CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/714,432, filed on August 3, 2018 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/756,383, filed on November 6, 2018. The entire disclosures of each of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to piston-less pumps, and more particularly to a piston-less pump which employs a rotatable element operably associated with an inlet poppet valve, to provide a pulse of fluid when a fluid discharge cycle is initiated and the inlet poppet valve is seated, to this help maintain pump components in the vicinity of the inlet poppet clean and free from debris.

BACKGROUND

[0003] This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

[0004] In a Pneumatic piston-less liquid pump, air pressure is used to displace the liquid inside the pump casing. It is common for the air inlet port to be centrally located in the casing. This location provides a compressed air source which is moving in the middle of the pump casing and the outlet pipes leaving the pump casing. The inside of the pump casing is filled with water which is admitted into the pump casing from the lower end of the pump. At the lower end of the pump there is an inlet port. This inlet port has a sealing surface which can be sealed by an inlet poppet valve. The inlet poppet valve is allowed to rise off of the sealing surface, which allows water to enter the pump casing. The poppet valve is returned to its valve seat (i.e. , the sealing surface) as soon as the pneumatic signal being supplied to the pump energizes the pump casing. This seating on this valve seat blocks the flow of water back to the well, as water within the pump casing is forced upwardly by the pneumatic pressure through the outlet pipe attached to an upper end of the pump casing. This sequence happens every time a pumping cycle is triggered.

[0005] The liquid being pumped from the wellbore will typically have particles which will deposit on the inside pump casing walls, in the outlet piping, the inlet casting and over an inlet screen that covers the valve seat at the lowermost end of the pump. These components need to be kept clean to allow for long durations between maintenance cycles. When maintenance on a pump needs to be performed the pump, the pump is removed from the well and typically disconnected from its air supply tubing and its fluid outlet piping. Typically the pump is taken back to a maintenance area and then disassembled, its interior parts cleaned and scrubbed clean, and then reassembled. The maintenance technician must then travel back to the site where the wellbore from which the pump was used is located, hook the pump back up to its air supply and fluid discharge piping, and then lower the pump back into the wellbore, and turn on any associated equipment (e.g., pneumatic compressor) needed to operate the pump.

[0006] As one will appreciate, the above cleaning/maintenance operations described above can be time consuming and costly to an organization. This is especially so for an organization that may be using a large plurality of piston-less pumps at a large site. Accordingly, there is a strong interest in any pump construction or design which can reduce the frequency at which a pump needs to be removed/disassembled/cleaned/reassembled and reinstalled in a wellbore in order to carry out periodic maintenance on the pump.

SUMMARY

[0007] In one aspect the present disclosure relates to a pneumatically driven pump for pumping a fluid. The pump may comprise a pump housing configured to receive a pressurized fluid signal. An inlet screen may be included at an end of the pump housing for admitting fluid therethrough into an interior area of the pump housing. An inlet casting may be included which is disposed within the pump housing adjacent the inlet screen. A poppet valve may be included which is configured to seat against the inlet casting to block a flow of fluid into an interior area of the pump housing during a fluid eject cycle of operation of the pump, and to move longitudinally within the pump away from the inlet casting to allow fluid to be admitted into and collect within the pump housing. The poppet valve may include a propeller structure for creating a fluid pulse when the poppet valve is seated against the inlet casting at the beginning of the fluid eject cycle. The fluid pulse operates to help dislodge particles that have collected on the inlet screen, and thus help to maintain the inlet screen in a clean condition.

[0008] In another aspect the present disclosure relates to a pneumatically driven pump for pumping a fluid. The pump may comprise a pump housing configured to receive a pressurized fluid signal, and an inlet screen at an end of the pump housing for admitting fluid therethrough into an interior area of the pump housing. An inlet casting may be disposed within the pump housing adjacent the inlet screen. A poppet valve configured to seat against the inlet casting to block a flow of fluid into an interior area of the pump housing during a fluid eject cycle of operation of the pump, and to move longitudinally within the pump away from the inlet casting to allow fluid to be admitted into and collect within the pump housing. The poppet valve may include a propeller structure projecting from the poppet valve so as to be disposed within an area bounded by the inlet screen. The propeller structure may include a generally circular propeller element for creating a fluid pulse when the poppet valve is seated against the inlet casting at the beginning of the fluid eject cycle. The fluid pulse operates to help dislodge particles that have collected on the inlet screen, and thus help to maintain the inlet screen in a clean condition.

[0009] In still another aspect the present disclosure relates to a pneumatically driven pump for pumping a fluid. The pump may comprise a pump housing configured to receive a pressurized fluid signal, an inlet screen at an end of the pump housing for admitting fluid therethrough into an interior area of the pump housing. An inlet casting may be included in the pump and disposed within the pump housing adjacent the inlet screen. A poppet valve may be included in the pump which is configured to seat against the inlet casting to block a flow of fluid into an interior area of the pump housing during a fluid eject cycle of operation of the pump, and to move longitudinally within the pump away from the inlet casting to allow fluid to be admitted into and collect within the pump housing. The poppet valve may include a propeller structure including a neck portion and a propeller element projecting from the neck portion. The neck portion may project along a longitudinal centerline of the pump housing and from the poppet valve to cause the propeller element to be disposed within an area bounded by the inlet screen. The propeller element forms a circular propeller element having at least one edge scalloped portion at an edge portion thereof, the propeller element creating a fluid pulse when the poppet valve is seated against the inlet casting at the beginning of the fluid eject cycle, and the scalloped portion helping to induce a turn to the fluid pulse, the fluid pulse acting to help dislodge particles that have collected on the inlet screen, and thus help to maintain the inlet screen in a clean condition.

[0010] In still another aspect the present disclosure relates to an integrated fluid coupling assembly. The integrated fluid coupling assembly may comprise a tubular housing having a lower end, an upper end, and an internal valve seat formed within an interior area thereof. The tubular housing may have a threaded lower end for coupling to a threaded port of a pump head assembly, wherein the pump head assembly forms a portion of a fluid pump. A check ball is disposed in the tubular housing for forming a one- way ball check valve in connection with the internal valve seat. A quick connect fitting is included which is coupled to the upper end of the tubular housing. The quick connect housing enables rapid connecting and detachment of a mating quick connect fitting component associated with a discharge tube. A plurality of flow turning vanes are formed in the quick connect housing for imparting a swirling motion to a fluid flowing through the quick connect fitting.

[0011] In still another aspect the present disclosure relates to an integrated fluid coupling assembly. The integrated fluid coupling assembly may comprise a tubular housing having a lower end, an upper end, and an internal valve seat formed within an interior area thereof. The tubular housing may have a threaded lower end for coupling to a threaded port of a pump head assembly, with the pump head assembly forming a portion of a fluid pump. A check ball is disposed in the tubular housing for forming a one- way ball check valve in connection with the internal valve seat. The upper end of the tubular housing has a threaded upper end for coupling with a mating threaded fitting, wherein the mating threaded fitting is associated with a discharge tube. A plurality of flow turning vanes is included which are formed in the quick connect housing for imparting a swirling motion to a fluid flowing through the quick connect fitting.

[0012] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

[0013] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0014] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings, in which:

[0015] Figure 1 is a high level illustration of a pneumatic fluid pump in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, positioned in a wellbore, and with various other components show which are typically used in connection with the fluid pump;

[0016] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the pneumatic fluid pump of Figure 1 showing only a lower area of the pump and a portion of the discharge tube assembly, with a discharge poppet of the discharge tube assembly shown in a seated position within the discharge housing, which is the position the discharge poppet assumes when the pump housing is filling with fluid during a“fill” cycle of operation;

[0017] Figure 3 shows the fluid pump of Figure 2 but with the discharge poppet in the open position, which is the position the discharge poppet assumes when the fluid pump is in a“discharge” or“ejection” cycle of operation;

[0018] Figure 4 shows a bottom perspective view of the inlet structure of the discharge housing which even better illustrates the radially extending vanes that are included to impart a strong swirling motion to the fluid entering the discharge housing;

[0019] Figure 5 shows a top perspective view of the discharge swirl inducing fitting that is included in the discharge housing for further enhancing the swirling motion of the fluid being discharged as the fluid flows up the main tubular section of the discharge tube assembly;

[0020] Figure 5a shows a partial cross sectional view of the pump cap of the pump of Figure 1 , with one embodiment of an integrated coupling system attached thereto, where the integrated coupling system includes a quick disconnect feature as well as integrated flow swirl inducing structure and a one-way ball check valve structure;

[0021] Figure 5b shows a partial cross sectional view of the pump cap of the pump of Figure 1 , with another embodiment of an integrated coupling system coupled thereto which includes an integrated flow swirling inducing structure and one-way ball check valve structure;

[0022] Figure 6 is a side cross sectional view of a portion of the pump shown in Figure 1 illustrating a different embodiment of the poppet inlet valve which incorporates a propeller structure for creating a pulse of fluid outwardly toward the inlet screen, which is effective for cleaning the inlet screen, when the poppet valve abruptly seats at the end of a fluid discharge cycle;

[0023] Figure 7 shows the poppet valve of Figure 6 while the poppet valve oscillating slightly as the poppet valve seats, while generating the fluid pulse; [0024] Figure 8 shows a perspective top view of just the poppet valve and the propeller structure, which helps to further illustrate the features of the propeller structure; and

[0025] Figure 9 shows a bottom perspective view of the poppet valve and the propeller structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Referring to Figure 1 , a system 10 is shown incorporating one embodiment of a discharge tube assembly 12 in accordance with the present disclosure. The system 10 includes a pneumatically driven pump 14 which is positioned in a wellbore 16 filled with a fluid 18. A lower end 20 of the pump 14 includes a screened inlet 14a through which the fluid 18 may flow and enter and collect within an interior area of a tubular pump housing 22 of the pump.

