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US 7,270,186 B2Granted
Downhole well pump
AssigneeBurlington Resources Oil & Gas Company LP
InventorKenneth G. Johnson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The pump and pump system of the present invention is designed to remove liquids, gas, sand and coal fines from gas and/or oil well bores. There is a need in the oil and gas industry to develop a more efficient operating pump that is capable of operating in wells that do not have enough bottom hole pressure to lift liquids to the surface causing the well to log off with fluids and if not economic, potentially be plugged prematurely. Additionally, this design will allow the producer the ability to conduct well bore maintenance such as acid flushes for perforation cleaning and scale batch treating for continued scale treatment.
Claims65
A downhole well pump system comprising:
- a pump housing having an engine end and a pump end;
- an engine disposed within said engine end of said housing, said engine comprising at least one engine-end blade fixably connected to a shaft, said shaft being vertically disposed within said housing and said at least one engine-end blade being designed to cause said shaft to rotate when a pressurized gas flows across said at least one engine-end blade;
- a pump disposed within said pump end of said housing, said pump comprising at least one pump-end blade fixably connected to said shaft, said at least one pump-end blade being designed to lift well fluids vertically upon rotation of said shaft;
- and
- a string of tubing disposed within a wellbore and attached to said housing for providing a conduit through which said pressurized gas is supplied to said engine, said tubing string having an outer diameter and an inner diameter, wherein said pump housing has an outer diameter greater that the inner diameter of said tubing string.
2 more elements
A method of producing fluids from a well comprising:
- collecting fluids produced from said well;
- separating liquid from gas in said fluid;
- compressing said gas to control the pressure thereof;
- and
- supplying said compressed gas to a pump disposed in said well, said pump including (1) an engine portion that is powered by said pressurized gas and effectuates a rotation of a vertical shaft disposed within said pump and (2) a pump portion that lifts fluids from said well by blades disposed within said pump portion affixed to said rotating shaft.
2 more elements
A method of producing fluids from a well comprising:
- receiving pressurized gas, the pressurized gas including gas produced from the well, the well including a well casing surrounding a tubing string and an annulus between the casing and the tubing string, the annulus being open from a pay zone to a point upwell of a pump disposed in the well and the annulus being in fluid communication with a point adjacent a wellbore opening at the surface;
- and
- supplying the pressurized gas to the pump disposed in the well, the pump adapted for employing the pressurized gas for generating a force for lifting the fluids from the well, wherein the pressurized gas is supplied to the pump prior to the pressurized gas entering a sales line.
A method of producing fluids from a well comprising:
- compressing at least a portion of gas produced from said well with a compressor to produce pressurized gas;
- receiving said pressurized gas, said pressurized gas including gas produced from said well;
- and
- supplying said pressurized gas to a pump disposed in said well, said pump adapted for employing said pressurized gas for generating a force for lifting said fluids from said well.
1 more element
A downhole well pump system comprising:
- a pump configured to employ pressurized gas for generating a force for lifting fluids from a well, the pressurized gas including gas produced from the well, the well including a well casing surrounding a tubing string and an annulus between the casing and the tubing string, the annulus being open from a pay zone to a point unwell of a pump disposed in the well and the annulus being in fluid communication with a point adjacent the wellbore opening at the surface, wherein at least a portion of the pressurized gas is supplied to the pump via the tubing string prior to the pressurized gas entering a sales line.
A downhole well pump system comprising:
- a pump adapted to employ pressurized gas for generating a force for lifting fluids from a well, said pressurized gas including gas produced from said well;
- and
- a compressor for compressing at least a portion of gas produced from said well to produce said pressurized gas.
A method of producing fluids from a well, the fluids including production gas, said method comprising:
- creating, using pressurized gas, a reduced pressure inlet for lifting fluids from the well, the pressurized gas comprising gas produced from the well, the well including a well casing surrounding a tubing string and an annulus between the casing and the tubing string, the annulus being open from a pay zone to a point upwell of a pump disposed in the well and the annulus being in fluid communication with a point adjacent a wellbore opening at the surface;
- and
- supplying the pressurized gas via the tubing string to the pump for creating the reduced pressure inlet prior to the pressurized gas entering a sales line.
A downhole well pump system for pumping fluids from a well, comprising:
- a pump mechanism configured to employing pressurized gas to create a reduced pressure inlet for lifting fluids from a well, wherein the pressurized gas comprises gas produced from the well, wherein the pressurized gas is supplied to the pump mechanism via a tubing string prior to the pressurized gas entering a sales line, the well including a well casing surrounding the tubing string and an annulus between the casing and the tubing string, the annulus being open from a pay zone to a point unwell of the pump mechanism disposed in the well and the annulus being in fluid communication with a point adjacent the wellbore opening at the surface.
A downhole well pump system for pumping fluids from a well comprising:
- a compressor for controlling a pressure of a pressurized gas;
- and
- a pump mechanism adapted for employing said pressurized gas to create a reduced pressure inlet for lifting fluids from a well, wherein said pressurized gas comprises gas produced from said well, said well including (a) a well casing surrounding a first tubing string and (b) an annulus between said casing and said first tubing string, said annulus being open from said pay zone to a point upwell of a pump disposed in said well and said annulus being in fluid communication with a point adjacent the wellbore opening at the surface.
A method of producing fluids from a well having a wellbore opening at the surface, a pay zone, a casing, the method comprising:
- disposing a first tubing string within the casing such that an annulus between the casing and the first tubing string is in fluid communication between a point proximate the pay zone and a point proximate the wellbore opening;
- disposing a pump in the first tubing proximate the pay zone, the pump configured to use a pressurized gas to generate a force for lifting the fluids to the wellbore opening;
- pressurizing a gas, the gas including gas produced from the well;
- and
- supplying the pressurized gas to the pump.
2 more elements
A system for producing fluids from a well having a wellbore opening at the surface, a pay zone, and a casing, the system comprising:
- a first tubing string disposed within the casing such that an annuls between the casing and the first tubing string being in fluid communication between a point proximate the pay zone and a point proximate the wellbore opening:
- a pump disposed in the first tubing proximate the pay zone, the pump configured to use a pressurized gas to generate a force for lifting the fluids to the wellbore opening;and
- a compressor coupled to the well and to the pump, for pressurizing a gas including gas produced from the well and supplying the pressurized gas to the pump.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.