US2667223A - Apparatus for sampling wells - Google Patents

Description

Ian. 26, 1954 R. F. FARRls APPARATUS FOR SAMPLING WELLS Filed Aug. 3. 1948 FIG.

FIG. 2

RILEY F. F'RRIS JNVENTOR.

BY /l AT TORNE Y Patented Jan. 26, 1954 APPARATUS FOR SAMPLIN G WELLS Riley F. Farris, Tulsa, Okla., assignor to Stanollnd Oil and Gas Company, Tulsa, Okla., a corporation of Delaware Application August 3, 1948, Serial No. 42,223

(Cl. 16B-19) s Claims. 1

This invention relates to the sampling of well fluids and more particularly it relates to an improved apparatus for determining the exact location in a well where a bottom hole sampling chamber is sealed.

Sampling of reservoir fluids is now a well established art. In this art the importance of obtaining a representative sample has been carefully considered; however, I have found that a truly representative sample of the well fluids may occasionally appear to be anomalous for the reason that while the sample may be truly representative of the total stream.V from which it was obtained, it may not have been obtained in the well at the exact location desired. Bottom hole samplers of the type described in U. S. Patent 2,342,367, that is, the type which employ a chamber having inlet and outlet ports maintained in an open position during the time the sample is lowered into the well and which entrap a sample of the fluid at the instant a frangible member such as a shear pin or the like is destroyed, are commonly used in the art. While samplers of this type are believed to take representative samples of the fluid in the well where the sampler is located at the time the frangible member is destroyed, I have found that the frangible member is not always destroyed at the desired location. For example, I have found that due to heading of the well, i. e., non-uniform ow, the sample chamber may be jarred as it is lowered into a well sufficiently to destroy the frangible member and thus take a sample at the wrong or an undesired location in the well.' In any case there is always a question in the operators mind before the sampler has been removed from a well, particularly a deep well, as to whether a sampler of this type has been jarred suiciently to destroy the frangible member.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved well fluid sampler. It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved apparatus for indicating the position of a bottom hole well fluid sampler at the instant a sample is entrapped. A still further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus which is adapted to signal or notify the operator when the valves in a bottom hole uid sampling device are closed.

Additional objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art as'the following description, which is to be read in connection with the annexed drawings, proceeds. In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the upper portion of one embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section through a middle portion of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a vertical section of a preferred embodiment of my invention.

Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawings, headpiece I0 having its upper portion shaped to receive a loop on the end of cable Il, is screwed into the upper portion of tubular section I2 so as to make a pressure-tight seal. Attached to the lower end of section l2 by means of cooperating threads is a coaxial section I3 having the same internal and external diameters and an integral partition wall I4 which is provided with an axial bore I5. Bolt I6 having a smaller diameter than bore I5 but an enlarged portion I1 thereon is inserted through bore I5 but is held out of electrical contact with partition wall I4 and centered in bore I5 by means of insulating discs I8 and I9 on opposite sides of partition wall I4. A small disc 20 of conducting material rests upon disc I 9 and the assembly is held in place by means of nut 22. Integral with bolt I6 but extending below enlarged portion II is a downwardly-extending shaft 23 having slidably mounted thereon a collar 24 and disc 25 of conducting material. A compression spring 2B urges disc 25 downward along shaft 23 but this downward travel is limited by pin 2'I through shaft 23. This construction provides an insulated pressuretight electrical connection between disc 25 and disc 20.

A compression spring 28 is interposed between disc 20 and a number of single-cell dry batteries 29 connected in series. An insulating sleeve 30 prevents inadvertent contact between spring 28 and section I3. Spring 28 serves two essential functions: first, it provides an electrical connection between disc 20 and batteries 28; and second, it urges batteries 29 and time switch assembly 3I upward against the bottom of headpiece I0 and thus holds them in electrical communication.

