US3269755A

US3269755A - Well installation

Info

Publication number: US3269755A
Application number: US85954A
Authority: US
Inventors: John R Yancey
Original assignee: FMC Corp
Current assignee: FMC Corp
Priority date: 1961-01-24
Filing date: 1961-01-24
Publication date: 1966-08-30
Anticipated expiration: 1983-08-30

Description

0, 1966 J. R. YANCEY 3,269,755

WELL INSTALLATION Original Filed Nov. 18, 1957 5 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR JOHN R. YANCEY ATTO RN EY Aug. 30, 1966 J. R. YANCEY WELL INSTALLATION 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Nov. 18, 1957 INVENTOR JOHN R.YANCEY BY HM & AQWQLW.

ATTORNEY Aug. 30, 1966 J. R. YANCEY 3,269,755

WELL INSTALLATION Original Filed Nov. 18, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY INVENTOR JOHN R. YANCEY BY W /V%YV'J1/VZ;/

United States Patent 3,269,755 WELL INSTALLATEON John R. Yancey, Houston, Tex., assignor, by mesne assignments, to FMC Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Continuation of application Ser. No. 697,195, Nov. 18, 1957. This application Jan. 24, 1961, Ser. No. 85,954 Claims. (Cl. 285137) This application is a continuation of United States application Serial Number 697,195, filed November I8, 1957, for Multiple Tubing Hanger Assembly and now abandoned.

This invention pertains to well installations and more particularly to apparatus for completing a well with one or more tubing strings.

An object of this invention is to provide a method of completing a well wherein tubing strings and other elements going to make up the completed well can be installed and manipulated while maintaining the well under continuous pressure control during all steps.

Another object is to provide improved apparatus for use in completing a well installation whereby one or more parallel tubing strings can be run into a well through a blowout preventer and sealed in a tubing head mounted below the blowout preventer.

A further object of the invention is to make it possible to avoid losing pressure control of a well While removing the blowout preventer employed during completion of the well before installation of the Christmas tree.

Another object is to provide for supporting the tubing hangers directly from the tubing head while removing the blowout preventer and substituting a combined hanger and Christmas tree support member therefor.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tubing hanger apparatus for multiple tubing strings wherein the tubing strings can be connected to a Christmas tree in a manner permitting one or more of the tubing strings to be raised or lowered as desired without disconnecting the Christmas tree or disturbing the seal between the well casing and the tubing strings, which seal controls the pressure of the well.

Another object is to provide improved apparatus of the character described wherein one or more of the tubing strings can be raised without disconnecting the Christmas tree therefrom to unseat packers or release one or more of the tubing strings from packers situated in the well so that the well can be killed or fluids flushed through the tubing and casing, while concurrently maintaining the seal between the tubing strings and the tubing head.

Another object of this invention is to provide improved multiple tubing hanger apparatus.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through a tubing head structure installed at a well head and illustrating the improved assembly of the present invention in its completed, or operating condition.

FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are horizontal sections taken, respectively, on lines 2-2, 33, 44, and 55 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein one tubing string is movable with the Christmas tree and another remains fixed with the casing head.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

A completed well assembly of the invention, ready for producing, will first be described.

Referring to FIG. 1, a tubing head 10 having an upper flange 58 is secured to the upper end of a well casing Patented August 30, 1966 (not shown). The bore 12 of the tubing head 10 is enlarged at its upper end as indicated at 14, The enlarged portion 14 merges with the bore 12 through a tapered seat 16, forming a seating bowl for two seal carriers 18 and 20 (FIGS. 1, 4, and 5). The

seal carriers

18 and 20 are of sector shaped cross section and are arranged with their

corresponding fiat surfaces

22 and 24 in abutting relation in a manner permitting the two

carriers

18 and 20 to rest as a unit within the seating bowl of the head 10.

