US1956694A - Well packer - Google Patents

Description

5. E. PARRISH May 1, 1934.

WELL PACKER Filed May 14, 1932 Patented May 1, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to controlling devices, such as packers, to be utilized in connection with drilling and controlling oil, gas or water wells, or for similar purposes.

5 In drilling, operating or controlling oil, gas

and/or water wells, it is often desirable to prevent intermixture between, or contamination of, fluids, gases and/or liquids which it is desired to obtain from certain strata in a well with other 0 gases, fluids and/0r liquids which might tend to flow into the well from strata or fissuresinto or through which the well has been drilled or formed. v

In addition, in oil wells there often occur strata or formations which are of porous or absorbent nature, and which tend to take up large quantities of gases and fluids, or, on the other hand, which tend to produce fluids, to the detriment of the production from the well.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide a controlling device, preferably taking the form of a packer, which is of simple and inexpensive construction, and which may be conveniently and readily applied, singly or in multiple, at any desired place or places in the well in conjunction with strings of tubing or casings to control the flow of liquid into and up through the well, whereby different producing and/or absorbing formations in the well may be blocked or cut ofi from one another, and/or from the desirable producing formations.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a packer of the character described, which will be automatically actuated incidentally to application thereof to a well to pack the same, and in connection with the utilization of which it is not necessary to provide spaced arrangements to operate same, nor to lock the same in position after operation.

Another object is to provide a packer of the character described including resilient plugging and packing materials, which will automatically limit the stress applied to said materials to prevent rupture or breaking down thereof, when it is 45 is actuated into its contracted packing position, and which will automatically restore or expand itself to non-packing position, preparatory to and upon removal from the well ready for reemployment.

50 Other objects will be obvious or will be described during the course of the following specification.

In one form of my invention, the packer has a central tubular core or mandrel upon which are 55 placed a plurality of rings or annuli, preferably sections.

two in number, of elastic material. In the preferred embodiment this material is or includes rubber. These various annuli or rings are preferably separated by means of fins or dividers integral with and extending outwardly from said mandrel or core.

The outer edges of the annuli or rings away from said fins are preferably retained by collars or sleeves, which have a sliding fit upon said core and mandrel and are rigidly attached to tubular The other ends of these sections are preferably connected to the adjacent ends of the continuous string of tubing or casings passing through the well.

Means are preferably connected to the threaded ends of the mandrel or core for limiting the longitudinal expansion of the annuli or rings, when the packer is not being utilized, said means preferably also cooperating with the internal shoulders on said tubing sections for limiting the com-' 7 pression of said annuli or rings.

In the drawing, which shows one form of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a side view of the packer attached to adjacent tubing;

Fig. 2 is a side sectional view of the packerin expanded position;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the packer'in compressed condition; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of a well with a plurality of packers of Figs. 1 to 3 applied thereto.

In the drawing, the core or mandrel 1 is formed of a pipe or tube section, the extremities of which are formed or threaded :-to receive internally threaded sleeves or collars 3. Upon the exterior of the tube 1 is positioned a plurality of annular rings 2; desirably two in number, of rubber, or some other suitable compressible and elastic material. These rings 2 are preferably separated by means of the fin or divider 10, the outer portion of which is provided with retaining flanges 11 to grip the edges of said ring or annulus. The divider 10 is rigidly or integrally attached to said core or mandrel l.

The outer faces of the annular rings 2, removed from thefin or divider 10, are held by the retainers 5. These retainers have inwardly projecting flanges 12, and are provided with exteriorly threaded sleeve-like extensions or nipples 13, which slide upon the mandrel or core 1.

Threaded upon the sleeves 13 are the tubing sections 15, the other ends of which are similarly threaded upon the adjacent ends of the string of piping or tubing 6, which extends through the well for conducting fluids from said well to the surface.

