SLOTTED IN-LINE SCREEN

• US 3,831,753 A
• Filed: 12/18/1972
• Issued: 08/27/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Chevron Research Company (Chevron Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Eber W. Gaylord, Ernest A. Mori, Robert J. Goodwin
• Inventors: Gaylord, Eber W., Goodwin, Robert J., Mori, Ernest A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hinson, Harrison L.
• Application Number:
  US05/316,348
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 209/392,394,395,393,396,397,398,399,400,401,402,403,404,405,406,407,408 175/54,422,320,323,324
• US Class Current: 209/399
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 35/02 Filters adapted for location in special places, e.g. pipe-lines, pumps, stop-cocks, B01D35/05 takes precedence; water pipe system filters E03B3/18, E03B7/07; dirt catchers in sewers E03F; filters or strainers for pipe-lines in general B08B, E03F; object or dirt catching devices in sinks or the like E03C1/26; suction strainers or filters for pumps F04B53/005, F04D29/70
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 35/28 Strainers not provided for elsewhere
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 17/00 Drilling rods or pipes; Flexible drill strings; Kellies; Drill collars; Sucker rods; Cables; Casings; Tubings
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/002 Down-hole drilling fluid separation systems containers comprising collecting means with a strainer E21B27/005; subsoil filtering E21B43/02; down-hole production separators E21B43/38
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/18 Drilling by liquid or gas jets, with or without entrained pellets E21B7/14 takes precedence

Abstract

A strainer for preventing the passage of oversized particles suspended in an abrasive-laden liquid flowing through a conduit. The strainer consists of a pair of plates, each of which has a plurality of parallel slots extending through it. The plates are oriented with respect to one another in a manner such that the slots are at an angle, preferably of 90*, to provide openings allowing the abrasive-laden liquid to flow through the assembly. Interlocking means or cement hold the plates in the desired orientation. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a spacer between the discs provides additional control of the size of the openings through the assembly. The plates are of tungsten carbide and preferably of a single solid piece of tungsten carbide in which the slots are cut.

Claims

1. A strainer for removal of oversized solid particles from a fluid flowing through a conduit, the fluid having solid particles suspended therein, comprising a first plate extending across the conduit and occupying the full cross-sectional area of the conduit whereby the fluid must flow through the plate, a plurality of slots elongated in a direction transverse to the direction of flow through the conduit and extending through the plate, a second plate extending across the conduit, said spacing being less than the width of the slots parallel to the first plate and spaced therefrom a distance allowing substantial flow of fluid between the plates, a plurality of slots elongated in a direction transverse to the flow through the conduit and extending through the second plate, the slots in the second plate being of substantially the same width as the slots in the first plate and oriented with the slots in the second plate at an angle exceeding 60* to the slots in the first plate whereby the slots in the two plates intersect, and means holding the first and second plates in the desired orientation.

2. A strainer as set forth in claim 1 in which the slots in the second plate are at substantially right angles to the slots in the first plate.

3. A strainer as set forth in claim 1 in which the means holding the plates in the desired orientation comprise a projection extending from the face of one plate toward the other plate and a socket in said other plate into which the projection extends.

4. A strainer as set forth in claim 1 in which the means holding the plates in the desired orientation comprise a cement adhering to the plates and to the conduit.

5. A strainer as set forth in claim 1 in which a spacer having a thickness less than the width of the slots is between the two plates and engages the two plates to fix the distance between them.

6. In apparatus for the abrasive jet drilling of wells in which an abrasive-laden slurry is delivered through a drill string to a drill bit rotating at the bottom of the borehole for discharge at a high velocity through nozzles in the drill bit and recirculation of cuttings through the annulus between the borehole wall and the drill string to the surface, the improvement comprising a sub in the drill string, said sub having an opening defined by an inner wall extending longitudinally therethrough, a shoulder on the inner wall of the sub, a first plate supported on the shoulder, said first plate having a plurality of parallel slots extending therethrough, the slots being elongated in a direction perpendicular to the direction of flow through the opening in the sub, a second plate supported by the first plate at a distance therefrom less than the width of the slots permitting substantial flow of slurry between the plates, said second plate having a plurality of parallel slots extending therethrough, the slots in the second plate being elongated in a direction perpendicular to the direction of flow through the sub, said second plate being oriented with the slots in the second plate at an angle of at least 60* to the slots in the first plate whereby the slots intersect to form passages through the assembly of the two plates, and means holding the two plates in the desired orientation.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 in which a sleeve of deformable material is supported on the upstream face of the second plate and engages the inner wall of the sub to prevent flow between the inner wall of the sub and the plates.

8. A strainer for removing oversized solids from a fluid having solids suspended therein flowing through a conduIt comprising a first plate supported within the conduit and extending across the full cross-sectional area of the conduit whereby the fluid flowing through the conduit flows through the plate, a plurality of elongated parallel slots extending through the plate, said slots being elongated in a direction perpendicular to the flow of fluid through the conduit and having a width in the range from slightly larger than the diameter of the largest solid particles desired in the fluid passing through the strainer to slightly less than the minimum diameter of the solid particles to be removed from the fluid, a second plate similar in size, shape, and width of slots to the first plate supported in the conduit adjacent the first plate with the slots in the second plate at substantially right angles to the slots in the first plate, a spacer having a thickness less than the width of the slots engaging the adjacent faces of the two plates around the periphery thereof to maintain a desired distance between the two plates allowing flow of fluid between the plates, and means for holding the two plates in the desired orientation.

9. A strainer as set forth in claim 8 in which each of the plates is a single piece of tungsten carbide alloy.

10. A strainer as set forth in claim 1 adapted for use in the abrasive jet drilling process in which each of the plates has a thickness of approximately three-fourths inch and is a single piece of a tungsten carbide alloy.