[0028] An electronic controller 24 may be used to control the application of compressed air from a compressed air source 26 to the pump 14. The compressed air may be applied to a flow nozzle 27 and directed through a section of suitable tubing (e.g., plastic or rubber) 27a to a head assembly 28, and then into the interior area of the pump housing 22. Alternatively, it is possible that the flow nozzle 27 may be coupled directly to the head assembly 28 of the pump 14 so that no intermediate length of tubing is needed. In either event, the electronic controller 24 may control a valve 30 (e.g., a solenoid valve) so that the valve is closed while the compressed air source 26 is applying compressed air to the pump 14, and may open the valve to vent the interior of the pump housing 22 to atmosphere after a fluid ejection cycle is complete. In one example the valve 30 may be a Humphrey 250A solenoid valve available from the Humphrey Products Company of Kalamazoo, Ml. Optionally, a“quick exhaust” valve (not shown) may be incorporated between the flow nozzle 27 and the exhaust valve 30. The quick exhaust valve allows pressurized air to be directed into the pump 14 while allowing exhaust air to be expelled out to the ambient environment, which can potentially help reduce any possible contaminant build up in the valve 30 or and/or its vent port that vents to the atmosphere.

[0029] It will also be appreciated that the discharge tube assembly 12 described herein may be employed in a fluid pump which has no electronic controller, but rather simply is turned on and off through actuation of a float mechanism which rises and falls in accordance with the changing fluid level in the wellbore 16. For the purpose of the following discussion, it will be assumed that the pump 14 is being used with the electronic controller 24.

[0030] The pump 14 may include an inlet screen 14a at an extreme lower end 36 of the pump housing 22. The inlet screen 14a allows the fluid 18 collecting within the wellbore 16 to collect inside the housing 22 in the vicinity of the lower end 36. When compressed fluid (e.g., air) is applied while the valve 30 is closed, the fluid within the housing 22 will be forced into and upwardly through the discharge tube assembly 12 toward an upper end 38 of the pump housing 22, and then out through a discharge port 40 in the head assembly 28. As will be described further in the following paragraphs, the discharge tube assembly 12 operates to impart a strong, swirling motion to the fluid 18 while the fluid is entering and passing through the discharge tube assembly 12, which helps significantly to help keep interior components and interior portions of the discharge tube assembly 12. This is especially important considering that the fluid 18 within the wellbore 16 is often heavily laden with particle contaminants that can quickly and easily cause a buildup of contaminants, similar to a sludge-like formation, on the interior portions of a conventional discharge tube/assembly. With conventional pneumatic pumps used in a wellbore, the quick build-up of contaminants often necessitates frequent removal, disassembly, cleaning and reassembly of the pump 14, which is time consuming, labor intensive, and can be somewhat costly when considering the manual labor involved. As will be explained more fully, the construction of the discharge tube assembly 12 significantly reduces the build-up of contaminants inside the discharge tube assembly 12, and thus can significantly increase the time interval between when the pump 14 needs to be removed and disassembled for cleaning.

[0031] With further brief reference to Figure 1 , fluid 18 being ejected through the discharge tube assembly 12 is ejected through the discharge port 40. The ejected fluid 18 leaving the discharge port 40 may flow through a suitable tubing or conduit 42 to a suitable fluid reservoir.

[0032] Referring to Figure 2, a more detailed view of a portion of the discharge tube assembly 12 can be seen along with several other internal components of the pump 14. Initially, the pump 14 may include an inlet casting 44 secured within the lower area of the tubular housing 32 to form a fluid tight seal with the inside surface of the tubular housing 32, and for helping to maintain the discharge tube assembly 12 centered within the tubular housing. The inlet casting 44 includes an opening 46 in which a fluid inlet poppet valve 48 is seated, and which closes off the interior of the tubular pump housing 22 when compressed fluid is directed in the tubular pump housing 22 during a fluid discharge cycle.

[0033] With further reference to Figures 2 and 3, a discharge housing 50, a discharge swirl inducing fitting 51 , and a main tubular section 52 form a portion of the discharge tube assembly 12. The discharge housing 12 is held stationary within the tubular housing 22 by three threaded screws 54 (only one being visible in Figures 2 and 3), which are threaded into and extend through flange portions 56 and 58 of the discharge housing 50. Ends of sleeves 60 are threaded into engagement with threaded bores 44a in the inlet casting 44. There is a clearance hole (not visible) in the inlet casting 44 44 which allows the bolts 54 through a bottom side 44b of the inlet casting 44 so they can be used to secure the discharge tube assembly 12 stationary within the pump housing 22.

[0034] With further reference to Figures 2 and 3, a discharge poppet 62 is positioned within an interior area 64 of the discharge housing 50 and rests on an inlet face 66 of the discharge housing when the pump 14 is operating in a fill cycle, and no pressurized fluid is being admitted into the interior of the pump housing 22. The inlet face 66 communicates with an inlet structure 68 that includes an inlet port 70, which forms the entry path for fluid entering the discharge housing 50.

[0035] With reference to Figures 2 and 4, the inlet structure 68 of the discharge housing 50 includes a plurality of arcuate flow turning vanes 72 which extend radially from the inlet port 70. The arcuate flow turning vanes 72 in this example have a concave, angled surface 72a, and operate to impart a strong swirling flow to the fluid 18 as the fluid is forced into through the inlet port 70 into the interior area 64 of the discharge housing 50 by a pressurized fluid (e.g., compressed air) during an ejection cycle. The strong swirling motion of the fluid helps to clean both the surfaces of both the discharge poppet 62, as well as an interior wall 64a (shown in Figures 2 and 3 only) which defines the interior area 64 of the discharge housing 50, every time the pump 14 goes through an ejection cycle of operation.

[0036] With reference to Figure 5, the discharge swirl inducing (“DSI”) fitting 51 can be seen in greater detail. The DSI fitting 51 includes a flange portion 74 from which a neck portion 76 extends. The neck portion 76 includes a bore 78 and an arcuate interior wall portion 80 from which a plurality of curved vanes 82 extend. The curved vanes 82 are arranged circumferentially around the bore 78 and are angled similar to the arcuate flow turning vanes 72 on the inlet structure 68. As fluid 18 exits the discharge housing 50 during an eject cycle, the curved vanes 82 reinforce or amplify the swirling motion of the flowing fluid. This even further helps to impart a cleaning action to the interior surfaces of the main tubular section 52 of the discharge tube assembly 12 as the fluid flows through this portion of the discharge tube assembly 12.

[0037] With further reference to Figures 2 and 3, the arcuate flow turning vanes 72 essentially form a first plurality of vanes which, as noted above, impart a swirling motion to the fluid 18 as the fluid passes by and around the arcuate flow turning vanes 72. Importantly, the arcuate flow turning vanes 72 perform a plurality of additional operations. The arcuate flow turning vanes 72 also provide a quick path for the compressed air to leave the lower portion 36 of the fluid pump 14 before the entire flow channel within the discharge tube assembly 12 is open to air. This air can be used to identify when the pump 14 is empty and to turn off the supply air, thus limiting the amount of air in the output of the pump 14. The arcuate flow turning vanes 72 also help to separate the liquid 18 from the air as the two fluids attempt to leave the pump 14 during the ejection/discharge cycle. This is important for the flow detection system (not shown in Figure 1 ) being used outside the wellbore 16, which is sensitive to two phase fluid flow. Without the arcuate flow turning vanes 72, air and liquid may form into pockets of air and water. These pockets sequentially collide into the sensing element of the flow detection system. The heavier liquid has more inertia and causes the sensing element to move to a position which is different than when just air is presented to the sensing element. This position may provide false data to the sensing element. The arcuate flow turning vanes 72 also allow the water to collect or stick to the surface of the vanes. The less dense pneumatic pumping air tunnels between the turning vanes. This helps eliminate or limit the two phase flow condition which might subject the sensor to false data. This small flow area is also easier for compressed air to travel through the arcuate flow turning vanes 72, as compared to water.

[0038] As it is discharged through the fluid pump 14, the turning volume of fluid 18 will spiral up the inside of the discharge housing 50 into the main tubular section 52 of the discharge tube assembly 12. This spinning will clean the interior wall 64a of the discharge housing 50 as well as the interior wall of the main tubular section 52. This spinning fluid 18 will also spin the discharge poppet 62 and help to clean it. The spinning discharge poppet 62 will also position itself in the center of the vortex of spinning fluid, which provides for even better sensor feedback. The rotating fluid column then spirals toward the curved vanes 82 of the DSI fitting 51 , which essentially act as a second plurality of flow turning vanes. The curved vanes 82 reinforce or amplify the rotation (i.e., swirling motion) of the fluid 18 while expanding the fluid across the entire cross section of the main tubular section 52 of the discharge tube assembly 12. The strong swirling action imparted to the fluid 18 washes the inside walls of the main tubular section 52 through the entire length of the main tubular section 52.

[0039] It will also be appreciated that the angled surfaces 72a of the arcuate flow turning vanes 72 help to limit the amount of debris which will attempt to collect in (or on) the discharge housing 50 by increasing the rotating fluid flow velocity thru this rejoin. Adjacent ones of the arcuate flow turning vanes 72, as well as adjacent ones of the curved vanes 82, are also preferably spaced to allow at least three large particles to pass between adjacent pairs of arcuate flow turning vanes 72, as well as between adjacent pairs of curved vanes 82, without plugging. Such a spacing involves a separation of preferably at least about 0.375 inch, as denoted by arrows 84 in Figure 4, although it will be appreciated that this separation may vary somewhat depending on the diameter of the inlet port 70 as well as the inlet screen 14a aperture diameter. A similar separation may be employed between the radially inward most portions of adjacent ones of the curved vanes 82. A height of each of the flow turning vanes, as indicated by arrows 85 in Figure 4, may also vary considerably, but in one preferred form is about 0.250-0.500 inch. Likewise, a similar height may be employed with the curved vanes 82. However, it will be appreciated that the height and spacing of the flow turning vanes 72 and the curved vanes 82 need not be identical.

