US1194764A - Sealibtg-plttg for oil-wells - Google Patents

Description

D. C. MILLER.

SEALING PLUG FOR OIL WELLS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4.191s.

INYENTOR av? my s E s s E N W W ATTORNEY Tns DAVID C. MILLER, OF TULSA,- OKLAHOMA.

SEALING-PLUG FOR OIL-WELLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

Application filed May 4, 1916. Serial No. 95,430.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, DAVID C. MILLER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at' Oilells, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a sealing plug for oil wells and more particularly to a device of this character which may be lowered into the oil well casing or tubing, whereby the bottom of the casing or tubing may be sealed and closed for preventing the inlet of water in wells which have penetrated to such a depth that water tends to enter the well and thereby prevent the proper working of the well.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a plug, constructed of suitable soft metal, which will be absolute and re liable for securing itself in the tubing or casing in a manner that will permit it to be extracted if it is desired.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a sealing plug for the tubing of an oil well which will be expansible when struck by the drilling tools and which will be provided with means for retaining the expansible portion of the plug in the desired position within the tubing.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a sealing plug which consists of comparatively few parts and is simple in construction, but durable and well adapted to withstand the rough usage to which devices of this character are ordinarily subjected- For a full description of the invention and the advantages and merits thereof, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein is illustrated the preferred form of my invention, in which;

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a portion of an oil well casing showing the sealing plug arranged therein. Fig. 2 is a top view of the sealing plug within the casing. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section of the lower portion of theplug.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates the tubing or casing of an oil well. The expansible plug 2 is constructed of lead or other suitable soft metal and is of a diameter slightly less than the inner diameter of the tubing. A ring 8 is secured to the upper face of the plug 2 and is designed to receive the end of a cable for lowering the device into the casing or tubing 1. Depending from the plug 2, at opposite sides thereof, are the retaining arms at which are ta pered as at 5 on their inner sides and terminate at their lower ends at the edge of an annular supporting ring 6. A ring 7 is mounted upon the retaining arms 4 at a point above the annular supporting ring 6 and is secured to the retaining arm l by any suitable fastening elements. For fastening the mandrel 8 in position, the supporting or retaining arms 4 are provided with apertures through which fastening screws 9 are extended and are received by screw threaded apertures in the lower portion of the mandrel 8. The mandrel 8 is constructed of cast iron or other suitable hard metal and is designed to receive the bottom of the expansible plug 2 when the drilling tools are being operated upon the stop face of the expansible plug for collapsing the same. The mandrel 8 offers a restraint to the impact of the blows received on the top of the expansible plug 2 from the drilling tools. In this connection, it is pointed out, that the drilling tools whichare ordinarily used for drilling the oil well, are employed in this instance to .cause the expansible plug to expand and seal the tubing. The retaining arms a prevent the expansible plug from being drawn outwardly within the tubing or from rebounding after the impact of the drilling tools and also serve to retain the expansible plug in the proper position within the tubing. It will, of course, be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains, that the retaining arms will expand and bend while the tools are being operated on the expansible plug and, the plug will be quickly forced downward until it is obliged to expand by virtue of its connecting with the hard metal mandrel. As

shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing the retaining arms are slightly bowed or bent, this being the position the arms will assume when a few blows have been struck upon the expansible plug.

It is well known in devices of this character that the tubing or casing of the oil well requires a base or filling of stone or scrap iron for the required depth whereby the plug may be received on a firm base. In this instance however, I have provided the lower end of the mandrel 8 with a screw threaded aperture or recess 10 into which is threaded the threaded end of a rod 11 having an enlarged end 12. This construction provides an anchor for the plug and thereby obviates the necessity of filling the tubing with stone or scrap iron.

In reduction to practice I have found that the form of my invention illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most efficient and practicable, yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in the details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A sealing plug for oil wells including a soft metal plug, a retaining frame carried by said plug, and means carried by said frame for receiving said plug whereby restraint may be imparted to said plug upon the impact of a blow upon said plug.

2. A sealing plug for oil wells including a soft metal plug, and a hard metal mandrel disposed beneath said soft metal plug.

3. A sealing plug for oil Wells including a soft metal plug, a hard metal mandrel disposed beneath said soft metal plug, and anchoring means connected to the bottom of said mandrel.

4. A sealing plug for oil wells including an eXpansible plug, supporting arms depending from said plug, and resisting means carried by said depending arms and disposed beneath said plug, for receiving the bottom of said plug whereby a restraint will be offered to the impact of a blow on the top of said plug.

5. A sealing plug for oil wells including an eXpansible plug, supporting arms depending from said plug, and a supporting ring carried by said arms at the lower ends thereof, and restraining means carried by said depending arms and disposed beneath said plug for receiving the bottom of said plug when a blow is struck on the top of said plug.

6. A sealing plugfor oil wells including an expansible plug, supporting arms depending from said plug, and resisting means carried by said dependingarms and disposed beneath said plug, for receiving the bottom of said plug whereby a restraint will be offered to the impact of a blow on the top of said plug, and anchoring means connected to said first mentioned means for limiting the movement of said resisting means.

7. A sealing plug, including a soft expansible plug, retaining arms secured to said plug, a supporting ring carried by the lower ends of said retaining arms, a cylindrical mandrel carried by said supporting ring and arranged between said retaining arms, said retaining arms being provided with apertures at their lower ends, fastening screws extending through said apertures for fastening said mandrel to said retaining arms, a ring surrounding said mandrel and having said retaining arms disposed within its inner periphery whereby the lower portions of said arms will be held in contact with said mandrel. V

8. A sealing plug, including a soft expansible plug, retaining arms secured to said plug, a supporting ring carried by the lower ends of said retaining arms, a cylindrical mandrel carried by said supporting ring and arranged between said retaining arms, said retaining arms being provided with apertures at their lower ends, fastening screws extending through said apertures for fastening said mandrel to said retaining arms, a ring surrounding said mandrel and having said retaining arms disposed within its inner periphery whereby the lower portions of said arms will be held in contact with said mandrel, and a rod screw threadedly mounted in the lower end of said mandrel and having an enlarged portion formed on its free end for limiting the downward movement of said plug.

9. In a sealing plug for oil wells, the combination with a casing, and means comprising hard and soft metallic material adapted to close said casing when struck by a blow.

10. In a sealing plug for oil wells, the combination with a casing, of a mandrel disposed within the casing and of a smaller diameter than the interior of the casing, and an expansible plug disposed above the mandrel in spaced relation to thetop thereof, and supporting means secured to the bottom end of the mandrel and connected to the said plug, said means being disposed within the space between the interior wall of the casing and the said mandrel.

11. In a sealing plug for oil wells, the combination with a well casing, and means comprising hard and soft metallic material adapted to close said casing when struck by a blow, and anchoring means for said first mentioned means. 7

12. In a sealing plug for oil wells, the

combination with a casing, of a soft metal expansible plug disposed within the casing, restraining means disposed below said expansible plug and spaced therefrom for expanding said plug when same is forced into contact with said means, and retaining arms carried by the lower end of the restraining means and extending above the same for supporting said expansible plug, said retaining arms being adapted to collapse when a blow is struck upon said plug.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID C. MILLER. Witnesses:

L. B. SLIGAR, D. E. GRANT, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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