US2862448A - Fluid operated well pumps - Google Patents

Description

. 2, 1958 H. F. BELDING FLUID OPERATED WELL PUMPS Filed July 29, 1957 INVENTOR. HOWARD F. BELDING FIG. 2

United States Patent FLUID OPERATED WELL PUMPS Howard F. Belding, Camarlilo, Calif. Application July 29, 1957, Serial No. 674,897

3 Claims. (Cl. 103-46) This invention relates to fluid operated pumps and, more particularly to reciprocating piston, double acting motor operated pumps.

The object of the invention is to provide a pump which is operated by a pneumatic or hydraulic motor with valve means for controlling delivery of operating fluid to the motor.

While the pump is designed primarily for use in deep wells, it is not limited to such use as it may be used equally well in shallow wells or in cisterns.

When used in deep wells, a series of pumping units may be provided in order to avoid the necessity of using operating fluid of an excessively high pressure.

The operating fluid may be supplied by conventional pressure generating pumps or from any suitable source of fluid under pressure.

In carrying out the objects of the invention a pumping piston, in this case a valved piston is used, but a solid piston could be used equally well. A reciprocating fluid motor is connected directly to the pumping piston and an automatically operated valve is provided to control motor fluid to the motor. The pumping pistonis provided with suitable means for preventing the entry of grit or sand past the piston.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the description which follows and from the illustrations in the drawings, in which:

Figure l is a vertical section showing the motor and p p;

Figure 2 is a view showing a series of motor and pump units connected together for use in a deep well,

Figures 3 and 4 are enlarged detail views of the valve which controls operating fluid to'and from the motors.

Referring now to the details as shown in Figures 1 and 2, numeral indicates a well casing having supported therein by any suitable means one or more pump-motor units 11. When a plurality of pump units is used in a deep well pumping system, the units are connected to gether by means of delivery tubing 33 and motive fluid conduit 34 as shown in Figure 2. Threaded connections 25 and 26 are shown at the upper and lower extremities of the pumping unit for receiving the ends of the tubing 33. As shown in Figure 1, threaded connections 27 are provided for connecting motive fluid conduits 34 with a suitable source of fluid under pressure.

A cylindrical stationary tube 12 extends down into the upper end of the pump unit and is connected to the cylindrical housing 35 and is coaxial therewith. The interiorof this tube serves as a delivery passageway 36 which ex tends thru the fluid motor. Between tube 12 and the casing 35 is a cylindrical reciprocating element mounted in the cylinder defined by the interior of the casing 35. Attached to the lower end of the element 15 is the pumping piston 16. A dividing plate 13 is attached to the lower end of the tube 12. Piston 16, the interior wall of the reciprocating element 15 and the dividing plate 13 form the pumping chamber 37. The piston 16 is providod with an inlet valve, here shown as a ball valve 23,

2,862,448 Patented Dec. 2, 1958 but any suitable valve could be used. The plate 13 is provided with an outlet valve 24 thru which fluid passes to the outlet passage 36.

A dividing plate 14 is rigidly attached to the stationary tube 12 intermediate its ends and plates 17 and 18 are attached to reciprocating element 15, one above and one below the plate 14. The plates 13, 14, 17 and 18 determine chambers 19, 20, 21 and 22. Chambers 19 and 20 are expansion motor chambers in which motor fluid moves the'piston 16 upwardly to provide a pumping stroke for r the pump. Chambers 21 and 22 are motor chambers 0' exhaust it from the motors.

which move the piston on its suction stroke.

Motor fluid for operating the motors is controlled by a valve 30 mounted in the dividing plate 13. Motor fluid is supplied thru a pipe 28 connected to the inlet 27. Exhaust from the motors passes out thru a pipe 29 and may exhaust into the pumped water thru any suitable passage, not shown. Any suitable valve may be incorporated in the valve unit 30 so as to admit fluid to the motors and One suitable form of such valve will now be described. I

