Field installable rod guide and method
US5873157A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 23, 1997 |
| Grant date | Feb 23, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 23, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/49876
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A rod guide is provided for centering a sucker rod within a tubular string that powers the pump within a well bore. The rod guide comprises a spool securable to the rod and having tipper and lower end members thereon, and a plastic material sleeve extending between the upper and lower end members. The sleeve may be mounted to the rod during a molding operation. The rod guide further includes a guide body which may be machined from an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene material which has desired abrasive and wear characteristics. In one embodiment, the body is rotatable about the spool. A slot within the guide body and scalloped-shaped cut-outs at both ends of the guide body provide fluid communication between an annulus formed between the O.D. of the sleeve portion of the spool and the I.D. of the guide body. An improved method of positioning a guide body on a spool member affixed to a rod is disclosed, and a test apparatus for testing the characteristics of a rod guide is also simplistically illustrated.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.