Time switch assembly 3| consists essentially of a member 32 having circular enlarged spacers 33 and 34 on its upper and lower ends, respectively, contained within tubular section I2 with a sliding fit. A clock mechanism 35 is mounted, preferably in rubber, on member 32 by means of clamps 36 and 3l. A disc sector 38 made of insulating material having a -cutout sector 39 is mounted on the clock 35 in place of one of the hands, preferably the minute hand, so that it is slowly rotated thereby. A spring contact member 40, which is mounted upon the upper terminal 4I of an insulated connection 42 through spacer i member 32, enlarged spacers 33 and 34 34 having a lower terminal 43 resting upon positive terminal 44 of the uppermost of batteries 29, bears upon the disc sector 38 in such a way that it is normally held out of contact with ground connection t5 which is mounted on member 32. However, when disc sector 3B has been rotated by clock mechanism 35 until cutout sector 39 registers with spring contact member itil, the latter springs into contact with ground connection 45, thus placing positive battery terminal M in electrical contact with member 32, which is grounded to tubular member l24 through spacers 33 and 34 and through capscrew is on the upper surface of spacer 33. Fromthe above, it is apparent that the batteries 29 may be placed in electrical contact with tubular member l2 after any desirable predetermined time without the passage of electrical current through clock mechanism 35.

Attached to the lower portion of member i3. by means of cooperating threads and coaxial thereto is ltubular member el', whose lower portion has a somewhat smaller inside diameter than its upper portion, thus forming a shoulder 48, upon, which rests a solenoid Q3 having windings 5i) and an axial bore 5.1i therethrough. One terminal of solenoid windings 5B is grounded to member lll and the other terminal 52 extends upwardly through tubular insulator 53 and contacts disc 25. An electrical circuit is thus completed So that solenoid windings 5! are energized when cutout sector 39 of disc sector 38 registers withl contact member llt, the circuit running from positive terminal M of batteries 29 through insulated connection z, contact members d and 45,

and capscrew 5, and tubular members i2, I3, and 41 to solenoid, windings 58 and from the other terminal 52 of these windings through disc 25, bolt I6, disc 2 0 and spring 23 to the negative terminal of batteries. 2 9.

Armature 54 is slidably mounted within bore 5l and has connecting axial and transverser drill holes 55 for the passage of iiuid therethrough. Immediately above armature 5t and also slidably mounted within bore 5i is solenoid stop 56., which is. supported therein by means of the enlarged head 5'! and hasan axial hole 5,8, Armature 5A is adjustably attached at its lower end to armaturetoggle link 59 by means of threads so. that when solenoid windings l are not energized and theV apparatus is ready for use, asv shown, there is a small gap between armature 55 and solenoid stop 5S. When solenoid windings 50 are energized by means of the circuithereinabove described, armature 5ft and toggle link 59 are raised a short distance by the magnetic energy of the solenoid 49.

Nipple 6B, having a number of holes el therethrough, is attached to the lower end of member 4l., by means of the internal threads on the nipple.V A sleeve 34 is secured within member l byv means of internal threads, dowel pins or the like. The header E5 or sleeve Si is formed with an axial opening 56 therethrough for the reception of triggerV guide rod 6l which has longitudinal flats 58 formed thereon so as to allow the passage of fluid from .the interior of nipple 60 to the interior of member All., and to aid in preventing sticking of rod Sl in opening 6e. Guide rod 6l is attached at its upper end to trigger support member 69 which bears toggle support screw "it and two oppositely placed links 'il attached at their upper ends to the lower outer portions of two trigger sear links 'i2 by means of pins. Trigger sear links l2 are both pivoted at the lower end of armature toggle link 53 and are shaped so that when in cocked position, as shown, their upper outer portions engage retaining shoulder 13, which is preferably a strand of wire or similar material placed in an appropriate groove within sleeve 6E so that it may be easily replaced` in the eld. This arrangement is such that only a small amount of energy exerted to raise armature Ell and armature toggle link 59 will allow trigger sear links 'i2 to pass over retaining shoulder` 13. The sensitivity of this trigger assembly can be varied by threading toggle support screw 'lo in or out. The lower toggle sup- Dort screw l0 is, and therefore the inner portions of sear links i2, the more stable the trigger assembly is to shock and also the more pull by armature 54 is required to release it.

Sample chamber 'M is connected to the lower end of nipple 6D in such a way that outlet port member 15 is retained in position by shoulder 'E3 on the end of the chamber wall.

Outlet valve stem 'E9 carrying outlet valve 80, is slidably supported within member l5. A valve spring 8l which bears on member 75 bears upon spring seat 82 on the upper end oi upper valve stem E3 to close valve 80.. In some cases it is desirable, as indicated in U. S. Patent 2,161,557, to employ both an upper andv a lower valve on the sample chamber. When a lower valve is employed, it is initially cocked open as the sample chamber is lowered into the well and is released by a trigger rod 82 actuated by the upper valve when the sample is trapped in the chamber. A swivel joint 83 is provided between the valve stem 18 and valve 30 by which the latter is keptV in alignment.

A cam 89 mounted on Vtrigger guide rod 61 is adapted to contact the inner taperedA edge of arms 3l of which only one is shown. These arms which rotate about pins 92 are preferably yieldably supported on the header 6l and tend to remain in the contracted position shown. A

second compression spring 93 tends to urge trigger guide rod 61 upwardly. This spring may,r for example, bear against cam 83 at the upper end and against the head S4 at the lower end. An

- extension, S5 of trigger guide rod Si is provided at its lower end with a conical seat 95 which is adaptedv to t into a. corresponding depression in spring seat 82.

In operating'this sampling chamber to obtain a sample of the fluid in a deep well, headpiece lt and time switch, assembly 3| are removed from tubular section i2 andclock mechanism 35 is set so that contact will be made by the members 4Q and 45' at a predetermined time suiiicient to allow the sampler to be lowered into a well to the depth at which it is desired to take a sample. Time switch assembly 3l and headpiece i are reassembled in their proper positions. The sampling device is then lowered into the well on the cable Il. During the lowering operation, the iluid enters the sample chamber lil through a valve at the bottom (not shown), flows through the chamber and out through the outlet port member andnipple 60 and holes 6i. Then the level at which the sample is. to be taken is reached, thesampling device. israised and' rapidly lowered several times to purge sample chamber 14 of well duid received thereinA during the lowering of the samplingudevice sothat al representative 'sample of the well fluid at the desired location maybe obtained. Y

When` the predetermined time for taking sample has arrivem timeswitch' assemblyl B thas progressed to a position such that the cutout sector 39 of disc sector 38 allows contact to be made automatically by the members 40V and 45; thus,-energizing solenoid'windings 50 and raising armature 54 a short distance as above described. This movement raises armature toggle link 59 and allows trigger sear links l2 to pass over retaining shoulder `|3 so that trigger guide rod 61 is allowed to rise by the action of springs 8| and 93. As trigger guide rod 61 rises, cam 89 also rises, striking the inner tapered surface of arm 9| forcing serrated shoes 91 outwardly against the tubing (not shown). Valve stem 19 being released by the upward movement of trigger guide rod 61 and extension 95 is urged upward by valve spring 8| causing the outlet valve 80 to close against valve seat 85. Simultaneously, as is well known in the art, the upward movement of the valve may be adapted to lock the inlet port in a closed position. Serrated shoes 9'| are constructed so that in an extended position they tend to grip the tubing and prevent the sampler from being lowered in the tubing. The sampler may, however, be lifted in the tubing by cable I l since the serrations do not grip the tubing when moved in that direction. Thus it will be apparent that when and only when the valves on the sampling device are closed, the arms 9| and shoes 91 are extended, preventing further lowering of the sampling device in the well. Accordingly, as a check on the closing of the valves, the operator merely releases the cable to determine whether the arms 9| will support the sampling device in the tubing. If the arms are extended, the device is supported in the tubing, the weight of the sampling device is off of cable and the operator is assured that the sampler valves are closed and that a representative sample of the well uids have been obtained at the desired location in the well. Obviously, he can be assured that the sample was not obtained at a higher point in the well during the time the sampler was being lowered into the well since the extension of arms 9| prevent further lowering of the sampler after the sampler valves are closed. If, upon lowering cable by a distance greater than one tubing joint, the tension in cable |I is not reduced due to arms 9| catching in the annular space between the tubing joints, the operator is advised that the sampler valves have not been closed and therefore additional time may be allowed to permit the disc sector 38 to rotate further so that the cutout section 39 progresses to member 40. When the operator is assured that a representative sample has been obtained at the desired location, the sampler can be withdrawn from the well by reeling in cable I.

