Gas separator for a submersible oil pump

Claim 1

A gas separator for a submersible well pump for pumping well fluid from a well basin comprising: a housing having at least one inlet adapted to admit well fluid within the interior thereof and at least one outlet in communication with the inlet of said submersible well pump; a rotatable impeller within said housing and within the flow path of said well fluid and adapted to assist said submersible pump in transferring well fluid from said inlet to said outlet, said impeller including means for imparting centrifugal force to said well fluid during transfer thereof whereby gases entrained in said well fluid are disentrained therefrom; a cylindrical gas separator chamber disposed within said housing between said impeller and said outlet and adapted to receive well fluid from said impeller and conduct same to said inlet of said pump; said gas separation chamber including an internal gas-collecting receptacle in communication with the well fluid basin and the outPut of said impeller for receiving gas centrifugally separated from said well fluid; said gas separation chamber further including outwardly of said gascollecting receptacle a spiraled passageway through which said well fluid upwardly passes from said impeller to said pump unit; said passageway being in communication with said gascollecting receptacle whereby gas disentrained from said well fluid during passage therethrough enters said receptacle and subsequently back into said well basin.