US2540455A - Hydraulic packer setting assembly - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 6, 1951 A. J. PENICK 2,540,455

HYDRAULIC PACKER SETTING ASSEMBLY Filed June 27, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Feb. 6, 1951 A. J. PENICK HYDRAULIC PACKER SETTING ASSEMBLY 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 27, 1946 INVENTOR.

Arthur J Pen/ck Feb. 6, 1951 A. J. PENICK HYDRAULIC PACKER SETTING ASSEMBLY 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 kW 1% M Filed June 27, 1946' Patented Feb. 6, 1951 HYDRAULIC PACKER SETTING ASSEMBLY Arthur J. Penick, Houston, Tex., assignor to Oil Center Tool Company,

ration of Texas Houston, Tex., a corporlpplication June 27, 1946, SerialNo. 679,814

This invention relates to a slip settingassembly speciall designed for use in well equipment, such as well packers.

The invention herein disclosed is adapted for use in connection with that type of packer for wells disclosed in my co-pending application filed in United States Patent Ofiice on October 5, 1944, under Serial No. 557,324, now Patent No. 2,464,713, granted March 15, 1949.

In settling well packers of the expansibletype, endwise compressive force. is applied to the packer to expand the same and while expanding the packer it is supported on a lower tubular member and the compressive force is applied from the weightof the tubular stringabove. It is therefore necessary to anchor said lower tubular member against downward movement in the well casing. The invention herein disclosed relates to a novel type. of anchoring means for the purpose above specified.

Another object is to provide in a well tool a downwardly tapering expander carried by said lower tubular member with casing engaging slips assembled about the expander with means arranged to be supported by the liquid in'the eas; ing beneath to, in turn, support the slips against downward movement whereby, upon downward movement of the expander, the slips will be expanded into an engagement with the surrounding well casing to maintain the expander and said lower tubular member against further downward movement when the compressive force is applied to the packer. by the string above.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide means for confining the slip supporting means in inactive position while the packer is being run into the well.

As illustrated, the novel means .for setting the slips have been shown in connection with a packer to be set in a well but it is to be understood that the invention herein disclosed is not necessarily confined to use in connection with setting a packer but is capable of general use for setting a slip assembly in a well. The invention also comprehends the use of a wash valve in the inner pipe above the packer and the method of rendering said valve operative as the packer is set.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following specification which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the upper end of a complete packer assembly, showing the packer in collapsed position.

Figure 2 isa side view, partly in section, of the 7 Claims. (Cl. 166-12) lower end thereof, showing the slip support retained inactive.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on they showing the casing engaging slips set.

Figure '7 is a fragmentary, vertical, sectional view illustrating a conventional type of upwardl opening valve controlling the lower end of the assembly.

Figure 8 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the wash valve in open position.

Figure 9 is, an enlarged, sectional view of the wash valve secured in closed position; and

Figure 10 is aside elevation of the packer assemblyshowing the packer set.

Referring now mor particularly to the drawings, the numeral I designates an outer casing set in a well and the numeral 2 designates an inner pipe. Secured to the lower end of the inner .pipe 2 there is a packer body composed of the upper, tubular, section 3 which telescopes into the upper. end of the lower, tubular section 4. Around this body there is an expansible packer sleeve 5.. This sleeve may be of any'conventional type. It may be formed of resilient material or of soft metal, such as lead, as illustrated in the copending application above referred to. Its upper end may be dovetailed into the upper section Bandits lower end may be dovetailed into the lowersection 4 as is illustrated in Figure 1. The upper end of thesection 4 is tapered upwardly, forming an expanderwhich fits within the lower end'of the packer 5 and the external surface of the body section 3 beneath the packer 5 is tapered downwardly thus forming an expander.

The lower ,portionof the upper section 3 of the. packer body is cylindrical in shape and extends beneath the lower end of th lower section 4 ofthe packerbodyand screwed onto the lower end of saidupper section 3 there is an external collar 6 of a transversediameter to engage the lower end of the section 4, as shown in Figure 1, upon upward movement of the upper section relative ,to the lower section so as to prevent their complete separation. r

I as shown in Figure 1 so that the packer 5 will not be liable to be prematurely expanded while the assembly is being lowered.

The upper and lower sections 3 and 4 may be splined against rotation by the spline 8.

The bottom end of the inner pipe is screwed onto the lower end of the lower body section 4 and extends on down int the well as shown. This lower end 3 has a downwardly tapering slip expander It formed thereon and around this slip expander are a plurality of wedge shaped slips I I, four being shown as more clearly illustrated in Figure 3. The outer surfaces of these slips have the downwardl pitched circumferential teeth I2 to engage the outer casing, when the slips are expanded as shown in Figure 6. Their inner surfaces are curved to approximate the outside curvature of the expander I9 and the slips are wedge shaped, in vertical cross section, their inner sides tapering outwardly to conform to the taper of the expander 55. The slips are countersunk at their margins thus forming, in effect, vertical grooves I3 between them and set screws I4 are threaded into the expander I and extend outwardly radially and have enlarged heads in said groove-s to retain the slips assembled about the expander.