The outer arcuate surface of the seal carrier 18 is provided with a downwardly and inwardly tapered shoulder 26, and the seal carrier 20 is provided with a similar shoulder 28. Both of the shoulders 26 and 28 rest on the tapered seat 16 within the bowl of the tubing head 10. The

seal carriers

18 and 20 are provided with

arcuate sealing members

30 and 32 on their tapered shoulders 26 and 28, respectively, to seal against the tapered seat 16 of the tubing head. The flat surfaces 22 and 24 of the

seal carriers

18 and 20 are provided with sealing

strips

34 and 36, respectively, to seal between the carriers.

As shown in FIG. 5, the

seal carriers

18 and 20, when seated on the tapered seat 16 within the bowl of the tubing head 10, may be locked in position independently of each other by hold-down bolts or dogs 132 which extend radially through tubing head flange 58 into suitable recesses 134 in the

seal carriers

18 and 20.

The seal carrier 18 is provided with a vertical bore 38 having a counterbore 40 at its upper end to provide an upwardly facing shoulder 42. A packing assembly 43, comprising a split ring 44, an annular packing 46, and a split ring 48, is installed in the counterbore 40 with the ring 44 seated against the shoulder 42. The ring 48 is installed in the counterbore 40 above the packing 46 and is forced against the packing by an externally threaded retaining nut 50 screwed into the upper end of the counterbore 40, so that nut 50 forms part of the seal carrier 18. A duplicate packing assembly 51, including a ring 52 is similarly mounted in the bore 54 of the seal carrier 20. A packing nut is also provided for the packing assembly 51, to form part of the seal carrier 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the seal carrier 18 is disposed on a tubing string in a manner permitting vertical movement of the string 90 through the carrier. The packing assembly 43 prevents passage of fluid between the tubing string and the seal carrier when the tubing string is at rest as well as during movement of the tubing string through the seal carrier, the seal carrier 20 is similarly mounted on a tubing string and fluid flow between the seal carrier 20 and the tubing string 130 is prevented by the packing assembly 51.

Tubing hangers

76 and 78 are connected to the tubing strings 9t) and 130, respectively, female threads 86 on each hanger and male threads 88 on each tubing string being provided for the purpose. Since the

hangers

76 and 78 are identical, *only the hanger 76 will be described in detail. The hanger 76 is a tubular member terminating at its lower end in a downwardly facing abutment surface surrounding the tubing 90. The function of this abutment surface will be explained in connection with a description of the assembly of the parts that follows this description of the completed well head. Adjacent the upper end of the hanger is a portion 80 of increased diameter, providing a downwardly facing external shoulder 82. A split ring hanger retainer 84 fits around the hanger with its upper end in abutment with the downwardly facing shoulder 82 formed on the hanger. In FIG. 1, the section is taken at the split in the hanger retainer 84 as it is mounted on hanger 76.

A combined tubing hanger and Christmas tree support member 56 is mounted above the upper flange 58 of the tubing head 10 and is sealed therewith by a sealing ring 59 seated in opposed

annular grooves

60 and 62 formed in the opposed faces of the head and the support member 56, respectively. The tubing head 10 and the support member 56 are bolted together by studs 63 threaded int-o the support member 56 and provided with nuts 64 beneath the flange 58 of the tubing head 10.

Two

vertical bores

65 and 66 extend through the support member 56 to receive the

hangers

76 and 78. The upper portion of the support member 56 is formed with a large counterbore 68 and an upwardly facing fiat supporting shoulder 72 is formed at the upper ends of

bores

65 and 66 upon which the

tubing hangers

76 and 78 are supported by means of the above-mentioned split ring hanger retainers 84. As previously mentioned, the downwardly facing shoulders 82 on the hangers rest on the upper edges of the split ring hanger retainers 84. An annular boss 92 is formed on the outer surface of the lower portion of the hanger 76- and is provided with an annular groove 94 containing an O-ring seal 96 engaging the bore 65 in the support member 56.

