Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
  • E21B43/34—Arrangements for separating materials produced by the well
  • E21B43/35—Arrangements for separating materials produced by the well specially adapted for separating solids
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B33/00—Sealing or packing boreholes or wells
  • E21B33/02—Surface sealing or packing
  • E21B33/03—Well heads; Setting-up thereof

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device intended to equip the head of a well for producing a fluid, in order to retain the solid particles entrained by this fluid.
• the invention relates more particularly to a device of this type which can be used on a well for producing gaseous or liquid hydrocarbons, when it is put into production, for example, or for filtering the complete ion fluid.
• the starting of a well or certain areas of a well is accompanied by the production of debris and, more generally, of solid particles. These could damage the valves on the production shaft and the production manifold, as well as all of the installations through which the fluids in circulation flow. Furthermore, the fluids produced (completion fluid, effluent, etc.) must be eliminated or treated while they contain the debris or particles present.
• the invention aims to meet this need by proposing a device intended to equip the production wells upstream of the valves of the production shaft, and to retain the solid particles present in the fluid produced before it passes through. these valves.
• the subject of the invention is a device intended to equip the head of a well for producing a fluid, upstream of the valves crossed by this fluid, in view to retain the solid particles it entails, this device comprising:
• a closed casing capable of being made integral with an element of the well head; - a jacket tightly fixed on the internal wall of the fluid production body upstream of the lateral outlet (s) equipped with said valves, this jacket being separated from the internal wall of the tube by a first annular space and projecting from the inside the casing so as to conduct the fluid produced by the well;
• a cylindrical partition disposed inside the casing around said liner, from which it is separated by a second annular space, this bulkhead sealingly pressing against the upper part of the liner and against the base of the casing and being arranged in such a way with respect to it that the first and second annular spaces are in communication; first orifices provided in the upper part of the partition above the jacket, in order to allow the passage of the fluid supplied by the latter into the volume separating the partition from the external part of the casing;
• Second orifices formed in the lower part of the partition, these second orifices being separated in a sealed manner from those formed in the upper part of this partition and allowing the passage of the fluid from the volume separating the partition from the external part of the casing towards the second annular space;
• a filter placed inside the casing at the periphery of the lower part of the partition, opposite the second orifices, this filter being arranged in such a way that all the fluid penetrating through the first orifices of the partition in the volume separating this partition from the external part of the casing passes through the filter before entering the second annular volume through the second orifices of the partition, the debris and solid matter conveyed by the fluid produced being thus retained by the filter and depositing by gravity at the base of the volume separating the filter from the external part of the casing.
• This device can be mounted by any means known in the art on any wellhead element, for example above the cleaning valve of the production shaft.
• the filter can be made from any type of strainer and its mesh will be adapted to the size of the solid particles which it is desired to eliminate. It will preferably be removable.
• a hole will advantageously be provided in the lower part of the casing to remove the debris and solid particles accumulated at the base of the volume separating the partition from the external part of the casing.
• This can also be fitted with any auxiliary measuring device, for example pressure gauges to check the pressure before starting operations and before dismantling the equipment.
• Lifting lugs may be provided on the casing to facilitate handling of the device.
• a jacket 3 which projects outside the upper end of the body 1, inside a casing 4.
• This casing 4 comprises a cylindrical body 5, coaxial with the jacket 3, a base 6, integral with the body 5, and a removable cover 7, covering the body 5.
• the jacket 3 is separated from the body 1 by a first annular space 8, communicating with the lateral outlet 2.
• a cylindrical partition 9 is disposed inside the casing 4, at the periphery of the jacket 3 and coaxially with the latter, from which it is separated by a second annular space 10, communicating with the first annular space 8.
• This partition 9 projects, on the one hand, outside the base 6 of the casing 4, in order to allow the fixing the device on the well head, and, on the other hand, outside the cover 7, to also allow the fixing of the latter on the body 5, as will be explained below.
• the partition 9 is pierced with first orifices 11, above the upper end of the jacket 3, so as to allow the fluid supplied by the jacket 3 into the casing 4 to pass into the space separating the partition 9 from the body 5
• the partition 9 is pierced with second orifices 12, intended to allow the passage of the fluid in the second annular space from the space separating the partition 9 from the body 5.
• a filter 13 is disposed in the casing 4 outside the cylindrical partition 9, coaxially with the latter, and opposite the second orifices 12.
• This filter 13 bears in leaktight manner against the base 6 of the casing 4 and / or the contiguous part of the partition 9 and against the middle part of this partition between the orifices 11 and 12. It can be held in position in a removable manner by means of collars enclosing it around protruding portions of the partition 9, against which he leans.
• the fluid produced by the well Before entering through the orifices 12 in the second annular space 10 and being evacuated by the bypass 12, the fluid produced by the well thus necessarily passes through the filter 13, which retains the solid particles which it can convey.
• the mesh of the screen 13 is naturally adapted to the size of the solid particles to be removed.
• the device can be fixed by any means known in the art to a member 16 of the wellhead.
• the member 16 includes a externally threaded part, onto which a nut 17 is screwed, which bears on a flange of the lower end of the partition 9, below the base 6.
• the nut 18 further urges a projecting part 6a of the base 6 of the casing 4 to bear against a shoulder or a flange of the part of the partition 9.
• a connector 20, provided with a shutter, can be provided at the upper end of the partition 9.
• the device according to the invention is therefore very simple and acts by a purely mechanical process, which makes it particularly well suited for use under severe conditions of exploitation of hydrocarbon production wells.

Landscapes

• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Geology (AREA)
• Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
• Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
• General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
• Filtering Of Dispersed Particles In Gases (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=9504905

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Families Citing this family (16)

Family Cites Families (11)

• 1997
  • 1997-03-18 FR FR9703269A patent/FR2761109B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1998
  • 1998-03-17 CA CA002283686A patent/CA2283686A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-03-17 WO PCT/FR1998/000536 patent/WO1998041732A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 1998-03-17 US US09/381,239 patent/US6263970B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-03-17 BR BR9808355-4A patent/BR9808355A/pt unknown
  • 1998-03-17 AU AU69245/98A patent/AU6924598A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-03-17 EP EP98914935A patent/EP0968354B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1999
  • 1999-09-17 NO NO994516A patent/NO994516D0/no unknown
  • 1999-09-17 OA OA9900211A patent/OA11159A/fr unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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