US2003446A - Well tubing hanger - Google Patents

Description

June 4, 1935. G. c. IMLER ET AL 2,003,446

WELL TUBING HANGER Filed Nov. 15, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I.

I N YEN TORS G. C. IMLER D. .HHUSE Br A TTOR NEYS June 4, 1935. G. c. IMLER ET AL 2,003,445

WELL TUBING HANGER Filed Nov. 15, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS G. C I MLER D. M. HAUSE ATTORNEYS I Patented June 4, 1935 2,003,446

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WELL TUBING HANGER Grover C. Imler and Daniel M. Hause, Seminole, kla., assignors of one-third to Robert L. Imler, Tulsa, Okla.

Application November 15, 1934, Serial No. 753,135

Claims. (Cl. 285-22) This invention relates to devices of the kind In Figure 1 of the drawings A designates the commonly referred to as well tubing hangers, casing of a high pressure well, B designates the that are used for sustaining a well tubing in ophead that is attached to the upper end of said eratlve position inside of a well casing. casing, C designates the usual lateral outlets or 5 One object of our invention is to provide a well flow lines in the sides of said head, D designates 5 tubing hanger that is safer than the conventhe well tubing, E designates our improved tional well tubing hangers now in general use, hanger, which is used to support the tubing in inasmuch as it is of such design or construction operative position inside of the casing and susthat an extensively high temperature to which tain the weight of said tubing, F designates the lit the tubing and/or hanger may be subjected, in usual lead line extending from the upper end of the event of a fire, will not result in leakage the hanger, and y designates the floor of the around the tubing or hanger and will not result derrick house. in the tubing becoming detached from the hang- The hanger E consists of an elongated metal er and dropping into the well, even though the member of substantially tubular form in general 3;", tubing is excessively heavy and is of many thououtline provided intermediate its upper and lower sand feet in length. ends with a horizontally-disposed shoulder or Another object is to provide a well tubing supporting surface I that is adapted to rest upon hanger which is of such design or construction the casing head or on a part sustained by the that when it is in operative position there are casing head. In Figure 1 the hanger E is illusco-acting metal portions on the tubing and trated as being supported by an adapter collar 20 hanger, and co-acting portions on the hanger or ring F which fits inside of and is supported and casing head or other part on which the by the casing head 3. The upper end portion hanger rests, that form gas and liquid-tight of the casing head is counterbored, so as to form joints which will not be injuriously affected by a shoulder or supporting surface 2 on which the fir e y Overcoming an inherent defect of adapter ring F rests, and an annular retaining 25 conventional well tubing hangers. ring G is screwed into the upper end of the cas- And still another object of our invention is to jng h so as t exert downward t t on the provide a Well tubing hanger, which, n d n adapter ring and hold it in such a manner that t having the desirable Characteristics above it cannot blow out of the casing head or become mentioned, is in p to Construct; is Capaaccidentally displaced, due to pressure in the ble of being installed and removed easily and space between the casing A and tubing D of the with little danger to the workmen; and is of such we11 The tubing D is connected to the hanger design that the upper end of the i g is E by two separate and distinct means consisting pletely housed the hanger and ngldly of, first, a set of internal threads a on the hanger 5 nected with same in such a manner that there and coaching external threads on the tubing 30 is 9 possibility of the 9 becoming bent,by and second, frictional gripping devices or fricfalling ob ects 1n the derrick house or becoming tion slips b carried by the hanger E and gg gggg g gfgggg fig g i gg z fig ranged to surround the well tubing and'fric- 40 of the well. Other objects and desirable fea- 22 35 zgigggg g f g same g 4 tures of our invention will be hereinafter pointa an a on e anger at} tubing being preferably tapered. As shown 1n r igl ire 1 of the drawings is a vertical longi- Figure thgmtemal'threads. a on the hanger tudinal sectional view, illustrating our improved are winged m h upper portlon. of Same above 5 tubing hanger installed in Operative position in the horizontally-disposed supporting surface I of a high pressure well the hanger, and the frictional grippmg'devices b Figure 2 is a persl'jective View of the frictional are arranged far enough below said screw threads he arrier that combines a to engage or grip the usual thickened or upset gnppmg dances and t 0 portion a: of the tubing D, rather than the porsaid devices with the hanger. Figure 3 is a perspective View of one of said tlon of the side wall of the tubing located immegripping devices detached fr th arri and diately below said thickened or upset portion :r,

