US3741298A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Multiple well pump assembly
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1971-05-17
•
Granted: 1973-06-26
•
Expires: 1991-05-17
Abstract
Abstract An adapter housing for mounting an auxiliary well pump in a bore hole to supplement the production of, and act as a standby for, the main well pump. The adapter housing is mounted above the main pump in the bore hole and comprises an elongate tubular member having a diameter preferably no greater than that of the main pump. Inside the housing are a longitudinal chamber for mounting an auxiliary pump smaller than the main pump and a longitudinal bypass portion for conducting fluid under pressure upward from the main pump. The lower end of the housing is coupled with the discharge port at the top of the main pump, and the upper end of the housing is coupled with the well discharge pipe which extends to the ground surface. The two ends of the housing communicate through the bypass portion to form a continuous conduit from the main pump to the surface. The auxiliary pump chamber runs almost the entire length of the housing and has a cross section smaller than that of the housing to allow room for the bypass portion. The chamber is completely sealed from the bypass portion but is exposed to the surrounding well fluid by means of a window in the side of the housing. The small auxiliary pump mounted within the chamber draws fluid through the window and discharges it under pressure through a discharge port into the bypass portion of the housing. There the fluid mixes with and supplements the fluid discharged by the main pump, and the combined discharge of the two pumps is conducted by pump pressure to the ground surface, through the well discharge pipe. The interior of the bypass portion of the housing is provided with streamlined surfaces to minimize turbulence and is coated with a suitable material to reduce flow friction and resist corrosion. Power means are provided for running both pumps simultaneously to augment production for peak flow requirements, or alternatively for running each pump separately when lower volume is required or when one of the pumps breaks down.
Inventors
- 👤 L Canton
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 21:01
CPC Classifications
E; E21; E21B; E21B43/00; E21B43/12; E21B43/121; E21B43/128; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T137/00; Y10T137/8593; Y10T137/85978; Y10T137/86131; Y10T137/86163
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
191 words
A well pump adapter housing for mounting an auxiliary pump above a main pump in a well bore hole and conducting the fluid discharged from both pumps into a well discharge pipe comprising: a. an elongate shell having an inlet port adjacent its bottom end for coupling with the discharge conduit of said main pump, a discharge port adjacent its upper end for coupling with said well discharge pipe, and a passageway between the exterior and interior of said shell; b. wall means within said shell for dividing its interior into two portions sealed from one another to prevent the passage of fluid therebetween; c. one of said portions comprising a chamber for housing said auxiliary pump exposed to the exterior of said shell through said passageway; d. the other said portion comprising a longitudinal bypass conduit circumventing said chamber and connecting said inlet port and discharge port of said shell for conducting the fluid discharged by said main pump toward said well discharge pipe; and e. auxiliary pump discharge conduit means coupled with said auxiliary pump for conducting the fluid discharged by said auxiliary pump toward said well discharge pipe.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
191 words
A well pump adapter housing for mounting an auxiliary pump above a main pump in a well bore hole and conducting the fluid discharged from both pumps into a well discharge pipe comprising: a. an elongate shell having an inlet port adjacent its bottom end for coupling with the discharge conduit of said main pump, a discharge port adjacent its upper end for coupling with said well discharge pipe, and a passageway between the exterior and interior of said shell; b. wall means within said shell for dividing its interior into two portions sealed from one another to prevent the passage of fluid therebetween; c. one of said portions comprising a chamber for housing said auxiliary pump exposed to the exterior of said shell through said passageway; d. the other said portion comprising a longitudinal bypass conduit circumventing said chamber and connecting said inlet port and discharge port of said shell for conducting the fluid discharged by said main pump toward said well discharge pipe; and e. auxiliary pump discharge conduit means coupled with said auxiliary pump for conducting the fluid discharged by said auxiliary pump toward said well discharge pipe.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The adapter housing of claim 1 wherein said auxiliary pump conduit means penetrates through said wall means into said bypass circuit.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
90 words
The adapter housing of claim 1 comprising a tubular shell having an opening in one side thereof and an elongate channel member therein, said channel member being of a width and depth smaller than the inside diameter of said tubular shell and fitting within said shell with its concave side exposed to said opening, said concave side of said channel member forming said chamber for mounting said auxiliary pump and the portion between the convex side of said channel member and the interior of said shell forming said bypass conduit.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The adapter housing of claim 3 wherein said main pump is generally cylindrical in shape and wherein said tubular shell has an outside diameter no greater than the outside diameter of said main pump.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
The adapter housing of claim 1 wherein the side of said wall means facing the interior of said bypass conduit includes streamlining means for minimizing turbulence with respect to fluid discharged through said bypass conduit.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
48 words
The adapter housing of claim 1 wherein the portions of said shell and wall means facing the interior of said bypass conduit are coated with a layer of material for minimizing pipe friction pressure losses with respect to fluid discharged through said bypass conduit and for resisting corrosion.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
128 words
A well pump assembly for drawing underground fluid and pumping the fluid through a well bore hole toward ground level comprising: a. a first pump housed within said bore hole having a cross-section transverse to said bore hole; b. a second pump housed in said bore hole at a higher elevation than said first pump and having a cross section transverse to said bore hole smaller in area than said cross section of said first pump; c. bypass conduit means sealed from the intake of said second pump for conducting fluid discharged from said first pump upwardly past said second pump in side-by-side relation with the latter; and d. conduit means for joining the fluid discharged from said second pump with said fluid discharged from said first pump.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
128 words
A well pump assembly for drawing underground fluid and pumping the fluid through a well bore hole toward ground level comprising: a. a first pump housed within said bore hole having a cross-section transverse to said bore hole; b. a second pump housed in said bore hole at a higher elevation than said first pump and having a cross section transverse to said bore hole smaller in area than said cross section of said first pump; c. bypass conduit means sealed from the intake of said second pump for conducting fluid discharged from said first pump upwardly past said second pump in side-by-side relation with the latter; and d. conduit means for joining the fluid discharged from said second pump with said fluid discharged from said first pump.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
61 words
The well pump assembly of claim 7 wherein the crOss sectional area of said bypass conduit means transverse to said bore hole is sufficiently small that, when added to the corresponding side-by-side transverse cross sectional area of said second pump, the total area of the combined said cross sections is no larger than the transverse cross-sectional area of said first pump.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
38 words
The well pump assembly of claim 7 wherein the greatest outside transverse width of said first pump is at least as large as the greatest outside transverse width of said second pump and bypass conduit assembly taken together.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
207 words
A well pump assembly for drawing fluid from an underground fluid source and pumping the fluid through a well bore hole toward ground level comprising: a. a main pump means and an auxiliary pump means, each comprising a vertically elongate pump member, both housed in said bore hole with their discharge ends connected by fluid conduit means with a common well discharge pipe for pumping said fluid from said fluid source through said well discharge pipe, said auxiliary pump means being mounted vertically above said main pump means and having a discharge flow rate capacity and a transverse cross sectional area less than that of said main pump means; b. power source means selectively coupled with said pair of pump means and operable, in a first selective mode, for driving said main pump means to produce a relatively high discharge flow rate of said fluid through said discharge pipe and operable, in a second selective mode, for driving said auxiliary pump means without thereby driving said main pump means to produce a lower discharge flow rate of said fluid through said discharge pipe; and c. a bypass conduit for conducting fluid discharged from said main pump means upwardly past said auxiliary pump means in side-by-side relation therewith.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
207 words
A well pump assembly for drawing fluid from an underground fluid source and pumping the fluid through a well bore hole toward ground level comprising: a. a main pump means and an auxiliary pump means, each comprising a vertically elongate pump member, both housed in said bore hole with their discharge ends connected by fluid conduit means with a common well discharge pipe for pumping said fluid from said fluid source through said well discharge pipe, said auxiliary pump means being mounted vertically above said main pump means and having a discharge flow rate capacity and a transverse cross sectional area less than that of said main pump means; b. power source means selectively coupled with said pair of pump means and operable, in a first selective mode, for driving said main pump means to produce a relatively high discharge flow rate of said fluid through said discharge pipe and operable, in a second selective mode, for driving said auxiliary pump means without thereby driving said main pump means to produce a lower discharge flow rate of said fluid through said discharge pipe; and c. a bypass conduit for conducting fluid discharged from said main pump means upwardly past said auxiliary pump means in side-by-side relation therewith.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
45 words
The well pump assembly of claim 10 wherein said selectively coupled power source means is operable, in said first selective mode, for driving said main pump means without thereby driving said auxiliary pump means to produce said relatively high discharge flow rate of said fluid.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
58 words
The well pump assembly of claim 11 wherein said selectively coupled power source means is operable, in a third selective mode, for driving said main pump means and said auxiliary pump means simultaneously to produce a total discharge flow rate of said fluid greater than the flow rates obtainable from either said main or auxiliary pump means individually.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
44 words
The well pump assembly of claim 10 wherein said selectively coupled power source means is operable, in said first selective mode, for driving said main pump means and said auxiliary pump means simultaneously to produce said relatively high discharge flow rate of said fluid.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
46 words
The well pump assembly of claim 10 wherein said main pump member is generally cylindrical in shape and wherein said auxiliary pump member and said by-pass conduit are housed within a tubular member having an outside diameter no larger than that of said main pump member.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-06-25 | 1976-12-25 | 1977-06-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-06-25 | 1980-12-25 | 1981-06-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-06-25 | 1984-12-25 | 1985-06-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |