Weatherford/lamb, Inc.

Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC

John Kelleher

Clark E Robison

Michael C Knoeller

Toby S Pugh

Jeff Lembcke

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally provide a disc-valve design with a self-cleaning feature. The self-cleaning feature may be integrated into the valve, for example, by removing a 'cut-out' portion between sealing surfaces of ports. These cut-out portions may create vortices that might clean debris from the sealing surfaces. The cut-outs may also provide a place for debris to collect-keeping it away from the sealing surfaces. In addition, or as an alternative to cut-outs, some other type of mechanism, such as sealing members designed to disturb flow to sweep away debris near a sealing surface or helical grooves (rifling) formed in the ports, may also be used to promote self-cleaning.

Self-cleaning disc valve for piston pump

A hydraulic pump avoids problems with gas lock found in conventional pumps. The pump draws in production fluid in a lower pump volume during the pump's upstroke and diverts the produced fluid to an upper pump volume during the downstroke. Spent power fluid is communicated to the upper pump volume during the pump's upstroke. The pump piston in the upstroke expels the entire volume via a check valve that communicates the upper pump volume with a discharge outlet. The check valve increasing the discharge pressure of the upper pump volume, the upper pump volume of the spent power fluid being greater than the upper pump volume, and the upper pump piston compressing produced gas in the upper pump volume all combine to prevent or reduce the chances that the pump will gas lock during operation.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

John Kelleher