US2498791A - Well device - Google Patents

Description

\ Feb. 28, 1950 J. M. CLARK 2,498,791

WELL DEVICE Filed June 22, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet l Z4 25 \r C as 42 A? 2 1 j James M. Clark 5 25 INVENTOR.

v BY Febo 28, 1950 I J, CLARK 2,498,791 WELL DEVICE Filed June 22, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Feb. 28, 1950 J. M. CLARK 2,498,791

WELL DEVICE Filed June 22, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTUE/Vfy 5y 6 James MClark INVENTOR.

Feb. 28, 1950 J. M. CLARK 2,498,791

WELL DEVICE Filed June 22 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 James M. Clark INVENTOR.

BY X

Patented 2 8, 1 95 0 UNITED p i eiaissnsi WELL nnvror:

James 615th, Cartilage, 'i eiil nispfieetimmfietei 1946; 'sriaij No: iaess 7'" la-irnsi (01. 1566-15) lar'ly adaptable for use with well packers; al

though it may be" used with other welldevices which are designed to be lowered into a well bore and locked in place therein;

An important objectof the'invention is prof-j vide a well device having an improvedlocking mechanism includinglocking elementsexpansibie to looking position when rotation of ectuaw ing mechanism; and wherein said actuating mechanism also'efiectsdistortion of a sealing eie merit into sealing position; the well' device: being readily removable from locked sealing position by upward movement of the weil'flow conductor to which it is attached, whereby removal of the device fromtlie well bore may be acc'onipiislied without the necessity of rotation: of any of-- the parts."

A further object-of the iriventiorr is w provide an improved well device or the' character. described which is particularly adaptable for use as a-well packer and having-sealingmeainswhich is--held inseaiing position by" mechanical -distortk i-n'g means, whereby thedeirice provi'd'es-fb1- arise: tiveseal against pressures-- from above: or below the device.

A particular objectof the invention is to pro: vide a well device; of the character described"; having anchoring means and sealing means arranged to be actuated-to anchoringpositionand to scaling position by rotation-of theweil flow conductor to which the-device is connected, a'c tuationof the anchoring and-sealingmeans-"be: ing effected by threaded members; I one" of which is expansible or retractible from threaded" en= Y gagementwith the other, whereby the threaded engagement normally" holding the anchoring means" and sealing; meansin expanded anchoring andsealing position may be'released to permit retractionof such anchoring and-sealing means fromexpanded position, and the well: device may beremoved from the well upon anupward; pull or the well flowconductor to whichitis art-1 tached.-

Additional objects and advantages of the in-: vention will readily be apparent from a reading of the following description of a device construct: ed in accordancewith the invention, and ie ierence to the accorr'rpamringdrawings, wherein: Figure I is a-view partlyin elevation and partly in section on the upper port-i0 of a well device constructed" in" accordance witHthe" in tenet-m, and showing" me sain'e in positiorr for loweringihteawell-bore; v H Figure 2 is a-eontinuation of Figure 1; show ing the lower portion or the device; Figure '3 is a" view, partly inelevation and partly in se'ctiom of the" upper portion or the device;-- showing the satire in= locked position in the wellbore";

Figure 4 is' a continuation of Figure" 3'; showing the lower portion of the device in looked posi ti'ony r V r.

, Figure 5' is a viewypartly in elevationtand part-,- ly in s'ettionpnof thetupper portion of the .device, showing the same in" retracted or removing po-j Sitioli;

Figure 6 is a continuation of Figure 5, show: ing'" the lower portion of the device in retracted position, i t

