US2307171A - System and apparatus for flowing wells - Google Patents

Description

F. s. TUTToN Jan. 5, 1943.

SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR FLOWING WELLS 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. l5, 1939 FRED STUTTON ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 5, 1943.

F. S. TUTTON SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR FLOWING WELLS Filed Dec. 15, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FRED STUTTON um Wm' fwm. @fuk ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 5, 1943. F. s. TUTTON SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR FLOWING WELLS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. l5, 1939 Jan. 5, 1943. F. s. TUTToN 2,307,171

SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR FLOWING WELLS Filed Dec, l5, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 V1&3/ 62"' FRED 5'. TuTToN INENTOR. www

ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 5, 1943 SYSTEM AND minimos ron nlowrNG WELLS AFmi s. ration, Fon wol-oi, Tex. Application December 15, 1939, Serial No. 309,313

Claims.

The invention relates to a. system and apparatus for flowing wells and particularly a system wherein accurate regulation may be had of the inlet to the well of theliquidto be produced, the rate of introduction of the pressure fluid to flow the well and lastly accurate regulation of the discharge from the Well so as to control the gas, oil and water ratios.

In the flowing of wells by pressure uid it has been found that each well is subject to peculiarities which it is dimcult to determine prior to actual experimentation therewith, that these peculiarities vary with dierent wells and even in the same well over a period of time, that some of the circumstances that eiect a well are variations in the bottom hole pressure, the nature of the formation from which the flow occurs, the relationship of the gas, oil and water to each other, the specific gravity and viscosity of the oil and other fluids as well as the various physical properties of the oil.

With the foregoing conditions in mind the r present invention has been devised so that the system is adjustable to adapt itself to varying conditions on each well so as to control the inlet of fluid to the well,.to control the rate of pressure :duid introduced to discharge the liquid from the well, and to also control the rate of discharge so as to maintain suilicient pressure upon the discharging liquid to control the gas, oil and water ratios of the well.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a system for flowing wells wherein the control valves are operated either independently or simultaneously by an automatic regulator from the surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a. particular type of bottom hole valve which may be regulated from the surface.

Another object of the inventionis to provide a series of flow valves for a well tubing which can be adjusted and regulated either independently of each other or the entire series simultaneously.

Another object of the invention is to provide a solenoid operated ow valve which has a plug valvemember which can be rotated continuous- 1y in one direction to open, close or regulate the valve.

Another object of the invention is to provide a form of well head which will control the discharge rate of the liquid therefrom. e

Other and further objects of the invention will be readily apparent when the following de- (Cl. 10S-233) Fig. 4 is a section of the valve in horizontal section.

Fig. 5 is a section across the tubing on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of a well casing, tubing and well head to which the invention has been applied.

Fig. '1 is a Wiring diagram of the electric circuits.

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the bottom hole valve which controls the inlet of fluid to the well.

Fig. 9 is a section taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the solenoid controls for the bottom hole valve.

Fig. 11 shows a modified form of the contour of the valve, which modication is particularly adapted to take the thrust of the column of liquid in the well.

Fig. 12 is a vertical sectional view of the control head which may be used in the system.

Fig. 13 is a section taken on the line |3-l3 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a section taken on the line |4- I4 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 15 is a side elevation of the spindle in the control head.

In Fig. 1 the well bore is illustrated as containing a casing 2 which extends down into the well to a point adjacent the production formation and may carry a suitable strainer or screen in some locations to exclude sand and other extraneous material while in vother locations the flow is directly from the formation into the well bore.

This casing 2 carries a well head 3 which has a swedged nipple 4 thereon which forms a seal about a string of tubing 5. 'I'his tubing may be controlled by a valve 6. 'I'he head 3 also has the flow line connections 1 and 8 at either side thereof which in this instance may communicate with the annular space l0 inside of the casing and outside of the tubing string 5.

The tubing string' may in some instances carry a packer intermediate its ends which packer rod or core 30 of a solenoid 3|.

may voir be set to define the lower limit oi' the reserl inside ofthe casing and to form a seal between the tubing and the casing.

' 4I are arranged to control 'the various circuits versed upwardly thru the casing. The present installation will be described asutilizing pressure fluid introduced thru the pipe I3 and the iiow line 8 into the reservoir I0. This pressure fluid will be introduced into the tubing 5 thru the flow valves I2 so as to elevate the fluid in the tubing 5 and to discharge it from the upper end I4 of the tubing.

