Kobe, Inc.

Dresser Industries, Inc.

Drip Tape Manufacturers & Engineers, Inc.

Baker International Inc.

John W Erickson

Harold L Petrie

Francis Barton Brown

Vitolis Budrys

Daniel G Peterson

Daniel W Delmer

William A Delmer

Robert J Delmer

Ray Charles Emmons

Carter P Williams

F Barton Brown

Phillip M Wilson

Walter W Crichlow

John M Kelleher

Martin G Hubbard

Charles C Nelson

Thomas A White, Jr

Horace M Robinson

Poul H Andersen

Samuel D Fegan

Peter A Soriano

Herbert L Johnson

A constant-flow drip irrigation tape hose includes a primary flow path communicating water along the length of the hose. A secondary drip-flow path leads from the primary flow path to an emitter site outwardly of the hose. The hose is formed with a pair of variably spaced apart walls at least one of which is formed with a continuously-open channel defining part of the secondary flow path. A second variable-area part of the secondary flow path is defined by radial spacing of the pair of walls from one another. At least one of the pair of walls is responsive to internal water pressure in the primary flow path to open and close the variable-area part of the secondary flow path in response, respectively, to decreasing and increasing water pressure in the hose. A plurality of emitter sites are spaced regularly along a length of the hose. Consequently, the hose has at least one pressure range within which it provides a nearly constant drip-flow irrigation rate to plants of a row crop as the water pressure within the hose decreases over the length of an elongate run of hose.

Method of making constant flow irrigation tape

Constant-flow irrigation tape and method of making

A pressure variable sealed container such as a length of rubber tubing is filled with a compressible, thermally conductive fluid such as helium or hydrogen and is placed in a sealed motor stator chamber otherwise filled with a heat conductive liquid, such as oil, before final assembly. As the oil in the stator chamber expands with temperature, the thermally conductive fluid in the container is compressed thereby absorbing the expansion of the oil in the stator chamber.

Thermal expansion absorber

The impeller mounting apparatus includes one or more pins extending through the hub into the shaft with the pins being retained in the holes by means of a resilient metallic band of continuous construction which is forced onto the hub into grooves or recesses which prevent the dislodgement of the band and the inadvertent loosening of the impeller on the shaft.

Impeller mounting apparatus

The improved pitot tube is useful in pitot type centrifugal pumps and is located within a rotor in the pump. The pitot tube projects radially from the axial center line of the pump and has an entry adjacent to the inside of the wall of the rotor. The entry is oriented circumferentially to receive fluid energized by the rotor. The pitot tube has a passageway therethrough which extends from the entry to an outlet located on the axial center line of the pump. Between the entry and outlet there is provided an entry transition portion that is curved to change the direction of flow from centrifugal to radial, a radial portion, and an outlet transition portion that is curved to change the direction of flow through the passageway from radial to axial. Located in the passageway are one or more ribs or vanes which are curved through the entry transition portion of the passageway and extend into the outlet thereof. The ribs provide for streamlining the flow to avoid turbulence to decrease the internal drag in the passageway and also to reinforce the pitot tube so that the walls thereof may be made substantially thinner whereby outside width of the tube can be decreased to reduce the external drag loss.

Pitot tube for pitot type centrifugal pump

A lubrication system for moveable machine parts within a housing have a sump containing a fluid and a rotatable shaft comprising a ring eccentrically encircling and being frictionally rotated by shaft, ring being at least partially immersed in sump fluid to carry fluid during rotation for machine parts, a plurality of fluid carrying fins attached to ring to increase the fluid carrying capacity of ring, fins commencing from each outer edge and extending partially inwardly along the ring width towards each other thereby forming an annular space between fins and ring, conduit means having an inlet located within annular space for receiving fluid carried in annular space and delivering fluid to moveable machine parts, and first and second abutments attach to shaft, one on each side of ring and spaced from ring sufficiently to form an axial gap for a fluid film which transmits rotational power from abutments to ring.

Lube oil ring pump

A surface power unit for use on a subterranean well generates a series of pulses of pressurized fluid to a downhole pump. A sequencing mechanism connects and disconnects the surface power unit to each of a plurality of downhole pumps in a predetermined order such that a pulse of pressurized fluid is being applied to one or more of the plurality of downhole pumps during a power cycle while each of the other ones of the plurality of downhole pumps is completing its pumping cycle. The number of downhole pumps which can be operated from a single surface power unit is limited by the ratio of the length of the power cycle to the length of the pumping cycle of the downhole pumps. The sequencing means can include a clocking device such as a shift register which generates a sequence of enabling signals to corresponding signal amplifiers for each well. Each amplifier generates an output signal to a solenoid actuated valve having an input connected to a common surface power unit and a fluid output connected to a downhole pump in an associated well. Each of the output lines from the shift register is connected to an input of an AND gate having another input connected to a pressure transducer which senses the end of the return stroke of the surface power unit cylinder.

Sequenced production incorporating fluid rod pump

A surface power unit for use on a subterranean well generates a series of pulses of pressurized fluid to a downhole pump. A pump means generates a flow of fluid from a reservoir through a charging line to a charging side of a cylinder. A piston is slidably disposed within the cylinder, dividing the cylinder into the charging side and a power side. Position or pressure transducer means responsive to the movement of the piston generates control signals representing the position of the piston in the cylinder. The charging line can include a first valve means responsive to one of the control signals for regulating the flow of fluid through the charging line. A return line is provided for returning fluid from the charging side of the cylinder to the pump means. The return line includes a second valve means responsive to another one of the control signals for regulating the flow of fluid through the return line. Whenever the first valve means is closed to permit fluid to flow through the charging line into the charging side of the cylinder, the second valve means is opened to prevent fluid from escaping from the charging side of the cylinder and the piston is moved through a power stroke to generate a pressurized fluid pulse, then the first valve means is opened, and the second valve means is closed. A return pipe supplies fluid from the well to the power side of the cylinder to move the piston through a return stroke. A power line supplies the pulses of fluid generated by the movement of the piston in the cylinder to the downhole pump. In alternate embodiments, an energy storage tank is connected between the well and the return pipe; the first and second valve means can be a four-way valve; or the first valve means can be eliminated.

