US2371391A

US2371391A - Screen for wells

Info

Publication number: US2371391A
Application number: US471101A
Authority: US
Inventors: Cecil J Haynes
Original assignee: Standard Oil Development Co
Current assignee: Standard Oil Development Co
Priority date: 1943-01-02
Filing date: 1943-01-02
Publication date: 1945-03-13
Anticipated expiration: 1962-03-13

Description

March 13, 1945. c 1. HAYNES j 2.371 391 SCREEN FOR WELL Filed Jan, 2, 194

,W VI Q I jay/ 4% A TTOR/VEX means which allows the drill Patented 1-3, 1945, I

Cecil J. Haynes, Houston, Tex.-, assignor Stand 1 ard Oil Development Company, a corporation of Delaware Application-January 2, 1943, Serial No; 411,101

3 Claims.

The present invention is directed to a device suitable for application to gravelpacked .wells or for use in the gravel packing of wells.

The present invention may be described briefly as comprising a screen swivelly attached to the lower end of a string of tubing with a. spiral conveyor arranged around the screen and secured to the tubing for rotation therewith.

This arrangement allows the screen to be forced into a pack of gravel after the gravel has been placed in the well. Another use of the device is for agitating the gravel pack to sift the gravel and open clogged portions of the .screen' 7 by rotating the spiral without allowing longitudinal movement ofthe tubing. ,The device of the present invention is also suitable for use in placing gravel, as for example, when employing the device shown in Patent 2,224,538, issued Dec. 10, 1940, to John E. Eckel et al. and entitled "Method and apparatus for gravel-packing wells, in which case it is desirable for the screw conveyor to be used to force the discharged gravel downward and distribute it around the screen.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention may be seen from a eading of the following description taken with he drawing, in

which- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view, .partlyin section, of a portion of the device shown in- Fig. 1 with the spiral conveyor removed therefrom;

Fig. 3 is a view of the parts not shown in Fig. 2 used to make up the complete unit illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view along IV--IV of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an elevation of an embodiment similar to that shown in Fig. 1, but with the spiral conveyor reversed for use in distributing gravel in gravel packing wells. A wire screen or perforated pipe ll is secured to thelower end of tubing or drill pipe II by respect to the screen. A suitable means for at- 'taching the screen and tubing is illustrated in retained between them.

A rod l6 extending from the lower portion of pack and which prevents the rotation of the screen II when tubing I2 is being rotated without longitudinal movement. v

The remainder of the assembly as shown in Fig. 3 consists ofa-spider l1, helical flanges l8, and tip J9; The helical flanges areisecured to the tip by suitable means, such as by welding.

, A central passage extendsthrough the tipto allow the tip to be journaled on rod IS. The

upper end of spider l"| forms a collar closely embracing tubing l2 and arranged to be secured thereto by. suitable means, such as set screw 2|. The lower portion of spider I1 is of substantially the same diameter as thehelical flanges and is provided with suitable screw threads 22 to cooperate with screw threads 23 formed on an annulus 24, to which the upper ends of the helical pipe to swivel with 1 the screen has secured thereto an anchor l6.

The anchor may be described briefly as formed of a sheet of metal with a downwardly extending knife edge which moves ahead of the screen while it is being forced down through a gravel flanges are attached.

Itwill be understood that there is appreciable clearance between members I! and screen H.

It'als'o will be seen from the drawing that below The flanges rotate with tubing l2, while the innor screen It may be held stationary by an- If a pack of gravel has been placed in the lower end of a borehole and it is desired to insert the tool of the present invention into the pack, the tubing with the tool secured to the lower end thereof may be lowered into the borehole until it engages the upper portion of the pack. The weight of the tubing may then be allowed to rest on the tool, whereupon rotation of the tubing will cause a corresponding rotation of flanges l8 and the tapering lower, portion of the flanges will serve to lift the gravel or sand up and along the outside of the screen.

The flanges will remove the gravel or sand from immediately below the screen and transport it to the top of this screen, thereby allowing the screen to move downward into the gravel Back.

After the tool is placed as above described proauction may be obtained through the screen in the usual manner. If at a y later date the pack has become contaminatedand openings in the pack and screen cloggedby paramn or similar material, the gravel pack may be agitated to renovate the gravel pack. This may be done by rotating tubing l2 without allowing longitudinal movement of the tubing; gravelfrom adjacentthe lower portion of the screen and forces it upwardly, at the same time.

This rotation lifts cleaning the screen by the relative rotation between members l8 and the outer surface of this 7 screen.

Another use of the device of the present ini vention is in placing gravel in the borehole by use of normal circulation, as described in U. S. Patent No. 2,224,538. In the above mentioned patent, the gravel is deposited in the well by releasing it through a valve at the top of the liner and allowing it to settle downwardly under the influence of gravity. When employing the tool for placing gravel, the spiral flanges-should be arranged so that rotation of the drill pipe will force the flanges to carry the gravel downwardly. Since it is the usual practice to'have right-hand threads on the drill pipe, it is desirable to arrange the flanges as illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawing.

- By attaching the tool illustrated in Fig. 5 to the lower end of the'tubing and releasing the gravel from the tubing above the screen, the rotation of the tubing causes the conveyor .to carry the gravel downwardly and positively form a uniform gravel pack. The advantage of using the tool described in the present application for depositing gravel is that it prevents bridging of the gravel and insures the formation of a gravel pack'without cavities.

Having fully described and illustrated preferred embodiments of the present invention, what I desire to claim is: V

1. A borehole tool comprising, in combination,

a screen adapted to be secured to the lower end of a string of tubing, means arranged to connect swiveily the screen to said tubing, an anchor secured to said screen, and a spiral conveyor arranged over said screen and attached to said tubing for rotation therewith.

2. A borehole device comprising, in combination, a well screen, means swivelly securing the upper end of said screen to the lower end of a string of tubing, an anchor secured to the lower end of said screen, and a member secured to the lower end of the tubing concentric with said screen and extending the length of the screen, whereby said member may be given annular movement with respect to said screen.

3. A borehole tool adapted to be secured to the lower end of a string of tubing comprising, in combination, an elongated screen, means swivelly connecting the upper end of said screen to the lower end of said string of tubing, a flat sharpedged anchor, a rod extending along the longi-' tudinal axis of said screen having its upper end secured to the lower end of said screen and its lower end secured to said anchor, a conveyor arrangedover said screen with the portion adjacent the screen helical and its lower end extending below said screen and tapering inwardly, and means securing said conveyor to the lower end of said tubing for rotation therewith.

CECIL J. HAYNES.