US3356144A

US3356144A - Casing interliner with anchoring means

Info

Publication number: US3356144A
Application number: US449544A
Authority: US
Inventors: William B Berry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-04-20
Filing date: 1965-04-20
Publication date: 1967-12-05
Anticipated expiration: 1984-12-05

Description

W. B. BERRY CASING INTERLINER WITH ANCHORING MEANS Filed April 2o, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG.3

FIG.2

INVENTO WILLIAM B. BERRY W. B. BERRY Dec. 5, 1967 CASING INTERLINER WITH ANCHORING MEANS Filed April 2o, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 RW. OR .IE NnD t WB. M Al" l. Hh. W

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent O 3,356,144 CASING INTERLINER WITH ANCHORING MEANS William B. Berry, P.0. Box 1951, Clarksburg. W. Va. 25327 Filed Apr. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 449,544 6 Claims. (Cl. 166-208) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE anchoring or securing said boot or interliner in the well casing. This abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application which, of course, is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

In an oil well operation a production string of tubing or casing is set in the customary manner and then subjected to a perforating operation at the level of what is believed to be a production zone. The next step is usually to subject this zone to a stimulation treatment by injecting fluid under pressure which may contain certain additives, such as sand or a chemical. This procedure enables the zone to be ruptured and passageways to 'be formed therein while at the same time maintaining said passageways in a substantially open or porous state through which the oil or gas may flow into the casing by way of the perforations. After a zone has been so treated, it is often found desirable to isolate or seal oif same so that another zone at a point either above or below this zone may be subjected to the same type of treatment.

In order to seal oif a treated zone, a sealant member, in the form of an elongated hollow sleeve or boot and formed from a suitable resilient material, is lowered into the casing and so positioned as to overlie and effectively seal the perforations in the casing. The sealant member or interliner has an external diameter such that it will conform closely to the drift size of the tubing or casing and being formed from a resilient material said interliner can be readily maintained in engagement with the casing with or without any well head pressure. The use of such a sealant member constitutes the subject matter of applicants copending application Serial No. 362,442, filed April 24, 1964, and wherein the present application is an improvement thereof. While the sealant member as disclosed in said application is readily capable of sealing the perforations in a well casing in the manner as set forth hereinabove, it has been `determined that said sealant member is susceptible of being dislodged in said casing during the perforating and stimulating of a lower zone or formation.

In multi-zone operations, it is quite often necessary and feasible to isolate a producing zone in order to effectively fracture and stimulate a lower zone or bearing strata. An interliner in the *form of a hollow sleeve or boot is first placed within the well casing so as to overlie the perforations of the zone to 'be isolated. The lower zone is then perforated by routing the necessary equipment through the boot to puncture the casing after which the zone is stimulated by the fracturing uids and agents which first ow through said boot and then out through the perforations in the casing. The friction drag created by the passage of fluids through said boot or sleeve can be such as to cause the boot or sleeve to become dislodged from the casing and move down with the fluid. In addition, it has been ascertained that in retrieving the boot or sleeve from the casing the use of a lubricant to reduce drag of the boot on the casing could readily cause the boot to lose its wall grip on the casing and to slip downwardly in said casing. In either event, such an operation would result in an uncovering of the perforations in the isolated or upper zone. The present invention is designed to prevent such movement of the boot or sleeve after it has been positioned within the casing.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a well casing boot or interliner having anchoring means thereon for engaging said casing to insure the retention and positioning of the boot or interliner therein.

Another object is to provide' an elongated resilient sealant member in the form of a boot which is positioned Within a perforated zone of a Well casing with means thereon for engaging said casing to prevent the movement of said boot in at least one direction in said casing.

Another object is to provide an elongated resilient interliner in the form of a boot or sleeve having spring actuated latch members mounted on the external surface thereof and arranged to engage the inner surface of a well casing for retaining said interliner in sealing engagement with a perforated zone of said casing.

A Ifurther object is to provide a unitary resilient boot or interliner of elongated tubular configuration that is positioned within a well casing to effectively seal a perforated zone and wherein said boot is provided at each end thereof with a plurality of spring actuated latches which engage the inner surface of said casing and permit said boot to move in only one direction therein.

Still further objects are to provide a resilient sealant vboot or interliner that is positive in its operation, economical of manufacture and which is readily recoverable from a well casing and susceptible of repetitive use. l

Other objects and advantages, Amorevor less ancillary to the foregoing in the manner in which all of the various objects are realized, will appear in the following description, which, when considered in connection with the acompanying drawings,"set`s forth thefpreferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings wherein the bodiment of the invent-ionis illustrated:

PIGUREl is a vertical sectional view of a cased earth well showing the casing perforated at a fractured zone and illustrating conventional well head equipment;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional View of a portion of the casing of the Well of FIGURE 1 showing a sealant boot or interliner positioned over the perforations at a fractured zone;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged detailed view of a fragmentary portion of the sealant boot and showing one of the locks or anchoring members mounted thereon;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view of one of the preferred emlocks or anchoring members mounted in and carried by the sealant boot or interliner, the view being taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an exploded view showing the various parts of a lock or anchoring member; and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective View showing the various parts of the lock or anchoring member illustrated in FIGURE 5 in their assembled position.

Referring to FIGURE l of the drawings, there is shown a conventional well bore having disposed therein the usual outer or surface casing 10, which has mounted therein, in the customary manner, an inside or production casing string 11 upon which is mounted a control valve 12. The production casing string 11 extends through the various formations in the well bore and terminates at the end or bottom of said bore. The control valve 12 has connected thereto a well head assembly or unit 13 that has supported thereon a well head lubricator or launch tube assembly by which the well is maintained in locked internal control regardless of pressures generated within the bore. The well head lubricator or launch tube assembly does not, in and of itself, constitute a part of the present invention, but same is employed in a multi-zone operation wherein it is necessary and essential to introduce into the casin-g 11 various types of equipment or apparatus and it is essential that the pressurek be maintained within the well bore at all times that such apparatus or equipment is being introduced or removed therefrom.

As concerns the present invention, it will suffice to state that the well head lubricator is provided with a cross head structure 14 that has control valves 15. The cross head has supported thereon in operative relation therewith a launch tube control valve 16, which in turn, supports a launch tube 17 that is provided with a quick coupling 18 to facilitate its ready attachment or detachment from the control valve 16 so that various pieces of apparatus or equipment may be either inserted into the launch tube orremoved therefrom. It is through the use of the valves 12 and 16 that the pressure within the well bore may be maintained and also introduced into the launch tube so` that the pressure within the launch tube will be equal to the well bore pressure and thus provide a balanced condition prior to the lowering ofequipment ory apparatus into the well bore. The inner or production casing string 11 is shown, FIGURE l, as extending through what are considered to be two potential producing formations A and B and furthermore, casing 11 has been perforated atv formation A and said formation has been stimulated by subjecting same to hydraulic fracturing so that the oil or gas may readily dow or pass from said formation to the well bore land thence, through the perforations into the casing or production string 11. Thus, it becomes necessary to close or seal the perforations 1,9 in the casing 11 opposite zone A before it is at all appropriate or feasible to peiQIte the casingl in zone B and subject lohis z one to a stimulation treatment by hydraulic fracturng.

A s shown in FIGURE V2 the casing 11l consists of a series ofl pipe sections orlengths` of constant or uniform diameter that are joined together by threaded couplings 29; which tend to, define or, produce a aan 21 between the lower and upper ends respectively of adjacent lengths of pipe. C asing 11 has positioned therein a resilient sealant boot or interliner 22that is hollow and of sufficient length tooverlie and seal` the perforations 1,9, The boot or

interliner

2,2 in conjunction with its depending spring tension cage member 2,3 may be` positioned within the casing 11 by any suitable apparatus, such as that shown in applicants aforementioned copending application. The boot or interliner 22 is preferably formed from some suitable resilient composition such as natural rubberl and neoprene, with an external diameter such that it will conform closely to the drift size of thecasing 1,1, and thus, effectively engage the sides of saidv casing. The interliner is` readily Capable, 0f expanding, when SQ positioned in the casing,

due to its composition, and can therefore be retained in said expanded position by thc pressure within said casing for effectively overlying and sealing the perforated zone. The bore of the sealant boot or interliner when in operative position within the casing 11 should be at its maximum diameter possible in order to permit the passage of various tools and equipment therethrough in order that the casing 11 in zone B can be perforated and the formation within said zone be subjected to stimulation by hydraulic fracturing. In order to insure that the resilient boot or interliner 22 is maintained within its sealing position within said casing and not susceptible to becoming dislodged therefrom, during the passage of tools and equipment therethrough, suitable locking means have been provided on the external surface of the boot or interliner for engagement with the inner surface of the casing 11 at the gaps 21 between the ends of adjacent lengths of pipe.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the boot or interliner 22 is provided at each end with a plurality of spring actuated locking members that are arranged to project beyond the outer peripheral surface of the -boot or interliner and engage the upper edge or end of one of the lengths of pipe at the gap 21 wherein the coupling 20 joins the upper end of one pipe to the lower end of another pipe. Inasmuch as the locking members are identical in all respects, the following will be directed to the construction and operation of a single locking member. The boot or interliner 22 is formed with recessed areas 24 on both its inner and outer faces, FIGURE 4, at oppositely disposed points. The recessed areas 24 have positioned therein inner and outer metallic plates 25 and 26, respectively, which are secured in coplanar relation with the inner and outer surfaces of the boot and to one another by suitable means, such as rivets or pins 27. The outer metallic plate 26 is provided with an elongated slot 28, FIGURES 4 and 5, which overlies a corresponding recess or groove 29 that is formed in the outermost portion of the bootl 22 so that in effect the

outer recess

2,4 is provided with a counter recess or groove 2,9 which is spaced fromr the inner recess 24 and inner plate 25.

