US2504363A

US2504363A - Piston ring for oil pumps

Info

Publication number: US2504363A
Application number: US759336A
Authority: US
Inventors: John C Vroman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-07-07
Filing date: 1947-07-07
Publication date: 1950-04-18
Anticipated expiration: 1967-04-18

Description

April 18, 1950 J. c. VROMAN PISTON RING FOR OIL PUMPS Filed July 7, 1947 FlG.i.

FIG.3.

INVENTOR.

4 JOHN C. VROMAN yww V ATTORNEYS Fatented Apr. 18, 1950 geese NIT'ED STATES PATENT F IQ 2,504,362; PISTON RING FOR om PUMPS John 0. Vroman, Detroit, Mich. Application Jul-y 7 1947, s r f-am 759,336 4 Claims. (01. sea-22) The invention relates to pumps and more particularly to constructions designed for use in oil wells. The instant application forms a continuation-in-part of an earlier application Serial No. 675,733, filed June 10, 1946, now Patent No. 2,437,056.

It is the object of the invention to form a peripheral seal for the plunger of the pump, comprising a series of rings of peculiar construction such as to facilitate assembly and disassembly of the parts. To this end the invention consists in the construction as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the pump plunger within the barrel, which latter is in vertical central section;

Fig. 2 is a vertical central section through a portion of the plunger;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the packing rings;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4, Fig. 2.

A is the pump barrel formed in the well casing and B is the pump plunger or piston within the barrel. C are packing rings sleeved on the plunger B and fitting the barrel to form a liquidtight seal therewith.

In the operation of oil wells it is sometimes necessary to temporarily stop the pumping action and when this occurs there is danger that the packing on the plunger may become stuck in the barrel. Various devices have been heretofore constructed to effect a freeing of the plunger but none of these constructions have been altogether satisfactory. I have, therefore, devised the following construction.

The plunger B is of the usual tubular type which carries a check valve B and is suitably connected to the operating rod. The upper portion D of the plunger fits the barrel A with only working clearance therebetween. Below the portion D is a tubular portion E of smaller diameter upon which the packing rings C are sleeved. These rings are preferably formed of annular members C, having an L-shaped cross section and with packing materials C engaging the small diameter portion thereof to extend radially outward to a slightly greater diameter and to also extend axially slightly beyond the end of said member C. The members C are internally of a polygonal form, which will fit over the tube E, but will contact therewith only at spaced points. This facilitates the removal of the rings from the tube E whenever this is necessary and avoids the danger of sticking through corrosion.

Abutting against the upper end of the series of rings C is a member F sleeved on the tube E and having a portion F of smaller diameter which engages an annular recess or counterbore G within a member G. The latter member is arranged on the tube E adjacent to the member D and is secured thereto as will be hereinafter described. The counterbore G within the member G is of suflicient length to receive a helical spring I-I, one end of which abuts against the upper end of the member F while its opposite end abuts against a shoulder G in the member G. Above the shoulder G is an annular recess G which forms a chamber in which air is trapped. This chamber is sealed by brazing a ring I between the adjacent ends of the members D and G and to the portion of the tube E therebetween. At the lower end of the series of packing rings C is a member J threadedly engaging the lower end of the tube E and tightened against a shoulder thereof. This will place the helical spring H under compression. The rings 0 will be clamped between the members G and J so as to be normally in fixed position on the plunger.

With the construction as above described, when the plunger B is raised and lowered within the barrel A the rings 0 will form a liquid-tight seal therebetween. If, however, these rings should at any time stick to the barrel A during an interval in which the pump is not in operation, then the initial downward movement of the plunger will compress the helical spring H until the lower end of the member G strikes against the shoulder F of the member F. The impact thus produced will tend to loosen the rings C from the barrel and after a certain number of such impacts they will be freed so as to resume normal functioning. If it becomes necessary at any time to renew the sealing rings the old rings can be readily detached from the plunger inasmuch as the internal polygonal form makes only line contacts with the cylindrical plunger and thus will not become bound by corrosion.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a pump, the combination with a barrel and a plunger for reciprocation therewithin, of a series of sealing rings sleeved on said plunger, each of said rings having a metallic portion and a portion of packing material, said metallic portion being internally fashioned to have bearing on said plunger at only spaced points in the circumference thereof to avoid sticking through corrosion and to facilitate detachment from said plunger.

2. In a pump, the combination with a barrel and a plunger for reciprocation therewithin, said plunger having a cylindrical portion, of a series of sealing rings sleeved on said plunger, each of said rings having a metallic portion and a portion of packing material, said metallic portion being internally of polygonal form to have tangent contact with said cylindrical portion thereby avoiding sticking of the ring to said plunger through corrosion.

A sealing ring for oil pump plungers comprising a metallic portion of L-shaped cross section, the internal surface of said portion being polygonal in form and a portion of packing material seated in said L-shaped portion to project slightly beyond the same axially and radially.

4. In a pump the combination with a barrel 15 and a plunger for reciprocation therewithin, said plunger having a cylindrical portion, of a series of sealing rings sleeved on said cylindrical por- 4 tion, each of said rings having a metallic portion of L-shaped cross section and being internally of polygonal form and a portion of packing material seated in said L-shaped portion to project slightly beyond the same axially and radially and means on said plunger for applying axial pressure to the whole series of rings.

JOHN C. VROMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,369,592 White -1 Feb. 22, 1921 1,583,931 Joyce May 11, 1926 2,366,832 Christensen Jan. 9, 1945