US2397199A

US2397199A - Apparatus for cleaning wells

Info

Publication number: US2397199A
Application number: US460734A
Authority: US
Inventors: Willis P Orr
Original assignee: Standard Oil Development Co
Current assignee: Standard Oil Development Co
Priority date: 1942-10-05
Filing date: 1942-10-05
Publication date: 1946-03-26
Anticipated expiration: 1963-03-26

Description

Patented Mar. 26, 1946 AIPARATUS Willis P. Orr, Houston, Tex., assignor to Standard Oil Development Company, acorporation of Delaware Application October 5, 1942, Serial No. &60,734

` 7 Claims. (Ci. iee-20) The present invention is directed to apparatus adapted to aid in cleaning a well before producing through a screen.

In my co-pending application, Serial No. 4603733, filed October 5, 1942, now abandoned, a method of cleaning wells before producing through a screen is' disclosed. The method therein disclosed involves blocking off of the screen and removing foreign bodies from the well by fiowing well fluid through a by-pass at a relatively high velocity. After the cleaning step the bypass is closed and the well then produced through the screen. .As disclosed in the aforesaid application, a number of arrangements maybe employed to carry out the procedure. The present application is directed to an embodiment useful for practicing the method claimed in my above menticned application. i

Other objects and advantages of the present invention may be seen from the following description taken with the drawing in which Figures -1 and 2 are elevations partiy in section, Figure 1 showing the device adjusted to by-pass a screen and Figure 2 illustrating the device arr-anged for fluid flow through ,the screen.

The invention may be described briefly as including side ports arranged to by-pass a screen and a valve arranged at the upper end of the screen to close off the screen from the Joy-pass. The device is arranged so that after the well is cleaned manipulative steps performed by an operator at the surface will close the by-pass and open the valve to allow production through the screen into the tubing.

Turning now specifically to the drawing, the lower portion of a hole is disclosed with the lower end of casing I I provided with a conventional cement plug !2. Within the casing and secured to a lower end of a string of tubing l3 for loweri Ledge i& is provided with lefthand' screw threads 20 whichtmate with similar threads on coupling member 2l attached. to the lower end of tubing [3 and serve as a means of attaching the assembly to the string of tubing. Spaced above collar Zi is another coilar 22 carrying packe r setting tool 23, the two collars being separated by a short joint of tubing za. This joint of tubing is provided with a longitudinally extending slet 25. e

Side port 25 pierces member 55 and member li) secured thereto. A sleeve member 27 'is slidingly arranged within member I@ with its downward movement limited by member !9 and its upward movement limited by inwardly projecting ledge 28. Member 27 is provided with ports 29 `to corres'pond with port 26 in members !5 and i@ and its upper end is provided with inwardly projecting ring 30 to which is attached inwardly extending shear pins %L A groove 32 is provided in member 21 and a spring catch 33 is secured to member w immediately below ledge 28. Moving of member 21 to its upper position closes side ports 26,`29 and member Z'i is locked in this position by the engagement of catch 33 in groove\ Circular ledge I& is preferably constructed of metal and is arranged to carry a second smaller ring 361 which is preferably formed of readily breakable material such as commercial moldable resins. the drawing as rod 35 is provided at its lower end with plug 36 preferably of a readily deformable material such as rubber. The

members

34 and 36 when arranged in the positionillustrated in Figure 1 form a valve to close off the interior of screen i l from communication with the interior of cylindrical member !5. The upper end of elongated body 35 may be provided with a spear head 37 for engagement with a conventional grappling tool or overshot.` In addition the upper portion of the elongated body 35 is provided with a circular groove in which is arranged circumferentially movable annulus 38. Secured to annulus 38 by a shear pin 39 is a suitable member 40 arranged to :project through siot 25. Itvis to be noted that shear pin 39 is constructed with a 'larger cross section than is pin 3! to insure that pin si will shear before pin 39.

