US1791513A - Gas lift pump - Google Patents

Description

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J. H. SLOCUM Feb. w, 193k GAS LIFT PUMP Filed July 3, 1929 5 wil,

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Patented Feb. ld, ESSE einen JOSEPH HOWARD SLOCUM, F LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA ees mur reni Applicagzion led .Tuly 3, 1929. Serial No. 375,770.

` small pipe or else in an outer casing surrounding an inner flow pipe and permitting this gas to be discharged into the iiow pipe at a low level.

With these methods the interior of the wellA i5 is usually subjected to the high pressure gas,

or air, and where the well is of considerable depth, this pressure is high and is objectionable because it tends'tov force oil out of the sand around the well, which action may some- 23 times be more beneiicial to an adjoining well than to the well in which the gas lift pump is operated. Furthermore, in very deep wells it frequently happens that the last casing employed is ci too small diameter to carry the usual two pipes that are employed in ordinarygas life pumps.

The general object of this invention is to provide a gas lift pump of simple construction which will overcome these diiiculties,.

353 and which will provide simple means for employing gas without subjecting the oil sands to any pressure; also to provide a construction for the pump which will enable the down-pipe that carries down the gas or air under pressure to be let down the ilow pipe and seated after the flow pipe is in position.

A further object of the invention is to construct the down-pipe and the pump so. that when the down-pipe is pulled all of the liquid standing in the `flow ipe will he released. This avoids what oil drillers call a wet pulling job; in other words, it avoids drawing pipe from the well that is carrying oil in it.

A further obj ect of the invention is to i5 rovide sim le means for edectin a ro er seating of the lower end of the down-pipe at the oint where the high pressure gas or air is ischarged, and' also to provide simple means for entraining the pumped liquid and 5@ for regulating the entraining eeot.

A further object of the invention is to improve the general construction of pumps of' this type.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

It should be stated that this pump can he operated with high pressure air or high pressure gas. It is preferable, however, to operate it with high pressure dry gas, which will return to the mouth of the well of course as wet gas. A

According to this invention, the down-pipe f may be passed down the ow'pipe and prop erly seated. lin the operation of the pump the high pressure gas passing down the downpipe is delivered through a nozzle which discharges the high pressure gas upwardly in the flow pipe and means cooperate with this nozzle ito entrain the pumped liquid.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combinations of parts to he described hereinafter, all of which contribute to -produce an efficient gas lift'pump.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described 4in the following speciiication, while the broad scope of the ,invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

ln the drawings:

Figure l is a vertical section through a gas lift pump embodying my invention and showing a portion of the flow pipe and downpipe, the former of which carries the pumped liquid upwardly and the latter 0i' which conducts the high pressure gas downwardly. Figure 1 is a vertical section of the line 1-1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the pump taken about on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. A

Figure 3 is a horizontal cross section taken through the pump body on the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure l is a horizontal cross section taken on the line lof Figure l.

Figure 5 is a horizontal cross section taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 1.

l in thepreiferred embodiment of the invention'illustrated in the drawings, the pump comprises-a body l which'is preferably in the form of an elongated casting having means such as screw-threads 2 at its upper end to enable thewsame to be secured to a section of How pipe 3. In other words, the upper end 'of the body has a threaded Vsocket to receive the threaded lower end of a section of the flow pipe. The lower end of the body 1 has an opening 4 which may rest immersed in the liquid in the well or may be threaded as indicated to receive a footlsectionof ow ipe which isY immersed below the liquidV evel in the well. This opening 4 communicates with a liquid chamber 5 within the body l. The body is further provided with a high pressure chamber' which extends longitudinally within the body, being separated from the liquid chamber 5 by a partition wall or web 7. The high pressure gas is carried down to the body through a down-pipe 8. The down-pipe is received in an inlet 9 formed into the high pressure chamber 6 at the upper end of the body, and this inlet is preferably in the form-of a tapered socket eccentric with respect to the axis of the pipe 3,

' the lower end of .the down-pipe 8 being formed with a tapered tip 10 to seat in this socket. Any suitable, means may be provided, however, at -this point enabling the downwardly moving down-pipe to seat and make a gas tight connection with the inlet 9.

