The Dow Chemical Company

Onazip J Fournier

Wayne F Nelson

The tool of this invention is designed primarily for removing unconsolidated sand and other debris from the well casing perforations and adjacent earth formation in an oil or gas recovery operation. The basic tool includes an upper valve unit and lower valve unit, which are coupled together by a surge chamber. In a typical cleaning operation the tool is lowered into the well casing on a tubing string, which includes a by-pass and a retrievable packer. When the tool is at the desired position in the casing, the packer is set and the by-pass is closed. Fluid under pressure is pumped down the casing annulus to trip a mandrel in the lower valve and open a flapper disk. Bottom hole pressure causes fluid in the formation to fill the surge chamber and the sand and debris falls to the bottom of the hole. The packer is then unset and fluid pressure down the tubing string trips a piston in the upper valve and allows a stationary mandrel to open another flapper disk. The tubing string is then lowered to wash out the sand and debris in the hole by reverse circulation. After the formation has been cleaned the packer can be released and re-set to perform a further treatment, such as gravel packing, to achieve sand control.

Tool for removing fluids and loose material from an earth formation

The valve assembly disclosed herein is used primarily in oil or gas well servicing to prevent contamination of fluids used to treat the formation. The valve is coupled into a tubing string, and it includes a slidable hollow mandrel, with a hingable flapper disk positioned below the mandrel. The valve is generally used in cooperation with a packer tool and bridge plug. When treating fluid is pumped down the tubing string it pushes the flapper disk open and holds it open, so the fluid can reach the formation interval being treated. To treat the next higher interval the packer is unset to raise the tubing string. Releasing the packer allows residual fluids to backflow from the well casing annulus into the tubing string. In this tool the backflowing fluid closes the flapper, so that it acts as a check valve to prevent contamination of the treating fluid. Before the valve is pulled out of the casing the mandrel is slid downwardly, to push the flapper open and hold it in open position.

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Wichita Falls, TX, United States of America

Onazip J Fournier