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional it being preferab e to a a the frictional pview illustrating our improved tubing hanger inping devices in this manner so as to eliminate stalled in operative position in a low pressure the possibility of said gripping devices mutilatwell. ing the well tubing and causing it to bulge in- 5 wardly, as often happens with well tubing hangers of conventional design.

The frictional gripping devices I; are preferably formed by a plurality of segmental-shaped jaws that embrace the well tubing, and said gripping devices are supported by a. ring-shaped carrier H which is screwed upwardly into a reduced tubular portion 3 at the lower end of the hanger E. This reduced tubular portion 3 of the hanger fits inside of the adapted ring F, and is provided with external screw threads that co-act with internal screw threads c on the adapter ring to rigidly connect the hanger and adapter ring together. In order to eliminate the possibility of the tubing D working loose, the ring carrier H that supports the frictional gripping devices b is preferably joined to the hanger by co-acting screw threads d and d on said parts that extend in the opposite direction to the co-acting screw threads on the tubing and on the hanger. For example, if the threads a and a are right hand threads, the threads 11 and (1' will be left hand threads. Consequently, when the hanger is in use, the carrier ring H, which turns oppositely to the well tubing, forms a very eflicient locking means for the tubing that prevents it from turning in a direction to work loose. The locking ring or carrier H is of such diameter that it will pass freely over the tubing, and while various methods may be employed to combine the gripping devices I; with said carrier, we prefer to construct said parts in such a way that they can be easily disassembled for inspection, repair or replacement of the gripping devices, but in the operation of screwing the carrier H upwardly into the head E, there is no possibility of the gripping devices b becoming accidentally displaced and dropping into the well. As shown in Figure 1, the gripping devices I) rest directly upon the top edge of the carrier H, and are provided at their lower ends with depending, substantially Lshaped tangs 4 that fit in a horizontally-disposed groove 5 formed in the inner face or side of the center bore of the carrier. The gripping devices I) are so proportioned that when they are arranged with their ends in contact, or approximate contact with each other, as shown in Figure 2, they will form a ring of suificient diameter to surround the tubing and snugly bear against the exterior of same, said ring being capable of being enlarged (by slightly spreading or separating the gripping devices b) so as to permit the carrier H with the gripping devices I) thereon to be moved downwardly over the well tubing preparatory to screwing the hanger onto the threaded upper end portion of the tubing. After the carrier with the assembled gripping devices has been introduced onto the tubing, the gripping devices are free to move radially with respect to the tubing, but it is impossible for said gripping devices to move inwardly far enough to withdraw the tangs 4 of same from the annular groove 5 in the carrier H. Hence, it is impossible for the frictional gripping devices to become disassembled from the carrier and drop into the well in the operation of screwing the carrier upwardly into the hanger. However, when the carrier H is disassociated from the hanger, it is possible to easily disassemble the gripping devices I) from the carrier by simply moving one of the gripping devices inwardly towards the center axis of the carrier, sufiiciently to withdraw the tang 4 of same from the groove 5 in the carrier. In assembling the parts of the structure, the ring carrier H, with the gripping devices mounted thereon, is slipped downwardly over the well tubing prior to connecting the hanger to the tubing, said carrier being temporarily sustained or held in position by tongs or any other suitable means. Subsequently, after the hanger E has been screwed onto the upper end of the well tubing, the ring carrier H is screwed upwardly into the hanger, so as to move the frictional gripping devices b into engagement with the thickened portion of the well tubing and also effectively lock the tubing in the internally threaded portion of the hanger. The bore or internal space in the hanger in which the gripping devices b are positioned, may either be provided with a straight side wall, or with a tapered side wall that co-acts with the gripping devices to force them inwardly, radially, into snug engagement with the exterior of the well tubing. One desirable feature or characteristic of the well tubing hanger shown in Figure 1 is that it does not depend for its successful operation on the use of non-metallic packing material which is liable to flatten out or become injuriously affected in the event the well catches on fire. Instead of depending upon such non-metallic packing material to produce tight joints between the tubing and the hanger and between the hanger and the casing head or other part on which the hanger is supported, we screw the well tubing into the hanger, as previously explained, and we also provide the hanger with an external beveled sealing surface 6 that seats tightly against a coacting beveled sealing surfacefi on the adapter ring F. Similarly, we provide said adapter ring with an external beveled sealing surface I that coacts with a beveled sealing surface l on the casing head B. Obviously, our broad idea contemplates mounting the hanger E either directly on the easing head, or on an adapter or equivalent element positioned inside of the casing head, but in practice we prefer to screw the hanger into an adapter ring which rests upon the casing head, and in the case of a high pressure well, we clamp said parts in position by a retaining ring G, which, upon being screwed downwardly into the casing head, forces the sealing surface 1 on the adapter ring into tight engagement with the co-acting sealing surface l on the casing head and also forces the sealing surface 6 on the hanger into tight engagement with the co-acting sealing surface l5 on the adapter ring, the retaining ring G being so constructed that it laps over a shoulder or laterally-projecting part at the lower end of the hanger E. By using an adapter ring F we are able to employ one size hanger, or a standard hanger, for easing heads of various sizes, simply by furnishing the user with a plurality of adapter rings F, each of which is designed for use with a different sized casing head. If desired, the portion of the adapter ring F surrounded by the casing head above the co-acting sealing surfaces 1 and 'l on said parts, and the portion of the hanger surrounded by the undercut part of the retaining ring G, may each be provided with an annular groove, that is adapted to be filled with any kind of a suitable fire-proof packing material, or packing device, shown diagrammatically in Figure 1 and designated by the reference character 8, so as to further reduce the possibility of leakage of gas from the space between the well casing and well tubing, said packing grooves being of such location or arrangement that the packing material in same is not subjected to the weight of the well tubing, and hence, is not liable to flatten out or become injuriously affected in the event the well catches on fire.