The pump also includes a discharge nozzle 11, the lower end of which is screwed into the lower portion of the body 1' so as to receive high pressure gas from the chamber 6 and discharge the same in an upward direction into the flow pipe. In doing this the discharge gas cooperates with suitable entraining means. In the present instance this entraining means isk in the form of a Venturi.

tube 12 which is coxial with the nczzle and disposed just above it. The discharge nozzle and the Venturi tubeare mounted for relative movement in a longitudinal direction. This relative movement enables the cooperative action of the nozzle and the Venturi tube to be regulated. In the present instance the nozzle 11 may be held fixed and the Venturi tube 12 is mounted innJ threaded opening 13 in which it can be adjusted up or down by means of screw-driver notches 14C formed 4in the upper end of the tube.

Suitable means is provided for guiding the down-pipe 8 when it is lowered and arrives at the pumpbody, to center it and direct it into the tapered inlet 9. Any suitable means may be employed for this purpose. In the present instance I provided two guide springs 15 in the form of leaf springs oi bow-form secured by fastening means 16 at their upper ends to the inside of the how pipe 3. The bowed sides of these springs engage the downpipe as it comes down and hold it in line with inlet 9.

The parts described above will operate effectively to develop an upward dow of the pumped liquid in the dow pipe. I prefer f to provide means, however, for releaslng the liquid in the ow pipe when the down-pipe 8 is pulled. For this purpose I provide a release port located in such a way that when the down-pipe is in position this release port is closed. In the present instance I provide a release port 17 extending outwardly into the Well through the body 1 at the tapered inlet 9. Vith this construction it will be evident that when the down-pipe 8 is pulled, liquid, for example, oil in the iow pipe, can flow back through the nozzle and out through the opening 17 into the well.

It will be evi-dent that in the operation of this pump the oil sand is not subjected to any pressure. On the other hand, it is subjected to a suction eii'ect or partial vacuum that is created in the liquid chamber 5 through the entraining action of the discharge nozzle 11. This is advantageous and tends to increase the production of the oil from the local sands around the well.

lVhile this suction eii'ect is being developed in the chamber 5 it will be evident that where high pressure gas is employed a very effective upward flow of the liberated gas will take place in the flow pipe enabling this pump to operate effectively even with the deepest wells used in practice.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

, What I claim is:

1. In a gas lift pump for deep wells, the combination of a pump body having a high pressure chamber formed therein for receiving the high pressure gas and having an inlet on the upper side of the body, said inlet having an eccentric tapered socket, a downpipe extending down from the mouth of' the well for leading the high pressure gas down to the pump body, and having a tapered tip at its lower end capable of seating in the said socket, a flow pipe enveloping the downpipe and attached to the body and located s0 that the down-pipe lies adjacent to its side Wall, a nozzle communicating with the said high pressure chamber for delivering the high pressure gas or air into the lowerend of the iiow pipe, and means associated with the-nozzle for entraining the pumped liquid.

2. In a gas lift pump for deep wells, the combination of a pump body having a high pressure chamber formed therein for receiving the high pressure gas and having an inlet on the upper side ofthe body, said inlet having a tapered socket, a down-pipe extending down from the mouth of the well for leading the high pressure gas down to the pump body, and having a tapered tip at its lower end capable of seating' in the said socket, a

'tached to the body, a nozzle communicating with the said high pressure chamber for delivering the high ressure gas or air into the lower end of the ow' pipe, means associated with the nozzle for entraining the pumped liquid, and a release port wleading out to the Well adjacent the tapered socket in a. position to beclosed by the down-pipe, and operating when the down-pipe is pulled to release the` oilllstanding in the iow pipe back into the we 3. In a gas lift pump having a iiow pipe, a pump body having a chamber for receiving the high pressure gas, said chamber having an inlet on the upper side of the body in the form of an eccentric tapered socket, said body having means on its upper side for attachin the L7same to the lower .end of the flow pipe, a nozzle within the body ,communicating with the said chamber discharging into the flow pipe, and means cooperating with the nozzle for entraining the liquid to be pumped.

4. ln a gas lift pump having a How pipe, a pump body having a chamber for receiving the high pressure gas, said chamber having an inlet on the upper side of the body in the form of a tapered socket, said body having means on its uppeitside for attaching the same to the lower end of the ilow pipe, a nozzle within the body communicating with the said chamber discharging into the flow pipe, and means cooperating with the nozzle for entraining the fliquid to be pumped, said tapered socket operating to receive the lower endof the down-pipe delivering high pressure gas to' the pump body, and having a release port in the wall thereof forreleasing the oil from the How pipe when the down pipe is pulled.

