Patent ID: 9453396
Filing Date: 2016-09-27
CPC Classification: E21B,F04B

Claim Text:
1. An oil pump apparatus for pumping oil from an oil well having a wellhead with a wellhead area, and a well bore with a casing and a production tubing, comprising: a) a tool body that is sized and shaped to be lowered into the production tubing of the oil well; b) a working fluid that can be pumped into the production tubing; c) a prime mover for pumping the working fluid; d) a flow channel in the well bore that enables the working fluid to be circulated from the prime mover via the production tubing to the tool body at a location in the well and then back to the wellhead area; e) a flow diverter structure mounted in the tool body, the flow diverter structure including a bearing and a vertically extending portion that extends down from the bearing; f) a pumping mechanism on the tool body, the pumping mechanism including a first pair of impellers that are driven by the working fluid and a second pair of impellers that are rotated by the first pair of impellers, the second pair of impellers pumping oil from the well via the tool body, each pair of impellers having blades that engage so that one impeller rotates with the other for each of said pairs; g) the first pair of impellers rotatably attached to the bearing of the flow diverter, h) wherein the working fluid flows downwardly through the flow diverter and then to the first pair of impellers; i) wherein the vertically extending portion of the flow diverter has a plurality of discharge ports including at least two discharge ports that form an obtuse angle and that direct fluid flow to an outer half portion of the impeller blades of the first of impellers; j) wherein the tool body has flow conveying portions that mix the working fluid and the oil as the oil is pumped; and k) wherein the pumping mechanism transmits the commingled fluid of oil and working fluid to the wellhead area.