AU2012100110A4 - Power flow rod guide - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA PATENT ACT 1990 5 10 INNOVATION PATENT COMPLETE SPECIFICATIONS 15 20 The Invention is described in the following statement: POWER FLOW ROD GUIDE 25 30 35 5 BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 1. Field of Invention In the process of drilling a down-hole well for exploration of oil, coal or natural 10 gas fluid such as water or even mud can be circulated within the rotary drilling pipe. There is a need to efficiently and economically remove and pump the water, gas, oil or mud to the surface so as to enhance the production of the particular commodity. This invention relates to the molding of an innovative rotary cavity pump system which enables removal of oil, gas, water and other 15 solids in an efficient and economic manner in vertical down-hole mining operations involving oil, gas and coal. The initial production of oil, coal or natural gas in Australia will be self producing. The production will diminish as the pressure in the oil, gas or coal !0 seam in the subsurface structure is minimized and will require assistance via a pumping system to enhance the flow up through the mining hole production string itself to enable the full quantity of the selected commodity to be recovered. -5 2. Description of Prior Art According to the prior art, there have been three methods of enhancing the oil production or gas recovery. 0 These include the gas lift technique which requires gas to be injected down via an annulus of the well, which forces the oil onwards up through the production string of the well. The admixing of gas lowers the specific gravity and the hydrostatic pressure in the fluid column. Another pumping method of injecting water down into the well so as to increase or maintaining the 3 pressure in the oil structure causing further oil to the surface. Another method consist of installing a pump down hole in a production string of the well. The oil, water or gas is then pumped up to the surface in an upward and downward motion. The existing pumps operate in a vertical upward and 5 downward motion and consist of a large number of axial pumps provided on a long, common shaft, and they have a driving motor either above or below the pump itself, insofar as this pump may be 10-20 meters long. These pumps are used in the United States in relatively shallow wells. The piston based pumps are disclosed in for example, publication no. 305667; US Pat No. 10 3.625.288; US Pat No. 4.268.277; US Pat No. 4.536.137 and GB Pat No. 2.100.362. US Pat No. 5,277,254 first disclosed the helical rod guide however this innovative patent has modified the helical vane design and the molding method of application of the rod guide to the rods. 15 This innovative patent has taken the guide rod and redesigns it so that the new improved design works efficiently. The material change to the rode guide assists with the rode guide being more efficient and the use of nylon fiberglass causes the fluid to be absorbed by the rod guide and therefore causing the rod guide to swell and therefore work more efficiently in the drill 20 hole. The original guide rod design caused the pump to constantly push the water or fluid past the guide rod therefore creating back-pressure on the pump. The back-pressure on the pump caused the rod guide to be inefficient and caused silt to build up on the top of the pump, which consequentially increased the back pressure, torque, energy costs and resulting in the pump 25 life being shortened. The present invention seeks to improve the rod guide by it innovative efficient application stream line design and its use of nylon fiberglass molding installation. The current rod guides have a tendency to slip to the bottom of 30 each rod joint therefore causing a reduction in efficiency and effectiveness as they are not molded onto the rods. The existing rod guides are installed via an 4 inefficient coupling system. By molding the rod guide directly on to the rod in the factory it has been found prevents slippage of the rod guide in operation and the new stream line design increases the fluid lift and reduces pressure drop in the hole against the pump and the wear and tear of the rod and rod 5 guide. This innovative power flow rod guide has been develop as a devices to improve efficient and economical pumping of fluids by eliminating back pressure on the pump lowering the torque, pressure drop whilst operating 10 more efficiently. 3. Summary of the Invention In light of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of rod 15 guides found in the prior art, the present innovative invention provides for a new more efficient fixation of the molded pump guide to the rod to assist in reducing the pressure on the pump at the bottom or above the well hole to move oil, water, gas or natural gas to the surface with an improved stream line design. The improved power flow rod guide is fixed at selected intervals 20 along the length of the rod in the factory by directly molding them to the rods at selected intervals. The rod guides comprise a substantially cylindrical polymeric body, having a longitudinal axis, a steam line radially inward surface and a stream line 25 radially outward surface. The stream line design rod guide typically includes a single continuous helical vane in the entire body of the rod guide. The rod guide vane typically allows the movement of the substance or commodity from the bottom to the top in a radially outward surface of the guide rode in a single rotary revolution. The purpose of this innovative invention is to provide 30 a fixed molded rod guide to the rod string which cannot move in operation for rotating sucker rods of a rod string which will hold the rod guide securely in 5 central alignment in the tubing while presenting minimal resistance to axial flow of fluids or other commodities. The use of nylon fiberglass in the manufacture of the power flow rod guides 5 enhances the efficiency of the power flow rod guides when being used as the nylon fiberglass absorbs the fluid allowing better flow rates. This innovative invention is not limited in its application to details of construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the 10 following description or illustrated in the drawings. 15 20 25 30 6 4. Description of the Drawings FIG 1 is vertical cross sectional view of a well or drill hole having a rotating 5 rod string provided with rod guides fixed by molding to the rod string of the present innovative invention. FIG 2 (a) and (b) are the side views of the whole rode guide showing the single vane of the present invention 10 FIG 3 is a cross sectional end view of the rod guide of FIG 2 5. Detailed Description of the Drawings 15 The drawing in FIG 1 consist of a motor apparatus (1) is shown in use pumping fluids from a well hole (2) through a string of tubing (3) disposing within well or mine hole casing (4). Connected to the motor (1) is a string of sucker rods (5) which are connected together by couplings (6). The guide rods FIG 2 (a) and (b) (10) forming the innovation stream line design are 20 molded directly onto the rods at a spacing of four meters apart and therefore form part of the rod with two per rod. The innovative power flow rod guide molding is applied by way of heat by nylon fiberglass causing the stream line design rod guides to become permanently attached to the rods. 25 When the motor rotates the string of rods (5) within the tubing (3) it operates a progressing cavity pump. A plurality of rod guides (10) of the present innovative invention are fixed and secured around the sucker rod at selected distances throughout the length of the rod. During the rotational movement of the string of sucker rods, the fluids are caused to flow upward in the tubing 30 relative to the rod guides (7). 7 Referring to FIG 2 (a) and (b) there may be seen as a further embodiment of the invention and the stream line design of the rod guide (10). This rod guide is composed of polymer resin material which has the capacity to be used in various environments and at temperature ranges from1O degrees Celsius to 5 160 degrees Celsius . The polymeric material may be UHMW polyethylene, polyethylene resin, and nylon fiberglass and polyethylene sulfide. The substantially longitudinal rod guide is substantially coaxial with the rod and has a substantially cylindrical polymeric body (10) molded onto the rod 10 and carries a single continuous helical vane (9) integrally molded with the body and disposed about the radially outward surface of the rod guide body. The helical vane extends substantially the entire length of the rod guide and extends radially away from the rod guide body to provide a radialy outside wear surface for friction which may be made of a stronger polyethylene. The 15 design of the helical vane reduces the resistance to fluid flows around the rod guide. FIG 3 is a cross-section view of the rod guide of FIG 2 (a) and (b). The helix formed by the vane has a pitch distance and axial width. The pitch and axial 20 width will vary between various applications however the preferred vane substantially equal width throughout its length should be an estimated 20 millimeters (mm) throughout the vane to enhance maximum performance with an 8 degree fall (11). 25 Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which the disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures for carrying out the several purposes of the present 30 innovative invention. It is important that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from the ambit and scope of the present innovative invention. 8

