RU2728302C1 - Device for inlet of balls into pipeline - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: oil and gas industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to oil and gas industry, is an element of ground equipment of well and is intended for successive introduction of balls into flow of working fluid pumped through pressure pipeline without stopping working fluid flow, pressure drop and shutoff of liquid flow in pipeline. Device can be used in hydraulic fracturing of formations, as well as in development, operation, repair of oil, gas and gas condensate wells. Device for input of balls into pipeline includes housing, inside which is installed with possibility of fixation from rotation and uncontrolled input of balls into pipeline, mechanism for input of balls, connected to drive, wherein housing is made with channel for movement of balls and with connecting elements for mounting housing to pipeline, wherein housing is made of two parts, having stepped conjugated surface and interconnected along perimeter, wherein both parts of the housing are made with a hole for input of balls, equipped with a detachable plug, and with a through hole forming a through passage channel coaxial and conjugated with the pipeline channel, wherein one of the housing parts is made with a cylindrical cavity for installation of the balls input mechanism, made in the form of a cylindrical drum rigidly fixed on the shaft with seats for placement of balls in the form of slots located with an equal interval on its side surface, wherein shaft is installed by ends in protected bearing assemblies fixed on housing, one end of the shaft is connected to the drive, and the other end – to the indicator for visual inspection of the fact of the drum rotation and the serial number of the ball introduced into the pipeline, and the cylindrical surface of the cavity is made with a slot in the form of a semi-cylinder, forming during the rotation of the drum together with its seat a hole for exit of the ball into the pass channel.

EFFECT: device allows improving operating reliability and ease of use, increasing service life due to simplicity during operation, maintenance and repair.

1 cl, 7 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the oil and gas industry, is an element of the surface equipment of the well and is intended for the implementation of sequential introduction of balls into the flow of the working fluid pumped through the injection pipeline without stopping the flow of the working fluid, relieving pressure and shutting off the fluid flow in the pipeline. The device can be used in hydraulic fracturing, as well as in the development, operation, repair of oil, gas and gas condensate wells.

Known is a device for introducing balls into a pipeline containing a housing with a channel for moving balls, a mechanism for introducing balls, a drive (see the description of the invention to USSR inventor's certificate No. 629325 "Device for cleaning pipes from paraffin deposits" IPC E21B43 / 00, publ. 25.10. 1978).

The known device is installed in the inner string of the well, while the dimensions of the device are limited by the dimensions of the inner channel of the well string, and the sizes of the diameters of the balls used do not correspond to the sizes of the balls used in hydraulic fracturing.

The mechanisms for holding the ball of the known device are placed directly in the inner cavity of the equipment included in the tubing string, thereby significantly reducing the flow channel of the tubing string for the flow of working media, which reduces the efficiency and productivity of the work performed.

In the known device for the release of the ball, it is necessary to manipulate with a change in the injection mode of the working fluid (change in pressure, flow rate). In most cases, this is impossible without the temporary suspension of the main types of work carried out at the wellhead, since it is a violation of the technology of the work being carried out. In addition, in the known device there is a possibility of erosion of the internal parts of the device due to large flows, which will lead to an uncontrolled discharge of the ball and, consequently, to an emergency.

It is known a device for introducing balls into a pipeline, taken as a prototype, containing a mechanism for introducing balls placed in the body, connected to the drive with the possibility of fixing against spontaneous rotation, where the body is made with a channel for moving the balls and with connecting elements for mounting it into the pipeline, ( see the description of the invention to the patent of the Russian Federation for invention No. 2633461, Е21В 23/08, publ. 12.10.2017).

Loading the balls of the known device is laborious and long-term. In a known device for loading balls, it is necessary to disconnect the drive, unscrew the clamping nut, remove the glass with the auger from the housing, and only then load the balls. To remove the glass with auger from the body in the field, it is necessary to use lifting mechanisms, which is not always possible.

In the known device, the lower end of the screw shaft is located directly near the passage channel through which the flow of working fluid passes, as a result of which the lower shaft attachment can be washed out, leading to the inoperability of the device and a subsequent accident.