Figures 7 through Qare horizontal cross-sec;- tiona'l views taken onthe lines 1-1, 8-8, and

of 1 e g i i i. "3,

' Figure" 10 isa horizontal cross-sectional view taken-on the line ill- &0 of,Figure 3, and H Figure His; 2: horizontal. eross sectional View taker-1 ontheline I i- 110f. Ffi'g-ulfefi,

he drawi s- 5.ihe'mmer lJ5 des n tes, l ai u u a me relqh ipei a az he e l6 extending therethrough. The lower end of the ma dre i ro ided: K113111311; exter alee nular flange or;col-iar I] whichis illustrated as ein threa ed 01 he m d el but m rt-he affixed thereto; by v welding; or otherwise 1 The r oi: t e wll zis;.Pmfidedfl hcrtw.. h d w by a: we ew end-149w: ,o tu in G ip in e eme ts torisl {hay n se rations or gripping teeth l8'a formed on theinouter r e s? re qi ee ie iqihes l ar. 1:1 ynmeees o l n ate n neih ql s '5 wh re R ies we .b ip w l- Qam q rweu p ses al o which W e h rei in x ei ed-a T emes;

thereto,

i e fl n e al ns oi n ada ted in efiea i ween e slips' l a to force said slips outwardly'intogrip face 23 thereon i s .sl dable;on;th mandtelgbotie' ping engagement with the wal1 of the well casing C. An elongate cylindrical sleeve 24 is connected to the upper end of the expander member 22 and is slidable therewith on the mandrel. An elongate flexible packing sleeve or element 25, made of fabric-reinforced rubber, neoprene, or other suitable material, surrounds the expander sleeve 24 and has its lower end reduced and confined within an annular groove 26 formed in the upper end of theexpander member. The upper end of the packing sleeve is also reduced slightly in diameter and is tightly engaged by an annular thimble 21 which is slidable on the expander sleeve and is confined thereon by means of a rebore of the bell member and are adapted to engage within the slots 38 formed in the actuating cylinder, whereby rotation of the bell member imparts rotation to the actuating cylinder. An abutment or stop ring 48 is mounted within the upper end of the bell member and the lower surface of the ring is adapted to be engaged by the upper end of the actuating cylinder to limit upward movement of the cylinder within the bell member. a i

The upper end of the'bell member is reduced and provided with internal screw threads and a tubular adapter member or sub 50 is connected thereto. The upper end of the bore of the sub is also reduced and is provided with internal screw threads which are arranged to be connected to 7 the lower end of a well flow conductor or tubing member 22 is enlarged to provide a packing recess 30 in which a packing member 3!, preferably a plurality of inverted V-shaped packing rings, is confined by means of a gland nut 32 threaded into the recess. Obviously, the packing rings may be arranged to face both upwardly and downwardly to seal against pressures from both above and below to prevent flow of fluid in either direction between the exterior of the mandrel and the bore of the expander member.

Above the upper end of the expander sleeve 24, the mandrel is provided with an external annular enlargement 33 which is formed with external screw threads 34, preferably coarse Acme or coarse round threads. For ease of manufacture and assembly, the mandrel is formed in two sections which are joined by screw threads, preferably at this enlarged section 33 as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 3.

An actuating member or cylinder 35, having at its mid-portion a short section of internal screw threads 35 corresponding to the external threads 34 on the mandrel, telescopes the upper end of the mandrel and is adapted to have its internal threads mesh with the external threads on the mandrel. An internal annular flange 31 is formed at thelower end of the cylinder and this flange is slidably confined on the expander sleeve 24 between the retaining nut 28 and the thimble 21, for purposes which will hereinafter be explained. I

The cylinder is provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending slots'38 spaced equidistant around the periphery thereof and extending from a point slightly above the-internal flange '31 to the upper-end of the cylinder, whereby the cylinder is divided into a plurality of sections 39 which-are normally resiliently spread outwardly at their upper ends, as shown in Figure 5.

The upper end of the actuating cylinder is provided with an annular external flange 40 forming a downwardly facing annular shoulder 41 therebeneath. The upper portion of the flange 40 is'substantially frusto-conical in shape to form tapered surfaces 42 on the upper outer ends of the sections 39 which are adapted to ride upon correspondingly tapered surfaces 43 formed in the bore of a bell member 44 which telescopes the upper end of the mandrel and the upper end of the actuating cylinder. The bell member 44 has an internal annular flange 45 at its lower end providing an upwardly facing shoulder 46 which is adapted to be engaged by the downwardly facing shoulders 4| on the actuating cylinder sections 39 when said sections are spread apart in the manner illustrated in Figure 5. A plurality of radially inwardly extending longitudinal ribs 41 are provided in the T, whereby the device may be lowered into the well bore by means of such well flow' conductor.