A well tubing hanger of the construction above described is superior to and an improvement upon well tubing hangers of conventional construction, in that the tubing and hanger remain in rigid relationship and are joined together in such a way that the load or weight of the tubing is taken up or supported by co-acting screw threads on the tubing and hanger, and by frictional gripping devices on the hanger that act upon the thickened or upset portion of the tubing. It is also an improvement upon hangers of conventional construction, in that it is of such design that a fire in the well will not result in the escape of gases or flame through the joints between the hanger and the parts with which it is associated. This is because ground joints or metal sealing elements are relied upon to produce tight joints between the hanger E and the casing head or other interposed part that sustains the weight or load which the well tubing imposes upon the hanger. Accordingly, our improved hanger not only greatly reduces the fire hazard of oil wells, but it effectively eliminates the possibility of the tubing breaking away from the hanger and dropping into the well, as so often occurs with conventional tubing hangers that rely upon friction slips to sustain the load of the well tubing and rely upon inflammable packing material, positioned under the bearing surface of the hanger and between the exterior of the tubing and the interior of the hanger, to maintain tight jointsbetween said parts. Our improved hanger has the added advantages of being inexpensive to construct; easy to install; of such design that the workmen are not exposed to danger in the operation of installing or removing the hanger; of such construction that the frictional gripping devices I) are easily removable for inspection, repair or replacement, but still are not liable to drop into the well during the operation of screwing the carrier H upwardly into the hanger; of such construction that the well tubing is com pletely housed and not liable to be injured by falling objects in the derrick house; of such construction that the tubing is rigidly connected to the hanger, and the hanger, in turn, is rigidly connected to the adapter ring, thus eliminating any wobbling action or relative movement between said parts; and is of such construction that the frictional gripping devices are not liable to cause the tubing to bulge inwardly, and thus interiere with the operation of the pumping equipment of the well.

