Hydraulically Powered Ball Valve Lift Apparatus and Method for Downhole Pump Travelling Valves
AssigneeTru Lift Supply Inc.
InventorAlexander Kowalchuk
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The Invention provided is a hydraulic powered downhole reciprocating pump traveling valve component to provided lifting hydraulics on the down stroke using the derived motion and pressure of petroleum liquids and gasses, such as oil, water and natural gas. Designed to utilize the elements within the pumping apparatus to obtain the hydraulic power within and transfer the energy's force to the exposed bottom end of the pressure locked traveling ball valve adjacent within the ball valve containment cage, providing ultimate lifting power to open the ball valve on the initiation of the down stroke.
Claims21
A ball valve lift apparatus for use with a reciprocating downhole pump having a travelling valve assembly on a piston that is slidingly disposed in a pump barrel and features a ball valve that seals against a ball seat when in a closed position, the ball valve lift apparatus comprising:
- a hollow housing having a north end arranged for coupling to the piston of the downhole pump to reside in a position south of the ball seat of the valve assembly, the hollow housing having a hollow interior that is open to an exterior of the hollow housing at both the north end of the housing and an opposing south end thereof;
- a shaft received in the hollow interior of the hollow housing in a manner slidable back and forth therein, the shaft having a hollow interior flow passage opening axially through a north end of the shaft;
- and
- a movable member attached to a south end of the shaft for contact with fluid in the pump barrel during a downstroke of the pump, the hollow interior flow passage of the shaft being in fluid communication with a space beyond a south end of the movable member;
- the shaft being slidable relative to the housing between a first position and a second position in which the shaft is located northward of the first position and projects externally northward of the housing from the north end thereof by a sufficient distance to displace the ball valve from the ball seat, thereby enabling fluid flow northward through the ball seat via the hollow interior flow passage of the shaft.
Method of lifting a ball valve of a travelling valve assembly in a downhole pump and producing fluid through said travelling valve assembly, the method comprising, with a ball lift apparatus of a type comprising a shaft slidably disposed in a surrounding housing attached to the travelling valve assembly at a location southward of a valve seat of the travelling valve assembly and arranged to lift the ball valve from the valve seat by movement of a north end of the shaft through an opening of the ball seat during of a downstroke of the downhole pump, and with the ball having been lifted from the ball seat during the downstroke of the downhole pump, flowing fluid northward through the opening of the ball seat via a hollow interior of the shaft that opens from said shaft at the northern end thereof.
A ball valve lift apparatus for use with a reciprocating downhole pump having a travelling valve assembly on a piston that is slidingly disposed in a pump barrel and features a ball valve that seals against a ball seat when in a closed position, the ball valve lift apparatus comprising:
- a hollow housing having a north end arranged for coupling to the piston of the downhole pump to reside in a position south of the ball seat of the valve assembly, the hollow housing having a hollow interior that is open to an exterior of the hollow housing at both the north end of the housing and an opposing south end thereof;
- a shaft received in the hollow interior of the hollow housing and leaving at least one external flow passage open between the shaft and internal surfaces of the hollow housing, the shaft being slidable back and forth therein between a first position in which the movable member resides adjacent the south end of the hollow housing and a second position in which the shaft is located northward of the first position and projects externally northward of the housing from the north end thereof by a sufficient distance to displace the ball valve from the ball seat;
- a movable member attached to a south end of the shaft inside the housing, the movable member having a first plurality of flow openings spaced apart from one another circumferentially around the shaft.
A ball valve lift apparatus for use with a reciprocating downhole pump having a travelling valve assembly on a piston that is slidingly disposed in a pump barrel and features a ball valve that seals against a ball seat when in a closed position, the ball valve lift apparatus comprising:
- an attachment arranged for coupling to the piston of the downhole pump in a fixed position relative thereto at a location south of the ball seat of the valve assembly, the attachment comprising an externally threaded coupling portion matable with an internally threaded end of the valve assembly to secure the attachment in the fixed position, a shaft portion of lesser outer therefrom, and at least one flow passage passing axially through the attachment from a south end of the attachment portion to enable fluid flow northwardly through the attachment toward the ball seat.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.