In the known device, the bearing providing rotation of the mechanism for introducing the balls is located in the inner cavity of the device and is not protected by anything from the penetration of the pumped working fluid. An unprotected bearing will get pumped fluid, which will cause the bearing to wear prematurely and to fail.

The technical task and the technical result of the creation of the proposed device is to increase the reliability of operation, service life and ease of use due to the ease of operation, maintenance and repair.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that the device for introducing balls into the pipeline contains a housing, inside of which it is installed with the possibility of fixing against rotation and uncontrolled introduction of balls into the pipeline ball entry mechanism, connected to the drive, while the housing is made with channel for moving balls and with connecting elements for mounting housings to the pipeline, wherein the body is made of two parts having a stepped mating surface and connected to each other along the perimeter, while both parts of the body are made with a hole for entering balls, equipped with a removable plug, and with a through hole forming a passage channel coaxial and mating with the pipeline channel, while one of the body parts is made with a cylindrical cavity for the installation of the ball introduction mechanism, made in the form of rigidly fixed on the shaft cylindrical drum with seats for the placement of balls in the form of grooves, located at equal intervals on its lateral surface, while shaft installed at the ends in protected bearing supports fixed to the housing, one end of the shaft is connected to the drive, and the other - with an indicator for visual control of the fact of rotation of the drum and the serial number of the ball introduced into the pipeline, and the cylindrical surface of the cavity is made with a groove in the form of a half-cylinder, which, when the drum rotates, together with its seat, an opening for the ball to exit into the through channel.

In the proposed device, the balls are loaded without disassembling the device, thereby maintaining its tightness. To load the balls, you just need to unscrew the removable plug and load the balls through the opened hole. For ease of use, the loading holes are made on two opposite sides of the device, which allows the operator to choose the side for loading the balls.

The drum shaft of the proposed device is located at a considerable distance from the fluid flow, which eliminates its erosion and increases the reliability of the device.

The bearing assemblies of the shaft of the ball input mechanism of the proposed device are placed on the outer surface of the device body and do not have contact with the liquid pumped through the pipeline, which excludes their contamination and erosion, and increases the reliability of the device as a whole. The design of the bearing arrangements ensures that the bearings are weatherproof.

The design of the device for introducing balls into the pipeline is illustrated by drawings, where: in FIG. 1 shows a general view; in fig. 2 shows a general view with the installation of a drum in a half-case; in fig. 3 - view A in FIG. 2; in fig. 4 - section B - B in figure 3; in fig. 5 - section B - B in figure 3; in fig. 6 - cavity for drum installation; in fig. 7 - drum, general view.

The device for introducing balls into the pipeline contains a body made of two parts: half-body 1 and half-body 2, having a stepped mating surface and connected to each other along the perimeter by bolted connection 3.

Each part of the housing 1 and 2 is made with a through hole 4 and 5, respectively, which form, when the device is mounted, a passage coaxial and mated with the pipeline through which the balls are introduced into the pipeline.

On the half-cases 1 and 2, threaded holes 6 are made for mounting the proposed device into the pipeline. The tightness of the connection is ensured by a gasket installed in the groove 7 made around the holes 4 and 5 of the passage channel (the gasket is not shown in the drawing).

The half-body 2 has a projection 8 with a groove at the end of the contour for the sealing collar 9, which ensures the tightness of the inner cavity formed when the half-bodies 1 and 2 are connected.

One of the parts of the body, for example, the half-body 2 has a cylindrical cavity 10 with a bottom for mounting the mechanism for introducing balls, made in the form of a drum 11. The cylindrical surface of the cavity 10 has in its lower part a groove (recess) 12 in the form of a half-cylinder, formed when making a through hole five.

To ensure that the balls are loaded into the drum 11, the loading holes are coaxially made in the half-case 1 and the half-case 2 (holes are not shown in the drawing). The openings after loading the balls and during the operation of the device are hermetically closed with removable plugs 13 and 14.

