US2729171A

US2729171A - Sand pump for oil and water wells

Info

Publication number: US2729171A
Application number: US483294A
Authority: US
Inventors: Mozel A Adams
Original assignee: JOSEPH F BURDETT
Current assignee: JOSEPH F BURDETT
Priority date: 1955-01-21
Filing date: 1955-01-21
Publication date: 1956-01-03
Anticipated expiration: 1973-01-03

Description

Jan. 3, 1956 M. A. ADAMS SAND PUMP FOR OIL AND WATER WELLS Filed Jan. 21, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. .1. 5

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Jan. 3, 1956 M. A. ADAMS SAND PUMP FOR OIL AND WATER WELLS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 21, 1955 MOZE' L INVENTOR A. .404 Ms,

4 TTOPNEYS.

United States Pate 2,729,171 I SAND PUMP FOR OIL AND WATER WELLS Mozel A. Adams, Rayne, La, assignor of one-half to Joseph F. Burdett, Houston, Tex.

This invention relates to pumps, and more particularly to an improved self-cleaning pump especially suited for use in oil wells and the like.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved self-cleaning pump which is especially suitable for use in an oil well, said pump being simple in construction, involving only a few parts, ;and providing an eflicient self-cleaning action which frees the valves of the pump from accumulations of sand or other foreign material in a continuous manner simultaneously with the normal action of the pump.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved self-cleaning pump for use in oil wells, and the like, said pump involving inexpensive components, being reliable in operation, being provided with means for continuously clearing the valve portionsof the pump of sand or other foreign material, thus preventing the pump from becoming fouled, and being arranged so that floating sand or other fine powdered material encountered in the fluid being handled by the pump will be moved through the pump and will not settle or accumulate around the moving parts of the pump.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and gages when the plunger 18 is moved upwardly in the cas ing 12. The ball 16 is lifted off its seat 21 on the down- Ward stroke of the plunger 18, by the fluid contained in the plunger underlying the ball 16.

As shown in Figure 2, the plunger 18 is reduced in diameter at its upper portion, as shown at 22, defining a space communicating with the apertures of ball cage 14. The lower end of the plunger 18 is inwardly tapered, as shown at 23, in Figure 2a, and said lower end is formed with apertures 24, whereby the interior of the plunger is in free communication with the portion of casing 12 below the plunger.

Designated at 25 is a vertical conduit which is secured o the lower end of the plunger 18, and communicating with the conduit 25 in alignment therewith and similarly secured to the lower end of the casing is the upwardly 1 extending vertical conduit 26.

As shown in Figure 2a, the

conduits

25 and 26 extend axially with respect to the upper plunger 18. The top end of the upper conduit member 26 is integrally connected to a plurality of upwardly and outwardly in- ,clined conduits 27, said conduits extending through the wall of the reduced upper portion of the plunger 18, and connecting the conduit 26 with the space in casing 12 adjacent said reduced upper portion 22 of plunger 18. Thus, the

conduits

25 and 26 are in communication with the space adjacent the reduced portion 22 of the plunger and are therefore also in communication with the interior of the ball cage 14 through the apertures 15.

Thedepending vertical conduit 25 extends slidably and sealingly through the top end wall 28 of a vertical cylin- .der 29, the conduit 25 being received through a sealing claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical cross sectional view taken through a well casing provided with animproved self-cleaning pump assembly according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken through the upper portion of the pump assembly of Referring to the drawings, the improved pump is desig- I nated generally at 11 and comprises the well casing 12 containing the respective moving elements of the pump. Designated at 13 is the actuating rod which isconnected gaged in the casing 12 and being provided with a plurality of annular sealing rings 19 secured in grooves 20 formed in the exterior of the hollow plunger 18.

The sealing rings 19 may be of any suitable material, such as fibre, or the like, adapted to slidably and sealingly engage the inside wall surface of the casing '12.

As shown in Figure 2, the rim 17 is formed with an annular seat 21 on which the valve ball 16 sealingly england 30 provided centrally in the top wall 28, as shown in Figure 2a. Secured to the lower end of the conduit 25 is the circular piston 31, said piston being provided at its periphery with the resilient deformable annular swab element 32 which slidably and sealingly engages the inside wall surface of cylinder 29.

As shown in Figure 2a, the lower end portion of the conduit 25 is provided adjacent the piston 31 with a plurality of apertures32, whereby the conduit 25 is in communication with the space in cylinder 29 above the piston 31.. Thus, as will be presently explained, when the top plunger 18 is moved upwardly, the conduit 25 will be likewise urged upwardly with respect to the cylinder 29, and any material trapped in the cylinder 29 will be forced upwardly through the

conduits

25 and 26, and through the space adjacent the reduced top portion 22 of plunger 18 and through the apertures 15 into engagement with the valve ball 16, agitating the region around the valve ball and washing said ball free of any foreign material, such as sand or the like.

The bottom wall 33 of the cylinder 29 is provided with 21 depending externally threaded conduit element 34 to which is threadedly secured a ball cage 35, the top portion of said ball cage being provided with an axial ver tical passage 36 which is in communication with the space in cylinder 29 below piston 31, whereby said space is in free communication with the interior of ball cage 35. The interior of the ball cage 35 is likewise in free communication with the space in casing 12 below plunger 18 by the provision of the apertures 37 in the ball cage, as shown in Figure 2b. The ball cage35 contains the valve ball 38, as shown.

Threadedly secured to the lower portion of the ball cage 35 is the sleeve-like lower plunger 40, said lower plunger having the top rim 41 formed with an annular ball seat 42 on which the valve ball 38 is sealingly engageable and onwhich said valve ball seats when the lower plunger 40 is'moved upwardly in the casing 12. The plunger 40 is open at'its bottom end, whereby fluid in the casing can move upwardly in the plunger 40 when said plunger is moved downwardly in the casing, thus causing the valve ball 38 to become unseated and allowing the fluid to pass upwardly into the casing space between plunger 18 and plunger 40 through the apertures 37. The plunger 40 is provided with a plurality of sealing rings 43 which slid ably and sealingly engage with the inside surface of the casing 12.

As will be readily apparent, when the top plunger 18 is moved downwardly with respect to the lower plunger 40 and the cylinder 29 secured to said lower plunger, the piston 31 exerts a downward force on the liquid trapped in the lower portion of the cylinder, forcing the liquid downwardly through the conduit 34 and the passage 36 onto the valve ball 38, whereby said valve ball is sprayed with the liquid and is washed free of sand or other similar foreign material, the stream of liquid at the same time agitating the material around the valve ball 38 and the valve seat 42 and preventing. such material from settling on the valve seat or from otherwise accumulating around the valve ball 38.

- In operation, the rod 13 is reciprocated by the pump jack and thus acts to reciprocate the top plunger 18. The downward movement of the top plunger 18 is transmitted through the conduit 25 and the piston 31 to the cylinder 29, which in turn transmits the downward movement through the ball cage 35 to the lower plunger 40. Downward movement of the lower plunger 40 causes the ball 38 to be unseated, and allows liquid to flow upwardly through the openings 37 into the space in casing 12 between lower plunger 40 and upper plunger 18. At the same time, liquid in said space is allowed to move through the hollow upper plunger 18, such liquid entering the upper plunger through the apertures 24, the downward movement of plunger 18 causing the ball 16 to become unseated due to the presence of liquid beneath the ball. Said liquid passes through the apertures of ball cage 14 into the space above the upper plunger 18. On the upward stroke of the rod 13, the liquid trapped above the upper plunger 18 is elevated upwardly through the casing 12in the normal manner. The lower valve ball 38also closes, because of the liquid trapped between the upper plunger 18 and the lower plunger 40.

