US2136015A

US2136015A - Oil well tool

Info

Publication number: US2136015A
Application number: US37966A
Authority: US
Inventors: Nicks Joe Henry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1935-08-26
Filing date: 1935-08-26
Publication date: 1938-11-08
Anticipated expiration: 1955-11-08

Description

J. H, NICKS OIL'WELL TOOL INov. 8, 1938.

Original Filed Aug. 26. 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet.

. 1 y///7 LV/Y MM 7 .M 9 3 INVENTOR ATTO R N EY AyNov;:.'2.,193:e.. @.HNICKS 2,136,015

OIL WELL TOOL Original Filed Aug. 26, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES .OIL WELL TOOL AJoe Henry Nicks, Corpus Christi, Tex.

Application August as, 1935, sei-iai No. 37,966 Renewed April s, 193s 7 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to a tool or apparatus for the making of seals in oil wells wherein it is desired to separate certain -parts of a well from other parts to prevent mixing of undesirabl'e substances with desirable substances.

and has for the primary object the provision of a device of this character which is easy and inexpensive to operate and which will permit one or more seals to be constructed and during the l0 construction of such seals, the device will act as a check to prevent the escape of liquids and gases from the w'ell.

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in

which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing a tool positioned in a well for the purpose of closing the rat hole of a well from the upper portion of the well and also acting to check or prevent the flow of liquid or gases from the rat hole upwardly through the well tubing.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the forming of a seal in the well to close the upper portion of the well to the rat hole with the ball check valve releasing medium act-` ing as a check to prevent escape of gases and liquid from the rat hole by way of the well tubing.

Figure 3 is a fragmenNtary sectional view showing a. ball valve unseating element which is capable of acting as a check valve after the release of the ball valve.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the tool after the formation of a seal in the well and cleared of the lower valve seat and ball valve.

Figure 5 is a vfragmentary vertical'sectional view showing the tool cleared of the upper valve seat after the formation of the seal in the well. Figure 6 is ya fragmentary vertical sectional view showing a well having a series of seals formed therein by a slight modification oi the tool from that shown in Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View showing one seal after being formed in the Well and the tool'arranged for the formation of a second seal at a lower elevation in the well from the first seal.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the nuoutwardly through the upper beveled face of the meral I indicates a'drill well having at its lower end the usual rat hole 2 from which desirable gases and liquids are to be obtained and to close the rat hole from the upper portion of the well a tool 3 has been provided which consists of a 5 cylindrical body l having formed thereon and adjacent one end a shoulder 5 forming an abut-` ment to be engaged by a substantially conicalshaped packing 6. 'I'he packing S is located on the body l between the shoulder 5 and one end of said body, the latter-named end of the body being screw threaded to receive a threaded collar 1 cooperating with the shoulder 5 in retaining the packing on the body. Located in the 'last-named end of the body is a valve seat 8 having a passage 8 therethrough. ri'he packing 6 is of any desired material which will Iyield slightly under pressure and when subjected to liquid will expand and acts to center the device in a well by contacting the walls of the latter. The valve `seat 8 is constructed of a suitable destructible material. The shoulder5 has formedA therein a series of ports I Il having communication with the interior of the body and opening shoulder. The beveled face of the shoulder 5 forms a seat for a valve element II slidably mounted'on the body l. The valve element II has a beveled face to cooperate with the beveled face of the shoulder 5 in closing the ports I0. 30 'I'he valve element II is slidably mounted on guide rods I2 suitably secured to a flange I3 formed on the body 4. Coil springs I4 are mounted on the guide rods between the flange I3 and the valve element II and act to urge 35 the valve element in engagement with the shoulder 5 for closing the ports 10 but which will permit the valve element to move away from the shoulder to open the ports by an internal force or a force within the body I. 40

Detachably secured to the end of the body 4 opposite to the valve seat 8 is a sleeve I5 having mounted therein a valve seat I6 of destructible material. 'I'he valve seat I 6 has a passage I1 therethrough, one end terminating in a flare 45 '2i is dislodged from theV fingers 2| to engage with the seat 8, this being accomplished by the lowering through the well tubing 22 an element 55 23. The well tubing 22 is detachably connected to the sleeve I5. element 23 for dislodging the ball valve 20 consists of an elongated body 24 to which a pointed head 25 is threaded. Interposed between one end of the body 24 and the head 25 is a cup 26. The diameter of the passage I'I of the valve seat I6 is not large enough to permit passing of the ball valve 20 therethrough but is of a size large enough to permit the element 23 to pass therethrough to strike the ball and dislodge the same from the lingers. The element 23 on dislodging the ball valve from the fingers 2| becomes suspended by said lingers and should there be a pressure in the body the cup will engage the seat I9 and cut of! the pres.

sure to thewell tubing 22.

In operation, after drilling a well, as shown in Figure 1, with a rat hole 2, the sleeve I5 with the body 4 connected thereto is secured to the well tubing and the latter is lowered into the well until the packing 6 wedges against the walls of the rat hole, thereby effectively forming a temporary seal between the body 4 and the w 11s of the rat hole and centering the device in t je well. Due to the shape of the packing 6 it will act as a guide for directing the body 4 into the rat hole when said body is lowered into thewell. 'Ihe element 23 is then released at the upper end oi the Well tubing 22 for gravitation downwardly therethrough and through the passage I'I of the valve seat I6 to dislodge the ball valve 20. 'I'he ball valve then gravitates onto the seat 9, closing the body against the escape of any materials in the body. The element 23 remains in the ngers 2| so that should there beany pressure from the rat hole the passage I1 will be closed by .said element 23 and thereby prevent the pressure, which may be in the form of oil or gas', from passing up through the well tubing 22.

Cement or similar materialL is then poured downwardly through the well tubing 22, through the passage II into the body 4 where said matev rial passes outwardly of the body by way of the ports I0, forcing the valve element II upwardly and evenly filling in the space between the body of the device and the walls of the well. The material lls in evenlybetween the body 4 and the walls of the well to a desired height to form a permanent seal 21, completely closing v'the upper portion of the well to the rat hole and thereby prevent desirable substances in the rat hole from being contaminated by undesirable substances which may be in the upper portion of the well.

After the formation and seating of the seal 21, the valve seat I6 and valve seat 8 are crushed and removed by any suitable tool, opening the ow of the gas, liquid or other substance from the rat hole to the well tubing. Figure 4 illustrates the body after the removal of the valve seat 8 and the ball valve while Figure 5 shows the sleeve I5 after the removal of the valve seat I6 and its companion parts.

While I have described the forming of a. seal between the upper portion oi' a well and the rat4 The tools 28 each iiled form of my invention to form the series of spaced seals, the uppermost seal is formed first in the well, as shown in Figure '7, and after forming of this seal, the plug 290i .this tool is destroyed so that further pouring of cement or like material will gravitate to the next tool and form the second seal until the last or lowermost seal is to be formed by the tool 3. v'I'he same method or step is employed in forming the final seal of the well as heretofore described in connection with the preferred form of the invention.

It will be noted that the packing 30 employed on the tools or units 28 is slightly larger than the packing 6 on the tool 3. The reason for making the packings 30 larger isso that they will contact with the walls of the upper portion of the well, this part of the well being of a diameterl greater than the diameter of the rat hole.

During the initial lowering of the tool in the well, the valve element II will prevent the ports I0 from being clogged from substances in the well. However, should the ports becomeA clogged they can be opened by liquid or air pressure subjected to the well tubing 22 and after the ball valve 20 has been releasedgfrom the iingers 2I xand engaged with the valve seat 8. With the ball valve in engagement with the valve seat 8, it will.be seen that air or liquid pressure subjected to the interior of the body 4 will pass out of the ports I0 and free them of any matter which may be clogging said ports.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. A device of the character set forth comprising a hollow body, means for connecting said body to a well tubing for forming a continuation of the latter and for lowering into a well, means forming a seal between said body and Walls of a rat hole and carried by the body, a temporary closure for the body to prevent seal forming material passed into the body by way of the Well tubing from passing from said body, said body having ports to permit the seal forming material to pass from the body and forma seal between the exterior of the body and walls of the well, a valve element slidably mounted on the exterior of the body to close the ports to substances ex- 'teriorly of the body, guides secured to the body ported by said guides.

