Tubing head

July 6, 1937.

A. J. PENICK ET AL

TUBING HEAD

2,086,431

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July 6, 1937. a. j. penick et al 2,086,431

TUBING HEAD Original Filed Nov. 2, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2

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July 6, 1937.

2,086,431

A. J. PENICK ET AL TUBING HEAD

Original Filed Nov. 2, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3

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Patented July 6, 1937

2,086,431

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,086,431

TUBING HEAD

Arthur J. Penick and Kirby T. Penick, Houston, Tex.

Application November 2, 1934, Serial No. 751,156 Renewed April 23, 1937

Claims. (Cl. 285—22)

This invention relates to a tubing head.

An object of the invention is to provide in combination with a tubular head, a tubing hanger in the head with a novel type of support for the 5 hanger and means for securing the hanger against displacement from the support.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a tubing head a retractable support or seat for the hanger with means accessible to the oper10 ator for withdrawing said support, or seat, into inactive position’ whereby the hanger may be allowed to move downwardly beneath the support and to permit the tubing, carried by the hanger, to be lowered the required distance into 15 the well, while washing fluid is being forced downwardly through the tubing to wash the well and the hanger and tubing thereafter elevated above the seat and the seat moved into active position beneath the hanger to form a support on which the hanger may then be landed to sup²⁰ port the tubing at the desired elevation in the well.

A further object of the invention is to provide in combination with a tubular head and a tubular hanger therein, a seat in the head beneath the ²³ hanger movable into active or inactive positions and means on the head movable into active position to secure the hanger on the seat and into inactive position to disengage the hanger, with means accessible to the operator for moving said ³⁰ seat and said locking device into active or inactive positions at will.

This invention embodies certain improvements over that type of construction disclosed in our co-pending application for Well head, filed May ³³ 25,1931 under Ser. No. 539,851, and also embodies improvements over the construction shown in our co-pending application for Well head assembly, filed September 17, 1934 under Serial No. 744,354. The construction herein shown also em⁴⁰ bodies certain improvements over our co-pending applications Ser. No. 744,354 for Well head assembly, filed Sept. 17, 1934; Ser. No. 752,440 for Flow control head, filed Nov. 10, 1934; and Ser. No. 15,174 for Well head assembly, filed Apr. 8, ⁴³ 1935.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention has particular relatio to certain novel features of construction, operation, and ar5Q rangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:—

Figure 1 shows a side elevation, partly in section, showing the tubing and hanger being lowered on to the seat.

Figure 2 shows a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the hanger landed and secured, on the seat.

Figure 3 shows a side view, partly in section, showing the seat retracted and the hanger low- ₅ered beneath the seat.

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4—4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows a fragmentary sectional view showing a modified form of the apparatus for moving the seat into active or inactive position, and

Figure 6 shows a side view partly in section of a modified form of the head.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals of reference designate similar parts in each of the figures, the numeral I designates a tubular head adapted to be connected to the upper end of the well casing 2.

This head has an inside annular groove 3 to receive the arcuate segments 4. The outer side of ²⁰each segment is widened, forming the flanges 5, 5, and at the inner side of each groove are the inwardly extended flanges 6, 6α, the latter of which may be welded in place. These flanges 5, 6, and 6α engage to form retainers for the ^zt>segments 4. Screwed into the head I opposite the respective segments, or otherwise secured to the head, are the housings 7 and bolts 8 are located within these housings and have threaded connections therewith, and the inner ends of the bolts have swiveling connections with said respective segments. The outer ends of the bolts are provided with the heads 9 to receive a wrench and the outer ends of the housings are closed by the respective caps 10 threaded to the housings.

The head has the outlet pipes 11, 11, leading therefrom beneath the segments 4.

There is a hanger 12 shaped to fit within the head and depending from this hanger there is a tubing 12α. The upper end of the hanger is internally threaded to receive the lower end of a section of pipe, 13, by means of which the tubing may be handled in lowering or elevating the same in the well. The lower and upper ends of the hanger are reduced, forming the downwardly facing shoulder 14 and the upwardly facing shoulder 15, and supported on the latter and surrounding the hanger are the packing rings 16. Supported on these packing rings and surrounding the hanger there is a metal ring 17 whose upper face 18 is downwardly and outwardly tapered. Around and countersunk into the hanger there is a locking ring 19 which is secured in place by set-screws 20, and said locking ring 55

2,086,431 abuts the upper end of the ring IT to secure the same and the packing in place.

Screwed into the head above the segments 4 are the housings 21, and enclosed within these 5 housings are the screw-bolts 22 which have a threaded connection therewith whose outer ends have the heads 23 to receive a wrench and whose inner ends 24 are beveled or tapered to conform to the taper of the face 18. The outer ends of 10 the housings 21 may be closed by the caps 25 which have a threaded connection therewith.

When the tubing has been lowered, the bolts 8 may be adjusted to move the segments 4 inwardly .into active position and the shoulder 14 15 will land on said segments to support the tubing and caps 25 may then be removed and the bolts .22 then screwed Inwardly to engage their faces 24 against face 18 of the ring IT, whereby said . ring will be forced downwardly and the packing 20 16 expanded into close contact with surrounding , . walls of the head I forming a fluid tight joint and securing the hanger against displacement from internal pressure in the well, and the caps 25 then replaced. If it be desired to withdraw 25 the tubing and hanger, the caps 25 may be again removed and bolts 22 screwed outwardly to clear the ring IT and the hanger and tubing then removed. While removing the hanger and tubing in the presence of internal well pressure, one or 30 more conventional blowout preventers, such as 26, may be attached to the upper end of the head, I, and the tubing withdrawn through the blowout preventer in which case the caps 25 should be tightly screwed into place to prevent the escape ³⁵ of the liquid under pressure past the bolts 22.

The housings T, or 21, may be made integrally with the head, if desired, in the manner illustrated in the Figure 5, and the bolts inclosed thereby may be surrounded by a gland, as 2T, 40 to form a fluid tight joint in which case the housing caps may be dispensed with.

It may sometimes be found desirable to lower the hanger 12 down past the segments 4, as, for example, when it is desired to lower the tubing 45 further into the well for washing the well. In such case the bolts 8 may be screwed outwardly to retract the segments 4 to permit the hanger to pass through and thereafter when the well has been washed, the tubing may be elevated to 50: carry the shoulder 14 above said segments and into position, as shown in Figure 1, and the bolts 8 may then be screwed inwardly to move said segments into active position, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and the hanger and tubing then lowered 55 until the shoulder 14 lands on_said _segments to support the tubing, and the bolts 22 may then be screwed inwardly to engage their inner ends above the ring IT, as illustrated in Figure 2, to secure the hanger in place.

In the form shown in Figure 6, the hanger, as 28, has been slightly modified and is provided, at its upper end, with the downwardly facing shoulder 29, beneath which there is the packing SO around the hanger. A wear ring 31 is dis05 posed beneath the packing and is locked in place by the locking ring 32 which is countersunk into the hanger and engages the lower side of the wear ring 31. This locking ring 32, as well as the locking ring 19 shown in the other figures, is open at 70 one side and may be snapped into a surrounding external annular groove in the hanger. In this form, shown in Figure 6, the head I is also provided with the inside annular groove 3 to receive the segments 4 which may be operated by the screw-bolts 33 into active position, as shown, to support the hanger, or into inactive position for the purposes hereinabove specified. The bolts 33 may be surrounded by the packing gland 34 to form a fluid-tight joint.

The drawings and description disclose what is 5 now considered to be a preferred form of the invention by way of illustration only, while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.