As above explained, on the downward stroke, liquid trapped in the lower portion of the cylinder 29 is forced downwardly onto the ball 38 and into the space adjacent said ball by the compression exertedon the liquid by piston 31. At this time liquid is drawn into the portion ofcylinder 29 above piston 31 from the space in casing 12 above the upper plunger 18, since the conduits 27 are in free communication with said space due to the reduced diameter of the upper portion 22 of the upper plunger 18. On the upward stroke of the rod 13, the liquid trapped in the upper portion of cylinder 29 is forced upwardly through passages 32 and the

conduit elements

25, 26 and 27 into the space adjacent the reduced upper portion 22 of plunger 28, and thence through the apertures 15 against the valve ball 16 and the interior portions of the cage 14 adjacent said valve ball. Therefore, the reciprocation of the pump elements causes a continuous washing and agitating action, the

valve balls

16 and 38 being washed free of sand or similar foreign material and the valve seats being maintained free of any foreign material such as silt, sand, or the like. This self-cleaning action occurs simultaneously with the normal operation'of the pump and occurs automatically responsive to the reciprocation of the pump elements in the casing.

While a specific embodiment of an improved self-cleaning pump for use in oil wells and the like has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A pump comprising a casing, a hollow upper plunger in said casing having a first ball valve therein, a depending conduit connected to said upper plunger, a piston secured to said conduit, a hollow lower plunger in said casing having a second ball valve therein, and a cylinder connected to said lower plunger and slidably housing said piston, and means connected to said conduit and cylinder arranged to circulate fluid from the casing against said ball valves responsive to the reciprocation of said plungers in the casing.

2. A self-cleaning pump comprising a casing, a hollow upper plunger slidably engaged in said casing said upper plunger having an externally reduced top portion and being apertured at its lower end portion, a ball cage on said top portion, a valve ball in said cage and sealingly engaging said top portion when said upper plunger is moved upwardly in said casing, a hollow rod member secured in said upper plunger and'communicating with the space adjacent said reduced top portion, said rod member extending below said upper plunger, a hollow cylinder surrounding and slidably engaged on said rod member below said upper plunger, a piston secured to the rod member slidably engaging the interior wall surface of said cylinder, said rod member being apertured to communicate with the space in said cylinder above said piston, a hollow lower plunger slidably engaged in said casing below said cylinder, a ball cage connecting said lower plunger to said cylinder, said last-named cage having a passage communicating with the lower portion of said cylinder, and a valve ball in said last-named cage and sealingly engaging said lower plunger when said lower plunger is moved upwardly in said casing, whereby fluid will be trapped in said cylinder and will be circulated against said ball valves responsive to reciprocation of said upper plunger in said casing.

3. A self-cleaning pump comprising a casing, a hollow upper plunger slidably engaged in said casing said upper plunger having an externally reduced top portion and being apertured at its lower end portion, a ball cage on said top portion,'a valve ball in said cage and sealingly engaging said top portion when said upper plunger'is moved upwardly in said casing, a hollow rod member secured in said upper plunger and communicating with the space adjacent said reduced top portion, said rod member extending below saidupper plunger, a hollow cylinder surrounding and slidably engaged on said rod member below said upper plunger, a piston secured to the rod member slidably engaging the interior wall surface of said cylinder, sa'id rod member being apertured to communicate with the space in said cylinder above said piston, a hollow lower plunger slidably engaged in said casing below said cylinder, a ball cage connecting said lower plunger to said cylinder, said last-named cage having a passage communicating'with the lower portion of said cylinder, and a valve ball in said last-named cage and sealingly engaging said lower plunger when said lower plunger is moved upwardly in said casing, said valve balls being arranged to open responsive to the downward movement of said upper plunger in the casing, allowing fluid to pass above said upper plunger and allowing fluid to enter the upper portion of said cylinder while fluid is expelled against the last-named valve ball from the lower portion of the cylinder,'and being arranged to close responsive to the upward movement of said upper plunger, whereby fluid trapped in the upper pcirtionof said cylinder is forced upwardly through said hollow rod member and is circulated against the first-named valve ball.

1,628,901 Neilsen May 17, 1927