Beneath the slips and around the cylindrical shaped lower end of the expander there is an anchor ring I5 which is formed with upstanding T- shaped arms I6 which fit into the T-slots I! in the lower ends of the respective slips. The connections thus formed are loose so that the slips will have the required amount of radial movement.

Beneath the ring I5 there is an annular anchor I8 to the lower end of which a downwardly opening cup-shaped supporting element I9 is anchored. This supporting element is preferably formed of rubber, or other resilient material, and its upper end is surrounded, and supported, by an external annular lip 20 depending from the anchor IS. The lower end of the cup-shaped supporting element I9 is, preferably, provided with serrations, or notches 2I so that said lower 5 end may be readily contracted.

Telescoped over the reduced lower end of the expander there is a tubular nipple 22 whose lower end is inwardly thickened forming an inside annular shoulder 23 which abuts the extended cylindrical shaped lower end of said expander and, in assembly, the nipple is pinned to said expander by means of the shearable pin 24.

The nipple 22 has a splined connection with the lower end of the expander III by means of a radial pin 26a carried by the nipple and whose inner end works in an external longitudinal groove 25 in the lower end of the expander, as shown in Figure 5.

A coupling 25 is screwed onto the nipple 22 and its upper end is provided with an annular retainer 2'! which retains the lower end of the supporting element [9 contracted while going into the well.

There is a double acting valve assembly mounted in the coupling 26 and controlling the lower end of the string of pipe. This valve assembly will now be described:

It includes a tubular bushing 28 screwed into the reduced portion of the coupling 26 by means of left hand threads 29. Secured to and upstanding from the bushing 28 there is a valve cage 30 confining the upwardly opening ball valve 3I and whose upper end is provided with a tubular collar 32 having internal right hand threads.

Secured to and depending from the bushing 28 there is a valve cage 33 confining the downwardly opening ball valve 34.

Within the bushing 28 there is a tubular sleeve 35 which is pinned therein by a shearable pin 36. As pinned in place the lower end of the sleeve 35 extends beneath the bushing 28 and is provided with one or more side openings 31.

In running the packer assembly into the well it will be assembled, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. While going into the well the valve 34 will be held in its lower position, as shown in Figure 2, and the well liquid may pass through the openings 3'! and will lift the valve 3| and pass on up into the string, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 2. When the desired location has been reached to set the packer the pumps at the ground surface will apply pressure to the well liquid in the string and the valve 3| will seat against the upper end of the sleeve 35 which extends above the upper end of the bushing 28, The liquid therefore can not escape out of the lower end of the string and the pressure will shear the pin 35 causing the sleeve 35 to move downwardly and the valve 3| to seat against the upper end of the bushing 28 and maintain a closure and a continued pressure will cause the pin 24 to shear and the nipple 22 and coupling 26 thereon will move downwardly into the position shown in Figure 5 thus freeing the lower end of the supporting element I9 and permitting it to expand, as shown in Figure 5.

As the string of pipe is lowered further the liquid in the casing I beneath the supporting element 19 will prevent the further downward movement of the slip assembly and the expander ID will move downwardly relative thereto and will expand the slips I l into engagement with the casing. The sleeve 35 is now freely movable and the pressure of the liquid in the well casing beneath will cause the valve 34 to move upwardly moving the sleeve 35 and the valve 3| upwardly with it into the position shown in Figure 6 until the valve 34 seats against the lower end of the bushing 28. This will prevent the inflow of well liquid from the casing into the inner string and the supporting element I9 will be more efficiently supported by the well liquid than would be the case were the liquid allowed to flow into the inner string.

As the inner string of pipe 2 is now further lowered the pin 7 will be sheared and an endwise compressive force will be applied to the sleevelike packer 5 and it will be expanded out against the casing and will form a seal between the inner string and the outer casing.

The double acting valve assembly, hereinabove described, should then be removed to allow the free flow of liquid in either direction through the inner string. This may be done by lowering a grappling tool, such as 38, having an external right hand thread into the inner string on a suitable operating stem 39 and this grappling too may be screwed into the collar 32 and upon a continued rotation of the stem 39 to the right the bushing 28 will be unscrewed from the coupling 26 and the valve assembly then removed to the ground surface.

As illustrated in Figure 7 the coupling 25 merely has an annular inside valve seat on which the valve 3! is located. With this type of valve used in the assembly the operation of setting the packer will be the same as that hereinabove described but when the supporting element I9 is ex- 76 panded and the string moved downwardly the well liquid in the casing beneath will partly enter the inner string past said 'valve which will reduce somewhat the supporting efiect of the liquid beneath the supporting element l9 but it is believed that said element will be sufficiently supported to eifect an eflicient setting of the slips II.

With the use of the type of valve shown in Figure 7 when the packer has been set a suitable type of retriever may be lowered down into the inner string and said valve retrieved and removed to permit free circulation through the inner string.

In some situations it maybe desirable to incorporate a wash valve into. the inner string of pip 2 above the packer so that the Wellmay be washed after the packer has been set. The type of wash valve referred to is shown in Figures 8 and 9 wherein the numeral 40 designates a special coupling which is connected into the inner string of pipe and whose lower end is provided with a downwardly flared groov 4!. Screwed onto the lower end of the coupling 40 there is a tubular guide 42 whose lower end is inwardly thickened forming an upwardly facing shoulder 43.

