HORIZONTAL FRAC BALL INJECTOR

• US 20120211219A1
• Filed: 02/22/2011
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oil States Energy Services Incorporated (Oil States International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Stinger Wellhead Protection Incorporated (Oil States International Incorporated)
• Inventors: McGuire, Bob, Artherholt, Danny Lee
• Granted Patent: US 8,869,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/75.15
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/05 Cementing-heads, e.g. having provision for introducing cementing plugs
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/068 having provision for introducing objects or fluids into, or removing objects from, wells cementing-heads E21B33/05
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/00 Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells applicable only to water E03B
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/2607 Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/4891 With holder for solid, flaky or pulverized material to be dissolved or entrained

Abstract

An injector spool supports a plurality of ball injector assemblies having respective ball cartridges adapted to load one frac ball at a time into a ball chamber of a ball launcher of the respective ball injector assemblies to provide a horizontal frac ball injector adapted to be connected to a frac head by frac iron.

Claims

1. A horizontal frac ball injector, comprising:

an injector spool having an intake end, a discharge end and an axial passage that extends from the intake end to the discharge end; and

at least two independently operated ball injector assemblies respectively connected to a radial port through a sidewall of the injector spool, each ball injector assembly supporting a ball cartridge having a capacity to accommodate a plurality of frac balls, and each ball injector assembly further comprising a ball launcher that is reciprocated by a ball launcher drive from a ball load position in which a ball is loaded from the ball cartridge into a ball chamber of a ball injector, to a ball release position in which the ball is moved out of a side opening of the ball chamber by fluid pumped through the axial passage.

2. The horizontal frac ball injector as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ball launcher drive comprises a motor that rotates a threaded drive rod which extends into an axial bore in the ball launcher.

3. The horizontal frac ball injector as claimed in claim 2 wherein the threaded drive rod threadedly engages a threaded drive sleeve immovably affixed within the axial bore.

4. The horizontal frac ball injector as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ball launcher drive comprises one of a hydraulic and a pneumatic cylinder having a piston with a piston rod affixed to a rear end of the ball launcher.

5. The horizontal frac ball injector as claimed in claim 4 wherein the ball launcher drive further comprises a cylinder position indicator rod connected to a rear side of the piston and extending through a rear end of the cylinder to provide a visual indication of a position of the piston within the cylinder.

6. The horizontal frac ball injector as claimed in claim 4 wherein the cylinder comprises a cylinder wall of a non-magnetic alloy and further comprises a magnet affixed to a rear side of the piston and a magnetic position indicator sleeve that has an inner diameter that permits the magnetic position indicator sleeve to be reciprocated over the cylinder wall in alignment with the magnet as the piston is reciprocated within the cylinder, to provide a visual indication of a position of the piston within the cylinder.

7. The horizontal frac ball injector as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ball cartridge comprises a ball chase that urges the frac balls into the ball chamber of the ball launcher.

8. The horizontal frac ball injector as claimed in claim 6 wherein the ball cartridge comprises a cylinder of non-magnetic alloy with a high tensile strength.

9. The horizontal frac ball injector as claimed in claim 8 wherein the ball cartridge further comprises a magnet pack secured to a top end of the ball chase and a magnetic external follower sleeve that slides over an exterior of the cylinder in alignment with the magnet pack as the ball chase is displaced within the ball cartridge.

10. The horizontal frac ball injector as claimed in claim 9 further comprising a system that displays a relative position of the ball chase within the ball cartridge.

11. A ball injector assembly of a horizontal frac ball injector, comprising:

a ball cartridge that accommodates a plurality of frac balls;

a ball launcher having a ball chamber sized to receive a one of the frac balls and a side opening from which the one of the frac balls is released from the ball chamber; and

a ball launcher drive that reciprocates the ball launcher from a ball load position in which the one of the frac balls is loaded into the ball chamber to a ball release position in which the one of the frac balls is moved from the ball chamber by fluid pumped through an axial passage of the horizontal frac ball injector.

12. The ball injector assembly as claimed in claim 11 wherein the ball launcher drive comprises a motor that rotates a threaded drive rod that threadedly engages a drive sleeve affixed in an axial bore through a rear end of the ball launcher.

13. The ball injector assembly as claimed in claim 11 wherein the ball launcher drive comprises one of a hydraulic and a pneumatic cylinder having a piston with a piston rod affixed to a rear end of the ball launcher.

14. The ball injector assembly as claimed in claim 13 wherein the ball launcher drive further comprises a position indicator rod that is connected to a rear side of the piston and extends through a rear end cap of the cylinder to provide a visual indication of a location of the piston within the cylinder.

15. The ball injector assembly as claimed in claim 11 wherein the ball cartridge comprises a ball chase that urges the frac balls into the ball chamber.

16. The ball injector assembly as claimed in claim 15 wherein the ball cartridge comprises a cylinder of non-magnetic material and the ball chase further comprises a magnet that strongly attracts an external follower sleeve which is slidably supported by the magnet on an outer side of the ball cartridge to provide a visual indication of a position of the ball chase within the ball cartridge.

17. The ball injector assembly as claimed in claim 11 wherein the ball chamber is a cylindrical bore with a side opening through which a frac ball is released from the ball chamber, and a top side of the ball launcher comprises a ball shunt ramp that forces any other frac balls in the ball cartridge upwardly as the ball launcher is moved from the ball load position to the ball release position, to ensure that a frac ball resting on the frac ball in the ball chamber is not damaged as the ball launcher is moved from the ball load position to the ball release position.

18. A horizontal frac ball injector adapted to be connected by frac iron to a frac head, comprising a ball injector spool having a plurality of ball injector mechanisms that respectively support a ball cartridge adapted to store a plurality of frac balls, each ball injector mechanism having a ball launcher reciprocated by a ball launcher drive from a ball load position in which a one of the frac balls is loaded from the ball cartridge into a ball chamber of the ball launcher and a ball release position in which the one of the frac balls is released from the ball chamber via a side opening in the ball chamber into an axial passage through the ball injector spool.

19. The horizontal frac ball injector as claimed in claim 18 wherein the ball launcher drive comprises a motor that turns a threaded drive rod which engages a threaded drive sleeve affixed in an axial bore in a rear end of the ball launcher.

20. The horizontal frac ball injector as claimed in claim 18 wherein the ball launcher drive comprises one of a hydraulic and a pneumatic cylinder having a piston with a piston rod affixed to a rear end of the ball launcher.