Claims (2)

1. A power flow rod guide system is a series of fixed molded rod guides, used to more efficiently and economically assist the pump in a down hole well or mine to move substances such as water, oil and gas to the surface and is designed to minimize friction and wear comprising: 10 (a) a complete nylon or polyethylene sulfide twisted vane (11) rod guide (10) designed to rotate clockwise (9) to assist the lower or above ground pumps move the various fluids and substance in the down hole well to the surface (1) efficiently and economically 15 constructed within a down hole well pipe (2) (3) (4) (5) with guide rods attached to each rod at specific intervals being of a plurality (8) with the rod guild being made of hardened rubberized material such as UHMW polyethylene or polyethylene resin or nylon or polyethylene sulfide (10) so that there is minimum friction on the 20 inner walls or the down hole piping (2); (b) a nylon fiberglass vane (11) rubberized material causes the fluid to be absorbed by the rod guide and therefore causing the rod guide to swell (8) (10) and therefore work more efficiently in the drill hole 25 to move the various fluids to the surface efficiently and economically; (c) the power flow rod guide is designed to provide a streamline vane from top to the bottom of the rod guide to maximize flow of water or 30 other fluids when in operation in conjunction with a pump and to stop wear and tear on the pump and; 9 (d) the power flow rod guide is molded on to the rods at the point of manufacturing so as to prevent slippage and to make the rod guide work more efficiently; 5 (e) the power flow rod guide wherein is a unique combination of the nylon fiberglass body and includes an axial bore having a smaller diameter (10) than the diameter of the sucker rod (5) and a slot extending longitudinally through the body (3) and obliquely through the vane, the slot connecting the bore with the radially outside 10 surface of the body so that the rod may be slipped through the slot and into the bore for grippingly mounting the rod guide upon the sucker rod (f) the power flow rod guide vanes extend radially away from the guide 15 body and having a radially outside wear surface, the axial pitch distance less the axial length of the radially outer wear surface defining a void for fluid flow, the void having a cross-sectional area with a plane aligned with the longitudinal axis approximately equal to the cross-sectional area of a vane portion adjoining the void, 20 causing the rod guide to swell and therefore work more efficiently in the drill hole

2. The innovative step in this invention includes the enhanced vane performance, which is novel and inventive and the use of nylon 25 fiberglass vanes rubberized material which causes the fluid to be absorbed by the rod guide and therefore causing the power flow rod guide to swell and therefore work more efficiently in the drill hole. 30 10