US3532107A - Oil pumping system - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent Walter J. Bouterie [72] Inventor 2329 Franklin Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana 70117 7 [21] Appl. No. 743,401 [22] Filed July 9, 1968 [45] Patented Oct. 6, 1970 [54] OIL PUMPING SYSTEM 4 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

[52] 11.8. CI 137/147, 103/232,103/278, 417/191, 417/172 [51] Int. Cl F04f l/00, F04f 5/00, F04f 5/44 [50] Field ofSearch 103/232, 260, 258, 277,278, 5, 5(J) [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 826,355 7/1906 Pollard 103/278 1,758,376 5/1930 Sawyer 103/260X '11 1151115111. .IfQf

Primary Examiner- Henry F. Raduazo Assistant Examiner-Warren .I. Krauss Attorney Strauch, Nolan, Neale, Nies and Kurz ABSTRACT: The present invention involves systems for pumping oil bearing fluids from subterranian wells and includes a casing extending into the oil! bearing strata and a pipe within the casing. Liquid under pressure is forced down between the pipe and the casing and enters the pipe above the oil bearing strata. The oil bearing fluids are drawn up from the strata through the pipe to a syphon from which the oil bearing fluids are collected. The pipe is provided with means for controlling and smoothing the flow of the fluids. A principal feature of the system is that moving parts are all above ground and the parts below ground are fixed :and self-cleaning.

INVENTOR. WALTER J-"BOUTERIE i'A TTORNEY a a I w m ||l m l i. a ill] 51 I 4 a v m OIL PUMPING SYSTEM SPECIFICATION The present invention relates to apparatus and systems for pumping oil from wells.

A great many devices and systems have been used and suggested for pumping oil from subterranean wells and formations but heretofore the pumps and systems have been subject to numerous objections and disadvantages.

Some known systems require moving parts adjacent the bottom of the well and these systems have inherent disadvantages in that it is difficult and expensive to protect the mechanism from sand, sludge and other foreign materials and removal from the well for cleaning, repair or replacement is not only expensive in itself but causes expensive shutdowns of the well.

Other known apparatus and systems for pumping oil have a further disadvantagethat capacity, barrels per hour, is unnecessarily limited and in most known pumping systems the efficiency drops below economic limits before the useful oil in the well or formation is exhausted.

Oneof the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel and effective oil pumping system in which substantially all movable parts are located above ground for easy access.

Another object of the present inventionis to provide an oil well pumping system in which the parts below the ground surface are relatively fixed and self-cleaning.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an oil well pumping system which can be operated continuously over long periods of time without the need for shutdown for cleaning, repair or replacement.

Another object is to provide an oil well pumping system capable of extracting the maximum amount of oil available in a particular formation.

, Another object is to provide a novel oil well pumping system having increased pumping capacity.

Another object is to provide an oil well pumping system in which the parts and components, especially those below the ground, are relatively inexpensive, simple to install and efficient and durable in operation.

These and other objects and advantages resolve in novel features of construction as will be hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the appending claim.

Referring to the drawing: HO. 1 is a diagramatic view of an oil pumping system of the present invention.

H6. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary diagrammatic vertical section of the pipe containing the nozzle and venturi used in my oil well pumping system,

The oil pumping system of the present invention may be employed with a conventional oil well casing pipe or tube which extends downward into the oil bearing sands or shale formation indicated at 12. The lower end of the casing 10 is provided with suitable openings not shown through which oil from the sands or shale 12 enters the casing. The bottom of the casing 10 is normally closed by suitable means not shown. A second tube or pipe 14 extends downward centrally of the casing and is open at its lower end to receive the crude oil in the casing. Normally this crude oil is mixed with gas and water. A seal 16 is provided between the pipe 14 and casing 10 so that the oil can be pumped to the surface only through the pipe 14.

The top of the casing 10 is sealed by a cap 18 which is provided with a central opening 20 through which the pipe 14 passes. The cap 18 has a pressure-tight engagement with the casing 10 and pipe 14.

In order to force oil from the bottom of the casing 10 upward through the pipe 14, a suitable pump 22 driven by a suitable motor or engine 24 pumps liquid under pressure through a pipe 26 into the upper portion of the casing 10 outside the pipe 14. My novel pumping system may be employed with wells of various depths and the size and other requirements of the pump 22 are determined by the depth of the well.

