US2368777A - Method of preventing paraffin deposits in oil wells - Google Patents

Description

vFeb. 64, 1945.

E. F. PRICE METHOD OF PREVENTING PARAFFIN DEPOSITS' IN OIL WELLS Filed Jan. 30, 1942 ATTORNEYS.

' Patented Feb. 6, 1945 METHOD OF PREVENTING PARAFFIN DEPOSITS IN 01L WELLS Elmer rr-ice, Borger, Tex. Application January 30, 1942, Serial No. 428,809

- In the operation of oil wells in paraffin territory," i. e., in fields yielding paraifin base oils, difllculties are invariably experienced in maintaining a continuous delivery of oil at a constant rate due to clogging of the pump tubing of well known construction, its metallic tubular casing being generally designated by the numer-' al I. .As ordinarily, the casing I extends above the ground level G, and is closed at the top by the wells through accumulation of paraflin therein. In fact it' is quite common for the paraflin to form in the inside of the tubing until scarcely sufficient clearance is left for the movement of the sucker or pump rods of the wells, so that ordinarily it is necessary to' completely remove thetubing for cleaning sometimes as often as every thirty days. This isnot only a laborious, time-consuming and therefore expen-.

sive procedure, but entails idling of the wells over correspondingly Protracted periods. Such parafiin accumulation I have found to result from'the action of electric currents set up in the presence of magnetic forces in and around the .wells, or through generation of electricity by friction between the moving parts of the well pumping machinery.

My invention has for its aim to overcome the above drawbacks, that is to say, to preclude formation of paraflin by electrical or magnetic action so that a constant and uniform yield of oil from the wells may be maintained at all times. This objective I realize in practice as hereinafter more fully disclosed, by insulating the various parts of the pumping apparatus from each other and the ground at such points a head in the form of a cap 2, which, in thisinstance, is threadedly connected to said casing, see Fig. *2. Extending axially down through a central opening in the cap 2 is a tube 3 through which the oil is drawn from the well by means and in such. manner as to prevent the possibility of electric current flow earth.

In the attached drawing.

Fig. 1 is a broken out view partly in elevation and partly in section, of an oil well and the pumping unit associated therewith, suitably arranged for the purposes of my-invention.

' Fig; 2 is a fragmentary view on a larger scale corresponding generally to Fig. 1 and'showing to betteradvantage, important structural details at the upper portion of the well.

between them and the Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken as indicatedby the angled arrows IIIIII in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4- is a fragmentary detail view in the region of the coupling of the "sucker rod of the pumping unit with the connecting cables which extend to'the head of the wallnn'gbeam of said unit; and .Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the angled arrows V V in Fig. 4.

The well and the associated pumping unit herein illustrated for convenience of exemplimy invention, generally speaking, is of of a pump 5 at the bottom end of said tube. Extending laterally from the tube 3 above ground is a pipe line 6 which may lead to any convenient disposal 'for the pumped oil. The sucker rod 1 of the pumping unit passes through a stuiiing box 8 at the protruding top end of the tube 3 and passes down through the latter to the pump 5, likewise in the usual way. Clamped to the upper end of the sucker rod Iis across head 5, which,'by means of a pair of flexible members or cables III, is connected to the horse head .II on the counterbalanced walking beam I2 of is rocked through a pitman It by a crank II on a rotary shaft I8, which, through suitable speed "reduction" means (not illustrated), is driven by an enclosed motor I9. The cases accumulating in the well andin thecasing I are carried off through a valve controlled pipe 20 which leads laterally from said casing at a point slightly above the ground level G, see Figs. 1 and 2.

In order to adapt a well of the type briefly described above to the purposes of my invention, I make provisions as follows: Clamped to the tube 3 at intervals of its length and preferably over the couplings which join its component sections, are split spacing collars 2| whereof the component halves are connected by spring-rings 22 fitting into circumferential grooves at opposite ends of said halves. As conventionally indicated, the collars'ZI are fashioned from insulating material, preferably wood, to a diameter slightly less than the bore of the well casing I, seeFigs. 2 and 3, so that the gases may freely pass up around them. By virtue 'of their position, the collars 2| serve to maintain the tube 3 centralized in the well casing and also to prevent metallic contact between said tube and said well casing.

- To similarly prevent metallic contact between thesaid cap and the top end of said casing. The

sections of the oil delivery pipe i-are electrically.

isolated, one from the other,through interposition oi aminsulation gasket 21 between the flanges 28 .of the uniting coupling 29 and through use of insulation sleeves 3| and washers II in association suckerrodlandtheclampheadtlinterpose horse head ll of numpin unit- 13,.

From the foregoing it will be seen through the interposition of insulation at the various regions and in the manner shown-anddescribd, I

positively preclude the flow of electric current between the earth and thefparts' which constitute the well casing and the'puniping apparatus, and.

' .in this way effectively prevent the formation of an insulating bushing I5 and apply an insulating washer 30 immediately above said head. To

insure against sllppageo! the clamp-head 9 on the rod 1, I apply'immediately above the latter, a

supplemental split metallic clamp collar 39 of paraflin within the flow passages so that's. constant and uniform delivery-of oil is maintained atalltimes. 1

Having thus described myinvention', I claim: The nfethod of preventingparamn deposits inan oil well provided with iwell casing, an oil production tubing within said casing, and, a pump which the halves bear directly against the rod.'

In addition a sleeve ll of insulation is applied aroundtheupperendofthe'sucker rod 1 at theregion where it might contact with the at the lower end oii'the" tubing, which comprises precluding the flow of electric current between the pump and'tubing on the one hand and the well casing and the ground on the other.=

ELMER F. PRICE:

the walking beam 12 of the r

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