US2657637A - Pitless well construction - Google Patents

Description

J. G. BAKER PITLEss WELL CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 3,' 1953 Filed Nom. 21, 1950 Nov. 3, 1953 J. G. BAKER PITLESS WELL CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 21, 1950 Patented Nov. 3, 1953 g drive cooperate with the latter to define an annular recess 32 which communicates with the pump outlet passages I9 and with the casing outlet I2. As shown in Fig. 3, the latter is disposed near the top of the annular recess 32 so as to permit air accumulating in the recess to escape through the outlet and the delivery pipe I3.

The impeller 33 of the pump I5 is of well known construction and journaled in the casing I1 to rotate in a horizontal plane, the outer ends of its E centrifugal passages 34 being movable across the inner ends of the outlet passages I9. At their inner ends, the impeller passages communicate with the suction inlet 36 of the pump through a hollow hub 3'I which is integral with the impeller and ilts with a close clearance in a cylindrical part 38 in the lower part IIb of the pump casing. The inlet 36 is cored in the casting Ilb and a casting 39 clamped against the bottom of the latter by screws 40. delivered to the pump inlet 36 through a vertical suction pipe 4I disclosed within the casing section I9 and threaded at its upper end 42 into the casting 39.

Within the pump casing I'I, the impeller 33 is clamped by a screw 43 to the lower end of a drive shaft I6 which extends .upwardly along the axis of the well casing II and is journaled in spaced anti-friction bearings 4 4 mounted in a tubular extension 45 which is cast integral with the upper part I'Ia of the pump housing. Beyond the lower bearing 44, the lower end portion of the shaft I6 projects loosely through a ring 46 pressed into a hole 48 in the housing wall and having a flat inner end surface 41. bears against a similar surface on a ring 49 urged against the ring 46 by a spring 56 which acts between the ring 49 and a shoulder 5I on the upper hub of the impeller 33.

The ring 49 is sealed around the shaft I6 by a sleeve 52 of yieldable material. The pump casing is thus effectually sealed around the shaft I6. Any water escaping between the engaging surfaces of the rings 46 and 49 is received into a recess 53 cast in the pump housing and opening laterally at the top of a Well 54 in the top of the spool 23. Such leakage water flows down through a hole 55 and is returned to the well.

To maintain efficient operation of the pump and effectiveness of the seal around the drive shaft, provision is made for effective disposal of o the air which is drawn into the pump casing along with the water being pumped. For this purpose, the uppermost part of the pump recess I8 is disposed below the upper part of the outlet I2 from the well casing and also communicates with the annular recess 32 around the supporting head 23. Herein, such communication is achieved through a hole 56 formed at the top of the cylindrical part 5l of the pump casing. With the pump chamber thus constructed and arranged, any air entering the pump will rise in the chamber I8 and escape out through the hole 56, the recess 32, and the delivery pipe I3. The pumping system is thus freed of air automatically and the engaging surfaces of the shaft seal are at all times kept submerged in water by which they are lubricated effectually. Wear at the rubbing surfaces of the rings 46 and 49 is thus minimized so that the shaft seal Will remain effectual through long service use.

The shaft I6 is driven by a rotary power actuator, an electric motor 58 in this instance whose frame is held against turning with respect to the supporting spool 23 so that the driving torque Water from the well is ,I

The latter l applied to the shaft does not tend to turn the spool and the seal rings 26 and 28 within the well casing. To this end, the motor housing is fast on the upper end of a tube 59 whose lower end is coupled as by threads 6D to the tubular extension 45 of the pump casing. The tube 59 projects through and is centered relative to the well casing II by a cap 6I bolted to the top of the casing.

One end bell of the motor housing is threaded at 63 onto the upper end of the tube 59 through Which the shaft I6 extends for connection by a coupling 62 with the lower end of the vertical motor shaft 64. Since the motor housing is thus connected rigidly to the pump casing I1, the motor torque is applied directly to the pump impeller and there is no tendency for the spool 23 to turn within the well casing during operation of the motor.

