US2908331A

US2908331A - Heater for oil wells

Info

Publication number: US2908331A
Application number: US732409A
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert L Brown
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-04-18
Filing date: 1958-04-18
Publication date: 1959-10-13
Anticipated expiration: 1976-10-13

Description

Oct. 13, 1959 A. L. BROWN HEATER FOR on. WELLS Filed April 18, 1958 ALBERT L. BROWN ,INVENTOR. 7 y/ ATTORNEY United States Patent HEATER FOR OIL WELLS Albert L. Brown, San Antonio, Tex.

Application April 18, 1958, Serial No. 732,409

1 Claim. (Cl. 166--61) This invention relates to improvements in heaters for oil wells, such as those used for melting paraflin, asphalt and thelike in the well bores. Particularly, the present invention melts accumulated paraifin in oil producing earth formations for increasing production.

An object of the invention is to provide a heater for use in the producing zones of oil wells for melting paraffin in the surrounding formation, particularly in shallow wells where the bottom hole temperatures are relatively low.

Another object is to provide apparatus for removing accumulated paraffin from the lower end of the oil raising equipment.

A further object of the invention is to reduce or eliminate such suspensions of operation and to provide an economical and continuous application of heat for preventing the accumulation of deposits referred to.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a relatively inexpensive heater construction for the described purpose.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of an oil well installation embodying the features of the invention.

Figure 2 is a broken elevation and sectional view of an exemplary form of the invention, and

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 33 of Figure 2.

The oil well diagrammatically shown in Figure l includes a casing 10, tubing 11 extending downwardly in said casing and having a pump 12 connected to the lower end of the tubing. In the drawing, the pump 12 is shown to be of larger diameter than the tubing 11. The casing head 13 is conventional, and is not, therefore, described in detail.

A perforated tube 14 is connected with the lower end of the working barrel of the pump 12 and extends downwardly into the well bore 15 and into the producing formation 16. In the exemplary form of the invention shown, an additional length of perforated tubing 17 is attached to the last referred to tubing by means of a fitting 18 and which additional length of tubing is not perforated along the entire length thereof, as indicated at 19. A cylindrical shell 20, having a round lower end 21, and a closed upper end 22, is suspended on the additional tubing 17 by means of a yoke 23. Preferably, the diameter of the shell 20 is only slightly less than the inside diameter of the casing 10, thus providing for the lowering of the shell therethrough, and for positioning the shell as near as possible to the producing formation 16 when installed. -The shell 20 is sealed around the tubing 17 by suitable means, not shown, and provides a closed chamber 24 for the circulation of hot fluids, such ice as water, oil or steam. Other suitable heated fluids may be used other than the fluids named. Transverse spaced baflles 25 are mounted in the shell 20 and around the closed portion 19 of the tubing 17, and which baflles are provided with openings 26 arranged for creating a tortuous flow of the heated fluids. The exemplary baflle construction, shown in detail in Figure 3, is in the form of substantially square plates 25 having their corners rotated 45 relative to each other. However, it is to be understood that the openings 26 may be varied so long as the arrangement provides deflection of the flow of heated fluids in the shell 20.

A fluid supply line 27 extends downwardly through the casing 10 and into the lower end of the shell 20; similarly, a return line 28 extends from the upper end of the shell 20, through the casing 10, and to the earths surface. Like the extension tubing 17, the supply and

return lines

27 and 28 are sealed where they extend through the upper end 22 of the shell 20. Any suitable means may be employed for heating and circulating the referred to fluid. As shown in Figure l, a coil heater 29 supplies the fluid to a pressure storage tank 30 by means of a pump 31 and connecting lines 32. The described supply line 27 is connected with the tank 30, whereas the return line 28 is directly connected with the coil 33 of the heater 29.

Upon consideration of the foregoing description, it will become apparent that the circulated heated fluid will not only heat the jacket 20, but will also heat the extension tubing 17. Also, the baffles 25 act as heat exchangers for conducting heat from the circulating fluid to the cylindrical shell 20 which, in turn, heats the formation 16 and the well fluids in the bore 15.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description is exemplary and may be varied by those versed in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

Apparatus for melting parafiin and other deposits in an oil well having a pump suspended on a tubing in the well bore, said apparatus comprising an additional length of tubing connected with and depending from said pump, a closed elongated cylindrical shell mounted around said additional length of tubing, the lower end of said additional length of tubing extending beneath said shell where said additional length of tubing is open to the Well, a supply line extending from the earths surface to the lower interior of said shell, a return line extending from the upper interior of said shell to the earths surface, substantially square transverse baffles projecting from the Wall of said shell and spaced from each other within said shell between the upper and lower ends thereof, the corners of said baffles being secured to the inner surface wall of said shell, said bafiles being of areas less than the transverse area of said shell, adjoining said baflles being rotated 45 with respect to each other around said additional length of tubing, and means supplying heated fluid to said supply line.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 760,304 Butler May 17, 1904 1,959,368 Kennedye May 22, 1934 2,035,381 Abele Mar. 24, 1936 2,078,107 Ten Brink Apr. 20, 1937 2,647,585 Roberts Aug. 4, 1953 2,705,535 Waterman Apr. 5, 1955