubing string 13 is hollow and is used for the passage of the well fluid and pumping gas from the underground pump assembly to the represented by numeral 14. Numeral i6 repre- Drivehead 83 represents the source of motive power and the necessary speed reducing equipment for rotating the string of inner tubing.

A packer 81 is installed in the well casing I8 surrounding the pumping mechanism just below the rings of exhaust gas holes or ports 32. This purposes, first to hold the pump mechanism rigidly within the casing and to preventI any tendency of the pump to be rotated by frictional or other drag on the rotating cam 62. Secondly, the packer serves to prevent `escape of production gas and to maintain a pressure below said packer, which pressure assists in the speed-of filling of the accumulation chamber with. a new charge of oil through the perforated bull plug 15. The higher the fluid pressure below the packer the higher may be the operating back pressure within the annular space between the outer tubing 68 and the well 'casing 18. Under some conditions of relatively high under-packer pressure, vacuum need not be applied to line 8l) to remove the exhaust gases from their annular conduit 69 thereby materially reducing the overall operating costs.

Whilethe successful operation of my pumping Vmechanism is not strictly dependent upon the headV mechanism 83 which may be of conventional design. vSince well tubing is rordinarily made with right handed threads, the said drivesents the downpipe through which the well uid f passes upon leaving the accumulation chamber I5 under high gas pressure.

The chamber wall I6 with chamber., standing valve 11 in the bottom thereof vforms the space in which well fluid accumulates previous to ejection from the well and is termed the accumulahead should preferably be so constructed as to rotate the tubing in a clockwise direction. Cam 62 is attached rigidly, as disclosed above, to the lower end of the inner tubing and the said cam then rotates in a clockwise direction when one is on the surface of the ground looking downward.

For purposes of illustration, let it be assumed ythat the accumulation chamber I5 has just been filled with oil, and the cam 62 is rotating in the direction as `indicated by the arrow of Figure 3. This arrow of Figure 3 points in a counterclockwise direction because Figure 3 is a cross section of the pumping apparatus at the bottom of the cam 62 looking upward. Referring now to Figure 4 which is a cross section through the poppetv valves looking downward. thecam rotates in a |5. Line 8| leads high clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow. With the accumulation chamber just havingbeen lled with oil previous to the pumping operation, poppet valve 86, represented in Figure 4 by valve stem 36, closes. Upon continued rotation of the cam 62, valve 18 represented in this figure by valve stem 54, opens admitting high pressure gas from the annular space 61, through orifice 50 and connected parts 49, 48, 52, 84, 30 and 22 into the uppermost part of the accumulation chamber I5. With the chamber standing valve 11 closed, then this high gas pressure forces the accumulated oil from the bottom of the accumulation chamber into the lower and open end of the downpipe I0. The oil then passes upward through this downpipe, through the pump standing valve I4, passageways I9 and 21 into the cam operating space 65, through the horizontal passages II and vertical passage 63 in cam 62 and finally into the lower end of the inner tubing string 13. The said valve 1.8 remains open for some little` time, sufficient for accumulation chamber I to be freed of its contained oil, essentially down to the bottom and open end of the downpipe I0. When the cam 62 rotates still further, the chamber input valverIB` closes and immediately thereafter poppet valve 16 represented by valve stem 43 in the Figure 4 opens admitting high pressure gas from the annular space 61 through orice 40, openings 39, 38, 42 and through passageway 85 (see Figure 4) and into the passageway 21. The admittance of high pressure gas into this passageway 21 at this position of the cam amounts to admitting high pressure gas under the slug of oil as a lifting means. As long as this valve 16 remains open the said high pressure gas continues to lift the slug of oil further and further up the inner tubing and if the valve remains open sufficiently long, the oil will be lifted to the surface of the ground and forced into its run storage tank, not shown in the drawings. In deep wells this latter condition may or may not exist and there may be one or more slugs of oil coming up the string of inner tubing at the same time separated by high pressure gas admitted through poppet valve 16. Now, continuing in the cycle of the cam, soon after valve 16 opens to admit high pressure gas under the slug of oil, as above disclosed, poppet valve 86 opens. This valve permits the exhausting of the residual high pressure gas which had displaced the oil from the accumulation chamber I5, this exhaust gas passing frornthe said chamber I5 through pa'ssageways 23, 26 around valve head 33, through openings 34 and 35 and -into the recessed place 3I and finally through openings or ports 32 into the low pressure annular space between the outer tubing 68 and the well casing I8. The pump standing valve I4 prevents the passage of high pressure gas from passage 21 backwards into the accumulation chamber I5. When t-he high pressure gas from' the chamber I5 has been relieved through the exhaust valve 86, the chamber standing valve 11 opens to admit a new charge of oil through the perforated bull plug 15, into said accumulation chamber. While the chamber is filling with a new charge of oil through the standing valve 11, the high pressure gas inlet valve 16 is open thus permitting the previous slug of oil to be raised or lifted up the inner tubing string an appreciable distance before the new charge of oil enters the said tubing. Exhaust valve 86 and valve 1.6 remain open until chamber I5 is essentially filled with cil. When the said chamber I5 is nlled with its new charge of oil and the. cam continues its rotation, exhaust valve I6 and high pressure gas valve 16 close and chamber inlet gas valve 18 opens permitting high pressure gas to force the new charge of oil from the accumulation chamber I5 through the downpipe III and up the inner tubing string 13. one rotation of the cam and a complete series of exhausting, filling and pumping cycles.