In accordance with conventional practice the bore 98 through the hanger 76 is contoured to receive, in removably locking and sealing engagement, a conventional tubing back pressure valve, used in a manner to be hereafter explained, during the installation of the tubing hanger. The hanger 78 has a similar bore for receiving another back pressure valve. Since FIG. 1 shows a completed well head assembly, the back pressure valves, which are removed for producing, do not appear in the figure.

The upper end of the hanger 76 is provided with an internal thread 100 to which a hoisting tool (not shown) is connected during installation of the hanger. The upper end of the hanger 76 also has a tapered seat 102. A sealing ring 104 rests on the seat 102 and a tubular connector 106 has a downw atrdly and inwardly sloping conical surface 108 that rests on the sealing ring 104. At its upper end, the connector 106 has an upwardly and inwardly tapered surface 110 upon which a sealing ring 112 rests. A similar sealing ring and tubular connector are provided for the hanger 78.

A Christmas tree 114 of the type commonly employed in this type of well completion is fastened to the upper end of the support member 56 by means of studs 116 threaded in the upper portion of the support member 56 and nuts 117 drawn down on a flange 118 of the Christrnas tree. A sealing ring 122 is seated in

annular grooves

125 and 126 in the opposed faces of the support member 56 and the Christmas tree 114, respectively. The Christmas tree 114 is provided with a bore 119 which registers with the bore 65 in the support member 56 and with a bore 120 which registers with the bore 66 in the support member.

The lower end of each of the

bores

119 and 120 in the Christmas tree is tapered downwardly and outwardly to form a conical seating surface 128 which rests on its associated sealing member 112, thereby sealing with the associated tubular connector.

The method of completing a well with the abovedescribed apparatus will now be described.

At the beginning of the completion procedure, a conventional blowout preventer is attached to the upper flange 58 of the tubing head 10 and has control of any pressure in the well. Since FIG. 1 shows the completed well head assembly, the blowout preventer does not appear in the figure. Continued pressure control of the well during its completion with use of the above described apparatus and a conventional blowout preventer is maintained in the following manner.

As the tubing string 90 is made up, all but the last section is lowered through the blowout preventer, and in accordance with common practice, the blowout preventer controls the pressure in the well during this part of the completion procedure. The seal carrier 18 is then slipped over the last section of tubing 90 and the hanger 76 is connected to the upper end of the tubing 90.

A hoisting device (not shown) is connected into threads 181) of hanger 76. The assembled tubing string 90, carrier 18 and hanger 76 are then lowered, passing the seal carrier and hanger through the blowout preventer until the seal carrier 18 is received into the bowl of the tubing head 10 with the sealing member 30 and the shoulder 26 seated upon the seat 16. The seal carrier 18 is then secured in position by dogs 132 that are pro vided in the tubing head (FIG. 5).

The hoisting device is removed, leaving the tubing string temporarily supported in suspended position from the seal carrier 18 with the lower end 77 of the hanger forming an abutment surface that rests on the upper end or face 19 of the seal carrier. Thus, the hanger 76, the primary purpose of which is to support the tubing string 90 from the support member 56, has a preliminary function of supporting the tubing string 90 upon the seal carrier 18. At this stage, the blowout preventer still controls the pressure in the well. Although the abutment surface at the lower end of hanger 76 is shown spaced from the upper end of the seal carrier 18 in FIG. 1, this is because FIG. 1 shows the completed assembly. The other tubing string 130, seal carrier 20, and hanger 78 are then lowered into the well in the manner described in connection with the seal carrier 18 and the hanger 76. Back pressure valves are now installed in the bores in the

hangers

76 and 78 provided for such valves. Since FIG. 1 shows a completed well ready for producing, these valves do not appear in that figure.

At this stage the

seal carriers

18 and 20 are sealed off with the tubing head 10 by

seals

30 and 3 2, and the seal carriers themselves are sealed together by

seals

34 and 36. The tubing strings 90 and 130 are slidably sealed to the respective seal carriers by packing

assemblies

43 and 51, and the bores of the tubing strings are sealed off by back pressure valves. Since the hangers, seal carriers and valves as thus installed control the pressure in the well, the blowout preventer can now be removed without loss of control of pressure within the well.