Details of the valve unit 30 are shown'in Figures 3, 4 and on an enlarged scale. This valve unit consists of a casing 2 having radial openings here shown as connected to pipes G, H, I, S and T. A radially ported piston W reciprocates in the casing Z to connect the inlet and outlet passages as will appear. The pipes are shown schematically so as to make the operation more apparent. The opening G is connected to the source of motor fluid 28. The opening I is connected to port 40 into the motor chamber 20. The port T is connected to the motor inlet port 39 to the motor chamber 19. A cross port A thru the valve piston W connects I and T so that motor fluid is supplied simultaneously to motor chambers 19 and 20 asv shown in Fig. 3. The port or outlet line H is connected to exhaust line 29. The passage S connects with ports 41 and 42 for supplying motor fluid to motor chambers 21 and 22 for moving the pumping piston on the suction stroke. A cross passage X connects S with the pressure line G when the valve W is in the lowermost position as shown in Figure 4. At this time the passages I and T are connected thru a cross passage V with the exhaust line H, as shown in Figure 4. As the pumping chamber 37 fills with liquid being pumped, air above the liquid escapes past the float 38 into the exhaust line 29. When the piston 16 reaches the limit of its stroke it engages the rod 31 and moves the valve piston W by means of arm 47 to the position shown in Figure 4 to connect pressure line G with passage S to deliver pressure to motor chambers 21 and 22 and connects I and T with exhaust line H thru passage V as shown in Figure 4.

The operation of the pump and motor is as follows: When the parts are in the position shown in Figure 3 passages I and T are connected with the pressure line G and motive fluid is delivered to motor chambers 19 and 20 to move piston 16 up and force fluid thru the outlet valve 24 into the discharge line 36. When the pumping piston reaches the limit ofits upper stroke it engages rod 31 lifting the valve piston W. This reverses the flow of motor fluid, connecting the line G with the line S, delivering pressure fluid to chambers 21 and 22 to move the piston down and connects the line I and T with the exhaust line H thru cross passage V in the valve piston W. As the piston moves down the float 38 drops from its seat, allowing the pumping chamber to fill again with fluid. As the piston 16 moves down it creates a suction which causes the float 38 to unseat so that fluid from the well may freely enter the pump chamber thru the inlet valve 23. The cycle of operation will be continuous and automatic.

In many oil wells there is often a natural gas pressure in the hole varying sometimes from 200 to 900 p. s. i.

pressure fluid may be used as the motive fluid.

Therefore, when pumping oil it is frequently possible to use this natural gas pressure as the pressure gas for the pumping operation. All that is necessary to use this gas pressure as operating fluid is to connect the pressure and pump unit, sealing rings 44 are inserted in grooves iu the dividing plates 13 and 14 and in the pistons 17 and 18.

In the motor pump system-above described, one, two or any number of sets of compression and exhaust motor chambers may be used. Either hydraulic or pneumatic In the use'of hydraulic fluid an additional line may be necessary to carry the hydraulic fluid to the top of the well. When pneumatic fluid is used this can be discharged into the pumped fluid, where it will assist the pumping by aerating the liquid being pumped.

As indicated, to reduce the pressure required for lifting fluid from great depths, multiple pumping and motor units may be used as shown in Figure 2, thus creating a multiple stage unit.

When the pump unit is placed at the bottom of the well, the coupling 45 may be replaced by a conventional gas trap or anchor.

Also several wells, regardless of the elevation of the top of the holes can be pumped from a single compressor or hydraulic pump unit and several pumping units may be installed in a line to increase the depth of pumping at low pressure or without requiring increasing motive fluid for greater depths.

Pump sanding and paraflin clogging are eliminated due to the fact that the pump has no small passageways thru which the liquid and any suspended matter therein must pass. All material that starts thru the pumps must follow almost a straight line until discharged.

While the foregoing disclosure describes a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, it is understood that the invention may be practiced in other forms within the scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, is to be understood as limited only so far as is called for in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A motor-pump combination comprising a housing having a cylindrical chamber therein, a stationary tube attached at one end to the upper end of the housing and extending concentrically of the housing, a dividing plate secured to the lower end of the tube, a second dividing plate secured to the tube and spaced from the first-named dividing plate, said first-named dividing plate having an outlet valve for pumped 'fluid and a valve for controlling motor operating fluid, a sleeve slidably mounted within the housing, the interior of the sleeve slidably engaging the peripheries of the dividing plates, said sleeve having a plate therein and secured thereto which plate slidably engages the wall of the said tube and provides a motor piston positioned between the dividing plates, the sleeve having a plate closing its lower end and serving as pumping piston, a check valve in the last-named plate and means on the valve which convalve closing said vent when the pump chamber is filled with liquid.

3. The invention as claimed in claim 1 wherein a series of motor and pump units are connected in tandem to operate in a deep well.

References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,414,990 McFarland May 2, 1922 1,565,886 Aikman Dec. 15, 1925 1,775,759 Grant, Sept. 16, 1930 2,022,781 Pigott Dec. 3, 1935 2,491,587 Seago Dec. 30, 1949 2,780,171 Heddy Feb. 5, 1957 2,837,029 Mohnkern June 3, 1958

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