In Operating the device of the present invention, tubing !5 having attached thereto the'assembly arranged as illustrated in Figure 1 islowered into the bore hole until the liner is on bottom, or -alternatively the liner may be hung in position by slip's. The tubing may 'thenbe rotated to the right'to disengage left hand threads 20 and the tubing raised enough to engage packer setting, tool 23 with packer l'l. The weight of the tubing'is then allowed to rest on the packer An elongated body which is shown in in an amount sumcient to operate it to seal the annular space betweencylindrical member i! and casing ll; Thewell is then allowed to flow through

side ports

26, 29 to remove foreign material from the annular space deflned by the screen and the bore hole and from the Iace of the producing formation. i

After the well is cleaned the by-pass may be closed and flow through the screen initiated by either of the manipulative steps:

(1) An overshot on a wire line may be dropped inside the tubing to engage spear head 31. An upward pull on the wire line will first pull plug .38 out of member 34. Additional upward movement will 'engage member 40 with pin 3! to raise sleeve 21 to its uppermost osition where it is located with side port 26 closed by member 21. An additional pull on the wire line will first shear pin 3|,- then pin 39 to release elongated body this operation is completed the tubing may be allowed to move downward to re-engage packer setting tool with packer l'l.

Having fully described and illustrated the pres- .ent invention, what I desire to claim is:

1. A device adapted to be arranged in a bore hole comprising in combination a cylindrical member having side ports in an upper portion thereof, an inwardly projecting circular ledge secured to a lower portion of said member, a sleeve provided with'ports corresponding to the ports of said cylindrical member slidingly ar-- ranged in said cylindrical member, a shoulder secured to said cylindrical member limiting the downward movement of said sleeve a second shoulder secured to said sleeve member limiting the upper movement of said sleeve, a plug arranged to cooperate with said inwardly projecting'ledge to seal the lower end of said sleeve when in a flrst position and to allow flow through the'opening defined by said ledge when in a second position, means adapted to be secured to a string of tubing for moving said sleeve from said 'first to said second position and said plug from said first to said second position.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 in which the means for moving said sleeve includes a shear pin and said means for moving said plug includes a second shear pin.

3. A device in accordance with claim 1 including a rod attached to said plug, a spear head secured to said rod adapted to be engaged by a grappling tool, a member secured to the upper end of said rod by a shear pin and a shear pin attached to said sleeve for engagement with said member. I

4. A device adapted to be arranged in a borehole and to be attached to the upper'end of a. liner screen comprising, in combination, a cylindrical member provided with side ports, a sleeve arranged to expose the side ports when in `a`flrst position and to close said ports when in a second position relative to said cylindrical member, a valve member arranged to close the lower end of said cylindrical member when in a flrst position and to allow fluid flow therethrough when in a second position relative to said cylindrical member, an elongated body arranged within the cylindrical member to assume a first position and a second position relative to said cylindrical member. a flrst means carried 'by said body arranged to engage and move said sleeve from its first to its second p sition as the body moves from its flrst to its second position and a second means carried bysaid body operatively connected with and arranged to move said valve member from its first to its second position as the body moves from its first towards its second position.

5. A device adapted to be arranged in a borehole and to be attached to the upper end o! a liner 'screen comprising, in combination, a cylindrical member provided with side ports, a packer body mounted on said cylindrical member above said ports, a sleeve member carried by said cylindrical member and arranged to expose said side e ports when in a first position and to close said ports when in a second position relative to said cylindrical member, a valve member arranged to close the lower .end of said cylindrical member when in a first position and to allow fluid flow therethrough when in a second position relative means secured to said body arranged to engage said sleeve member and to move the sleeve and valve members 'from their first to their 'second positions as the body moves from its first to its second position.

6. A device in accordance with claim 5 in which a packer setting means is mounted on said tu r in 7. A device adapted to be arranged in a bore-. hole and tobe attached to the upper end of a liner screen comprising, in combination, a cylindrical member providedwith valve ports, a sleeve member carried by said cylindrical member and arranged to expose the ports when in a first position and to close them when in a second position relative to said cylindrical member, a valve member arranged to close the lower end of said cylindrical member when in a first position and to allow fluid flow therethrough when in a second position relative to said cylindrical member, a tubing member extending into the cylindrical member and provided with readily disengageable means securing it to said cylindrical member', an elongated body arranged in the lower end of said tubing to m`ove longitudinally therein from a first position to a second position and secured to said valve member to move it from its first to its second position as the elongated body is moved from its first to its second position, and means secured to said body arranged to engage with and move the sleeve member from its flrst to its second position as the body moves from its flrst to its second position.

WILLIS P. ORR.