USRE14756E - Oil-well screen - Google Patents

Description

C. N. SCOTT.

OIL WELL SCREEN.

@fruclmou FILED mm1, Isls.

Reissued Nov. 18, 19.19.

1N VENTUR.

. S ce# A TIGR/v5 Y.

l STATES PATENT CLARENCE Il. SCOTT,

or noUsToir, TEx'As, Assieivon, EYnEsNEAssIGNMENTs, To THE Tinus conm, s CORPORATION or TExss.

OIL-WELL SCREW. v

reissue ledxprll 11, 1919. Serial 170.289,43?.4

To all 'whom/it may concern:

Be it known that'I, CLARENCE N. Soo'rr,

a subject of the' of AGreat Britain, re-

siding at Houston, arris county, State of Texas, have invented certain newv and useful Improvements in jOil-Well Screens, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for preventing the choking of oil and gas wells with sand, and has special reference to screens or strainers which 'are located in the oil stratumand are sealed tothe ,casing at the;-

' bottom of the well.

' permit fine larticles of sand to pass bed-of Metal strainers or screens have been used in oil and` gas wells for holding 'back the sand in order to allow the oil to How,

b reventing the kclogging of the well. ovgever, when oil wells have been drilled into a stratum containing a large quantity of line sand as well as coarser sand, great diiiiculty has been experienced in making -the well produce-for any length of time, because the usual metal screens are rapidly de. strotyed by the cutting action of the fine san as it passes with the voil through the small openings of the screen. l

If a screen could'be made suiliciently fin `tofhold back the iinesand as well as the.

coarser sand, vthe fine sand would pack around the outside of` the screen and prevent any materinal flow o f oil. v

One object of my invention is to provide a strainer or screen that-shall be ada ted e and out o the well without cutting t cut permanent strainer to hold 'back the coarser Ilarticles of sand, building up a. llarge of the strainer, and thus permitting the free flow of oil and materially increasing the production of the well. In the carrying out of my mvention I prefer to utilize a screen composed of an aggregate such as, for example,a mass of nu ar lparticles of carborundum or other ard substance packed between erforated retaining wallsof metal or space screens.

The granular articles of carborundum lor the like are hel lirmly packed bya spring or other suitable means which holds the mass under compression and prevents any movement of the particles within `the retaining walls. The carborundum particles passage of lthefine sand.

By the'use of my invention an oil stratum s coarser' sand around the outside shown in the drawing 5 but ythey are sufficiently 'hardl to resist all Wear due to the containing very fine sand is soon converted into1 a stratum composed entirely of relaive readily flows and it enables large 'quantities not4 hitherto been available.

. IOther objects land advantages of my -inof oil toxbe produced in fields which-have ventionfwill beset forth hereinafter, and

1n order that my invention may be 'thoroughl' understood I will now 'proceed -to Ade'scri the Samef'i'n detail in thefollowing specification ,and lwill then point out `the novel features thereof in appended claims.

of my inventiomfand 2 S- a AVert-ical Sectional `modi ed form thereof.

November 1,1916. Application for y' coarse sand, through which the oil Specification Reissued-Zlietters Patent." ReisSued`Nmj18, 1919, origini lo. 1,272,540, dma J'uiy is, isis, semi no. 138,940, mea l l y Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a l Screen vwhich constitutes one embodimentH thereof. The bore is usually contracted be- .l 'i

f lowthe lowerend of this casing, forming an annular shoulder'which 'supports the caslng,

the lower or contracted part of thebore extending through the oil stratum and receiving the' perforated liner 3, as shown in Fig. 1. T e screen proper comprises two concentrically arranged foramlnou's pi es 4 and 5, leach of which has a plurality o perforations orslots to' permit the free inflow of fluid and may be wrapped with screen wire as 6 and 7 1u the well. known manner, said'wire being Secured to the outer side ofsaid pipesinl any preferred manner andthe spirals or turns thereof, bein spaced apart, forming slits throu h whicthe fluid and sands may enter but w ichprevent the escape of the granuterial placed to be retained between pipes 4 and 5. Said pipes 4 and 5 are to be wrapped with wire from end. to end as or the perforations or slots inthe pipes 4 and 5 may be suii'iciently small as to requireno wire 'wrappin The perforated liner 3 fits comparative y closely over the screen ipe 4 but the inner screen pipe 5 is spacedpa considerable dislar particles of carborundumor other matetance from the pipe 4, being considerably smaller in diameter, so as to provide an inscreening pipe 4 is free tervening s ace for the aggre tel 8 whichis composedppreferab '.'enters the inner. screen pipe 5 and is deflivered through the tube 9 to the surface of 10 the ground. The upper end ofthepipe 3 is threaded into a collar 10 which is secured in the lower end of the casing 1 by means of a Y lead seal 12. The upper end ofthe collar 10 flares outwardly and supports the vcoupling member 13 and interposed .between is reduced and outwardly threaded an said coupling has va central passageway therethrough v,into which the screen` `ipe 5 and the alined tube 9 are threaded as s own.

,Surrounding the screen pipe 5 near its upper` end and resting against the aggregate 8 is any,

annular collar 16, interposed-between which I and the coupling 13 is a coil spring 1'( which holds said c'ollar againstsai aggregate to 'keep' the sameclosely', packed. Threaded' of circumferentiall into thelowei end-of the pipe 4 is a valve seat 18 having a fluid 20. l e passa way 19 separates" into Aa' plurality of ra iating passageways below said seat. Into the lower end ofthe seat 18 a glug 21 is screwed, having a-coil spring 22 w ch normally rests against the valve and holds .the same closed and prevents the admission' of oil from beneath,up through [the passageway 1'9. Arin nut 23 is thread ed onto theseat-18 an has a plurality which hold the pipe 4- centered and the 'lowerv end1of the Screen pipe 5 rmects into the passageway 19 ofthe seat van said pipe is -thereby held centered relative to the screen.

` water is lforcedgdown through the tube 9, and the pressure thereof unseats the valve In case it is desired to ywash the screen out,

20 and permits the fluid to pass out through the lower end of the screen land up and out through the annular Space between pipes?, and 4 whenthe member 13 israised olf of -its of screen'wherein the numeral 25 indicates isaquantity oli-aggregate 2 8. referably comsed of small-particles o carborimdum.

ecured onto the lower end of pipe 25 is a collar 29 whose lowerend receives agland 80 which is held in position by means ofthe 27 and percolates oil andgas from the well.l this coupling member and the collar is the gasket 15 formed of leather .or other suitable 1 material.l The lower end of the coupliig 13 passageway 19 therethrou h which is controlled by theball valvethroughv which 4line yoil sand' ma lis claims distributed spacers 24l alpipewhich has a foraminous or perforated ate gland 30and the disk .27 is a stron coil spring 32 which operates against sai disk and holds the gregate 28 closel acked together. ag y p In this form of screen, the oil iows through the -perforations in the disk and passes thence through theperforations rough the aggregate 28l ofthe plate 26 into the pipe 25T and thence to the surface of the ground as hereinbefore ex lained.

' term oil well outlet as used in the' v f to the claims is 'intended to refer.l broadl casing .or 'tubing or whatever'eon ucts the Furthermore, oil well is'used broadly throughification and claims as referrin the term out the `s to oilan wells'or wells producing bot I aware that filtershave been consi 4stru :ted.of perforated retaining walls or screens between' which granularparticles,

such as powderedjchareoal, are packed.

Filters bf vthis character are; however, ar'-,V

ranged and adapted to separate out all particles held in suspension in the liquid to be' filtered, and they dependon the porosity of 1 the material instead of o n` the interstices formed between' the articles. The screen of my invention, on t e other hand, utilizes carborunduinparticles or a similar aggregate in which the particles are non-porous andin which they are of s uicient size to form` interstices, which nstitute other words, my invention may properly thus described the'invention, what i viols i. The-combination' fa pipe adapted wtherefrom normally.. 'at4 its lower .end

but having a foraminous portion near that end, with -a foraininous pipe surrounding extend ,into a'well and deliver liquid'or gas l and concentric withthe foraminousportion of said iii-st mentioned pipe, a closely packed filling of lfine hard material between said foraininous portions, and a spring presse-d collar between said pipes bea .on said granular material to it' close y packed.

f" 2. Thecoiirbination o a well hava perforatedpipe, extending downwardly fromsaid collar, aeonductin'g-pipe extenda' surrounding' in info said casing having iis Seat.,v ing an interioroollar near the bottom, with In` Fig. 2, I have shown a modifiedy form 129:..

co ar resting on said iii-st lmentioned collar, 1 i' a foraii'iinous section constitut' nation of said conductingpipe low said foraminous section, a closely l-lpacked filling' of'inejhard granular maten between sai 1 a contuncollars, a foraminous pipe spaced from and surrounding the foraminous portions of said r foraminous pipes, an. outwardlyffoi'ieiiisc ing automatic valve at the lower end of the foraminous section of said conducting pipe.

: of fine hard 3. The combination of 4a. well casing haiu in'g an interior collar near thebottom, with a perforated pipe extending downwardly from said collar, a conducting pipe extendingpinto said casing havingl a surrounding collar resting on said first mentioned collar, a .foraminous section constituting) a continuation of said conducting pipe elow-=sa1d collars, a foraminous pipe spaced from vand surrounding the -foraminous portion of said foraminous section, a closely7 packed llin of fine hard granular materlal between sai foraminous pipes, and means for exerting a yielding pressure on said filling to keep it tightly packed.

4. The combination of a well casing having an interior colllarnear the bottom, with a perforated pipe extending downwardly from said collar, a conducting pipe extendin into. said casi having a surrounding co lar resting on said first mentioned collar, a foraminous section constitutin a continuation of said conducting pipe low lsaid collars, a foraminous pipe spaced from and surrounding the foraminous portion of said foraminous section, a closely packed fillin ular material between saingi foraminous pipes, Iand a spring pressed collar between said foraminous section and sur rounding foraminous tlpipe ibearing on the upper surface of said ling material.

5. The combination with a tubular well casing having an inwardly extending tapering seat on its interior near the bottom, of a conducting pipe extending into said casing having an external tapering seat fitting and making close joint with said seat on said casing, concentric foraminous tubular extensions of said conducting pipe below said seats, a closely packed filling of hard fine granular material between said concentric foraminous extensions, means for closing the lower end of said extensions, and an automatic outwardly openingV valve in said closure at the lower end of the inner concentric extension.

6. The combination with a tubular well casing having an inwardly extending tapering seat on its interior near the bottom, of'a conducting pipe extending into said Casin `having an external tapering seat fitting an making close joint with said seat on said casing, concentric foraminous tubular extensions of said conductin pipe below said seats, a closely packed filing of hard fine granular material between said concentric foraminous extensions, means for closing the lower end of said extensions, and-.a sprin pressed ring at the upper ends of said oraminous extensions bearing on said granular material to keep it closely packed.

7.. The combination of an oil Iwell outlet and means for holding back the coarser sand of the oil stratum without interfering with the continuous flow of the" fine sand with the oil, said means comprising a screen.

composed of an aggregate of carborundum particles.

8. The combination of an`oil well outletandmeans for holding back the coarser sand of the oil .stratum without interferin the flow of the -fine sand with the oi said means comprlsing ascreen composed of an 'aggregate of particles which are hard relative to the fine. sand which is permitted to flow through the screen with the oil.

In testimony whereof 'I affix my signature, this 3rd day of April, 1919.

CLARENCE N. SCOTT.

with V

Images