Patent Publication Number: US-2021190094-A1

Title: Jet Pump Assembly

Description:
(b) CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     (c) STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     (d) THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     (e) INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
     Not Applicable 
     (f) STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     (g) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The disclosure relates to jet pump devices and more particularly pertains to a new jet pump device for facilitating a jet pump to be dissembled and serviced in the field. 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The prior art relates to jet pump devices. The prior art discloses a variety of jet pump designs which each incorporate auxiliary fluid paths therein for accommodating forward flow of fluid and reverse flow of fluid. The prior art additionally includes a variety of check valves for controlling the direction of the flow of fluid. Each example included in the prior art discloses a novel structure for defining the auxiliary fluid paths therein. 
     (h) BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a jet pump that is fluidly coupled to a fluid pump for pumping a fluid into a petroleum well at a given pressure. The jet pump includes a nozzle housing, a mixing tube, a diffuser, a crossover body and an outer sleeve. The diffuser threadably engages the crossover body, the outer sleeve threadably engages each of the nozzle housing and the crossover body for assembling the jet pump. In this way the jet pump can be dissembled and serviced, in the field, without special tools or training. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       (i) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a jet pump assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1  of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     (j) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 3  thereof, a new jet pump device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 3 , the jet pump assembly  10  generally comprises a jet pump  12  that is fluidly coupled to a fluid pump for pumping a fluid into a petroleum well at a given pressure. The jet pump  12  may be employed in an oil field in the convention of hydraulic pumping for lifting oil, or other fluids, from the petroleum well. The jet pump  12  includes a seal body  14 , a nozzle housing  16 , a nozzle spacer  18 , a mixing tube  20 , a diffuser  22 , a crossover body  24  and an outer sleeve  26 . 
     The nozzle housing  16  has a first end  28 , a second end  30  and an outer surface  32  extending therebetween, and the nozzle housing  16  has a nozzle opening  34  extending through the first end  28  and the second end  30 . The nozzle opening  34  has a bounding surface  36  and the bounding surface  36  curves inwardly between the first end  28  and the second end  30 . The outer surface  32  has a threaded portion  38  that is positioned adjacent to the first end  28 . The mixing tube  20  has an upper end  40  and a lower end  42 , and the second end  30  of the nozzle housing  16  insertably receives the upper end  40  of the mixing tube  20 . Additionally, the nozzle spacer  18  is positioned between the nozzle housing  16  and the mixing tube  20 . 
     The diffuser  22  has a primary end  44 , a secondary end  46  and an outside surface  48  extending therebetween, and the outside surface  48  has a threaded portion  50  adjacent to the secondary end  46 . The primary end  44  insertably receives the lower end  42  of the mixing tube  20  such that the diffuser  22  is in fluid communication with the nozzle housing  16 . The crossover body  24  has a top end  52 , a bottom end  54  and an exterior surface  56  extending therebetween, and the exterior surface has a threaded portion  57  adjacent to the bottom end  54 . The top end  52  insertably receives the secondary end  46  of the diffuser  22  having the threaded portion  38  of the outside surface  48  of the diffuser  22  threadably engaging the crossover body  24 . 
     A nozzle  58  is positionable in the nozzle housing  16  to pressurize the fluid when the fluid passes through the nozzle  58 . The nozzle  58  may be a venturi nozzle that is commonly employed on jet pumps for hydraulic lifting. The nozzle  58  has an output  60  and an outer surface  62 . The outer surface  62  of the nozzle  58  conforms to the bounding surface  36  of the nozzle opening  34  in the nozzle housing  16  when the nozzle  58  is positioned in the nozzle opening  34 . In this way the output  60  is spaced a fixed distance from the mixing tube  20  when the mixing tube  20  is coupled to the nozzle housing  16 . 
     The outer sleeve  26  threadably engages the threaded portion  38  of the outer surface  32  of the nozzle housing  16 . Additionally, the outer sleeve  26  threadably engages the threaded portion  50  of the outside surface  48  of the crossover body  24 . In this way the outer sleeve  26  retains the jet pump  12  in an assembled configuration. Additionally, the threaded connection of the outer sleeve  26  and the diffuser  22  facilitates the jet pump  12  to be dissembled and serviced, in the field, with standard hand tools and without any specialized training. 
     A first gasket  64  is provided and the first gasket  64  is positioned around the nozzle. The first gasket  64  forms a fluid impermeable seal with the nozzle housing  16  when the nozzle is inserted into the nozzle housing  16 . The first gasket  64  engages the bounding surface  36  of the nozzle opening  34  in the nozzle housing  16  when the nozzle is positioned in the nozzle housing  16 . A second gasket  66  is provided and the second gasket  66  is positioned around the mixing tube  20 . The second gasket  66  forms a fluid impermeable seal with the diffuser  22  when the mixing tube  20  is inserted into the diffuser  22 . 
     In use, the jet pump  12  is employed in the oil field in the normal convention of hydraulic lifting of petroleum wells. The threaded couplings of outer sleeve  26  and the diffuser  22  facilitate the jet pump  12  to be dissembled and serviced, in the field, without specialized tools or training. In this way the jet pump  12  enhances efficiency of field operations with respect to hydraulic lifting in petroleum wells. Moreover, the reduced number of gaskets and  0 -rings, as compared to existing designs of jet pumps, reduces the likelihood of mechanical failure in the field. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.