How Oil Pumps Work
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Oil pumps are used to pull crude oil out of the ground. To do this, a hole is dug first and reinforced with concrete to keep it from collapsing in on the pump. The oil down in the earth does not usually come out on its own, which is why a pump is used. The pump is called a jack pump. It is positioned over the drill site and anchored down.
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The jack pump consists of a few parts. There is a lever, pulley and gears, counter weight, engine, bar, and sucker. The sucker is at the bottom of the drill site, and is what pulls the oil from the earth with an up and down motion. The sucker is connected to a bar that runs the length of the drill hole and is attached to the lever. The lever moves up and down when the engine is turned on. The engine turns the pulley and gears which moves the counter weight. When the counter weight reaches the top of its rotation, it falls forcing the lever to move. The engines power helps the weight make it back to the top so that it can fall again. As the sucker pulls the oil out of the hole, it is transferred out through pipes at the top and is sent to refining centers for further processing.
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If the oil is heavy, it means that it is thicker than normal and more than likely mixed with dirt or other substances. To remove this oil, the pump needs help because the pump does not have enough suction force to do the job by itself. A second hole is drilled near the first, and steam is pumped into that location. The steam heats the oil, which makes it more fluid. Also the steam itself works as a force pushing the oil to the only other opening. The jack pump is then able to pull the oil up through the hole.
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