US2178844A - Bridge and cement retainer for well bores - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 7,'- 1939. R. cu BAKER BRIDGE AND' CEMENT 'RETANER FOR WLLBORES Filed Oct. l0, 1936 ,$47A fav BY v - ATTORNEY Fwf? Patented` Nov." 7, 1939 PATENT OFFICE BRIDGE ,AND CEMENT RETAINER FOR WELL BORES Reuben C. Baker, Coalinga, Calif., assignor to Baker Oil Tools, Inc., Huntington Park, Calif., aeorporation of California Application october 1o, 193s, seria; No. icaoro 7 claims. (ci. 16s-12) This invention relates to devices for use during the drilling or reconditioning of oil well bores.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved bridge plug and .5 cement retainer which may be lowered into a well bore and then actuated by uid pressure to expand into intimate contact and packing relation with the wall of the bore, both to form a seal between the device and the wall of the bore, and

to secure the device in position inthe bore.

' In practicing my invention, I provide a hollow body member which may be detachably secured to the lower end of a string of running in tubing and run into place in a well bore.. The body member is tted with a normally collapsed packing member which, after the device is positioned in the bore, may be expanded by iiuid pressure into packing relation with the wall of the bore and retained in such condition. The body is provided with back pressure andbridging valve means to enable it to be used in various capacities.

` One form which the invention may assume is exemplied in the following description and illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in central longitudinal section through a device embodying the preferred form of my invention with the parts thereof in the position which they assume when the device is being lowered into a well bore.

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the exception that the packing element of the device is shownin expanded condition.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawing, I0 indicates an elongated cylindrical body member, the same being formed with a central longitudinal passageway II formed coaxially therethrough. At its lower end this passageway -terminates in a valve vseat- I2 controlled by a spring-pressed back pressure valve I4 which opens downwardly. When this valve I4 is seated, it is obvious that the lower end of the passageway II will be closed and uid will be unable to pass upwardly through vthe body, althoughl fluid under properv pressure may be forced downwardly through the body, opening the valve I4 and discharging.

`The valve I4 is tted with a valve stem I5 guided in a suitable bearing I 6 formed in the body. An expansion spring I1 is positioned between the -guide I6 and an enlarged head I8 secured on the upper end of the valve stem I5.

It will be noticed that the passageway II is the .numeral I9. Mounted within this reduced bore I9 is a trip sleeve 20 which is hollow and cylindrical, and which-is formed with a trip ball valve seat 2| at its upper end. The trip sleeve 20 is formed with depending legs 22 which are Asecured to the valve stem head I8 by means of a shear pin 23. The trip sleeve 20 is secured in position within the reduced bore I9 by a shear pin 24. The positionof the sleeve so secured is such as to hold the valve I4 unseated so that when the device is being run into the hole, uid may freely passv upwardly through the body, and likewise circulatingor washing iiuid may be pumped downwardly through the body.

Arranged about the exterior periphery of the body I0 is an elongated cylindrical packing member 25, preferably formed of rubber or some other suitable pliable material. The lower end of this packing member 25 is suitably anchored to the lower end of the body by means of a clamping ring 26 screwed to the body, as illustrated. The upper end of the packin member 25 has a 'ring 21 secured thereto which.4 slidably mounted on the exterior of the body`.\ The ring 21 carries an interiorly arranged split latch ring 28 adapted to engage circular serrations 29'formed about the exterior of the body. These serrations permit the ring 21 and its latch ring 28 to move longitudinally and downwardly of the body I0 but not in the opposite direction.

Arranged on the body and slidable with respect thereto is a circular piston 39 which is reciprocable in a circular cylinder 3| formed between the exterior perimeter of the body I0 and' the interior perimeter of a cylinder member 32 threadedly secured to the body as at 33. At its upper end the cylinder 3| communicates with the interior bore Il of the body l0 through ports 34. The lower end of the circular piston 30 abuts against the upper ring 2 1 ofthe packing member 25 so that when suiiicient uid pressure is built up within the cylinder 3| to move the piston 39 downwardly, it will move'the ring 21 downwardly and thereby expand the packing member 25 aspacking member, the latter will retain this condition due to the engagement of lthelatch ring passage of fluid downwardly through the body.v

This is accomplished by dropping a trip ball 35 downwardly through the running Vin tubing,

which ball is of a diameter that it will seatl on the seat 2| ofthe trip sleeve 20 and shut oil downward circulation. The shear pin 24 is of suiiicient strength to resist shearing until the pressure built up within the. body is sufcient to actuate the piston 30 and expand the packing 5 member 25 las described. However, after the packing member has been expanded into tight contact with the wall of the hole, the downward uid pressure is increased to a point suiiicient to shear the pin 24 and the pin 23 so that the trip ball 35 and the trip sleeve 20 will no longer interrupt the iiow of fluid downwardly .through the body. This also will release the valve I4 so that it may seat on the seat I2.

The running in'tubing indicated by the numeral 36 is threaded into the upper end of the body I0 with a left-hand thread so that after the body has been secured in position in the well bore, the running in tubing may be disconnected from the body and withdrawn.