The operation of the packer is readily apparent from reference to Figures 2 and 3. Where the packer is in expanded condition, as in Figure 2, the nipples 13 contact with the inner ends of the collars 3, on the ends of the core or mandrel 1, limiting the longitudinal expansion of said rings or annuli. In Figure 3, where the packer is in contracted or compressed condition, the tubing ends 6 are moved more closely together, and the other ends of the collars 3 will contact with the shoulders 16 on the interior of the sections 15. This limits the amount of compression which may be applied to said rings or annuli 2, and the downward thrust of the string of tubing will be transmitted from one section 6 to another by the mandrel or core 1.

In the preferred embodiment, the rings or annuli 2 need not be locked into either compressed or expanded position. The weight of the string of well casings or tubing above the particular plug or packer will exert sufiicient compressive force thereupon, to assure lateral expansion of the rings 2 and proper packing of the well. When this weight is lifted as when the strings of tubing are'removed from the well, the'packer will immediately and automatically spring back into expanded condition, in which condition they may be readily removed and subsequently reemployed.

It is to'be noted that the packer is symmetrical and identical on both sides of the central fin or divider 10, and that it may be applied without special precaution as to whether it is rightside up or upside down to tubing lengths or to strings of casings to be positioned in a well.

The integral or rigidly attached fin or divider 10 assures that the compressive stresses will be independently applied to each ring or annulus 2. As a result, the ruptureor loss of one of the rings will not prevent the other ring from being properly actuated into either expanded or compressed position. The stops formed bythe shoulders 16 contacting with the collars 3 prevent excessive compression of the annuli or rings 2, even though very high compressive forces, due to particularly long strings of tubing 6 above said packer,- may be applied to bring thethreaded ends of the well casings or tubings 6 together.

The manner of application of a plurality of these packers to an oil well is shown in Figure 4, the oil well in this particular instance having two oil-producing strata 44 and 45, from which it is desired to obtain the efliuent, and also'having two water strata 46 and 47, the effluent of which it is desired to exclude from the production of the well.

It will be noted that in Figure 4 the well tubing or casing 40 is provided with a plurality of packers 41 of the character shown in, and described in connection with, Figures 1 to 3. These packers are maintained in compressed or laterally expanded condition by the weight of the well casings or tubings 40 thereabove.

The casing or tubing 40 is provided with openings or perforations 48 and 49, opposite these oil producing strata to receive-the oil and/or gas.-

It willbe noted that the packers are so utilized as to cut or block off the water-producing strata 46 and 47, and prevent water from these strata either arising in the annular space 50 or from mixing with the ascending oil inside of the tubing 40.

In Figure 4 is shown but one specific embodiment of the packers of the present invention, but it isto be understood that they may be also utilized for a wide variety of other purposes in drilling, controlling and/or operating oil, gas and/or water wells. For example, wherever undesirable producing strata .is encountered above producing strata, two packers 41 and 42, may be conveniently utilized, whereas if such undesirable producing strata is below the desirable producing strata a single packer 43 will suflice.

These packers may be attached, singly or in multiple, to a string of tubing, with a sealed bottom, which string is interiorly perforated between the packers, and said string may be inserted in a well to'test the character of effluent from any desired portion or strata therein. A string of tubing arranged in this manner may alsobe applied to a string of well casing or tubing itself to determine the location of any leaks or breaks therein, which break may be permitting an undesired gas or fluid from a surrounding strata to flow into the liquid or gas ascending through said string.

These packers may be applied to a well to cause flow, when there is not sufficient pressure to create such flow through the regular well casing. They may also be applied to separate the desired efliuents from a plurality of producing strata or formations, whereby the tubing from each successive strata or formation will be telescoped within, or pass upwardly through the tubing from the next higher producing strata or formation.

Where very absorbent strata or formations are;

encountered, tending to absorb or take up the desired gases and/or liquids to the detriment of the production from the well, and also in cases where it is desired to prevent migration from one strata or formation to another, while the well is out of use for an extended period of time, the packers of the present invention may be very conveniently utilized or applied to cut off such ab sorbent formations or strata, and also to prevent such migration.

