US2961047A

US2961047A - Tubing latch

Info

Publication number: US2961047A
Application number: US702717A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Erskin L Medford
Original assignee: Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Co
Current assignee: Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Co
Priority date: 1957-12-13
Filing date: 1957-12-13
Publication date: 1960-11-22
Anticipated expiration: 1977-11-22

Description

Nov. 22, 1960 E. L. MEDFORD, JR

TUBING LATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 13, 1957 INVENTOR.

Erskin Lynn Medford, Jr BY W BM- ATTORNEY NOV. 22, 1960 MEDFORD, JR 2,961,047

TUBING LATCH Filed Dec. 13, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Erskl'n Lynn Medford, Ji'.

ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 2,961,047 Patented Nov. 22, 1960 TUBING LATCH Erskin L. Medford, Jr., Duncan, kla., assignor to Hailiburton Oil Well Cementing Company, Duncan, Okla.

Filed Dec. 13, 1957, Ser. No. 702,717

1 Claim. (Cl. 166-123) This invention relates to a novel device that is adapted to connect and disconnect a conduit in a well bore from a string of tools below it. More particularly, the invention relates to a device which is adapted to disconnect a string of well tubing from a packer assembly which is set in a cased well bore.

After an oil well is drilled, and it is decided that such Well has commercial possibilities, a conduit, referred to as a casing, is placed in the bore, so drilled, and cemented to the walls of the well bore by methods which are well-known in the art. The flow passage for the petroleum products from the well bore generally consists of a smaller conduit, usually referred to as tubing, and which is disposed inside such casing. Whereas, the casing is permanently anchored in the well bore by cementing, the tubing is very seldom permanently anchored inside the casing. For many reasons well-known in the art, it is frequently desirable or necessary to remove the tubing.

Such tubing is temporarily anchored in the casing by such well-known devices as packers or hangers. There are many variations of packers and methods of setting them. A common type is called a production packer. It is attached to the lower end of a string of tubing and at the desired depth, the packing elements are compressed, so that the component parts firmly engage the Walls of the casing, and thus anchor or support the tubing.

Such packers once set inside the casing are more or less permanent and usually are removed by drilling operations. Various methods are employed in separating a string of tubing from a set packer, in order that the tubing may be removed from the well bore, while the packer remains in place. One well-known method involves the employment of J-slots which require some rotation of the tubing in order to separate the tubing from the packer. Other methods merely involve pulling the tubing loose from the packer. It can readilv be seen that in such methods various problems will be encountered when it is desired to reconnect the tubing to the packer.

Therefore. it is an object of this invention to provide a novel device which will connect or disconnect a string of tubing to a packer set in a cased well bore by up and down movement of the tubing.

It is another object of the invention to provide a device which provides positive latching action between a string of tubing and a set packer.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a device which will successively latch and unlatch a string of tubing to a packer set below it as frequently as is desired.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent when taken in connection with the following description and accompanying drawmg.

in the drawing:

Figure 1 is a sectional view in elevation, showing the apparatus of the invention disposed between a string of tubing and a packer assembly, and illustrates the position of the component parts as the entire assembly is lowered into a cased well bore.

Figure 2 is a sectional view in elevation showing the position assumed by the component parts of the invention, as the packer assembly is set to engage the walls of the casing in the well bore.

Figure 3 is a sectional view in elevation showing the position of the component parts of the invention in the unlatched position, wherein the tubing string is disengaged from the set packer assembly.

Figure 4 is a sectional view in elevation showing the position of the component parts of the invention just prior to positively latching the tubing to the set packer assembly.

Figure 5 is a sectional view in elevation showing the position of the component parts of the invention in the latched position.

Referring to the drawing in detail, and first to Figure 1, it will be seen that the assembly consists of a string of tubing 10, a tubing extension 25, a latching assembly 14 and a packer assembly 12 disposed in a cased well bore 16. The string of tubing 10 is shown connected to the packer assembly 12 by means of a tubing latch assembly 14 and a sleeve 15. One function of the sleeve 15 is to hold the packer assembly 12 and the tubing 10 in fixed relat onship by means of

threads

17 and 21 as the entire assembly is lowered into the cased well bore 16. When desired the sleeve 15 can be pulled in two as shown in Figure 2. The packer assembly 12 is of any conventional type, such as a product on packer. It consists of a mandrel 18, a resilient material 20, and

slips

22 and 22a. Disposed inside of and in fixed relationship to the mandrel 18 is a latch ring 24. The latch ring 24 is retained in fixed relationship to the mandrel 18 between an inter or shoulder 31 on the mandrel 18 and the lower end of the sleeve 15. A sleeve 19 is retained in the interior of the mandrel 18 by the lower portion of the latch ring 24 and a shoulder 33 on the mandrel 18. The function of the sleeve 19 is to limit the outward movement of the fingers 26a. The tubing extension 25 extends downwardly from the tubing latch assembly 14 through the reduced inner diameter of the mandrel 18.

The tubin latch assembly 14 includes a cvlindrical bodv 14a which is connected to the tubing 10 by any suitable means such as threaded coupling 27 and to the tubing extension 25 bv any suitable means such as the threads 23. concentrically mounted about the bodv 14a i a finger ring 26. concentrically mounted around the finger ring 26 is a slee e ring 28. Both the finger ring 26 and the sleeve ring 28 are free to move longitudinally aro n the cvlindrical body 14!: of the tubing latch assemblv 14. The finger ring 26 has a plurality of downwardlv nro ecting fin ers 26a which are normally biased outwardly as shown in Figures 1, 4 and 5. The finger r ng 26 is preferablv formed from a material having spr ng-like characteristics, such as spring steel, which nerrnits the fingers 26'? to be compressed as shown in Figures 2 and 3 and then return to their normally biased pos tion as shown in Figures 1, 4, and 5.

