US3004497A - Well pumping equipment - Google Patents

Description

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WELL PUMPING EQUIPMENT BenjaminH. Lybyer, 526 W. th St., Casper, `Wyo.

. Filed Jan. 4, 1960, SelxNo. 441- A 1 Claim. (Cl. 10S-203) This invention relates to oil well pumping equipment, and more particularly to an oil, gas, and sediment separator for use in oil wells, and corresponds generally to Zth'e type disclosed in my prior United States Patents l,- 698,444, issued July 16, 1925, and 2,345,710, issued April .4, A1944. In particular, the device of the present inven- `proved separator for use in oil wells, which separator Vmay be readily/disassembled for cleaning purposes and may be reused many times.

"These and further objectsl and advantages will become .readily apparent to those skilled'in the art upon reading the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a radial sectional view of an oil well casing illustrating the preferred form of separator disposed in working relationship therewith;

FIGURE 2 is a radial sectional view of the preferred form of coupling member shown on an enlarged scale; and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawings, particularly to FIG- URE 1, the preferred form of separator 10 of this invention is shown installed in working relationship within an oil well casing 12. The separator 10 comprises an outer elongated tubing section 14 having a diameter substantially less than that of the well casing. The upper end of an outer section 14 is externally threaded to receive one end 16 of a tubular coupling member 18. The other end of coupling member 18 may be suitably threaded to detachably connect the separator `10 to a working pump barrel 22 extending downwardly within the well casing 12. The lower end of outer tubing section 10 is also exterior-ly threaded to receive one end 24 of a tubular coupling member 26. The other end 28 of tubular coupling member 26 is suitably threaded to receive a plug means 30. Plug means 30 preferably comprises a section, or sections, 32 of tubing which may be suitably connected as by the threaded sleeve 34 as desired, to increase the length of the plug means, depending upon the depth of the well. The lower end of the bottommost section 32 is closed off by a bull plug 36 so that the tubing sections 32 and plug 36 define la. sediment trap 38. Concentrically arranged within outer tubing section 14 is an inner tubing section 40 having a diameter less than the diameter of the outer tubing section to define a iluid passage 42 therebetween. Inner tubing section 40 is corrugated or pinched at axially spaced positions 44 to provide a plurality of axially spaced interior restrictions 46. Inner tubing section 40 is mounted within outer tub- Ving section 14 by means of the coupling members 18 and Referring now to FIGURE 2, tubular coupling member 18 is internally threaded at each of its ends 16 and respectively so that the end 20I may threadedly receive pump barrel 22 and the other end 16 may threadedly receive the upper end of outer tubing section 14. Coupling member 18 has an integral thin radial web portion rates Pa-tency 3,004,497 Patented Oct. 17, V1951 Y ice one end of a sectional tubular Yadaptor 54 comprising tubular sections 56joined together as by a slip fitting. The

Supper end of the adaptor 54 is exteriorly threaded in j.order to be threadedly connected to axial bore 52 of coupling .18.. The lower tubular coupling member 26 is in all respects similar to upper coupling member 18, and

pling 18 sotha't the llower, endof inner tubing section 40 posed in surrounding relationship to outer tubing section 'j 14 at a position between its ends and between coupling members 18 and 26. The packer 58 may be secured to 'the outertubing section 14 by means of a tubular steel thimble 60, or any other of the wellknown means. Outer tubing Vsection 14 has diagonally opposed apertures 62 located adjacent to and above the packer 58 but substantially below coupling member 18.

With the various elements of the separator thus assembled and mounted upon the pump barrel 22, the separator is moved downwardly within the oil Well casing 12 until the bore 50 of lower coupling member 26 is disposed beneath the surface of the uid within the well. The packer S8 being in firm engagement with the walls of well casing 12, provides a huid-tight seal between the well casing 12 and the separator 10. In operation, then, with the parts assembled as described above and the separator 10 disposed within the well casing, oil, with gas and sediment entrapped therein, enters the separator through the bore 50 in the lower coupling member 26. The oil, gas and sediment may then only follow a path through the T passage 513 and upwardly within inner tubing section 40 towards upper coupling member 16, under well pressure. As the mixed iluid passes upwardly within the tubing `40 it encounters the plurality of spaced restrictions 46 which effect a partial separation of the gas from the oil and sediment. As the mixed uid continues its upper movement within inner tubing section 40 and adaptor 54, it then passes into the T bore 58 therein and out the bore 50 in the radial web 48 of upper coupling member 18. Gas, which has been liberated from the oil and sediment, passes outwardly from coupling member 18 through the bore 50' and then upwardly within well casing 12 outside of pump barrel 22. The oil with the sediment entrapped, similarly passes outwardly through the bore 50 of upper coupling member 18 and then falls downwardly between well casing 12 and the outside tubing section y14 until it reaches the packer 58; whereupon, the oil and sediment collect and ll the space between well casing 12, packer 58, and separator 10. When the pump (not shown) is activated, oil, with the sediment entrapped, enters through the apertures 62 of outer tubing section 14 and into the passageway 42 surrounding inner tubing section 40. Oil is drawn upwardly within the passageway 42 by the negative pressure created by the pump and passes through upper coupling member 18 and around its radial web 48 into the pump barrel 22. The sediment, which falls out of the oil, passes downwardly Within the passageway 42 between outer tubing section 14 and inner tubing section 40 and through the lower coupling member 26 and past its radial web 48 into the sediment trap 38. When the sediment trap 38 has become filled such that the sediment begins to back tages, are' successfully achieved. As various Apossible embodiments may be made of the mechanical features of the aboveinvention, Vall without departing from the'scope thereof, it is to vbe understood that all matter hereinbefore setf'orth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

A device for separating gas and sediment from oil in a well having a casing and pump barrel 'disposed therein comprising: an outer'tubular member; an inner tubular member concentric within said outer tubular member; said members being of substantially equal lengthfthe inner Wall of said outer tubular member and the outer V.Wall of said inner tubular. member comprising va uid passage, said inner tubular member having a plurality of Vinwardly projecting corrugations deningaxially spaced restrictions on the inner surface thereof whereby small Ventrained gas bubbles are caused to coalesce into larger gas bubbles for subsequent separation from the Well fluid; a rst tubular coupling having a radial web therein, one `end of said coupling secured to said pump barrel,

the other end of said coupling secured to said outer tubular member, said web including a first bore therein in communication with the `exterior' of said coupling and an axial bore in communication with said rst bore and the interior of said inner tubular member; a second tubular coupling having a radial web and secured at one end to said vouter tubular member, said'web including a first bore in Ycommunication withthe exterior of said coupling and an axial bore in communication with said rst bore and the interior of said inner tubular member, said first/bore providing an inlet for the Well uid; plug "means secured to -the other end of ksaid secondcoupling; Va `packer surrounding said outer tubular member Aand 4adapted to seal with the well casing to Aiiorm'a sediment trap, and apertures `in said outer tubular member spaced "above said packer'to provide communication between "the interior of said outer tubular member and .the interior 'of said casing so that gas free Well iluid is allowed to pass to rsaid pump,v l e i' References'Citedin the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS `l`1,514,200 j Chrisman Nov. 4, 1924 1,603,675 Folsom et al. Oct. 19j, 1926 1,674,815 A Barnhart June 26, 1928 2,014,562 Foggan Sept. 17, 1935 i 2,525,233' `Mi11er l Oct. 10, 1950 l Munk Oct; 3l, 1950

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