At this stage in the well completion operation, the

hangers

76 and 78 project upwardly from the tubing head 10 ready to receive the support member 56, which is then lowered over the

hangers

76 and 78 and is attached to the tubing head 10.

The hanger 76 is then raised by the hoisting device through the bore 65 in the support member 56 a distance sufiicient for the split ring hanger retainer 84 to be placed around the hanger below the shoulder 82. The hanger 76 is then lowered until the retainer 84 abuts both the shoulder 82 on the hanger and the shoulder 72 on the support member 56. The hanger 76 and tubing string 90 are thereby finally supported from support member 56, and the seal carrier 18 continues to provide a seal between the tubing string 90 and the tubing head 10.

The hanger 78 is hoisted in similar manner and another split ring hanger retainer 84 placed in supporting relation between the hanger shoulder as previously described in connection with the hanger 76, whereupon the hanger 78 is lowered until the hanger retainer 84 supports the hanger in the support member 56.

Connectors 106 are then placed in the seats 102 in the hangers, and the Christmas tree 118 is installed on the support member 56, with the bores 119 and in the Christmas tree in respective registry with the bores of the

hangers

76 and 78. The Christmas tree is secured in position by means of the studs 116 and nuts 117. The connectors 106 and associated seals establish a sealed joint between the Christmas tree and each of the hangers. The back pressure valves are then removed from the

hangers

76 and 78 through the Christmas tree.

The Christmas tree and its attachments at this stage are controlling the pressure through the tubing strings, and the inner and outer seals of the seal carriers continue to control the pressure in the casing. Also, as

shown in FIG. 1, the sealing rings 59 and 122 provide control of the pressure within the casing for any fluid that might leak between the two seal carriers, or between the seal carriers and the tubing head.

It is desirable at times to raise the tubing strings to release the tubing from packers situated within the well, or to unseat packers Within the well which may be connected to one or both of the tubing strings. In order to accomplish this, the support member 56 is detached from tubing head and the assembly comprising the Christmas tree 114, the support member 56 with the

hangers

76 and 78, and the tubing strings and connected thereto are raised as a unit During this operation, the tubing strings 90 and 130 slide through their

respective packings

43 and 51, preserving control of the pressure in the well. Fluid may then be circulated through either or both of

tubing strings

90 or 130 to kill the well, to wash out the Well, or for other procedures, as desired.

It is obvious from reference to FIGS. 1 and 4 that, if the well need be completed with only one tubing string, a seal carrier and an exterior seal therefor could be provided of circular rather than of sector shape. This circular seal carrier need have but one bore, and the Christmas tree and support member need have only one corresponding passageway.

Thus, in accordance with the present invention continued pressure control of the well and tubing strings is maintained throughout the entire well completion operation, even though the blowout preventer is removed before installation of the Christmas tree.

Another important feature of the invention is that the tubing strings 90 and 130 are firmly connected to the Christmas tree 114 by means of the

hangers

76 and 78. Consequently, after the nuts 64 have been released, the Christmas tree and the tubing strings and hangers attached thereto may be safely raised and lowered as a unit with respect to the well casing as may be required, without destroying the seal therebetween.

In the modification shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a tubing string is mounted in the same manner as described above with respect to FIGS. 1 to 5 and is movable With the Christmas tree 114. However, the tubing 142 on the left is fixed within the tubing head 10. In this installation, the seal carrier 18 for the tubing 140 is the same as the corresponding carrier shown in FIG. 1. The companion member 144 is formed with the same external configuration as the seal carriers shown in FIG. 1, but its inner configuration is the same as that of one of the hangers of FIG. 1.