[0040] The rotating fluid column created by the discharge tube assembly 12 cleans the inside wall portions of the discharge tube assembly 12 on each pump ejection cycle. The benefit is a self-cleaning of the pump discharge tube assembly 12 internal surfaces, which reduces the frequency of cleaning and operation of the pump 14. Optionally, the pumping media (e.g., compressed air) may also contain small particles of sand or silt. These particles can act like a small sand blaster. The spiraling particles may even further help to slowly clean and polish all the interior surfaces of the discharge tube assembly 12 as they collide with the surface during a eject cycle of the fluid pump 14. This self-cleaning is expected to significantly extend the time interval for service due to a plugged outlet. Plugged outlets are caused by a collection of particles which bridge across the inlet port 70 of the discharge housing 50. The self-cleaning also extends the time interval for servicing the discharge poppet 62 because of the cleaning process on each pump ejection cycle.

[0041] The discharge tube assembly 12 thus enables a cleaning action to be imparted to the components associated therewith during every fluid eject cycle of the fluid pump 14, and without the need for expensive additional components, and without requiring significant modifications to other components of the fluid pump. The discharge tube assembly 12 can be implemented with minimal additional cost, and without significantly increasing the overall complexity of the design of the fluid pump, and without significantly complicating its assembly and/or disassembly. It is a particular advantage of the discharge tube assembly 12 that it may even be retrofitted into existing pneumatic fluid pumps with little or no modifications to existing fluid pumps. However, it will also be appreciated that, depending on the specific pump decision, the discharge poppet 62 and a discrete area for housing the discharge poppet may not be needed. Also, the flow turning vanes 72 and/or curved vanes 82 may be employed/formed directly on one or both ends (i.e. , inlet and/or outlet ends) of a fluid discharge tube, assuming the discharge poppet is not being used. Also, in the case of a pneumatic pump without a poppet, a ball check valve is required. In this case, turning vanes can be incorporated into the structure before and after the ball check valve. It will also be appreciated that the ball check chamber can have turning vanes incorporated into the flow chamber where the ball check resides.

[0042] Referring to Figure 5a, one embodiment of an integrated coupling structure 90 incorporating flow turning vanes 90a is shown. The integrated coupling structure 90 is ideally suited for use with the pump 14 together with the DSI fitting 51 , but may also be used in any fluid pump that does not incorporate the DSI fitting 51 , and further helps to maintain the interior surface of a tubular discharge line (not shown) free of contaminants as fluid is pumped through the discharge line.

[0043] The integrated coupling structure 90 in this example is also shown being used with an optional supplemental flow turning element 92, which is shown in Figure 5a as a fully independent part which is seated on an upper edge 52a of the main tubular section 52 of the discharge tube assembly 12. The supplemental flow turning element 92 may be similar or virtually identical in construction to the DSI fitting 51 , and includes a plurality of vanes 92a for imparting a swirling motion to fluid flowing through it. The supplemental flow turning element 92 in this example is shown with a radial shoulder 92b which would, in one example, be present if the element 92 is a molded component, but the shoulder 92b would be machined off before the element 92 is finished, thus allowing it to be dropped into place on the upper edge 52a of the main tubular section 52 during assembly of the pump 14. The supplemental flow turning element 92, while optional, works in a synergistic manner with the integrated coupling structure 90 to impart an initial swirling flow to the fluid as the fluid enters the integrated coupling structure 90, which is then further significantly amplified as the fluid leaves the integrated coupling structure 90.

[0044] The integrated coupling structure 90 includes a tubular housing 90b which is threadably coupled at a lower end 90c to a threaded port 28a of the pump head assembly 28. When fully assembled, the lower end 90c of the tubular housing 90b may press against a radial edge 92c of the supplemental flow turning element 92 to capture it in place. This arrangement places the supplemental flow turning element 92 at an inlet end of the tubular housing 90b. Optionally, it will be appreciated that the supplemental flow turning element 92 may be formed so as to be attachable via a threaded connection with the lower end 90c, provided the lower end 90c is also provided with threads to make the attachment possible. Still further, one may form the housing 90b and the supplemental flow turning element 92 as a single component.

[0045] The housing 90b includes a check ball 90d and a valve seat 90e. An upper end of the housing 90b is threadably coupled to a lower end 90f of a quick connect fitting 90g. The quick connect fitting 90g includes the integrally formed flow turning vanes 90a as well as a partial circumferential groove 90h for securing with an external (not shown) mating quick connect fitting. The external mating quick connect fitting has a pin- like structure that engages in the circumferential groove 90h as it is pushed onto the quick connect fitting 90g, and is thus latched thereto. The quick connect coupling means of connecting to fittings, by itself, is known in the art, although such structure, up to the present time, has not incorporated any type of flow turning vanes or flow swirl inducing structure.

