US3010518A - Well pressure cementing tool - Google Patents

Description

Nov'. 28, 1961 B. G. HARMoN WELL PRESSURE CEMENTING ToorJ 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 5. 1956 .am v; l

B. G. HARMON Nov'. z8, 1961 WELL PRESSURE CEMENTING TOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed OCT.. 5,

United States Patent O 3,010,518 WELL PRESSURE CEMENTNG TOOL Bill G. Harmon, Cai-mi, El., assigner to Engineered Granting Service, Evansville, Ind., a partnership Filed Get. 5, 1956, Ser. No. 614,100 2 Claims. (Cl. 16S-184) The prent invention relates generally to the lield of well drilling equipment and more specically to lthe equipment used to pressure cement a casing in place. Particular utility of the invention results from its use in oil field operations, although other uses be apparent to those skilled in the art.

ln completing a well or other earth boring which is intended to eventuate in a metal casing it is normally the practice to set the casing in cement. Where oil field operations are involved, it is particularly desirable to make sure that the cementing seals the casing to the boring in a manner which will prevent water from leaking down the `outside of the casing into the producing zone or to prevent other intrusions. Conventionally this result is often achieved by subjecting the casing cement to external' pressure before it sets to squeeze the cement out into the earth adjacent the casing. The present invention relates to a tool for squeezing the cement around such a casing. ln the event that a liner is to be set in the well, usually after an extension drilling, the liner may be set with a separate tool such as that disclosed in copending application 596,111 led July 5, 1956, now United States Patent No. 2,913,052. It is highly desirable to accomplish the squeeze work without removing the :liner set tool and its associated string of production tubing from the well.

Accordingly it is the general object of the present invention to provide a squeezer which is eflicient and etective in squeezing into position the cement around a casing, and .more speciiically which permits the setting and cementing of a liner without removing the tool `from the hole.

Another object of the invention is -to provide a cement squeezing tool which will squeeze `from the bottom of the hole upwardly to the highest zone of permeability.

Still another object of the invention is .to furnish a squeeze tool which may be readily washed out including a wash of all the packer elemens on the string.

Further objects `and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the `following description of one embodiment illustrating the invention is described, in which- FIGURE l is a vertical section of a string of tools in a well illustrating the general environment and principal elements of the illustrative tool.

FlG. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the illustrative Vtool showing the sliding valve arrangement.

FlG. 3 is a vertical section of the tool shown in FlG. 1 illustrating the construction of the packer elements and a portion of the by-pass.

FIG. 4 is a vertical section diagrammatically illustrating the flow of liuid through the squeeze tool in normal circulating operation.

FIG. 5 is a vertical section illustrating the squeeze tool at the time the cement is being squeezed from the bottom of the shoe.

FlG. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken along section line 6 6 of FIG. 4 illustrating the lower ports leading to the by-pass flow path.

FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken along section line 7 7 of FIG. 5 illustrating the sleeve valve and upper oy-pass port relationship when the cement is being squeezed as illustrated in FiG. 5.

As pointed out above, the pressure cement or squeeze tool contemplated by the present invention linds particularly advantageous application in the setting `of a liner in 3,@1995l3 Patented Nov. 28, 1961 r, ICC

conjunction with a liner set tool such as illustrated in copending patent application 596,114 tiled July 5, 1956, now United States Patent No. 2,913,052. The conjunctive use of the liner set tool and a pressure cementing tool is illustrated in FIG. l. ln FIG. l it will be seen that a casing 10 has been `set in cement 11, and subsequently a new hole 12 into which the liner i4- is to be set has been drilled. A liner support shoe v1S extends to the bottom 16 of the hole. After the lliner set tool (which includes the elements Ibetween the shoe 15 and the `lowermost packer) has been released `from the liner `i4 and cement is pumped into the hole 112 it then becomes desirable to subject the liner cement to extensive pressure in order that the cement permeate water bearing zones to shut off any water which might drift down in the bottom of the hole 16. As pointed out above, it is particularly desirable to accomplish this squeezing from the bottom of the hole and without removing the string of equipment `from the casing 10 and liner 14. This result is achieved by employing the uniquepacker thy-pass valve arrangement which is the heart of the present invention.

Production tubing 18 runs general-ly the length of the hole, A pressure actuated tool support 19' is the rst element in the string of equipment. A sliding valve assembly 20 which includes a valve sleeve -21 and drag spring 22 is oriented on the production tubing 18 and normally positioned above the upper by-pass ports 24. A pair of one way annular sealing means comprising single acting packer elements 25, 2.6 are positioned below the upper by-pass por-t 24. The single acting packer elements serve to permit the flow of duid down the outer annular path 2S, but prevent the dow of iuid upwardly through the outer ow path 28. Therefore it becomes necessary to by-pass the single acting packers 25, 26 it ow down the inner flow path 29 and up the outer iiow .path 28 is desired.

Such a by-pass around the packer elements is provided by means of an intermediate flow path 38 provided between the lower by-pass ports 311 and the upper by-pass ports 24.

When it comes time to squeeze or subject the liner cement to pressure from the bottom of the hole, it then becomes desirable to shut OEE the intermediate llow path 38 so that the single acting packer 25, 26 will block the upward ow of fluid through the outer iiow path 2.8 thereby permitting the operator at the well head to increase the pressure through the inner iiow path 29 and pressurize the cement surrounding the liner 14. The unique construction which achieves this result will be more fully appreciated as the iiuid ow in the two positions shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. are outlined. As will be seen in FIG. 4 liuid is owing downwardly through the central conduit or production tubing 18 and enters into an inner conduit 32 providing a continuation of the inner flow path 29 which extends to the shoe 15 and ou through the bottom of the hole :16. The inner conduit 32 is provided with an enlarged head 34 and peripheral O-rings 35 which provide a seal against the inner face 36 of the production tubing. The outer diameter of the inner conduit 32 is less than the inner diameter of the production tubing 18 thereby defining an intermediate iiow path 38. The intermediate flow path is connected by means of ylower ports 311 to the outer ow path 28 beneath the lower single acting packer element 26. The upper by-pass ports 24 similarly connect the intermediate ow path 3S with the outer iiow path 28. As will be seen from the arrows diagramming the ow, fluid liows downwardly through the inner ow path 29 to the bottom of the hole, thereafter it flows upwardly through the outer ow path 28 until blocked by the single acting packers 25, 26. At this point the tiuid ows through the lower by-pass ports 3X1 into the intermediate iiow outer iiow pat-h 23. the cement sur-rounding the liner 14, the production tubing 1S is raised, as shown in FIG. 5, untilthe sleeve valve 21 surrounds the upper by-pass ports 24. Pairs of upper sleeve valve O-rings 49 and lower sleeve valve O-rings 41 prevent the iiuid from passing out through the upper lby-pass ports 24 into the outer ow path 28. The sleeve valve 21 is held in place on the casing by means of a drag sleeve assembly 22.

After the upper by-pass ports 24 have been closed by the sleeve valve 21, the iiuid may continue to ow down the inner flow path 29 and up through the lower portion of the outer flow path 28. As the uid flowing through the lower portion of the outer flow path 28 engages the single acting packer elements 25, 26 it cannot flow through the outer how path 2S Vand is diverted into the intermediate flow path 38. Because the upper intermediate dow path by-pass valve `24 is shut off by the sleeve valve 21, no Aiiow can take place through the intermediate iiow path, and consequently all of the pressure takes the course of least resistance which is in the permeable areas along the extension hole 12 surrounding the liner 14.

The details of the sleeve valve 21 are best shown in FIG. 2. There it will be seen that the sleeve valvel21 is made from a circular pipe section, the inner diameter of which is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the production tubing 18. Pairs of rings 4), 41 are provided `at the upper and lower portion of the inner diameter of the sleeve to seal against the outer diameter of the production tubing 18. The drag spring assembly 22 includes 4 individual `arcuate leaf springs 42 secured to their lower ends by means of fasteners44 to the sleeve 21, and at their upper ends to a guide collar 45 by means of fasteners 46.

In order to permit the shift-ing of the drag spring assembly '22 up and down the casing 1G, an upper drag Vspring stop 48 in the form of a length of an internally threaded pipe coupling is provided. As will be seen, the production tubing 18 is severed, threaded at both ends of the severed joint and then both ends are threaded into the internal portion of the stop .48. The stop 43 abuts the support collar 45 of the drag spring assembly 22 when the production tubing 1-8 is being lowered thereby lowering the drag springassembly V22 and its associated sleeve valve 21. A similar lower d-r-ag spring stop 49 is provided below the upper by-pass port 24. As will be seen in FIG. 7 the drag spring leaves -42 extend radially at 90 angles within the outer annular flow path 28.

Y The details of construction of the packer assembly Vare best illustrated in FIG. 3. The upper packer 25 is secured in place -by means of the packer support cup `59, the flanged'rim SI1 of which engages .the outer. edge of the packer 25. The packer support cup '50 is held in place by means of `a pipe coupling 52 into whichV severed portions of the production tubing 18 are threaded. This leaves 4the intermediate flow path 38 unobstructed, and provides a packer cup support shoulder stop 54 at the lower shoulder of the pipe coupling 52. A spacer sleeve v55 abuts the inner portion of the upper packer 25 and secures the packer cup against the packer support cup 50. The lowerend of the packer spacing sleeve 55 abuts the lower packer cup-shaped support `56 which has a hanged rim 58 similar to that of the upper packer cup support 50. A lower packer cup spacing sleeve 59 extends downwardly to a collar 60 which is threaded to the lower end of the lower spacer sleeve 59. As will be seen Iby reference to FIG. 6, the lower by-pass ports 31 are bored co-aXially through the spacer sleeve `59 and the adjacent section of production tubing 18 to cornmunicate between the outer flow path 28 and the intermediate ow path 38. A lower packer assembly support collar 61 threadedly receives the lower end of the product-ion tubing :1S Iand is secured to the inner tubing 32 ing t18 then extends downwardly to the' liner setting tool V assembly. The joint e2 and 0 rings 35 comprise spaced flow sealing means between the inner and central conduits. v

Although the mode of operation outlined above is to squeeze or pressurize cement around the liner from the bottom of the hole; it will be apparent that by varying the position of the lower end ofthe production tubing 18, and a combination of positions of the slide valve 21 and directions of dow through the outer iiow path 2S and the inner ilow path 29 that a wide degree of flexibility is available in use. In addition, as emphasized above, the squeeze tool in conjunction with a liner set tool permits a liner to =be set andrpressure cemented in place without removing the string of production tubing l from the hole. By standardizing the lengths of the various components, and the axial travel of the sleeve valve 21, the operator at the well head can accurately control the operation of the tool. v

Althouh particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in lfull here, there is no intention to thereby-limit they invention to the details of such embodiments.k `On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modiiications, alternative embodiments, usages and equivalents of the Well pressure cementing tool as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, -specication, and appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A tool -for use in a well casing comprising, in cornbination, one-way annular sealing means; a central conduit secured in sealed relation to said onedway annular sealing means, the central'conduit and casing defining inner and outer how paths and said one-way annular sealing vmeans being constantly engaged in sealing relation with said casing when the tool is disposed inside said casing; an inner conduit within the central conduit dening an intermediate iiow path; spaced flowsealing means engaging the central conduit and inner conduit thereby terminating the intermediateV flow path at theY including a sleeve axially slidable with said central conduit in sealed relation therewith above said one-way annular sealingmember, and a plurality of drag spring means supported from said sleeve and being outwardly biased for sliding engagement with the casing when the tool is disposed therein, said sleeve assembly ybeing of a length such that when the tool is lowered down through the casing the sliding engagement therewith of said drag spring means urges the sleeve assembly into engagement with said stop means and maintains said first port means uncovered by said sleeve, said iirst port means being covered by said sleeve to thereby block ilow through said intermediate ow path by Imoving the tool up relative to said casing.

2. A tool in accordance with claim 1 further 'comprising another stop means secured to said central conduit below said rst port means for engaging said sleeve assembly when said tool is moved up in said casing and for thereby positioning said sleeve assembly to cover said first port means.

References Cited in the tileV of this patent UNTED STATES PATENTS Christian June 11, 1957

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