Each ofthe flow valves I2 is of peculiar construction in that it is made up of a coupling which has an opening 2| therein to admit or discharge pressure liquid. This opening has the valve housing 22 of Fig. 4 screwed thereinto and the valve member 23 in the housing 22 is utilized to control the ow of this pressure :luid regardless of Whether the flow is into or out of the tubing. Attentionl is directed to the conguration of the plug valve member 23 in that it has a hollow portion 24 which opens into the ports 25 so as to establish communication thru the valve. The fact that a rotatable valve member is provided permits opening, closing and adjustment of the valve by rotating the valve constantly in the same direction, eliminating any reversal of the parts and providing a valve which is unaffected by variations in pressure.

To actuate the valve member 23 a stem 21 is provided which projects from the housing and carries an escapement wheel 28. This wheel is in the form of a ratchet arrangement which is adapted to be engaged by the pawl 29 on the The pawl 29 is so pivoted that on upward movement it will cause the escapement'wheel 28 and the valve member 23 to rotate a portion of a turn but on downward movement of 'the core 3 the'pawl 29 will pass over the next adjacent tooth of the escapement or ratchet wheel so that by energizing the solenoid 3| the core 30 may be drawn upwardly to actuate the valve. The escapement wheel 28 may have any desired number oi teeth so that one or more than one stroke oi the solenoid is necessary to open or close the valve or to obtain the adjustment desired. As shown in the illustrative embodiment of Figs. l to 4, inclusive, a single stroke by the solenoid moves the valve 23 from open to closed position or vice versa. The solenoid 3i is suitably mounted by brackets 32 on the coupling 20 and the electric circuit or cable 33 passes downwardly along the side of the tubing and has the connections 34 leading to the solenoid. Fig. 3 shows this construction in section whereas Fig. 5 shows it in plan view along with a section oi the tubing and the protective housing 35 which encloses the ilow valve. A perforate plate 31 protects the valve against injury. o

A series of these valves I2 will be arranged on the tubing as seen in Fig. 6 and for purposes of illustration a Wiring diagram is illustrated in Fig. l wherein the coils 40 represent the coil of the solenoid 3| and the 'wiring represents the circuits to these valves. The switches and by the manipulation of these switches 4I and the switches 42 it seems obvious that any desired combination of one or more solenoids may be operated as desired, each solenoid can be operated independently or they may all be operated simultaneously as the circumstances require.

A suitable transformer 4l is placed in the power line 44 in order to provide a suitable source for the circuit.

If it is desired that the well be operated automatically switching mechanism such as that shown in Fig. 6 may be used. In this construction a motor 46 can be arranged to turn the contact 41 so that it will sequentially engage contacts on the switch. Such contacts will be electrically interconnected in a manner that rotation of the contacter 41 will close lelectric circuits, 4either simultaneously or independently, from the 'transformer 43 to the solenoids I2 through the cable 33. It seems obvious that any desired type" of automatic or manual switching can be provided in the system. .V x

In order to admit the fluid from the formation into the tubing string 5 a bottom hole'` valve 5I! may be provided on the lower end o'f the tubing preferably below any packer on the tubing and in a position to control the inlet flow to the tubing. This valve is made up of la housing or coupling 5I which has an axial bore therethru which bore carries the valve seat 52. This seat is in the form of a tapered member which has the ports 53 therein. These ports may be of any desired configuration such as elliptical, circular, spherical and any other conguration which might be found to be desirable. Arranged inside of the seat 52`is the bottom hole valve member 54 which is tapered to iii;Y the inside of the seat and has the openings 55 therein which are arranged to be oriented relative to the ports 53 to open, close or adjust the valve as desired. In order to resiliently hold this valve member in its seat a coil spring construction 5G is provided which bears against a ring 51 on the valve member and against' an anchor ring 53 Vwhich is threaded into the coupling 5|. In order to rotate this valve member a worm 59 and ring gear 60 have been provided.

rThe worm is rotated by the shaft 6I which extends across the coupling 5I as best seen in Fig. 9.

The solenoids 62 and 63 may be carried by the coupling and the escapements to be operated by these solenoids are the same as the escapements 28 previously described, as are the cores 30 and the pawl 29. These solenoids are energized from the cable 33 which extends into the well along side of the tubing.

It seems obvious that by proper manipulation of the solenoid 62 and 63 the valve member may be turned to any desired adjusted position so as to permit the full opening of the tubing to choke down the rate of entry or to completely close the tubing as circumstances require.

Fig. 1l shows a slightly modiiied form of this bottom hole valve wherein the valve member 65 has a hemispherical conguration to iit into the hemispherical configuration 66 of the valve seat. An anti-friction thrust bearing 61 is provided so that the load of the column of fluid in the tubing will not interfere with the turning of the valve. The ports in this valve and seat can be aligned by turning of the valve member as explained in connection with Fig. 8.

Fig. 12 shows a sectional view of a control head which can be applied to the upper end of the tubing in lieu of the valve 6 shown in Fig. 6. This head comprises a body which .has a passage 1l extending upwardly therein and has a lateral flow line connection 12. The chamber 13 is provided inside of the body and this chamber has an outstanding spindle 14 which projects into the chamber 13. This spindle is hollow to provide a continuation 15 of the passage 1I and eliptical opening 16 defines this passage 15 where it terminates in the periphery of the spindle 14.

In order to control the rate of flow from the tubing 5 and the'opening 16 a head or valve member 18 is deposited in the chamber 13. This valve member is in the nature of a hollow cap which has an inside face 19 which is adapted to form a seal with the periphery of the spindle 14, both of these surfaces being tapered so that a seal can be obtained without applying a great deal o f axial pressure. This head or cap extends downwardly over the spindle and has an opening 80 therein which is in the nature of a choke so that when this opening is rotated to overlie the opening 18 then there may be a discharge fromv the tubing 5 which is regulated by the size of this orifice 80. The valve member 18 may have a plurality of different size orices such as 8l and 82 therein or a separate valve member may be applied for each dierent size orice.

The valve member 18 is held in positionby a gland 83 which is afxed to the body by the cap screws 84. This valve' is arranged to be turned by a handle 85 which carries a plate 86 which ts upon the non-circular portion 81 of the valve member 18, A latch means 89 is arranged to l engage with the teeth 90 on the periphery or the gland 83 as best seen in Fig. 13 so that the valve may be set in any desired adjusted position.

In order to facilitate operation of this valve member a plug 92 has been afllxed tothe body so as to introduce a lubricant into the base of the chamber 13. In this manner the inside and the outside oi the valve member will be lubricated and ii desired the grooves 93 may be arranged in the periphery or the valve member to allow distribution o! the lubricant.4 The packing 94 about the stem oi the valve member will coniine this lubricantagainst escape at the top of the member.

In operation the parts will be assembled as seen in Fig. 6 and lowered into the well bore with or without a packer about'the lower end of the tubing as circumstances warrant. Preferably the ilow valves l2 are in closed position and the system will be manipulated to open the bottom hole choke so as to allow the entrance of fluid from the formation. The elevation to which uid will flow varies in diierent wellsand may be controlled by manipulation of the bottom hole valve. When the desired body oi liquid has entered the well the bottom hole valve may be `closed it desired and the now valves opened either simultaneously or sequentially as desired. The usual practice is to open the upper valves and ow of! the head of liquid in the tubing by stages. The liquid may be partially or all discharged iromthe tubing as desired. In some instances the ratio oi oil to water or oil and water to gas or gas to oil may have considerable bearing upon the operation of the well and it is intended that the present apparatus will be varied to control these ratios. In some instances it is very desirable to maintain the gas in solution lin the oil and to control the water ratio by exerting a back pressure or control upon the discharge from the tubing. In some instances the valve 6 as seen in Fig. 6 may be utilized for this purpose but it has been found that a more accurate control can be obtained by a regulator head of Fig. l12. This head may be adjusted by having the proper choke ororiilce in position to regulate the flow and in this manner the ratios of the various components being produced may be controlled.

.It is to be understood that the control head of Fig. 12 may or may not be used and that in view of the large variation in the peculiarities of the wells that it is intended that the present invention insofar as the apparatus and its manipulation is concerned may be varied greatly to cope with existing conditions.

What is claimed is:

1. A well ilowing system including a well casing and tubing, a series of ow valves on said tubing spaced along the tubing to control the ow into or out of said tubing, an electrically operable means to actuate each flow valve to both opened and closed position, said means being operable to actuate said valves either simultaneously or independently.

2. A well flowing system including a Well casing and tubing, a series of flow valves on said tubing spaced along the tubing to control the now into or out of said tubing, an electrically operable means to actuate each now valve to both opened and closed position, said means being operable to actuate said valves either simultaneously or independently, and a bottom hole valve .also operable either independently or simultaneously with the other said valves.

3. A well owing system including a. well casing and tubing, a series of ilow valves on said tubing spaced along the tubing to control the flow into or out of said tubing, an electrically operable means to actuate each flow valve to both opened and closed position, said means being operable to actuate said valves either simultaneously or inderlilendently, including electric circuits into the we 4. A well owing system including a well casing and tubing, a series o! ilow valves on said tubing spaced along the tubing to control the flow into v or out of said tubing, an electrically operable` means to actuate each iow valve to both opened and closedposition, said means being operable to actuate said valves either simultaneously or independently, including electric circuits into the well, and a solenoid on each valve.

5. A well flowing system including a well casing and tubing, a series of ilow valves on said tubing spaced along the tubing to control the ilow into`- or out of said tubing. an electrically operable FRED S. TUTI'ON.

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