US1404874A

US1404874A - Tubing drainer for well apparatus

Info

Publication number: US1404874A
Application number: US330699A
Authority: US
Inventors: William H Mckissick
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1919-10-15
Filing date: 1919-10-15
Publication date: 1922-01-31
Anticipated expiration: 1939-01-31

Description

W. H. McKlSSlCK.

TUBING DRMNER FOR WELL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 15, IQIQ.

; Patented Jan. 31,- 1922.

INVENTOR, 57

ATTORNEY.

. iiEn STATES wILLIA vi H. McK ssIcK, or TULSA, OKLAHOMA.

ATM

TUBING DBAINER roe wnni. APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 31, 192,2.

Application filed 0ctober 15, 1919! Serial No. 330,699.

Apparatus of which the following is a. specification.

In the operation of deep wellsthe oil, water or gas is ordinarily brought to the surface by means of a pump carried by a string of tubing through which the oil or fluid is conveyedfrom the bottom of the well to the surface of the ground, or the gas fused. According to the standard practice the lower end of this string of tubing is provided with an upwardly opening check valve known as the standing valve. This standing valve traps the oil or fiuid in the stringof tubing, with the result that when it becomes necessary to pull the tubing from the well for the purpose of'making some adjustments or repairs the oil or fluid which is trapped in the string of tubing by the standing valve is lost. Ordinarily several barrels of 011 are wasted in this manner everytime the tubing string is withdrawn, and this entails'a considerable loss. The object of this invention is to provide a novel and effective means for opening this standing valve and permitting the oil trapped in the string oftubingto drain back into the well before the tubing s withdrawn, thereby saving the oil and facilitating the withdrawal of the tubing from the well, since this trapped oil in the tubing adds materially to the weight thereof and makes the handling of the tubing more difiicult.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a device foropeniiig the standing valve of a string of tubing which can be used with the standard oil well equipment without the necessity of any material changes therein,

which is thoroughly dependable in its action, which can be actuated from. the surface of the well by a bodily movement of the string of tubing, and which has no complicated parts to break or get out of repair.

' With these and other objects in view, the invention. consists in certain novel combinations, arrangements and associations ofthe parts, as will more fully appear as the description proceeds,the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings in which: i i

Figure 1 1s a side elevation of the lower end of a string of tubing to which the device for open ng the standing valve is applied, said device being 1n the posit on assumed when lowering the string of tubing into "the oil well, parts being broken away and shown in sect on; i I Figure 1s a similar view with the parts lll thGPOSltlOl'l assumed after the device has been lowered into the well and preparatory to rotating the tubing to operate the device; Figure 3 is a similar view showing the parts in the position assumed thereby after the string of tubing has been rotated to actuate the device and lift the standing valve ball from its seat. Fig.4 is a view on an enlarged scale showing a detail of the device for opening the standing valve. i

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and in all of the views of the drawing by like reference characters. l

Referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one possible embodiment of the invention, the numeral 1 designates the casing of the well, and 2 the lower end portion of a string oftubing formed of sections which are detachably connectedin the usual manner by the tubing collars 3. A standing valve 4 which is of the conventional construck tion is shown as: fitted in the string of tubing at the lower end of one ofthe sections thereof,- and the tubing below this valve may be perforated, as indicated at 5 to provide openings' through which the oil or fluid in the well can enter the tubing. It will be under stood that a pump of any standard construction is intended to be fitted in the tubing Y above the standingvalve 4 and that the fluid will be pumped to the surface of the well through the tubing. is necessary at intervals of time to pull the tubing'and withdraw it'from the well, and the object of the present. invention is to provide a means for opening the standing valve and permitting the oil or fluid which has been trapped in the string of tubing to drain back into the well preparatory to pulling the tubing, thereby avoiding the waste of perhaps several barrelsof this oil or fluid.

A valve lifting stem 6 extends through the tubing length immediately belowthe standing valve 4 and the upper end of this stein V oppositely extending lateral arms 7 which project through angular slots 8 in the sldes" ofthe tubing. These slots 8 are formed in diametrically opposite sideso-f the tubing and each includes a vertical arm and an angularly. disposed arm communicating with the lower end of the vertical arm. Ordina rily. the lateral arm 7 of the T-head of the lifting stem drops by gravity into the lower ends of the inclined portions of the angular slots 8, and the stem is such a length that the upper end thereof is then slightly spaced from the bottom member of the. standing valve.

Upper and

lower collars

9 and 10 respectively, are loosely mounted upon this tubing length, said collars being connected by outwardly bowed spring arms 11 which are adapted to frictionally engage the inner I walls of the well casing l'to hold the collars against rotation within the well casing. The lower collar 10 is provided at opposite sides thereof with depending wings 12 which have inclined or cam edge portions adapted to engage projecting ends of the T-shaped head 7 of the valve lifting stem 6 in a manner to be described.

When the string of tubing is being lowered into the well the frictional engagement ofthe spring arms 11 with the walls of the casing llwill cause the friction device to slide upwardly on thetubing until the upper collar 9 engages one of the tubing collars 3, this position of the parts being clearly indicated by Figure 1.. .After'the tubing has been lowered tothe desired depth in the well it is pulled upwardlya short distance and the wingslQ of the lower collar 10 brought into cooperative relation with the projecting I ends of the T-shaped head 7 of the stem 6.

