US2600257A

US2600257A - Tubing hanger packing

Info

Publication number: US2600257A
Application number: US706779A
Authority: US
Inventors: Claude R Neilon
Original assignee: Nat Supply Co
Current assignee: National Supply Co
Priority date: 1946-10-30
Filing date: 1946-10-30
Publication date: 1952-06-10
Anticipated expiration: 1969-06-10

Description

June 1952 c. R. NEILON TUBING HANGER PACKING 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 30, 1946 INVENTOR B 7/22,?

ATTORN Y June 10, 1952 Q R NEILON 2,600,257

TUBING HANGER PACKING Filed Oct. 30, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 F IG. 3 4 INVENTOR @wfiwm ATTORNEY June 10, 1952 c N o 2,600,257

TUBING HANGER PACKING Filed Oct. 50, 1946 s shees-sheet 5 Fl6.4 I5

INVENTOR BY F 5 ATTORNEY Patented June 10, 1952 TUBING HANGER PACKING Claude R. Neilon, Houston, Tex., assignor to The National Supply Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 30, 1946, Serial No. 706,779

3 Claims. (01. 285-22) This invention relates to tubing hangers used in conjunction with well heads for use in oil wells. It embodies a tubing hanger which suspends and supports a string of tubing on the casing or well head at the top of the well by any known means, such as by slips, mandrels, threaded connections, couplings and the like.

For simplicity the term tubing is to be construed to include pipe, casing or any other hollow body that might be used to suspend and support or be suspended and supported in a well.

In deep Wells, say 10,000 feet or more, the tubing string may weigh as much as several tons, which weight must be suspended and supported from the surface. The suspension and supporting means must be strong enough to Withstand this heavy load and at the same time provide a fluid tight seal against the escape of pressure from the well through the surrounding casing string through which the tubing passes. The hanger must also be capable of providing a seal against the escape of well pressure through the open end of the tubing. In the case .where several concentric strings of easing are used, the well pressure is prevented from escaping between strings and to the atmosphere by the use of stacked or nesting heads provided with hangers which must efiectively suspend and support these strings as well as provide a fluid tight seal at their respectivepoints of suspension.

There have been many types of suspension and seals used heretofore, several of which depend upon the packing to take the heavy weight of the tubing string as well as to provide the seal, the theory being that the weight of the tubing string assists the packing in more intimately contacting the usually tapered bore of the well head supporting the suspension means. Within the limits of the load capacity of the packing this system works out advantageously but when excessive loads of several tons are imposed upon the packing (hydraulic or any other type) the packing may fail, destroying the seal and endangering property and life from the resultant blowout.

The principal object of my invention is to eliminate such hazards and provide a fluid tight seal for a tubing hanger with a string of tubing suspended therefrom in which the weight of the tubing string is supported independently of the packing and wherein the packing will positively withstand excessive well pressures to maintain a fluid tight seal between the hanger and the body of the well head in which the hanger is seated.

Another object of my invention is to provide a fluid tight seal against the escape of well pressure through the upper end of the tubing and/or between the tubing suspending means or hanger and the body of the casing or well head, and in the case of stacked heads, to prevent leakage of well pressure from one string to the next succeeding string of casing or tubing.

Another object of my invention is to provide a metal to metal seal between the tubing hanger and the body of the well head supplemented by flexible lip type sealing rings mounted in the hanger body and adapted to seal the joint against pressure in any direction.

Another object of my invention is to provide a tubing hanger with a plurality of molded resilient lip type packing rings mounted in grooves in the hanger, such that the body of the rings snugly engage the recesses while the protruding lips are free to be depressed into clearance spaces adjacent the lips when the hanger is seated in the tapered bore of the well head, the said lips exerting an initial sealing action against the tapered bore and an intensified sealing action when excessive well pressure acts upon said lips.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent during the course of the following description and appended claims in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating the constructional embodiments of my invention wherein like parts are designated by like numerals.

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a well head assembly incorporating my improved sealing means for a tubing hanger.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 illustrating my improved sealing means as applied to a tubing hanger of the mandrel suspension type.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating my improved sealing means as applied to a tubing hanger of the slip suspension type.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view, partly in section, of my tubing hanger, the right half showing the construction of the annular packing grooves and the annular clearance spaces in section, while the left half shows the molded resilient lip type packing rings mounted in the annular grooves, the lips being shown in their unrestricted position, protruding beyond the normal peripherial surface of the hanger body.-

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view, partly in section, similar to Fig. 4 but showing the molded resilient lip type packing rings confined within the tapered bore of the well head and in initial sealing position.

In the drawings the numeral I 0 designates a well head body having a vertical opening theret-hrough for the passage of a string of casing or tubing H. The vertical opening l2 merges into a downwardly tapering or conical bore" I3 to receive an. externally tapered or conical shaped tubing hanger l4 adapted to form a metal to metal contact seal with the tapered bore. The lower end of the hanger is internally threaded, as-at I5 to support the tubing l I while a lowering nipple thread 16 is provided at its upper end.

