US2834300A

US2834300A - Combination sand trap and junk basket

Info

Publication number: US2834300A
Application number: US522220A
Authority: US
Inventors: Eugene N Brock
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-07-15
Filing date: 1955-07-15
Publication date: 1958-05-13
Anticipated expiration: 1975-05-13

Description

May 13, 1958 E. N. BROCK COMBINATION SAND TRAP AND JUNK BASKET 'Filed July 15. 1955 INVEN TOR. ne N Brock Hu. @E ent I. NL T- United States Patent C COMBINATION SAND TRAP AND JUNK BASKET Eugene N. Brock, Odessa, Tex. Application July 15, 1955, Serial No. 522,220 Claims. (Cl. 10S- 220) This invention relates to improvements in a combination sand trap and junk catcher for use in pumping wells.

Various sand traps have been proposed heretofore, but these, for the most part, were positioned within the string of tubing, as a part thereof, which necessitated the pulling of the tubing in order to remove the sand from the sand trap. Another type of sand trap, in use heretofore, was attached to the pump rods in such manner 'that they did not readily lend themselves to catching and retaining junk and sand after these materials were once trapped.

The present invention is so designed Ias to enable the trapping of the sand within one compartment of the trap, and the trapping of the junk within another compartment of the trap in such manner that the` sand and junk will not be washed from the trap during the pumping Iaction of the oil, or by the turbulence caused by the oil, upon removal of the rods from the Well.

An object of this invention is to provide a sand trap which will trap both sand and junk, which trap is within the sucker rod line, so upon the removal of the rods the sand and junk may be removed therewith. V

Another object of this invention is to provide la combination sandtrap and junk basket which will permit the oil to pass downward and out through slotted apertures in the junk basket and yet maintain the junk and sand within the respective compartments.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combination sand trap and junk basket, which may be readily assembled into or removed fromthe conventional sucker rods and which may be readily disassembled for cleaning the sand and other foreign debris therefrom.

With these objects in mind, and others which will manifest themselves as the description proceeds, reference is to be Vhad to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts in the several views thereof, in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view through a well tubing, with parts shown in elevation, with parts broken away and with parts shortened, to show the details of construction; i

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and

Fig.` 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l; looking in the direction indicated by the .arrows.

When new wells are started to pumping, considerable steel cuttings are to be found in the pipe, which, during the initial pumping action of the well pump, will be dislocated and will fall down onto the mechanism within the well, unless otherwise provided for, as will strands of hemp, particles of swab rubber and the like, which foreign matter is very detrimental to the operation of the well pump. This foreign matter or junk that falls into the well from the top, as Well as the sand that is entrained into the pumped oil will damage the pump mechanism and perhaps stall the plunger, which would necessitate the pulling and servicing of the plunger pump cups several times before a well is in condition for successful operation, which process is expensive and time consuming, and does not forestall damage to the mechanism from sand and junk coming into contact therewith. It is to this end that the present mechanism is provided, that is, to trap the sand and to catch the junk, and to keep such material trapped while the well is pumping, to facilitate the operation of the pump, to prevent damage thereto, and to be removed from the well simply by removing the sucker rods therefrom.

With more specic reference to the drawing, the numeral 1 generally designates a well tubing such as is used in oil wells, water wells and the like, in which tubing 1 and sucker rods 2 are positioned. The sucker rods 2 are in reality a single rod formed of a series of lengths of rod joined in end to end relation. Between two lengths of such sucker rods 2, a coupling 3 is provided, which coupling is externally threaded to receive a threaded connection 5 of a section' of a tubular sand trap member 6, the exterior threads of which coupling 3 are indicated at 4.

The tubular sections 6 and 6a go to make up a sand trap of the desired length, which length depends upon the amount of sand entrained within the fluid being pumped. In some instances the trap need be no more than a foot or so in length, whereas in other instances, it may need to be twenty feet or more in length. The tubular sections 6 and 6a of the trap are screw threaded together, as indicated at 6b, which screw lthreads may be disjointed, if desired, to make possible a thorough cleaning of the trap. The lower end of the trap is imperforate and is adapted to receive sand, as indicated at 7. A wire screen basket or junk catcher 8 is in binding4 engagement with the upper end of tubular member 6a. The wire screen basket 8 is open at the top, but has a truncated lower end 9 with la hole 18 formed therein, which defines an annular outlet between the rod and the lower end 9 of the Wire screen basket 8. Such large pieces of junk or foreign matter 2t), as steel cuttings, rubber, hemp rope and other detritus that may nd its way into well tubing and' which is too large to pass through annular opening 10, is retained in the basket 8.