[0046] The quick connect fitting 90g in this example also includes an integrally formed, depending check ball retaining leg 90i, which is located at an approximate axial center of the tubular housing 90b. The check ball retaining leg 90i projects downwardly slightly into the interior of the of the tubular housing 90b and acts as a retaining element to maintain the check ball 90d within a designated internal area of the tubular housing 90b, while allowing the check ball 90d to move clear of the valve seat 90e during a fluid eject cycle of the pump 14. [0047] The addition of the flow turning vanes 90a imparts a strong swirling motion to the fluid flow entering a discharge tube (not shown) which would be coupled to the quick connect fitting 90g. The flow turning vanes 90a may be constructed identically to the flow turning vanes 72 or 82 shown in Figures 4 and 5, meaning that they each may have arcuate shapes and may be arranged around a central opening. Alternatively, the height, spacing and arcuate curvature of the flow turning vanes 90a may be modified slightly, if desired, to impart an even more aggressive swirling action to the fluid flow entering the quick connect fitting 90g. The overall dimensions of the quick connect fitting 90g and the diameter of the hose (not shown) that will be receiving the fluid from it, as well as the composition of the fluid being pumped, are all variables that may be considered in optimizing the construction of the flow turning vanes 90a. Advantageously, the integrated coupling structure 90a forms an assembly which provides three important functions: that of a one-way check valve; that of a swirling flow inducing component; and that of a quick coupling assembly. These three important functions are all provided in a compact package which can be easily secured and detached from the pump head assembly 28.

[0048] Referring to Figure 5b, an integrated coupling structure 95 is shown in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. Again, the integrated coupling structure 95 may be used in the pump 14 with the DSI fitting 51 , or it may be used in a pump which does not include the DSI fitting 51 . The integrated coupling structure 95 includes a housing 95a having a lower end 95b which is threaded, and which is threadably secured to the threaded port 28a of the pump head assembly 28. The lower end 95b includes a plurality of flow turning vanes 95c integrally formed therein. Again, the flow turning vanes 95c may be identical to, or modified slightly from, the flow turning vanes 72 or 82 shown in Figures 4 or 5. The housing 95a may include a valve seat 95d and a check ball 95e which seats on the valve seat to limit flow to one direction only (i.e. , outwardly from the pump 14 interior). An upper end 95f of the housing 95a includes a threaded portion 95g which enables any form of threaded attachment (typically a threaded attached associated with a discharge tube) to be secured thereto. With both of the integrated coupling structures 90 and 95, the flow turning vanes 90a and 95c, respectively, impart a strong, swirling motion to the fluid being ejected from the pump 14 immediately before the fluid enters the discharge tubing which is coupled to the structure 90 or 95. This helps significantly to help keep the interior wall of the discharge tubing clean and free from contaminant buildup. [0049] Referring to Figures 6 and 7, a fluid inlet poppet valve 100 in accordance with another embodiment of the fluid poppet inlet valve 48 is shown. The pump in which the poppet valve 100 may be used may be the same as or similar to the pneumatically driven pump 14 shown in Figure 1 . Flowever, the poppet valve 100 is readily adaptable for use in any pneumatically driven fluid pump which relies on a poppet style valve to seal a fluid inlet port. The poppet valve 100 may even be adapted for other pump applications; in fact the poppet valve 100 may potentially be used in connection with any pump port (inlet or ejection) which would normally be sealed closed by seating of a poppet valve, and where structure such as a screen or even the inside of a tube needs to be kept as clean and debris free as possible. When used in connection with the discharge various components of the system 10, the poppet valve 100 helps to ensure the entirety of the pump 14 is maintained as debris free as possible.

[0050] Figures 6 and 7 show the extreme lower end 36 of the pump 14 in enlarged fashion. The inlet screen 14a is secured to a lower edge portion 102 of the pump housing 22. A support frame 104, typically formed from at least three support elements 104a1 spaced apart from one another (e.g., in one example by 120 degrees from one another, although only two being visible in the cross sectional drawings of Figures 6 and 7) is positioned within the inlet screen 14a and helps to prevent damage to the inlet screen if the inlet screen is lowered into a wellbore and hits abruptly at the bottom of the wellbore. The inlet screen 14a also serves to keep larger particles of debris away from the inlet casting 44 that might otherwise interfere with proper seating of a portion of the inlet poppet valve body portion 100a on a seat 45 of the inlet casting.