The drum 11 is cylindrical with a central through hole for installation on the shaft 15 and is rigidly connected to the shaft 15 (the central hole is not shown in the drawing). Along the lateral surface of the drum 11 with equal intervals, the seats 16 are made in the form of grooves in the form of a half-cylinder to accommodate balls (balls are not shown in the drawing). The number of seats 16 can vary depending on the type of work carried out, for which the drum 11 can be made replaceable. Drum 11 is fixed with the possibility of being fixed against turning by a stopper 17. The shaft 15 protrudes with its ends beyond the half-housing 1 and 2 on both sides. On the outer sides of the half-shells 1 and 2, bearing assemblies 18 are installed in the cages 19 for installing the shaft 15 in them. The drive of the device is installed on one end of the shaft 15, and on the other there is an indication device that provides visual control of the fact of rotation of the drum and the serial number of the thrown ball (drive not shown in the drawing).

The rotation of the shaft 15, and, accordingly, the drum 11 can be carried out: manually, by a mechanized hydraulic drive, by a pneumatic drive, by an electric drive or by another known drive. The drive provides a rotation of the shaft at a certain angle, due to the angular pitch of the location of the seats of the balls 16 on the drum 11.

Sealing collars 20 are installed on the shaft 15, ensuring the tightness of the mating of the shaft 15 with the half-cases 1 and 2.

An indication device for visual control of the fact of rotation of the drum and the serial number of the thrown ball can be made, for example, in the form of an arrow 21 rigidly fixed to the shaft 15, and numbers printed on the surface of the half-case 1 around the shaft 15. The numbers on the body are located with the same pitch , as the seats 16 in the drum 11, while the number of digits is equal to the number of seats 16 in the drum 11 minus one place.

The eye bolt 22 is fixed to the body for slinging the device during loading and unloading operations.

The ball input device works as follows.

Installation of a pre-assembled device into a pipeline is carried out using threaded holes 6 for mounting made on half-shells 1 and 2, while the passage channel of the device becomes an integral part of the pipeline channel (the internal diameter of the passage channel of the device is equal to the internal diameter of the pipeline).

Then, from the convenient side, the plug 13 or 14 is unscrewed and the balls are individually loaded through the loading hole in the housing, turning the drum 11 and ensuring that the ball hits the seat 16.

In this case, one seat 16 in the drum 11 is always left empty, and when loading the maximum possible number of balls into the drum, the empty seat in the initial state (after loading) is at the point where the balls exit into the pipeline. This ensures that the ball cannot be found at the point where it enters the pipeline in the initial position of the drum and that the ball cannot be dropped into the pipeline without control.

After loading the balls and during operation, the loading holes are hermetically closed with plugs 13 or 14

When the drum 11 rotates on the shaft 15 at a certain angle, the groove 12 is aligned with the seat 16 in the drum 11 to form a cylindrical hole that coincides with the through channel formed by holes 4 and 5, as well as with the pipeline channel. At this moment, the ball is dropped into the inner channel of the pipeline. With the help of the indication device, a visual control of the fact of rotation of the drum 11 and the serial number of the discarded ball is carried out.

Claims (1)

A device for introducing balls into a pipeline, containing a housing, inside of which it is installed with the possibility of fixation from rotation and uncontrolled introduction of balls into the pipeline ball entry mechanism, connected to the drive, while the housing is made with channel for moving balls and with connecting elements for mounting body to the pipeline, characterized in that the body is made of two parts having a stepped mating surface and connected to each other along the perimeter, while both parts of the body are made with an opening for introducing balls, equipped with a removable plug, and with a through hole forming a coaxial passage channel and mated with the channel of the pipeline, while one of the body parts is made with a cylindrical cavity for installing a mechanism for introducing balls, made in the form of rigidly fixed on the shaft cylindrical drum with seats for the placement of balls in the form of grooves, located at equal intervals on its lateral surface, while shaft installed at the ends in protected bearing supports fixed to the housing, one end of the shaft is connected to the drive, and the other - with an indicator for visual control of the fact of rotation of the drum and the serial number of the ball introduced into the pipeline, and the cylindrical surface of the cavity is made with a groove in the form of a half-cylinder, which, when the drum rotates, together with its seat, an opening for the ball to exit into the through channel.

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