Claims
- 1. A group of interrelated pumping system components especially adapted to be assembled together for use in a pumping system including a fluid transmitting casing passing through the roof of a reservoir comprising:
- a pump and motor unit adapted to be lowered through said casing to the lower end thereof for pumping fluid upwardly through said casing;
- valve means adapted to be installed on an upper portion of said casing for opening and closing said casing, said valve means having an opening therein of such a size that when the valve is open, said pump and motor unit may be passed through said opening;
- a head plate adapted to be mounted on the top of said casing, said head plate having a hole therein;
- a vertical pipe mounted on said head plate aligned with said hole;
- a flexible lift cable and flexible electrical conductors adapted to be connected to said pump and motor unit and to pass upwardly through said valve opening, said hole in said head plate and said pipe;
- a plurality of combined clamping and sealing elements connected to said lift cable and conductors at spaced intervals, said elements having a close substantially sealing fit with said pipe when passed therethrough; and
- said elements being spaced apart a distance less than the length of said pipe whereby when said valve means is open and said lift cable is raised to lift said pump and motor unit through said casing above said valve means, one element will enter the lower end of said pipe before the next adjacent upper element exits from the upper end of said pipe so that the pipe, and hence the casing, will be continuously blocked to minimize venting of the casing to atmosphere when said valve means is open.
- 2. A group of pumping system components as set forth in claim 1 including:
- at least one port in said pipe for introducing a purge gas into said pipe.
- 3. A group of pumping system components as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
- each said element has a generally cylindrical upper portion and a tapered lower portion.
- 4. A group of pumping system components as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
- each said element embodies a transverse slot opening at the outer periphery of said element;
- said lift cable passes through said slot; and
- releasable means retains said lift cable in said slot whereby said lift cable may be separated from said element after said element exits from said pipe.
- 5. A group of pumping sytem components as set forth in claim 4 wherein:
- said first cable is slidable vertically in said slot; and
- a clamp is fixed to said lift cable below said element.
- 6. A group of pumping system components as set forth in claim 5 including:
- a support cable connected to said pump and motor unit and running lengthwise with said lift cable and said conductors, said clamping and sealing elements being fixed to said support cable.
- 7. A pumping system comprising:
- a reservoir having a roof;
- a fluid transmitting casing passing through said roof having a lower end adjacent to the bottom of said reservoir;
- a pump and motor unit lowered through said casing to said lower end thereof for pumping fluid upwardly through said casing;
- valve means on said casing above said roof for closing said casing and for opening said casing to allow the passage of said pump and motor unit therethrough;
- a head plate mounted on the top of said casing;
- a vertical pipe mounted on said head plate;
- a flexible lift cable and flexible electrical conductors connected to said pump and motor unit and passing upwardly through said casing and said pipe;
- a plurality of combined clamping and sealing elements connected to said lift cable and conductors at spaced intervals, said elements having a close substantially sealing fit with said pipe when passed therethrough; and
- said elements being spaced apart a distance less than the length of said pipe whereby when said valve means is open and said lift cable is raised to lift said pump and motor unit through said casing above said valve means, one element will enter the lower end of said pipe before the next adjacent upper element exits from the upper end of said pipe so that the pipe. and hence said casing, will be continuously blocked to minimize venting of the casing to atmosphere when said valve means is open.
- 8. A pumping system as set forth in claim 7 including:
- means for introducing purge gas into said pipe.
- 9. A pumping system comprising:
- a reservoir having a roof;
- a fluid transmitting casing passing through said roof having a lower end adjacent to the bottom of said reservoir;
- a pump and motor unit lowered through said casing to said lower end thereof for pumping fluid upwardly through said casing;
- valve means on said casing above said roof for closing said casing and for opening said casing to allow the passage of said pump and motor unit therethrough;
- a head plate mounted on the top of said casing having a vertical pipe thereon;
- flexible suspension means including a plurality of cables connected to said pump and motor unit and passing upwardly through said casing and said pipe;
- said flexible suspension means further including sealing means carried by and surrounding said cables, said sealing means being in continuous substantially sealing relationship with said pipe when said suspension means is raised to lift said pump and motor unit through said casing above said valve means.
- 10. A pumping system as set forth in claim 9 wherein:
- said sealing means comprises a plurality of sealing elements spaced lengthwise on said cables.
- 11. A pumping system comprising:
- a reservoir having a roof;
- a fluid transmitting casing passing through said roof having a lower end adjacent to the bottom of said reservoir;
- a pump and motor unit lowered through said casing to said lower end thereof for pumping fluid upwardly through said casing;
- valve means on said casing above said roof for closing said casing and for opening said casing to allow the passage of said pump and motor unit therethrough;
- a head plate mounted on the top of said casing having a vertical pipe thereon;
- a plurality of flexible cables connected to said pump and motor unit and passing upwardly through said casing and said pipe;
- sealing means carried by and surrounding said cables, said sealing means being in continuous substantially sealing relationship with said pipe when said cables are raised to lift said pump and motor unit through said casing above said valve means; and
- said sealing means not significantly impairing the flexibility of said cables.
- 12. A pumping system comprising:
- a reservoir having a roof;
- a fluid transmitting casing passing through said roof having a lower end adjacent to the bottom of said reservoir;
- a pump and motor unit lowered through said casing to said lower end thereof for pumping fluid upwardly through said casing;
- valve means on an upper portion of said casing for closing said casing and for opening said casing to allow the passage of said pump and motor unit therethrough;
- a head plate mounted on the top of said casing having a vertical pipe thereon;
- flexible suspension means including a plurality of cables connected to said pump and motor unit and passing upwardly through said casing and said pipe;
- said flexible suspension means further including a plurality of blocking means carried by and surrounding said cables, said blocking means being spaced apart a distance less than the length of said pipe;
- each of said blocking means being dimensioned to form with said pipe a small clearance space therebetween; and
- means for introducing a purge gas into said pipe to provide a complete seal between each blocking means and said pipe as said suspension means draws said blocking means through said pipe when lifting said pump and motor unit through said casing.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 195,514 filed Oct. 9, 1980.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
195514 |
Oct 1980 |
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