The companion member 144 is thus, in effect, a combined carrier-hanger member. The tubing 142 is threaded into the bottom of the member 144 as indicated at 146. The tubing hanger support member 56a, in this instance, is formed with one bore 148 similar to the bore 65 in the first described form of the invention and is formed with a recess 68a to provide an upwardly facing flat surface 72a. The support member 560 is formed with a second bore 150 having tapered

seats

152 and 154 at its upper and lower ends to receive

connectors

156 and 158 which provide connection to a bore 160 of the Christmas tree 114 and the bore through the combined carrier-hanger member 144, respectively.

In this latter installation, only the tubing 140 is connected to the Christmas tree 114 and is movable therewith. Before the support member 56a is disconnected from the well casing 10 to manipulate the tubing 140, therefore, a back pressure valve may be installed through the Christmas tree and into the member 144 to seal the upper end of tubing 142.

Installation of this embodiment is made in a manner similar to that described in connection with the embodiment of FIG. 1 except that the carrier-hanger 144 is not lifted through and suspended by a retainer from the support member 56a. Also, in this instance, only the tubing 140 may be lifted through a seal carrier to unseat from a packer within the well for circulation of fluids. It is to be noted, however, that continuous pressure control is attained with this embodiment as with that of FIG. 1.

It is manifest that the assembly procedure described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 6 may be reversed to replace the support member 56 or 56a with a blowout preventer, if desired, and still maintain continuous pressure control of the well.

While two embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, further changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The invention having thus been described, what is believed to be new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. In a well apparatus, a head member providing a lower bore, a support member mounted on said head member and having a plurality of upper bores communicating with said lower bore, said support member providing annular seats individually surrounding said upper bores, tubular hangers individually received in said upper bores, said hangers having annular shoulders spaced above their respective seats, each hanger having a maximum outside diameter less than the minimum inside diameter of its upper bore for free movement of the hangers through the upper bores, tubing strings individually connected to the hangers and projecting down therefrom, means for preventing the upward flow of fluid between the strings and between the head member and the strings while allowing the strings to slide up and down with respect to the head member, means on the head member for supporting said hangers in a lower position, and rings individually fitted around said hangers and respectively positioned between said seats and shoulders so that the strings are supported on said seats in a position above said lower position, said rings having portions adjacent to each other.

2. In a well apparatus including a head having a bore, a support member on the head having a bore communicating with the bore in the head, said support member having a seat disposed circumferentially of its bore, a hanger having a lower end, said hanger projecting into the bore of the support member, and pipe hung from the hanger and extending into the bore of the head; the combination of carrier means around the pipe, supported in the head, and having an upper end confronting the lower end of the hanger, the minimum diameter of the bore in the support member being greater than the maximum outside diameter of the hanger, said bore in the support member and said carrier means accommodating movement of the pipe between a lower position with the pipe supported in the head by the carrier means, an intermediate position with said lower end spaced a predetermined distance from said upper end of the carrier means, and an upper position with said hanger exposed above the support member and said lower end spaced above said upper end by a distance greater than said predetermined distance, said carrier means maintaining a seal against said pipe during said movement, and retainer means mountable on the hanger while the pipe is in said upper position and being insertable between said hanger and support member during movement of the pipe from said upper position to said intermediate position, said retainer means engaging said seat for supporting said pipe on the support member in the intermediate position of the pipe.

