Abstract: A downhole pump having a barrel with a reciprocating plunger therein has at least one valve. The valve has a cage, a seat and a ball. The cage has a passageway extending between two ends, with the passage including a ball chamber. The ball chamber is between a perforated member and a stop. The ball is located in the ball chamber between the perforated member and the seat, which abuts the stop. The ball is movable along a raceway. The raceway has ribs with channels therebetween. The raceway skews away from a longitudinal axis of the ball chamber from the seat toward to the perforated member. The raceway can be made of a material that is either harder or softer or the same as the hardness of the inner wall of the ball chamber. In another embodiment, the valve has a throat with a stop for receiving a seat. The ball chamber has portions that are hardened. The clearance between the ball and the hardened portions of the ball chamber is at least twice as large as the clearance between the ball and the throat.

Abstract: The downhole pump has a barrel with a reciprocating plunger therein. The barrel has a first one-way valve, while the plunger has a second one-way valve. A barrel chamber is formed between the two one-way valves. The barrel chamber expands when the reciprocal movement between the plunger and the barrel is an upstroke movement and then contracts when the reciprocal movement is a downstroke movement. A bypass channel is provided between the barrel and the plunger so as to provide communication around the plunger and its one-way valve. The bypass channel is open when the reciprocal movement is near an end of the upstroke movement. When open, pressure across the plunger can equalize and gas inside the barrel chamber can vent around the plunger and/or pressure can equalize across the plunger one-way valve so as to prevent gas lock and minimize stress on the sucker rods.