US 4,381,177 AGranted

Sonic pressure wave surface operated pump

OwnerArthur P. Bentleyinventor

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Abstract

A single tube surface operated pump including a piston reciprocally mounted in a cylinder for alternately opening and closing a liquid delivery port formed in the side of the cylinder and for generating a sonic pressure wave by impacting a column of liquid contained in a metallic tube extending from the cylinder to a remote pumping mechanism located in communication with the liquid to be pumped. The piston is especially configured with a central recess in the face thereof so that the sonic pressure waves generated thereby will pass through a sonic pressure wave swirl chamber and move toward the pumping mechanism in a spiral-like motion against the inner wall of the metallic tube and enter into a sonic intensifier chamber where they are reflected off the pumping mechanism into a central column which travels back toward the cylinder and causes the fluid to be pumped to move in that same direction.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A sonic pressure wave surface operated single tube pump for pumping liquid from an underground level to a ground level, said pump containing a column of liquid and comprising:

(a) a sonic pressure wave generator at the ground surface and including,
I. a cylinder having a bore and a liquid delivery port extending radially from said bore,
II. a piston reciprocal in said cylinder and movable to open and close said delivery port, said piston having an end face with a central recess therein for reciprocally impacting the column of liquid to produce sonic pressure waves which move through the column of liquid adjacent the periphery thereof;
(b) a sonic pressure wave swirl chamber defining a bore and having a tangential port opening into that bore adjacent one end thereof, said tangential port being in communication with the bore of said cylinder for receiving the sonic pressure waves therefrom and directing them into the bore of said swirl chamber;
(c) an elongated metallic tube connected to said swirl chamber so that its bore is in communication with the other end of the bore of said swirl chamber for receiving the sonic pressure waves therefrom, said tube having its longitudinal axis disposed in angular relationship with respect to the longitudinal axis of said cylinder, said tube extending through the ground formation to the underground level;
(d) said bore of said swirl chamber being of oblique cylindrical configuration for angularly altering the movement path of the sonic pressure waves from being coaxial with said cylinder to being coaxial with said tube;
and
(e) pumping mechanism means connected to the extending end of said tube and in communication with the underground liquid to be pumped, said pumping mechanism means including a reciprocally operable plunger for impingingly receiving the sonic pressure waves from said tube and reflecting them into a centrally and upwardly moving column which carries the liquid to be pumped to the ground surface.

5 more elements

A sonic pressure wave surface operated single tube pump for pumping liquid from an underground level to a ground surface comprising:

(a) a sonic pressure wave generator including,
I. a cylinder housing having a bore for containing liquid in one end portion thereof and having a liquid delivery port means extending laterally from that bore,
II. a liquid impacting piston reciprocal in the bore of said cylinder housing for opening and closing the liquid delivery port means thereof and for reciprocally impacting the liquid containable therein,
III. said liquid impacting piston having a liquid impacting end face with a central recess formed therein which generates a sonic pressure wave upon impacting the liquid containable in the bore of said cylinder housing;
(b) a sonic pressure wave swirl chamber including,
I. a housing of oblique circular cylindrical configuration having a bore for containing liquid,
II. a top plate for closing one end of said oblique circular cylindrical housing,
III. a conduit connected between said oblique circular cylindrical housing and said cylinder housing to place the bore of said oblique circular cylindrical housing in communication with the one end of the bore of said cylinder housing, said conduit being disposed adjacent said top plate and tangential with respect to said oblique circular cylindrical housing,
IV. a bottom plate for closing the other end of said oblique circular cylindrical housing;
(c) a metallic tube having a bore for containing liquid and having one end connected to said bottom plate with the bore of said metallic tube being in communication with the bore of said oblique circular cylindrical housing so that the sonic pressure waves generatable in said cylinder housing will pass through said sonic pressure wave swirl chamber and be received and transmitted in the bore of said metallic tube;
and
(d) pumping mechanism means connected to the other end of said tube and in communication with the liquid to be pumped, said pumping mechanism means including a reciprocally operable plunger for impingingly receiving the sonic pressure waves when transmitted by said tube and reflecting those waves into a centrally and upwardly moving column.

9 more elements

In a sonic pressure wave surface operated single tube pump for pumping liquid from an underground level to a ground surface comprising:

(a) a liquid reservoir at the ground surface for containing liquid the same as the liquid to be pumped;
(b) a sonic pressure wave generator including,
I. a cylinder having a bore with a liquid delivery port extending laterally from the bore and in communication with said reservoir,
II. a piston reciprocal in said cylinder and movable into positions opening and closing said port,
III. said piston having an end face which engages liquid in the cylinder and which is formed with a central recess which generates a sonic pressure wave upon impact of said end face with the liquid;
(c) a sonic pressure wave swirl chamber including,
I. a housing of oblique circular cylindrical configuration and having a bore,
II. a top plate for closing one end of said oblique circular cylindrical housing,
III. a conduit connected between said oblique circular cylindrical housing and said cylinder to place the bore of said oblique circular cylindrical housing in communication with the bore of said cylinder, said conduit being disposed adjacent said top plate and tangential with respect to said oblique circular cylindrical housing,
IV. a bottom plate for closing the other end of said oblique circular cylindrical housing;
(d) power operating means for reciprocating said piston in said cylinder;
(e) a metallic tube having a bore and connected to said bottom plate so that the bore of said metallic tube is in communication with the bore of said oblique circular cylindrical housing, said metallic tube extending through the ground formation to the underground level;
(f) a pumping mechanism at said underground level including,
I. a housing having a bore with its upper end connected to said tube and having a lower end wall formed with a passage communicating with the liquid in the power level,
II. a one-way check valve in said passage,
III. a plunger reciprocal in said housing and including a head from which depends a reduced diameter stem providing a passage through said plunger,
IV. an internal rib in the bore of said housing,
V. a compression spring interposed between said rib and the head of said plunger and exerting a force which counterbalances the weight of a column of liquid in said tube;
and
(g) said plunger head having a substantially flat upper surface for reflecting sonic pressure waves coming downwardly along the inner surface of said tube inwardly and upwardly to move liquid upwardly through said tube and said sonic pressure wave swirl chamber to said sonic pressure wave generator and through said liquid delivery port when the latter is open.

17 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 06/253,317Filed 13 Apr 1981 · continuation in part
Priority: 8 Nov 1978
Granted: 26 Apr 1983
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

E21B 43/003
Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells: vibrating earth formations
E21B 28/00
Vibration generating arrangements for boreholes or wells
F04B 47/04
The driving mechanisms being situated at ground level: the driving means incorporating fluid means
F04B 47/08
Having motor-pump units situated at great depth: the motors being actuated by fluid

Family

Serial958,552Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 8 Nov 1978
Serial160,934Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 19 Jun 1980
US 4,259,799 AParent of this continuation-in-part · filed 20 Oct 1981
US 4,341,505 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 4,381,177 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.