US2245712A - Electrically controlled well packer - Google Patents

Description

June 17, 1941. T. M. RAGAN ELECTRICALIVJY CONTROLLED WELL 'PACKEB Filed June 13, 1939 I 0?..05 @22, w, w

* vu nio@ /OMAS M. RAGA N,

luto/:41443 Patented June 17, 1941 2,245,712 ELECTBICALLY CONTROLLED WELL CREE Thomas M. Bam, Downey, Calif., assigner to Baker Oil Tools, Ine., Huntington Park, Calif., a

corporation oi California Application June 13, 1939, serial No. 273,839

llclslms.

This invention relates to well packers, and more particularly to devices i'or setting packers. sixliich as .bridge plugs, within a well casing or the l e.

It is an object oi the present invention to .provide an improved well .packer and an electrical device A:for controlling its setting within a weil casing, the entire device being available for subsequent employment in connection with other well packers.

Another object oi' the invention is to provide a wire line operated bridge plug mechanism capable of being set through the utilization of electromagnetic instrumentalities contained within the casing.

'I'he invention has other objects that will become apparent from a consideration of one form in which it is embodied, which form is shown in the drawing accompanying and constituting part of the present specification. This embodiment will` not .be described in detail., but it is to be understood that such detailed description is not to be taken in a limited sense, since the scope o1' the invention is best defined -by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figures 1 and 1a constitute a two-part longitudinal section of a well packer and'its associated tripping and setting mechanism, the parts .being shown in position for Ibelng run in -a weil casing prior to trippingr and setting of the packer;

Figure 2 is a transverse section taken along the line 2-2 in Figure 1: and

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of an electric circuit ior controlling the setting of the packer.

The apparatus includes a well packer in the i'orm of a 'bridge plug A adapted to be set in position within a casing by means of an electrical device B initially coupled to the packer through the agency of a. tripping mechanism C. 'This entire assembly is lowered into the casing from the surface of the bore on a wire line D to the desired point at which the packer is to be set.

The packer includes a main body I having a frusta-conical expander II contactable with a plurality of segmental slips I2 initially retained inwardly from the casing by an encircling coil spring I3. 'Ihe slips are set against the casing walls by moving them downwardly along the surface of the cone expander under the influence o1' a helical spring I4 initially held in compressed condition against a spring retainer I5 threadedly secured to the main body l0 and against a setting ring I8 positioned within the :base I'I of a cupshaped packing element I8 securedto a retainer Il through the medium oi' ing but will also move the packing sleeve I8 downwardly along the conical portion 24 provided on the spring retainer to force its :tree end into sealing engagement with the casing through the cooperation ybetween the inturned packing portioni 25 and the diverging surface on the retainer I5.

Initially, the free end 'of theretainer is held from contact with the casing walls `by an annular lip 23 depending from an outwardly directed iiange 21 on the spring retainer. However, it is apparent that downward movement of the packing sleeve I8 under the influence of the spring I4 will disengage this end from the lip and permit its positive sealing with the casing because oi' the cooperation .between the inturned packing portion 25 and conical retainer skirt 24.

As aforementioned, the spring I4 is held in energized position lby a tripping device C, including a pair of latches 28, 28 pivotally mounted on a iulcrum pin 29 iixed to a trip sleeve 30 extending from the main body I0 of the packer. These latches have oppositely directed noses or pawls 3i,A 3| formed with inclined `surfaces engageable with the underside of the depending retainer annulus 22 and due to such coaction prevent the setting of the slips I The helical spring I4 will normally tend to move the latch levers 28 inwardly out of locking position, due to the inwardly directed thrust component presented -by the engagement of the retainer annulus 22 with the inclined latch noses, butsuch inward movement is resisted by a detent 32 provided on a trip rod 33 extending through the sleeve 30. This detent has tapered portions 3l engaging companion tapered surfaces at the upper end of the latches 23 and also parallel abutments 35 engageable `by corresponding parallei surfaces provided at the terminal ends of the latches. The cooperation Ibetween these parallel surfaces prevents inward movement of the latches under the influence of the helical slip setting spring.

The trip rod 33 extends through the sleeve."

2 and packing element I8.-

v to the sleeve by suitable means, such as a screw 31. The rod is formed with a slot 38 intermediate its ends, which acts as a guide for the latch levers 23 in their pivotal movement into and out of contact with the retainer annulus 22, and which is aligned with communicating guide slots 3l provided in the sleeve 30. The rod also has a second longitudinally extending slot 43 at right angles to the mst-mentioned slot to permit lengthwise movement of the rod with respect to its enclosing sleeve, and obviate interference with such movement by the fulcrum pin 23 fixed to the latter member.

The rod detent 32 is urged to holding position with respect to the latches by a helical springl 4l within the sleeve, abutting at one end against the detent portion and at its other end against a stop ring 42 engaging a packing nut 43 threaded onto the upper end of the sleeve 30. By moving the trip rod 33 upwardly through means to be hereinafter described, the cooperative parallel detent surfaces 35 are moved out of engagement to permit the helical spring i4 to force the latch levers 28 inwardly and move the slips l2 and packing sleeve I8 downwardly over their respective expander cones Il, 24 into engagement with the casing. As assurance that the latches will be moved inwardly, the rod is provided with a pin 44 extending through slots 45, 45 in each lever inclined in opposite directions with respect to one another, in order that upward movement of the rod will forcibly retract the nose or pawl ends 3| of the latch levers into the confines of the trip sleeve 30. To enable the parallel detent surfaces to first be moved out of complete engagement, the widths of the slots 45, 45 are made greater than the diameter of the pin 44, thereby allowing a sufcient degree of longitudinal rod movement before the pin engages the sides of the slots to -positively retract the levers entirely within the outer confines of the trip sleeve.

The lower end of the main body I is enclosed by a guiding portion 41 threaded thereto, and-its upper end preferably is provided with a shear screw 48 engageable with a ange 49 extending from the packing nut 43. These latter elements provide a safety device allowing withdrawal of the bridge plug A in the event that the latches are tripped and the slips fail to setI against the casing. Upon proper setting of the slips and packing, the taking of an upward strain on the wire line D will cause the flange 43 to engage the shear screw 48A and fracture it, whereupon the entire latching device C and setting is preferably constituted by the upper end ofv the trip rod 33 and is made of a suitable magnetic material throughout that part of rits length initially positioned within the solenoid. The upper terminal portion 55 of the trip rod ls of non-magnetic material threadedly secured to the magnetic portion and extending initially through the remainder of the solenoid yin order to guide the rod for movement within the electromagnetic coil 54.

The interior of the solenoid 54 and its housing are sealed against leakage of fluid through the use of suitable packings between the plunger and the housing portions. A U-shaped packing 51 is placed between the upper housing portion 52 and the non-magnetic plunger rod 53, being expanded into sealing engagement with these members by a castellated packing nut 58 threaded into thel upper housing portion and having an .a ulus 55 adapted to produce radial expansionlg ithe U-shaped packing against the rod and housing member. Leakage through the lower en'd of the housing is prevented by a U-shaped packing 8l abutting a stop ring 5I at its base portion and being pressed into sealing engagement with the lower housing portion 58 and the surface of the plunger by the packing nut 43 previously described. To minimize leakage of flux through the housing and consequent diminution of yits attractive force upon the magnetic portion of the plunger, the stop ring 5I and packing nut 43 are preferably made of non-magnetic material, thereby concentrating potentially all of the flux emanating from the magnetic coil 54 for passage through the magnetic plunger 55.

The wire line or cable D is preferably of hollow construction with an insulated conductor 52 contained therein. The end of this conductor is connected with a cable terminal 83 extending from an insulation block 54 held within the cable v head 53 bya threaded sleeve 55. Current from tool B can be withdrawn from the packer and y raised to the surface of the casing or bore.

An electrically operated device B is provided for moving the trip rod 33 to disengage its parallel detent faces 35 from the latches and engage its pin 44 with the sides of the inclined slots 45, 45 in the latter members. electromagnetic type, including an outer housing formed by a sleeve threadedly secured to a lower member 5l, which, in turn, is threaded onto the packing nut 43. The other end of the sleeve is threaded onto an upper member 52 which, in turn, is threaded to a cable head 53 suitably secured to the cable or wire line D on which the entire assembly is moved within the casing.

A solenoid 54 is contained within the housing, and when energized is adapted to draw a cooperable plunger 55 within its coil. This plunger This device is of the the conductor i2 passes to the solenoid 54 through f a trip terminal 56 urged against the cable terminal 53 by a spring 51 contained within a conductor cap 65 resting upon an insulation block 58, the current passing from the cap to a lead 15 secured to the cap by a suitable screw 1| and running to the coil 54. The other end of the coil is grounded through a lead 12 connected to a screw 13 threaded into the upper housing portion 52 of the solenoid.

A suitable circuit is shown in Figure 3, .the solenoid54 drawing current from a battery 14 connected to a slip ring 15 on a cable drum 15 through a suitable switch 11 and slip contact 18. The slip ring isfconnected with the insulated conductor 52 in the cable which is wound on the drum for passage over a sheave 18 prior to entrance into the well casing. One terminal of the battery is grounded so that the closing of the switch 11 will complete the circuit through the solenoid coil 54 and produce its energizetion, causing upward movement of the magnetic plunger and trip rod 33 into the coil and removal of the rod detent 32 .to-permit release of the trip latches 28 and setting of the bridge plug A within the casing, in the manner aforementioned. The trip assembly C and the electromagnetic setting -tool B lcan then' be elevated out of the packer A, the circuit to the solenoid broken, and

.venting movement of the plunger.

1. In an apparatus `of the character described,

a packer body adapted to be lowered in a well casing, retracted means carried by said body forengagement with said casing, rmeans tending to move said retracted means into engagement with said casing, means i'or restraining said moving means, and means operativelyassociated with said restraining means and movable upwardly with respect to said packer body to release said restraining means.

2. In an apparatus of the character described,

. a packer body carrying retracted means for engagement with a well casing, means for restraining movement of said retracted means into engagement with said casing, and a device operatively associated with said restraining means and movable upwardly relative to said packer body to release said restraining means.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a packer body carrying one or more retracted elements for engagement with a well casing, means for urging said elements into engagement with said casing, .means for restraining operation of said first-mentioned means, and electrically controlled instrumentalities movable relative to said body to release said restraining means.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, A

a packer body carrying one or more retracted elements i'or engagement with a well casing, means for urging said elements into engagement withv said casing, means for restrainingoperation of said first-mentioned means, and electromagnetic instrumentalities comprising an electromagnetic coil and a cooperable armature operatively associated with said restraining lmeans and adapted to be moved by said coil to vrelease said restraining means.

5. In an apparatus o! the character described,

a packer body carrying one or more retracted ele..

ments for engagement with a well casing, means for urging said elements into engagement with said casing, means preventing operation oi said first-mentioned means, and electromagnetic in-f strumentalities comprising a solenoid and a plung. er operatively associated with said preventing means and adapted to be pulled within said solenoid to release said preventing means.

6. I'n an apparatus of the character described,

v a packer body carrying a plurality of slips for .engagement with a well casing, yieldable means for urging said slips into engagement with said casing, latchmeans preventing operation of said yeldable means, means initially holding said latch means in e'ective position, and means for releasing said holding means comprising a plunger connected to said holding means and a solenoid receiving said plunger.

7. In a well packer, a body carrying a plurality of slips for engagement. with a well casing,l yieldable means for urging said slips into engagement with said casing, a releasable latch preventing operation of said yieldable means, a plunger having a detent, means urging said detent against latch to hold it in eilective position, and a solenoidl receiving said plungerto move its detent from engagement with said latch to release the latch. l

8. In a well packer, a body carryinga plurality `spring cooperable with said engagement with a well casing, spring means for Aurging said slips toward4 engagementvwith said casing, a releasable latch holding said spring meansin energized condition, a solenoid, a plung. er within said solenoid, a detent on said plunger for holding said latch in eiiective position, and a plunger and urging said 'detent against said latch.

10. In a well packer, a body carrying slips for engagement with a-well casing, spring means for urging said slipsy toward engagement with said casing, a guide sleeve within said body, a latch pivoted to said sleeve for l'i'olding said spring means inenergized condtion, a solenoid, a plunger slidable within said sleeve and solenoid, a detent on said plunger for holding said latch in effective position, a spring cooperable with said plunger to urge said detent against said latch, and a pin and slot connection between said plunger and latch to retract the latter upon energization of said solenoid'and movement of the plunger therewithin. v

11. In apparatus oi' the character described, a packer body adapted to be lowered in a well casing on the lower end oi an electrical wire line conductor, normally retracted means carried, by said body for engagement with such casing, means for moving said means into engagement with said casing, and releasable means for maintaining said moving means in ineii'ective position comprising an electromagnetic coil electrically connectable with said conductor and an armature adapted to .be moved by said coil.-

12. In apparatus of the character described, a

packer body adapted to be lowered in a well casing on the lower end of an electrical wire line conductor, normally retracted means carried by said body for engagement with such casing, means for moving said retracted means into engagement with said casing, means initially holding said moving means in ineiiective position, an electromagnetic coil electrically connectable with said conductor, and an armature connected with said holding means, said armature being movable by said coil to release said holding means and permit disconnection between said wire line conductor and packer body.

- packer body,

13. In apparatus oi' the character described, a packer body adapted to be lowered in a well casing on the lower end of'an electrical wire vline conductor, normally retracted slips carried by said body for engagement with said casing, means for moving said slips into engagement with said casing, and electromagnetically operable means reieasably connecting said wire line with said comprising means initially holding said moving means in ineii'ective position, a conductive coil electrically connectable with said wire line, and an armature connected with said holding means, said armature being movable by said coil to release said holding means and enable disconnection oi' said electromagnetically operable means and wireline to occur from said packer.

itially holding said spring means in ineffective position, a solenoid mechanically and electrically connected with said wire line, and a plunger connected to said latching means and movable into said solenoid upon e of current there.

through to release the latching means and permit disconnection between said electromagnetically operable means and packer body.

er THOMAS M. RAGAN.

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