US2526021A - Apparatus for discharging viscous liquids in a well - Google Patents

Description

APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING VISCCUS LIQUIDS IN A WELL Filed June 18, 19.45

W. B. FULTZ Oct. 17, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wilford B. Flltz- INVENTOR.

HIS GEN T.

Patented Oct. 17, 1950 Y APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING vlsooUs LIoUins 1N A WELL Y Wilford B. Fultz, Graham, Tex.Y Application June 18, 1945, 'Serial No. 600,187

' vvThis invention relates to improvements in apparatusr for discharging Aviscous liquids at and ne'arth'e bottom of a well, and more particularly tothe discharging of 'viscous liquids'ata regulated discharge rate lin the well as the bailer is Y' moved upward,` thus presenting no vopportunity Vfor the viscous liquid to set about-the outside `of the dumping bailer for 'the liquid and to be withdrawntherewith. l

The dumping of liquids from a dumping bailer into the bottom of a well has long'be'en practiced, but the comparatively recent use of viscous liquids or cellulose plastics to seal *oil certain formations, and their behavior, has presented new. problems. This invention'has beenf-de'- f" signed to overcome'the problems and diiliculties peculiar to the dumping of `viscous liquids or cel- Ich lulose plastics into a well and removing the dumping bailer therefrom.

The primary object of thisinvention is to pro'- vide for discharging viscous liquids in a well in regulated amounts as the dumping bailer is being withdrawn from the well. n 'Y Another object of this invention is to provide for discharging viscous liquids in the bore hole of a well in such manner that they will be discharged at the desired place but will not adhereV to the dumping bailer and be withdrawn thereby from thev well.

Still another object of this invention is to provide for dumping viscous liquids inthe bore hole of a well at the place and rate desired and'without waste of the liquid or adherence of the liquid to the apparatus which might renderfitinoperative ineiiicient.

Another object ofrthis invention is to discharge liquid plastic in the bore hole of' agwell for-theV l purpose of sealing'oiif certain formations, for eX'- a'mple. to prevent'intrusion of water during the drilling of an oil well, and without sealing the I dumping apparatus in the well as the liquid sets.

The invention is `shown indifferent embodiments in the accompanying :drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectionV through a deep well with parts broken away and in section to show the dumpingl bailer discharging 'viscous liquids.

j' 4'OneLor more intermediate 2 Y Y Fig.V '6 is a similar View, partly in elevation, through a modified form of the invention;

Fig. IV is a crossv section on the line 1-''I of I Figl Fig( 8'is asimilar view on the line 8 8 of YFig-6';

Fig.' 9 'is a similar view on theline 9--9 of y Fig. 6'; and A Fig. 10 is a. longitudinal sectionthrough still another modified form of theinvention.

The invention is shown in connection with a deepY well I having a casing 2 therein. The wellI Ijextends downwardly in the earth formation, such as oil-containing formation, and projects below the lower end of the casing 2.

vAudumping' bailer, generally designated as`3, isshown suspended by a cable 4, in'position in the lower part of the Well I with viscous liquid or liquid plastic P therein. Fig. 1 Yillustrates howthe liquid plastic passes from the lower end ol the dumping bailer, the dumping bailer initially containing the liquid plastic therein. The dumping bailer 3 may be of different forms, as

desired." I have shown several forms in the drawings for purposeV of illustration.

.In the form of dumping bailer 3V shown in Figs.Y I

2 to`w5, along tubular body is adapted to form a receptacle for containing the viscous liquid P for-discharge therefrom. y The'body is formed of sections 5, 6, 'I and 8 interconnected in rigid relation, havingl screw-threaded connection with each other.4 v

sections may be used according to the length'and capacity desired, two of` which" are shown at 6 and vl. The bailer should kcontain sufcient plastic to fill the bottom cavity-'of thewell. The upper Section5 has a b'ail'S fixed thereto for suspension of the bailer `by the cable 4.

`The` lower section 8 ispartially closed at its lowerend with a guide sleeve I0, and is provided also with discharge openings II `in different sides thereof. A sleeve valve I2 controls the openings -Hghaving openings I3 in position to register therewith. I n Y jThe` sleeve `valveIZ is ixed,v by welding or otherwisegtoa guide rod I4 extending vertically through theV tubular body and down `through* the guide sleeve Illjwith a foot I5 onvthe lower end thereof. The guide rod I4 has a spring latch I6 .fixed to a side thereof4 inrpositionto engage a seatellin the'guide sleevegl, to hold the rod v.inits;elevatedposition, as shown in Fig. 2. An

orice I8 in the sleeve I0 adjacent the seat I'I provides `access to thev latch Minto release the flatter from the seat Il. The upward movement of the valve I2 is limited by a shoulder I9 at the lower end of the section 1.

A piston 2D is mounted in the tubular body in position to bear on the column of viscous liquid therein, and is sleeved over the guide rod I4. The piston 20 preferably carries a cup 2| in position to urge the viscous plastic towardthe bottom of the dumping bailer.

rThe piston 2B is held at a point near the top of the dump bailer by a latch 22. The latch 22 is substantially of bell-crank shape and is pivotally mounted at 23 on a bracket 2lsecured to the upper section 5. 22 overlies the upper end of the guide rod I 4, while the other arm thereof is in position to engage a lug 25 which is secured to the top of piston 20. The latch 22 is held in engagement with lug 25 by a torsion spring 2S.

In the process of using the device as shown in Figs. 2.to 5, thefupper section 5 of the tubular body is removed and one or more sections -6, 1, are connected to the lower section 8 suicient to accommodate the desired quantity of viscous liquid. With the valve I2 closed, as shown-in Fig. 5, the tubular body is filled with viscous plastic. The upper section 5 is then secured in place .with the piston above the body of liquid.

The dumping bailer is then lowered intothe well as shown in Fig. l, until the foot I5 on the lower end. of the rod I Il touches the bottom of the well, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. This will move the rod III upward and cause the bell-crank latch 22 to move from the position shown in dotted lines to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2. As the rod I4 moves upward Ywith the valve I2 the latter will engage the shoulder I9 and will cause ports II and I3 to be moved into registry.

When the piston 2l) is released by the latch 22, the weight thereof will force the viscous plastic down in the body and out through the ports II and I3, into the lower portion of the well. 'Ihen the dumping bailer is moved upward immediately from the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, at a predetermined rate of travel, and the viscous liquid will now outward into the bottom of the well with only the lower end of the dumping bailer extending into the discharged plastic.

It will be appreciated that by maintainingl the discharge ports substantially at the upper level of the discharged body of viscous plastic in the well, air bubbles will be prevented fromv forming, as would be the case if the plastic material were dumped from a higher elevation. However,

with the dumping bailer moving upward at a regulated rate, with only the discharge portsand the lower extremity of the bailer below the surface of the viscous plastic, water or other liquid in the well, of lighter specific gravity, will be oated upward above the plastic and thus be prevented from mixing therewith. With only the lower end of the dumping bailer protruding into the viscous plastic only a very small amount would adhere to the bailer as it empties and is moved upward.

The weight of thepiston 2l) should be sufciently heavy to cause the viscous liquid to be discharged through the open ports I I and I3. By calculation or experimentation the time interval required for the piston to travel downward to the bottom of the bailer and discharge all the viscous plastic as the bailer moves upward away from the body of lplastic in the well can bedetermined readily, With the rate of travel of both the piston and the bailer regulated so that the `One arm of the bell-crank latch bailer is emptied just as the lower end thereof reaches the top of the discharged plastic, it can be appreciated readily that the flow of the plastic upward around the bailer is prevented and that the bailer is withdrawn from the plastic before the same can set therearound.

After the viscous plastic has been allowed to harden or set at the point where it has been deposited in the well in order to seal 01T a particular formation, such as a caving formation, which will harden and prevent caving, a hole may be drilled therethrough, if desired, so that drilling or other operations may be continued, but leaving the hardened plastic adhering to the walls of the well in an annular ring to seal off the desired formation. The usual practice is to seal off the water by letting the plastic harden in the lower portion of the well to hold the water back. TheV plastic penetrates the formation and as it hardens it expands to form a positive seal therewith `and is bonded-thereto by adherence to the plastic within the formation.

Any or all of the modifications of the invention are,v applicable to the use or uses of liquid plastic vin the well.

One modified form of the bailer is shown in Figs. 6 to 9, in which a tubular shell, generally designated'by the numeral 33. has an upper section 35, one or more intermediate sections 36, a swaged section 31, and a lower section 38 threaded onto the swaged section 31. An annular shoulder 33 on the lower section 38 holds a frangible disc 4D against the bottom of a sealing gasket 4I to close the lower end of the sw-aged section 31 so as to retain the viscous4 plastic therein.

Ports 42 are formed in the lower portion of the section 38- to permit the viscous plastic to be discharged therethrough when frangible disc 40 is broken. An axial rod i3 passes through the lower end of the tubular section 38 and in alignment to breal: the frangible disc 4I] on the upward movement of the rod e3 against the tension ofV a spring 4d. A pin A5 retains'the rod 43 in the desired spaced relation from the frangible disc eil, limiting the downward movement of the rod.

An eye-stem IIS s mounted in the upper portion of the tubular section 35, and has a head 41 adapted te engage a bell-crank latch C18. which latch is held in engagement with hook 49 by a torsion spring 53. The bell-crank latch I8 is pivotally mounted cna pin between ears 52 at one side of. the tubular section The yhook 139 is provided on a weighted piston which preferably has a cup 513 secured te the lower end thereof and adapted to fit the inner wall of the tubular . sections 35, 36.

Themo-dication of the invention as shown in Figs. 6 to 9 utilizes the same principle as that described above. However, the method of releasing the viscous plasticis by lowering the dumping bailer to the bottom of the well by a cable 0r other suitable means attached to the eye-stem d6, until the aXial rod 43 seats on the bottom of the well. This causes the rod .3 to move upward relatively against tension of the spring lll and to break the frangible disc [It which normally seals the lower end of the dumping bailer and retains the viscous plastic therein until such frangible disc is broken by the relative upward movement of the rod 43 when it strikes the bottom of the well.

When theweight of the dumping bailer isrelieved from the cable, the stem 43, to which the cable is attached, will move downward relatively vtom of the well. engage the seat 'Il' and hold the valve in raised to trip bell crank latch 48 which will release the piston 53. yThe piston then moves downward in the dumping bailey to start the discharge of the viscous plastic through ports l2 as the bailer is moved upward in a manner substantially as described above.

A further modication of the dumping bailer is shown in Fig. 10, in which a tubular body, generally designated as 63, has an upper section 65, with a bail 69 thereon, one or more intermediate sections 56 and a lower section 68. The lower section 68 has an axial rod 'Hl protruding from the lower end thereof foy engagement with the bottom of the well. The lower end of the section 58 is reduced to form a guide for the rod. A spring latch 16, similar to the latch shown in Fig. 2, engages a seat 'V' to retain the valve 'i2 attached to the rod v 14, in open position. Ports 'H in the section 68 are adapted to register with holes 'il in a sleeve valve 12, when the valve is in raised position.

A piston 80 is adapted to be tted within the tubular member 63 and has a cup 'El seated on the column of liquid, thereby preventing the movement of the piston 80 downward until the ports 'Il and holes '13 register and permit the outward ow of the viscous plastic from the tubular body 63 into the wall. Since the cup 8i is in snug Iritting relation with the inner diameter of the tubular body 63, it will be prevented from moving downward unless the viscous plastic is being discharged, and it will also allow the weight of the piston to force the liquid out.

In the form'of the invention shown in Fig. 10, the dumping bailey operates in a manner similar to that shown in Fig. 2 and described above, eX- cept that the piston 80 is allowedto rest or float on top of the viscous plastic contained in the tubular body. The dumping bailer is then lowered into the well until the axial rod 1li strikes the bot- This will cause the latch 16 to position with ports H and '13 in registry.

The piston 80 then moves downward forcing the viscous plastic outward through said ports, and the dumping bailer is simultaneously raised at such rate that as the viscous plastic lls the lower portion of the well, the ports 1|, 'I3 will be maintained substantially at the top level of said discharging plastio or with the bottom of the bailer only slightly submerged therein. This method of dumping the viscous plasticinto the bottom of the well will allow it to flow in place without mixing with any water that may be present in the well and without air bubbles becoming entrained therein.

After the viscous liquid has been dumped in the well, and the entire contents of the bailey discharged, the bailer 63 is withdrawn and a rod or tool passed through the hole 18 opposite spring 16 to release the spring from its seat 1l', so that the valve may be moved downward to the position shown in Fig. 10. The bailer is then ready for re-use.

It will be evident that the dumping bailer should be raised at a predetermined rate, as described above. This may be accomplished by any suitable hoisting mechanism attached to the line 4, and so controlled by the operator as to move the bailer upward at the same rate that the liquid level rises in the well, keeping the discharge orices at Vthe liquid level. No particular form of hoisting mechanism is required for this purpose.

I claim:

In an apparatus for dumping viscous liquid at a point near the bottom of a Well, the combination of a tubular body adapted to be lowered in the well, a frangible seal closing the lower end of said tubular body, a rod passing through the lower portion of said tubular body below said seal and movable therein, said rod being in position to move upwardly to break said frangible seal upon contact of said rod with the bottom of the well, a piston disposed within said tubular body above the viscous liquid in the body, a latch on the body initially holding the piston stationary in the upper end of said tubular body means movably mounted in the upper end of said tubular body and movable to engage and'release said latch to release said piston after said tublay body reaches the bottom of said well. l

WILFORD B. FULTZ.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Bannister Oct. 16, 1945

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