A plurality of inwardly extending lugs 49 are provided in the reduced bore of the bell member above the ring 48, and the upper end of the mandrel I5 is adapted to slide between these lugs. A ring of packing 5| is mounted on the upper end of the mandrel between a retaining nut 52 and a stop ring or nut 53 which are screwthreaded onto the upper end of the mandrel. The diameters of the retaining nut and the stop nut are slightly less than the bore of the sub 50 whereby they are slidable therein, and the packing ring is arranged to seal between the bore wall of the sub and the exterior of the mandrel to prevent fluid leakage therebetween in either direction. This packing arrangement is retained within the bore of the sub and is slidable therein between the lugs 49 at the upper end of the bell member and the reduced upper end of the bore of the sub.

It will be seen, therefore, that the mandrel is slidably connected with the tubing string or flow conductor T and that the assembly may be suspended from such well flow conductor.

In use, the well flow conductor or tubing T is connected to the lower end of the collar I7 and to the upper end of the sub 50, as clearly illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, and the device is then lowered into the well casing C by means of such tubing. During the lowering operation, the parts of the device assume the position illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, wherein the bell member 44 is moved downwardly with respect to the actuating cylinder 35 until the upper ends of the sections 39 engage the stop ring 48. In this position, the short section of internal screw threads 38 at the mid-portion of the cylinder is positioned above and out of mesh with the external threads 34 on the enlarged portion 33 of the mandrel. It will be seen, therefore, that as the tubing is lowered the stop ring 58 acts upon the upper end of the cylinder 35 to move the same downwardly, and, since the internal screw threads of the cylinder 35 are out of mesh with and above the external screw threads of the enlarged section 33 of the mandrel, it is apparent that the lower end of the internal screw threads of the cylinder will engage the upper end of the external screw threads of the mandrel to impartdownward movement to the mandrel.

The internal annular flange at the lower end of the actuating cylinder 35 is engaged under the retaining collar 28 at the upper end of the expander member sleeve 24; whereby the expander member and the packing sleeve 25 carried thereby are supported by such flange and are thus so positioned that the slips l8 are located adjacent the ping" position and the device may readily be lowered into thewell casing;

When the depth in the well bore at which it is desired to set" the well device has been reached, the upper portion of the well How conductor or tubing T is'rotated in' a clockwise direction toimpart rotatiorr to" the bell member Rotation of the bell member is transmitted by means of the ribs i=1 to the-actuating cylinder 35 to causeits internal screw thread section 38- tomesh with the external screw' threads 34' on the mandrel". The mandrel is restrained against rotation by the frictional engagement of the: bowed mid portions otthespring arms f9; whichare connected to the collar N at the lower end of said mandrel, with the inner wall of" the well casing. C. Therefore; rotation of the tubing T will causethe bell member'to rotate the actuating cylinder 35, while the mandrel I5 is restrained against rotation the frictional engagement of the spring arrns with. the casing.

Upon. continued rotation, the meshing of the" threads 36 on: the cylinder with the threads 3'4 on the mandrel causes the cylinder to move downwardly with respectto the mandrel. This downward movement of the cylinder causes lower end to engage the thimble 21 at the upper end. of the packing sleeve and to move the packing: sleeve and the expander member 22' downwardly relative to'the mandrel, whereby the frusto-conical section 23"- of the" expander mem--- ber' isi-moved downwardly between the slips I8 to force the same outwardly intogripping engagement with the casing.

