US2315437A - Perforator for well pipes - Google Patents

Description

2 Shets-Sheet 1 .1, c. Luccous' PERFORATOR FOR WELL PIPES FiledN 27, 1941 March 1943.

INVENTOR. JOHN C. [uccous 7 I fitter/lay March 30, 1943.

J. C. LUCCOUS PERFORATOR FOR WELL PIPES Filed NOV. 27, 1941 Z He 1/ 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 III/II I INVENTOR.

Jan/v CI Zuccous Ht tor-nay Patented Mar. 30, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PERFORATORFOR WELL PIPES JohnC. Luccous, Dallas, Tex.

Application November 27, 1941, Serial No. 420,614

1': Claims. (o1. ial-0.4)

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in perforators for Well pipes.

One object of the invention is to provide a,

means providing for accurate location of the.

perforations-in the well pipe at anydesired elevation .therein.

Aiurther object of the invention is to provide,

in a perforator of the type described, means for.

positively. disclosing whether the cutter points have been moved to their fullyexpanded position, thus indicating that the desired'perforaa tions in the well pipe have been made.

Another object of'the invention is to provide,

in a perforator of the. character described, means for positively :holding the cutter points in re-.

tracted position while lowering said perforator to the desired point in the well pipe, whichmeans isreleasable to permit operationof theperforator when desired. 7

A still further object. of the invention is'.to provide an improved perforator of the character described having meansfor preventing the application of. downward .or longitudinal movement to the cutterpoints while. said points are expanded in cuttingposition, whereby uniform perforations. of the desired size are obtained, and also whereby fracture or breakage of the cutter points is eliminated.

Still another object of the invention is to'provide, in aperforator of th'eitype described, means for assuringthe securing of thesize and number. of perforations desired, said means limiting penetrationof the cutter points through the wall 'of the wellpipe'so that complete projection of all cutter pointsthrough said pipe is positively secured. 7

Aparticular object of the invention is to provide a perforator of the character described having anchoring means for locating .saidperforator at any desired elevation in the wellpipe and also having means for positively securingperforations spaced from each other longitudinally-of the well pipe anydesired distance apart.

Another object'oi the invention is to provide a simple, positive, easily operable periorator which may be lowered into, operated and removed from the well pipe on a flexible wire or cable, and which forms tapered perforations in the well pipe, whereby plugging or clogging of such perforations by matter carried by fluids flowing therethrough is materially reduced.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from areading of the following description of a device constructed in Y accordance with the invention, and reference to the accompanying drawings thereof, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view, partly in elevation and Figures 6 and? are enlarged horizontal cross sectional views taken on the lines 6-6 and ll-l respectively of Figure 2, I

Figures 8 and 9 are similar views taken onfthe lines 88 and 9,-9 respectively of Figured,

Figure 10 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of a modified form of the invention, and V Figure 11 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, showing the device of Figure 10 revolved 90 degrees on its axis.

In the drawings, the numeral l5 designates an elongate cylindrical base member having a notch l 6 formed in its upper end. Perforator knives I7 are pivotally secured within said notch by means of pins !8 which extendtransverselyof the notch through the base member and the lower ends of the knives. each knife is rounded and pivots closely adjacent the bottom of the notch l1, so as to be additionally supported by the base member. The perforator knives are formed with long handle portions l9, and have chisel-pointed cutter points 29 extending laterally outward from the arms at their upper ends. 1

An elongate tubular sleeve 2i telescopes the perforator knives and the base member, and is slidably connected to said base member by means of a key pin 22 mounted in the upper end of the base, saidkey having its ends engaging within longitudinal key slots 23 formed in the wall of the sleeve. The engagement of the key pin and slots serves to limit longitudinal movement between the base member and sleeve and to prevent It is noted that the lower end of rotation of said base member Within said sleeve. Elongate Vertical windows or slots 24 are provided in the sleeve 2| and the cutter points at the upper ends of the perforator knives are slidable longitudinally therein and expansible radially therethrough.

