US1432140A

US1432140A - Tubing drainer

Info

Publication number: US1432140A
Application number: US507353A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ulrich Frank
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1921-10-12
Filing date: 1921-10-12
Publication date: 1922-10-17
Anticipated expiration: 1939-10-17

Description

F. ULRICH. TUBING DRAINEH.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I2. 1921.

LASQ, MLU,

Patented Oct. II?, 1922.

Patented @ch l?, 1922.

tisane FIBLYFK ULRICH, 0F HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA.

TUBING DRAINER.

Application filed ctober 12, 1921. Serial No. 507,353.

T0 all fw kom t may concern,

Be it known that l, F RANK ULRICH, a citizen of the United States7 residing at Huntington Beach, in the county of @range and State of California, have invented a new and useful rllubing Drainer, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the operation of oil wells. Oil wells are commonly provided. with a casing which is left permanently in the well to prevent caving in of the well. Inside the casing is placed a tubing ot smaller diameter than the casing, such tub-- ing being made up of a number of joints of pipe connected by suitable collars, a pump being attached to the lower end of such tubing by means of which the well may be pumped, such pump being operated from the surface of the ground by means of a string of pump rods which extends through the tubing.

lt is often necessary to pull the tubing in cases where the pump is not working properly and when the rods bre-.alt or when the pump sands up due to the entry of tine sand into the pump barrel. ln cases which the rodv breaks or the pump sandsup. the lower end of the tubing is closed and as the tubing is withdrawn from the well all the oil in the tubing being confined there in is withdrawn with the tubing. Asthe tubing is lifted from the well each joint is disconnected from the derrick above the surface of the ground and the oil in each joint during` such operation gushes out upon the floor thus flooding the derrick and seriously interfering with the work being done. The oil men appropriately refer to such condition as a wet job.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a suitable device of simple form and operation to be placed upon the tubing4 by means of which the tubing will automatically drain otf the oil contained therein so that when the pulling operation is performed no discharge of oil at the derriclr will take place.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter from the following specication and drawings.

Referring to the drawings'which are for illustrative purposes only,

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a casing showing the tubing therein with a device embodying a form of my invention mounted thereon.

F ig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1 showing a side elevation of the device shown in F 17g. l.

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on line 3 3, Fig` 1, and

Fig. 4L is a sectional plan view online 4 4, Fig. i.

11 designates the oil well casing, which casing extends from a point at or near the surface of the well to a point at or near the bottom of the same, it being understood that the oil enters such ca sing through perforations in the casing near the bottom or through the open lower end of: the'casing. Banging inside the casing a string of tubing 12. That portion of the tubing shown is preferably the joint above the pump barrel.

7lJelded to the pump barrel on opposite sides thereof are valve bodies 13 having valve plugs 14 which control openings 15 in the respective valve bodies, lsuch open-A ings 15 affording communication from the interior of the tubing to the interior of the casing through openings 16 in the tubing. Each'valve plug lll is provided with an operating arm 17 which extends through a slot 18 formed in a plunger or valve rod 19, there being one such plunger for each valve arranged on the opposite sides of the tubing.

The plungers 19 are slidably mounted in ears 20 formed on or secured to the tubing 12, such rods being prevented from disengagement with the ears 20 by virtue of the engagement between such rods and the arms 17.

22 designates a cage which consists of an upper collar 23 and a lower collar 24, such collars being connected by means of friction blades 25, the ends of which are secured by means of suitable bolts 26 to the respective collars 23 and 24:. The friction blades are preferably flat bands made of spring steel and are bent outwardly intermediate their lengths so that when placed in the casing the intermediate portion 29 of such blades yieldngly engage the inner surface of the casing 11. The openings in the

collars

23 and 24 are of such a size as to permit a free sliding movement of the tubing 12 therethrough.

rtubing 12, the tubing and various parts carried thereby are lowered into the casing 11. This is done by adding successive joints of tubing tothe upper end of the tubing as the tubing is placed in the casing. During the passage of the tubing downwardly, the cage assumes fthe position shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and '2, the tubing being in the position indicated by the dotted lines shown in Fig. 1, in which position the engagement of the lower end of the plungers 19 with the upper face of the collar 24 pushes the cage downwardly in the casing. The plungers during this operation are in their upper position, so that the arms 17 ofthe valves are in their upper position, the valves being closed., 'so that there is no communication from the interior of the tubing to the interior of the casing.

When it is necessary to remove the tubing, the tubing is pulled upwardly, the cage temporarily remaining in the position shown in the drawings. The upward movement of the tubing through the casing brings the upper ends of the plungers 19 into engageent with the lower face of the collar 23 and arrests the movement of such plungers during a continued upward movement of the tubing. The arms 17 being in engagement with ithe plungers, such arms are ycaused to move downwardly into the full line position shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4, in which position the valve stems are turned so that the openings 15 in thevalve body discharge `the oil from the tubing into the casing thereby draining the tubing of the oil con-A tained therein.

After the valves have been opened, as `just described, a continued upward movement of the tubing pulls the cage upwardly therewith.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an oil well, a casing; a string of tubing in said casing having an outlet opening therein; a valve liz-:ed to said tubing for controlling the outlet opening; a' member frictionally engaging said casing through which said tubing slidably extends; an operating arm on said valve; and a rod operated by said member arranged to operate said arm.

2. In an oil well, a casing; a tubing in said casing, having an outlet opening therein; a cage in said casing consisting of upper and lower collars through which said tubing slidably extends and friction blades secured to said. collars having their intermediate portions frictionally engaging said casing; a valve fixed to said tubing for controlling the outlet opening therein; an operating arm for said valve; and a rod slidably mounted on said tubing having an opening therein to receive said valve arm; said rod being arranged to be engaged by the collars on said cage to operate said valve.

3. In an oil well, a'casing; a tubing in said casing having outlet openings therein; a cage in said casing through which said tubing slidably extends, said cage frictionally engaging said casing; a valve mounted on said tubing for each outlet opening; an operating arm for each valve; and a rod for each arm slidably mounted on said tubing engaging its associated operating arm, said rods being arranged to be engaged by said cage.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 6th day of October, 1921.

FRANK ULRICH.