When the: expander." member has forced the gripping slips [3 into tight gripping engagement with the casing G, the expander member is' held stationary and continued downward movement of the actuating cylinder 3'5 forces the thimble 21' downwardly toward the expander member 22' to distort the: packing sleeve 25 therebetween-ihto sealing engagement with the wall of the casing, as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4". Rotation of the well tubing is continued until a tight gri-pping engagemenet oi the slipsf8 with the casing is: obtained and the packing sleeve 25 is distorted? intoa positive sealing engagement with the cas The parts of the device have, at this time, as-- sumed theposition illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 and the packer is set in anchored sealing position in the well casing. Well fluids from below" the packer will enter the well tubing '1 therebelowand flow therethrough, through the man drel [5, the sub 58 and the tubing T above the packer to the surface of the well. The well fluid cannot by-pass the packer because of the pro vision of the packing gland 3| at the lower end of the expander member. Fluid pressure above the packer cannot enter the packer mandrel be"- cause of the sealing engagement of the ring' 5+ with the exterior of the mandrel and the interior of the sub 50.

It will be seen, therefore, that the locking elements and packing sleeve are expanded into anchored sealing position, by the mechanical actuation of the actuating cylinder which is screw threaded onto the enlargement 33 formed on the mandrel, and are positively and mechanically held in such anchored sealing, position independently of the weight of the well tubingto provide an effective .seal against pressures from above or below the device.

when it is: desired toremove the packer from the well bore; it is: onlynecessary to-liit= the well How conductor ortubing T. Such upward move-- ment of the tubing raises the bell member 44 to move the tapered surfaces 43 upwardlywith re spect' tothe upper ends of the sections 39* of the actuating cylinder; whereby said sections are permitted to resiliently spread outwardly at their upper ends inthe manner illustrated-in Figure 5.

' Ii'rsuch position the shoulder' 41- below the flange 011 the upper end of the cylinder engages and is supported: upon the upwardly facing shoulder 46 at the lower end oftheb'el'l member and the sections are spread sufiiciently wide apart at their upper ends to completely free the internal screw thread section 3 6 frommeshing engagement or interference with the external threads SE- the mandrel-L Continued upward move-- merit of the bell member is transmitted, through the engagement of the" shoulders" 41 and 46; to the internal flange 31 at the lower end of the actuating cylinder tocausethe same to engage the; under side of the retaining collar 2'8 at the upper" end of the expander sleeve i l tolift said sleeve and thus lift the expander member 22' carried thereby upwardly from between the gripping slips I8 The gripping slips are restrained against movement by the frictional engagement of the bowed spring arms I 9 with the casing, whereby the packing sleeve and the expander member 22 may be moved upwardly with respect to said slips to permit retraction of the packing sleeve and the slips. 'Ihe engagement of the bowed spring arms w-ith-the casing also prevents upward movement of the mandrel l5. Since the upper ends of the sections 39' of" the actuating cylinder are permitted to spread outwardly a sufficient distance to completely free the internal screw thread" section 36 from meshing engagement the external screw threads 34'- on the mandrel, the actuating cylinder may be moved upwardly with respect to the mandrel or, conversely, the mandrel may inefiectmove downwardly with respect to the actuating cylinder and the parts" carried thereby, to" permit the slips HP to move toretracted non-gripping position.

The mandrel will continue to remain substantially stationary until the" stop ring or nut 53 at the upper end thereof is engaged by the inwardly facing lugs 49 at the" upper end of the bore of the bell member. Continued upward movement of the welltubing will then lift the entire devicefrom within the well casing, with the partsinthe position shown in Figures 5 and 6.

Should it be desired to reset the packer, the well tub'mg may-be again lowered to move the bell member downwardlyand cause the tapered surfaces 43* toengagethe tapered-upper ends 42 of the resilient sections 59, of the actuating cylinder to press the upper end'soi such sections inwardly to the position illustrated in Figure 1 whereupon the cylinder may againbe rotated to expand the slips and packi'ng'sleeve'into anchoring and sealing position in the manner already described. Or; if desired, the packer may be first moved further" upwardly or downwardly within the well to anew position and then anchored.

. From the foregoing, it will be seen that a. well device has been provided having locking elements which are expahsib'le to locking position upon rotation of an actuating mechanism and wherein the locking elements are held in such locking or anchoring position mechanically by said actuatlng. mechanism, and independently of the weight of the well flow'conductor, until it is"de- 7, sired to remove the device from within the well bore; the device being readily removablef rorn locked position by upward movement of the well flow conductor to which it is connected, whereby removal is efiected without the necessity of retation of any of the parts ineither direction. Thus,

the mechanical difficulties normally attendant upon locking mechanisms expanded into locking torting and maintaining the packing elementin such distorted sealing position independently .of the weight of the well flow conductor, whereby an effective seal is provided against pressures from either above or below the device; the packer being removable from the well bore upon upward movement of the well flow conductor to which it is connected without the necessity of rotation of the conductor or any parts of the device.

Also, the device may be released from anchoring position and moved to a new'elevation in the well bore, either above or below the original position, and reanchored therein.

It will also readily be seen that, while the device has been illustrated and described as including the improved locking mechanism in combination with a well packing sleeve, the locking mechanism may very well be used with other Well devices which are designed to be lowered into a well bore and locked in place therein, such as cementing plugs, cementing squeeze plugs, liners, and the like.

The foregoing desoriptionof the invention is explanatory only, and changes in the details of the construction illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from thespirit of the invention. a V a What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a well device, the combination including, an elongate tubular mandrel having an external screw threaded section, expansible gripping means carried by the mandrel, expander means slidable on the mandrel and.v adapted to engage the gripping means to move said gripping means to gripping position upon longitudinal movement of the expander means in one direction relative to the mandrel, actuating means for the expander means movable on the mandrel and having an internal screw thread adapted to engage with the thread on said mandrel, said actuating means being divided whereby it may be opened to anonengaging position with respect to the external thread on the mandrel, and means for normally maintaining the actuating rneans inposition for the internal thread thereof to engage and mesh with the thread on the mandrel.

2. In :a well device, the combination including, an elongate tubular mandrel having an external screw threaded section, means carried by the mandrel, expander means slidable on the mandrel and adapted to engage the gripping means to move said gripping means to gripping position upon longitudinal movement of the expander means in one direction relative expansible gripping to the mandrel, actuating means for the expander means movable on the mandrel and having an internal screw thread adapted to engage with the thread on said mandrel, said actuating means being divided whereby it may be opened to a nonengaging position with respect to the external thread on the mandrel, means for normally maintaining the actuating means in position for the internal thread thereof to engage and mesh with the thread on the mandrel, and means carried by said maintaining means and engaging the actuating means for imparting rotation from the said maintaining means to the actuating means to move the same into engagement with the expander means to move said expander means for expanding said gripping means to gripping position, said maintaining means being movable with respect to the actuating means to permit the,

actuating means to open, and means urging said actuating means to open position to disengage the thread therein from the thread on the man-,

drel to permit the expander means to move in the opposite direction from engagement with the gripping means to permit retraction of the gripping means from gripping position.

3. In a well device, the combination including an elongate tubular mandrel having an external screw threaded section, expansible gripping means carried by the mandrel, expander means slidable on the mandrel and adapted to engage the gripping means to move said gripping means.

to gripping position upon longitudinal movement of the expander means in one direction relative to the mandrel, actuating means for the expan-,. der means movable on the mandrel and having,

an internal screw threaded section adapted to engage with the threads on said mandrel, said actuating means being slotted from one end through said threaded section and resiliently spread outwardly whereby said threaded section is urged to spread apart to a non-engaging position with respect to the external thread on the mandrel, and means for normally maintaining the actuating means in position for the internal thread thereof to engage and mesh with the thread on the mandrel.

4. In a well device, the combination including, an elongate tubular mandrel having an external screw threaded section, expansible gripping means carried by the mandrel, expander meansslidable on the mandrel and adapted to engage the gripping means to move said gripping means to gripping position upon longitudinal movement of the expandermeans in one direction relative to the mandrel, actuating means for the expander means movable on the mandrel and having an internal screw thread adapted to engage with the thread on the mandrel, said actuating means being divided whereby it may be opened to a non-engaging position with respect to the external threadon the mandrel, and means for normally maintaining the actuating means in po sition for the internal thread thereof to engage and mesh with the thread on the mandrel, said maintaining means being movable with respect to .the actuating means to permit the actuating means to open, and means for opening said actuating means to disengage the thread therein from the thread on the mandrel to permit the expander means to move in the opposite direction from engagement with the gripping means to permit retraction of the gripping means from gripping position.