It is to be understood, under suitable conditions, that the flange, fin or divider 10 may be rigidly connected to the core or mandrel 1 in some other way than specifically shown, and also that the retainers or flanges 5 may be formed integrally with the ends of the sections 6. The sleeves or stops 3 may be replaced by integral projections or embossings at the ends of the core or mandrel 1, or by other rigidly attached arrangements. The ends of the core or mandrel 1 may also be caused to telescope directly inside of the ends of the sections 6, and the nipples or sleeves 13 may be rigidly or integrally connected directly to the ends of said sections 6.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the various details shown, as obviously these may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a packer arrangement to be utilized in connection with drilling and controlling oil, gas or water wells and for similar purposes, comprising two conduit tubes of materially smaller diameter than the well, the adjacent ends of which are substantially separated, a relatively movable tube therebetween of about the same diameter, the ends of which are always spaced from said adjacent ends, all of which ends are externally threaded, a pair of externally threaded sliding collars closely fitting said movable tube between said threaded ends, the adjacent ends of said collars being outwardly radially flanged and the outer edges of flanges being inwardly flanged toward each other, a pair of rubber rings closely fitting said movable tube, the outer ends of which are held firmly by said collars, a separating fin rigidly connected to said movable tube and between said rubber rings, the outer edge of which is flanged in both directions to grasp the adjacent edges of said rubber rings, interiorly threaded collars screwed onto the respective threaded ends of said conduit tube and said sliding collars, and enlargement collars threaded onto the ends of said movable tube, said enlargement collars being stopped respectively against the ends of the sliding collars and against shoulders interiorly provided in the interiorly threaded collars.

2. In a packer arrangement to be utilized in connection with drilling and controlling oil, gas or water wells, and for similar purposes, comprising two conduit tubes of materially smaller diameter than the well, the adjacent ends of which are substantially separated, a relatively movable tube therebetween of about the same diameter, the ends of which are always spaced from said adjacent ends, all of which ends are externally threaded, a pair of externally threaded sliding collars closely fitting said movable tube between said threaded ends, the adjacent ends of said collars being outwardly radially flanged and the outer edges of flanges being inwardly flanged toward each other, a pair of rubber rings closely fitting said movable tube, the outer end of which are held firmly by said collars, a separating fin rigidly connected to said movable tube and between said rubber rings, the outer edge of which is flanged in both directions to grasp the adjacent edges of said rubber rings, interiorly threaded collars screwed onto the respective threaded ends of said conduit tube and said sliding collars, and enlargement collars threaded onto the ends of said movable tube, said enlargement collars being stopped respectively against the ends of the sliding collars and against shoulders interiorly provided in the interiorly threaded collars, said rubber rings being of cylindrical form and said arrangement being constructed so that the radial flanges of said collars and sides of said fin will exert uniform and even axial compressive forces over the entire end areas of said rings, and so that the inward flanges at the edges of said radial flanges and at the edge of said fin will firmly grasp the ends of said rings and permit only a radial expansion thereof limited to mediate sides thereof.

3. In a packer arrangement to be utilized in connection with drilling and controlling oil, gas or water wells and for similar purposes, comprising two conduit tubes of materially smaller diameter than the well, the adjacent ends of which are substantially separated, a relatively movable tube therebetween of about the same diameter, a pair of sliding collars closely fitting said movable tube between the ends thereof, the adjacent ends of said collars being outwardly radially flanged, a pair of rubber rings closely fitting said movable tube, the outer ends of which are held confined by said collars, a horizontal separating fin rigidly connected to said movable tube and between said rubber rings, stop means rigidly connected to the respective adjacent ends of said conduit tubes and said movable tube, said combination being arranged so as to exert an axial compressing force evenly over each end portion of each rubber ring, said arrangement being provided with means to grasp the ends of said rubber rings so that a radial expansion of said rubber rings will be confined to the intermediate outside portions thereof and will take place upon the application of such compressing force.

BENJAMIN E. PARRISH.

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