US1272253A - Well-cleaning device. - Google Patents

Description

H. M. GREEN.

WELL CLEANING DEVICE.

APPLICATIGN FLLED Nov. l. i911.

1 ,272,253.2 Patenmd July 9, 1918,

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TORNE Y 'larged scale, taken NETE@ @VT HENRY Il. GREEN, 0F KANSAS CITY, MIBBOURJI.

WELL-CLEANING DEVICE.

Specification of Lettera Patent.

Patented July 9, 1918.

application am november i, iai?. sem-1' No. incase. i

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY M. GREEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City,n the county of Jackson, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Well-Cleaning Devices, of which the following is a full and exact specification.

The present invention relates to devices designed for the purpose of cleaning out wells of small diameter, such as oil wells, which require from time to time the use of some means for removing the sand, dirt or like material therefrom. lt is herein proposed to use a iiow of water for this purpose, directed through the pump tubing of the well, and the present invention aims to provide an improved device for utilizing a flow of water for accomplishing the desired cleanu ing operation.

Accordingly, one of the obg'ects 'of the invention is to devise asimple orm of attachmentor the pump tubing adapted to produce and maintain an efficient whirlingaction of the water at the points where the y sand and like material are to be removed. It is also an object to provide a construction which will operate to aid in the feeding movement of the apparatus through the material as it is removed while at the same time protecting those parts which are actuated by the water flow.

It is also sought to devise a construction of as few arts as possible for carryingv out thev r uire operation, which may be readily an' conveniently repaired and ada ted to various sizes of well casings, and which will be economical and cheap to manufacture.

With these general ob]ects in view as well as minor objects which will appear in the course of the detailed description, the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating one form of construction for embodying the proposedv improvements, after which those features deemed to be novel will be set forth and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a side elevation showing an attachment constructed in accordance with the resent invention- Fi 2 is `.a lon 'tudinal section taken on the line 2-2 of ig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section, on an e'non the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and .i

Fi 4: is a plan view of one of the vane mem ers of the device.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the device is illustrated as comprising a tubular member adapted to form an extension to the pump tubing 8, to which said member t' is designed to be removably connected by means of the union 10. The tubular memher 6 is formed with a plurality of slits 12 which are cut through the walls of said member 6 at an angle to the radii at those points (see Fig. 3) in order that' the water received from the tubing 8 will be ejected from the member 6 in a more or less tangential direction for imparting a whirling movement to the water. Outside the tubular member 6 is rotatably mounted a barrel 14 having a collar 16 (see Fig. 2) for journaling its uppr end and closing the space between said rrel and tubular member 6 at that end of the barrel, the latter being secured to the collar by means of screws 18. The lower end of the barrel 14 is secured by screws 20 to radialarms 22f'ormed on a collar 24 which is likewise journaled on the tubular member 6, thereby obtaining a skeletomconstruction at the lower end of the'barrel for allowing free passage of the water as hereinafter described.

The barrel 14 is also provided with a plurality of slits 26 of spiral outline designed to receive the vane members 28 which are inserted through said slits and preferably secured near their opposite ends by means of angle pieces 30 and screws 32 to said barrel.

The opposite ends of each vane member 28 are also formed with extensions 34 gsee Fig. 4) which limit the insertion of said venes through said slits 26 to the required extent. The construction is such that each vane member 28 forms a vane projection (see Figs. 2 and 3) extendin across the space between the barrel 14 an tubular member 6 the proper distance for receiving a primary actuation from the whirl of the water within said barrel, while the outer portion of each vane member presents a vane projection extendin the proper distance between the bar# rel an the 'wall of the well for exerting a secondary action upon the water passing upward from the lower end of the attachment.

Secured to the lower end of the tubular member 6 by means of a pin 36 is a footpiece member 38 com rising a castin the ower portion of whic is of inverte -conc shape, its upper portion ,being of general ics cylindrical outline and formed with a socket 4() for receiving the lower end of said niember 6. T his upper portion of the foot-piece is also shaped to provide a plurality of heli- 5 cal delecting wings 42 having their deficct- 'ing surfaces presented opposite the open space between the tubular member (5 and the barrel 14 at the lower end of the latter. At the lower end of the deflecting surface of each wing 42, the foot-piece is forced with a recess 44 extending in the direction of the apex of the foot-piece in order that the water may be allowed to flow to the lower or bearing face of the foot-piece. The top of the foot-piece member serves as a bearing for the collar 24 and thus cooperates with the union for maintaining the barrel against any axial movement.

In the operation of the device, the pump tubing is taken up in order to replace the pump cylinder or Working barrel of the pump with the cleaning attachment, which is secured in place by means of the union 10. The pump tubing is then again lowered into the casin until the foot-piece 38 reaches the material to be cleaned out of the bottom of the Well. lVater is driven down through the tubing, said Water being'forced in approximately tangential streams through the slits 12 of the member 6 into the space between the said member 6 and the barrel 14, thus giving rise to a whirling motion of the water in said space, whereby the inner vane projections from the vane members 28 are actuated to rotate the barrel 14. The water passes out at the lower end of the barrel and the whirling motion of the water is adapted to be maintained by the action of the helical form of the wings 42 which it Will be noted are inclined in the direction of the whirl produced within the barrel. Some of the water will be allowed to pass down into the recesses 44 to the bearing face of the foot-piece 38 and so allowed to loosen up the dirt and sand material as far down near the apex of the foot-piece as possible and thus promote the feeding action of the device, which action is of course further facilitated by the conical form of said footpiece. The water around the base of the barrel being thus charged with the material to be removed, it is driven by the pressure from behind, on up outside said barrel and between said barrel and the wall of the well; and the whirl of the water'in this vicinity, as well as its advance movement (which would be otherwise retarded on account of the larger cross-sectional area outside the barrel), is constantly maintained by the movement of the outer vane projections of the vane members 28, which obviously are presented at the proper angle for directin the water flow upward as the water is force downward through the barrel. The amount 65 of projection of these outer vanes will be gaged according to conditions and requirements and for obtaining the most effective action as regards loosening of the material and thorough intermingling of the same with the water, and maintaining the proper advance movement of ythe water as it starts on its return flow whereby the sand and dirt are carried out-of the well. Accordingly the core of the attachment will remain the same while the moving parts may be varied in size to suit changing conditions. For slight changes the vanes may be readily detached and others insertedof the desired proportions; and the described mode of mounting said vane members obviously facilitates any repairs that may be needed. It will also be noted that the size of the top portion of the foot piece is such as to afford protection to the vanes against injury from any unusual obstructions that may be encountered during the downward feed of' the device.

It will thus be apparent Ihrat a simple and eiiicient arrangement and-construction have been devised for carrying out the desired objects of the invention. Great economy is gained as compared to the cleaning process usually employed heretofore, which involved the bringing up of a drill rig to the Well and the operation of various tools for loosening up the sand and dirt material, and then washing out the well with cumbersome bailing apparatus. The present improvements, on the other hand, involve merely the attachment of the cleaning device to the pump tubing itself, without the use of any other apparatus excepting means for forcing 'water into the tubing. Moreover, a more elfectivc and thorough cleaning action is obtained than formerly, the device acting to maintain the vigorous whirling movement of the water all around the bottom of the well, and as the whirl of water of course carries a quantity of sand and grit along with it the stream cuts its Way through, continuously loosening up and eating through the deposit of material, with the result that the bottom of the well is thoroughly scoured out by the combined action of the water and the sand and grit in the water. cone shape of the foot-piece promotes the feeding movement of the device as its cuts its way through the material. The device is made up of a minimum number of operative partsand will be found very economical in its operation as regards the water-flow required therefor.

While the foregoing illustrates what is now regarded as the preferred form of construction for embodying the improvements, the right is reserved to all such formal changes or modifications as may fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

That I claim is:

1. A well cleaning device adapted for at- As already indicated, the

tachment to pumpin tubes, comprising a tubular member having means for attachment to the pumping tube and provided with lateral water discharge openings extending outward at an angle adapted to impart an approximately tangential flow to the water passing through said openings, a barrel rotatably mounted on said tubular member, and vanes carried by said barrel and forming vane projections on the inner and outer surfaces thereof, the space between said tubular member and barrel being closed at the top and open at the bottom.

Q. A well cleaning device adapted for attachment to pumping tubes, comprising a tubular member having means for attachment to the pumping tube and provided with lateral water discharge openings extending outward at an angle adapted to impart an approximately tangential flow to the water passing through said openings, a barrel rotatably mounted on said tubular member, and detachable spiral vanes carried by said barrel and forming vane projections on the inner and outer surfaces thereof, the space between said tubular member and barrel being closed at the top and open at the bottom.

3. A well cleaning device for pumping tubes comprising a tubular member having means for attaching the same to the pumping tube and provided with lateral water discharge openings adapted to impart an approximately tangential flow to the water passing outward through said openings, a barrel rotatably mounted on said tubular member, vanes carried by said barrel and forming vane projections on the inner and outer surfaces thereof, and a foot piece of inverted cone shape secured to the lower end of said tubular member.

-l. A well cleaning device for pumping tubes comprising a tubular member having means for .attachment to the pumping tube and provided with lateral water discharge passages adapted to impart an approximately tangential flow to the water passing outward through said passages, a barrel rotatably mounted on said tubular member, Yanes carried by said barrel and forming vane projections on the inner and outer surfaces thereof, the space between said tubular member and barrel being closed at the top and open at the bottom, and a foot-piece of inverted cone shape secured to the lower end of said tubular member, the upper part of said foot-piece being provided with helical detlecting portions opposite the open space at the lower end of said barrel.

5. A well cleaning device for pumping tubes comprising a tubular member having means for attachment to the pumping tube and provided with lateral water discharge passages adapted to impart an approximately tangential flow to the water passing outward through said passages, a barrel rotatably mounted on said tubular member and provided with spirally extending slits in the sides thereof, and vanes extending through said slits and detachably secured to the barrel and forming vane projections ou the inner and outer surfaces thereof, the space between said tubular member and barrel being closed at the top and open at the bottom.

6. A device for cleaning out wells and adapted for attachment to pumping tubes, comprising a tubular member having means for attachment to the pumpin tube and provided with lateral water disc arge openings adapted to impart an approximately tangential low to the water passing outward through said openings, a barrel rotatably mounted on said tubular member, spiral vanes carried by said barrel and forming vane projections on the inner and outer surfaces thereof for projecting partly across the spaces between said barrel and said tubular member and the wall of the well respectively, the space between said tubular member and barrel being closed at the top and open at the bottom, and a foot piece of inverted cone shape secured to the lower end of said tubular member, the upper part of said foot piece being of general cylindrical form of a diameter approximately equal to that of the path traversed by said vaues and provided with helical detlecting portions opposite the open space at the lower end of said barrel.

7. A well cleaning device for pumping tubes comprising a tubular member having means of attachment to the pumping tube and provided with lateral Water discharge openings adapted to impart an approximately tangential flow to the water passing outward through said openin a barrel rotatably mounted on said tullar member, vanes carried by the barrel andy forming vane projections on the inner and outer surfaces thereof, and a foot-piece of inverted cone shape secured to the lower end of said tubular member and provided with water passages extending from the upper part of said foot-piece and in the direction of the apex thereof.

In witness whereof I aiiix my signature.

H. M. GREEN.

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