Passive gas separator for progressing cavity pumps
AssigneeBak
InventorsDonn J. Brown, Brown Lyle Wilson, Roger D. Stair
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrical submersible well pump assembly having a progressing cavity pump, a pump motor, a flex shaft connecting the pump motor to the pump, and a gas/liquid separator on the inlet to the pump. An inner and outer housing circumscribe a portion of the flex shaft, each having fluid inlets. The fluid inlets on the outer housing are above the inner housing inlets and an annulus is formed between the inner and outer housing. Wellbore fluid enters the assembly through the outer housing inlets, flows downward through the annulus, and into the inner housing inlets. Gas separates from the liquid as the fluid flows downward from the outer housing inlets to the inner housing inlets.
Claims20
A progressing cavity pump for pumping wellbore production fluid comprising:
- a helical rotor;
- a pump inlet;
- a motor having an output shaft;
- a flex shaft mechanically coupling the output shaft and the helical rotor;
- a flex shaft housing circumscribing a portion of the flex shaft;
- and
- a passive gas separator provided in the flex shaft housing, the separator disposed generally parallel to the flex shaft.
A system for pumping fluid from a well, comprising:
- a downhole progressing cavity pump having a helical rotor and a pump inlet;
- a pump motor;
- a flex shaft connecting the progressing cavity pump to the pump motor;
- a flex shaft housing having a sidewall containing fluid ports on an upper portion of the flex shaft housing;
- and
- an elongated gas/liquid separator disposed within the housing around the flex shaft, the separator on one end being in fluid communication with the fluid ports and on a second end in fluid communication with the pump inlet, wherein well fluid entering the fluid ports flows in a substantially downward direction.
A method for producing wellbore fluids comprising:
- providing a pumping system in a wellbore, the system comprising a progressing cavity pump having a pump inlet, a pump motor, a well fluid inlet, a flex shaft for driving the pump, the shaft coupled to the pump motor, and an elongate gas/liquid separator disposed around at least a portion of the flex shaft, the separator oriented substantially parallel with an axis of the pump;
- energizing the motor, thereby activating the pump to draw fluid into the well fluid inlet;
- and
- directing the fluid drawn into the well fluid inlet downwardly through the elongate gas/liquid separator then back upwardly, thereby separating gas from the fluid to form a separated fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.