US2959136A - Downwell pump - Google Patents

Description

Nov.8, 1960 J. R. BRENNAN ETAL i 2,959,136

DowNwELL PUMP Filed March 30, 1959 lll/ll)I /////V INVENTORS JoHN R; BRENNAN P5 TEP 5. 51. awa/:F

BY Mm United States Patent DOWNWELL PUMP `lohn R. Brennan, Long Beach, and Peter S. Bloudolf, Whittier, Calif., assignors, by mesne assignments, to The National Supply Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Ohio v Filed Mar. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 802,972

6 Claims. (Cl. 10S-155) This invention relates to a downwell pump construction and details more particularly with a pump structure more particularly adapted for use in connection with an operating engine. The present application is a continuation-in-part of our pending application, Serial No. 721,- 178, led March 13, 1958, and entitled Pressure Fluid- Operated Pump Structure now Patent No. 2,921,531.

An object of the present invention is to provide a downwell pump that has an economical and space-saving arrangement of its parts and further provides for improved pumping capacity.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pump of improved eiciency in that double-action intake or suction is provided, although the discharge of well production is single-acting.

A further object of the invention is to provide apump that displaces well production upwardly during a downstroke thereof, thereby providing an eiicient pump that is particularly adapted to be combined with an upper operating engine that does its work on the downstroke.

More specifically, the present invention contemplates raising the fluid drawn by suction from a well to an elevation that is above the level at which said iiuid is discharged upwardly, the same resulting from a novel arrangement.

The invention also has for its objects t'o provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical o-f manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawing merely shows and the following description merely describes, preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view of a downwell pump embodying a preferred form of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, to a reduced scale, of another form of pump in which the invention is embodied.

The pump that is illustrated is housed in tubing or casing 5 which, at its lower end 6, is provided with a central hole 7, the latter being upwardly ared to define a conical seat 8.

A pump jacket 9 is disposed within the tubing 5 an annular chamber 10 being formed between said tubing and jacket." Said chamber, in the form of Fig. l, constitutes a fluid-conducting passage that opens at the top of the string formed by said tubing 5. In the form of Fig. 2, said -annular chamber is sealed off at the top and, instead, is open at 10a, at the bottom, and in communication with a production string 10b that extends alongside the tubing 9 and is open at the top similarly to chamber 10. The jacket 9 has a lower end 11 that is provided rifice t with a central hole 12 and with a conical extension 13 that is adapted to tit the seat 8. It will be seen that passages 7 and 12 form a continuous central, longitudinal passage, when the end 11 is fitted into the seat 8 of the tubing end 5.

A pack-oil 14 is provided across the jacket 9, the same separating the present pump from the engine (not shown) that operates the pump, and a central bore 15 is provided in said pack-off.

Depending from said pack-oit 14 there is provided a pump barrel 16 that defines, between itself and the jacket 9, an annular passage 17 that, at its lower end is open to the passage 7, 12 above described. The bore 18 of the barrel 16 is in communication, by means of ports 19, with the upper end of the passage 17.

A plunger 209 is ttted in said cylinder bore 18, the same being carried by the lower end of a rod or stern l 21 that passes through the bore 15 of the pack-olf 14.

It is the rod 21 that is the operating member of the engine above the pack-ott 14 and which reciprocates to move the plunger 20 up and down in the cylinder 18.

Below the cylinder 18 and carried by the barrel 16 there is provided an intake valve 22 and below the valve 22 is provided a discharge valve 23. Said valves are formed as check valves that close ilow in one direction. The intake valve 22 has an inlet passage 24 from the annular chamber or passage 17, a valve seat 25 at the discharge end of the passage 24, a valve element or ball 26 operatively associated with said seat, and a cage 27 loosely confining said ball and open to communicate the passage 24 with the cylinder bore 18 below the plunger 20 therein when said ball is off said seat.

The discharge valve 23 has a cage 28 that is open by Way of an opening 29 to said lower end of cylinder bore 18, a valve seat 30 at the outlet side of said opening, a valve ball 31 operatively associated with said seat and loosely retained in said cage, and an outlet passage 32 between the cage 28 and the annular chamber 10. A stop 33 in the cage 28 prevents the ball 31 closing ilow between said cage 28 and the passage 32.

In the form of pump illustrated in Fig. l, the ball 31 normally rests gravitationally on the stop 33. Thus, said valve 23, in this form, is normally open and closed only When there is suction in cylinder 18 below the plunger 20. In the form of Fig. 2, a light spring 31a is shown biasing the ball 31 in a direction to engage the seat 30. Hence, in this instance, the valve 23 remains closed except when opened by pressure in said cylinder during downstroke movement of the plunger 20.

