US2288233A - Apparatus for increasing the flow of water in artesian wells - Google Patents

Description

June 30, 1942. E, D, EVERY 2,288,233

APPARATUS FOR INCREASING THE FLOW OF WATER IN ARTESIAN WELLS Filed Nov. 8, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J0 4; 2 35 "2/ J7 O I C I II. /5 r 9 l g l l 1 i INVENTOR. BY fuwf/rfl. fvE/ry @Myflt ,4 TTOK/VEYS June 30, 1942. E. D. EVERY APPARATUS FOR INCREASING THE FLOW OF WATER IN ARTESIAN WELLS Filed Nov. 8, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY ELMERD. EVERY (M #dfl" ATTORNEYS Patented June 30, 1942 azeazzn FATE Fries APPARATUS FOR INCREASING THE FLOW 6F WATER IN ARTESIAN WELLS Jersey Application November 8, 1944 Serial No. 364,817

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for increasing the flow of water in artesian Wells by alternately creating a pressure and suction in the region of the crevices in the subterranean strata through which the water flows into the well so as to dislodge and remove the rubble and agglomerate in the crevices to thereby clear the same of obstructions which retard the flow of the water.

The invention broadly comprehends a method of increasing the flow of water in artesian wells which consists in sealing off the surface area of a well above and below a localized area thereof and alternately subjecting said localized area to pressure and suction through the upper sealed off portion of the well so as to free and remove rubble and agglomerate from the crevices in the water bearing strata in said localized area.

More particularly the invention resides in a method of increasing the flow of water in artsian wells which consists in sealing off the surface area of a well above and below a localized area thereof by introducing a ported casing into the well in spaced relation to the wall thereof and with the ported portion thereof in juxtaposition to the localized area through which the water enters the well and closing the surrounding space between the casing and the wall of the well above and below the ported portion of the casing and alternately creating pressure and suction within the casing at the ported portion thereof to alternately force fluid into the crevices in the localized area and to withdraw the same therefrom so as to dislodge and remove the rubble and agglomerate Which obstructs the free flow of the water through the crevices.

The invention is further directed to an apparatus for carrying out the method which includes a casing of smaller diameter than the well which is sealed at the lower end and formed intermediate its length with a ported portion adapted to be disposed in juxtaposition to a localized area of the well through which water flows into the well and having means above and below the ported portion adapted for expansion to close the space between the casing and the wall of the well together with means adapted to be reciprocated within the casing adjacent the ported portion thereof for alternately creating pressure and suction to force fluid under pressure into the crevices and the localized area and to withdraw the same therefrom so as to dislodge and remove the rubble and agglomerate thus clearing the crevices of the said material.

With these and other objects in view the invention is set forth in greater detail in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View through a well illustrating the apparatus for increasing the fiow of water from the well arranged therein.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view therethrough taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4.- is a vertical sectional view through the casing and through the valved plunger arranged therein above the ported portion.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating the apparatus arranged within the casing and screen section of a well having water bearing sand strata.

Referring to the drawings by characters of ref erence, A designates an artesian well which may be to any desired depth through rock or sand strata, and the method of increasing the flow of the water in the well consists in sealing ofi the surface area thereof above and below a localized area such as the annular area B and alternately subjecting the localized area B to pressure and suction through the upper sealed oil portion of the well so as to free and remove rubble and agglomerate from the crevices in the water bearing strata in said localized area.

[is illustrated, the surface area of the well above the localized area B is sealed oii by means of an upper casing section 8 of lesser diameter than the well which extends from above the ground surface to a point adjacent the upper portion of the localized area B and with expansible sealing means 9 surrounding the lower end of said casing section and adapted to be expanded into intimate contact with the surrounding wall of the well so as to close the space between the lower end of the said casing section and the wall of the well adjacent the localized area B.