Downward movement of the fingers 26a is limited by a shoulder 30 on the upper end of the tubing extension 25 Upward movement of the finger ring 26 and the sleeve r ng 28 is limited by a shoulder 32 provided in the cylindrical body 14a of the tubing latch assembly 14.

The fingers 26a of the finger ring 26 are provided with shoulders 26b which are adapted to engage the bottom surface of the sleeve ring 28 as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

The outer diameter of the sleeve ring 28 is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the latch ring 24. Upon the application of suflicient longitudinal force the 'tively to the packer assembly .12.

. 3 sleeve ring 28 will compress sufliciently so that the outer surface of the sleeve ring 28 will be forced into the barrel of the latch ring 24.

The operation of the embodiment of the invention is as, follows: r r

The packer assembly 12 is set to engage the cased well bore 16 in the conventional manner, which involves rotating the tubing to set the upper slips 22 and raising the tubing to set the lower slips 22a. As illustrated in Figure 2 the resilient material 29 and the

slips

22 and 22a are set to firmly engage the cased well bore 16. Continued upward pull on the tubing 10 is applied until the sleeve is parted. The tubing 10 and tubing latch assembly. 14 are thus separated from direct connection with the mandrel 18 of the packer assembly 12.

In order. to positively connect the tubing 10 to the Packet assembly 12, the following operations which are illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawing are performed. 2

The tubing 10 is lowered into the cased well bore '16 and the tubing latch assembly 14 enters the mandrel 18 of the packer assembly 12. Sufficient weight at the surface is applied to the tubing 10 sothat the finger ring 26 is pushed downwardlyand through the latch ring 24 by means of the shoulder 32. The fingers 26a of the finger ring 26 are then free to expand. The sleeve ring 28, as previously stated, has an outside diameter slightly larger than the inside diameter of the latch ring 24 and since the tubing 10 is not lowered sufiiciently to.cause the shoulder 32 to force the sleeve ring 28 into the latch ring 24, it remains above they latch ring 24. Then by pulling upward on the tubing 10 and putting it in tension 7 the shoulders 26b of the fingers 26a engage the bottom of the latch ring 24 thereby latching the tubing 10 posi- In this position, a variety of oil well operationscan be performed. The tubing 10 can beutilized to, provide a conduit for the flow of hydrocarbons from a formation below the packer assembly 12, or the tubing ,10 can be employed for the passage of treating fluids into the formation, such as in fracturing or acidizing opera tions.

If it is again desired to. disconnect the tubing 10 from the packer assembly '12, the tension on the tubing 10 is released and the tubing 10 is lowered and weight from the surface is applied throughthe shoulder 32 to the upper end of the sleeve ring 28, until the sleeve ring 28 is forced into the latch ring 24 in the same position as shown in Figure 1. Then the following procedures as illustrated by Figures 2 and 3 are performed.

Upward movement of the tubing 10 along with the attached cylindrical body 14a of the tubing, latch assembly 14 pulls the tubing extension upwardly until the shoulder thereon contacts the lower end of the fingers 26a. Continued upward movement of the tubing 10 and tubing extension 25 forces the fingers 26a upwardly through the sleeve ring 28. As the fingers 26a pass through the sleeve ring 28, they .are compressed inwardly and the shoulders 2612 will pass through the latch ring 24. When the shoulder 26!; contacts the lower end of the sleeve ring 28, further upward movement forces the sleeve ring 28 out of the latch ring 24 and the component parts are in the position shown in Figure 3. It is readily seen that the tubing 10 with the attached tubing latch assembly 14 is now free of the packer assembly 12 and can be removed from the cased well bore.

Thus it can be seen that once the packer assembly 12 is set to engage the cased well bore 16 and the tension sleeve 15 parted, longitudinal movement of the tubing will successively latch and unlatch the tubing 10 from the packer assembly 12 by means of the unique tubing latch assembly 14.

Although the invention has been described in terms of a specific embodiment, it should be understood that this was by way of illustration only and that the invention is not limited thereto. Accordingly, modifications of the invention are contemplated without departing from the spirit of the described invention or the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A releasable latching device for connecting a section of well tubing or'the like to a hollow packer assembly having a radially extending inner projection comprising,

' in combination, a cylindrical body adapted to be connected to and extend downwardly from said tubing, said body having upwardly and downwardly facing shoulders with a section of reduced diameter therebetween, a ringlike member slidably encircling the section of reduced diameter and limited in movement by the shoulders on said body, said ring-like member having a pluralityof outwardly biased downwardly extending fingers adapted to engage said inner projection, said fingers being constructed and arranged to move radially inward and pass through said inner projection upon contacting the same when said body is moved downwardly relative to said packer assembly, said fingers having upwardly facing shoulders near the lower ends thereof for engaging said inner projection from below to limit upward movement of said body relative to said packer assembly after said fingers have passed through said inner projection, and a sleeve memberencircling said ring-like member and slidable between the downwardly facing shoulder on said body and the upwardly facing shoulders on said fingers, said sleeve member being adapted to frictionally engage said inner projection when said body is moved farther downwardly relative to said packer assembly after said fingers have passed through said inner projection and being adapted to thereafter engage said. fingers from above to move the shoulders on said fingers radially inward out of engageable relation to said inner projection when said body is thereafter moved upwardly relative to said packer assembly, whereby said body may be removed from said packer assembly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS