Otis Engineering Corporation

Frank Giusti, Jr

Colby M Ross

Richard M Sproul

Brian P Manzi

Lewis D Proctor

Pat M White

Henry Louis Restarick

Carter R Young

John R Setterberg, Jr

James D Hendrickson

Sammy R Clary

John B Wilkie, Jr

Kennedy J Brown

Richard L Grant

A compact, retrievable packer has a unitary mandrel body which is intersected by one or more longitudinal bores. The effective running length of the packer is reduced by an improved arrangement of packer components which serve multiple functions. The hydraulic actuator includes a cylinder housing which also serves as an internal slip housing, a lower element retainer, a piston extension, and a part of the release apparatus. A release sleeve serves as a part of the release apparatus, as a mandrel for engaging a locking slip, and forms a fixed boundary of the hydraulic pressure chamber. The effective running length of the packer is further reduced by making the upper wedge for reacting the setting forces as an integral part of the packer mandrel body.

Compact, retrievable packer

A positive position indicating tool includes a snap ring mounted on a mandrel. The snap ring is blocked on the mandrel by a shear sleeve and provides a positive stop to upward retraction of a work string. The snap ring is shearably released when it is desired to retract and/or retrieve the work string. The snap ring is supported on the mandrel by a shear sleeve which is locked onto the mandrel by shear pins. An annular recess is formed in the sidewall of the mandrel between the shear pins and the snap ring. As the tension loading on the work string increases above the combined shear strength of the shear pins, the shear sleeve and positive indication snap ring are displaced downwardly along the mandrel, and the snap ring moves into the annular recess and contracts radially out of obstructing engagement. The snap ring incorporates alternating slots which permit it to expand and recover without permanent deformation. The slots are angularly displaced from a large angle at the back of the ring to progressively smaller displacement angles toward the open end portions of the ring. The slots are more widely separated and are shallower in the high stress regions of the snap ring, and are more closely located and are deeper in the low stress regions of the ring.

Positive indication shear ring

A dual flapper valve assembly permits a well logging operation to be carried out after a gravel pack has been deposited without losing a large amount of completion fluid into the formation. The dual flapper valves can be closed and fractured independently of each other and selectively to accommodate a gravel pack operation, a well logging operation and a completion fluid recovery operation. The closure plate of the lower flapper valve is propped open by the wash pipe during the gravel pack operation. The lower closure plate is fractured to accommodate a well logging operation, while the closure plate of the upper flapper valve is held open by a prop sleeve. Upon completion of the well logging operation, the prop sleeve is retracted out of engagement with the closure plate of the upper flapper valve, thereby permitting the upper flapper valve to close. The heavy completion fluid remaining in the casing annulus is thereby conserved and can be recovered to the surface, while the gravel pack and the formation are protected from the pressure of the heavy completion fluid. After recovery of the completion fluid, the closure plate of the upper flapper valve is fractured to accommodate production operations.

Dual flapper valve assembly

A production sub carrying a plurality of annular locator rings is coupled in series relation with downhole production equipment. A collet latch assembly including fixed and floating collet members is connected to a down hole service tool and is inserted into releasable coupling engagement with the annular locator rings of the production sub. Resilient finger portions of the fixed collet are alternately supported and unsupported by the floating collet to establish positive engagement with a selected one of the annular locator rings or to permit passage of the latch assembly with respect to the locator ring. The foregoing arrangement provides positive restriction to longitudinal movement of a work string which allows a downhole service tool attached to the work string to be selectively positioned at predetermined operating locations relative to downhole equipment. Additionally, the positioning assembly provides partial restriction to longitudinal movement of a work string for activating the motion-compensating equipment of a floating service vessel so that ocean heave or swell does not cause excessive longitudinal excursions of a downhole service tool attached to a service string which is supported by the floating vessel.

Multiple position service seal unit with positive position indicating

A packer is locked onto a service tool by separation shear pins during a run-in operation. The separation shear pins are decoupled with respect to run-in handling forces by a set of transfer support lugs. The transfer support lugs carry the weight of the packer and the hang weight of equipment supported by the packer so that no weight is applied to the shear pins during a run-in operation. The packer is set and its hang load is transferred to the separation shear pins after the packer is set by the application of hydraulic pressure against an annular piston carried on the service tool. The piston is locked during run-in by a group of transit shear pins. Movement of the annular piston shears the transit pins and unsupports a collet latch to permit retraction of the transfer support lugs and disengagement of the service tool mandrel from the packer. The service tool is then released from the packer by increasing hydraulic pressure or by pulling up on the work string, or both, and shearing the separation shear pins. Upon release, the service tool can be reciprocated freely within the packer bore for accommodating a gravel pack service operation.

Multi-position tool and method for running and setting a packer

A flapper valve assembly includes a frangible valve closure member which is supported by an elastomeric hinge. The frangible valve closure member is a tempered glass plate, and the hinge is a block of elastomer material which is secured to the glass plate by a molecular bond. In one embodiment, the hinge includes an integrally formed elastomeric jacket which partially encapsulates the glass sealing element and is bonded thereto. In one arrangement, a fluid seal is provided by a resilient, elastomeric seal which is received within a valve pocket, and which is engaged directly by the glass plate. In another arrangement, an annular valve seat is formed in a valve housing sub, with the fluid seal being provided by the elastomeric jacket which is fitted about the glass closure plate.

Growing community of inventors

Lewisville, TX, United States of America

Frank Giusti, Jr