Oil well pump control

Claim 1

A control system for regulating operation of a power driven pump in a well fluid production system wherein such a power driven pump is operable to pump fluid from a well bore and to deliver such fluid via a production flow path to a storage facility comprising: a fluid surge amplifying means adapted to be disposed in such a production flow path and operable to amplify fluid surges occurring therein as a result of fluid movement occasioned by operation of such a pump; surge detection means adapted to operatively communicate with such a production flow path to detect such amplified fluid surges occurring therein; resettable timer means adapted to be operatively associated with such a power driven pump to initiate an operating cycle of such a pump upon resetting of said resettable timer means and to terminate the operating cycle of such a pump upon timing out of said resettable timer means after a given time period; controller means operatively connected to said surge detection means and said resettable timer means and operable to reset said resettable timer means and thereby initiate a pump operating cycle upon each detection by said surge detection means of such an amplified fluid surge of at least a minimum given magnitude; and fluid surge duration measuring means which is operative upon each detected surge of fluid to provide an actuating signal for resetting of said resettable timer means only when the detected surge of fluid is of at least a minimum given duration.