5. ln a gas lift pump, the combination of a pump body having a high pressure chamber formed therein and having an inlet opening int'o said chamber on the upper side of the body, a down-pipe extending downfrom the mouth of the well, said inlet and said down-pipe being constructed so as to be capable of forming a tight connection by thel downward shifting movement without rotation of the down-pipe, into the inlet openv ing,'a flow pipe attached to the upper end of. the body and enveloping the down-pipe, means for guiding the down-pipe adjacent the body to align the. same with the said inlet opening when it is being seated,lmeans for discharging the high pressure gas from the high pressure chamber into the flow pipe,

and means associated therewith for entraining the pumped liquid.

6. In a gas lift pump, the combination of a flow pipe, a pump body connected at itsl upper end to the flow pipe, said pump body having a high pressure chamber therein with and said down-pipe having means enabling the down-pipe to be seated and form a tight connection with the inlet by the relative downward shifting movement without rotation of the down-pipe in the flow pipe, means located at the lower fend of the flow pipe for guiding the down-pipe into the inlet, means for discharging the high-pressure gas upwardly inthe flow pipe, and means associated therewith for entraining the pumped liquid.

7. ln a gas lift pump for deep wells, the combination of a down-pipe extending down the iow pipe with means for seating the Ilower end of the same in the ilow pipe, a discharge nozzle connected with the down-pipe and located on the 'other side of the axis of the liow pipe, from the down-pi e for developing an upward iiow in the' ow pipe, and means associated therewith for entraining the pumped liquid.

8. ln a gas lift pump tor deep Lwells, the combination of a flow pipe, an eccentric down-pipe extending down the How pipe with meais for seating the lower end of the same in the flow pipe, a discharge nozzle connected with the down-pipe and located on the other side of the axis of the flow pipe, from the down-pipe for developing an upward"liow in the flow pipe, and a Venturi tube located within the flow pipe cooperating with the nozzle for entraining the pumped liquid. Y

9. ln a gas lift pump for deep wells, the combination of a, flow pipe, a pump body car- `ried thereby, an eccentric down-pipe 'extending down the dow pipe with means forseating flow pipe, an eccentric ico the lower end of the same at its lower endv in tached to the lower end of the How pi e, saidy pump body having a high pressure e amber for receiving the high pressure gas, said high pressure chamber having a tapered inlet on the upper side, a down pipe extending down from the mouth of the well for leading the high pressure gas down to the -pump body and having a tapered tip at its lower end capable of seating in the taperedinlet, said body having a nozzle communicating with said chamber and projecting upwardly for discharging the gas upwardly into the llowl pipe, and a Venturi tube mounted inthe body above the nozzle and cooperating with the 1' nozzle to entrain the pumped liquid andy carry the same up the flow pipe.

11. In a gas lift pump ,for deep wells, theoombination of a flow plpe, a pump body attached to the lower end of the flow pipe, said pump body having a high pressure chamber for receiving the high pressure gas, said high pressure chamber having a tapered inlet on the upper side, a down pipe extending down from the mouth of the well for leading the high pressure gas down to the pump body and having a tapered tip at its lower end Capable of seating in' the tapered inlet, said body having a nozzle communicating with said chamber and projecting upwardly for discharging the gas upwardly in the iow pipe, a Venturi tube mounted in the body above the nozzle and cooperating with the nozzle to entrain the pumped liquid and carry the same up the low pipe, and resilient guiding means for guiding the down pipe when the same is let down the flow pipe to center the same and seat its tapered tip in the tapered inlet.

12. In a gas lift pump for deep wells, a pump body having means at its upper end for attaching the same to a iiow pipe, and having a high pressure chamber within the same with an inlet at the upper end of the body, said body having a liquid chamber therein with means for admitting liquid thereto at the lower end of the body, a discharge nozzle mounted in the body within the liquid chamber and receiving gas from the high pressure chamber, and a Venturi tube mounted in the upper end of the body and cooperating with the nozzle to entrain liquid from the liquid chamber and force the same up the flow pipe.

Signed at Los Angeles, Calif., this 24th day of June, 1929.

JOSEPH HOWARD SLOCUM.

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