US2500252A - Side wall coring device - Google Patents

Description

March 14, 195o L. B. [CE 2,500,252

E SIDE 'WALL CoRING DEVICE Fileduan. si, 1947 2 sheets-sheet 1' me/who@ March E4, 1950 L. B. lcE 2,500,252

SIDE WALL CORING DEVICE Filed Jan. 31, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Figi F593 10 azr Patented Mar. 14, 1950 UNITED* STATS ENT 0F FIC S1DE WALL CORING DEVICE' Lester. B. llce, Shreveport,La.

Application 3anuary`3'1, 1947, Serial'No. 725,653

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to devices for taking core samples from the side walls of wells.

An object oi the invention is to provide a device for taking a lateral core from the side wal-l of a well at intervals` therealong, whereby the nature of the various strata may be determined from examination of the cores.

Another object of the invention is to provide. a device for taking lateral side wall coreswhich is so constructed as to take a sizable core on the order of about one inch in diameter and about twoieet long, whereby examination of the core may be facilitated during logging of thewell strata.

A further object of the invention is to provide. e, hydraulic lateral sidewall core boring device including a hollow, relatively stationary casing with a core drilling member disposed in the casing, and means for extending the drilling mein-- ber out or the casing and for actuating it to drill a core, and for retracting the drilling member inside the casing when the core has been taken.

Still another object of the invention is toI provide a lateral side wall core boring device which is simple' in design, easily constructed andsup-r ported in a well, and effective in operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and in which:

Figure l is a vertical sectional elevation of the lower portion of my improved side wall coring device, l

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional elevation of the upper portion of the device shown in Figure l, theA two views being joinable along the upper line of Figure 1 and the lower line of Figure 2,

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the central portion of the parts shown in Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of the lower portion of the parts shown in Figure 1,.

Figure 5 is an outside view of the lower portion of the device shown in Figure 1, a part of. the view being sectioned to show the core drilling member in retracted position,

Figure 6 is a sectional plan view taken on line B-5 of Figure 4,

Figure 7 is a left side elevational View of the device shown in Figure 5, and

Figure 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the core drilling member.

In order to understand the nature of the invention. and the best means for carrying itout,

reference rnayy now be had to the drawings, in which like reference characters denote similar parts throughout the' several views'. As shown., there is a bod-y i, the lower end of which is rounded and shaped as shown, and the upper end of' which nts in-to the substitute adapter 3 A nut 'd2 is threaded' onto the reduced upper end of the body4 i, as best shown in Figures 1 and- 3A, thel nut also bearing against an inner shoulder or" the adapter- 3l?, to hold the body and adapter inengagement.V An anti-friction roller thrust bearing et is disposed in an annular recess formed in the abutting portions oi the adapter 3l and the body l, to permit them to turn relative to each other.

A drill collar 2 is threaded at its lower end to the upper end of the substitute adapter Si, and asubstitute coupling 3l is threaded onto the upper end of' the drill collar 2. A tool joint 5i! is threaded onto the upper end of the coupling E, and a stem element 62 is threaded onto the upper end of the tool joint S01, as shown in Figure 2. A coil spring 41 is disposed inside the drill collar 2, with its lower end seated on the upper end of. the driving sleeve '5. The lower end ci the driving sleeve 5. bears against the packing 33- and the upper end of the body l, forming a tight seal therebetween.

A hollow head tanged driving screw t is threaded into both the wall of the drill collar 2 and the driving sleeve 5, holding them together against relative rotation.

The body I has an axial bore which is inclined outwardly at its lower end portion as shown in Figures 1 and 3, to receive the core. cutter 'i which is secured to the inner core barrel main body lil by means of a core cutter substitute coupling 9. and a number of knuckle joint elements tl inn terposed therebetween. A core catcher t nts inside the core cutter l, as best shown in Figure 8, the core cutter being provided with a toothed lower end for cutting the core as it rotates.

As shown best in Figures l and 3, the knuckle joint elements are formed, as at tt, with teeth secured with a flexible liner inside to keep the-1n together, and with short flexible sleeves over each joint to engage the joint. elements and hold them together while allowing the whole assembly to flex as it moves and rotates inside the inclined exit tube from which the core cutter protrudes when the core is to be taken.

A valve case assembly includes a cage ll, having an axial end opening in. which is seated a ball valve I2, the ball being biased into seating engagement with the opening by a, spring i3. Apertures are also formed in the side walls of the cage il as shown. The cage H is threaded onto the upper end or the inner core barrel main body i0, and the lower end of a latch body i4 is threaded into the upper end of the cage Ii. A latch l5 is pivoted to the latch body I4, being biased outwardly as shown in Figure 1 by means of springs i6.

A hollow tubular spear sleeve and latch trip i1 fits around and over the latch assembly as shown in Figures l and 2, being apertured at 68 to allow the tongue of the latch to protrude therethrough. A spear sleeve top member I8 is threaded onto the upper end of the sleeve 1. A spear head i9 and sleeve 2G nt inside the spear sleeve and latch trip il' and E8, as shown in Figure 2, keepers and springs being disposed at 2l to keep the assembly together. An overshot spear head 22 nts onto the upper end of the spear head 2G.

A steel disc 23 which has a number of spaced apertures formed therein to allow passage of iluid under pressure is fitted securely onto the spear sleeve top i8 to guide the inner barrel and protect the leather cup type piston 24 from fouling, and for guiding the same into the cylinder of the drill collar 3. A steel disk 25 furnishes support for the leather piston 24 from beneath.

For lowering the core boring device into position, and for retrieving it with the core, I provide a rope socket 2E for engaging a wire rope ill, the rope being thus secured to a sinker bar 2l, the lower end of which is secured to an overshot 28 with a spear head catcher 29 to engage the spear head 22.

A core barrel stop sleeve is shown at il in Figures 1 and 3, with a packing 40 therebelow to seal oli the fluid to permit a dry core to be taken. The packing 33 seals off drilling mud and fluid from the bearing 30.

A toothed dog 'l2 has an inner extension lli riding in an inclined groove 'i6 under the inuence of a piston rod 38 having a piston cup 35 on one end, a spring 3'! acting between a yoke extension of the body and the piston and serving to bias the piston rod and cup downwardly as seen in Figiues 1 and 4, holding the dog in its lower or retracted position shown in Figure 4 and in Figure 5. Suitable ducts, as at 82, are provided through the members 3 and 2 to conduct the liquid under high pressure from above to the ducts S2 in the body I, to press the piston rod and cup 3S and 38 upwards as shown in Figure 1, thus moving the dog 72 along its inclined path upwards and outwards beyond the outer surface of the body l, to engage firmly against the wall of the well bore, pressing the opposite surface of the body having the inclined opening im against the opposite well bore surface.

The device can be placed on the end of the drill pipe and lowered to the deepest show, the pumps being then started up to build up the pressure inside the drill pipe and inside the tool body I, actuating the piston 36 and engaging the toothed dog l2 to the well bore side wall. The teeth will keep the body i from rotating or turning as the well rotary on the derrick licor is engaged to start rotation of the elements shown, that is, all except the body i. As the inner barrel assembly is dropped or pumped down, it automatically locks in place as the latch snaps outwardly to the position shown in Figure 1, and the rotation is transferred from the rotary to the drill pipe and in turn is transferred from the drill pipe to the inner barrel by the driving hollow tanged screw 6 into the slot in the driving sleeve 5. As the barrel automatically locks in place, the latch drives the inner barrel. The pressure from the pumps will feed the core cutter bit out into the formations through the opening 8A, the cutter 'I rotating as it is pressed into the formation, thus cutting the core.

When the core is taken, the quick opening valve will release the pressure, and the spring li which was compressed will expand, retracting the cutter inside the body l. Then the wire line overshot is dropped or pumped down to catch the spear head, the upward pull relieving the latch by drawing upwards on the sleeve Va' and camming the latch I5 inside the aperture 68 and out of blocking position. Continuation of the pull draws up the entire inner assembly together with the core for examination, the core being removed from the cutter 'i upon disassembly thereof. When the parts are assembled and re-lowered, they automatically snap into place as they enter the couplings and body I, the latch snapping into position, thus permitting a number of cores to be taken as desired, the body being disposed at any desired portion of the well bore for this purpose.

This is of great assistance, particularly in verifying the results of an electrical logging device. As an example, I estimate that a core can be taken by means of this device in about thirty minutes in a 6000 vfoot test.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention in specic terms, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in size, shape, materials, and arrangement without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

In a device for taking cores from the walls of a well, comprising an elongated body having an axial bore extending a distance down into the body from the upper encl thereof and having a downwardly extending inclined section opening obliquely thru one side of said body above the lower end thereof, core boring means rotatably disposed in the bore and adapted to be advanced therein to extend downwardly out through the obliquely opening in said body in response to iuid pressure applied in said bore to the core boring means within said body, the latter having a dog recess forming a cavity opening to another side of said body and a dog movable into and out of the dog recess and provided exteriorly with a plurality of teeth for engaging with a side of the well, the features which include having the dog recess opening to the side opposite to that of the oblique opening for the core boring means and being substantially transversely opposite thereto, an upwardly inclined wall portion in said elongated body forrning the upper bounding wall of said dog recess, a corresponding upwardly inclined upper portion upon the dog, said body having an inclined cylindrical bore parallel and adjacent to the upwardly inclined wall portion and the latter having elongated guide groove portions therein, the inclined cylindrical bore being closed at both ends and communicating along the upper portion thereof through a slot in said upwardly inclined wall portion with said dog recess, and said body also having a pressure fluid passage connecting the lower portion of said inclined cylindrical bore with the portion of aforesaid axial bore subjected to fluid pressure in order to communicate the latter to said inclined cylindrical bore when the core boring means is extended -posite to the extension of the core boring means through the oblique opening in said elongated body.

LESTER B. ICE.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,173,531 De Long Sept. 19, 1939 2,173,532 De Long Sept. 19, 1939 2,327,023 Danner Aug. 17, 1943 2,354,399 Noble July 25, 1944 2,386,514 Stokes Oct. 9, 1945

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