The upper end of tubular member 6a has slotted apertures 11 at spaced intervals therearound and therealong for the length of the wire screen basket 8, so as to permit the ingress and egress of fluid. The screen 8 is of such tine mesh as to screen out-all of the sand Within the iluid being pumped and such sand that is screened out drops downward in the screen mesh basket and out through annular opening 10 at the lower end thereof. The sand that settles downward in the fluid enters the upper end of the tubular members 6 and 6a through guide member 12, comprising a pair of complementary, semi-annular units, each of which units comprises a semi-annular inner ring, and a `semi-annular outer ring, radial ribs integrally connecting said semi-annular outer ring and said semiannular inner ring, which ribs are spaced apart and slope inwardly and downwardly, said complementary semiannular units being doweled together by dowel pins 13 so as to form an axial recess, so said inner ring will t closely around sucker rod 2. The composite semi-annular guide rings 12 have longitudinal openings 14 therethrough to admit ready passage of Huid, sand, junk or the like into the basket S, either during the pumping or While withdrawing the rods, carrying the trap, from the well. The semi-annular guide rings 12 are screw threaded as indicated at 16, to screw into the internal threads 18 on the upper end of tubular member 6a. The guide member formed by the semi-annular rings 1 2 serves to center the rod 2 within tubular members 6 and 6a. If desired, auxiliary4 centering guides for the rod string may be used above and below the trap to prevent contact of the tubu- Patented May 13, 1958` 3 lar members 6 and 6a with the tubing 2. However, such devices are well known in the art and form no part of the present invention.

Operation ,In thepumping Vof oil or water from bored holes, considerable sand is produced and is entrained in the uid being pumped from the well, and while sand is detrimental to the working parts of the pump, the particular danger from such sand, is the sticking of the pump plunger after the pump has been stopped for a time, which will permit the sand to settle out of the liquid being pumped, such as oil or water.

ln thepresent device, the sand settling out of the liquid, settles into thelower end of the tubing 1 above the pump plunger. Frequently several feet of this sand will settle to the lower end of the tubing 1, and becomes compacted to such an .extent that, on starting the pump, the sucker rod may bepulled in two, before the pump plunger can be moved. However, with the present invention, the sand trap is provided on the rods, which trap comprises tubular member 6, which occupies about two thirds of the internal cross sectional area of the tubing 1, therefore the sand settling downward in oil or water in the quiescent state, will enter the tubular member 6 through longitudinal openings 14, passing therethrough down into wire screen basket 8, and with the sand 7 passing outward through annular opening 10 in the lower end of basket 8, while the junk, designated at 20, will be retained in the basket 8. And since it is within the intent of this invention, to utilize a series of these sand traps, that is, a sand trap about every one hundred feet, and with. approximately two thirds of the cross-sectional area of the tubing screened by each trap, therefore a well that is two thousand feet deep will be cleaned to such an extent that it is estimated that only two or three percent of the sand that is pumped upward in the tubing 1 will settle back on the plunger of the well pump in the lower end of the rods 2, and since each trap will take out approximately two thirds of the remaining sand, when the sand starts descending within the uid, very little sand settles back past the lower-most trap in the well, which trap is usually immediately above the pump plunger.

The wire screen basket 8 is of a mesh so fine as to prevent sand from passing therethrough, therefore all sand -r settling downward through openings 14 passes out through annular opening 10, out through wire basket 8 into the tubular sandtrap in the lower end of the tubular member 6, which member 6 is closed by the coupling 3 and-.rods `Z.

Upon removal of the rod from the well the oil that drains downward through openings 14 will drain out through apertured slots 11, with out the'sand .passing through the slots back into the well, which sand will flow downward through annular opening .10, as indicated in Fig. 1. The conical end 9 of the screen baskets is in relatively close fitting relation with the'rod 2, with only asmall annular opening 10 therebetween, so when turbulence is created in the oil, the escape of thesand is, prevented,.as the mesh of the wire screen is so fine that vthe sand that is agitated up around the trap will be caught by the conical end member 9 and retained in the. lower portion of the tubular trap member 6.

AThe tubular screen member 8 is usually made of asheet of screen that is tted in over-lapping relation, asshown in'Fig. 3, and is often live or six feet in length, so upon removal of the sand trap and the rods 2 from the well, the sand trap and junk basket will be readilyrernoved, rst by removal of the semiannular guide members 1-2 from the tubular member 6 by unscrewing the semiannular pieces v12, whereupon, these may.be,.parted.and removed laterally fromabout rod. 2. Then the; connection 2 may be removed from the lowerrend of tubular threaded member 6, whereupon, thisaallows` the removal of rod 2 which is screw threaded ontotheconnection 3.

With the coupling 3 removed from rod 2 and with the tubing member 6, the tubular member 6 may be movedY longitudinally with respect to rod 2 until the screen member, which makes up the junk basket 8, is removed from the end of tubular member 6, whereupon the screen member may be opened outward as a sheet and be removed laterally from the rod 2. After the sand and junk have been cleaned fromithetrap, the parts may be reassembled in reverse order from the dis-assembly, and the trap reinstalled in the well for the accumulation of sand and junk thereinto, as hereinbefore set out.

While the device has been described and -.illustrated in one embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that changes may be made in the minor details of construction and adaptations made to diierent installations without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. An apparatus for installation within a string of threaded sucker rods within a well tubing for entrapping sand and junk encountered therein; comprising a threaded coupling, lsaid threaded coupling being adapted to be threadably secured between adjacent ends of a pair of threaded sucker rods within said string, a tubular member, said tubular member being secured to said threaded coupling and adapted to extend upward around aL portionof said sucker rod string within said well tubing to form a sand receiving receptacle, the lower end of which is closed, said tubular member having apertures formed in the upper portion thereof, a perforate, cylindrical screen iitted within the upper portion of said tubular member and covering said apertures, said upwardly extending, apertured tubular member forming a sand trap, a guide member, which guide member is tted on said tubular member near the upper end thereof and is adapted to embrace a sucker rod of said sucker rod string, said guide means having longitudinal openings formed therethrough, said-longitudinal openings being in communication with the interior of said tubular member.

2. Thel apparatus `as defined in claim 1, wherein said guide member has a recess formed therein axially thereof, which recess slopes inwardly and downwardly, said guide member being adapted to surround one of said sucker rods vwhich is axially positioned With respect thereto.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim l, wherein said guide member. is formed of a pair of semi-annulancomplementary separable members, which members are tted together and screw-threaded into the upper end of'said tubular member, and which tubular member is adapted to surround a sucker rod in guiding relation.

4. An apparatus for installation within a string of threaded sucker vrods within a Well tubing for entrapping sand and junk encountered therein: comprisingA a threaded coupling, said threaded coupling being adapted to be threadably secured between adjacent ends of a pair of threaded sucker rods within said string, a tubular member, said tubular member being secured to said threaded coupling and adapted to extend upward around al portion of said sucker rod string within said well tubing to form a sand receiving receptacle, the lower end of which 4is closed, said tubular member having apertures formed in the upper portion thereof, a perforate, cylindricalscreen tted within the upper portion of said tubular member and covering said apertures, said upwardly extending, apertured-tubular member forming a sand trap, and'inwardly and downwardly sloping, conicalperforate screen formed on the lower end of said cylindrical perforate screen, which conical, perforate screen has an axial opening formed therein so said conical, perforate screen will be adapted to surround a sucker rod of said sucker rod string in such manner as to define an annular opening between said sucker rod and said conical, perforate screen to` permit sand to pass therethrough,.so said cylindrical, perforate screen and said conical, perforate screen will form a junk retaining receptacle within said receptacle formed by said tubular member, a guide member, which guide member is fitted on said tubular member near the upper end thereof and is adapted to embrace a sucker rod of said sucker rod string, said guide means having longitudinal openings formed therethrough, said longitudinal openings being in communication with the interior of said tubular member.

5. An apparatus for installation within a string of threaded sucker rods within a well tubing for entrapping sand and junk encountered therein; comprising a threaded coupling, said threaded coupling being adapted to be threadably secured between adjacent ends of a pair of threaded sucker rods within said sucker rod string, at least two tubular members threadably connected together with one end of said tubular members being threadably connected to said threaded coupling in such manner as to close the end of said tubular member, said tubular members being adapted to extend upward around a portion of said sucker rod string Within said Well tubing, the upper-most of said tubular members having apertures formed therein, said tubular members forming a receptacle, a perforate, cylindrical screen tted within said upper tubular member and covering said apertures, said perforate cylindrical screen having a frusto-conical lower end with an axial opening formed therein, which conical screen is adapted to surround one of said sucker rods in such manner as to form a restricted, annular passage between the lower end of said conical, perforate screen and said sucker rod, a sucker rod guide member fitted in the upper end of said tubular member and having an axial openng formed therein, which guide member having longitudinal openings formed therethrough in axially aligned relation with the axis of said guide member, which openings are in communication with the interior of said tubular member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 541,846 Gilpin July 2, 1895 1,933,595 Kapp Nov. 7, 1933 2,687,913 Baker Aug. 31, 1954