Shock absorber for oil well pumping unit

Claim 1

A shock absorber for use with an oil well pumping unit having a horizontal hanger bar suspended by cables, the hanger bar being vertically reciprocated by the pumping unit, and a vertical polish rod having the lower end secured to a string of sucker rods for actuation of a pump in a well borehole, the hanger bar having an opening therein slidably receiving the polish rod, the shock absorber providing means of transferring lifting force from the hanger bar to the polish rod, comprising: a tubular body having an open top and a closed bottom, the bottom having an opening therein slidably receiving the polish rod concentrically of the body tubular axis, the lower end of the body resting on said hanger bar, the body providing an annular area between the interior of the body wall and the exterior of the polished rod; a plurality of elastomeric discs received in said body, each disc having a diameter slightly less than the interior diameter of the body, and each having an axial opening therein receiving the polish rod, each disc having an annular upper and lower recess intermediate the disc axial opening and its periphery whereby the thickness of each disc is greater adjacent the axial opening and the periphery and of decreased thickness intermediate the axial opening and periphery, the recesses providing annular closed trapped air spaces between adjacent discs, and each disc having a plurality of secondary openings therethrough, the axii of which are spaced from and parallel the axis of the axial opening, the secondary openings being spaced from each other in equal angular relationship, the secondary openings extending through each disc in the area of maximum disc thickness adjacent the disc periphery, the discs being arranged so that the secondary openings are out of register and are thereby closed at each end by the exterior surfaces of the adjacent discs and whereby each secondary opening provides a closed air space; a circular top plate having an axial opening therein receiving the polish rod, having a diameter slightly less than the internal diameter of the body and having a lower surface engaging the upper surface of the uppermost elastomeric disc; and a polish rod clamp secured to the polish rod above and contiguous to said top plate, whereby when the pumping unit exerts upward force on the hanger bar the elastomeric discs compress in proportion to the total force transmitted to the polish rod, which compression constricts the volume of air spaces in the disc annular recesses and secondary openings whereby shock absorption is obtained by both the resiliency of the discs and by compressed air.