The outer plate 26 has formed on its inner face, contiguous the upper end of the slot 28, a boss or shoulder 31, which is of a width commensurate with that of the plate. 26 and arranged to project into the recess 29 formed in the boot 22. The lower or bottom surface of the boss or shoulder 31 is formed with an arcuate-shaped seat 32 that is adapted to receive the cylindrical pin or axle portion 33. of a latch member- 3,4. The axle or pin segment 33 of the latch member is retained in engagement with the seat 32 of the boss 31 by means of a keeper plate 35 that is secured to .the outer surface of the boss 31v by any suitable means, such as a threaded member 36. The keeper plate 35 is fbifurcated tov define a pair of segments 37 which are bent to conform to the contour of they pin member 33 and arranged to partially encompass and retain said pin in engagement with the seat '32. An elongated tension spring 39 arranged to overl'ie the keeper .plate 35 has one end secured, by means of a press fit, into a suitable opening 40 provided in the boss 31 with the other end of said spring being likewise secured in an aperture 41 provided o n the rear face of the latch member 34. The latch member 34 is, by the action of ther spring 39, caused to pivot on the seat 32 so that the greaterportion of the latch member is urged outwardly from the recess 29 and through the slot 28 in the plate 26. The outward movement of the latch -member is limited by stop or abutment member 4 2 that is formed at the lower end of the rear face ofl said latch member and which engages the inner surface of the outerl plate 26 in the manner as shown in FIGURE 6. It is to be noted that the latch member 34 is of a length commensurate with that of the elongated slot 2,8 and is formed with an inclined forward face 43 that progressively increases in thickness from the pin 33 to its lower or inclined bottom edge 44. Thus, the lowermost portion of the latch member 34 projects a greater distance through the slot 28 under the action of the tension spring 39 and the bottom edge 44 due to its inclination is assured of seating upon the upper edge of a length of pipe at a gap 21 and thus, prevents the boot or interliner from moving downwardly within the casing string. The latch member 34 being pivotally mounted on the inner surface of the plate 26 and positioned within the recess 29 permits a movement into the recess 29 so that the boot or interliner may be upwardly or in one direction within the casing string 11.

In using the boot or interliner 22 of the present invention within a casing string 11 for sealing a perforated area, the locking or latch members 34 may be positioned opposite a gap 21 formed by the coupling 20 joining two lengths of pipe so that said latch members will project into said gap and seat upon the upper end of the lower pipe section. This arrangement will lock or anchor the boot or interliner within the casing 11 so that it will be incapable of any further down hole movement in the casing, but due to the inclined forward face 43 of the latch member 34, the boot or interliner may readily be drawn up through the casing 11 as .su-ch action will simply force the latch members into the recess 29 against the action of the tension spring 39. In .the event that the boot or interliner is positioned within the casing string 11 so that the latch members 34 are not opposite to or in engagement 'with a gap 21, the latch members will engage the inner surface of the casing string under the action of the spring 39. In this arrangement, the latch members 34 will only project a slight distance through the slots 28 in the plates 26 as the external diameter of the boot will fbe substantially the same as the internal diameter of the casing string. With the boot or interliner so positioned within the casing string, tools and equipment may be moved through the bore of the boot for the purpose of perforating the casing at a lower zone and then subjecting said zone to a stimulating treatment. Thus, if the passage of tools and equipment through the bore of the boot or interliner should result in it being jarred or ina-dvertently moved, the direction of movement of the boot or interliner would be down hole and the distance or length of travel would be relatively small. The latch members 34 are always in engagement with the inner surface of the casing 11, under the action of the springs 39, so that upon the latch members 34 moving into a gap 21, the bottom edge 44 would seat upon the upper end of a length of pipe and prevent any further down hole movement of the boot. As shown in FIGURE 2, the boot or interliner is provided with a plurality of locking members adjacent both the upper and lower ends thereof. Thus, the boot or interliner 22 would have to move down hole `only a relatively short distance before a locking member 34 at either the upper or lofwer end would find a gap 21 at a casing joint, so that the boot would still be retained within the casing for effectively sealing the perforations in the casing of the zone that had previously been treated.