The surface area of the well below the localized area B is sealed off by a lower casing section I!) of lesser diameter than the well which has its lower end closed by a cap ll sealed thereto by welding or otherwise securing the same within the lower end thereof and the upper end of said lower casing section is provided with an expansible sealing means 12 which is adapted to be expanded into intimate contact with the surrounding wall of the well so as to close the space between the upper end of the said lower casing section and the wall of the well adjacent to the lower portion of the said localized area B.

When the water bearing strata is of creviced rock formation, as illustrated in Fig. 1, a ported casing section I3 is provided at the localized area B between the upper and lower casing sections 8 and ID. The ported casing section preferably consists of circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending bars l4 which are welded or otherwise secured at their opposite ends to the casing sections 8 and ID, th circumferential space between the bars being sufficient to permit of the passage therethrough of the rubble and agglomerate removed from the crevices in the rock strata.

The eXpansible sealing means 9 and (2 each preferably consists of an expansible cylindrical sleeve I6 of elastic material such as rubber or equivalent material which is disposed in surrounding relation with its casing section between the same are embedded in the sleeve at the ends thereof and are anchored thereto by the vulcanization of the sleeve. The rings l8 are provided with circumferentially spaced studs l9 which extend axially outward through the ends of the sleeve and through annular gaskets and thence through apertures 2! in the flanges I"! with the protruding threaded ends of the studs engaged by nuts 22 for clamping the gaskets 20 between the ends of the sleeve and the flanges H.

The sleeves l6 may be independently or simultaneously expanded from the retracted full line position shown in Fig. 2 to the expanded dotted line position shown therein and as illustrated in full lines in Fig, 1, by means of fluid pressure such as gas or liquid under pressure which is introduced respectively through pipe lines 23 and 24 connected with a suitable source of supply. The pipe line 23 extends from the surface downwardly and opens into the upper sealing means 9 through the upper flange l7 thereof. The pipe line 24 extends downwardly through the upper and lower flanges ll of the upper sealing means 9 and thence opening into the lower sealing means l6 through the upper flange I1 thereof. By expanding the sleeves [6 as illustrated in Fig. 1, the outer surfaces thereof are forced into intimate contact with the surrounding wall of the well so as to seal 01f the surface area of the well above and below the localized area B adjacent the ported casing section l3.

The pressure and suction at the localized area B are created by a reciprocatory plunger designated generally by the reference character D, and which consists of a tubular core 2! having upper and lower end faces defining valv seats 28 and 29. The core 2'! is exteriorly threaded at its opposite ends as at 30 and respectively receives thereover the interiorly thread-ed rings 3| of the oppositely directed yokes 32 which straddle the opposite ends of the core and are locked in place by set screws 33 engaging through the rings 3!. A plurality of packing rings 34 are arranged in surrounding relation to the core 2'! and are clamped between metallic washers 35 by the tightening of the rings 3| towards each other. The core 21 is formed with bearing spiders 3% within the opposite ends thereof to each of which is secured a fixed valve guide stem 3'! extendin axially outward therethrough and anchored at its outer extremity to the bight portion of the yoke.

Upper and lower valve disks 38 and 39 are re spectively mounted on the upper and lower valve guide stems 31 for engagement with the valve seats 28 and 29. Each valve disk is normally urged into engagement with its seat by means of a coiled expansion spring 49 which is interposed between the yoke and an outer plate 4| of the valve disk. The upper yoke has secured to and extending upwardly therefrom a coupling stud 43 provided with an upwardly tapered threaded terminal 43 which is engaged by the downwardly flared threaded socket 44 of a reciprocatory plunger stem 45 adapted to be connected at its upper end to any suitable apparatus for raising and lowering the plunger such as a portable drilling rig. The stems 45 depend from the drilling rig into the upper casing section 8 with the plunger D located in the casing above the ported casing section I3 and with the packing rings 34 snugly engaging the wall of the upper casing section 8.

In order to adjustably limit the opening movement of the valve disks, set screws 45 extend through the bight portions of the yokes 33 for engagement with the outer plates 4| of the valve disks. Set screws 41 selectively engage through a series of vertically spaced threaded openings 48 in the side arms of the yokes and are adapted to engage the inner face of the valve disks and cooperate with the set screws 46 to adjustably lock the same in open relation to the Valve seats.

The assembled casing sections are suspended within the well by means of a split collar 50 clamped around the upper section and having radial arms 5| spanning the mouth of the well and engaging with the ground surface. In practice, the ported casing section [3 is positioned at successive locations in the well throughout the water bearing strata which is accomplished by adjusting the upper casing section with reference to the collar 50. The lower casing section In constitutes a receptacle in which is deposited the rubble and agglomerate entering the casing through the ported casing section l3.

The plunger D may be periodically withdrawn from the casing and the rubble and agglomerate which have been deposited in the lower casing section l0 may then be removed by means of a bailer (not shown).

In operation, after the sinking of a well, the casing assemblage is suspended therein and the split collar 50 secured thereto to position the ported casing section in juxtaposition to any water bearing stratum of the well. The sleeves l6 of the sealing means 9 and I2 are then ex panded to close the space between the lower and the upper ends of the casing sections 8 and I0 respectively and the wall of the casing to thereby seal the surface areas of the well above and below the water bearing stratum which in this instance is the localized area. If the water in the well is not of sufficient height to maintain a head above the ported casing section, additional water is pumped into the well to obtain the desired head. The plunger is then lowered into the upper casing section and connected by the stem 45 to a drilling rig (not shown) to position the plunger for reciprocation therein above the ported casing section.

The plunger may be operated in various ways to alternately force water into and withdraw the same from the strata crevices. This may be accomplished by locking the lower valve disk 39 in open relation and setting the upper valve disk 38 in restricted partially opened relation so that on the down stroke the plunger operating under a head of water and with the weight of the stem 45' forcing the same downward, pressure will be created below the valve disk 38 to force the water below the plunger through the ported casing section [3 and into the crevices. On the up stroke of the plunger, a quantity of the water in the head above the plunger will pass through the uppermost valve but since the valve is only in partially opened relation, a suction will be created below the plunger to withdraw water from the crevices. The pressure produced by the down stroke of the plunger tends to expand and enlarge the crevices and to loosen the rubble and agglomerate therein, while the up stroke will withdraw the rubble and agglomerate from the crevices and through the ported casing section I3, whereupon the same will be deposited into the bottom of the casing. The plunger may also be set with both of the valve disks 38 and 39 secured in closed relation upon their seats and when so positioned the plunger alternately produces a compression and suction of the water below the piston and in the crevices of the strata in the region of the ported casing section.

In some instances it is found desirable to enlarge the crevices in the strata by forcing air into the crevices, or in the event that the strata is of a material which requires chemical action to open up the crevices therein, acids such as hydrochloric acid, hydrofloric acid or sulphuric acid may be inserted in the casing and the plunger operated to force such fluids into the crevices of the strata. When employing such fluids, the plunger may be set with the upper valve disk 38 locked in open relation and the lower valve disk 39 normally retained against its seat by the spring 45 to operate as a check valve upon upward movement of the plunger and to close and operate as a piston upon downward movement thereof. When the valves of the plunger are thus set, the fluid such as air under pressure, or any of the aforesaid acids will pass through the plunger on the up stroke thereof and on its down stroke the valve disk 39 will close and force the fluid below the plunger through the ported casing section and into the crevices of the stratum. By repeated reciprocations of the plunger, any quantity of the said fluids or water may be forced into the crevices.

The operation may then be continued by successively positioning the ported casing section in different locations in the well and the crevices r" cleared of the rubble and agglomerate by the operation of the plunger and by the use of the fluids as previously described. This may be repeated until the entire water bearing strata has been acted upon to clear the crevices of the rubble and agglomerate. During the operation or after the entire portion of the water bearing strata has been acted upon to increase the-flow of the water, the plunger may be withdrawn and set with the lower valve disk 39 secured in open closely fit the wall of the well and the screen section is provided with openings of a size which prevent the entrance into the well of the larger sand particles, while permitting the free entrance of the water into the well. The apparatus is emplaced within the well casing and screen section, as illustrated in Fig. 5, and operates in the manner previously described.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for increasing the flow of water in a well including a casing of lesser diameter than the well and adapted to be positioned therein, said casing including an upper section extending from above the ground surface to a point adjacent to the upper portion of a localized area of the water bearing strata of said well, a lower section having a closed lower end and an open upper end disposed adjacent to the lower portion of said localized area and defining a receptacle within the lower section, and an intermediate ported section located at said localized area and secured at its opposite ends to the adjacent ends of said upper and lower sections respectively, expansible sleeves surrounding the lower end of said upper section and the upper end of the lower section respectively, means connecting and sealing the opposite ends of said sleeves to the casing sections respectively, means for conveying fluid to the space between the said sleeves and the casings respectively for expanding the sleeves into intimate contact with the surrounding wall of the well for closing off the space between the lower end of the upper casing and the upper end of the lower casing and the wall of the well adjacent said localized area, and plunger means adapted for reciprocation within the upper casing section under a fluid head therein for exerting pressure and suction in the ported portion of the casing and in the localized area of the well to force fluid into the crevices in the strata of the localized area and to withdraw the same therefrom so as to dislodge and remove rubble and agglomerate obstructing the free flow of the water through the crevices for collection of the rubble and agglomerate within the lower casing section.

2. Apparatus for increasing the flow of water in a well including a casing comprising an upper section, a lower section having a closed lower end and a ported section consisting of spaced bars secured at their opposite ends to the confronting ends of the upper and lower sections and providing narrow elongated openings in communication with the interior of the upper and lower sections and through which openings the rubble and agglomerate from the crevices in water bearing strata is adapted to pass, means disposed in surrounding relation with the upper and lower sections for closing the space between the casing and the wall of the well above and below said ported section, and plunger means adapted to be reciprocated within the casing above the ported section for creating pressure and suction at the openings therein and in the crevices of the water bearing strata of the well adjacent said ported section for freeing and removing rubble and agglomerate from said crevices through the openings in said ported section.

3. Apparatus for increasing the flow of water in a well including a casing comprising an upper section, a lower section having a closed lower end and disposed in spaced relation to the upper section, spaced bars secured at their opposite ends to the confronting ends of the upper and lower sections providing with the sections narrow elongated ports communicating with the interior of the upper and lower sections and through which ports the rubble and agglomerate from the crevices in water bearing strata is adapted to pass, expansible elastic means disposed in surrounding relation with the upper and lower sections of the casing for sealing off the space between the casing and the wall of the well above and below said ports, means for conducting fluid pressure to said expansible elastic means for expanding the same into engagement with the wall of the well and a plunger adapted to be reciprocated in the upper portion of the casing under a head of fluid for subjecting the crevices of the water bearing strata of the well adjacent said ports to pressure and suction for freeing and removing rubble and agglomerate from said crevices through said ports.

4. Apparatus for increasing the flow of water in a well including a casing comprising an upper all) section, a lower section and a ported section connected at its opposite ends to the confronting ends of the upper and lower sections and consisting of spaced bars providing narrow elongated openings in communication With the interior of the upper and lower sections and through which openings the rubble and agglomerate from the crevices in water bearing strata is adapted to pass, means disposed in surrounding relation with the upper and lower sections for closing the space between the casing and the wall of the well above and below said ported section, and plunger means adapted to be reciprocated within the casing above the ported section for creating pressure and suction at the openings therein and in the crevices of the water bearing strata of the well adjacent said ported section for freeing and removing rubble and agglomerate from said crevices through the openings in said ported section.

ELMER D. EVERY

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