3. In a well apparatus, a head providing a lower bore, a support member on the head having a plurality of upper bores communicating with the lower bore, said support member providing annular seats individually surrounding said upper bores, said upper bores opening into each other above said seats, hangers having lower ends, said hangers individually projecting into the upper bores of the support member, and pipes individually hung from said hangers and extending into the lower bore; the combination of carrier means individually surrounding said pipes, supported in the lower bore, and having upper ends respectively confronting the lower ends of their associated hangers, the minimum diameter of each bore in the support member being greater than the maximum outside diameter of its respective hanger, said bores in the support member and said carrier means accommodating independent movement of the pipes between lower positions with the lower ends of their respective hangers rested on the upper ends of their associated carrier means so that the pipes are supported in the head by the carrier means, intermediate positions with their lowered ends spaced a predetermined distance above said upper ends of the carrier means, and upper positions with said hangers exposed above said support member and their lower ends spaced above said upper ends by a distance greater than said predetermined distance, said carrier means maintaining seals against their respective pipes during said movement, and retainer means individually mountable on said hangers while their associated p-ipes are in said upper position and insertable between said support member and their respective hangers during movement of the pipes from said upper positions to said intermediate positions, said retainer means engaging said seats in the intermediate positions of the pipes for supporting said pipes from said support member.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said retainer means includes a plurality of split retainer rings individually fitted in substantially circumscribing relation to their respective hangers and contiguous to each other and to said support member in said intermediate positions of the pipes.

5. The well apparatus of claim 3 wherein said head provides a seating bowl surrounding said lower bore, said carrier means including a pair of sector shaped carriers having outwardly directed arcuate and tapered surfaces seated in said bowl and confronting fiat surfaces in engagement with each other whereby said carriers are supported in said bowl, and wherein the upper end of each carrier has an inside diameter less than the outside diameter of the lower end of its associated hanger so that the hanger is supported by its carrier when the lower end of the hanger engages the upper end of its carrier.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,869,739 8/1932 Dean 285-143 1,876,627 9/1932 Davis 285-137 1,942,213 1/1934 Howard 285-143 2,010,284 8/ 1935 Wickersham 285-141 2,122,07'1 6/1938 Russmussen 285-141 2,241,288 5/ 1941 Yancey 285-140 2,289,696 7/ 1942 Cailloux 285-140 2,390,393 12/1945 Rubly 285-137 2,724,440 11/1955 Moore 166-46 2,793,698 5/1957 Tausch 166-46 2,794,505 6/ 1957 Allen.

3,011,552 12/196 1 Rhodes.

3,059,698 10/1962 Burns.

3,132,879 5/1964 Lanmon 285-137 CARL W. TOMLIN, Primary Examiner.

T. F. CALLAG' HAN, S. R. MILLER,

Assistant Examiners.

Claims

1. IN A WELL APPARATUS, A HEAD MEMBER PROVIDING A LOWER BORE, A SUPPORT MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID HEAD MEMBER AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF UPPER BORES COMMUNICATING WITH SAID LOWER BORE, SAID SUPPORT MEMBER PROVIDING ANNULAR SEATS INDIVIDUALLY SURROUNDING SAID UPPER BORES, TUBULAR HANGERS INDIVIDUALLY RECEIVED IN SAID UPPER BORES, SAID HANGERS HAVING ANNULAR SHOULDERS SPACED ABOVE THEIR RESPECTIVE SEATS, EACH HANGER HAVING MAXIMUM OUTSIDE DIAMETER LESS THAN THE MINIMUM INSIDE DIAMETER OF ITS UPPER BORE FOR FREE MOVEMENT OF THE HANGERS THROUGH THE UPPER BORES, TUBING STRINGS INDIVIDUALLY CONNECTED TO THE HANGERS AND PROJECTING DOWN THEREFROM, MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE UPWARD FLOW OF FLUID BETWEEN THE STRINGS AND BETWEEN THE HEAD MEMBER AND THE STRINGS WHILE ALLOWING THE STRINGS TO SLIDE UP AND DOWN WITH RESPECT TO THE HEAD MEMBER, MEANS ON THE HEAD MEMBER FOR SUPPORTING SAID HANGERS IN A LOWER POSITION, SAID RINGS INDIVIDUALLY FITTED AROUND SAID HANGERS AND RESPECTIVELY POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID SEATS AND SHOULDERS SO THAT THE STRINGS ARE SUPPORTED ON SAID SEATS IN A POSITION ABOVE SAID LOWER POSITION, SAID STRINGS HAVING PORTIONS ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER.