US2143450A

US2143450A - Well flowing device

Info

Publication number: US2143450A
Application number: US199980A
Authority: US
Inventors: John E Pippenger
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1938-04-04
Filing date: 1938-04-04
Publication date: 1939-01-10
Anticipated expiration: 1956-01-10

Description

.. H0, 1939. J. E. PIPPENGER WELL FLOWING DEVI CE Filed April 4, 195a JM/Y/D/ M ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a well flowing device and has for an object to provide a device adapted to gravitate to the bottom of the well and then move to the top of the well to clean or swab paraffin from the tubing and promote the gas pressure elevating the fluid more efiective than hitherto possible.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which will be formed of a few strong simple and durable parts, which will be inexpensive to manufacture, and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an oil well and showing a well flowing device constructed in accordance with the invention at substantially the bottom of the well.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of an oil well showing the device near its upper limit of movement in the well.

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view of the oil well flowing device.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 and showing the butterfly valve of the device closed.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4 and showing the shell of the device and sleeve slidably mounted therein below the oifset in the shell. Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, l designates an oil well tubing there being a shoulder ll formed near the bottom of the well tubing. In carrying out the invention the well flowing device comprises a shell I2 having a screw threaded internal offset l3 into which a plurality of centrally perforated adaptors l4 are adapted to be interchangeably received and held in place by a bottom shoulder I on the offset against which the adaptor is clamped by a ring nut Hi. The purpose of these adaptors is to permit escape of a predetermined amount of fluid and. gas therethrough in accordance with variations in well pressure and fluid and gas volume.

A sleeve 11 is slidably mounted within the shell below the offset l3 and pivotally mountedintermediate its ends in the sleeve, as shown at I8, is a butterfly valve I 9. A pin 29 is secured at its ends in the shell and passes transversely across the sleeve through longitudinal guide slots 2| in the sleeve. The sleeve is thus movable for a limited distance longitudinally of the shell, that is, until its upper end abuts the bottom face of the offset l3 at one limit of its movement and until the pin 20 abuts the upper ends of the slots 2| in the sleeve at its opposite limit of movement.

A link 22 is pivotally fastened at the upper end to the pin 20 and at the lower end is pivotally connected to the butterfly valve as shown at 23. Upward movement of the sleeve relatively to the shell closes the butterfly valve through the instrumentality of the pin 22, as best shown in Figures 2 and 4. Downward movement of the sleeve relatively to the shell opens the butterfly valve through the instrumentality of the pin 22, as best shown in Figure 1.

In operation the device is placed in a well tubing and gravitates to the bottom at which point incomplete atomization of fluid with gas is taking place forming a higher fluid to gas ratio; than exists at the top of the tubing because of fluid forming drops or larger bodies large enough to overcome lift of gas and fall back to the bottom, or adhere to the side of the tubing, where the gas has less lift because of line friction and runs down the side of the tubing to the bottom, making higher flowing pressures necessary.

As the device strikes the bottom, the sleeve impinges against the shoulder II in the tubing and moves upwardly relatively to the shell to close the butterfly valve. Thereupon gas pressure lifts the assembled sleeve and shell to the top of the well. While the device is moving upward it will prevent suflicient gas pressure reduction and thus clean the tubing of fluid and prevent fluid bodies returning to the bottom and also prevent parafiine adhering to the top.

When the device reaches the top of the well it closes the lower conduit 24 and the gas and oil escapes through the device and through the upper conduit into the gas and oil pipe. Continuing its upper travel the device encloses the upper conduit 24 allows the oil and gas to escape to the lower conduit or pipe 24 into the gas and oil pipe. Still continuing its upper travel the device moves into the line connection which is a pipe at the top of the well forming a continuation of the tubing and sealed at the top. The device fills up pressure ahead of it in the line connection sufficient to stop upward travel of the device and open the butterfly valve to allow the oil to gravitate to the bottom of the well for another cycle.

During the reciprocating movement of the 5 device all paraflln will be scraped from the tubing and thus the bore of the tubing will be maintained of the original diameter and consequently reduction in gas and oil flow cannot possibly take place due to choking or decrease of diameter 01' the bore from accumulations of paraflln on the tubing.

The device is used in connection with conventional well tubing for both flowing and pumping wells. In the parlance of oil men, tubing is known as regular when theconnectlng ends of joints are the same diameter as the body of the joints, or as upset when the connecting ends of the joint are slightly larger than the body of the joint. The shell of the present invention is just long enough to act as a guide for the device past connecting ends of the joints of regular or upset tubing as well as to pass the trap connections at the top of the well.

From the above description it is thought that u the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood without further explana- .tion.

What is claimed is: 1. A well flowing device comprising a shell pro- 80 vided with an interior oflset portion, a perforated adaptor removably engaged with said ofl'set, a sleeve slidabiy mounted within the shell below the offset, a butterfly valve pivotally mounted within the sleeve, a pin carried by the shell ex-r 85 tending diametrically across the shell and across the sleeve, there being guide slots in the sleeve receiving the pin and permitting movement of the sleeve to and away from said offset portion of the shell, and a link pivotally connected to 40 said pin and pivotally connected to the butterfly valve, upward movement of the sleeve actuating the link to close the butterfly valve and downward movement of the sleeve relatively to the shell causing the link to open the butterfly valve.

2. A well flowing device comprising a shell, an annular screw threaded oflset member within the shell below the peripheral center of the shell, a perforated adaptor threadedly engaged with the offset member, a lock nut securing the adaptor in place, a sleeve slidably mounted within the shell below the oflset member, a butterfly valve pivotally mounted within the sleeve, a pin carried by the shell and extending diametrically across the shell and across the sleeve, the sleeve being provided with vertical guide slots through which the pin passes, and for permitting the sleeve to move with relation to the shell and pin, and a link pivotally connected to the pin and pivotally connected to the butterfly valve, upward movement oi. the sleeve with relation to the shell moving the link to close the valve and downward movement of the sleeve with relation to the shell moving the link to open the valve.

3. The combination with an oil well tubing having an internal shoulder near the bottom, or a well flowing device adapted to be elevated by gas pressure from said shoulder to the top of the well and then to gravitate to the bottom of the well for the next cycle comprising a shell having an internal oflsetportion, means permitting predetermined fluid and gas flow through said oflset portion, a sleeve slidably mounted in the shell and adapted to move into contact with and away from said ofl'set portion, a butterfly valve in the sleeve, and means carried by the shell and connected to the butterfly valve for closing the butterfly valve when the sleeve impinges against said shoulder in the well tubing, said means being adapted to open the valve when said shell recedes from said oflset due to a build up of pressure in advance of the sleeve at the upper blind end of the tubing to stop upward movement of the device and permit the device to gravitate to the bottom of the well.

JOHN E. PIPPENGER.