[0051] A principal feature of the poppet valve 100 is a propeller structure 106 which is attached to a bottom sealing portion 108 of the poppet valve body portion 100a. The propeller structure 106 is shown in greater detail in Figure 8 and 9. In Figures 8 and 9 it can be seen that the propeller structure 106 includes a neck portion 1 10 which transitions into a propeller element 1 12 having a smoothly curving upper surface 1 12a and a smoothly curving lower surface 1 12b. In this example the propeller element 1 12 forms a generally circumferential propeller element, although it will be appreciated that the propeller element 1 12 need not be perfectly circular. The neck portion 1 10 in this example extends along a longitudinal centerline of the pump 14. With brief reference to Figure 6, the neck portion 1 10 can be seen to include a threaded portion 1 14 which is threadably engaged at an axial center of the body portion 100a, and which projects axially outwardly from the bottom sealing portion 108 within a threaded bore 1 16 in the body portion 100a (the threaded bore 1 16 and the threaded portion 1 14 being visible only in Figures 6 and 7). The neck portion 1 10 transitions smoothly into the propeller element 1 12. The propeller element 1 12 includes a relatively thin or sharp edge 1 18 which transitions (i.e., enlarges) in thickness toward an axial center of the propeller element 1 12. The edge 1 18 may include one or more scalloped sections 120 spaced around the circumference of the sharp edge 1 18. A generally semi-conically shaped face 122 is formed on the propeller structure 1 12 which faces downwardly toward the inlet screen 14a when the poppet valve 100 is assembled into the pump 14.

[0052] From Figures 6 and 9 it can be seen that the propeller element 1 12 includes a square hole 126. The square shaped hole 126 accepts a 0.25” socket drive ratchet. The ratchet drive can fit inside the support elements 104a1 forming the support frame 104 and provide rotation to turn the neck portion 1 10 to threadably advance it into the threaded bore 1 16 in the body portion 100a. An end of the neck portion 1 10 has a spherical surface 1 10a. This spherical surface 1 10a creates a water seal when compressed into a bottom face 1 16a of the threaded bore 1 16, and forms a primary water seal along the neck portion 1 10. A standard threaded fastener 1 13 is then threaded into a threaded bore 1 10b in the neck portion 1 10. The thread pitch on the threaded fastener 1 13 is preferably different than the thread pitch in the threaded bore 1 16, which prevents the propeller structure 106 from turning off of the bottom sealing portion 108. The standard threaded fastener 1 13 may be captured by an interference fit on the threaded fastener 1 13 head and the body portion 100a. A secondary seal is created by an O-ring 1 19. The O-ring 1 19 is compressed by the threaded fastener 1 13 head portion. This compression also helps to prevent loosening rotation of the threaded fastener 1 13 from the threaded bore 1 10b in the neck portion 1 10.

[0053] While Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the propeller element 1 12 incorporating three such scalloped sections 120, it will be appreciated that a greater or lesser number of such scalloped sections may be included to suit the particular needs of a given application. The function of the scalloped sections 120 will be described in the following paragraphs. The propeller element 1 12 and the neck portion 1 10 may be made from high strength plastic or a suitable metal, which in one example may be 316 stainless steel. Preferably the diameter of the propeller element 1 12 is just slightly small than the internal diameter defined by the inlet screen support frame 104, for example by a spacing of about 0.312 inch from each support element 104a1 of the support frame 104. Figures 8 and 9 also show that the body portion 100a may include a relatively shallow slot 1 19 which allows fluid (e.g., water) to flow around the body portion 100a which can help to keep the upper end of the body portion 100a from getting stuck on a hard stop 130 (visible in Figures 6 and 7) at the top of a fill cycle or stroke.

[0054] During a fluid inlet cycle when the poppet valve 100 is raised off the seat 45, the propeller element 1 12 does not appreciably obstruct the free flow of fluid through the inlet screen 14a and past the poppet valve 100. Thus, fluid is free to enter the pump 14 through the inlet screen 14a during a fluid fill cycle. However, when pressurized air is admitted to the pump 14 during a fluid eject cycle, the pressurized air and the weight of the fluid column acts on the poppet valve 100 to force it down onto the seat 45 of the inlet casting 44 to close off the flow of fluid into the interior area of the pump housing 22. This hydraulic force drives the poppet valve 100 toward the valve seat 45 of the inlet casting 44 with a relatively high velocity, at which point it comes to a hard stop on the seat 45. This rapid downward motion of the poppet valve 100 produces a reverse“pulse” of fluid flow which pushes the water off the face 122 of the propeller element 1 12 towards the inlet screen 14a. This reverse pulse of fluid flow is effective in dislodging particles which are stuck or attached to either the inside surface or the outside surface of the inlet screen 14a. These particles then have the opportunity to sink away from the pump inlet screen 14a to the bottom of the wellbore 16.

[0055] To further encourage the dislodgement of particles out of and away from the inlet screen 14a, a small turn in the reverse fluid pulse is introduced by the scalloped sections 120 on the edge 1 18 of the propeller structure 1 12. The three scalloped sections 120 turn the reverse fluid pulse as the reverse fluid pulse passes through them. The turning fluid flow is illustrated by lines 128 in Figure 7, and forms somewhat of a sharp, swirling fluid pulse. The turning fluid flow is then directed radially outwardly toward a sidewall portion 14a’ of the inlet screen 14a. This area would otherwise not be supplied any fluid from the propeller element face 122.