For expanding the cutter points 28, to drive them through the wall of the well pipe or tubing T, a cylindrical wedge member is connected to the upper end of the sleeve 2| and extends downwardly therein. The wedge member has longitudinally extending inclined slots 23 formed on opposite sides thereof to provide inclined wedge surfaces 21 upon which the perforator knives are adapted to slide and be radially expanded, as is clearly shown in Figures 2 and 4. Obviously, as the wedge member and sleeve are moved downwardly with relation to the cutters or knive and base member, from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 4, the inclined wedge surfaces 21 will expand the cutter points 21! radially outward through the windows 24 into engagement with the wall of the well tubing. Application of sufficient force to the wedge member will then drive the cutter points through the tubing wall to form perforations therein.

The wedge member is forced downwardly by means of hammer blows delivered by manipulation of an ordinary weight member 01' sinker bar 28 and link jars 29 connected to the upper end of the wedge member by screw-threads. The sinker bar and jars are manipulated within the well tubing by means of a flexible wire line or cable 3|] connected to the upper end of the sinker bar by means of a suitable wire line socket 3|. Obviously, lifting the sinker bar and jars to the position shown in Figure 1 and dropping them to the position shown in Figure 3, will impart a hammer blow to the wedge member 25 and force said wedge member downwardly between the perforator knives.

For holding the base member stationary to p rmit forcing the wedge member downwardly, an anchor or stop member S is connected by means of screw threads to the lower end of the base member.

The anchor includes an elongate mandrel 32 having a cylindrical portion 33 at its upper end. Immediately below the cylindrical portion the mandrel is tapered downwardly to form a slip expanding section 34, and an annular flange 35 is provided immediately below the slip expanding section. Below the flange 35 the mandrel has a reduced cylindrical shank 36, upon which a slip carrying collar 31 is freely slidable.

Gripping elements or slips 33 having sharp gripping teeth on their outer surface are slidable on the inclined slip expanding section 34 of the mandrel, and said elements have handles 39 depending therefrom. The slip handles extend downwardly through slots 4|! formed in the flange 35, and are loosely connected to the slip carrying collar 3'! by means of the engagement of their T-shaped lower ends 4| within correspondingly T-shaped slots 42 formed in the upper portion of the collar Bl. The slip handles are restrained against outward displacement from the slots 42 by a band 43 which is secured in an annular groove surrounding said collar. A similar band 44 prevents outward displacement of the slip handles from the slots 45 in the flange 35.

The slip carrying collar 31 is slidable on the shank 35 and upward movement of the slips on the mandrel is limited by the engagement of said collar with the under side of the flange 35. En-

gagement of the slips with the upper surface of the flange prevents further downward movement of the slips on the mandrel.

As will readily be seen, normally the weight of the slips and the collar 3'! will move said slips to their lowermost position on the mandrel, engaging the flange 35. However, downward movement of the mandrel with respect to the slips will move the inclined slip expanding section 34 downwardly between the slips to force said slips radially outward into gripping engagement with the wall of the tubing T. Such relative movement may be obtained by suddenly lowering the mandrel. Due to their inertia, the slips and collar will remain substantially stationary and the inclined section of the mandrel will move down wardly between the slips to immediately expand them to gripping engagement with the tubing.

Once the slips have engaged the wall of the well tubing, further application of downward force to the mandrel 32 tends to increase the gripping action of the slips. Thus, the anchor member is held stationary to support the base member l5 of the perforator so that the wedge member 25 may be driven downwardly to force the cutter points 20 radially outward through the wall of the well tubing to form perforations P therein, as shown in Figures 3 and l.

The position in the well pipe at which the stop member S is set or anchored will ordinarily be determined by use of the customary measurin device (not shown) at the surface of the well for measuring th length of wire lowered into the well. Of course, any other suitable means might be used.

