摘要 |
A multi-stage liquid elevator which is assembled from individual stages is disclosed. Each elevator stage is fabricated from ordinary pipe components and has no moving parts. When inserted into an natural gas well, the elevator is powered by the gas pressure available in the well. Each elevator stage consists of a reservoir defined by a casing enclosing an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe. At each stage, the liquid and gas from the previous stage are forced into the inlet pipe and the liquid collects in the reservoir until enough gas pressure builds up in the stage to force the liquid up the outlet pipe to the next stage. A coupling connects any two stages of the elevator together. As many stages as required can be joined together to construct a multi-stage liquid elevator of any desired length. Each stage is fabricated to a length compatible with the available gas pressure. Enough pressure must be available to move a column of liquid a vertical distance equal to or greater than the length of one stage of the elevator.
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