With the rotary pump thus mounted in the well exteriorly of the building to be supplied with Water and with the drive shaft disposed vertically, the pump may be operated readily from an auxiliary source of power in the event of failure of the electric power supply. This is accomplished simply by attaching a drive pulley 65 to the upper exposedend of the motor shaft 64. A suitable belt may be extended around the pulley when it is desired to operate the pump by a tractor or other stand-by power source.

The pump I5 mounted withinthe well casing in the manner described above, is especially adapted for use in deep well pumping systems of the so-called jet type in which water at the pump outlet pressure is forced through the nozzle 66 and into a Venturi tube 61 whose inlet end communicates With the body of Water in the well. Herein, the Venturi tube is mounted in the lower end of the tube 4I which leads to the pump inlet 36. The lower end of the tube 4I threads into a casting 69 in which the jet nozzle 66 is formed above a foot-valve 69. The lower end of the casting is open and covered by a screen 19.

The nozzle is supplied with water under pressure through a pipe 'Il disposed alongside the suction pipe 4I and threaded at its lower end into the jet casting 68. At its upper end, the pipe threads at 'I2 into a hole formed in the bottom cap 39 of the spool 23 and communicating through a passage 'I3 in the spool with the annular passage 32 into which water is discharged under pressure by the pump. In operation, part of the water delivered by the pump is forced back through the pipe 'II to the nozzle 66 and the resulting Venturi action draws water from the well upwardly through the screen 79 and forces the same upwardly into the pipe 4I fromwhich it is drawn into the pump proper.

With the deep well installation thus provided, it will be observed that the Venturi unit *I4 and all parts of the passages for supplied water under pressure to the nozzle 66 are disposed wholly within the well casing leaving the single delivery pipe I3 as the only connection between the well casing and the tank I4. The latter pipe is al- Ways under pressure and, as a result, there is no possibility of the water being contaminated by seepage into the system through leaks which may inadvertently exist or develop in service.

To install the pump above described, the pump, the pipes 4I and 1I, the Venturi unit 14, and the tube 59 are joined together as a rigid assembly and lowered endwise into the upper part of the well casing Il. When the lower end of the spool seats on the bevel 25, the rings 23 and Y2i.

monaca? will be compressed within the casing forming pressure tight seals at opposite ends of the spool. The cap 6I is secured in place and the motor attached thus completing the installation. If it becomes necessary in service to remove the pump for repair or otherwise, the whole assembly may be withdrawn from the well after removing the bolts for the cap 6I.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a pitless well construction, the combination of, an elongated casing adapted to be opened at the top, a hollow head insertable into and withdrawable endwise from said casing from the top thereof and cooperating with the interior thereof to define an outlet recess, a pump chamber Within said head, a centrifugal pump having an irnpeller disposed within said chamber and journaled in said head, a shaft carrying said impeller and extending upwardly along said well casing for actuation from a point above the top of the latter, said recess extending upwardly at least as high as said chamber, means on said head dening a passage connecting the upper portion of said pump chamber with said recess and permitting the natural ow of air from the pump chamber into the recess, and means defining a water delivery outlet extending laterally through said casing near the upper part of said recess.

2. In a pitless well construction, the combination of, an elongated casing adapted to be opened at the top, a hollow head insertable into and withdrawable endwise from said casing from the top thereof and cooperating with the interior thereof to define an outlet recess, a pump chamber within said head, a centrifugal pump having an impeller disposed within said chamber and journaled in said head, a shaft carrying said impeller and extending upwardly along said well casing for actuation from a point above the top of the latter, means on said head defining a passage connecting the upper part of said pump chamber and said recess and permitting the natural fiow of air out of the chamber and into the recess whereby to maintain the chamber substantially lled with water at all times, and a water delivery outlet extending through said casing and communicating with said recess to permit air flowing through said passage to escape through said outlet.

JOHN GORDON BAKER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,252,773 Lageson Aug. 19, 1941 2,478,941 Piccardo Aug. 16, 1949 2,529,062 Williams Nov. 7, 1950

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