US3160210A - Dry chemical applicator for oil wells - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 8, 1964 c. B. BREWER 3,160,210

DRY CHEMICAL APPLICATOR FOR OIL WELLS Filed April 5, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.

50 96 Clyde 8. Brewer 92 I L02 g INVENTOR.

i -W 90 98 I00 7 BY 8M5?! Dec. 8, 1964 c. B. BREWER 3,160,210

DRY CHEMICAL APPLICATOR FOR OIL WELLS Filed April 5, 1962 42 2 ha: 36 4a A A /A\\\ A Clyde 8. Brewer INVENTOR.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3,169,210 DRY CHEMICAL APPLICATGR FOR OIL WELLS Clyde B. Brewer, 424 2nd St. W., Roundup, Mont.

Filed Apr. 5, 1962, er. No. 185,413 Claims. (Cl. 166-45) This invention comprises a novel and useful dry chemical applicator for oil wells and more particularly pertains to an apparatus which is manually operable to effect intermittent or continuous applications of a dry chemical agent in measured quantities into the well casing head of a flowing or producing oil well.

It is frequently desirable to inject or introduce measured quantities of a chemical agent and particularly of a dry chemical in pelletized or powdered form into a well casing during the flowing or producing of the well without the necessity for discontinuing production from the well during such injection. Such injection, however, requires the forcible introduction of the treating agent in opposition to the pressure prevailing within the well casing. Further, it is obviously necessary to prevent the pressure of the flowing well from passing backward through the chemical introducing device thereby detrimentally aifecting the operation of the latter.

It is therefore the primary purpose of this invention to provide a mechanically operated device for effecting the forcible injections of chemicals and particularly a dry chemical into the casing head of a flowing or producing Well in readily controlled quantities.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device in accordance with the foregoing objects wherein the positive action of an auger screw may be beneficially and satisfactorily employed as the injecting means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device in conformity with the foregoing objects which shall reduce the pressure required to introduce the treating agent by equalizing the well pressure on both sides of the treating agent in the hopper and in the injecting device.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus in conformity with the preceding objects which shall be of simple construction and one which will permit ready and easy servicing, inspection or repairs as may be necessary.

Still another purpose of the invention is to provide an injecting device in accordance with the foregoing objects which will be quickly and easily cut off from communication with the well casing head Whenever such action is desirable.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter ice struction of manual operating means for the injector; and

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the arrangement of FIGURE 5.

In the accompanying drawings, the chemical agent injecting apparatus is indicated generally by the numeral 10 and is shown in FIGURE 2 as being operatively con nected to the well casing head 12 of the casing 14 of a flowing or producing oil well. Thiscasing head is of any conventional character and may consist of the usual Christmas tree if desired. Shown at 16 is the tubing string extending through the casing head 12 and by means of which fluid is produced from the well.

Disposed between the tubing string 16 and the well casing 14 is an annulus or cylindrical space 18 therebetween and which constitutes the chamber into which a chemical treating agent such as a solid or dry chemical in pelletized or granular form as shown at 20 is to be controllably introduced or injected.

FIGURE 2 illustrates one of numerous suitable methods and manners by which the injector 19 may be operatively associated with the well in order to forcibly introduce charges of the chemical treating agent 2% thereinto. As shown in this figure, the casing head 12 is provided with a threaded bore or passage 2 therethrough in which bore is mounted the injector and through which bore is introduced the chemical treating agent in the manner illustrated.

The dry chemical applicator or injecting device comprises a tubular elongated housing 24 which may conveniently be of cylindrical configuration and which in the arrangement shown in FIGURE 2 is disposed horizontally and is threadedly engaged in the bore 22 at one extremity of this housing. At its other end, the housing is provided with an internally threaded closure member in the form of an end cap 26 which may conveniently be provided with oppositely extending rods 28 comprising handles by which the cap may be applied to or removed from the outer open end of the housing. At about its mid portion,

. there rises from the housing a hollow member 30 comdescribed and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View showing a preferred embodiment of injecting apparatus in accordance with the principles of this invention, the same being shown removed from its operative connection with an oil well or other pressure containing conduit into which a chemical is to be injected;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view, partly in vertical section and showing a preferred manner in which the injector of this invention is operatively connected to the well casing head of a flowing or producing oil well;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal sectional detail view taken upon an enlarged scale substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a further detail view in vertical transverse section taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 4--4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is an end elevational view taken from the right end of FIGURE 2 but showing a modified conprising a hopper and constituting a container for storing and for dispensing the dry chemical 20. Conveniently, the member 30 may be cylindrical as shown in FIGURE 1 and may be welded or otherwise fixedly secured to the housing 24 upon the upper surface thereof and intermediate the ends of the housing. This hopper may obviously be of any desired size and at its upper end is externally threaded to receive an internally threaded closure 32. This closure has secured to its upper end a hollow bushing or housing 34 provided with a packing gland 36 whereby a suitable packing material or seal as at 37 may be compressively engaged about the stem 38 of a follower or piston 40 which is slidably received within the hopper. The outer end of this stem is provided with a handle or hand grip as at 42 to permit lifting or raising of the follower against the force of a spring 44 which is abutted against the closure 32 and against the top surface of the follower 40 to yieldingly urge the latter downwardly in the hopper and thus to yieldingly urge the granular or dry chemical agent 20 from the hopper into the housing 24.

A conduit 46 has its opposite ends continuously communicating with the interior of the housing 24 between the hopper and the casing head and with the upper end of the hopper above the follower 40 so that the pressure prevailing in the well casing will be transmitted through the housing and may be applied to the top surface of the follower 40. There is thus an equalization of pressures upon the opposite faces of the body of the chemical treating agent to be introduced into the well whereby the action of the injector and of the spring 44 may be more effective for introducing the chemical agent into the well.

of the auger shaft 50 extends through the end cap or.

closure 26 and upon its exterior protruding end is provided with a manual operating means such as a handwheel 54 having a handle 56 thereon.

Received in the end cap 26 is a journal bearing member 58 together with a packing or sealing member 60 so as to journal the end of the auger shaft and to also effectively prevent the passage of fluid pressure from the well casing backwardly through the housing and through this end cap. To facilitate this sealing action there is provided a plate or disk 62 welded or otherwise secured to the extremity of the housing 24 and against which the packing 60 is forced by the action of the internally threaded end cap 26.

It will thus be apparent that when it is desired to remove the auger it is merely necessary to unscrew the end :ap 26 by means of the handle 28 whereupon the auger and the end cap are removed as a unit through the open end of the housing. In a similar manner, removal of the :losure cap 32 of the hopper is effected to remove the hopper follower 40 and the spring 44 therewith to thus recharge the hopper with the material 20 as may be desired.

A manually operable cut-oif means or shut-off valve is provided consisting of a valve body member 70 which is zhreadedly engaged upon the two adjacent aligned secions of the housing 24. Thus, this body has internally :hreaded tubular diametrically oppositely extending 305868 72 and 74 which are respectively engaged upon the t ma1ly threaded. xtr mi ies 76 t he m housing portion 254 and 78 of h end h us ng po 0 the atter being threaded int th bor 22 "as p ly men- :ioned. The sections and the tubular bosses are in alignnent so that the auger may be readily received there- :hrough. Received Within the shut-off valve housing or )ody is a vertically slidable gate. valve 82 operated by a randwheel 84 and Whose efieet is such that it may be Iertically shifted upwardly and downwardly to open or :lose the passage through the housing. For this purpose, he valve 82 includes an orifice or slot 86 therethrough of :uflicient width to receive the shaft 50, while the auger light 52 is terminated on opposite sides of this gate valve.

The arrangement is such that w h th gate val in i 'aised position, full, flow through the valve is permitted vhile when the valve is lowered, flow is substantially cut- )fi. Inasmuch as the details of the gate 'valve assembly in hemselves form no part of the invention claimed herein, 1 further description of the same is deemed to be unnecesary.

In lieu of the manually operated wheel 54, there may be arovided a ratchet operating mechanism for effecting conrolled movement of the auger. Thus, as shown in FIG- JRE 5, the extending end of the auger shaft 50 may have ixedly secured thereto a ratchet wheel 90 and may have oosely journaled thereon the extremity 92 of a lever 94 laving an operating 96. This lever in l d a spring lrged ratchet pawl 98 carried by a. pivot 100 and urged y spring 102 into engagement with the ratchet 90. The trrangement is such that when an oscillating movement imparted to the lever 94, the ratchet pawl 98 will in urn effect a step-by-step movement of the auger itself.

Regardless of whether the ratchet means of FIGURES and 6 or the hand operated wheel 54 of FIGURES 14 ,re employed, there is thus efiected a step-by-step rotation f the auger which will thereby enable measured and conrolled quantities of the chemical treating agent to be orcibly injected into the annulus 18 of a flowing or pro- 4 ducing oil well either continuously or intermittently as desired.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not deired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination, a well casing head, an oil well applicator comprising an injector housing connected to and communicating with said well casing head, an injector movablvdisposed in said housing and movable todis charge material from the latter into said well casing head, a hopper for containing a chemical agent having continuous communication with said housing, a. spring loaded follower slidable in said hopper and for yieldably urging chemical agent from the hopper into said housing, means closing said hopper behind said follower to the atmospherefa conduit connected to said housing and to said hopper and establishing communication with said well casing head through said housing and with said hopper behind said follower for equalizing fluid pressure on opposite sides of said follower, means for effecting controlled matcrial discharging movement of said injector.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said injector comprises an auger rotatably mounted in said housing and delivering a chemical agent from said hopper into said well casing head, said hopper communicating with the interior of said housing intermediate the ends of said auger. i

3. The combination of claim 1 including a control valve disposed in said housing and controlling flow therethrough between said hopper and the well casing head.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said means closing said hopper comprises a removable closure, said follower including a stem slidably mounted in said closure and removable from said hopper with said closure.

5. The combination of claim 4 including a compression spring surrounding said stern and abutted against said follower and closure.

6, The combination of claim 1 wherein said injector is rotatable and has one end protruding from said housing, manual operating means connected to said protrudng end. Y Y

7. The comhinatin of claim 6 wherein said operating means includes a ratchet Wheel secured to said protruding end, a lever having a ratchet pawl operatively en.- gaging said ratchet wheel.

8. The combination of claim 1 wherein said injector comprises an augar rotatably mounted in said housing, said hopper communicating with the interior of said housing intermediate the ends of said auger, said housing having an end cap removably engaged on one end thereof, said auger having a shaft projecting through said end cap.

9. The combination of claim 8 including a journal bearing and a packing means for said auger shaft disposed in said end cap.

10. The combination of claim 1 wherein said conduit has one end thereof communicating with the interior of said housing downstream of said hopper and the other conduit end communicating with the interior of said hopper behind the chemical agent therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 960,081 Fearon et a1 May 31, 1910 2,163,436 Raymond et al June 20, 1939 2,504,787 Bailey Apr. 18, 1950 2,961,045 Stogner et al. Nov. 22, 1960

Claims (1)

1. IN COMBINATION, A WELL CASING HEAD, AN OIL WELL APPLICATOR COMPRISING AN INJECTOR HOUSING CONNECTED TO AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID WELL CASING HEAD, AN INJECTOR MOVABLY DISPOSED IN SAID HOUSING AND MOVABLE TO DISCHARGE MATERIAL FROM THE LATTER INTO SAID WELL CASING HEAD, A HOPPER FOR CONTAINING A CHEMICAL AGENT HAVING CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATION WITH SAID HOUSING, A SPRING LOADED FOLLOWER SLIDABLE IN SAID HOPPER AND FOR YIELDABLY URGING CHEMICAL AGENT FROM THE HOPPER INTO SAID HOUSING, MEANS CLOSING SAID HOPPER BEHIND SAID FOLLOWER TO THE ATMOSPHERE, A CONDUIT CONNECTED TO SAID HOUSING AND TO SAID HOPPER AND ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION WITH SAID WELL CASING HEAD THROUGH SAID HOUSING AND WITH SAID HOPPER BEHIND SAID FOLLOWER FOR EQUALIZING FLUID PRESSURE ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FOLLOWER, MEANS FOR EFFECTING CONTROLLED MATERIAL DISCHARGING MOVEMENT OF SAID INJECTOR.

Images