At the junction between the reduced bore I 9 in the body and the uppermost portion of the larger bore is a' bridging valve seat 31 adapted to receive a bridging ball valve 38 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, which ball may be dropped downwardly into position at any time. This ball is positioned as indicated in Fig. 2 when it is desired that the device function as a bridge plug. That is to say, the valve I4 will prevent the upward flow of fluid through the device and the bridge valve 38 will prevent the iiow of fluid downwardly through the device, consequently effectively bridging the bore,

In operation of the device, thedevice is constructed substantially as illustrated and described and is mounted on the lower end of the running in tubing 36 and run into the hole. During the running in process, fluid may freely pass upwardly through the device to enable-it 4to be lowered. Likewise, circulation can be established downwardly through the device at any time. After the device has been positioned at the proper point along the bore, the trip ball 35 is dropped through the running in tubing and will seat on the seat 2l of the trip sleeve 20. By means of the pumps,

'45 sumcientuid pressure is then built up in the body I0 above the ball 35 to force the piston 30 downwardly a suiiicient distance to tightly expand the packing member 25 into contactwith thewall ofthe hole. Due to the fact that the w packing member 25 isformed of pliable material, it will conform to the irregularities of the bore and therebyitightlygrip the wall of the hole as well as forming an effective seal between the body I0 and the wall of the hole. It may be stated 5l that the length of the packing member 25 may be any length desired or necessary to effect the result. Thereafter' the uid pressure is increased sufficiently to shear the pins 2 3v and 24 to enable the valve I4 to 'seat on its seat so that it lwill 00 .function as a back pressure valve. If it is so desired, washingiluid or cement may be then pumped downwardly through the body into the bore below it, and the valve I4 will function to prohibit the back ilow of this material upwardly through the body.- If itis desired to bridge the well, the ball 38 is then dropped into position as described'to eiect the bridging operation.v 'I'he running in tubing 36 is then unscrewed from the body III and removed from the hole.

70 If at any time it is desired to remove the device from the bore, it can be readily drilled out due to the foot' that it is constructed of materials that can be readily drilled out.

While I have shown the preferred form of my y -radially expand the same, and latch means for u' u invention, it is to be understoodA that various changes may be made in its construction by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit ofthe invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I 5 claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A device of the character described comprising a body adapted to be detachably secured to the lower end of running in tubing, said body having a passageway formed coaxially there- 10 through, an elongated sleeve-likev packing member of pliable material secured to the body at its lowermost end, and fluid pressure actuated means carried by the body adapted to move the upper end of said packing member toward its secured 15 end to radially expand the same, and means for retaining said packing member in its expanded position.

2. A device of the character described comprising a body adapted to be detachably secured to t0 the lower end of running in tubing, said body having a passageway formed coaxially therethrough, an elongated-sleeve-like packing member of pliable material secured to the body at its lowermost end, iiuid pressure actuated means 25 carried by the body adapted to move the upper end of said packing member toward its secured end to radially expand the same, and latch means for latching said end that is moved in a set position, V

3. In aodevice of the character described, a v body adapted to be attached to the lower end o1 a string of running in tubing, a sleeve-like packing member of pliable material arranged concentrically about said body and secured at its lower 35 end to said body, the upper end of said packing member being adapted to be moved downwardly toward the secured end, and iluid pressurel actuated means carriedby the body to engage the upper end of `said packing member to move the 40 same downwardly in response to fluid pressure built up in the body. 4. A device of the character described comprising an elongated cylindrical body adapted to be attached to the lower end of a string of running in tubing, said body having a longitudinal passageway formed therein, a back, pressure valve to control the ow of uid upwardly through the body, means adapted to be positioned in said passageway to prevent the passage of uid downwardly through the body when said iluid is below a predetermined pressure, a packing member of -pliable material surrounding' the body and capable of radial expansion when axially shortened, iluid pressure actuated means actuated by a pressure less than said predetermined pressure for axially shortening said packing member to radially expand the same. I

5. A device of the character described comprising an elongated cylindrical body adapted to be attached to the lower end of a string of running in tubing, said body having a longitudinal passageway formed therein, a back pressure valve to control the ilow of fluid upwardly .through the body, moans adopted to be positioned in said pas- 5 sageway to prevent the passage of iluid downwardly through the body when said iluid is below a predetermined pressure, 'a packing member. gf

pliable material surrounding the body and capable of radial expansion when axially shortened, iiuid pressure actuated means actuated by a pressure less than said predetermined pressure for axially shortening said packing-member to retaining said packing member in its shortened condition.

6. A device of the character described comprising an elongated cylindrical body member havving a passageway formed longitudinally therethrough ,and adapted to be attached to the lower end of a string of running in tubing, means adapted to be positioned after said body is positioned in a Well bore to obstruct the passage of iluid downwardly through the body, said means being renderedv in'eiective by a uid pressure built u lin the body exceeding a predetermined press e, an elongated packing sleeve carried by the body about its perimeter and secured at one end to the body, -a cylindrical piston carried by the body and engaging the other end of the packing member and actuated by a uid pressure less than said predetermined pressure to move said ber and adaptei end of the packing member toward the fixed end thereof and-thereby radially expandsaid packing member, and latch means for latching said moved end in position maintaining said packing member expanded.

7. In a device of the character described a body member adapted to be detachably'secured to the lower end of a running in tubing, "an expansible packing member surrounding the body member said packing member being normally collapsed, uid responsive means carried by the body memto engage the upper portion of the expansble.j packing member whereby said packing member will be expanded in response to fluid pressure and means Afor retaining said packing member in- 'its expanded position,

' REUBEN C. BAKER.

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