US3446280A - Actuating means for well tools - Google Patents

Description

B. P. NUTTER ACTUATING MEANS FOR WELL TOOLS l May 27, 1969 Sheet of 5 Filed Oct. 26, 1967 if@ ff vll eff/'a//f//i /Q /Va /fef INVENTOR May 27, 1969 Filed Oct. 25. 1967 B. F. NUTTER ACTUATING MEANS FOR WELL TOOLS l l//f INI/EN T 0R ,HTORNY B. P. NUTTER May 27, 1969 ACTUATING MEANS FOR WELL TOOLS sheet 3 @f5 Filed Oct. 26, 1967 May 27, 1969 B P, NUT-VER 3,446,280

ACTUATING MEANS FOR WELL TOOLS Filed oct. 26, 19e? sheet 4 of 5 May 27, 1969 B. P. NUTTER ACTUATING MEANS FOR WELL TOOLS Filed Oct. 26, 1967 sneet f @f5 fr" V United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 166-152 28 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The particular embodiments described herein as illustrative of the invention are directed to actuating means `for well tools having relatively rotatable inner and outer telescopically arranged mem-bers. To accomplish this, the disclosed tools include a threaded member, such as a nut, that is disposed in the annular space between the telescoped members between two spaced stops on one of the members such as, for example, the outer member. Threads on the other member, for example the inner member, are normally engaged with the threaded member. So long as the threaded member remains engaged with the threads, the other member cannot be moved over a first longitudinal span any greater than allowed fby the spaced stops. A circuitous groove system on one member receives a lateral guide member loosely mounted on the other and, in response to relative telescoping movement of the two members, will permit the two members to be placed in various selected longitudinal positions within this first longitudinal span to perform various operations. Once, however, it is desired to move the members to a position outside of the limits of this iirst longitudinal span, the telescoped members are rotated relative to one another to disengage the threaded member from the threads. This will permit the telescoped members to then be moved in a different longitudinal span for performing still further operations.

Accordingly, as will subsequently become apparent, this invention relates to well tools; and, more particularly, this invention pertains to new and improved actuating means for selectively placing well tools into a plurality of distinctive operating positions with only a minimum of different manipulations.

It is customary to employ a number of different fullbore tools coupled into one string for such well-testing and well-completion operations as testing earth formations under both flowing and static conditions, squeeze cementin, acidizing, and uid fracturing. As is typical, such a string of full-bore tools includes a full-bore packer for packing-ofi the well bore, a bypass valve for selectively controlling communication between the well bore annulus and the interior of the tubing string, and a selectively operable valve for controlling communication into the lower end of the tubing string. To shift these tools into position to conduct such operations as well as to go from one operation to another, the tubing string is generally used to manipulate each of the tools into various relative positions.

It will be recognized, of course, that as the number of operations to 'be performed by a particular string of tools increases, a correspondingly increasing number of ditierent manipulations of the tubing string are required to move the tools into their various operating positions. In general, the only basic manipulative movements are limited to either a longitudinal shifting in either vertical direction or else rotation in one or the other rotative direction.

Those skilled in the art recognize, however, that it is not always feasible to use even all four of these basic manipulations. For example, many operators object to socalled left-hand torque since rotation in this direction 3,446,280l Patented May 27, 1969 ICC may inadvertently unthread one or more of the collars coupling the tubing string. Moreover, it is not too desirable to operate a well tool by continued right-hand rotation where only a predetermined number of revolutions establishes the particular operating positions of the tool. For, in addition to the possibility that some of this righthand torque may only further tighten the collars coupling the tubing string, the inherent capability of the tubing string, to absorb a certain amount of torque usually makes it quite diificult, if not altogether impossible, to determine lfrom the surface whether a predetermined number of rotations have been `faithfully translated through the tubing string to a tool several thousands of feet therebelow. In such instances, it is best not to over-rotate the upper end of the tubing string just to be sure that a particular number of rotations have in fact reached the tool at the lower end of the string.

Thus, for these and other reasons, whenever several operating positions must be assumed by the tools, at least some manipulative movements must be duplicated and the operator must depend upon variations and degrees in these few movements to distinguish which operative positions the tools are in. Accordingly, many well tools of this nature are so arranged that they are operated by shifting the tool mandrels into various longitudinally spaced positions, with only a minimum number of these operating positions being reached by rotating the tubing string. Typical of such control arrangements is a so-called I- slot system in which a lateral pin projecting from one of the relatively movable members of a tool is received within a labyrinth arrangement of grooves formed on an adjacent surface of another member. By providing several longitudinally spaced branch portions in such J-slot systems, a variety of distinct operating positions are obtained by shifting the well tool m-andrel longitudinally in either direction either with or Without an accompanying rotative movement.

Although such J-slot systems are widely used, they are nevertheless still recognized as having certain disadvantages. For example, it is difficult to devise compatible I -slot arrangements for each of several tools in a common string that will enable one tool in the string to be moved into some of its operative positions without simultaneously shifting at least one of the other tools into an unwanted position. This problem becomes even more complicated when it is realized that it is sometimes desired to move two tools in conjunction with one another at one point in a given sequence of operations; but, at other points in the same sequence, it may be preferred that only one of these tools move without a corresponding movement of the other tool.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved well tools having control or actuating means which permit these tools to 'be selectively placed in a plurality of distinctive operating positions with only a minimum of different manipulations. This and other objects of the present invention are obtained by providing iirst position-establishing means including a selectively releasable stop member between inner and outer telescoped members arranged to limit. their longitudinal movement to a first span of travel. Second position-establishing means are provided and include a lixed shoulder on one of the telescoped members that is adapted Afor engagement with a shoulder rotatably mounted 0n the other of the telescoped members, with one of these shoulders having a circuitous system of channels or grooves arranged to receive a lateral guide projecting from the other telescoped member. The groove system and guide member are arranged to respond -to longitudinal movement of the telescoped members to selectively orient the shoulders into angular alignment for abutment with one another whenever the telescoped members are at a predetermined position within the tirst span of travel permitted by the stop means. Once a second span of longitudinal travel is to be covered by the telescoped members, the releasable stop member is released to enable the telescoped members to be moved to this ditferent span of longitudinal travel. In this manner, first and second valve means that are operable by longitudinal movement of the telescoped members can be selectively operated by reciprocation of the telescoped members without one of the valve means being inadvertently operated.

The novel features of the present invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by way of illustration and example of certain embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a typical string of well tools in a well bore including a tool employing the principles of the present invention;

FIGURES 2A-2D are successive elevational views, partially in cross-section, of one embodiment of a well tool arranged in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURES 3-5 and 8 are cross-sectional views taken along the lines 3-3, 4 4, 5-5 and 8-8 respectively, in FIGURE 2A;

FIGURES 6A-6D are somewhat schematic views of the Well tool shown in FIGURES 2A-2D and depict its successive operating positions;

FIGURE 7 is a developed view of a typical groove system for the positioning means of the present invention; and

FIGURE 9 is a schematic view similar to FIGURE 6A but showing still another embodiment of a well tool with positioning means in accordance with the present invention.

Turning now to FIGURE l, a number of full-bore Well tools 10-13 are shown tandemly connected to one another and dependently coupled from the lower end of a strin-g of pipe, such as a tubing string 14, suspended in a cased well bore 15. At the lower end of these tools, a conventional full-bore packer 13 is arranged for selectively packing-off the casing 16. A typical hydraulic holddown 12 is coupled to the mandrel 17 of the packer 13 and arranged to engage the casing 16 to secure the mandrel against upwardmovement whenever the packer is set and uid pressure Within the tubing string 14 exceeds the hydrostatic pressure of the Well control iluids in the well annulus. A typical bypass valve 11, coupled by a tubing sub 18 above the holddown 12, is suitably arranged to open and facilitate shifting of the tools 10-13 within the fluid-filled well bore by diverting a substantial portion of the iluids through the central bore of the retracted packer 13. Connected at the upper end of the string of tools 1143 is a tool 10 incorporating the principles of the present invention. Although the tools 11-13 may be those shown on page 3057 of the 1960-61 Composite Catalog of Field Equipment and Services, it will be understood, of course, that other tools of a similar nature may be used in conjunction with the tool 10.

Turning now to FIGURES 2A-2D, successive elevational views, vvith each being partially cross-sectioned, are shown of the tool 10. It will be recognized, of course, that for ease of manufacture and assembly of tools of this nature, they are customarily made of interconnected tubular sections. However, to facilitate the following description, various portions of the tool 10 have been shown as integral members rather than of such interconnected sections. The tool 10 includes a tubular member 19 telescopically disposed within a tubular housing 20v and arranged in accordance with the present invention for selective longitudinal movement therein between an extended position as shown in FIGURES 2A-2D, one or more intermediate positions, and a fully-telescoped position, all of which are subsequently described with reference to FIGURES 6A-6D. A threaded collar 21 (FIGURE 2A) on the upper end of the mandrel 19 has threads 22 arranged for coupling to the tubing string 14 (FIGURE l), with the central bore 23 (FIGURES ZA-ZD) of the mandrel having substantially the same internal diameter as that of the tubing string. Similarly, threads 24 (FIG- URE 2D) on the lower end of the housing 20 are arranged for coupling the tool 10 to other well tools therebelow such as, for example, the bypass valve 11 shown in FIG- URE 1.

In general, the tool 10 includes first and second valve means 25 and 26 (FIGURE 2C) of a suitable nature that are each selectively opened and closed by shifting the mandrel 19 between different longitudinal positions with respect to the housing 20. Although others may, of course, be used, the valve means 25 and 26 are preferably those shown in a copending application, Ser. No. 620,841, tiled by the applicant on Mar. 6, 1'967. For establishin-g these various longitudinal positions, the selectively operable positioning means 27 and 28 (FIGURE 2A) of the present invention are provided. Clutch means 29 are also provided in the present invention to permit selective application of torque from the mandrel 19 through the housing 20 to the other tools 11-13 when the mandrel is in certain ones of its positions. Biasing means 30 (FIGURE 2B) are preferably provided to maintain a downward force on the housing 20 to assist in keeping the packer 13 seated while the mandrel 19 is being moved as well as to apply an upward force on the mandrel to keep the clutch means 29 engaged whenever the mandrel is in its uppermost extend position with respect to the housing. Movement-retarding means 31 (FIGURE 2B) are also provided to retard downward travel of the mandrel 19 with respect to the housing 20.

Turning now to FIGURE 2A, the uppermost portion of the tool 10 is shown. As seen there, the clutch means 29 are arranged to co-rotatively secure the mandrel 19 to the housing 20 only when the mandrel is either in its lowermost or fully-telescoped position or else is in its two uppermost positions in relation to the housing. In all other relative positions, the mandrel 19 is free to rotate relative to the housing 20. To accomplish this, the clutch means 29 include an annular member 32 that is co-rotatively secured over the collar 21 on the upper end of the mandrel 19 and has one or more depending lugs 33 thereon adapted for reception in a corresponding number of upwardly facing longitudinal slots 34 in the upper end of the housing 20 whenever the mandrel is in its lowermost position relative thereto. A threaded ring 35 is threadedly secured to the collar 21 above the member 32 to retain the annular member in position as well as to facilitate its removal for disengaging the lugs 33 from the slots 34 after the tool 10 is removed from the well bore 15.

The clutch means 29 further include an annular member 36 slidably mounted in the housing 20 and co-rotatively secured thereto by external longitudinal grooves thereon adapted to receive complementary inwardly-projecting housing splines 37 (FIGURE 3) below an inwardly-directed housing shoulder 38 above the annular member. Stop means, such as inwardly-projecting screws 39 in the housing 20 that are received in longitudinal slots 40 in the annular member 36, are provided to limit the longitudinal travel of the annular member. External longitudinal splines 41 (FIGURE 2A) on the mandrel 19 and immediately above an external shoulder 42 thereon are adapted for reception in complementary longitudinal spline grooves 43 (FIGURE 3) in the internal wall of the annular member 36.

Means, such as a spring 44 between the housing shoulder 38 and the upper end of the annular member 36, are provided to normally urge the annular member downwardly against the shoulder or stop 42 but permit it to retrogress should the mandrel splines 41 not be in registry with their complementary grooves 43 as the mandrel 19 is being moved upwardly. It will be understood,

of course, that even though the mandrel splines 41 may not initially be in alignment with the spline grooves 43, rotation of the mandrel 19 in either direction will quickly bring the splines into orientation with their grooves and the spring 44 will then urge the annular clutch member 36 downwardly over the splines as the mandrel moves further upwardly. It should also be noted that further upward travel of the mandrel 19 is halted when the upper end 0f the mandrel shoulder 42 engages the lower ends of the housing splines 37.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that so long as the mandrel 19 is in its extended position (as seen in FIG- URES 2A-2D)with respect to the housing 20, the mandrel is co-rotatively secured thereto by the clutch means 29. Downward movement of the mandrel 19 into its several intermediate positions with respect to the housing 20 will, however, shift the mandrel splines 41 out of the spline grooves 43 and allow the mandrel to be rotated relative to the housing until the mandrel reaches its fullytelescoped or lowermost position. The mandrel 19 will then be again co-rotatively secured to the housing 20 once it is moved to this lowermost position and the lugs 33 enter the slots 34.

The upper or rst position-establishing means 27 of the invention are comprised of a Sleeve member 45 that is rotatively mounted inside of the housing 20 and has an inwardly projecting lateral guide or pin 46 which has its distal end disposed in a circuious system of grooves 47 formed on the exterior of the mandrel 19. To secure the sleeve 45 against shifting longitudinally relative to the housing 20, the sleeve is confined between opposed shoulders such as provided by a circumferential recess 48 formed around the interior housing wall. Bearings or wear rings 49 and 50 are placed between the upper and lower ends of the sleeve 45 and the opposed housing shoulders to facilitate the rotation of the sleeve with respect to the housing.

It will be appreciated, therefore, that since the guide pin 46 remains in the groove system 47, the mandrel 19 can be moved longitudinally in relation to the housing 20 only so far as is permitted by the particular arrangement of the groove system. As best seen in the developed view in FIGURE 7, the groove system 47 includes an irregularly shaped but generally transverse lower groove 51 joined at its opposite ends by upwardly directed, parallel, longitudinal grooves 52 and 53, with the upper end of the groove 53 being connected to the upper end of the groove 52 by a converging inclined groove 54 and an enlarged portion 55. A longitudinal groove 56 is aligned with the groove 53 and continues further upwardly from the junction of the enlarged portion 55 and the grooves 52 and 53. Thus, it will be appreciated that the maximum longitudinal distance which the mandrel 19 can be moved in relation to the housing 20 is represented by the longitudinal spacing between the uppermost end of the longitudinal groove 56 and the lowermost ends of two short longitudinal grooves 57 and 5S extending downwardly from the opposite ends of lower transverse groove 51. An intermediate position of the mandrel 19 with respect to the housing 20 is also provided by centrally located longitudinal groove 59 that extends upwardly a short distance from the middle of the lower transverse groove 51. The significance of the depicted conguration of the groove system 47 will subsequently become more apparent.

The upper end of the sleeve 45 is inwardly enlarged as best seen in FIGURES 2A and 4 to provide an annular shoulder 60. Circumferentially spaced longitudinal slots 61 (FIGURE 4) around the inner portion of the shoulder 60 are arranged to pass outwardly directed lugs 62 (FIGURES 2A and 4) on the mandrel 19 whenever these lugs are aligned with the slots. Thus, by appro priately locating the guide pin 46 in relation to the shoulder slots 61 (all of which are on the sleeve 45) on the one hand as well as arranging the circumferential spacing of the longitudinal grooves 52 and 53 in relation to the lugs 62 (all of which are on the mandrel 19) on the other hand, whenever the guide pin is in either of the circumferentially spaced grooves 52 and 53, the lugs 62 will be aligned with the slots 61 and, as the mandrel 19 is moved longitudinally in relation to the housing 20, the lugs 62 will pass through the slots 61 in the shoulder 60. The centrally located groove 59 is suitably arranged, however, so that when the guide pin 46 is in the position D (FIGURE 7) the lower surfaces of the lugs 62 will be abutted against the upper face of the shoulder 60 since the lugs will not be in registration with the slots 61. This will, of course, allow downward forces on the mandrel 19 to be transmitted through the lugs 62 and the sleeve 45 to the housing 20 without such forces having to be carried by the guide pin 46. Thus, only when the guide pin 46 is in the above-described position D are the lugs 62 engaged on top of the sleeve 45 to transmit downward loads therethrough to the housing 20. In all other positions of the mandrel 19, the lugs 62 are either above or below the sleeve shoulder 60 or else, when the guide pin 46 is in either of the grooves 52 or 53, the mandrel lugs are passing through the shoulder slots 61 in the sleeve 45. Accordingly, the positionestablishing means 27 will orient and bring together the opposed shoulders defined by the lugs 62 and upper face of the sleeve shoulder 60 whenever desired without requiring rotation of the mandrel 19 in relation to the housing 20.

Since the sleeve 45 cannot shift longitudinally relative to the housing 20, the guide pin 46 will, of course, remain in the same transverse plane as the mandrel 19 and groove system 47 are moved longitudinally in relation thereto. As will subsequently be described in greater detail, a straight longitudinal movement of the mandrel 19 will move the groove system 47 relative to the guide pin 46. Any rotational movement of the mandrel 19 will be accommodated by the pin 46 and sleeve 4S rotating as required by the slot system 47.

Thus, assuming for example that the mandrel 19 is pushed straight downwardly from its position shown in FIGURE 2A, when the mandrel has moved suiciently to bring the upper wall of the inclined groove 54 against the guide pin 46, continued downward movement of the mandrel 19 will rotate the pin and sleeve 45 accordingly. It will be recalled that the guide pin 46 is so oriented in relation to the shoulder slots 61 and the groove system 47 is so orientated relative to the mandrel lugs 62 that as the mandrel 19 is lowered to move the longitudinal groove 52 downwardly in relation to the guide pin 46, the shoulder slots will be properly aligned to permit the mandrel lugs to pass freely therethrough. Similarly, Whenever the mandrel 19 is moved upwardly to move the groove 55 in relation to the guide pin 46, the mandrel lugs 62 will again pass through the shoulder slots 61.

The lower or second position-establishing means 2S of the present invention are seen in FIGURE 2A below the position-establishing means 27 and are comprised of radially expansible gripping means such as two segmented split- nuts 63 and 64 placed at longitudinally spaced positions in a housing recess or the annular clearance space 65 between the mandrel 19 and housing 20. As best seen in FIGURE 5, means, such as longitudinal splines 66 on each of the segments of the nuts 63 and 64 are complementarily interlocked in grooves 67 in the internal wall of the housing 20, are provided to co-rotatively secure the split-nuts to the housing. As seen in FIGURE 2A, to limit the longitudinal travel of the lower split-nut 64, means, such as inwardly-directed spaced housing shoulders 68 and 69 above and below the nut, respectively, are also provided. The longitudinal travel of the upper split-nut 63 is similarly limited by an annular spacer 70 that is placed between the upper end of the nut and an inwardly directed housing shoulder 71 spaced above the nut.

Oppositely directed buttress threads 72 and 73 are longitudinally spaced around the mandrel 19 and respectively arranged for selective engagement with complementary threads in the nuts 63 and 64 in certain longitudinal positions of the mandrel. The upper mandrel threads 72 are -faced upwardly and, in the tool 10 depicted in FIGURES 2A-2D, are preferably so-called left-hand threads arranged to threadedly engage the downwardly facing threads in the upper split-nut 63. With this arrangement, downward longitudinal movement of the mandrel 19 will allow the upper mandrel threads 72 to be ratcheted freely into the upper split-nut 63 but prevent upward longitudinal movement of the mandrel until it is rotated in a clockwise or right-hand direction to unthread the upper mandrel threads from the upper split-nut. Similarly, the lower mandrel threads 73 are faced downwardly and are preferably so-called right-hand threads. To accommodate the lower mandrel threads 73, the threads in the lower splitnut 64 are faced upwardly. Thus, release of the mandrel threads 73 from the lower split-nut 64 for downward movement of the mandrel 19 can be accomplished only by rotating the mandrel in a clockwise direction to unthread these members. It will be appreciated, of course, that by facing the mandrel threads 73 and those in the lower splitnut 64 in opposite directions, upward movement of the mandrel 19 will cause the lower mandrel threads to freely ratchet through the lower split-nut.

For reasons that will subsequently become more apparent, the lower mandrel threads 73 are normally engaged with the lower split-nut V64 and the upper threads 72 are normally disengaged from the upper split-nut 63 and spaced a particular distance thereabove. Thus, with the lower mandrel threads 73 engaged with the lower split-nut 64 as shown in FIGURE 2A, the mandrel 19 is free to travel longitudinally with respect to the housing 20 only so far as is permitted by the spacing between the housing shoulders 68 and 69 respectively above and below the lower split-nut. Similarly, as will also subsequently become apparent, whenever the upper mandrel threads 72 are threadedly engaged with the upper split-nut 63, the mandrel 19 will be secured in its lowermost telescoped position and cannot be returned to its intermediate or extended positions since the upper split-nut is held by the spacer 70 and the co-engagement of the lugs 33 and slots 34 prevent further rotation of the mandrel with respect to the housing 20. It will be recalled that the lugs 33 cannot be disengaged from the slots 34 until the tool 10 is returned to the surface and the threaded collar 35 is removed to permit disengagement of the clutch member 32.

Turning now to FIGURE 2B, the intermediate portion of the tool 10 is shown in which are located the pressurebiasing means 30 and the movement-retarding means 31. The pressure-biasing means 30 are comprised of an enlarged-diameter shoulder 74 on the mandrel 19 that is fluidly sealed, as by O-rings 75, within a reduced-diameter portion 7.6 of the housing 20 above an external housing port 77 and an annular slidable piston member 78 that is around the mandrel above its enlarged-diameter shoulder 74 and below another external housing port 79. O-rings 80 and `81, respectively, inside and outside of the slidable piston 78 uidly seal the piston to the mandrel 19 and housing 20 so as to provide a fluid-tight annular space 82 between the piston and the enlarged-diameter mandrel shoulder 74, which space is normally at atmospheric pressure. A spring 83 between an inwardly directed housing shoulder 84 and the upper end of the piston 78 normally urges the piston downwardly against a shoulder 85 defined by the upper end of the reduced-diameter housing portion 76.

It will be recognized that well control fluids will enter the ports 79 and 77 above the piston 78 and below the enlarged-diameter mandrel portion 74 as the tool 10 is being used. Inasmuch as the annular space 82 is normally .at atmospheric pressure, the hydrostatic pressure of the well control iiuids will therefore tend to lift the mandrel 19 by a force equal to the difference between the hydrostatic and atmospheric pressures multiplied by the annular cross-sectional area of the enlarged-diameter mandrel shoulder 74 itself. The cross-sectional area of the mandrel 19 itself will, of course, be subjected to both upwardly and downwardly acting pressure forces. Similarly, the piston 78 will be urged downwardly against the housing shoulder by a force equal to the difference between the hydrostatic and atmospheric pressures multiplied by the annular cross-sectional area bounded by O- rings 75 and 81.

Thus, since the mandrel 19 is urged upwardly by this unbalanced pressure force, a force at least greater than this upwardly directed pressure force must be applied to the mandrel in order to move it downwardly relative to the housing 20. Similarly, it will be appreciated that the downwardly acting pressure force on the piston 78 is effective through the housing shoulder l85 to impose a corresponding downwardly directed force thereon which will be transmitted through the housing to the mandrel 17 of the packer 13 (FIGURE 1) to assist in keeping the packer seated.

Although the piston 78 could be made an integral portion of the housing 20, it is preferred to make it a separate member as shown in FIGURE 2B and to provide a small lateral port 86 in the housing immediately above the normal position of the external O-ring 81. In this manner, should well control fluids leak into the enclosed annular space 82, as the tool 10 is being removed from the well bore 15, any excessive pressure in the enclosed space 82 will be vented through the port 86 whenever this trapped pressure is suicient to lift the piston 78 against the restraint of the spring 83 a sufficient distance to move the O-ring 81 above the port 86. This arrangement also ensures that the mandrel 19 can be returned upwardly should uids leak into the space 82 after the mandrel is lowered. Otherwise, the piston 78 could just as well be made an integral portion of the housing 20.

The movement-retarding means 31 are comprised of a sleeve 87 loosely disposed between longitudinally spaced, enlarged-diameter portions y88 and 89 of the mandrel 19,

with only a limited annular clearance 90 being left between the mandrel and sleeve and a very minute annular clearance 91 being left between the sleeve and inner wall of the housing 20. Means, such as a compression spring 92 between the sleeve 87 and the lower enlarged-diameter mandrel portion `89, normally urge the sleeve upwardly against the upper enlarged-diameter mandrel portion 88. An O-ring 93 (FIGURE 2C) around the internal wall of an inwardly facing shoulder 94 in the housing 20 fluidly seals the mandrel 19 and housing relative to one another and defines a huid-tight space 95 therebetween below the sleeve 817. An annular piston 96 (FIGURE 2B) having internal and external O- rings 97 and 98 is provided just below the housing 77 to fluidly seal the housing 20 relative to the mandrel 19 above the sleeve 87 and define a second fluid-tight space 99 therebetween in communication with the space 95 only by way of the annular clearance spaces 90 and 91 inside of and around the sleeve 87 respectively. A suitable hydraulic uid, such as an oil or the like, fills the fluid- tight spaces 95 and 99.

It will be appreciated that the hydrostatic pressure of the well control fluids will be effective through the port 77 against the piston 96 to maintain the oil in the spaces 95 and 99 at the same pressure. Accordingly, the speed of longitudinal movement of the mandrel 19 with respect to the housing 20 will be governed by the rate at which the oil can be displaced from one of the other of the fluidtight spaces 95 and 99. Downward movement of the mandrel 19 with respect to the housing 20 will, of course, maintain the lower face 100 of the upper enlarged-diameter mandrel portion y88 tightly engaged against the adjacent upper face of the sleeve 87. By appropriately machining the abutting surfaces 100 and 101 of the shoulder 88 and sleeve 87, a metal-to-metal seat is effected to close the internal annular space 90 and make the minute external annular clearance space 91 the only flow path by which oil canbe transferred from the lower space 95 to the upper space 99 as the mandral 19 is moved d0wnwardly. In this manner, the time required to move the mandrel 19 downwardly with respect to the housing 20 will be directly related to the dimensions of the external annular clearance space 91 and the viscosity of the oil in the fluid- tight spaces 95 and 99. If it is desired, the lower space 95 may be slightly enlarged, as at 102, so that whenever the mandrel 19 has moved downwardly at this controlled rate a predetermined distance with respect to the housing 20, it can continue moving further downwardly with added relative freedom. In any event, the combined effect of the pressure-biasing means 30 and the movement-retardiug means 31 is to keep the mandrel 19 in its elevated position until a substantial weight is applied to it for a prolonged time.

To permit fairly rapid upward movement of the mandrel 19 with respect to the housing 20, the internal clearance space 90 between the sleeve 87 and mandrel is made somewhat larger than the external clearance space 91. It will be understood, of course, that the spring 92 is not sufciently strong to keep the sleeve end 101 abutted against its mating surface 100 on the shoulder 88 whenever the mandrel 19 is being moved upwardly. Thus, whenever the mandrel 19 is pulled upwardly with respect to the housing 20, the sleeve 87 will shift slightly downwardly and move the seating surfaces 100 and 101 apart so as to allow oil from the upper space 99 to pass relatively free between these surfaces, through the larger annular clearance 90, and on into the lower fluid-tight space 95.

Turning now to FIGURES 2C and 2D, the lowermost portion of the tool is shown in which are located the first and second valve means 25 and 26 (FIGURE 2C). The internal diameter of this portion of the housing is preferably increased to provide an enlarged bore, as at 103, below the enclosed space 95 and above an upwardly directed housing shoulder 104 (FIGURE 2D) near the lower end of the housing.

The first valve means (FIGURE 2C) are preferably arranged as a telescoping sleeve valve adapted to control fluid communication between the enlarged housing bore 103 and the internal bore 23 of the mandrel 19 so long as the second valve means 26 therebelow are closed. These rst valve means 25 include a coaxially arranged tubular member 105 that is dependently secured within the housing 20 and extended downwardly into the enlarged housing bore 103. Lateral ports 106 in the mandrel 19 are adapted to be moved into registry with corresponding lateral ports 107 in the coaxially arranged tubular member 105 whenever the mandrel is moved into one of its intermediate longitudinal positions with respect to the housing 20. O- rings 108 and 109 respectively above and below the mandrel ports uidly seal the mandrel 19 relative to the tubular member 105 to block ow through the ports 106 and 107 whenever they are not in registration in the other positions of the mandrel. If desired, the sleeve 105 may be rotatably mounted in relation to the housing 20, as by a retainer ring 110 mounted in opposed complementary circumferential grooves in the sleeve and housing. To ensure that the ports 106 and 107 are angularly oriented, a suitable longitudinal spline and groove (not shown) are provided in the sleeve 105 and mandrel 19 to co-rotatively secure the two members to one another.

The second valve means 26 preferably include a spherical valve member 111 having an axial passageway 112 therethrough along on of its central axes that is sized to correspond at least approximately to the internal mandrel bore 23. The ball member 111 is operatively disposed between a pair of opposed, longitudinally spaced, annular seats 113 and 114 having complementary spherical seating surfaces. One of the valve seats 113 is coaxially mounted with biasing means 115 in a complementary counterbore in the lowermost end of the mandrel 19 between a pair of depending longitudinal lugs 116 (only one seen) on the lower end of the mandrel 19 and extending downwardly on opposite sides of the seat. The ball member 111 is pivotally supported between the free ends of these depending lugs 116 about another of its central axes by appropriately located transverse pivots 117 (only one seen) that are so positioned that (with the aid of the biasing means 115) the ball member will remain seated on the seat 113 as the ball moves between its open and closed positions. The axis of these pivots 117 is, of course, perpendicular to the central axis of the passageway 112 so that as the ball member 111 is pivoted, the passageway rwill move into and out of registration with the valve seat 113.

The other valve seat 114 is coaxially mounted in an upwardly facing, complementary counterbore 118 in the upper end of an elongated tubular member 119 that is loosely disposed immediately below the `ball member 111 in the enlarged housing bore 103 and uidly sealed therein by an O-ring 120 around its upper end. The valve seat 114 is preferably supported in its receptive counterbore 118 by a spring 121 and iluidly sealed therein by au O- ring 122.

Two pairs of upwardly extending lugs 123 and 124 (only'one lug of each pair being seen) are arranged on opposite sides of the upper end of the tubular member 119 to straddle the valve seat 114 and the ball member 111, with each of these lugs being laterally displaced from the central axis and extended upwardly alongside the opposite sides of the depending lugs 116. Each associated set of the lugs 116, 123 and 124 are so arranged that their opposed longitudinal edges are in juxtaposition with one another. Inwardly projecting transverse pins (only one seen) on the free ends of the lower lugs 124 are disposed parallel to the axis of the pivots 117 but longitudinally spaced therebelow and slightly offset to one side. The free ends of these pins 125 are each confined within fairly short, inclined grooves 126 (only one seen) formed in the adjacent external surfaces of the ball member 111. It will be noted that the pivots 117 normally support the ball member 111 off of the lower seat 114 so as to leave an annular clearance therebetween so long as the ball member is in its closed position as seen in FIGURE 2C.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that Whenever the ball member 111 is moved toward the tubular member 119 and valve seat 114, the ball will be pivoted by the pins 125 and slots 126 about its pivots 117 in a clockwise direction as seen in the drawings. It will be realized, of course, that the cooperative engagement of the juxtaposed edges of the lugs 116, 123 and 124 will prevent the mandrel 19 and tubular member 119 from rotating relative to one another and limit their relative motion to rectilinear travel. The inclined grooves 126 must, of course, be of sulicient length to accommodate the transverse pins 125 whenever the ball member 111 has rotated midway between its fully-closed and its fully-open positions.

Biasing means are provided such as a compression spring 127 (FIGURE 2D) that is disposed around the tubular member 119 between spaced, annular abutment members 128 and 129 slidably disposed thereon and supported by an external shoulder 130 on the lower end of the tubular member 119. An inwardly directed housing shoulder 131 is suitably located to normally engage the upper face of the upper abutment 128 whenever the tool 10 is in the position shown in FIGURES 2A-2D.

It will be noted that in this position of the tool 10, the lower face of the lower abutment 129 is spaced above the housing shoulder 104 a distance equal to the longitudinal spacing of the ports 106 and 107 when they are in the position shown in FIGURE 2C. Similarly, this same longitudinal spacing is maintained between the upper face of the upper abutment 128 and the lower face of an enlarged-diameter portion or shoulder 132 at the upper end of the tubular member 119. The shoulder 132 is, of course, suitably sized to pass freely through the annular housing shoulder 131. Moreover, for reasons that will subsequently become apparent, these longitudinal spacings are preferably about equal to the longitudinal spacing between the upper face of the housing shoulder 69 and the lower face of the lower split-nut 64 (FIGURE 2A) when this split-nut is engaged with the mandrel -threads 73.-

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that when the mandrel 19 is in its extended position with respect to the housing 20 as shown in FIGURES 2A-2D, both valve means 25 and 26 will be closed. However, by moving the mandrel 19 downwardly with respect to the housing 20 the above-mentioned longitudinal distance to its intermediate positions (with the guide pin 46 at B in FIGURE 7 to be subsequently described in greater detail), the first valve means 25 will be opened to provide fluid communication from the enlarged housing bore 103, through the clearance between the ball 111 and valve seat 114, and the ports 106 and 107, and on into the central bore 23 of the mandrel 19. The second valve means 26 are, of course, still closed in this intermediate position of the mandrel 19. Similarly, as will be subsequently described with greater detail, once the lower split-nut 64 is released from the threads 73, further downward movement of the mandrel 19 (to bring the guide pin to E in FIGURE 7) will reclose the first valve means 25 and open the second valve means 26 as the mandrel reaches its lowermost, telescoped position. In this latter position, a full-opening passage is provided through the tool 10 since the passageway 112 in the ball member 111 will have been rotated into alignment with the central mandrel bore 23 It will be appreciated, therefore, that so long as the lower split-nut 64 remains engaged with the mandrel threads 73, the mandrel 19 can be moved longitudinally a distance equal to the spacing between the lower splitnut and the housing shoulder 69. This distance is also equal to the longitudinal spacing between the two positions of the guide pin 46 represented at A and B in FIG- URE 7. Thus, by simply moving the mandrel 19 downwardly in relation to the housing 20 the ports 106 and 107 will be opened. Similarly, by returning the mandrel 19 to its initial extended position (as shown in FIGURES 2A-2D) the ports 106 and 107 will again be reclosed. Thus, the lower split-nut 64 cooperates with the housing shoulders 68 and 69 to allow the mandrel 19 to be reciprocated suficiently to selectively open and 'close the first valve means 25 without opening the second valve means 26.

Turning now to FIGURES 6A-6D, the tool 10 is schematically represented to illustrate its various positions during the course of a typical operating sequence. To facilitate the explanation of the positioning means 27 and 28 of the invention, the movement-retarding means 31 and biasing means 30 have not been shown in FIG- URES 6A-6D. It will be understood, however, that downward travel of the mandrel 19 will be regulated by the movement-retarding means 31 until the top of the sleeve 87 has entered the enlarged space 102 (FIGURE 2B). Similarly, it should be kept in mind that the biasing means 30 will be effective to provide an upwardly directed force on the mandrel 19 and to apply an equal, but downwardly directed, force on the housing 20 during the entire operation of the tool 10.

In FIGURE 6A, the tool 10 is shown with the mandrel 19 being in its uppermost extended position with respect to the housing 20 as already described with reference to FIGURES 2A-2D. The first and second valve means 25 and 26 are closed to block fluid communication through the mandrel bore 23 as the tools 10-13 are moved into position in the cased well bore (FIGURE l). It will also be noted from FIGURE 6A that although the upper clutch member 32 is disengaged, the lower clutch member 36 is engaged to permit rotation to be applied from the tubing string 14, through the tool 10, and onto the other tools 11-13 therebelow. Accordingly, with the tool of the present invention secured in the position depicted in FIGURE 6A, the tools 10-13 can be brought into position at any desired depth in the cased well bore 15.

Once the tools 10-13 have reached a desired position in the well bore 15, they are momentarily halted and the tubing string 14 is manipulated as required to set the packer 13 and close the bypass valve 11. Although other tools may utilize different movements for their operation, it is preferred to arrange the bypass valve 11 and packer 13 so that the position-establishing means, such as J-slot systems (not shown), in each tool will work in cooperation to close the bypass valve as the packer is being set. Accordingly, with the tools 11 and 13 having cooperative J-slot systems arranged in this manner, the tubing string 14 is picked up slightly and torqued in a clockwise direction to unjay the bypass Valve and packer. Then, by slacking-off at least part of the weight of the tubing string 14, the packer 13 will be set and the bypass valve 11 closed. It will be recalled that the mandrel 19 cannot move downwardly relative to the housing 20 until the upward force provided on the mandrel by the biasing means 30 is overcome.

Once the packer 13 is set, it will be appreciated that it is capable of lsupporting the full Weight of the tools 10-12 and tubing string 14 thereabove. The housing 20 of the tool 10 will, of course, now be fixed relative to the casing 16 until the packer 13 is unseated. It will be recalled, moreover, that the biasing means 30 will also be effective to maintain a substantial downward force through the housing 20 to aid in holding the packer 13 seated. Thus, the mandrel 19 of the tool 10 is now capable of being moved relative to the now-stationary housing 20 by corresponding motions of the tubing string 14 to bring the tool into its various operating positions.

Accordingly, as shown in FIGURE 6B, application of sufhcient weight to the mandrel 19 for setting the packer 13 will carry the mandrel a short distance downwardly (as shown by arrow 133) until the lower split-nut 64 engages the upwardly facing shoulder 69. This downward movement will, however, be retarded by the motionretarding means 31 and furthermore will require sufiicient weight -on the mandrel 19 to at least overcome the upwardly directed force on the mandrel provided by the biasing means 30. It will be noted from FIGURE 6B, however, that this initial downward travel of the mandrel 19 will open only the valve means 25 and disengage the lower clutch member 36. Thus, by virtue of the positioning means 28 of the present invention, downward motion and rotation of `the tubing string 14 in these first two operating positions of the tool 10 will be effective only to set the packer 13, close the bypass valve 11, and open the valve means 25 without introducing any risk whatsoever that the valve means 26 might be opened prematurely by over-movement of the mandrel 19.

It will also be lappreciated from FIGURE 6B that further downward travel of the mandrel 19 relative to the housing 20 is not possible so long as the lower nut 64 is abutted on the housing shoulder 69. On the other hand, upward travel of the mandrel 19 is unimpeded should, for example, it be necessary to re-engage the lower clutch member 36 to apply rotation from the tubing string 14 through the housing 19 to the tools 11-13.

Once the valve means 25 are open, the guide pin V46 will be at its position B as shown in FIGURE 7. The

mandrel 19 cannot, however, be moved further downwardly so as to bring the guide pin 46 to its position at E since the lower face of the lower split-nut 64 will be abutted against the housing shoulder 69.

A typical testing operation usually includes one or more measurements of the so-called shut-in pressure of the formation interval being tested. To measure this and other pressures, one or more pressure recorders (shown schematically at P) are provided below the valve means 25 and 26. If desired, these pressure recorders P may be arranged as shown in a copending application, Ser. No. 620,943, also iiled by the applicant on Mar. 6, 1967, for selective release from the tool by opening of the valve means 26. In any event, to obtain a shut-in pressure, the mandrel 19 is pulled upwardly to reclose the valve means 25. Once the guide pin 46 is in its position at B in the groove `system 47, upward movement of the mandrel 19 will bring the guide pin into the upper end of the longitudinal groove 53. By extending the lower wall 134 of the recess 55 to a termination, as at 135, beyond the lower end of the groove 56, a straight upward pull on the mandrel 19 will be certain to carry the guide pin 46 intO the groove 53 rather than the groove 52.

The mandrel 19 is, therefore, picked-up until the guide pin reaches its position at C in the short slot 57. This will, of course, also return the upper face of the splitnut 64 back into engagment with the housing shoulder 68 and reclose the ports 106 and 107. It will also be recalled that once the guide pin 46 is in the groove 53, the sleeve 45 will be appropriately positioned yto align the mandrel lugs 62 with their respective shoulder slots 61 and allow the lugs to move above the shoulder 60.

Although the valve means are closed by the time the guide -pin 46 reaches its position at C and the initial shut-in pressure measurement is started, it is desirable to maintain a downward force on the packer 13 while the measurement is being taken. Thus, as already discussed, the sleeve shoulder 60 is appropriately located in relation to the lower surfaces of the mandrel lugs 62 so that a slight downward movement of the mandrel 19 will bring the lugs 62 into engagement with the shoulder 60. Once the mandrel lugs 62 are engaged on the shoulder 60, a downward force on the tubing string 14 will be transmitted through the -sleeve 45 to the housing 20 and on downwardly to the tools 11-13 therebelow. It should also be noted that in this position, the mandrel splines 41 are re-engaged with the slots 40 in the annular member 36 to permit rotation to be transmitted through the tool 10 to the `tools 11-13 if desired. It will be recalled that the mandrel lugs 62 are not in registration with the shoulder slots 61 when the guide pin 46 is in the groove 59.

As 'best seen in FIGURE 7, the upper surface of the transverse groove 51 is inclined and extended, as at 136, over the groove 57 to prevent the guide pin 46 from reentering the groove 53 when the mandrel 19 is moved downwardly to relocate the guide pin `from its positiOn C to its position D. Thus, a straight downward movement of the mandrel 19 will bring the surface 136 into engagement with the guide pin 46 and rotate the sleeve 45 su'iciently to bring the guide Ipin into its position D in the grooves 59. This will still leave the valve means 25 closed and, as best seen in FIGURE 6C, allow a downward force to be applied through the lugs 62 and sleeve 45 to the housing 20.

Once an adequate initial shut-in pressure measurement has been taken, -the usual test procedure is to reopen the test valve and allow the well to flow for a period of time. Accordingly, it will be appreciated from FIGURE 7 that by raising the mandrel 19 slightly, the guide pin 46 will be engaged against the lower, downwardly-inclined surface 137 of the transverse groove 51 to rotate the sleeve 45 suciently to return the guide pin to its position at A. Then, as in the initial operation, a downward movement of the mandrel 19 will again reopen the valve means 25 (position B).

Accordingly, by alternately lowering and raising the mandrel 19, any number of shut-in and flowing tests can be made. Moreover, each longitudinal movement of the mandrel 19 will provide a pronounced and easily detected indication at the surface when the mandrel reaches one extreme or another.

Once all tests are completed, it is usually .preferred to open the full bore of the tool 10 either to conduct further completion operations or to recover the pressure recorders P. Accordingly, in keeping with the principles -of the present invention, yto continue yfurther downward travel of the mandrel 19, it is necessary to first unthread the lower mandrel threads 73 from the lower nut 64. It will be realized, of course, that unthreading rotation of the mandrel 19 would ordinarily `tend to move the mandrel on downwardly and leave the lower split-nut 64 shouldered on its associated lower housing shoulder 69. It should be noted, however, that as a matter 0f operating technique, it is preferred to relieve -some of the downward load on the mandrel 19 while rotating the tubing string 14. This is done by picking up the tubing string 14 somewhat but still leaving sufficient weight on the mandrel 19 to overcome the biasing means 30 which added weight will, of course, slowly overcome the movement-retarding means 31. Thus, a suicient time is assured to allow the lower split-nut 64 to climb the mandrel threads 73 before the movement-retarding means 31 are overcome.

Accordingly, as best seen in FIGURE 6D, rotation of the mandrel 19 in the appropriate direction (as shown by arrow 138) in cooperation with the movement-retarding means 31 will instead allow the nut 64 to climb the mandrel threads 73 and leave the mandrel in subtantially the same longitudinal position as before. The nut 64 cannot, of course, rotate by virtue of the splines 66 (FIGURE 5) but it will nevertheless climb the threads 73 as the mandrel 19 rotates relative to the split-nut.

Once the lower split-nut 64 is freed from the lower mandrel threads 64, the mandrel 19 is then free to travel on downwardly as permitted by the movement-retarding means 31. Once the upper end of the sleeve 87 clears the enlarged-diameter housing portion 102, the mandrel 19 will then move rapidly downwardly (as shown by arrow 139) into the position depicted in FIGURE 6D. This sudden movement will provide a substantial shock that is easily detected at the surface. As seen in FIGURE 6D, movement of the mandrel 19 into this position will simultaneously coengage the upper mandrel threads 72 with the upper split-nut 63, move the mandrel ports 106 below the sleeve ports 107, and pivot the ball member 111 into a position where its passageway 112 is coaxially aligned with the mandrel bore 23. Then, if necessary, the tubing string 14 is rotated one or two rotations to insure engagement of the upper clutch member 32. Once the clutch member 32 is engaged, this will also provide a positive indication at the surface that the ball member 111 is open and that the mandrel 19 and housing 20 are co-rotatively secured.

It will be appreciated that to pivot the ball member 111 into its open position, the ball member must move downwardly relative to the tubular member 119 with suicient force that the camming action of the transverse pins in the solts 126 will rotate the ball member about its pivots 117. This upward force is, of course, provided by the spring 127 which, as best seen in FIGURES 6C and 6D, is progressively compressed until it develops a resisting force that is sufficient to rotate the ball member 111 against the frictional forces imposed by the upper valve member 119 will be restrained by the force of the spring 127 cannot develop an upwardly acting force until the lower abutment 129 has engaged the housing shoulder 104. Then, as the mandrel 19 is moved further downwardly as seen in FIGURE 6D, the spring 127 .is progressively compressed to develop a correspondingly increasing upwardly directed bias through the upper abutment 128 to the shoulder 132 of the tubular member 119.

Accordingly, as the downward force 139 on the mandrel 19 increases, downward movement of the tubular member 119 will be restrained by the force of the spring 127 as the shoulder 132 tends to move the abutment 128 below the housing shoulder 131. In some instances, the resulting force of the spring 127 will be suicient to pivot the ball member 111 before the tubular member 119 `moves downwardly far enough to shift the abutment 128 below the shoulder 131. However, to emphasize the function of the spring 127 in supplying the rotational bias to the ball member 111, the abutment 128 is shown slightly below the housing shoulder 131 in FIGURE 6D. It will also be recognized that as the ball member 111 rotates, it will move slightly downwardly into seating engagement with the lower seat 114. Thus, once the ball member 111 is rotated, the seats 113 and 114 will be tightly seated around the opposite ends of the passage 112 to prevent entrance of uids in the mandrel bore 23 into the enlarged space 103. It will also be noted that since the ports 106 and 107 are no longer in registration, solids or fluids in the mandrel bore 23 are similarly blocked from entering the enlarged space 103.

Once the tool is in the position shown in FIGURE 6D, the mandrel 19 will be prevented from traveling upwardly by the co-engagement of the upper mandrel threads 72 inthe upper split-nut 63. Release of the threads 72 from the nut 63 could, of course, be accomplished by rotation of the mandrel 19 were it not for the engagement of the upper clutch member 32 which now prevents further rotation of the mandrel relative to the housing 20. Thus, once the mandrel 19 reaches its lowermost telescoped position shown in FIGURE 6D, the tool 10 is locked in this position with the ball valve means 26 open and the sleeve valve means 25 closed. This will provide a substantially continuous and uninterrupted passage from the tubing string 14 for introduction of various well tools (not shown), completion uids such as cement or fracturing uids requiring high flow rates, and for other reasons that may be encountered during the course of typical remedial or well-completion operations. The tools 10-13 must be retrieved to the surface in order to return the mandrel 19 to its original position. To do this, the upper clutch member 32 is quickly released by removing the threaded collar 35 and shifting the annular member upwardly to disengage the lugs 33 from the slots 34.

The annular spacer 70 is, of course, employed to prevent the mandrel 19 from being picked upwardly once the ball valve 111 is opened andthe upper mandrel threads 72 have become engaged with the upper split-nut 63 as shown in FIGURE 6D. It will be appreciated, therefore, that by omitting this spacer 70, the mandrel 19 could be moved upwardly a sufficient distance to disengage the lugs 33 from their receptive slots 34. This movement would, however, be insufficient to allow either the ball member 111 to be rotated back into its closed position or for the ports 106 and 107 to realign as shown in FIGURE 6B so long as the mandrel 19 was not rotated. Yet, once the lugs 33 were free of their slots 34, the mandrel 19 could be rotated sufficiently to disengage the upper splitnut 63 from the mandrel threads 72 and permit the valve means 25 and 26 to be alternately opened and closed as many times as desired between the positions shown in FIGURES 6B and 6D. Moreover, with the spacer 70 omitted, once the mandrel 19 is rotated sufficiently to disengage the upper split-nut 63 from the upper mandrel threads 72, theV mandrel could also be returned to any of the positions shown in FIGURES 6A and 6C as well.

Omission of the spacer 70 is not too desirable, however, where the bypass valve 11 and packer 13 are of the types described above in reference to FIGURE l. For example, following a so-called squeeze job, it is almost essential to rapidly flush-out the excess cement remaining in the tubing string 14 by applying pressure to the well control fluids in the well annulus and forcing these fluids up into the lower end of the tubing string and on upwardly therein. Access to the tubing string 14 is typically gained :by either unsetting the packer 13 or, as a last resort, opening the bpyass valve 11 should the packer not be readily unseated. It will be realized, of course, that in either event, the ball Valve means 26 must be left open to permit a high flow rate of these fluids to be maintained. With bypass valves and packers of the types described, however,

16 the tubing string 14 usually must be at least partially rotated and then picked up with considerable force to either open the bypass valve 11 or unseat the packer 13. These motions could, therefore, serve to reclose the ball valve means 26 and prevent the desired flushing operation `if either the packer 13 or bypass valve 11 were not completely free of foreign matter and readily movable. Thus, unless the packer 13 and bypass valve 11 are of a style requiring only a straight upward pull to unseat the packer or open the bypass valve, it is preferred to include the spacer 70 so that the ball member 111 will unquestionably remain securely locked in its open position once the tool 10 is moved into the position `depicted in FIGURE 6D.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that the depicted arrangement of the groove system 47 of the position-establishing means 27 allows the sleeve valve means 25 to be selectively opened and closed by reciprocation of the mandrel 19. Moreover, by appropriately locating such stops as the surfaces 134 and 136 adjacent to the entrance of one of the grooves (e.g., groove 59), as the mandrel 19 is moved to reposition the guide pin 46 (e.g., from position C to position D), longitudinal movement of the mandrel will result in the guide pin reaching the subsequent position.

It will be realized, however, that the proper functioning of the position-establishing means 27 of the present invention requires that the mandrel 19 be moved longitudinally with little or no rotation so long as the lower split-nut 63 is engaged with the lower mandrel threads 73. Those skilled in the art will understand, however, that torsional forces will often be developed in the tubing string 14 as the tools 10-13 are being positioned in the well bore 15. Thus, even though no rotation is deliberately imparted to the tubing string 14 at the earths surface during the operation of the tool 10, sufficient torsional forces may have been stored by the tubing string to impart at least a partial rotation to the mandrel 19 as it is being moved longitudinally from the surface.

It will be realized, therefore, that should the mandrel 19 rotate in a clockwise direction as it is being raised to shift the guide pin 46 from its position at B to its position at C, the guide pin could clear the end 135 of the surface 134 and re-enter the groove 52 rather than being moved into the groove 53 (FIGURE 7). Should this occur, the guide pin 46 would return to its position at A without the operators knowledge. Then, when the mandrel 19 was again lowered to supposedly shift the guide pin 46 from its position at C to its position at D, the guide pin would instead be returned to its position at B. Thus, instead of closing the valve means 25 to take a shut-in pressure measurement, the valve means 23 would be reopened. Similar malfunctions due to residual torsional movements of the mandrel 19 could just as Well occur at other points in the operating sequence of the tool 10.

Accordingly, to ensure positive operation of the position-establishing means 27, stop means, such as an inwardly biased key on the sleeve 45 and a plurality of vertically dispose dstops or shoulders 141-144 on the mandrel 19, are provided to prevent inadvertent rotation of the mandrel from bringing the guide pin 46 into an incorrect position as the tool 10 is being operated. As best seen in FIGURE 8, the key 140 is mounted upright in a. longitudinal sleeve recess 145 `diametrically opposite the guide pin 46. It should be noted that although the key 140 has been shown in FIGURE 2A to better illustrate the invention, the key is actually angularly oriented as shown in FIGURE 8. An arcuate spring 146 or similar biasing means behind the key 140 normally urges the key into contact with that portion of the mandrel 19 diametrically opposite the groove system 47 thereon.

The first stop shoulder 141 on the mandrel 19 is at about the same level as the enlarged portion 55 of the groove system 47 and is about diametrically opposite therefrom. It will be appreciated moreover from FIG- URES 2A, 4 and 7 that the vertical shoulder surface 141 is so arranged in relation to the key 140 that whenever the guide pin 46 is in either the groove 56 or enlarged groove portion 55, the mandrel 19 cannot rotate in relation to the sleeve 45 sufficiently far in a clockwise direction that the guide pin can pass the terminal groove surface 135 and re-enter the groove 52. Thus, once the guide pin 46 is in the position B shown in FIGURE 7, inadvertent rotation of the mandrel 19 in a clockwise direction will only bring the key 140 against the shoulder 141 and keep the sleeve 45 and guide pin correctly oriented in relation to the groove system 47. Rotation of the mandrel 19 in a counterclockwise direction will only bring the guide pin 46 against the common wall of the grooves 53 and S6 which serves as a stop to prevent misalignment of the guide pin and groove system 47.

The other stop shoulders 142-144 are similarly arranged at the same level of the transverse groove 51 to successively prevent re-entry of the guide pin 46 into either the groove 53 or groove 59 once the guide pin has entered the groove 57, the groove 59 or the groove 58 as the tool 10 is operated. Thus, for example, once the guide pin 46 is in its position C (FIGURE 7), counterclockwise rotation of the mandrel 19 cannot reposition the guide pin into groove 53 since the shoulder 142 will engage the key 140 and hold the groove surface 136 above the pin so as to guide the pin to its position at D as the mandrel is lowered. Similarly, the shoulder 143 keeps the guide pin 46 from re-entering the groove 57 from the groove 59 and the shoulder 144 keeps the guide pin from re-entering the groove 59 from the groove 58.

Turning now to FIGURE 9, a schematic representation similar to FIGURE 6A is shown of a tool 200 that is arranged in the same way as the tool 10 but for the first position-establishing means 201. A comparison of FIG- URES 6A and 9 will show that the position-establishing means 201 for the tool 200 are reversed from that shown at 27 for the tool 10. As previously mentioned with respect to FIGURES 6A-6D, the movement-retarding means and biasing means are employed with the tool 200 but are not shown in FIGURE 9.

As seen in FIGURE 9, the tool 200 has a mandrel 202 that is disposed in a housing 203 for longitudinal movement between an extended position and a fully-telescoped position as determined by the position-establishing means 201. It will be seen, therefore, that except for the reversal of the elements comprising the position-establishing means 201, the tool 200 is otherwise like the tool 10. Second position-establishing means 204 arranged in the same manner as those at 28 in the tool 10 are also included with the tool 200. It should be noted, however, that as shown in FIGURE 12 of the aforementioned copending application, Serial No. 620,943, the positionestablishing means 204 could also be reversed with the other position-establishing means being arranged either as at 204 in FIGURE 9 or as at 28 in FIGURE 2A in the present application.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the present invention has provided position-establishing or control means for ensuring that telescopically related members of a well tool can be reliably moved into a known relation with a minimum of manipulations. By arranging positionestablishing means in accordance with the principles of the present invention, a longitudinal movement of the snpporting -string will sufice to selectively position the telescoping members in a well tool between two selected positions without risking the inadvertent movement thereof to a third position. Moreover, by providing means, such as the disclosed stop shoulders, improper operation of the position-establishing means is prevented even where the supporting string is inadvertently rotated as by an accumulated torque in the string. Then, once it is desired to move these members to a third position in relation to one another, rotation of the supporting string will permit further longitudinal movement of the string to shift the telescoped members to their third position.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is apparent that changes and modications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects; and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A well tool comprising: first and second relatively rotatable members telescoped together for reciprocating movement relative to one another between longitudinallyspaced positions; first means operable by relative longitudinal movement of said telescoped members between irst and second ones of said spaced positions; second means operable by relative longitudinal movement of said telescoped members toward a third one of their said spaced position; first position-establishing means responsive to reciprocating movement of said telescoped members in their said lirst spaced position upon alternate movements of said telescoped members in one direction and for selectively positioning said telescoped members in their said second spaced position upon intervening movements of said telescoped members in said one direction; and second position-establishing means normally stopping said telescoped members from moving from their said second spaced position to their said third spaced position and responsive to relative rotation between said telescoped members to free said telescoped members for movement toward their said third spaced position.

2. The well tool of claim 1 further including: means for retarding movement of said telescoped members in said one direction.

3. The well tool of claim 1 wherein said first positionestablishing means include: a irst shoulder on said first telescoped member; a second shoulder rotatably supported on said second telescoped member and adapted for engagement with said first shoulder whenever said shoulders are angularly aligned and said telescoped members are in their said lirst spaced position; and guide means coupling said shoulders and operable upon reciprocating movement of said telescoped members to bring said shoulders into angular alignment for co-engagement once said telescoped members reach their said first spaced position.

4. The l'well tool yof claim 3 wherein said guide means are comprised of: a guide member fixed in relation to one of said shoulders; and means fixed in relation to the other of said shoulders and including a groove adapted to receive said guide member and `defining cam surfaces cooperable with said guide member for bringing said shoulders into angular alignment as said telescoped members aipproach their said trst spaced position and for moving said shoulders out tof alignment as said telescoped members are moved away from their said first spaced position.

5. The well tool of claim 1 wherein said second position-establishing means are comprised of: means for releasably gripping one of said telescoped members at a first location thereon and releasable therefrom only upon relative rotation between said telescoped members; and stop means on the other of said telescoped members and adapted to engage said gripping means whenever said telescoped members are in their said second position to prevent their further movement toward their said third position until said gripping means are released.

6. The well tool of claim 5 wherein said iirst positionestablishing means include: a first shoulder on said first telescoped member; a second shoulder rotatably supported on said second telescoped member and adapted for engagement with said first shoulder whenever said shoulders are angularly aligned and said telescoped members are in their said first spaced position; and guide means coupling said shoulders and operable upon reciprocating movement of said telescoped members to bring said shoulders into angular alignment for co-engagement once said telescoped members reach their said iirst spaced position.

7. The well tool of claim 6 wherein said guide means are comprised of: a guide member fixed in relation to one 19 of said shoulders; and means fixed in relation to the other of said shoulders and including a. groove adapted to receive said guide member and defining cam surfaces cooperable with said guide member for bringing said shoulders into 4angular alignment as said telescoped members approach their said first spaced position and for moving said shoulders out of alignment as said telescoped members Iare moved away from their said first spaced position.

8. A well tool comprising: inner and outer relatively rotatable tubular members telescoped together for reciprocating movement between longitudinally-spaced positions; first valve means selectively operable in response to movement of said telescoped members between a first one and a second one of their said spaced positions; second valve means selectively operable in response to movement of said telescoped members toward a third one of their said spaced positions; and position-establishing means operatively coupling said telescoped members including first and second stop means for respectively positioning said telescoped members in their said first and second positions, means responsive to reciprocating movement of said telescoped members for alternately guiding said telescoped members to their said first spaced position and then to their said second spaced position upon consecutive movements of said telescoped members in the same longitudinal direction, and means responsive to relative rotation between said telescoped members for inactivating one of said stop means to free said telescoped members for movement toward their said third spaced position.

9. The well tool of claim 8 wherein the other of said stop means include: a first shoulder on one of said telescoped members, and a second shoulder rotatably supported on the other of said telescoped members and adapted for engagement with said first shoulder Iwhenever said shoulders are angularly aligned and said telescoped members are in their said first spaced position, said guide means coupling said shoulders and being selectively operable upon reciprocating movement of said telescoped members to bring said shoulders into angular alignment for co-engagement once said telescoped members reach their said first spaced position.

10. The well tool of claim 9 wherein said guide means are comprised of: a guide member fixed in relation to one of said shoulders; and means fixed in relation to the other of said shoulders and including a groove adapted to receive said guide member and defining cam surfaces cooperable with said guide member for bringing said shoulders into angular alignment as said telescoped members approach their said first spaced position and for moving said shoulders out of alignment as said telescoped members are moved away from their said first spaced position.

11. The well tool of claim 8 wherein said one stop means include: a plurality of threads on said inner member, a threaded nut threadedly engaged with said threads, means co-rotatively securing said nut to said outer member without restricting longitudinal travel of said nut in relation thereto, and a shoulder on said outer member adapted for engagement with said nut once said telescoped members reach their said second spaced position so long as said nut has not Ibeen disengaged from said threads.

12. The well tool of claim 11 further including: movement-retarding means between said telescoped members for delaying their travel in said longitudinal direction.

13. The well tool of claim 11 wherein the other of said stop means include: -a first shoulder on one of said telescoped members, and a second shoulder rotatably supported on the other of said telescoped members and adapted for engagement with said first shoulder whenever said first and second shoulders are angularly aligned and said telescoped members are in their said first spaced position, said guide means coupling said shoulders and being operable upon reciprocating movement of said telescoped members to bring said first and second shoulders into angular alignment for co-engagement once said telescoped members reach their said first spaced position.

14. The well tool of claim 13 wherein said guide means are comprised of: a guide member fixed in relation to one of said first and second shoulders; and means fixed in relation to the other of said first and second shoulders and including a groove adapted to receive said guide member and defining came surfaces cooperable with said guide member for bringing said first and second shoulders into angular alignment as said telescoped members approach their said first spaced position and for moving said first and second shoulders -out of alignment as said telescoped members are moved away from their said first spaced position.

15. The well tool of claim 14 further including: movement-retarding means between said telescoped members for delaying their travel in said longitudinal direction.

16. Apparatus adapted for use in a well bore and comprising: packing means :adapted for packing-ofi a well bore in response to a downward force thereon and including a fluid passage adapted for providing fluid communication through said packing means; inner and outer relatively rotatable tubular members telescoped together for reciprocating movement between longitudinallyspaced `positions, said outer telescoped member being coupled to said packing means and in liuid communication with said fluid passage, said inner telescoped member being adapted for connection to a pipe string; first valve means responsive to movement of said telescoped members between a first one and Va second one of their said spaced positions for selectively opening and closing fluid communication between said fluid passage and a pipe string connected to said inner telescoped member; second valve means normally closing the interior of said inner member and responsive to movement of said telescoped members toward a third one of their said spaced positions to open the interior of said inner member; and positionestablishing means coupling said telescoped member including first and second stop means respectively adapted for transmitting downward forces from a pipe string connected to said inner telescoped member to said packing means whenever said telescoped members are in their said first and second spaced positions, guide means responsive to reciprocating movement thereof for alternately positioning said telescoped members lin their said first spaced position and then in their said second spaced position upon successive movements of said telescoped members in the same longitudinal direction, and means responsive to relative rotation between said telescoped members for releasing said second stop means to free said telescoped members for movement toward their said third spaced position.

17. The well bore apparatus of claim 16 further including: pressure-measuring means adapted to be supported in relation to said outer tubular member below said second valve means and for passage through the interior of said inner member and said second valve means.A

18. The well bore apparatus of claim 16 wherein said first stop means include: a first shoulder on one of said telescoped members, and a second shoulder rotatably supported on the other of said telescoped members and adapted for engagement with said first shoulder to transmit downward forces to said packing means whenever said shoulders are angularly aligned and said telescoped members are in their said first spaced position; and said guide means include a guide member fixed in relation to one of said shoulders, and a groove fixed in relation to the other of said shoulders and defining cam surfaces cooperable with said guide member for angularly aligning said shoulders as said telescoped members approach their said first spaced position and for angularly misaligning said shoulders as said telescoped members are moved away from their said first spaced position.

19. The well bore apparatus of claim 16 wherein saidsecond stop means and releasing means include: a plurality of threads on said inner member, a threaded nut threadedly engaged with said threads, means co-rotatively securing said nut to said outer member without restricting longitudinal travel of said nut in relation thereto, and a shoulder on said outer member adapted for engagement with said nut to transmit downward forces to said packing means whenever said telescoped members are in their said second spaced position so long as said nut has not been disengaged from said threads.

20. The well bore apparatus of claim 19 wherein said first stop means include: a first shoulder on one of said telescoped members, and a second shoulder rotatably supported on the other of said telescoped members and adapted for engagement with said first shoulder to transmit downward forces to said packing means Whenever said shoulders are angularly aligned and said telescoped members are in their said first spaced position; and said guide means include a guide member fixed in relation to one of said shoulders, and a groove fixed in relation to the other of said shoulders and defining cam surfaces cooperable with said guide member for angularly aligning said shoulders as said telescoped members approach their said first spaced position and for angularly misalgning said shoulders as said telescoped members are moved away from their said first spaced position.

21. A well tool comprising: inner and outer relatively rotatable tubular members telescoped together for reciprocating movement between longitudinally-spaced positions; first valve means selectively operable in response to movement of said telescoped members between a first one and a second one of their said spaced positions; second valve means selectively operable in response to movement of said telescoped members toward a third one of their said spaced positions; and position-establishing means operatively coupling said telescoped members and including a sleeve member between said telescoped members and rotatably supported by one of said telescoped members, a first shoulder fixed on the other of said telescoped members, means on said sleeve member defining a second shoulder thereon adapted for engagement by said first shoulder whenever said shoulders are angularly aligned and said telescoped members are in their said first spaced position as well as defining a clearance on each side of said second shoulder adapted to pass said first shoulder whenever said shoulders are angularly misaligned and said telescoped members are in their said second spaced position, guide means coupling said other member and said sleeve member and responsive to reciprocating movement of said telescoped members for alternately aligning and misaligning said shoulders whenever said telescoped members are being moved between their said first and second spaced positions, abutment means on said outer member, and stop means releasably coupled to said inner member adapted to engage said abutment means whenever said telescoped members are in their said second spaced position and releasable from said inner member upon relative rotation between said telescoped members to free said telescoped members for movement toward their said third spaced position.

22. The well tool of claim 21 wherein said guide means include: a guide member fixed to and projecting from one of the said sleeve and said other telescoped members; and groove means on the other of said sleeve and said other telescoped members adapted to receive said guide member for movement relative thereto and including first and second and third longitudinal groove portions circumferentially spaced from one another, said first and third groove portions being angularly oriented to respectively align said first shoulder with one of said clearances when said guide member is therein and said second groove portion being angularly oriented to align said first shoulder with said second shoulder when said guide member is therein, a first transverse groove portion interconnecting adjacent portions of each of said longitudinal groove portions, a second transverse groove portion interconnecting other adjacent portions of said first and third longitudinal groove portions, said first transverse groove portion having first surface portions cooperable with said guide member for directing said guide member from said second longitudinal groove portion into said first longitudinal groove portion upon a first movement of said telescoped members in one longitudinal direction, said second transverse groove portion having second surface portions cooperable with said guide member for directing said guide member from said first longitudinal groove portion into said third longitudinal groove portion upon a first movement of said telescoped members in the other longitudinal direction, and said first transverse groove portion having third surface portions cooperable with said guide member for directing said guide member from said third longitudinal groove portion into said second longitudinal groove portion upon a second movement of said telescoped members in .said one longitudinal direction followed by a second movement of said telescoped members in said other longitudinal direction.

23. The well tool of claim 22 further including means for preventing said guide member from being directed back into said first longitudinal groove portion upon said second movement of said telescoped members in said one longitudinal direction.

24. The well tool of claim 23 further including means for preventing said guide member from being directed back into said third longitudinal groove portion upon said second movement of said telescoped members in said other longitudinal direction.

25. The well tool of claim 24 further including means for preventing said guide member from being directed back into said second longitudinal groove portion upon said first movement of said telescoped members in said one longitudinal direction.

26. A well tool comprising: inner and outer relatively rotatable tubular members telescoped together for movement between longitudinally-spaced first, second, third and fourth positions; first valve means selectively operable in response to movement of said inner member between said third and fourth positions and said second position; second valve means selectively operable in response to movement of said inner members between said second position and said first position; and positionestablishing means operatively coupling said telescoped members and including a sleeve member between said telescoped members and rotatably supported by said outer member, a first shoulder fixed on said inner member, means on said sleeve member defining a second shoulder thereon adapted for engagement by said first shoulder only when said shoulders are angularly aligned to halt said inner member in said third position as well as defining clearances on opposite sides of said second shoulder respectively adapted to pass said first shoulder whenever said shoulders are angularly misaligned and as said inner member is moved between said fourth and second positions, an inwardly-projecting guide member on said sleeve member, groove means on said inner member receiving said guide member for movement therein and responsive to successive reciprocating movements of said inner member for aligning said first and second shoulders to bring said shoulders into engagement and halt said inner member in said third position only on alternate reciprocations of said inner member and for aligning said first shoulder and one or the other of said clearances only on intervening reciprocations of said inner member to enable said inner member to move between said second and said fourth positions, abutment means on said outer member, and stop means releasably coupled to said inner member adapted to engage said abutment means and halt said inner member in said second position only on said intervening reciprocations of said inner member, said stop means being releasable from said inner member upon rotation thereof to free said inner member for movement References Cited from said second position to said first position. Y UNITED STATES PATENTS 27. The Well'tool of clalm 26 further including: clutch 2,831,542 4/1958 Lynes et al 1615 237 X means co-rotatlvely securmg said telescoped members 3,308,887 3/1967 Nutter 166 150 whenever said inner member is in said third position and 5 3,311,173 3 /1967 Hanske et aL 166 150 X releasable whenever said inner member is in said second 3,332,495 7/ 1967 Young 166-226 X position. 3,347,318 10/ 1967 Barrington 166-226 28. The well tool of claim 27 further meludlng: sec- D AVID H. BROWN, Primary Examiner. ond clutch means co-rotatlvely securlng sald telescoped 10 members only whenever said inner member is in said U.S. C1.X.R. rst position. 166-150, 226, 240

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