The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 09, 1996
Filed:
Dec. 13, 1994
Miroslav Kolpak, Dallas, TX (US);
S Michel Bucaram, Plano, TX (US);
Atlantic Richfield Company, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
A gas-liquid separator for a well pump includes a stationary helical baffle disposed in a tubular housing for separating gas from liquid and conducting gas through a center conduit disposed in the housing to a tubing string in communication with the separator or into the well annulus for flow to the surface. The baffle may be interposed in a conventional downhole submersible pump between the motor section and the pump section and the pump section may be modified to have a hollow impeller drive shaft for conducting gas separated by the separator through the pump section and out of gas discharge ports in the pump section housing. In an alternate embodiment gas is discharged from the hollow drive shaft into the tubing string and liquid separated from the gas is pumped through the pump section and out into the wellbore annulus. The baffle may have at least two stages, one of which causes some of the liquid being conducted through the separator to bypass the second separator stage and flow directly to the pump inlet so that more effective separation of gas from liquid occurs in the second stage and all of the liquid entering the pump inlet has minimal gas content.