US 8,011,901 B2Granted

Discharge pressure actuated pump

AssigneeSuncor Energy Inc.

InventorGrant Duncan

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A pump has a pump barrel formed from a larger diameter section and a smaller diameter section. Each section has a biased piston moveable within the section and the pistons are connected together to form a variable volume chamber between the pistons. As the connected pistons move toward the larger diameter section, a volume of fluid is moved through an inlet valve into the variable volume chamber of increasing volume. When the pistons are moved toward the smaller diameter section, a differential volume of fluid is discharged from the variable volume chamber of decreasing volume through a discharge valve into a discharge conduit. The pistons are actuated to move within the pump barrel by application and release of pressure at a remote end of the discharge conduit.

Claims33

Dependent claims

A fluid apparatus comprising:

a pump barrel having a first barrel section in fluid communication with a fluid source and a second barrel section in fluid communication with a discharge conduit;
a first piston housed in the first barrel section for axial movement therein;
a second piston housed in the second barrel section for axial movement therein in response to application of an actuating pressure to the discharge conduit, the first and second pistons defining a variable volume chamber between the first and second pistons;
a biasing element coupled to at least one of the first and second pistons;
an inlet check valve operable to permit fluid to flow from the fluid source into the variable volume chamber;
an outlet check valve operable to permit fluid to flow from the variable volume chamber into the discharge conduit;
a bypass passageway having an inlet end in fluid communication with the fluid source and an outlet end in fluid communication with the discharge conduit, the bypass passageway being in fluid communication with the variable volume chamber, and wherein the inlet check valve is disposed at the inlet end of the bypass passageway and operable to permit fluid to flow through the bypass passageway into the variable volume chamber and the outlet check valve is positioned at the outlet end of the bypass passageway and operable to permit fluid to be discharged from the variable volume chamber through the bypass passageway;
and
means for connecting the first and second pistons to cause movement of the first piston in response to movement of the second piston caused by the actuating pressure, the respective movements of the first and second pistons being operable to increase the volume of the variable volume chamber thereby drawing fluid into the variable volume chamber through the inlet check valve while causing energy to be stored in the biasing element, the stored energy in the biasing element being subsequently operable to cause respective return movement of the first and second pistons when the actuating pressure is decreased, the respective return movement of the first and second pistons being operable to reduce the volume of the variable volume chamber thereby causing fluid to be discharged from the variable volume chamber through the outlet check valve.

6 more elements

A fluid apparatus comprising:

a pump barrel having a first barrel section in fluid communication with a fluid source and a second barrel section in fluid communication with a discharge conduit;
a first piston housed in the first barrel section for axial movement therein;
a second piston housed in the second barrel section for axial movement therein in response to application of an actuating pressure to the discharge conduit, the first and second pistons defining a variable volume chamber between the first and second pistons;
a biasing element coupled to at least one of the first and second pistons;
an inlet check valve operable to permit fluid to flow from the fluid source into the variable volume chamber;
an outlet check valve operable to permit fluid to flow from the variable volume chamber into the discharge conduit;
a bypass passageway having an inlet end in fluid communication with the fluid source and an outlet end in fluid communication with the discharge conduit, the bypass passageway being in fluid communication with the variable volume chamber, wherein the inlet check valve is disposed at the inlet end of the bypass passageway and is operable to permit fluid to flow through the bypass passageway into the variable volume chamber and the outlet check valve is positioned at the outlet end of the bypass passageway and is operable to permit fluid to be discharged from the variable volume chamber through the bypass passageway;
and
a connector between the first and second pistons, the connector being operably configured to cause movement of the first piston in response to movement of the second piston caused by the actuating pressure, the respective movements of the first and second pistons being operable to increase the volume of the variable volume chamber thereby drawing fluid into the variable volume chamber through the inlet check valve while causing energy to be stored in the biasing element, the stored energy in the biasing element being subsequently operable to cause respective return movement of the first and second pistons when the actuating pressure is decreased, the respective return movement of the first and second pistons being operable to reduce the volume of the variable volume chamber thereby causing fluid to be discharged from the variable volume chamber through the outlet check valve.