In lowering the perforator into the well pipe T, it has been found that it is desirable that the sleeve 2| and base member l5 be held in the extended position shown in Figures 1 and 2, whereby the perforator knives I! are held retracted. In such position the wall of the sleeve at the lower end of the vertical window 25 enages the outer edge of the knives to move said knives inwardly to retracted position. For releasably holding the sleeve and base in such position, a shear pin 45 extends through said sleeve and base member just below the key pin 22. Obviously, the shear pin will hold the parts in this extended position until such time as said pin is fractured to permit the sleeve to telescope the base member. The pin 45 is readily sheared by jarring downwardly upon the wedge member 25 and sleeve 2| after the stop member S has been anchored in the well pipe. The shear pin may be readily renewed each time the perforator is used.

For positively indicating that the cutter points have been moved to their fully expanded position, and, hence, that said cutter points have penetrated the wall of the well pipe, an indicator pin 46 is secured within a transverse hole provided at the lower end of the base member. As is clearly shown in Figure 2, the outer ends of this indicator pin project radially beyond the surface of the base member. Thus, when the sleeve 2| has been moved to the position shown in Figure 4, the lower end of said sleeve will have sheared off the projecting ends of said indicator pin. Since the sleeve 2| is moved to its fully telescoped position (Fig. 4) when the wedge member 25 has been forced downwardly to the position at which the cutter points 20 are fully expanded, it will readily be seen that when the projecting ends of the indicator pin are sheared off the cutter points are indicated to have been fully expanded.

The cutter points are so dimensioned that,

upon full expansion, their :outer points will :ex tend beyond the normal-outer "diameter :of the pipe -and,-therefore,' complete penetration of the wall of the pipe is assured Thus, disclosure that the cutter points have been fully expanded would indicate-that thedesired perforations have been made-in the wallof the pipe.

It 'is noted that the cutter-points :20 maybe driven through the wall .of the well pipe only until the handles [9- of the knives engagethe pipe just below-the cutterpoints. This-engagement of the handleswith the pipe prevents further .penetrationof the cutter points throughthewall of thepipe. Thus,'ifone cutter point is driven through 'the wall of the pipe in advance of the-other point,- engagement'of the handle of such advance knife-with :the wall of the pipe preventsfurther penetration of-that point, and the opposite cutter isthenforced through the wall of sthe-pipe.

It-will be seen; therefore,"that the perforations formed by'means of this perforatorcan never be larger thanthe size formed by such maximum penetration of the cutter points, and, also, that complete penetrationof thewall' of the pipe by both cutter points is assured.

When thewedge member -has been forced to -its=lowermost position, its lower 'end engages the-upperend of the "base member 15 and further downward movement of said wedge member :and the sleeve 2l carried thereby is prevented: This prevents the sleeve at the upper ends of'thewindows 24 from engaging the upper ends of the perforator knives and forcing the: cutter points downwardly, whereby breakage or-shearing-of the cutterpoints isprevented. Also,-such engagement prevents-unintentional longitudinal enlargement of the perforations suchas might result from driving the cutter points downwardly while expanded; thusassuring the-formation of uniform perforations of the-desired :size.

. To remove the 'perforator from 'the 'well .pipe T, the wireline is liftedto elevate :thesinker;

bar-.28 and link jars 29. Upward imoyementof the dam moves the wedge member 25 and the sleeve 2l upwardly, and said-sleeve engages-the handles IQ of the perforator knivesr-at the flowerends. of the windows 24 to positively retract thecutter points'zfl from the perforations P. :F u-rtherv upward movement of the Wire-line-moves-the parts of the perforator to the position shown in Figures -1 and 2, with-the key .pin 22 engaging the sleeve at thelower end :of the key slot 23 to move the base member +5 upwardly; Upward.

movement of the base member raisesthe attached mandrel 32 of thestop; member S frombetween the slips 38, permitting;- saidslips to retract from gripping engagementwlth then-wall of the well pipe; 'Continuedupward movement then removes the" entire device-from. the bore-- of the pipe.