Annular packing grooves I"! and 18 are provided in the periphery of the tapered portion IQ of the tubing hanger body [4. Annular clearance space 20 is formed integral with the upper packing groove ll adjacent its upper end while annular clearance space 2! is formed integral with the packing groove 18 adjacent its lower end. These grooves are adapted to receive annular molded resilient lip

type packing rings

22 and 23 respectively. Ring 22 base-protruding flexible lip 24 at its upper end to be freely received in clearance space 20 while packin ring '2-3 has a protruding flexible lip 25 at its lower end to be freely "received in clearance: space :2 i

The two rings 2ZLand Z3. areipositi'onedin their respective packin grooves prior to assembling the'hangerin the well head l0. Asrecited above the tapered periphery l9 of the hanger I4 is seated in metal to metal sealing contact with the tapered or conical bore 13. of the well head H]. In order to supplement" thesmetal to metal seal the

flexible lips

24 and 25 of the sealing rings are deformed and forced into the clearance spaces 20'and 21 adjacent the grooves l? and I8 as thehanger is seated in the bore where they form an initial sealing contact. with the tapered b'ore l3 of the head Ill;

An outside adjustable pressure packed hold down-means 26, actingthrough the flanged top 2'! o'fthewell head I0, is ad'aptedto forcibly urge and firmly secure the tapered .peripherial portion 19 of the tubing hanger 14 upon its seat in the tapered bore l3. A flanged bonnet 28 is secured 'tothe flanged top 21 of the well head In by double end-bolts ZQ'and their accompanying nuts and sealed against leakage of well pressure by ringjoint gasket 30.

l'n'Fig. '3 the tubing II is shown suspended by slips 3! mounted in the hanger'body 14a. The slips are secured within the hanger body by the adjustable packing gland "32 and sealed against leakage of well pressure by the packing element 33-. The balance of the elements shown in Fig. 3 function identically with the. corresponding elements in Fig. 2.

As the-wellpressure surges upward between the tubing l l and the head l0 it tries to escape and is prevented by the metal to metal seal between the conicalshaped tubing hanger and the tapered bore of the well head. Should the pressure get past' themetal'to metal seal it' will come in contactwith 'the'fiexible lip 25 of the packing ring 23 and tend to push thislip out against the bore 1 3 of the well head and thu intensify the sealing 'acticn at this zone.

If the well pressure in the tubing 1 I should get into thespace above the well head and within the space sealed off by the ring joint gasket 30 it will have a tendencyto work down around the upper portion of the openin I2 in the well head and. on down to the metal to metal seal between the tapered peripherial portion IQ of the hanger M'- and the tapered bore I3. Should this seal fail to hold, the pressure will then exert itself against the flexible lip 24 of the packing ring 22, which in turn will be deflected outwardly against the conical bore l3 of the well head and consequentl'y intensi fy the sealing action at this zone.

it will be apparent that my flexible lip type packing rings will effect and maintain a fluid tight seal between the outer periphery of the tubing hanger and the tapered bore in the welt head even if the metal to metal contact fail, and yet the weight of the tubing string will not be imposed upon these packing. rings. This salient feature provides for a more effective and durable packing than has been used heretofore.

While only the preferred form of my invention has been disclosed and described herein, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details set forth and wish to reserve to myself any further embodiments, modifications and variations that may appear to those skilled in the art or come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

.1. An externally tapered hanger for suspending a string of tubing in the tapered bore of, a well head, said hanger being normally held in metal to metal. primary sealing contact with;sald bore by the weight of said suspended; tubing, said hanger being further provided with :a resilient supplemental seal normally cooperating with said metal to metal primary seal and actuated by excessive well pressure into intimate sealing contact with said bore comprising, annular grooves in the external surface of said. hanger, annular lip type packing rings provided with a main body portion secured in said grooves and a flexible lip portion protruding'in. its free position beyondthe outer surface of said body portion and annular clearance space. adjacent the outer portion of said groove and forming an integral part therewith to freely receive said lip portion when said hanger is inserted into said bore.

2. An externally tapered hanger for suspending a string of tubing in the tapered'bore of a well head, said hanger being normally held. in metal to metal primary sealing contact with said bore by the weight of said suspended tubing, said hanger being further provided with a. resilient supplemental seal normally cooperating with said metal .to metal primary seal and actuated by excessive well pressure into intimate sealing contact with said bore comprising, annular grooves in the external surface of said hanger, annular lip type: packing :rings: provided with a main body'portion securedin'said grooves and a flexible lip portion protruding in its free position beyond the outer surface of said portion and annular clearance space forming an integral part of. said groove-andin the sametransverse plane with said lip portion to freely receive saidv lip portion when said hanger is inserted into-saidbore.

3. The combination of. claim 1, plushold-down meansto secure said hanger and. suspended tubing against an up-thrust of well pressure.

CLAUDE R. NEILON.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 339,109 Muddiman Mar. 30, 1886 1,226,766 Gammeter May 22, 1917 1,900,714 Humason et al Mar. '7, 1933 2,051,261 MacClatchie Aug. 18, 1936 2,082,413 Muller et al June 1, 1937 2,148,360 Lemley Feb. 21,1939 2,400,254 Penick May'14, 1946 '2A77';533 -ll lhiting .July 26, 1949