This can be insured by rotating thestring of tubing in a direction required to operate the device while pulling uj'iwardly thereon. The parts then assume the position shown .inFigure 2 of the drawing. In order to 0pcrate the device and open the standingvalve a; it is now merely necessary to rotate the string of tubing in such a direction astobring the projecting ends of the T-shaped head 7 of the valve lifting stem 6 into progressiveengagement with the inclined edges l ofthe win gs 12. It will be noted that the lower angular portions of the slots 8 in'the tubing have an inclination which is reversely disposed with respect to the edges 13 of the w-ings sothat the inclined lower edges of the slots and the inclined edges 13 of the wings both have a cam action tending to lift 7 the T-shaped head 7 as the string of tubing is rotated. In-this connectionit will be remembered that the collar 10 and wings 12 are held against rotation within the well casing '1 by means of the spring arms 11. The'T-shaped head-7 of the valve lifting stem is thus rotated in the tubing and thereby enabling the tubing to be withdrawn from the well and unjointed without wasting this oil or fluid. Should a. further opening of the standing valve be desired a slight downward movement of the tubing after the initial rotation thereof, to trip the device would serve to move the T-hea'd 7 upwardly in the vertical portions ofthe slotsS and open the valve to a greater extent. If it is desired to close the standing valve without removing the tubing from the well, this. can be accomplished by rotating the string of tubing in an opposite direction and permitting the valve lifting stem 6 to drop back into inoperative position by the action of gravity. This device can be used in connection with the standard oil well equipment now in general use and provides a most effective means for opening the standing valve when'it is desired to drain the string of tubing;

lVhile I have illustrated and described one particular embodiment of my invention,

it will be understood that I do not restrict myself to the exact details shown, since it will be obvious that numerous modifications and changes can be inadezwithout departing in any manner from the spirit of the invention. Y I

' hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent isz: f

1. Ina well apparatus, the combination, with astring of tubing, of a valve within said tubing; and means cooperating with said tubing and valve for opening or closing said valve incident upon rotation of said tubing, whereby the tubing may be drained; said meansincluding a cam member;iand a valve opening stem adapted to be actuated thereby. l

2. In a well :apparatus, the combination, with a string of tubing, of a valve within ing, whereby the tub-ing 'may be drained; sa d means'mcludlng a valve openlng stem, and a cam member; said cam member being so associatedv with the tubing as to be actuated by a bodily rotation of the tubing and to move the stem into engagement with the valve to open the same.

3. In a well apparatus, the combination with a string of tiubing and its standing valve, of a trip member rotatable upon the tubing, means for locking the trip member against rotation with the tubing, and a valve-unseating element arranged for rotation with the trip member to open the standing valve upon rotation of the string of tubing.

&. In a well apparatus, the combination with a casing and a string of tubing, including its standing valve, of a cam trip member rotatable on the tubing, means carried by the trip member for engaging the casing to hold the trip member against rotation, a valve opening stem within the tubing, and means actuated by the trip member upon rotation oi the tubing to move the valve opening element into operative position.

5. In a well apparatus, the combination with a casing and a string of tubing, including its standing valve, said tubing being provided with a slot, a valve opening element arranged within the tubing and formed with an arm extending through the slot, a trip member rotatable on the tubing and formed with a cam portion adapted to engage the said arm to move the valve opening element into engagement with the standing valve, and means carried by the trip member for engaging the casing to lock the trip member against rotation and render the cam portion thereof operative when the tubin is rotated.

6. In a well apparatus, the combination with a casing and a string of tubing, ineluding its standing valve, said tubing being formed with a slot having an angular portion, a valve operating element arranged within the tubingland formed with a lateral arm projecting t tatable with relation to the tubing and rough the slot, a ring roformed with a cam portion adapted to cooperate with the angularly disposed slot to act upon the lateral arm and move the valve operating element longitudinally of the tubingits standing valve, said tub-ing being formed with slots having angular portions, a valve opening stem arranged within the tubing and formed with a T portion of whichthe arms extend through the slots, a ring loose upon the tubing, means carried by the ring for engaging the casing to lock the ring against rotation, and cam meansupon the ring for engagement with the projecting ends of the T portion of the valve opening stem to move the stem into engagement with 1 the valve when the tubing is rotated.

8. In a well apparatus, the combination with a casin and a string of tubing, including its standing valve, said tubinghaving slots in the sides thereof, a valve opening stem arranged within the tubing and formed with a T portion of which the arms project through the slots of the tubing, upper v and lower rings slidably and relatively rotatably mounted upon the tubing, spring arms connecting the rings and frictionally engaging the casing to look the rings against rotation, and cam means carried by one of the rings for engaging the p-ro ecting arms of the T portion of the valve opening stem tomove the same into operative position when the tubing is rotated.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribin witnesses.

I LIAM H. MoKISSIOK. Witnesses:

, RAYMOND IvEs BLAKESLEE,

HOMER R. KENNEDY.