Upon the completion of treating the lower zone, .the well operator may permit the lower zone to operate as a producing one and still retain the upper zone in a sealed condition or state by means of the boot or interliner, However, if it is decided to remove the boot or interliner from its sealing position at the upper zone, a suitable recovery tool may be lowered in the casing string 11 and engage the grab prongs 45 at the top of the boot for eiectively removing or withdrawing the boot from the casing string.

Although the foregoing description is necessarily of a detailed character, in order that the invention may be completely set forth, it is to be understood that the specic terminology is not intended to be restrictive or confining, and that various rearrangements of parts and modications of detail may be resorted to without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as herein claimed.

I claim:

1. A sealant boot yfor a well casing comprising an elongated tubular resilient member, a plate mounted on the outer face of said resilient member in coplanar relationship therewith, a recess formed in sai-d resilient member beneath said plate, a slot formed in said plate and overlying said recess, a boss formed on said plate superjacent said slot and arranged to extend into said recess, a latch member, a keeper plate mounted on said boss and engaging said latch member .to retain same in pivotal engagement with said boss, said latch member positioned within said recess, and means for -urging said latch member outwardly from said recess and through said slot.

2. A well casing sealant member comprising a resilient tubular interliner, a member mounted on the outer face of said interliner, a recess formed in said interliner beneath said member, a slot formed in said member and overlying said recess, an elongated element pivotally mounted on said member and positioned within said recess, and a spring connected to said element -for urging same outwardly from said recess and through said slot.

'3. A well casing interliner comprising an elongated tubular member of resilient material, a substantially rigid flat member mounted on the outer face of said resilient member in coplanar relation therewith, a recess formed in said resilient member beneath said rigid member, a slot formed in said rigid member and overlying said recess, and a latch member connected to said rigid member and positioned within said recess and means connected to said rigid member and engaging said latch member for moving same through said slot.

4. A well casing interliner comprising a tubular resilient member, a pair of plates mounted on the inner and outer surfaces of said tubular resilient member in coplanar relationship therewith, means extending through said resilient member and said plates for securing them to said resilient member and one another, an elongated recess formed in a portion of said resilient member intermediate said plates, a slot formed in one of said plates and overlying said recess, a boss formed on said one of said plates and extending into said recess, a seat formed on said boss, a keeper plate mounted on said boss, an elongated latch member positioned in said recess and terminating in a transversely extending pin member at one end thereof, said keeper plate having a pair of depending spaced segments engaging said pin member for retaining same in p-ivotal engagement with said seat, and a spring ailxed to said boss and engaging said latch mem-ber for pivotally urging same outwardly from said recess and through said slot.

5. In a well casing consisting of a plurality of pipe lengths connected in series by threaded couplings and forming gaps between adjacent pipe lengths, an interliner comprising an elongated tubular resilient member whose external diameter is substantially equal to the internal diameter of said casing for engaging and gripping said casing when positioned therein, a substantially rigid a-t member mounted on the outer face of said resilient member in coplanar relationship therewith, a recess formed in said resilient member beneath said rigid mem-ber, a slot formed in said rigid member and overlying said recess, an elongated latch member pivotally mounted on said rigid member and positioned within said recess, and means connected to said rigid member and engageable with said latch member for urging same through said slot and into a gap to prevent the movement of said resilient member in at least one direction within said casing.

6. In a well casing consisting of a plurality of pipe lengths connected in series by threaded couplings and forming gaps between adjacent pipe lengths, an interliner comprising an elongated tubular resilient member whose external diameter is substantially equal to the internal diameter of said casing for engaging and gripping said casing when positioned therein, a plate mounted on the outer face of said resilient member in coplanar relationship therewith, a Irecess formed in said resilient member beneath said plate, a slot formed in said plate and overlying said recess, a Iboss formed on said plate superjacent said slot and arranged to extend into said recess, a latch member positioned within said recess, a keeper plate mounted on said boss and engaging said latch member to retain same yin pivotal engagement with said boss, and spring means connected to said boss and engaging said latch member for pivotally urging same through said slot and into a gap to prevent the movement of said resilient member in one direction within said casing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Ashbrook 166-179 X Roe 166-179 X Teague et a1. 166-207 Vestermark 166--100 Fons et al, 166--207 Lacey 166-120 10 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

IAN A. CALVERT, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

2. A WELL CASING SEALANT MEMBER COMPRISING A RESILIENT TUBULAR INTERLINER, A MEMBER MOUNTED ON THE OUTER FACE OF SAID INTERLINER, A RECESS FORMED IN SAID INTERLINER BENEATH SAID MEMBER, A SLOT FORMED IN SAID MEMBER AND OVERLYING SAID RECESS, AND ELONGATED ELEMENT PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID MEMBER AND POSITIONED WITHIN SAID RECESS, AND A SPRING CONNECTED TO SAID ELEMENT FOR URGING SAME OUTWARDLY FROM SAID RECESS AND THROUGH SAID SLOT.