A- modified form of theinvention is shown Figures l0 and 11, whereina stop member'A-is provided which is made separate from the ,per-.

forator proper andis anchored within the 'well' pipe in a slightly different manner from the stop member-S of the firstform.

As is clearly shown in FigurelO, the stop in cludes amandrel I32 having;an axial bore 5! Above the upper cylindrical section '33, themandrel is formed with a, retrieving necki! having-an etxernal undercut flange 52 at its upper end, and an upwardly facing-annular shoulder 53.is formed between said retrievingneck and All the cylindrical portion 33 of the mandrel.

other parts of the stop Aware identical with .and bear the same numbers asthe stop S :first described.-

The :stop member A is lowered into the well pipe and anchored therein by means'of a suitable'lowering tool (not shown) which .is connected to the lower end of thelink jars. The lowering tool may be any of several suitable types on the market, and, of itself, formsno-part of the invention.

The stop member is anchored within the well pipe by expanding the slips 38 into gripping engagement with the wall of the .well'pipebymoving the mandre1l32-downwardly between said slips, .in-thesame manner as has already been described. When the stop has been anchored, thelowering tool (not shown) is released and removed from the bore of the pipe.

The-base member P5 of the perforatcr has a detachable'and interchangeable skirt member 55 connected by screw threads to its lower end,

the base member l5 of the perforator -in a stationary position. Therefore, the wedge. member 25 may be driven downwardly to fo-rce'the cutter points-of the perforator knives I! through the wall of the pipe in the manner already set forth.

The length of the skirt member 55 may be varied as desired, so asto provide for spacing the -;perforations longitudinally, within the pipe, b-y-definitely controlling the length of said skirt members the perforations may be as accurately spaced as the length of the skirt member is controlled. The stop member A. remains set at the same location within the pipe while the perforator is removed and the skirt member changed, and. upon reinsertion of vsaid perforatorin the pipeto its positionon the .stop member,- definite spacing of the perforations at that elevation in the well'is assured. Thus, a plu-' ralit-y ofuniform perforations, spaced at desired elevations in the well pipe, may be readily secured by removingthe perforator and changing the skirt section.

After the tubing has been perforated, the perforator-is removed from the pipe and a 'suitable removing orretrieving'tool (not shown) is lowered into the bore of said pipe to engage and pull the stop-member A from the Well. The retrieving tool (not shown) may be one of several-ty-peson-the open market suitable for the purpose.

-Due to the chisel-point shape of the cutter points theperforations'P formed thereby are flared outwardly as they extend inwardly from the.,ou-ter periphery of the pipe, and plugging or clogging of suchperforations by solid matter carried by the fluids flowing thereth-rough is prevented. Any' matter which enters the small outer portion of the perforations will readily pass through the larger inner portion thereof.

Manifest-1y, a perforator has been provided which may be lowered into a well pipe and oper-' ated therein to form perforations in its wall'by means of a flexible line or cable. Such perforator will also .-form uniform perforations .ata.

definite desired location in said pipe. Further, means has been provided for indicating whether or not perforations have been formed in the wall of the pipe as desired. The perforator also has means for preventing breakage of the cutter' points, both during lowering and during perforating. Moreover, means has been provided for positively and accurately spacing perforations at a plurality of levels within the well pipe. Likewise, the perforator may be used with various suitable types of stop members, either attached to the perforator or independently anchored within the well pipe.

It is particularly to be noted that the perforators are adapted to be lowered into, operated in and removed from a well pipe under pressure, that is, in wells wherein the well fluid pressure is present within said pipe during said operations. For such use, the flexible line would be a solid steel wire measuring line, common to the oil fields, and the perforator would be lowered into the well pipe with the upper end of said pipe closed by a stuffing box (not shown) which would seal around the solid steel line to prevent escape of the well pressure fluids.

The above description of the invention is explanatory only, and changes in details of the constructions illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A well pipe perforator including, a base member having means for releasably anchoring it in a stationary position within a well pipe, elongate perforator means having its lower end swingably supported by the base member and having a perforating element at its upper end, an expanding member for engaging the upper end of the perforator means to move the perforating element to perforating position, and a sleeve member telescoping the perforator means and base member and having means for positively retracting the perforator element from perforating position.

2. A well pipe perforator including, a base member, releasable means engageable with the wall of a well pipe for positively anchoring said member in a stationary position at any desired level in said well pipe, perforator means supported by said base member, and means for forcing said perforator means outwardly through the wall of the well pipe to form perforations therein, said forcing means engaging the base member to limit the application of outward force to said perforator means by said forcing means.

3. A well pipe perforator including, a base member, perforator means supported by the base member, means for forcing the perforator means outwardly through the wall of a well pipe to form perforations therein, and anchoring means for engaging the wall of the well pipe to positively support the base member at any desired level in the well pipe to permit formation of perforations at such level, said anchoring means being releasable and movable either upwardly or downwardly from the level of the original perforations to a new level for supporting said base member to permit perforating at such new level.

4. A well pipe perforator including, a base member, anchoring means for supporting said base member at any desired level within a well pipe, movable perforator cutters carried by the base member, forcing means for expanding said cutters to form perforations in the wall of the well pipe, and frangible means for preventing said forcing means from prematurely expanding the perforator cutters.

5. A well pipe perforator including, a member having means for anchoring it in a stationary position in a well pipe, perforator elements supported by said member, means operable to force the perforator elements outwardly through the wall of the well pipe to form perforations therein, and a member engageable by said forcing means providing positive recording means for indicating that the perforator elements have been forced outwardly sufficiently to form such perforations.

6. A well pipe perforator including, a member having releasable means engageable with the wall of a well pipe, means for anchoring it in a stationary position in said well pipe, perforator elements supported by said member, means operable to force the perforator elements outwardly through the wall of the well pipe to form perforations therein, and means interposed between the support member and perforator elements providing for positively spacing perforations at a plurality of levels longitudinally within the well pipe.

'7. A well pipe perforator including, a base member having means for anchoring it in a stationary position within a well pipe, elongate perforator knives having their lower ends pivotally secured to and supported by said base member, a wedge member having inclined surfaces upon which the upper ends of the perforator knives are slidable so as to be expanded to perforating position thereby, and a sleeve member telescoping the perforator knives and having means for positively retracting said knives from perforating position.

8. A well pipe perforator including, a base member having means for anchoring it in a stationary position within a well pipe, elongate perforator knives having cutter points at their upper ends and having their lower ends pivotally secured to and supported by said base memher, a wedge member having inclined surfaces upon which the upper ends of the perforator knives are slidable so as to be expanded to perforating position thereby, a sleeve member telescoping the perforator' knives and having windows through which the cutter points of said knives are expansible, means for positively retracting said knives from perforating position, and means for releasably holding said perforator knives in retracted position.

9. A well pipe perforator including, a base member having means for anchoring it in 'a stationary position within a well pipe, elongate perforator knives having cutter points on their upper ends and having their lower ends pivotally secured to and supported by the base memher, a wedge member having inclined surfaces upon which the upper ends of the knives are slidable so as to be expanded to perforating position thereby, and means for indicating that the cutter points have been sufficiently expanded to form the desired perforations.

10. A well pipe perforator including, a base member, means for anchoring said base member in a stationary position within a well pipe, elongate perforator knives having cutter points at their upper ends and having their lower ends pivotally secured to and supported by the base' ber to expand the cutter points to perforating position, said wedge member being arranged to abut the upper end of the base member to limit the application of outward force upon the cutter points and to prevent the application of downward force to said cutter points.

