US945321A - Oil-well heater. - Google Patents

Description

W. E. GARDNER n Gf. A. ISRABLSON.

OIL WELL HEATER.

APPLIGATION FILED APE. 2. 1909.

945,321 Patented 5311.4, HMG.

' @Nin resistir reins;

cria-WELL HEATER. A

Specification of Letters ltetent.

lratenteti Jain. d, trilt?,

Application :filed April t2, 1905. Serial No. 437,537.

To all wiz/om 'it may concern.:

Be 1t known that We, WILLIAM E. GARD- is'sR and Gos'rsvn it. lsnAnLsoN, citizens of vthe United States` residing at Pittsburg, in

the county of Allegheny and State of Penn-v sylvania, have invented certain net;r and useful Improvements in Oil-Nell Heaters; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saxne,referenee being,A had to the acco1npanying drawings, and to the igures of reference marked. thereonfivhich forni, a part of this specification. A

Our invention'has for its object the provi-n sion .01 a simple and practical electrically heated device, adapted to he placed and operated in oil wells for the purpose of heating the lower section of the Well and thereby' dissolve the paraiiin and other obstructive xnatter which fills up and becomes hardened in the fissures and interstices in the oil bearing strata of rock and sand, the removal of which matter occasions the Well to again become productive of eil` 'ln the accompanying drawings, forming e' part of this s eeiication, We lhave illustrated our inven ion in several Ways asY Well as its application te a Well, in which drawings,

Figure I, is a longitudinal sectional view through the heater. Fig;y ll", is a transverse sectional View through the same. Fig. lll, is a longitudinal sectional view of a 'portieri of a Well 'showin 'the application of our improved heater t creto, and Fig. YI, is a transverse sectional View through the heater showing the electrodes of segmental torni in cross-section, in all of said views similar detail parte of the structure are designated hy numerals of like character. Y

The structure disclosed comprises a tubular member 1 having a ca 2 secured to its upper end. which is provided ternally threaded hess il into W ieliis fitted an insulator 4, the lcwer end et 'said member being closed hy acap. having a metal plug 6 secured therein, said tubular member and attending heads being formed of metal and lined with an insulating medium 7 of any suitable material. Arranged within said closed tubular .member is 'oit' spaced electrodes 8 and il, cppesitely disposed,

against or in close proximity to the i-nsulat`-r ing; lining thereot, one ot which entends {vith an ett-f it' can he removed with the oil.

from a point near the hot-tom upto and through the aforesaid insulator 4, in the upper head and connects to'a terminal 10, the other electrode extending downwardlj7 from a point near the top and connects with the aforesaidvplug 6 in the lower head, care being taken that the space between the points` Where the electrodes enter and terminate he greater than the distance transversely.

The interior of the tubular member is filled with a suitable pulver-ized or granular high resistaiico medium ll which extends4 from end to end engaging the electrodes throughout their length.

ln practice, the heater is attached to the' v pump lino le' h v thrcadahly connecting the saine to the atoresaid boss 3 of the vupper head, the upper end oi said line heilig con. nested to one of the brushes of a generator 'l 13' by a wire 14 and the terminal l0 is con nectcd to a wire 1G leading to the other bf'uslif: f

of the Igenerutor.

When connections are'` made it is lowered into the Well and the cur-gf` rent is passed het-Ween the electrodes, through the medium of the pulverized or granular material, and said material is of high resistive propertiesand otlers the shortest'pz'ithv to the current, heat is generated thefcurq 1".

rent in its passage therethrough from oneelectrode to the other, whichheat is transmitted through the device to the surroundi inglwalls of the Well, thereby dissolving the pui-alim and other matter and causing-1t to..

pass out of the iissures into the Well where can be raised and lowered slowly over the en- The' heater j tire surface of the oil bearing strata, in

which instance the Wire sand ,device is sealed and impervious to moisture.

Having thus shown and described our invention, what ive claim and to secure oy .Letters Patent, is:

L'An electric heater for oil Wells, comprising a sealed metallic chamber havintfvits Vinterior covered with an insulating medium,

line (.i'iotfAv shown) may be' attached to the heater inl i o i.

theiefrom, and :i pulverized high resistance medium filling the interior of said clmnlbei' ,1 `and adapted to fom a transverse passage between-the electrodes, substantially as described.

ln testimony wlieieof, We aiix our signw tures, in presence of two witnesses.

VVILLAM E. GARDNER. GUSTAVE A. SRAIC-LSON.

Witnesses A. R. ROBISON, R. S. HARRISON.

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