US3107731A - Well tool - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 22, 1963 Filed Sept. 16. 1960 R. W. DlNNlNG INV EN TOR.

Oct.v 22, 1963 R. w. DINNING WELL TOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 16. 1960 m \W MN United States Patent lltice 3,167,731 WELL TL Robert W. Dinning, Longview, Tex., assigner to US. Industries, inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 16, 1960, Ser. No. 56,425 4 Ciairns. (Cl. 166-217) rIihis invention relates to an improved tool of the type which is adapted to be anchored within and then rernoved from a well or other conduit. Such tools are useful in providing a stop for or otherwise supporting additional tools against one or both of upward and downward movement within the well. This invention relates more particularly to an improved tool of this type known in the art las a collar stop and adapted to be anchored in a recess [formed a collar connecting adjacent joints of well pipe.

In accordance with conventional practices, such tools are run into and pulled from Ithe well by means of a wire line which is manipulated Afrom the wellhead. The wire line also serves to shift different parts of the tool relative to one another for causing them to move into and out of anchoring position. However, in setting prior tools of this type, it has been necessary either to use a special tool or to resort to a frequently tedious manipulation of the wire line.

It is also true that these prior tools have been of such construction that forces in the well beneath them tend to release them from anchoring position. Still further, many of them are complicated in design, and have pockets in which mud may collect or enclosed springs which may become fouled.

An object of this invention is to provide such a tool which may be set or anchored without a special tool and by means of a simple manipulation of 4a wire line.

A still further object is to provide such a tool whose anchoring position is actually tightened when subjected to forces from below as well as above.

Still another object is to provide such a tool which will move longitudinally within the well with less resistance and thus with greater speed than other tools of this type.

A still further` object is to provide such a tool which is of simple design in that it comprises a minimum of parts; is free of pockets which will ll with mud; and has no enclosed springs which may become fouled.

Ofther objects, advantages and features of this invention will be apparent .to one skilled in the art upon consideration of the written specication, the attached claims and the annexed drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters are used throughout Ito designate `like parts:

FIG. l is `a front View, partly in section, of a portion of a tool constructed in accordance with the present invention, and with its parts arranged for running into a well;

FIG. 2 is a side view of partly in section;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic View as it is being run into a well;

FIG. 4 is a View similar to FIG. 3, but in which the tool has been located opposite a collar recess in the well;

FIG. 5 is another diagrammatic View of the `front of the tool, and in anchored position within the recess; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 upon -freeing of the tool from anchored position and as it is pulled from the well.

, Referring now to the details of the drawings, ticularly and indicated :in its entirety by reference character 10 comprises an assembly which includes a body 11 adapted to be moved longitudinally within a well 12 made up of pipe joints 13. These joints are threadedly connected at the rtool of FIG. 1, also shown of the side of the tool and parto FIGS. 3 to 6, the tool illustrated therein JYJ Patented 9ct. 22, 1963 their opposite ends by collars 14 to form annular recesses 15; and, in its preferred embodiment, the tool 10 is a collar stop which is adapted to be anchored in one such recess, as shown in FIG. 5.

The upper end of the body 11 has a head 16 above a reduced neck por-tion 17 to provide a downwardly facing annular shoulder 18. As the tool is run into and 1ocated within the well (FIGS. 3 and 4), it is supported by means of a suitable running tool 19 releasably connected to this head by shear pin 2l).` This running tool is suspended rfrom a wire line 21 extending to the wellhead for longitudinal reciprocation in a conventional manner. It is disconnected from the head 16 `and removed from the well when thev collar stop has been anchored therein (.FIG. 5).

As shown in FIG. 6, the collar stop 10 may be removed from anchored position Ashown and pulled from the well by means of a siutable pulling tool 22 which, similarly to the running tool 19 of FIGS. 3 4and 4, is releasably connected to the head 116 of the collar stop and su-spended from a wire line. However, -as distinguished from the running tool, the lower end of the pulling tool has spring ngers or other means well known in the art which permit it to be lowered onto the head '16 for gripping beneath shoulder 18.

A pair of dogs 23 'are carried on opposite sides of the body 1=1 of the collar stop for radial movement with respect thereto between the retracted position of FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 6, wherein they permit the assembly to move `freely longitudinally of the well, and the expanded position of FIG. 5, wherein they are disposed within the recess 15 of collar 14 to anchor the stop within the well. More particularly, each dog comprises an 'arcuate segment having an inner surface for litting closely adjacent the outer diameter of the body 11 when retracted and an outer surface for tting closely adjacent the inner diameter of the coll-ars 14 when expanded.

The upper and lower edges 24 and 25, respectively, of the dogs 23 provide transversely extending shoulders for engagement with the oppositely facing ends of the well pipes 13 to anchor the stop against either upward or downward movement. For example, when there is a resultant fforce on the stop in la downward direction, the lower shoulders Z5 will engage with the upwardly facing end of the lower well pipe 13, as shown in FIG. 5, to prevent downward movement of the stop. On the other hand, in the case of a resultant upward pressure, the upper shoulders 24 wl engage with the lower edge of the upper well pipe to prevent upward movement of the stop.

The dogs 23 are supported on the upper ends of spring fingers 26 connected at their lower ends to a carrier 27. More particularly, and as best indicated by their bowed lower ends in FIG. l, thesengers comprise thin rods which are so anchored in the carrier las to normally flare upwardly and outwardly. Thus, in the absence of the means to be described hereinafter for :forcing the rods 'into the well.

-As shown in FIG. l, there is an opening 30 in the lower end of the carrier 27 for connection with another tool which, by virtue of such connection, may be Vanchoredl with the collar stop inthe well. However, it is contemplatedthat the other tool or tools to be so` anchored may be similarly connected to the upper end of the collar stop,

and further that the tool or tools may merely bear on the stop.

During running of the stop, the dogs 23 are held in the retracted position by means of a wire 31 which conneots them together with their inner sides closely adjacent the body 11. More particularly, this wire extends between and through the oppositely disposed pair of dogs shown, and is bent over at its opposite ends 32 (FIG. 1) to normally hold the dogs in retracted position. When, however, this wire is sheared or cut in the manner to be described hereinafter, the dogs are released for outward radial movement under the influence of the spring fiingers 26.

As shown in FIGS. l and 2, a slot 33 extends through the body intermediate the dogs 23 and substantially transversely of their direction of radial movement. A knife 34 is connected to the body by means of a pin 3S for pivotally swinging -Within the slot. This knife has an outer end 36 which, in the solid line position shown in FIG. 2, is disposed within the collar recess 15. More particularly, in this latter position, the outer end of the knife will engage the upper edge of the recess, as shown in FlG. 4, to provide a stop against upward movement of the body.

As best shown in F-lG. 2, an intermediate portion of the wire 31 is passed through an elongated opening 37 in the knife 3d and beneath a cutting edge in the upper end of this opening. More particularly, in the outwardly extending position of the knife shown in FIG. 2, the cutting edge rests upon the top side of the wire to prevent it from further swinging in a clockwise direction. The knife is normally urged into the outwardly extending position of FIG. 2 by means of a spring 38 supported from the body by a pin 38a and acting between the upper end of the slot 33 and the top side of the knife. The spring 38 is yieldable to permit the knife to swing in a counterclockwise direction to the position indicated by broken lines 36a, as the collar stop is being run into the well (FTG. 3), to permit the free downward movement of the assembly.

When, however, the tool reaches the position in the well shown in FIG. 4, the outer end 36 of the knife moves into the recess to locate the body 11 in the position shown in FTG. 4. With the knife thus held against upward movement, the wire line may be jarred upwardly to shear the wire 31, thereby freeing the knife 34 for swinging downwardly toward the position indicated at 36h in FIG. 2. Thus, the body moves upwardly relative to the dogs 23 rto shear the .wire 31 by means of the cutting edge of the knife 34. This will, as previously mentioned, release body 11 and expander 39 thereon to withdraw the locking surface i1 and wedging surface 40 from within the dogs and thereby release them from locked position within the collar recess.

A sleeve 42 is carried by the body 11 toward its lower end and is provided with openings 43 therethrough for receiving the rods 26. Thus, upon further raising of the body by the wire line, the collar 42 will slide up over the rods 26 to gradually retract the dogs. When this sleeve reaches the position shown in FIG. 6, to withdraw the dogs from anchoring position within the collar recess, the collar 42 will carry the dogs and their support upwardly with it so that the entire assembly may be pulled from the well. As previously mentioned, the knife 34 will be in the dotted line position indicated at 3612 so that it wont hang up in any of the collar recessesy of other recesses above the one in which the stop has been anchored. As best shown from a-comparison of FIGS. yl and S, this collar 42 is initially located above the carrier 27 for the dogs a distance suicient to permit the body to move downwardly with respect to fthe expanded dogs to lock them in anchored position.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of this invention, the over-all tool has a thin cross section to minimize its resistance to longitudinal movement within the well and thus permit it to be run and pulled at maximum speed. Thus, as indicated in FIG. 2, the sides of the single pair of dogs do not extend substantially beyond the lateral dimension of the portion of they body about which they are carried. As also indicated in FIG. 2, the sides of the expander 139, sleeve 42 and dog support 27 are flat and do not extend substantially beyond the sides of the body intermediate the dogs, except for guide kfins 44 and 4S on the expander and collar, respectively.

In view of the location of the carrier or support 27-for the dogs beneath the body 11, forces which tend to move the support upwardly will tighten the anchoring of the dogs 23 within the recess 15. That is, the stii rods 26 form a direct force-transmitting connection between the support and the dogs within the recess.

Reviewing now the intended use of thecollar stop 10, it is rst lowered into the well 12 by means of running tool 19 suspended from wire line 21. During this time,V

of course, the dogs 23- are held in retracted position and the knife 34 is swung upwardly to the dotted line position 36a, whereby the over-all assembly moves freely-within the I well. When the operator determines by proper manipulai tion of the wire line that the knife 34 has swung into the the spring-pressed dogs 23 for expansion outwardly into engagement with the well. Then the body is lowered on the wireline to permit the dogs to expand further into the recess 15.

An expander 39 on the body 11 above the dogs 23 is operable, upon jarring of the body downwardly, to lock the l dogs in anchoring position, as shown in FlG. 5. Thus, the lower end of the expander has a conically downwardly and inwardly tapered surface 4G to wedge the inner surfaces of the dogs outwardly upon downward movement of the body with respect to the dogs. As the inner surfaces of the dogs move up over lthe tapered surface 40, they will slide upwardly over more steeply inclined locking surfaces 41 on the expander as the body comes to rest.

Obviously, the upward pull on the wire line to shear pin 29 and wire 31, as well as the downward jar to actuate the expander 39, must be of sufficiently small magnitude to prevent shearing the pin 20 connecting the running tool 19 to the head 16. However, when the dogs have been `locked in anchored position in the recess 15, the line may be jarred downwardly to shear the pin 26 and permit the running tool 19l to be pulled from the well.

When it is desired to unlock the collar stop and pull it from the well, the pulling tool 22 shown in FIG. 6 is lowered into the well for attachment to the head 16 of the body, as shown-in FIG. 6.V When the stop has been so grasped, upward movement of the wire line will raise the recess 15, he need only raise the wire line to bring theA upper edge of the outer end of the knife into engagement with the upper side of the recess 15. j

This stops further upward movement of the body, so that an upward pull or jar on the -wire lme is sufficient to `shear the pin 29' to release the body 11 for relative upward movement with respect to the support 27 andthe dogs carried thereby. This in turn `causes the cutting edge of the knife to shear the wire 31 thereby releasing the dogs for expansion outwardly into engagement with the lwell. Then, upon a lowering of theV wire line, the dogs 4are permitted to expand into anchoringv position within recess 15.

The wire line operato-r then jars the body downwardly to cause it to move the expander 39'into locking position within the dogs 23 which, yas previously noted, have been expanded into the recess 15. At this time, a still heavier downward jar will shear the pin 2d to release the running '00119 for removal from the well. Y

When ity is desired to pull the collar stop, its head 16` -iS -gSped by a pulling tool 22 lowered into the well, as

shown in FIG. 6, and the wire yline is raised to first remove the expander from looking position. Further kupward tbody raises the sleeve 42 into a positionover the rods 26 to retract the dogs 23 from the recess 15. When the dogs are fullyretracted,

continued upward movement of the body will` carry .they

dogs and their support with it. During this upward movement of the entire assembly, the knife 34, which is now in the downward position indicated at Sb in FIG. 2, will ride over the upper edge of recess 15 as Well as downwardly facing edges or shoulders on other recesses Within the Well to permit the collar stop to be removed therefrom.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth, together with other advantages lwhich are obvious and which are inherent to the apparatus.

It will be understood that certain ieatures and sub'- combinations are of utility and may ybe employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is Within the scope of the claims.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth `or shown in the accompanying drawings is to 'be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

l. A collar stop or like well tool adapted to be anchored in a recess within a well, comprising a `body connectable to a Wire line for longitudinal movement within the well, a knife pivotally mounted on the body and yieldably urged for rotational movement in one direction, `dogs carried by the body for movement longitudinally with respect thereto and norm-ally urged outwardly therefrom toward an expanded position for anchoring within a recess, a wire connecting the dogs to hold them in retracted position and disposed across a cutting edge of the knife to limit rotational movement of the knife in said one direction at a distance suicient for engagement with the upper end of said recess when the body is lowered into the well, said body lbeing movable upwardly with respect to the recess when the knife is held by `said engagement of the knife with the recess to shear said wire and thereby permit the dogs to expand into a position for anchoring within said .recess and the knife to `swing further in said one direction into a `position for mov-ing over the yupper end of said recess Iupon raising of the body, and means on the body for withdrawing the dogs from the recess as the `body is raised `further with respect to the dogs and holding them in retracted position as the body is raised within the well.

2. A collar stop of the character dened in claim l, including a carrier below the body and spring arms extending upwardly and outwardly from the carrier to support the `dogs from their upper ends of said arms, and said withdrawing means comprises a sleeve secured to the body slidabie upwardly over the spring arms.

3. A collar stop of the character detned in claim 2, including a pin connecting the carrier and body for longitudinal movement with one another and shearable upon said vupward movement of the body with respect to said dogs.

4. A collar stop of the ycharacter` dened in claim l, wherein the body `and carrier are flattened across substantially all of one pair of opposite sides and the dogs are carried beside the other pair of opposite lsides `of the body to prov-ide the tool with a minimum cross section.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Datin June 21, 1960

Claims (1)

1. A COLLAR STOP OR LIKE WELL TOOL ADAPTED TO BE ANCHORED IN A RECESS WITHIN A WELL, COMPRISING A BODY CONNECTABLE TO A WIRE LINE FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT WITHIN THE WELL, A KNIFE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE BODY AND YIELDABLY URGED FOR ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT IN ONE DIRECTION, DOGS CARRIED BY THE BODY FOR MOVEMENT LONGITUDINALLY WITH RESPECT THERETO AND NORMALLY URGED OUTWARDLY THEREFROM TOWARD AN EXPANDED POSITIONS FOR ANCHORING WITHIN A RECESS, A WIRE CONNECTING THE DOGS TO HOLD THEM IN RETRACTED POSITION AND DISPOSED ACROSS A CUTTING EDGE OF THE KNIFE TO LIMIT ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT OF THE KNIFE IN SAID ONE DIRECTION AT A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE UPPER END OF SAID RECESS WHEN THE BODY IS LOWERED INTO THE WELL, SAID BODY BEING MOVABLE UPWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE RECESS WHEN THE KNIFE IS HELD BY SAID ENGAGEMENT OF THE KNIFE WITH THE RECESS TO SHEAR SAID WIRE AND THEREBY PERMIT THE DOGS TO EXPAND INTO A POSITION FOR ANCHORING WITHIN SAID RECESS AND THE KNIFE TO SWING FURTHER IN SAID ONE DIRECTION INTO A POSITION FOR MOVING OVER THE UPPER END OF SAID RECESS UPON RAISING OF THE BODY, AND MEANS ON THE BODY FOR WITHDRAWING THE DOGS FROM THE RECESS AS THE BODY IS RAISED FURTHER WITH RESPECT TO THE DOGS AND HOLDING THEM IN RETRACTED POSITION AS THE BODY IS RAISED WITHIN THE WELL.

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