Otis Engineering Corporation

Richard M Sproul

Carter R Young

Frank Giusti, Jr

Colby M Ross

Ross M McCurley

William David Henderson

Dhirajlal C Patel

Dennis Dean Rood

Andrew R Lane

Sammy R Clary

John B Wilkie, Jr

Kennedy J Brown

Richard L Grant

A single bore packer is modified by a dual flow seal unit for gas lift completion. This permits the operator to inject lift gas into the upper casing annulus at the well head, bypass the hanger packer and conduct the lift gas into the suspended production tubing below the fluid level. The dual flow seal assembly is sealed internally against the packer mandrel, with the lift gas being conducted through a bypass flow passage between the seal mandrel and the packer mandrel, and being discharged into the lower casing annulus through a discharge port formed through the packer mandrel below the packer seal element package. The hang weight load of the production tubing is decoupled with respect to the packer seal elements by a set of internal ratchet slips which transfers the hang weight load from the packer mandrel onto the anchor slips and well casing at a location below the seal element package.

Single bore packer with dual flow conversion for gas lift completion

A dual string packer for releasable, hydraulic setting within a wall casing is disclosed. The packing seal elements and hydraulic actuator assembly are mounted for sliding movement along primary and secondary packer mandrels. Setting forces are applied to the packing seal elements by a setting cylinder which is mounted for slideable, sealing engagement against the primary and secondary packer mandrels, and setting forces are applied to the anchor slips by a piston which is sealed against the primary and secondary packer mandrels. The set condition is maintained by a pair of locking rods and segmented ratchet slips. The locking rods are carried by the setting cylinder head and are retracted axially out of piston pockets as a variable volume pressure chamber is pressurized. Upon achieving set engagement of the anchor slips and seal elements, the locking rods are trapped in compression between the head of the setting cylinder and the segmented ratchet slips. The locking rods are compressed by the reaction forces imposed by the expandable seal elements through the head of the setting cylinder, and by the retraction forces transmitted through the anchor slips and piston.

Dual hydraulic set packer

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 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.

Expendable flapper valve

A well packer adapted to be set and reset in a well bore without removal of the packer from the well bore including a packer mandrel adapted to be connected with a tubing string, an interlocking segment assembly on the packer mandrel for releasable connection with the mandrel, a drag spring assembly connected with the interlocking segment assembly for frictional engagement with a well bore wall, a locking slip assembly coupled with the drag spring assembly for locking the packer with the well bore wall, a seal element package assembly connected with slip assembly for sealing around the packer mandrel with the well bore wall, and a detent ring between the slip assembly and the seal element package permitting initial setting of the upper ends of the slips and preloading of the seal element package preliminary to final setting of the slips and expansion of the seal element package.

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Grapevine, TX, United States of America

Richard M Sproul