US2064552A - Well packer - Google Patents

Description

Patented Dec. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES WELL PACKER Leon L. Maokowsk, Bradford, Pa., assignor to Oil Well Supply Company, Dallas, Tex., a. corporation of New Jersey Application March 20, 1934, Serial No. 716,538

6 Claims.-

My invention relates to a packer that may be expanded to close the space between thev wall of a well and a, tubing extending thereinto so as toprevent escape of fluid through the packed space. l

The invention relates more particularly to a packer for"y Wells through which a uid under pressure is introduced for the purpose of forcing or ooding oil from oil-bearing sand into a 10 number of surrounding wells.

In this method of forcing the oil from the oil-bearing sands, it is necessary to shut offthe fluid supplying well above the oil-bearing strata so that the required uid or water pressure may vbe maintained on the sand. y

These wells at the level where they are to be packed are generally not cased and the wall of the well formed by the rock may be of enlarged diameter or may even be somewhat irregular so that if the packing material be expanded uni-v formly by mechanical means it may not t the surface of the well tightly and may not form an effective packing against the pressure fluid. Suchpackers cannot in all cases be expanded by internal pressure until ther well is packed because exterior pressure may balance that supplied.

An object of my invention is'to provide a well packer that will ensure an effective packing even under the conditions set forth above and in which any inerlectiveness in mechanical packing may be overcome by an auxiliary fluid pressure expansion of the packing element and in which the fluid pressure expansion may be ren- '35 dered operative under all conditions by an auxiliary mechanical packing.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a packing device whichV is simple and inexpensiveto construct and which can be readily re- 40 moved, and to provide a packer that is not readily damaged while being lowered into position in the well. l

Various, features of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing which slows vertical views partly in section of a packer embodying a ,preferred form of the invention,-Fig. 1 showing thepacker before expan-v sion and Fig.' ,2 showing the packer jafter being extended mechanically and by uid pressure.

450 f In my invention a packer body is provided with be anchored in the well below the level at which. the well is to be packed.

An expanding sleeve is mountedv above the packer element and the lower edge of this sleeve is Atapered or beveled inwardly so that as it is lowered with the body relatively to the packer element it slides within the latter and expands 5 the latter outwardly to the inner surface of the well. In this way a Amechanical packing isobtained.

The packer body is provided with passages or openings through which water or other fluid 10 under pressure may be admitted to the inner side of therubber packer element or sleeve, and the latter may then be expanded outwardly to the inner surface of the well completely shutting the latter regardless of any enlargements or 15 irregularities in its diameter. The operativeness ofthe iiuid expansion of the packer element is ensured by, the mechanical packing which in any event shuts the well off suiiiciently to prevent eiective balancing of the pressure fluid by liquid vor water standing in the well above the packer.

In the accompanying drawing, a packer body or tube I is suspended from the lower end of a tubing 2 by means of a coupling 3 threaded internally at its upper end on the lower end of the 25 tube 2 and enlarged as at, 4 and internally threaded to receive and secure the upper end of the packer body I. The outer surface of the coupling 3 may be grooved as at 5 to receive a shing tool. A collaror ring 6 is slidably 30 mounted on'the lower part of the packer body I and during the lowering of the packer to the Well rests on the collar 'I threaded on to the lower end of the packer body. The lower part of the sleeve or support 6 is reduced as at 8 35 and threaded on to a supporting pipe 9 which may extend downwardly and rest on the bottom of the well.' Instead of the supporting pipe 9` a hook wall, disc, screw set or other anchoring means, such as are well .known in the art, may 40 be employed. A packing collar I0 of expansible rubber material is slidably mounted on the outer4 surface of the tubular body I and at its lower end rests on the supporting ring 6.

Immediately above the expansible packer ele- 45 ment an expanding collar II is mounted on the packer body I and secured thereto by means of set screws I 2. The lower end. of the expander sleeve II is beveled or tapered inwardly as at' 50 I3 so that as the pipe 9 reaches and is supported on the bottom well the further lowering of the packer body I and the expander sleeve I I causes the tapered part I3 of the latter to slide underneath the inner surface of the packer I Il 55 andexpand it outwardly to the surface of the Well.

The packer body I is provided with a series of openings or passages I4 through which water or other uid under pressure may be supplied from within the packer body I through the tubing 2 to the inner surface of the packer element l0 and force or expand the latter outwardly to any extent required to reach theinner surface of the well. The uid pressure will cause the packer element to accommodate itself to any irregularities in the diameter or shape of the well and thus provide an effective seal even when such irregularities occur as might impair the eiectiveness of the mechanical seal.

By employing the mechanical expansion and the iiuid pressure expansion under the conditions set forth above an effective packing is thereby ensured even through the well be lled with water and even though the inner diameter of the well be irregular.

The above construction also permits a packing element of smaller outside diameter to be employed. This is an advantage in an uncased well as there is less likelihood of the packer element coming into contact with an irregular or jagged well surface.

In order to remove the packer it is merely necessary to withdraw the fluid pressure and pull the tubing 2 upwardly whereupon the expander sleeve Il will rst be drawn upwardly from the packer element l0 and then the latter being released from contact with the well will be drawn upwardly as the ring 1 engages the supporting ring 8.

Various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art Without departing from the in-4 vention as defined in thefollowing claims.

What I claim is:

1. A well packer comprising a tubular packer body, an expansible packing element surrounding said body, means on said body to expand said packing element mechanically at its upper endand means comprising openings in said packer body to supply uid under pressure to expand said packing element.

2. A well packer comprising a tubular body, a packer sleeve of expansible material encircling said body, supporting means for said expansible member including a stand pipe slidable on said body below said sleeve and an expander sleeve ilxed on said body above said packer sleeve and having a beveled lower edge over which said packer sleeve may slide and be expanded, said body having openings to admit uid within said Apacker sleeve below its upper end.

3. A well packer comprising a packer body, an expansible packing element slidably mounted on and surrounding said body, means to support the lower end of said packing element in said well, means on said body to expand the upper-end of said packing element mechanically, said packer body having passages to admit fluid under pressure within said packing element.

4. A well packer comprising a packer body, an expansible packing element surrounding and slidable vertically on said body, a tubular means open at its lower end depending from said expansible member to rest on the bottom of a well and thereafter to support said expansible member as said body is lowered, and expansion means on said body to expand said expansible member as said body is lowered relatively thereto, said body having passages below said expansion means to the interior of said expansible member.

5. A well packer comprising a tubular packer body', a tubular expansible packing element surrounding and slidable vertically on said tubular body, a tubular means open at its lower end depending from said expansible member to rest on the bottom of a well and thereafter to support said expansible member as said body is lowered, and expansion means comprising a ring having a wedge-shaped lower edge on said body to expand the upper edge of said expansible member as said body is lowered relatively thereto, said body having passages below said expansion means to the interior of said expansible member.

6. A well packer comprising a tubular packer body, a tubular expansion element surrounding and slidably mounted on said packer body, a tubular downward extension from said expansible member projecting below the lower end of said body member to rest on the bottom of a well, and passages from said tubular member to the interior of said expansible member whereby the latter may be expanded by fluid pressure.

LEON L. MACKOWSKI.

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