Referring now to a preferred embodiment of my invention shown in Figure 3, a jar having a fishing neck |02 is attached to cable This jar is provided with a recess |03 which is closed at its lower end with a hammer |04. This hammer has a central axial bore |05 through which a shaft |06 extends. Shaft |06 has at itsupper end an, anvil |01 and at its lower end, cam 89. This shaft also extends through a head |08 which has a central axial bore |09. Head |08 is connected to cylinder at the upper end. Cam 89, compression spring 93, and arms 9| are located and operate in cylinder Extension 95 of shaft |06 extends through head 94 and is provided at the lower end with a conical seat 96. This seat fits into a. corresponding depression in spring seat 82 and is `adapted to hold valve stem 'I9 down against the action 'of'valve spring 8|. Valve stem 19 is provided at its lower end with a valve 80. Valve spring 8| rests at its lower end uponmemberlS'which is as described above ahead in sample chamber '|4. Holes 6| are provided in cylinder to permit fluid escaping through member 15 to pass back into the well. Valve is maintained in an open position by shear pin` ||2 passing through a hole in extension 95. This shear pin is placed in the extension when shaft |06 is depressed and valve 80 is in an open position, i. e., when the springs 8| and 93 are compressed.

'I'he operation of this embodiment of my sampling device is not substantially different from the operation of the previously-described embodiment. However, a brief description of the operation will be given. At the surface, before the sampling device is lowered into the well, springs 3| and 93 are compressed by applying a force on the end of shaft- |06. Shear pin ||2 is then inserted in extension of shaft |05 through holes 6|. Hammer |04 may bel removed from jar |0| to compress springs 8| and 93; however, the invention is not so limited inasmuch as shaft |06 may be forced down with jar |0| in position. After the shear pin is in position and jar |0| assembled, the apparatus is lowered into the well. Should the shear pin |2 be destroyed during the time this bottom hole fluid sampler is being lowered into the well, valve 80 and cam 89 will be forced upwardly by valve springs 8| and compression springs 93 respectively, 'and a sample of the well fluids will be obtained at that elevation in the well. The operator will, however, be immediately advised of the closing of the sample chamber since cam 89 will force arm 9| outwardly into the -annular groove at the end of the first tubing joint. In such instance the apparatus can be withdrawn from the well and a new shear pin ||2 inserted. Provided this pin is not sheared as the apparatus is lowered into the well, when the elevation is reached at which a, sample of the well iluid is desired, the pin may be sheared by the operator. Due to the relatively greater mass of the sampling chamber than the jar, shear pin 2 may be destroyed by lowering and sharply raising cable As cable is lowered, jar 0| is lowered on shaft |06, then as cable is raised sharply, hammer |04 strikes anvil |01 tending to destroy Vshear pin 2.

The operator, prior to my invention, could never determine whether shear'vpin |2 had been destroyed by this manipulation. In accordance with this invention, however, after the cable l has been lowered and raised sharply to destroy shear pin H2, cable is preferably raised Iabout the length of one tubing joint and then lowered slowly. If shear pin ||2 has been destroyed, arms 9| will be automatically forced into the annular groove at the end of the first tubing joint land a decrease in the tension in cable will be `noted yat the surface; thus, the operator will be advised that valve 80 is closed and that a sample Hof the well fluid at the'predetermined depth is trapped in sample chamber '|4. On the other hand, if the apparatus can be lowered for a distance greater than the length of a tubing joint, the operator is advised that shear pin 2 has not been destroyed and that a fluid sample at this particular location in the well has not been secured. Accordingly, further jarring is continued until it is determined, according to the above procedure, that shear pin ||2 has been destroyed and that valve 80 has been closed.

`Cam 8S and arms 9i are so .constructed that the bottom nele duid sampler een be withdrawn from the well even .af-.ter `shear ein U?- vhas been destroyed and arms Sl have been 'distendedf At the surface the representative sample vcan be removed from the .sample chamber 'i4 as is well known in the art.