This guide fits over the tubular valve 44. The upper end of this valve is tapered to form a fluid tight fit into the groove 4| when the valve is closed and this tapered portion is surrounded by the outer and inner annular lips 45 and 46 which fit closely against the lower end of the coupling 40, when the valve is closed, to form additional seals to guard against leakage past the valve. The upper end of the valve is outwardly thickened forming an external, annular, downwardly facing shoulder 41. The shoulders 43 and 4! are spaced apart when the valve is closed but interlock to prevent separation of the inner pipe 2. The lower section of said inner pipe is threaded onto the lower end of the valve 44.

The telescoping parts have a splined connection so that the lower section of the pipe 2 will rotate with the upper section.

The guide 42 has the vertical slots 48 therethrough which are spaced apart around the guide, as more clearly shown in Figure 8. The guide and valve are maintained in closed position by means of a frangible pin 49 which is somewhat stronger than the frangible pin 24.

When the packer assembly is lowered into the well to the point where the packer is to be set and pressure is applied to break the pin '24 and release the supporting element l9 the pressure in the drill stem may be increased to thereafter shear the pin ie to allow the opening of the valve 44. The guide 42, however, may be maintained in its lower position to keep the slots 48 closed until the packer 5 has been securely set and the pipe 2 may then be elevated to carry the slots 48 above the valve 44, as shown in Figure 8. This movement will be limited by the ,interengaging shoulders 43 and 41. Cleansing fluid may now be forced from the ground surface down through the pipe 2 and out through the slots 48 and back through the casing to wash out any drilling fluid, or drilling mud, in the casing above the packer.

The inner pipe 2 may then be lowered until the lower end of the coupling 40 lands on the upper end of the valve 44, said upper end seating closely in the groove 4| and the lips 45, 46 seatin closely against the lower end of the coupling 40 to form I a, fluid tight seal and the slots 48 will then be closed, as indicated in Figure 9.

Production from beneath the packer 5 may then be carried on through the string of inner pipe 2.

The drawings and description are illustrative merely while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A well apparatus including, a tubular support having a slip-expanding surface, casing gripping slips slidably surrounding the support and expansible radially outwardly by the slip expanding surface upon a relative longitudinal movement of the support with respect to the slips, an anchoring assembly slidably surrounding the support and having its upper end secured to the slips, said anchoring assembly comprising an annular anchor ring having an inverted, cupshaped flexible pressure-responsive element on its lower end, an annular retaining member telescopically connected. to said support below the pressure responsive element, said retaining member being adapted to encompass the pressure responsive flexible element to hold the same inwardly against expansion, detachable means initially connecting the retaining member with the support in telescoped position maintaining said member in a position encompassin the flexible element, and a closure means disposed within the bore of the annular retaining member and supported within said bore whereby an internal pressure within the tubular support may be applied against the closure means and through said closure means against the retaining member to thereby disconnect the detachable means and impart movement to the retaining member relative to the flexible element and thereby permit radial expansion of said element.

2. A well apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the detachable means is a frangible shear pin which connects the retaining and guard member to the tubular support.

3. A well apparatus including, a tubular support having a slip-expanding surface, casing gripping slips slidably surrounding the support and outwardly expansible by the slip expanding surface upon a relative longitudinal movement of the support with respect to the slips, an anchoring assembly slidably surrounding the sup.- port and having its upper end secured to the slips, said anchoring assembly comprising an annular anchor ring having an inverted, cup-shaped flexible pressure-responsive element on its lower end, an annular retaining member telescopically connected to said support below the pressure responsive element, said retaining member being adapted to encompass the flexible element to hold the same inwardly against expansion, detachable means initially connecting the retaining member with the support in telescoped position maintaining said member in a position encompassing the flexible element, a valve unit mounted within the bore of the retaining member and having a downwardly closing valve therein, whereby internal pressure within the tubular support may be applied against the valve and retaining member to effect a detachment of the retaining member from the support.

4. A well apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein the valve unit includes a tubular bushing having valve seats at its upper and lower end and also includes an upwardly closing valve for preventing upward flow through the device at predetermined times.

5. A well apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein the valve unit comprises a bushing mounted within the bore of the housing having a valve seat at its upper end, a sleeve detachably connected within the bushing and functioning to maintain the downwardly closing valve ofi of its seat, the application of downward pressure to the valve detaching the sleeve from the bushing whereby the valve may engage the seat on the bushing, after which continued application of pressure will be applied through the bushin to the retaining member to detach said member from the tubular support.

6. A well apparatus as set forth in claim 3, together with well packer mounted on the upper portion of the tubular support and arranged to be moved to a set position after the anchoring assembly has been set.

7. A well apparatus as set forth in claim 3, together with a Well packer mounted on the upper portion of the tubular support and arranged to be moved to a set position after the anchoring assembly has been set, and also wherein a wash valve is connected in the tubular support above the Well packer for controlling flow of fluid between the interior and exterior of the tubular support.

ARTHUR J. PENICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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