For wells up to 10,000 feet deep, a pump capable of delivering about two to ten gallons of fluid per minute at pressures up to about 2000 psi. is usually sufficient and l have found a pump sold commercially under the name Straw-Hydraulic" to be satisfactory. The volume of the fluid delivered to the casing 10 by the pump 22 may be controlled by a suitable valve 28 and an indicator 30 may be provided to show the pressure in line 26.

Adjacent its lower end, but above the seal 16, the pipe 14 is provided with a check valve 32. This check valve 32 may be a simple, hinged gate 34 as shown. When the system is not operating, the valve 34 is held closed by the pressure head in the pipe 14 and seals off the lower portion of the pipe 14 which communicates with the oil bearing fluids below the seal 16.

While the casing 10 extends down into the oil bearing strata 12, it is not necessary or even desirable that thepipe 14 extend this far. In a well five or six thousand feet deep, the check valve 32 may be 1800 to 2000 feet below ground and the seal or packing 16 is located a few feet below the valve 32. The usual mixture of oil, gas and water fill the casing 10 up to the seal on packing 16 and the pipe 14 extends from 50 to feet below the seal of 16 into the oil bearing fluid. The length of pipe below the valve 32 and seal 16 is not critical but sufficient pipe is provided to assure a smooth flow of fluid to the valve 32.

Above, but adjacent to the valve 32, the pipe 14 is provided with a plurality of openings indicated at 36 to permit fluid from the casing to enter the pipe 14. The number and size of the openings 36 may be varied to obtain optimum pumping action.

Above, but adjacent to the openings 36, the pipe 14 is provided with a tapered restriction or nozzle 38 and above the nozzle 38, the pipe 14 is provided with a second restriction or venturi 40. The nozzle 28 and venturi 40 will hereinafter be described in more detail.

When the system is operating, oi] bearing fluids from the sands 12 move upward through the pipe 14, past the valve 32, through the nozzle 38 and venturi 40, and upward through the cap 18 to a syphon indicated at 42. From the syphon 42 the oil bearing fluids pass to a separating tank 44 where the oil, gas, and water are permitted to settle and separate. The oil may be drawn off to an oil storage tank 46 through a suitable pipe 48 and gas may be drawn off through a suitable pipe 50 to a gas storage tank, not shown.

The pump 22 may utilize almost any liquid for pumping purposes but I have found it convenient and efficient to use a portion of the fluid being pumped from the well. For this purpose, a pipe 52 is connected adjacent the low portion of the syphon 42 and conveys fluid to a feed tank 54 and a pipe 56 connects the feed tank 54 to the supply side of the pump 22. Suitable filters, not shown, may be provided between the syphon 42 and the pump 22. The feed tank 54 may be eliminated entirely and the syphon 42 or settling tank 44 connected directly to the embodiment, the orifices 36 are formed in a pipe portion 141 which is threaded at its lower end at 142 for connection to the valve 32. The nozzle 38 fits into the pipe 141 and a flange 39 on the nozzle engages the upper end of the pipe 141. The flange 39 and the upper end of the pipe 141 are threaded to engage within an internally threaded sleeve 143.

The venturi 40 fits within the lower end of a pipe section 144 and a flange 41 on the venturi 40 engages the lower end of the pipe section 144. The venturi flange 41 andthe lower end of the pipe section 144 are threaded to engage within the internally threaded sleeve 143. The pipe section 144 is preferably relatively short and may be suitably secured to a pipe of any length to complete the pipe 14.

The use of short pipe lengths 141, 143 and 144 to form a portion of the pipe 14 simplifies the location of the orifices 36 relative to the check valve 42 and the nozzle 38 and also makes it easier to provide the desired spacing between the nozzle 38 and the venturi 40.

The relative spacing between the nozzle 38 and venturi 40 is important for optimum pumping and flow conditions and this spacing is determined by experiment. Once the optimum spacing has been determined experimentally, the nozzle 38 and venturi 40 are locked in position and thereafter no change or adjustment is necessary. It is undesirable that the nozzle 38 cause low pressure in the area between the nozzle and the venturi and for this reason the nozzle is provided with bores or channels 37 which extend substantially from the inlet to the outlet of the nozzle. The bores or channels 37 are preferably inclined outward toward the sleeve 143 in order to agitate the fluid and thereby prevent sludge, sand or other foreign material from collecting and settling in the space between the nozzle and venturi.

The orifice at the upper end of the noule 38 may have a diameter of from about one-eighth inch to about one-half inch but an orifice of about eleven sixty-fourth inches or threeeighths inches is preferred. When the orifice is below oneeighth inch the flow of fluid is greatly impeded and clogging often occurs. As the diameter of the orifice is increased, turbulence increases and when the orifice has a diameter greater than one-half inch, turbulence becomes excessive. Each channel or bore 37 may be about three thirty-seconds inches diameter and about four such bores are usually satisfactory.

The throat diameter of the venturi is preferably about onehalf inch and the upper portion 43 is about six inches long while the lower portion 45 is about five inches long. These dimensions may be varied but 1 have found by experiment that when the venturi 40 has about these dimensions I obtain maximum operating efficiency and minimum turbulence in the fluid.

The bottom of the venturi 40 is located about seven sixtyfourths inches above the top of the nozzle 38 to define a chamber 38a and if this sparing is increased or decreased by much more than one sixty-fourth inch, the operational efficiency is greatly reduced and a gas block may occur.

All of the above dimensions are based upon a two inch pipe 14. When the pipe 14 is larger or smaller the sizes and spacings of the nozzle and venturi as well as other dimensions of the system will be changed accordingly.

When my pumping system is installed in a well, the oil bearing fluid fills the casing below the seal or packing 16. Pressure in the strata l2 forces the oil bearing fluid up through the pipe 14 until a balanced condition is reached with the oil bearing fluid filling both the casing and pipe 14 to a level above the venturi 40 with the check valve 32 held in closed positionby pressure in the pipe 14.

My improved pumping system is started by initiating operation of the pump 22 which forces fluid down in the space between the casing 10 and pipe 14. The fluid enters the orifices 36 and moves upward through pipe 14. When the level of fluid between the casing 10 and pipe 14 is lowered to the level of the orifices 36, the pressure above the valve 32 drops substantially to zero, the valve 32 opens, and oil bearing fluid is drawn up from the strata 12 through the pipe 14. The fluid then passes through the nozzle 38 and venturi 40 where turbulence, foaming etc. are substantially eliminated and the homogeneous fluid passes upward to the syphon 42.

The pump 22 supplies enough fluid at sufficient pressure to prevent the oil bearing fluid from leaving the pipe 14 through the orifices 36 and forces the oil bearing fluids to flow upward through the pipe 14 to the syphon 42. The pump 22 need supply only a small amount of fluid, about two to five gallons per minute, to maintain suitable flow of l2, 14 or more gallons per minute through the pipe 14.

Pumping with my improved system is continuous and may operate indefinitely without the necessity of shutdown. In the event of power failure and stoppage of the pump 22, pumping will restart automatically as soon as power is restored to the pump 22 even though the prime in the syphon 42 is lost during the stoppage.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I am able to obtain the objects of my invention and provide a new and improved oil pumping system which may be operated continuously over long periods of time and in which there is a minimum of moving parts subject to wear. All of these moving parts are located above ground. Various modifications can, of course, be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A system for pumping oil from subterranian oil bearing strata comprising a vertical casing extending from the ground surface into said strata and having openings adjacent its lower end positioned within said strata, a pipe extending downwardly within said casing, said pipe and casing defining an annular space therebetween, sealing means between said pipe and easing above the openings in said casing, pressure sensitive valve means in said pipe above said sealing means, orifices in said pipe communicating with said annular space at a location above said valve means, nozzle means located within said pipe and having a central bore which tapers inwardly from its lower inlet end to its upper outlet end, the inlet end of said bore being located above said pipe orifices, venturi means located within said pipe above said nozzle means, said venturi means having its bottom inlet end vertically spaced from the upper outlet end of said nozzle means to form a chamber thercbetween, said nozzle means including at least one channel extending therethrough and communicating between its upper and lower ends, syphon means at the upper end of said pipe above the surface of the ground, and means for pumping fluid under pressure into said annular space and thence through said pipe orifices and upwardly through said nozzle means and venturi means.

2. A system for pumping oil as defined in claim 1 including a second sealing means between the pipe and the casing adjacent the ground.

3. A system for pumping oil as defined in claim 1 including means for withdrawing fluid from said syphon means and conducting such fluid to the pumping means.

4. A system for pumping oil as defined in claim 1, said nozzle means comprising a plurality of channels extending between said central bore and said chamber and directed outwardly toward the wall of said pipe.

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