US 11,767,740 B1
Life-of-well gas lift systems for producing a well and gas pump systems having pump control valves with belleville washers
Michael S. Juenke, Spring, TX (US); Stephen W. Turk, Conroe, TX (US); and E. Lee Colley, III, Jersey Village, TX (US)
Assigned to KHOLLE Magnolia 2015, LLC, Houston, TX (US)
Filed by KHOLLE Magnolia 2015, LLC, Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Sep. 22, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/28,869.
Application 17/028,869 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/984,907, filed on May 21, 2018, granted, now 10,858,921.
Int. Cl. E21B 43/12 (2006.01); E21B 34/10 (2006.01); E21B 33/12 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 43/122 (2013.01) [E21B 33/12 (2013.01); E21B 34/10 (2013.01); E21B 2200/04 (2020.05)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A gas pump system for producing a well, said gas pump system comprising:
(a) production tubing adapted to convey fluid from said well to the surface;
(b) a chamber adapted to collect liquid from said well;
(c) a chamber check valve adapted to allow liquid to flow into said chamber from said well and to check liquid flow out of said chamber;
(d) a dip tube in communication with said production tubing and said chamber;
(e) a dip tube check valve adapted to allow liquid to flow up said dip tube into said production tubing and to check liquid from flowing down said dip tube;
(f) a gas supply line adapted to convey gas into said chamber;
(g) a gas supply valve controlling flow through said gas supply line;
(h) a gas vent line adapted to vent gas from said chamber;
(i) a gas vent valve controlling flow through said gas vent line;
(j) wherein at least one of said gas supply valve and said gas vent valve comprises:
i) a gas flowpath;
ii) a valve seat in said gas flowpath;
iii) a valve body adapted to selectively seat on said valve seat to open and shut said flowpath;
iv) an actuating pressure chamber;
v) a stack of Belleville washers, said washer stack being compressed to provide a biasing force;
vi) a piston:
(1) coupled to said valve body, and
(2) responsive to fluid pressure in said actuating chamber and the biasing force of said washer stack;
vii) wherein a fluid control line communicates with said actuating chamber to provide control fluid to said actuating chamber, said fluid control line being isolated from said gas supply line and said gas vent line; whereby said valve body may be selectively seated on said valve seat by sequentially increasing and decreasing control fluid pressure in said actuation chamber relative to the biasing force of said washer stack.