Thespeed of rotation of the cam is relatively slow and in many cases may -be of the order of 1 revolution per minute. However, I do not wish to limit the operation of my deep well pump to this particular speed of rotation because the cam may be rotated at widely different speeds," depending upon well conditions and on the details of construction of the pump, the size of the accumulation chamber, the inlet and outlet gas pressures and upon other conditions. 'Conditions may be such that the cam should be rotated at 1A; revolution per minute orless to give optimum operation, or may be operated as fast as 2 or 3 revolutions per minute or even some faster under certain conditions and still give good pumping efficiency.

The operating pressure of the high pressure gas, also, may vary between rather wide limits, and for optimum operation these limits will be dependent upon such conditions as length of lift up the inner tubing, the effective area of openings in the perforated bull plug, the relative size of passageways and openings in the pump mechanism, the effective eiihaust gas pressure, and other variables, but has been found to perform satisfactorily under pressures ranging from 200' pounds to 500 pounds per square inch, depending upon the particular set of operating conditions.

The exhaust gas pressure should be maintained as low as practical in order to facilitate filling of the accumulation chamber with each new charge of well fluid.

The materials of construction for my pumping apparatus may be selected from stocks best suited to a given set of well conditions. Oils containing corrosive materials such as brine, hydrogen sulfide, residual acid from acid treatment of calcareous formations may require the selection of special corrosion resistant materials.

Surface equipment including lead lines carry ing the high pressure gas, exhaust gas and well fluid may ordinarily be of conventional materials and design. The drivehead mechanism also, may be of conventional design as long as provision is made for theproper rotation of the inner tubing string, uid tight connections, etc.

It is to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to the particular details of design described in these specications since the pump members may be modified in size and shape, the fiuid passageways modified also, and

even the cam and cam knob may be modified within limits to accomplish certain prescribed results, and yet remain within the intended spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for lifting fiuid through a well bore having well casing therein, the combination comprising a rotatable inner tubing and a stationary outer tubing member lowered into the casing, a first annular space between the casing and the outer tubing member, a second annular space between the inner and outer tubing members, a pumping mechanism connected to the lower end ofthe outer tubing member having an accumulation chamber communicating with This operation then completes second annular space and a third passage in the pumping mechanism connecting the second ani e nula'r space with the interior of the inner tubing, the improvement which comprises separate valve means controlling each of the three passages, and means on the end of the inner tubing and rotatable therewith to alternately open the passageways.

2. In apparatus for lifting fluid through a well bore having well casing therein, the combination comprising a rotatable inner tubing and a stationary outer tubing member lowered into the casing, a first annular space between the casing and the outer tubing member, a second annular space between the inner and outer tubing members, a pumping mechanism connected to the lower end of the outer tubing member having an accumulation chamber communicating with the inner tubing which inner tubing is the discharge conduit to the surface of the ground for the liquid accumulated in the accumulation chamber, a source of high pressure gas communicating with the second annular space, surface means for rotating the inner tubing, a passage in the pumping mechanism connecting the accumulation chamber with the first annular space, a second passage in thepumping mechanism connecting the accumulation chamber with the second annular space and a third passage in the pumping mechanism connecting the second annular space with the interior of the inner tubing,

theimprovement which comprises separate poppet valves controlling each of the three passages and normally held in closed position and means on the end of the inner tubing and rotatable therewith to alternately open the valves in the passageways.

3. In apparatus for lifting uid through a well bore having well casing therein, the combination comprising a rotatable inner tubing and a stationary outer tubing member lowered into the casing, a rst annular space between the casing and the outer tubing member, a second annular spacebetween the inner and outextubing members, a pumping mechanism connected to the lower end of the outer tubing member having an accumulation chamber communicating with the inner tubing which inner tubing is the discharge conduit to the surface of the ground for the liquid accumulated in the accumulation chamber, a source of high pressure gas communicating with the second annular space, surface means for rotating the inner tubing, a passage in the pumping mechanism connecting the accumulation chamber with the first annular space, a second passage in the pumping mechanism connecting the accumulation chamberwlth the second annular space and a third passage in the pumping mechanism connecting the second annular space with the interior of the inner tubing, the improvement which comprises separate valve means controlling each of the three passageways, and cam means on the end of the inner tubing and rotatable therewith to alternately open the valves in the passageways. V

4. In apparatus for lifting fluid through a well bore having well casing therein, the combination comprising a rotatable inner tubing and a stationary outer tubing member lowered into the casing, a first annular space between the casing and the outer tubing member, a second annular space between the inner and outer tubing members, a pumping mechanism connected to the lower end of the outer tubing member having an accumulation chamberk communicating with the inner tubing which inner tubing is the discharge conduit to the surface of the ground for the liquid accumulated in the accumulation i chamber, a source of high pressure gas communicating with the second annular space, surface means for rotating the inner tubing, a passage in the pumping mechanism connecting the accumulation chamber with the ilrst annular space, a second passage in the pumping mechanism connecting the accumulation chamber with the second annular space and a third passage in the pumping mechanism connecting the second annular space with the interior of the inner tubing, the improvement which comprises separate poppet valves controlling each of the three passages and normally held in closed position and cam means on the end of the inner tubing and rotatable therewith to alternately open the' valves in the passageways.

WILBUR J. CRITES.

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