, While I have thus shown'a limited number of alternative means for indicating rat the suriae the exact depth at which a sample of Well fluids is obtained in a bottom hole sampling device, numerous other embodiments will be .obvious to those skilled'in the art without departing from the spirit of this invention. For example, it is con.- templated that while in the embodiments shown, the signalling of the .closing of the sampling chamber is accomplished via an uninsulated Conduetor, an insulated Conductor could be employed to transmit electric signals to the surface as an indication of the time and/or location of the apparatus in a well when the sample chamber is closed and the sample entrdpped. This -in- Vention is therefore not to be construed to be limited to the detailed descriptiori'of the apparatus shown in the drawing Since the drawings and description are presented only -for illustrative purposes. The invention is instead limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. An apparatus for sampling fluidsin a well including an elongated sample chamber Supported by a cable from the surface, a valve at each end of said chamber, a valve rod on each valve, resilient means urging the valves closed, arms rotatably mounted on said chamber and expandable to a diameter larger than said chamber to contact the well walls, a supporting rod for said chamber, 4a cam on said red, a frangible member in said supporting rod for holding said valves kopen and a jar connected to said supporting rod for rupturing said frangi-ble member, said arms being expanded by said cam and said valves being closed when said frangible member is ruptured, whereby further lowering of Said chamber in said well is prevented after said valve means is closed as an indication at the sur.- `face that said sample :is entrapped in said chamber.

2. A n apparatus for sampling iiuids a well Vequip-Ped with a pipe string including a sample chamber, valve means in said chamber for entrapping la sample Vof fluid within said chamber, and a brake on said chamber responsive to the closing *of said valve means for engaging said pipe string to position said chamber in said well.

valves on saidchamber, means to hold at least 011e 0f Said ValVGS all Open PQSlilOIl aS Said chamber islowered into a Well, means to close said valves and entrap a sample of .said Well fluids in said chamber Vwhen'said chamber is in said well, expansible arms rotatably mounted on said chamber, a cam actuated by said means t0 close said valves and adapted to expand said arms when said valves are closed wherebylowering of said chamber in said well is prevented and the position of said sample chamber when said sample is entrapped in said chamber can be determined.

5. An apparatus for sampling .uds in a Well equipped with a pipe string including a sample chamber, valve means on said chamber, frangible means for holding said Valve means in an open positiQn as said chamber is lowered into a well, means to destroy said frangible means within said well to close said'valve means and entrap aV sample of said iluids in said chamber, expansibie arms rotatably mounted on said chamber, and a cam for expanding said arms against said pipe string when said frangible means is destroyed whereby further lowering of said chamber in said. Well is prevented and the position of said samplev chamber when Said sam.- ple is entrapped in said chamber can be determined.

6. An apparatus for Sampling fluids in a well `equipped with a tubing including a Vsample 3.V An apparatus for sampling Well fluids in a well equipped with a pipe string including a sampling chamber, valve means in said chamber., means to actuate said valve means to entrap a quantity of well fluids in said chamber, and a brake on said chamber actuatedupon the clos.- `ing of rsaid valve means for gripping said plpe string at the time vof entrapping said sample.

4. An apparatus for sampling fluids 1n a well including a sample chamber, inlet and outlet chamber having at least one opening therein, closure means Vfor said opening to entrap a same ple of said fluids said chamber, a shear pin for holding said closure means in an open position as said chamber is lowered into a well, jar means coupled to said chamber to `destroy said shear pin within said well, expansble arms rotatably mounted on `said chamber, a cam movable with said closure vmeans and a compression spring urging said cam against said arms and exe panding said arms against said tubing when said shear pin is destroyed whereby further lowering of said chamber in said well is prevented after said closure means is closed as an indication at the surface that said sample is entrapped in said Chamber- F. FARRIS.

References Cited in the ille of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number VName Date 1,670,964 Hay et al. May 22, 1923 1,821,426 Dumm et al. Sept. 1, 1931 2,113,856 Parks ,a v Apr. 12s, 1938 2,161,557Y .Claris c June 6, 1939 Y2,209,627 July 30, 1940 2,249,815 Y July 22, 1941 2,313,176 Shelby Mar. 9, 1943 ,2,342,367 Pryor ,.-s T,..- Feb.A 2.2, 1944 2,407,991 McCullough Sept. 24, 194,6

Y FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 352,600 Germany May y3, 1922

Images