6 more elements

A method for producing accumulated liquids from a gas well, the method comprising:

positioning a fluid apparatus in a wellbore and forming an annulus therebetween, the fluid apparatus having:
a pump barrel having a first barrel section in fluid communication with a fluid source and a second barrel section in fluid communication with a discharge conduit;
a first piston housed in the first barrel section for axial movement therein;
a second piston housed in the second barrel section for axial movement therein, the first and second pistons defining a variable volume chamber between the first and second pistons;
a biasing element coupled to at least one of the first and second pistons;
an inlet check valve operable to permit fluid to flow from the fluid source to the variable volume chamber;
an outlet check valve operable to permit fluid to flow from the variable volume chamber to the discharge conduit;
a bypass passageway having an inlet end in fluid communication with the fluid source and an outlet end in fluid communication with the discharge conduit, the bypass passageway being in fluid communication with the variable volume chamber, wherein the inlet check valve is disposed at the inlet end of the bypass passageway and is operable to permit fluid to flow through the bypass passageway into the variable volume chamber and the outlet check valve is disposed at the outlet end of the bypass passageway and is operable to permit fluid to be discharged from the variable volume chamber through the bypass passageway;
and
a connector between the first and second pistons, the connector being operably configured to cause movement of the first piston in response to movement of the second piston;
producing gas to surface through the annulus to cause liquid to accumulate in the wellbore adjacent a distal end of the conduit;
cyclically applying an actuating pressure at the discharge conduit to cause the first and second pistons to move to increase the volume of the variable volume chamber thereby drawing accumulated liquid into the variable volume chamber through the inlet check valve while causing energy to be stored in the biasing element;
and
releasing the actuating pressure to permit the stored energy in the biasing element to cause respective return movement of the first and second pistons, the respective return movement of the first and second pistons being operable to reduce the volume of the variable volume chamber thereby causing fluid to be discharged from the variable volume chamber through the outlet check valve to the discharge conduit.

11 more elements

A fluid apparatus comprising:

a pump barrel having a first barrel section in fluid communication with a fluid source and a second barrel section in fluid communication with a discharge conduit;
a first piston housed in the first barrel section for axial movement therein;
a second piston housed in the second barrel section for axial movement therein in response to application of an actuating pressure to the discharge conduit, the first and second pistons defining a variable volume chamber between the first and second pistons;
a biasing element coupled to at least one of the first and second pistons;
a bypass passageway having an inlet end in fluid communication with the fluid source and an outlet end in fluid communication with the discharge conduit, the bypass passageway being in fluid communication with the variable volume chamber through at least one port, the bypass passageway further comprising:
(i) a first one-way valve means for permitting one-way fluid flow into the bypass passageway, the first one-way valve means being operable to facilitate fluid flow from the inlet end, through the at least one port, into the variable volume chamber;
and
(ii) a second one-way valve means for permitting one-way fluid flow out of the bypass passageway, the second one-way valve means being operable to facilitate fluid flow from the variable volume chamber, through the at least one port, and out the outlet end into the discharge conduit;
and
a connector between the first and second pistons, the connector being operably configured to cause movement of the first piston in a first axial direction in response to movement of the second piston in the first axial direction caused by the actuating pressure, the respective movements of the first and second pistons in the first axial direction being operable to increase the volume of the variable volume chamber thereby drawing fluid into the variable volume chamber through the first one-way valve means while causing energy to be stored in the biasing element, the stored energy in the biasing element being subsequently operable to cause respective movement of the first and second pistons in a second axial direction, opposite to the first axial direction, when the actuating pressure is decreased, the respective movement of the first and second pistons in the second axial direction being operable to reduce the volume of the variable volume chamber thereby causing fluid to be discharged from the variable volume chamber, through the second one-way valve means, and into the discharge conduit.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A fluid apparatus comprising:

a pump barrel having a first barrel section in fluid communication with a fluid source and a second barrel section in fluid communication with a discharge conduit;
a first piston housed in the first barrel section for axial movement therein;
a second piston housed in the second barrel section for axial movement therein in response to application of an actuating pressure to the discharge conduit, the first and second pistons defining a variable volume chamber between the first and second pistons;
a biasing element coupled to at least one of the first and second pistons;
an inlet check valve operable to permit fluid to flow from the fluid source into the variable volume chamber;
an outlet check valve operable to permit fluid to flow from the variable volume chamber into the discharge conduit;
a bypass passageway having an inlet end in fluid communication with the fluid source and an outlet end in fluid communication with the discharge conduit, the bypass passageway being in fluid communication with the variable volume chamber, and wherein the inlet check valve is disposed at the inlet end of the bypass passageway and operable to permit fluid to flow through the bypass passageway into the variable volume chamber and the outlet check valve is positioned at the outlet end of the bypass passageway and operable to permit fluid to be discharged from the variable volume chamber through the bypass passageway;
and
means for connecting the first and second pistons to cause movement of the first piston in response to movement of the second piston caused by the actuating pressure, the respective movements of the first and second pistons being operable to increase the volume of the variable volume chamber thereby drawing fluid into the variable volume chamber through the inlet check valve while causing energy to be stored in the biasing element, the stored energy in the biasing element being subsequently operable to cause respective return movement of the first and second pistons when the actuating pressure is decreased, the respective return movement of the first and second pistons being operable to reduce the volume of the variable volume chamber thereby causing fluid to be discharged from the variable volume chamber through the outlet check valve.

6 more elements