2. A" device of the character set forth comprising a tubular body, means for connecting said body to a well tubing for forming a continuation of the latter and for lowering into a well with said well tubing, means forming a seal between said body and walls of a rat hole of said well and carried by the body, a. destructible valve seat at one end of the body, a valve means for permitting seal forming material to pass through the body and form a seal between the body and walls of the well, a ball check valve seat carried by the rst-named means, a ball valve located between the valve seats and adapted to engage the iirstnamed seat during the placing in and passing.

of the seal forming material from the body, means for temporarily supporting the ball valve adjacent to the second-named seat to act as a check valve for preventing the pressure in the body passing to the Well tubing during the lowering of the well tubing, and means for dislodging the ball valve from its temporary position.

3. A devicefof the character set forth comprising a tubular body, means for connecting said body to a well tubing for forming a continuation of the latter and for lowering into a well with said Well tubing, means forming a seal between said body and walls of a rat hole of said well and may cooperate therewith in'preventing pressures in the body from passing to the well tubing during the lowering of the body into the well, and means for dislodging the ball valve from said fingers.

4. A device of the character set forth compris--v ing a tubular body, -means for connecting said body to a well tubing for forming a continuation of the latter and for lowering into a well with said well tubing, means forming a. seal between said body and walls of a rat hole of said well and carried by the body, a destructible valve seat at one end of the body, a valve means for permitting seal forming material to pass through the body and form a seal between the body and walls of the well, a ball check valve seat carried by the first-named means, a ball valve located between the valve seats and adapted to engage the first-named seat during the placing in and passing of the seal forming material from the body, resilient fingers` carried by the secondnamed seat for temporarily supporting the ball valve adjacent said second-named seat so that the ball valve may cooperate therewith in `preventing pressures in the body from passing to the well tubing during the lowering of the body into the well, and means for dislodging the ball valve from the fingers and adapted toform a valve for cooperating with the second seat in fhecking pressure from the body tothe well tub- 5. A device of the character set forth comprising a tubular body, means for'connecting said body to a well tubing for forming a continuation of the latter and for lowering into a well with said well tubing, means forming a seal between said body and walls of a rat hole of said well and carried by the body, a destructible valve seat at one end of the body, a valve means for permitting seal forming material towass through the body and form a seal between the body and walls of the.wel1, a ball check valve seat carried by the first-named means, a ball valve located between the valve seats and adapted to engage the first-named seat during the placing in and passing of the seal forming material. from the body,` resilient fingers carried by the secondnamed seat for temporarily supporting the ballvalve adjacent said second-named seat so that the ball valve may cooperate therewith in prel5 venting pressures in the body from passing to the well tubing during the lowering of the body into the well, and a dislodging element to pass through the well tubing by gravitation and dislodge the ball valve from the ngers and to be retained by the latter, said element including a valve portion for cooperation with the second-named seat in checking pressures from the body to the well tubing.

6. A device of the character set forth compris- 15 'lng a tubular body, means for connecting said body to a well tubing for forming a continuation of the latter and for lowering into a well with said well tubing, means forming a seal between said body and walls of a rat hole of said well and carried by the body, a destructible valve seat atone end of the body, a valve means for permitting seal forming material to pass through the body and form a seal between the body and walls of the well, a ball check valve seat carried by the first-named means, a ball valve located between the valve seats and adapted to engage the first-named seat during the placing in and passing of the seal forming material from the body, resilient fingers carried by the secondnamed seat for temporarily supporting the ball valve adjacent said second-named seat so that the ball valve may cooperate therewith in preventing pressures in the body from passing to the well tubing during the lowering of vthe body into the well, and a dislodging element to pass through the well tubing by gravitation and dislodge the ball valve from the fingers and to be retained by the latter, said element including a valve portion for cooperation with thesecond-named seat in checking pressures from the body to the well tubing, said second-named valve seat, ball valve' and dislodging element being made of destructible material.

7. An oil well tool comprising a body to be lowered into a well and adapted to have cementing material placed therein, an inverted conical shaped plug mounted on said body and of solid yieldable material and of a size to contact and snugly fit walls of a well or walls of a rat-hole of said well to block olf portions of the well from each other and to center the body in the well, and means for permitting the cementing material to pass from the body with an even distribution of said material entirely about the body and above and adjacent to the upper endof the plug to contact the plug, walls of the well or walls of the rat-hole and said body to form a seal to prevent the passing of liquid and gas from one portion of the well to another.

JOE HENRY NICKS.