In Figure 4 of the drawings we have illustrated our invention embodied in a tubing hanger for a low pressure well. Said hanger comprises parts of practically the same kind and arrangement illustrated in Figure 1, with the exception that the adapter ring 1" is of slightly diiferent design. andisintendedtosimplyrestuponasupporting surfacelonthecasingheadandberetainedin operative position thereon by gravity. The well tubingDisconnectedtothehangerEinthe manner and by the means previously described and designated by corresponding reference characters, and co-acting metallic sealing surfaces, similar to those previously described, are employed to produce and maintain tight joints between the hanger E and the casing head B or other interposed part, such as the adapter 1'', that sustains the weight of the hanger and the tubing attached tosame. Inthestructureshowninl'lgureia nipple or piece of tubing 1"" is screwed into the upper end of the hanger so as to carry the conventional pumping T O to which is attached a lead line I ll through which the oil is conductedto storage, and the casing head B has a lateral gas line H attached to same. In other respects the well tubing structure shown in Figure 4 is similar to and functions like that illustrated in Figure 1.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A supporting structure for well tubing, comprising a hanger provided with internal screw threads that are adapted to co-act with external screw threads on the tubing, a ring-shaped carrier adapted'to be screwed upwardly into the lower end of the hanger and of such diameter as to pass freely over the tubing prior to connecting the tubing to the hanger, and a plurality of frictional gripping devices on the carrier adapted to engage the tubing and provided with parts thatare interlocked with the carrier in such a way as to permit slight relative movement between said gripping devices during the operation of screwing the carrier up into the hanger.

2. A supporting structure for well tubing, comprising a hanger provided with an internal screw thread into which the well tubing isscrewed, a removable locking ring connected to the hanger by a thread of opposite pitch to the thread on the tubing, and frictional gripping devices arranged in engagement with the exterior of the tubing and provided with tangs positioned in a groove in said locking ring.

3. A supporting structure for well tubing,comprising a hanger provided with an internallythreaded portion into which the well tubing is screwed, a casing head, an adapter ring'on the casing head that sustains the weight of the hanger and the tubing suspended from same, frictional gripping devices arranged in engagement with the exterior of the well tubing, a supporting means for said frictional gripp ng devices screwed into the hanger, and coacting sealing surfaces provided on the casing head and adapter ring and on the adapter ring and hanger.

4. A supporting structure for well tubing, comprising a hanger provided with internal screw threads that are adapted to be engaged by external screw threads on the well tubing, a casing head, an adapter ring that supports said hanger and rests upon ashoulder on the casing head, means for clamping said parts together, a frietional gripping means on the hanger arranged to engage the exterior of the tubing below the threaded connection between the tubing and hanger, and a metallic sealing means for maintaining l tiointsbetweenthecasingheadand adapter ring and between the adapter ring and hanger.

5. A supporting structure for well tubing, comprising a hanger provided with internal screw threads, that are adapted to be engaged by external screw threads on the well tubing, a casing head, an adapter ring that supports said hanger and rests upon a shoulder on the casing head, means for clamping said parts together, a frictional gripping means on the hanger arranged to engage the exterior of the tubing below the threaded connection between the tubing and hanger, coacting metallic sealing surfaces on the hanger adapter ring and casing head, and

grooves in the exterior of the hanger and adapter ring for receiving auxiliary sealing devices.

GROVER C. IMLER. DANEL M. HAUBI.

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