Intelligent force reducing double-acting counterweight

• US 10,202,973 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: George R. Dreher
• Original Assignee: George R. Dreher
• Inventors: Dreher, George R
• Primary Examiner(s): Tankersley, Blake A
• Application Number:
  US15/719,964
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/127 Adaptations of walking-beam pump systems
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/009 Monitoring of walking-beam pump systems
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 47/14 Counterbalancing
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 47/145 with fluid means
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/402 characterised by control arrangements for positioning, e.g. centring a tool relative to a hole in the workpiece, additional detection means to correct position G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/406 characterised by monitoring or safety G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31313 Measure weight, dimension and contents of box, tray

Abstract

A movable counterweight that can reduce lifting and lowering torque. In one embodiment, a beam pumping unit can have a movable beam counterweight attached to a positioning drive on the beam and can be intelligently positioned to achieve lowest net torque required by one or more of a prime mover and lowest net gear torque in in the speed reducer. Optionally, positioning can be calculated by one or more of monitoring current requirements of the motor and monitoring the beam load with a load cell, which can then be merged with crank position readings and processed into signals sent to the positioning drive, which causes the counterweight to move to the best position along the on the length of the beam to achieve one or more of near to lowest current draw by the prime mover and lowest net gear torque in in the speed reducer.

Claims

1. A torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance apparatus coupled to a lever of a beam pumping unit comprising:

a movable counterweight, said counterweight configured to translate a beam of the beam pumping unit;

a counterweight positioning drive, said counterweight positioning drive communicably couplable to the beam of the beam pumping unit;

wherein the movable counterweight is communicably coupled to said counterweight positioning drive such that said counterweight positioning drive exerts a motive force on said movable counterweight and thus causes said movable counterweight to translate along at least one of the length of the beam and substantially the entire length of the beam of the beam pumping unit;

a sensor positioned to directly measure or infer at least one of the power required of a prime mover and an amount of net gear torque in a speed reducer; and

control logic, said control logic determining where said movable counterweight should be positioned to reduce at least one of the power required of a prime mover and the amount of net gear torque in the speed reducer,

wherein said control logic is configured such that it determines where said movable counterweight should be positioned at least two times during each pumping cycle, and

wherein for each of the at least two times, an amount of movement of the movable counterweight is determined based on the measured or inferred at least one of the power required of the prime mover and the amount of net gear torque in the speed reducer.

2. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control logic is configured such that it determines where said movable counterweight should be positioned continuously during a pumping cycle to reduce at least one of the power required of the prime mover and the amount of net gear torque in in the speed reducer.

3. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance apparatus of claim 1 wherein said counterweight positioning drive comprises a pneumatically-powered counterweight positioning drive.

4. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance apparatus of claim 1 wherein said counterweight positioning drive comprises a hydraulically-powered counterweight positioning drive.

5. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance apparatus of claim 1 wherein said counterweight positioning drive comprises a rodless piston.

6. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance apparatus of claim 4 wherein said rodless piston comprises a double-acting rodless piston.

7. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance apparatus of claim 1 wherein said counterweight positioning drive comprises a rack and pinion counterweight positioning drive.

8. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance apparatus of claim 1 wherein said counterweight positioning drive comprises a lead screw counterweight positioning drive.

9. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance apparatus of claim 1 wherein said counterweight positioning drive comprises two opposing single acting rodless cylinders, tandem double-acting pneumatic cylinders;

ball screw;

magnetic field propulsion;

electro magnetism;

electric motor;

encoder;

gears;

cables;

chains;

or belts.

10. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance apparatus of claim 1 wherein said sensor is configured to sense at least one of the power required of a prime mover and the amount of net gear torque in the speed reducer.

11. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control logic is configured to cause said movable counterweight to be moved by said counterweight positioning drive to exert a downward force on a rear-portion of the beam, aft of a fulcrum of the beam, during an upstroke of the beam pumping unit, the rear-portion of the beam being an opposite end-portion of the beam from a head of the beam pumping unit.

12. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control logic is configured to cause said movable counterweight to be moved by said counterweight positioning drive to exert a downward force on a front-portion of the beam during a down-stroke of the beam pumping unit—

the front-portion of the beam being forward of a fulcrum of the beam, said movable counterweight thus residing on the same end-portion of the beam as a head of the beam pumping unit.

13. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance apparatus of claim 1 wherein said counterweight positioning drive uses magnetic field propulsion or electro magnetism.

14. A torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance method for reducing the net torque required to drive an unbalanced down hole lever-type beam pumping unit, the method comprising:

determining a weight imbalance of the beam pumping unit, having a load connected thereto, with a sensor;

positioning a movable counterweight to exert a downward force on a beam of the beam pumping unit to at least one of offset and more than offset the determined weight imbalance; and

repositioning the movable counterweight at least twice during a single pumping cycle, wherein repositioning the movable counterweight comprises moving the movable counterweight from one side of a fulcrum point of a beam to an opposing side of a fulcrum point of the beam,

wherein for each of the at least twice repositionings of the moveable counterweight, an amount of movement of the movable counterweight is determined based on the determined weight imbalance.

15. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance method of claim 14 wherein the determining of the weight imbalance of the beam pumping unit, having the load connected thereto, with the sensor comprises determining at least one of a power required of a prime mover and an amount of net gear torque in a speed reducer to operate the beam pumping unit, having the load connected thereto.

16. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance method of claim 14 wherein the repositioning of the movable counterweight comprises actuating a counterweight positioning drive.

17. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance method of claim 16 wherein the actuating of the counterweight positioning drive comprises actuating a double-acting rodless piston.

18. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance method of claim 14 wherein the determining of the weight imbalance of the beam pumping unit, having the load connected thereto, with the sensor comprises determining the weight imbalance of the beam pumping unit with the load connected thereto with the sensor at least twice during a single pumping cycle.

19. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance method of claim 14 wherein the determining of the weight imbalance of the beam pumping unit, having the load connected thereto, with the sensor comprises determining the weight imbalance of the beam pumping unit with the sensor at least 12 times during a single pumping cycle.

20. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance method of claim 14 wherein the determining of the weight imbalance of the beam pumping unit, having the load connected thereto, with the sensor and wherein the positioning of the movable counterweight are both at least partly accomplished by a programmable logic controller.

21. The torque-reducing effort assistive counterbalance method of claim 14 wherein the determining of the weight imbalance of the beam pumping unit, having the load connected thereto, with the sensor comprises measuring at least one of a power required of a prime mover and an amount of net gear torque in a speed reducer.

22. A torque-reducing effort assistive apparatus coupled to a lever comprising:

a movable counterweight, said movable counterweight communicably coupled to the lever and configured to translate along a length of the lever;

a counterweight positioning drive mechanically coupled to said movable counterweight, wherein said counterweight positioning drive is configured to position said movable counterweight along the length of the lever; and

a position selection apparatus in communication with the positioning drive to select a position of the movable counterweight, said position selection apparatus configured to automatically initiate adjustment of said movable counterweight at least twice during a single up and down reciprocation of said lever;

a sensor positioned to directly measure or infer at least one of the power required of a prime mover and an amount of net gear torque in a speed reducer; and

wherein for each of the at least two times of automatic adjustment of said moveable counterweight, an amount of movement of the movable counterweight is determined based on the measured or inferred at least one of the power required of the prime mover and the amount of net gear torque in the speed reducer.

23. The effort assistive apparatus of claim 22 wherein said position selection apparatus comprises a programmable logic controller.

24. The effort assistive apparatus of claim 22 wherein said position selection apparatus comprises at least one of a vector logic circuit and a counterweight position circuit.

25. The effort assistive apparatus of claim 22 wherein said counterweight positioning drive comprises a double-acting rodless piston.

26. The effort assistive apparatus of claim 22 wherein said counterweight positioning drive comprises a pneumatically-powered counterweight positioning drive.

27. The effort assistive apparatus of claim 22 wherein said counterweight positioning drive comprises a hydraulically-powered counterweight positioning drive.

28. The effort assistive apparatus of claim 22 wherein said counterweight positioning drive comprises a belt-powered counterweight positioning drive.

29. The effort assistive apparatus of claim 22 wherein said counterweight positioning drive comprises a rack and pinion counterweight positioning drive.

30. The effort assistive apparatus of claim 22 wherein said counterweight positioning drive comprises a lead screw counterweight positioning drive.