Methods and apparatus for operating borehole equipment

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING EQUIPMENT IN A WELL BORE CONTAINING A COLUMN OF LIQUID COMPRISING: A HOUSING ADAPTED TO BE PASSED THROUGH A WELL BORE; A PRESSURE TRANSFER CHAMBER IN SAID HOUSING CONTAINING A COMPRESSIBLE FLUID; A HIGH PRESSURE CHAMBER IN SAID HOUSING CONTAINING A COMPRESSIBLE FLUID; PRESSURE RESPONSIVE ACTUATING MEANS IN SAID HOUSING COMPRISING A PISTON AND PRESSURE CYLINDER, SAID PRESSURE CYLINDER BEING FLUIDLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID HIGH PRESSURE CHAMBER THEREBY TO EXPOSE ONE SIDE OF SAID PISTON TO ANY FLUID PRESSURE IN SAID HIGH PRESSURE CHAMBER; MEANS CONNECTING SAID PRESSURE TRANSFER AND HIGH PRESSURE CHAMBERS INCLUDING A FIRST VALVE OPERABALE TO CONTROL THE PASSING OF SAID COMPRESSIBLE FLUID UNDER PRESSURE FROM SAID PRESSURE TRANSFER CHAMBER TO SAID HIGH PRESSURE CHAMBER; MEANS FLUIDLY CONNECTING SAID PRESSURE TRANSFER CHAMBER AND THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID PRESSURE CYLINDER INCLUDING A SECOND VALVE SELECTIVELY OPERABLE TO EXPOSE THE REMAINING SIDE OF SAID PISTON TO FLUID PRESSURE IN SAID PRESSURE TRANSFER CHAMBER SO THAT SAID PISTON MAY BE DISPLACED AS A RESULT OF A DIFFERENCE IN PRESSURES OCCURING IN SAID PRESSURE TRANSFER AND SAID HIGH PRESSURE CHAMBERS; MEANS MECHANICALLY CONNECTING SAID PISTON TO EQUIPMENT TO BE OPERATED IN THE WELL BORE; AND PRESSURE TRANSMITTING MEANS IN SAID PRESSURE TRANSFER CHAMBER RESPONSIVE TO VARIATIONS IN THE PRESSURE OF THE COLUMN OF LIQUID OPPOSITE SAID HOUSING AS SAID HOUSING IS PASSED THROUGH THE WELL BORE TO TRANSMIT CORRESPONDING PRESSURE VARIATIONS TO THE COMPRESSIBLE FLUID IN SAID HIGH PRESSURE CHAMBER AND SAID PRESSURE CYLINDER.

Claim 3

A METHOD FOR OPERATING MECHANICALLY DRIVEN APPARATUS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS IN A WELL BORE CONTAINING A COLUMN OF LIQUID COMPRISING: THE STEP OF SUBJECTING A BODY OF FLUID IN SAID APPARATUS TO THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE IN SAID COLUMN OF LIQUID AT ONE LEVEL IN THE WELL BORE; THE STEP OF ISOLATING A PORTION OF SAID BODY OF FLUID IN SAID APPARATUS FROM THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE IN SAID COLUMN OF LIQUID AT SAID ONE LEVEL, THE STEP OF MOVING SAID APPARATUS TO A SECOND LEVEL IN THE WELL BORE WHERE THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE OF THE COLUMN OF LIQUID IS DIFFERENT FROM THAT AT SAID ONE LEVEL SO THAT THE REMAINING PORTION OF SAID BODY OF FLUID IN SAID APPARATUS IS SUBJECTED TO THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE IN SAID COLUMN OF LIQUID AT A SECOND LEVEL IN THE BOREHOLE, AND THE STEP OF SUBJECTING PRESSURE RESPONSIVE ACTUATING MEANS TO THE PRESSURE OF SAID ISOLATED PORTION OF SAID BODY OF FLUID AND THE PRESSURE OF SAID REMAINING PORTION OF SAID BODY OF FLUID AND UTILIZING THE DIFFERENCE IN PRESSURE TO DEVELOP INSTANTANEOUS KINETIC ENERGY TO OPERATE THE SAID APPARATUS.

Claim 4

A METHOD FOR OPERATING MECHANICALLY DRIVEN APPARATUS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS IN A WELL BORE CONTAINING A COLUMN OF LIQUID COMPRISING: THE STEP OF SUBJECTING A BODY OF FLUID IN SAID APPARATUS TO THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE IN SAID COLUMN OF LIQUID AT ONE LEVEL IN THE WELL BORE; THE STEP OF ISOLATING A PORTION OF SAID BODY OF FLUID IN SAID APPARATUS FROM THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE IN SAID COLUMN OF LIQUID AT SAID ONE LEVEL, THE STEP OF MOVING SAID APPARATUS TO A SECOND LEVEL IN THE WELL BORE WHERE THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE OF THE COLUMN OF LIQUID IS DIFFERENT FROM THAT AT SAID ONE LEVEL SO THAT THE REMAINING PORTION OF SAID BODY OF FLUID IN SAID APPARATUS IS SUBJECTED TO THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE IN SAID COLUMN OF LIQUID AT A SECOND LEVEL IN THE BOREHOLE, AND THE STEP OF SUBJECTING PRESSURE RESPONSIVE ACTUATING MEANS TO THE PRESSURE OF SAID ISOLATED PORTION OF SAID BODY OF FLUID AND THE PRESSURE OF SAID REMAINING PORTION OF SAID BODY OF FLUID AND UTILIZING THE DIFFERENCE IN PRESSURE TO DEVELOP INSTANTANEOUS KINETIC ENERGY TO OPERATE THE SAID APPARATUS.