11. A well pipe perforator including, a base member, elongate perforator knives having cutter points on their upper ends and having their lower ends pivotally secured to and supported by said base member, a wedge member having inclined surfaces upon which the upper ends of the perforator knives are slidable so as to be expanded to perforating position thereby, and anchoring means for supporting the base member in a stationary position at any desired level in a well pipe to permit perforating the wall of such pipe at that level, said anchoring means being movable upwardly or downwardly from the level of the original perforations to a new level for supporting said base member to permit perforating at such new level.

12. A well pipe perforator including, a base member, elongate perforator knives having cutter points on their upper ends and having their lower ends pivotally secured to and supported by said base member, a wedge member slidably connected to the base member and having inclined surfaces upon which the upper ends of the perforator knives are slidable so as to be expanded to perforating position thereby, and separate anchoring means for supporting the base member in a stationary position at any desired level within a well pipe to permit perforating the wall of the pipe at such level, said anchoring means being removable from the well p1pe.

13. A well pipe perforator including, a base member, elongate perforator knives having cutter points on their upper ends and having their lower ends pivotally secured to and supported by said base member, a wedge member slidably connected to the base member and having inclined surfaces upon which the upper ends of the perforator knives are slidable so as to be expanded to perforating position thereby, separate anchoring means for supporting the base member in a stationary position at any desired level within a well pipe to permit perforating the wall of said pipe at such level, and detachable and interchangeable spacer means carried by the base member and interposed between said base member and the anchoring means for positively spacing perforations at a plurality of levels longitudinally within the well pipe.

14. A well pipe perforator including, .a base member, means for anchoring said member at any desired level within a well pipe, elongate perforator knives having cutter points at their upper ends and having their lower ends pivotally secured to and supported by the base member, a wedge member slidably connected to the base member and having inclined surfaces upon which the upper ends of the knives are slidable and movable toward the base member to expand the cutter points to perforating position, a sleeve member carried by the wedge member and telescoping the perforator knives and having windows through which the cutter points of said knives are expansible, means on the sleeve for engaging the knives to retract the same from perforating position upon upward movement of said sleeve, means for releasably holding said sleeve in position retracting said perforator knives, and means carried by the base member for indicating that the cutter points have been sufficiently expanded to perforate the Wall of the well pipe.

15. A well pipe perforator including, a base member, means for anchoring said base member at any desired level within a Well pipe, elongate perforator knives having cutter points at their upper ends and having their lower ends pivotally secured to and supported by the base member, a wedge member slidably connected to the base member and having inclined surfaces movable toward the base member for expanding the cutter points to perforating position, said wedge member being adapted to engage the upper end of the base member to prevent down- Ward movement of the cutter points and limit the outward expansion thereof, a sleeve carried by the Wedge member and telescoping the perforator knives, means on said sleeve for positively retracting said knives upon movement of said sleeve away from the base member, and means for releasably holding the sleeve in position retracting said perforator knives.

16. A well pipe perforator including, a base member having releasable means for engaging the wall of a well pipe to anchor it in a stationary position within said pipe, elongate perforator knives having projecting cutter points on their upper ends and having their lower ends swingably supported by the base member, a wedge member for engaging and expanding the upper ends of said knives, said knives having an upper portion adapted to engage the wall of the well pipe to prevent excessive penetration of such wall by the cutter point thereon, whereby when any one cutter point has fully penetrated the wall of the pipe the engagement of such upper portion with said wall provides a stop and support to cause the wedge member to force the other cutter points outwardly through the wall of the pipe to assure perforation thereof by all cutter points.

17. Awell pipe perforator including, a base member having means for releasably anchoring it in a stationary position within a well pipe, elongate perforator means having its lower end swingably supported by the base member and having a perforating element at its upper end, an expanding member for engaging the upper end of the perforator means to move the perforating element to perforating position, a sleeve member carried by the expanding member and telescoping the perforator means and base member and having means for positively retracting the perforator element from perforating position, and recording means engageable by said sleeve for positively indicating that said perforator element has been fully expanded.

JOHN C. LUCCOUS.

Images