Regenerative hydraulic lift system

• US 8,083,499 B1
• Filed: 10/10/2006
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Efficere, LLC, Rodmax Oil & Gas, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualift Corporation
• Inventors: Krug, David A., Nelsen, Stanley D., Allison, J. Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Kramer, Devon C
• Assistant Examiner(s): STIMPERT, PHILIP EARL
• Application Number:
  US11/548,256
• Time in Patent Office: 1,904 Days
• Field of Search: 417/555.2, 417/46, 417/390, 417/904, 921/65.PR, 921/81.R, 921/81.P, 604/14
• US Class Current: 417/390
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/126 Adaptations of down-hole pump systems powered by drives outside the borehole, e.g. by a rotary or oscillating drive powered by fluid E21B43/129
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 47/026 Pull rods, full rod component parts
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 47/04 the driving means incorporating fluid means
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 15/18 Combined units comprising both motor and pump
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 417/904 Well pump driven by fluid motor mounted above ground

Abstract

A hydraulic cylinder assembly for a fluid pump including a cylinder, a bearing attached to an approximate first end of the cylinder, a rod slideably mounted within the bearing, and a piston located about an end of the rod in the cylinder opposite the bearing. A central axis of the rod is offset from, and parallel to, a centerline of the cylinder to impede a rotation of the piston about the rod. The hydraulic cylinder assembly further including a hydraulic pump fluidly connected to the cylinder, the pump configured to provide a hydraulic pressure to the cylinder during an up-stroke of the piston and rod and the pump further configured to generate electricity on the down-stroke of the piston and rod.

Claims

1. A system for pumping fluid comprising:

a hydraulic pump;

a down hole pump;

a rod, piston and cylinder assembly, the piston located about an end of the rod in the cylinder, the rod slideably mounted to the cylinder in a radially offset position, the rod including a central axis offset from, and parallel to, a centerline of the cylinder to impede a rotation of the piston about the rod, the rod configured to reciprocate up and down with respect to the cylinder according to a hydraulic pressure supplied by the hydraulic pump to control an operation of the down hole pump, the piston having two sides and the cylinder on each side of the piston being hydraulically connected with the cylinder on the other side of the piston and the hydraulic pressure in the cylinder being approximately equalized on both sides of the piston, a hydraulic force not acting directly against the piston but against the end of the rod, causing the rod to raise or lower within the cylinder as the pressure is modulated; and

a sensor mounted within the cylinder and spaced apart from the rod, the central axis offset of the rod protecting the sensor from damage by piston rotation, the sensor configured to measure a rod position within the cylinder to provide feedback to a hydraulic system controller.

2. The system for pumping fluid according to claim 1 where the controller uses the rod position to control the hydraulic pressure supplied by the hydraulic pump during both up and down reciprocating motions of the rod to control a pumping rate of the down hole pump.

3. The system for pumping fluid according to claim 1 including a supply port configured to function as an inlet port of the pump during a down stroke of the rod, allowing the system to alternatively function as a consumer of energy during an upstroke of the rod, and as a generator of electricity during the down stroke of the rod when a pump motor spins faster than its synchronous speed.

4. The system for pumping fluid according to claim 3 where the generated electricity is transferred to a power grid for use by other systems or devices connected to the power grid.