Surface power unit for a downhole pump

A combined surface power unit and velocity actuated valve for a downhole pump is disclosed. The surface power unit generates a series of pulses of pressurized fluid. A power line supplies the fluid pulses to a downhole pump. Within the downhole pump, a piston means is slidably disposed for pumping fluid therefrom. The piston means includes an orifice for permitting fluid flow therethrough. The velocity of the fluid passing through the orifice causes a pressure differential across the orifice and valve means closes for the duration of each pulse. When the valve means is closed, pressure builds up in the downhole pump causing the piston means to move in a power stroke, pumping the production fluid. Between pulses, the pressure of the fluid in the downhole pump drops and a velocity valve opens. When the velocity valve is opened, fluid can flow freely therethrough, and the piston means retracts under the influence of gravity in a re-charging stroke.

Combined surface power unit and velocity actuated valve for a downhole

A downhole pump for a well is disclosed which includes a piston slidably disposed within a housing for pumping fluid from the well. The longitudinal axes of the piston and the housing extend in a generally vertical direction with respect to the surface of the well. A surface unit supplies a pulsating flow of fluid to the piston. A velocity actuated valve is formed in the piston and includes a ball which is spaced from an orifice by a bias. The bias holds the ball away from the orifice such that the valve is normally open. The flow of fluid through the velocity actuated valve during each fluid pulse creates a pressure differential which is resisted by the bias. When the pressure differential exceeds the force generated by the bias, the ball will seat in the orifice and close the valve to further fluid flow. The balance of the fluid pulse will be applied to the lower side of the piston and the piston moves upwardly within the housing, thereby pumping fluid from the well. At the end of each fluid pulse, the pressure will drop such that the bias forces the ball away from the orifice. Thus, the velocity actuated valve is opened and fluid can flow freely therethrough, to permit gravity to move the piston downwardly for the next power stroke and permits production fluid to enter the housing through a traveling valve and bottom discharge valve and flow through the velocity actuated valve to the upper side of the piston.

Velocity actuated valve for a downhole pump

A pump assembly for limited production wells comprises an electric motor driven centrifugal pump having a controlled amount of recirculation through a jet pump. The recirculated fluid is the power fluid for the jet pump, which aspirates production fluid. The combined output of the jet pump is discharged to the centrifugal pump inlet. An electrically actuated valve in the recirculation path controls the amount of recirculation, permitting low well flow rates to be compensated for by high recirculation rates, and variation of the valve position is accomplished from the well head by the imposition of a DC signal on the AC power line for the pump motor.

Jet electric pump

A conduit is provided for transmitting both electrical power and pressured hydraulic fluid from the surface to a point in a subterranean well. The conduit comprises an outer housing formed of steel or other high tensile strength material and one or more insulated wires of copper or similar low tensile strength, highly conductive metal which are run through the outer housing. Supports are provided between the external surfaces of the insulated wires and the internal wall of the housing to frictionally anchor the insulated wires to the housing. The supports also define fluid passages therethrough so that pressured fluid may be transmitted through the bore of the housing. So that the wires are gravitationally stabilized within the outer housing, the average density of the supports and the pressured fluid is approximately equal to the average density of the insulated wires.

Conduit in supplying electrical power and pressurized fluid to a point

A rotary gas/liquid separator includes a housing having a free running rotor mounted to rotate about a vertical axis in the housing. The rotor has an inverted conical inside surface, and a plurality of turbine blades adjacent an upper end of the conical inside surface. A gas/liquid inlet mixture is forced under pressure through stator vanes for directing flow of the inlet mixture tangentially into the turbine blades for rotating the rotor. The turbine blades divert the inlet mixture radially outwardly and then axially downwardly toward the conical inside surface of the rotor, and centrifugal force exerted on the inlet mixture by the rotating turbine blades separates liquid from the gas in the inlet mixture. The separated liquid flows downwardly in a thin film along the inside surface of the rotor and drips from a free lip at the bottom of the rotor for collection. A plurality of fan blades on the rotor discharge separated gas from a first chamber below the rotor to a second chamber above the rotor. A substantial pressure drop and corresponding adiabatic cooling of the gas results from passage of the gas through the turbine blades, and the fan blades increase the pressure and temperature of the gas in the second chamber relative to gas pressure and temperature in the first chamber.

Rotary gas/liquid separator

A fluid compressor of the pitot type includes a high speed, high stress rotary casing. The casing is formed from a pair of tapered discs spaced apart and mounted for rotation about an axis. The discs form the end walls of the casing. A side wall is connected between the opposed peripheral portions of the discs to enclose the casing and a stationary pitot tube. The side wall is formed from a pair of concentric rings connected by a plurality of beams. In one embodiment, the beams are C-shaped with an upper leg attached to the outer ring and a lower leg attached to the inner ring, the longitudinal axis of the beams being parallel to the axis of rotation. In an alternate embodiment, the rings are formed from the upper and lower legs of a plurality of I-shaped beams, the longitudinal axis of the beams being parallel to the axis of rotation.

Growing community of inventors

Huntington Beach, CA, United States of America

John W Erickson