During the up or suction stroke of the plunger 20, uid from the well enters the passage 7, 12 and follows the dotted-line arrows 34 to enter suction passage 17 and into the cylinder bore 18 below the plunger past the open valve 22. Since said suction is effective to draw the ball 31 against its seat 30 (Fig. l) or (Fig. 2), the

spring 31a holds said ball seated and the valve 23 isl closed during said suction stroke of the plunger 20. At the same time, fluid that is present in the cylinder 18 above said plunger 20 will be dispiaced therefrom through ports 19 into said passage 17 to intermingle with the fluid being sucked up through passage 7, 12. Thus, the cylinder 18, below plunger 20 receives not only uid from the well but also fluid that has been stored in the bore 18 above the plunger.

During the down or discharge stroke of the plunger 20, the valve 22 closes and the valve 23 opens (the condition shown in Fig. l). Said plunger displaces the liuid that has collected above valve 22 in the lower end of cylinder 18 and forces the same to follow a discharge path, as shown by the full arrows 35. Thus, said discharge is through the open valve 23 into passage 32 and nally into and upwardly into the annular discharge pas-v sage (Fig. l) or the string 10b (Fig. 2). During this downstroke of the plunger, the cylinder 18 above the plunger lls with uid due to the suction eifect of the plunger on the suctional `passage 17 through the ports 19.

It will be seen from the foregoing that, on both strokes, Huid is drawn into the pump past passage 7 .12,v 'in one direction, past the open valve '22 and "in the other, Past the ports 19. This double-acting intake .provides a relatively continuous and, therefore, more eflcient suction of the pump than if vintake were -periodic and made on the Vupstroke only.

In the second form, the discharge of production 'uid is, rst, down toward the end 6 and then 'up in the string 10b, but in both forms, the discharge .is upward.V

In downwell pumps, safety check valves are :freq cntlly used, the same .coming into play in oase of failure or malfunction of the intake valve 22. Such safety valves are not essential to the normal operation of the pump, and the Same is here mentioned because the annulus '17 should be ,considered to be bottom open for the purposesV of the present invention regardless whether or not such a valve is used below the discharge valve 23.

While the foregoing specification illustrates and describes what we now contemplate to be thebest modes of carrying out our invention, the constructions are, of course, subject to modication without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention. Therefore, we do not desire to restrict `the invention to 'the particular forms of construction illustrated and described, but desire to cover all modications that may fall within the scope of .the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what is `claimed and desired to be `secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A downwell pump comprising a pump barrel', Va reciprocating plunger in said barrel, a jacket varound the barrel and defining a first annular pump inlet passage that is 'open at the bottom, a casing around the jacket and defining a second annular passage that Aopens iup- Wardly, a check valve in the lower end ofthe pump vbarrel and connected to pass ow from the 'bottom-open annulus when the ,plunger moves toward the upper end vof the barrel, and a second check valve disposed to receive flow from the lower end of the barrel and connected to pass said ow to the upwardly-open annulus `when the plunger moves toward the lower end of the barrel, the tirs/t valve being located between the `plunger `and "the second valve.

2. A downwell pump according to claim 1 in which a pack-off is provided to close the upper end of the barrel, and fluid connections in the barrel adjacent to the pack-olf to communicate the barrel above the plunger with the bottom-open passage, whereby said barrel above the plunger receives fluid from said passage during the downstroke of the plunger and discharges fluid above the plunger into the passage during plunger upstroke.

3. In a downwell pump having a barrel and a reciprocating plunger in the barrel, a discharge check valve at the lower end of the barrel open lto `ilow from the barrel during downstroke movement of the plunger, means forming an upwardly discharging passage connected to receive flow passing through said discharge valve, a bottom-openinlet annulus between the barrel and said means forming the upwardly discharging passage, an intake check valve disposed between the discharge valve and the plunger open to flow from said bottom-open annulus to the barrel below the plunger, and a ow connection hetween the upper end of the bottom-open annulus and the barrel above the plunger thereof.

4. In a downwell pump according to claim 3, a packoff closing the upper end of the barrel and having a ccntral bore, and a stem co-nnected to the plunger and having a sliding't insaid bore, said stern constituting plungen reciprocating means.

5 In a downwell pump having a barrel and a Vreciproeating plunger in the barrel, means forming an upwardlydischarging passage, a discharge valve at the lower end of the barrel connected to conduct ow from the barrel to the mentioned vpassage and closing to ow during upstroke movement of the plunger, a bottom-open passage between the barrel and said means forming the upwardlydischarging passage, and an intake valve located between the discharge valve and the plunger and connected and open to conduct ilow from the bottom-open passage into the barrel during upstroke movement of the plunger, a spring normally biasing the discharge `valve to closed position, the discharge valve opening against the bias of the spring and the intake valve remaining closed during downstroke movement lof the plunger.

6. In a downwell pump according to claim 5, a continuously open flow connection between the barrel, above the plunger, and the bottom-open passage.

yNo references cited.

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