5. In a wall device, the combination including, an elongate tubular mandrel having an external screw threaded section, expansible gripping means carried by the mandrel, expander means slidable on the mandrel and adapted to engage the gripping means to move said gripping means to gripping position upon longitudinal movement of the expander means in one direction relative to the mandrel, actuating means for the expander means movable on the mandrel and having an internal screw thread adapted to engage with the thread on said mandrel, said actuating means being divided whereby it may be opened to a nonengaging position with respect to the external thread on the mandrel, means for normally maintaining the actuating means in position for the internal thread thereof to engage and mesh with the thread on the mandrel, and means for imparting rotation to the actuating means to move the same into engagement with the expander means to move said expander means for expanding said gripping means to gripping position, said maintaining means being movable with respect to the actuating means to permit the actuating means to open, and means for opening said actuating means to disengage the thread therein from the thread on the mandrel to permit the expander means to move in the opposite direction from engagement with the gripping means to permit retraction of the gripping means from gripping position.

6. A well device including, an elongate tubular mandrel having an external screw threaded section, expansible gripping means carried by the mandrel, expander means slidable on the mandrel and adapted to engage the gripping means to move said gripping means to gripping position upon longitudinal movement of the expander means in one direction relative to the mandrel, actuating means for the expander means movable on the mandrel and having an internal screw threaded section adapted to engage with the threads on said mandrel, said actuating means being slotted from one end through said threaded section and resiliently spread outwardly whereby said threaded section is urged to spread apart to a non-engaging position with respect to the external thread on the mandrel, a bell member engaging over the slotted section of said actuating means for normally maintaining the slotted, threaded section of the actuating means in position to engage and mesh with the thread on the mandrel, and means carried by the bell member and engaging the actuating means for imparting rotation from the bell member to the actuating means to move the same into engagement with the expander means to move said expander means for expanding said gripping means to gripping position, said bell member being movable with respect to the actuating means to permit said slotted section thereof to spread apart to disengage the thread therein from the thread on the mandrel to permit the expander means to move in the opposite direction from engagement with the gripping means to permit retraction of the gripping means from gripping posltion.

7. A well device including, an elongate tubular mandrel having an enlarged external screw threaded section near its mid-portion, a sleeve telescoping the upper end of the mandrel and forming a lost-motion connecting means for connecting the mandrel with a well flow conductor, expansible gripping means carried by the mandrel, an expander member slidable on the mandrel below the enlarged portion and above the gripping means and having a wedge surface adapted to engage the gripping means to move said gripping means to gripping position upon longitudinal movement of the expander in one direction relative to the mandrel, an actuating cylinder movable on the mandrel and having an internal screw threaded section adapted to engage with the threads on the enlarged portion of the mandrel, said cylinder being provided with a plurality of longitudinal slots extending throughout the major portion thereof so as to permit the section of the upper end of the cylinder defined by said longitudinal slots to spread apart whereby the internal threaded section is moved to non-interfering non-engaging position with respect to the external threads on the mandrel, a bell member carried by the lost-motion connecting sleeve and engaging over the spreadable sections of the actuating cylinder for normally maintaining said spreadable sections of the upper portion of the actuating cylinder in retracted unexpanded position for the internal threaded section to engage and mesh with the threads on the mandrel, and means carried by the bell member and engaging the actuating cylinder for imparting rotation from the bell member to the cylinder to move the same downward- 1y into engagement with the expander member to move said expander member with respect to the gripping means for expanding said gripping means to gripping position, said bell member being movable upwardly with respect to the cylinder to permit the spreadable longitudinal sections of the upper portion of the cylinder to spread to disengage the threaded section therein from the threads on the mandrel to permit the expander member to move in the opposite direction from engagement with the gripping means to permit retraction of the gripping means from gripping position.

JAMES M. CLARK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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