[0056] The third way the propeller structure 1 12 helps to clean the interior area of the pump 14 is through the abrupt stop when the poppet valve 100 seats on the seat 45. This abrupt stop produces a small shock wave in the fluid. This abrupt stoppage also produces a momentary mechanical vibration. This momentary mechanical vibration momentarily shakes the entire pump 14. This momentary, abrupt shaking action, taken in connection with the reverse fluid pulse and swirling fluid flow generated by the propeller element 1 12, encourages any loosely held particles that may be attached to the inlet casting 44, or portions of the poppet valve 100 or the inlet screen 14a, to be ejected from the surface they are attached to. With the particles detached from the surfaces, they sink away from the pump 14 if they are on the outside of the pump 14. If these particles are on the inside of the pump 14, they can be expelled with the fluid in the pump during the next pump ejection cycle.

[0057] If the pump 14 is a float controlled pump, then the pump inlet screen 14a will self-clean every eject cycle of the pump. The cleaning cycle is different if there is a programmable electronic controller used with the pump 14. The controller’s program will typically have a specified number of cycles (or time) between cleaning cycles. The cleaning cycle is different than the normal pump cycle. A normal pump cycle will empty the pump 14 completely. A cleaning cycle will often be a series of short eject (i.e. , ON) and fill cycles in close repetition. The pump 14 will be slowly emptied with the series of short pump cycles. The short cycles allow the inlet poppet valve 100 to fully open and then rapidly close. The other benefit of the short pump cycles is that the pump 14 becomes buoyant in the last couple of cycles. This buoyant state allows the mass of the poppet valve 100 to shake the pump 14 more strongly due to less mass of water inside the pump. The buoyant state also allows the pump 14 to physically move around inside the wellbore 16. This repositioning allows the particles another opportunity to sink away from the inlet screen 14a.

[0058] One preferred self-Cleaning pumping sequence may be defined as follows:

[0059] - pump 14 refill until pump is full;

[0060] - pump turned on (fluid eject cycle started) for one second and then pump turned back off;

[0061] - pump fill cycle started and maintained for a three second duration;

[0062] -pump 14 turned on (eject cycle started) for one second, and then eject cycle stopped;

[0063] -pump 14 fill cycle started and maintained for three seconds;

[0064] -pump 14 turned on (i.e., eject cycle started) for one second;

[0065] -pump 14 fill cycle started and maintained for three seconds;

[0066] -pump 14 turned back on (i.e., eject cycle started) and maintained on for one second, then the pump is turned off;

[0067] -pump fill cycle is started and maintained for three seconds and then terminated; [0068] -pump 14 is turned back on (eject cycle started) for one second, and then turned off;

[0069] -pump fill cycle is started and maintained for three seconds;

[0070] -pump 14 cleaning sequence is terminated and the electronic controller switches back to controlling the pump in the normal pump operating mode.

[0071] For the above described cleaning sequence, the time length of each “on” or“off” (i.e. , eject or fill) cycle event may be varied. This allows for tuning of the cleaning sequence dependent upon the type of contaminates in the well which are adhered to the various pump 14 surfaces, and which would normally result in undesirably shortening the durations between normally scheduled maintenance of the pump.

[0072] The inlet poppet valve 100 can potentially be retrofitted into existing pumps, although the dimensions of the propeller structure 106 may need to be adjusted depending on internal dimensions of the inlet screen being used with the pump. The propeller structure 106 does not add appreciable cost, weight or complexity to the pump 14. The propeller structure 106 also does not require any significant modifications to the inlet poppet valve of a pump or the valve body structure on which the poppet valve seats. Still further, the inlet poppet valve 100 described herein does not require any modifications to how an electronic controller would normally need to be operated to control the pump during its normal pumping operation, aside from possibly introducing the cleaning sequence described herein, which again would only be performed periodically.

[0073] With further reference to Figure 8, optionally the body portion 100a could include one or more angled pathways 132 and/or one or more longitudinal pathways 132. The angled pathway(s) 132 may help to induce a turn on the water column flowing toward the propeller element 1 12. The straight or longitudinal pathway(s) 134 provide a flow of water which attaches to the surface of the propeller element 1 12 and directs water to help clean the propeller element and the inlet screen 14a. With brief reference to Figures 6 and 7, one or more bores 136 in the inlet casting 44 (visible only in Figure 6), or possibly one or more slots or grooves 138 (visible only in Figure 7) at a surface area of the inlet casting 44 where the body portion 100a makes contact with the inlet casting, may also be included to introduce a swirling motion to water passing through the inlet casting or to direct water onto the bottom sealing portion 108 of the body portion 100a and the propeller element 1 12 and onto the inlet screen 14a. These features can augment the benefits of the propeller element 1 12 in helping to keep the inlet screen 14a and other components of the pump 14 clean.

[0074] Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

[0075] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms“a,”“an,” and“the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms“comprises,”“comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0076] When an element or layer is referred to as being“on,”“engaged to,” “connected to,” or“coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being“directly on,” “directly engaged to,”“directly connected to,” or“directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus“directly between,”“adjacent” versus“directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. [0077] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

[0078] Spatially relative terms, such as“inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,”“above,”“upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or“beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented“above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

[0079] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.