A jet pump is a type of hydraulic pump that is often used in production wells and other applications. Hydraulic pumping systems are available in a few different variations, although they all transmit energy to the bottom of wells through the use of pressurised power fluids and subsurface pumps.
There are two main categories of hydraulic pumps that are in manufacture, with both types in use across a range of different industries. Production wells are some of the biggest users of hydraulic pumps and related technologies, as a way to extract salt water, oil, and gas from the production environment. The two main types of hydraulic pumps on the market are reciprocating piston pumps and jet pumps.
Reciprocating piston pumps consist of two sides, one which is powered by the injected fluid and one which is involved in pumping the produced materials to the surface. In contrast to this, a jet pump functions in a different manner, using a special nozzle to create a venturi effect. The venturi effect functions because of the small surface of the pump nozzle, and the injected fluids that pass through the nozzle are pushed to the surface and extracted from the production environment. Jet pumps are used in a variety of production wells, including gas wells, oil wells, and water wells.
Jet pumps are sometimes referred to as injectors, along with other names like ejectors, steam ejectors, steam injectors, eductor-jet pumps, and thermocompressors. While these names often refer to different devices that are used in different applications, they all utilise the same or similar effects to create a pumping action. The Venturi effect basically converts a low pressure zone into high pressure in order to extract fluids and other materials, with jet pumps and other devices that use this effect very important in a number of production well applications.