US1910442A - Apparatus and process for cementing wells - Google Patents

Description

S. E. MANNING APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR CEMENTING WELLS Filed Dec. 4, 1930 May 23, 1933.

Patented May 23, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT or-'FlcE SANFORD E. KANNING, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOB TO THE B. S. I. 00mm, INC., 0F HOUSTON, TEXAS, A CORPORATION OF TEXAS APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOB CEHENTING WELLS Application illed December 4, 1980. Serial No. 499,989.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements 1n apparatus and process for cementing wells.

One object of the invention is to provide apparatus to be used in connection with plpe, such as screen to be set 1n a Well bore and whereby the screen, or other pipe to be set, may be cemented at spaced points, usually at the upper and lower ends thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel apparatus to be used. in combination with a tubular screen in a well bore whereby the well bore about the upper and lower ends of the screen may be completely closed to the end that water strata above and/or beneath the screen will be completel cut oil` from the oil stratum opposite whic the screen is set; and the apparatus is of such construction that the cement may be introduced and applied about the screen at spaced intervals so as to form a plurality of spaced seals about the screen at one operation.

A further feature of the invention is to provide apparatus of the character described whereby the cement forming the seals will be protected, after it has been introduced into the well and while in plastic state, to the end that it will be undisturbed by gas pressure or otherwise while setting and more perfect seals will thus be formed.

The invention also comprehends a novel method of cementing screen or other pipe in a Well bore.

- This invention embodies certain improvements over that disclosed in Serial No. 474,- 440 liled August 11, 1930.

With the above and other objects in view this invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, operation, and arrangement of parts, as well as to a novel process, an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 shows a vertical sectional view of the upper end of the apparatus shown associated with a screen in a well bore1 and Figure 2 shows a similar view of the lower end thereof.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing the numeral 1 designates the walls of a well bore. The numeral 2 designates a screen having a set shoe 3 at its lower end provided with the conventional back pressure va'lve 4. The screen is attached to the lower end of a string of pipe 5 by means of which said screen may be lowered into the well bore and set. 'lhe screen is attached tothe setting string by means of a long coupling 6 which may be attached to the string by right hand threads. The upper and lower ends of the screen has blank extensions 7, 8 as shown, on which are mounted expansible packers 9, 10 of conventional construction and hereinafter again referred to.

At the lower end of the extension 8, and preferably in the set shoe there is screwed a nipple 11, preferably by means of right hand threads. A return pipe 12 is connected, by left hand threads to this nipple and the upper end of this return pipe has a head 12 which fits closely in the lower end of the coupling 6 and is provided with a packing ring there around so as to close the space between said return pipe and said extension 7. There is a delivery tube 13, whose upper end has a Vhead 14 which is fitted closely in the coupling 6 and this head has a surrounding packing 14 and a downwardly converging seat 15, at its upper end.

The lower end of the tube 13 is attached to the nipple 11 by left hand threads. The tube 13 is located within, and spaced from, the return pipe 12 so as to provide a return channel 16 between them. The lower end of this channel communicated with the well bore outside of the screen throu h the ducts 17 which lead out through the nipple 11 and set shoe 3. Said nipple also has a central opening 18, aligned with the tube 13. The tube 13 has a contracted seat 19 beneath its upper end, for a purpose to be hereinafter stated.

Above the upper end of the return pipe 12 and beneath the head 14 lead out the return channels 20. The lower ends of these channels are connected into the channel 16 and they lead up through the coupling 6 and their upper or discharge ends terminate outside of said coupling. An expansible sack 21 may be provided which surrounds the coupling 6 and has its lower end secured thereto and an elastic tie 22, such as a coll spring, holds the upper end of the sack closely against the pipe above. The channels 20 discharge into this sack.

The apparatus is assembled and then let down into the bore until the set shoe rests on bottom but without the ball valve 25, and the screen is then washed in the usual way and the packers 9, 10 are then expanded out against the walls of the bore. A load of cementitious material is then poured into the u er end of the string 5 and the valve 25, w 1ch is buoyant, placed on the surface of said material. A wooden, or cement, plug, or plunger 23, is then inserted into the upper end of the string and fluid pressure applied thereto, in any selected manner, to force the plug 23, and the load of cementitious material ahead of it, downwardly. This material will pass on down through the string and through the tube 13 and out through the back pressure valve 4 and the openings 24 in the set shoe and will fill the space about the pipe 8 beneath the packer 10. The surplus plastic material will be forced in through the ducts 17 and up through the channels 16, 20 and out into the sack 21, expanding the same out against the walls of the bore. When all of the material of the load has been so discharged the valve 25 will seat on the seat 19 in the tube 13 and close said tube thus cutting ofl:l further pressure against the plastic material around the upper and lower ends of the screen pipe. The pump supplying said pressure will also be stalled, or slowed down, thus indicating to the operator that the load has been fully discharged. The plastic material is maintained in position until it sets, and seals at the bottom and top of the screen are thus formed. Thereupon the plu 23 may be milled out and the tube 13 an return pipe 14 may be unscrewed through a suitable fishing tool, or tap, by turning them to the right, and removed and the work thus completed and the well is then ready to bc brought in.

If it be desired to later deepen the hole the nipple 11, back pressure valve 4, set shoe 3 and the cement beneath may be drilled out, and the bore deepened.

Any suitable means for expanding the packers 9, 10 may be provided. As shown the upper end of the blank extension 7,has an external annular flange 26 and there is a collar 27 screwed onto the lower end of the coupling 6 which telescopes over the upper end of said extension 7 and whose lower end has an internal annular flange 28 which fits closely around said extension 7 beneath the flan e 26.

T e upper end of the blank extension 8 has an external annular flange 29 and there is a collar 30 threaded onto the lower end of the screen which telescopes over the upper end of the extension 8 and whose lower end has an inwardly extending flange 31 which fits closely around said extension 8. The blank extension 7 is attached to the upper end of the screen by the usual collar 32.

While theapparatus is being let down into the bore, the flange 29 will hang on the flange 31 and the flange 26 will hang on the flange 28 and the packers 9, 10 will be contracted. Suitable flangible pins will be inserted through the pin bearin 33, 34, of the flange 26 and the collar 2 respectively, while said bearings are in alignment. The lower ends of the packers 9, 10 are secured to the respective extensions 7, 8 and their upper ends are secured around the slidable bushings 35, 36 respectively. When the set shoe 3 lands on the bottom of the bore the collar 3() will move on down against the bushing 36 and force it downwardly to expand the lower packer 10 and when said packer is fully expanded the weight above will shear said pins and permit the collar 27 to move on down against the bushing 35 and this will operate to expand the upper packer 9.

The lower packer 10, when expanded will form a close fit against the bore outside of the extension 8 and will prevent the cementitious material from passing upwardly around said extension and the upper packer 9 when expanded will close the bore around the upper extension 7 and prevent said cementit1ous material from passing downwardly through the bore in cases where the sack 21 is not used.

The drawing and description disclose what is now considered to be a preferred form of the invention by way of illustration only while the broad principle of the 1nvent-ion will be defined by the appended claims. t

What I claim is: f

1. The process of setting and cementing a screen in a well bore which consists of lowermg the screen to the desired location in the bore, closing the space outside the screen adjacent its upper and lower ends by upper and lower packing, forcing cement downwardly into the space beneath the lower packing and into the space above the upper packing at a single operation, excluding said cement from the screen, and allowing the cement to set.

2. The process of setting and cementing a screen in a well bore which consists of lowering the screen to the desired location in the bore, closing the space outside the screen ad3acent its up er and lower ends by upper and lower pac ers, forcing cement downwardly into the space beneath the lower packer and above the upper packer, at a s ingle o ration meanwhile excluding said cement rom the screen, and allowing the cement to set.

3. The methodl of setting and cementing well screen in wells consisting of lowering the screen to the desired location in the well, washing the screen, setting an upper and a lower packer at the top and bottom, respectively, of the screen, forcing plastic cement downwardly into the space beneath the lower packer and back upwardly into the space above the up r packer at a single operation, and allowing the cement to set.

4. The method of setting and cementing screen in wells consisting of lowering the screen to the desired location in the well, washing the screen, setting an upper and Y a lower packer at the top and bottom, respectively, of the screen, forcing cement downwardly and successivel into the space beneath the lower packer an above the upper packer by a substantially continuous operation and allowing the cement to set.

5. The method of setting and cementing screen in wells consisting of lowering the screen to the desired location in the well, setting an upper and a lower packer adjacent the top A.and bottom, respectively, ol' the screen, forcing cement downwardly through the screen into the space outside said screen beneath the lower packer and thence back up through. the screeninto the space outside the screen above the upper packer and allowing said cement to set.

6. The .combination with a screen adapted to be set in a well bore, of an upper and lower packer adjacent the ends of the screen, an inner tube in the screen whose upper end is open and whose lower end is in communication with the space outside the screen beneath the. lower packer, there being another channel through the device leading from said last named space into the space outside the screen above the upper packer.

7. The combination with a screen in a well bore, of an upperand a lower packer adjacent thev ends of thescreen forming seals between the screen and the walls of the bore, there being a conduit leading downwardly through the screen into the space outside of the screen beneath the lower seal and a separate conduit leading upwardly 1to the space outside the screen above the upper seal.

8. The combination with a screen adapted to be set in a well bore, of an upper and lower packer adjacent the ends of the screen, an inner tube in the screen whose upper end is open and whose lower end is in communication with the space outside the screen be.- neath the lower packer, there being another channel through the device leading from said last named space into the space outside the screen above the upper packer, said channel and tube communicating with each other only through said lower space.

9. Apparatus of the character described including a string of pipe in a well bore, an upper and a lower acker about the pipe forming spaced sealsl etween the pi e and the walls of the bore, there being a c annel leading dgwnwardly through the pipe into the space outside of the pipe beneath the lower seal, and a separate channel leading from the last mentloned space u wardly into the space outside of the pipe a ve the upper sea 10. Apparatus of the character described including a string of pipe in a well bore, upper and a lower means about the pipe forming spaced seals between the pipe and the walls of the bore, there being a channel leading downwardly through the pipe into the space outside of the pipe beneath the lower seal, and a separate channel leading from the last mentioned space upwardly into the space outside of the pipe above the upper seal, a plunger movable downwardly through the string of pipe by means of which a load of cementitiousmaterial in the pi e in advance of the plunger may be force throug'n said channels into said spaces.

t 11. Apparatus of the character described including a string of pipe in a well bore, upper and a lower means about the pipe forming spaced seals between the pipe and the walls of the bore, there being a channel leading downwardly through the pipe into the space outside of the pipe beneath the lower seal, and a separate channel leading from the last mentioned space upwardly into the space outside of the pipe above the upper seal, a plunger movable downwardly through the string of pipe by means of which a load of cementitlous material in the ipe in advance of the plunger may be orced through said channels into said spaces, and means movable downwardly through the string with said load and closing the downwardly leading channel when the load has been discharged into said spaces.

12. The process of setting and cementing a screen in a well bore which consists in lowering the screen to the desired location in the bore, closing the space outside the screen by upper and lower closures, forcing cement down into the space below the lower closure and above the upper closure at a single operation, excluding said cement from the screen while the cement is being lowered and allowing the cement to set.

13. The combination with a screen pipe adapted to be set in a well bore, of an upper and a lower closure adjacent the upper and lower ends of the screen pipe for closing the space between said screen pipe and the walls of the bore, there being a conduit leading downwardly through the screen pipe into the Aspace outside the screen pipe beneath the lower closure, and a conduit leading upwardly from said lower space into thespace outside the screen pipe above the 75 upper closure. v

14. The combination with a screen pipe adapted to be set in a well bore, of an upper and a lower closure adjacent the up r and lower ends of the screen pipe for c os- 10 ing the space between said screen pipe and the walls of the bore, there being a conduit leading downwardly into the space outside the screen pipe beneath the lower closure and a separate conduit leading upwardly 5 from said lower space into the space outside the screen pipe above the upper closure. 15. The combination with a string of pipe adapted to be located in a well bore and having a screen incorporated therein, of a tube W through the screen, means 'above and beneath the screen for closing the space between the tube and string, there being channelsA leading from the tube through which cementitious material may be delivered from '25 the-tube into the bore around the string at different locations.

i 16.V The combination with a string of pipe having a screen incorporated therein and adapted for use in a well bore, of a tube 3 through the screen, there being channels through which a sealing material may be conducted from the tube and delivered into the bore around the string above and below the screen. Y

"35 17 The combination with a string of pipe having a screen incorporated therein and adapted for use in a well bore, of a tube throughv the screen, there being channels through which a sealing material may be '40 conducted from the tube and delivered into the bore around the string above and below the screen, and means forming barriers to exclude said material from reaching the screen. A

'$45 18. The combination with a string of pipe having a screen `incorporated therein and adapted to be let down into a well bore, means extending throughthe screen for directing sealing material into the bore "50 around the string above and beneath 'the screen and barriers within and around thev string for excluding said material from the screen.

1 In testimony whereof I have signed my 455 name to this specification.

SANFORD E. MANNING.

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