Downhole pump and testing apparatus

• US 4,366,862 A
• Filed: 04/17/1981
• Issued: 01/04/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Company
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Company
• Inventors: Brandell, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOVOSAD, STEPHEN
• Application Number:
  US06/255,252
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 166/106, 166/145, 166/187, 166/264, 166/191, 166/147, 92/33
• US Class Current: 166/106
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/1246 inflated by down-hole pumping means operated by a pipe string
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/1272 inflated by down-hole pumping means operated by a pipe string
• 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: Y10T 137/7929 Spring coaxial with valve
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8593 Systems

Abstract

A downhole testing apparatus has a modular construction including a pump assembly, a screen assembly, a first packer assembly, an intake port assembly, and a second packer assembly. Improvements are provided in each of the pump assembly, screen assembly, first packer assembly, and intake port assembly.

Claims

1. A downhole tool, comprising:

a downhole pump having an upper pump portion adapted to be connected in a lower end of a pipe string, and having a lower pump portion operably associated with said upper pump portion so that said pump is operated upon relative rotational motion between said upper and lower pump portions, said lower pump portion including;

a relief housing; and

a release mandrel having a lower end received in a central relief housing bore of said relief housing;

a screen assembly connected in said pipe string below said lower pump portion, said screen assembly having a suction inlet means disposed therein communicated with an intake passage means of said downhole pump;

a first packer assembly, connected in said pipe string below said screen assembly, said first packer assembly including a first inflatable element communicated with a discharge passage means of said downhole pump through an intermediate discharge passage of said screen assembly;

an intake port assembly connected in said pipe string below said first packer assembly, said intake port assembly having a plurality of ports disposed therein for communicating an annular space between said intake port assembly and a well hole with an inner bore of said intake port assembly, said inner bore of said intake port assembly being a part of a flow passage means of said downhole tool, which flow passage means is adapted to be communicated with a central bore of said pipe string when said upper pump portion is connected in said pipe string;

a second packer assembly, connected in said pipe string below said intake port assembly, said second packer assembly including a second inflatable element communicated with said discharge passage means of said downhole pump through said intermediate discharge passage of said screen assembly and second and third intermediate discharge passages in said first packer assembly and said intake port assembly, respectively, so that said first and second inflatable elements may be inflated with fluid from said discharge passage means of said downhole pump to isolate a zone of said well so that a sample of well fluid may be taken therefrom through said intake port assembly; and

relief means, operably associated with said discharge passage means of said downhole pump, for communicating said discharge passage means with said flow passage means of said downhole tool and thereby relieving fluid pressure from said first and second inflatable elements into said flow passage means of said downhole tool to deflate said first and second inflatable elements, said relief means including a relief passage disposed in said relief housing and communicating said central relief housing bore of said relief housing with said discharge passage means, said lower end of said release mandrel being longitudinally movable relative to said central relief housing bore between a first position, wherein said relief passage is open to communicate said discharge passage means with said flow passage means and a second position wherein said relief passage is closed.

2. The downhole tool of claim 1, wherein:

said screen assembly includes a top screen assembly adapter for threadedly connecting said screen assembly in said pipe string below said lower pump portion;

said first packer assembly includes a top first packer assembly adapter for threadedly connecting said first packer assembly in said pipe string below said screen assembly;

said intake port assembly includes a top intake port assembly adapter for threadedly connecting said intake port assembly in said pipe string below said first packer assembly; and

said second packer assembly includes a top second packer assembly adapter for threadedly connecting said second packer assembly in said pipe string below said intake port assembly;

so that said downhole tool may be threadedly disassembled into five components, namely said downhole pump, said screen assembly, said first packer assembly, said intake port assembly, and said second packer assembly.

3. The downhole tool of claim 1, wherein:

said first inflatable element of said first packer assembly has a first end attached to an anchored packer shoe and has a second end attached to a floating packer shoe, so that said second end may move relative to said first end upon inflation of said first inflatable element.

4. The downhole tool of claim 1, wherein said lower pump portion further includes:

a piston housing;

a plurality of piston assemblies disposed in said piston housing, each including a piston reciprocatingly disposed in a cylinder;

a valve body connected to said piston housing;

a plurality of inlet poppet assemblies disposed in said valve body, one of said inlet poppet assemblies being located below and communicated with each of said cylinders for controlling a fluid intake to said cylinders;

a plurality of outlet poppet assemblies, one of said outlet poppet assemblies being located below and communicated with each of said cylinders for controlling a fluid discharge from said cylinders; and

a master outlet check valve assembly located below and communicated with all of said outlet poppet assemblies, for preventing discharge fluid from flowing back to said outlet poppet assemblies.

5. The downhole tool of claim 4, wherein:

said master outlet check valve assembly includes a plurality of alternating annular sealing rings and annular separator rings disposed in a first annular cavity communicated with all of said outlet poppet assemblies.

6. The downhole tool of claim 5, wherein said lower pump portion further comprises:

a valve casing having an upper end connected to said valve body;

a discharge adapter having an upper end connected to said valve casing; and

a valve mandrel connected to said upper end of said discharge adapter and extending upward within said valve casing, said annular cavity of said master outlet check valve assembly being defined between said valve mandrel and said valve casing.

7. The downhole tool of claim 6, wherein said lower pump portion further comprises:

a suction nipple having an upper end received between and engaging said relief housing and said discharge adapter;

a lower adapter connected to a lower end of said suction nipple;

an inner receiver connected to a lower end of said relief housing; and

wherein said relief housing has an upper end connected to said discharge adapter.

8. The downhole tool of claim 7, wherein:

said discharge passage means of said downhole pump communicates said first annular cavity with said first and second packer assemblies located below said downhole pump; and

said intake passage means of said downhole pump communicates said inlet poppet assemblies with said suction inlet means of said screen assembly located below said downhole pump.

9. The downhole tool of claim 1, wherein said screen assembly comprises:

a top screen assembly adapter having an internally threaded portion threadedly connected to said lower end of said lower pump portion;

a lower screen assembly adapter having an externally threaded portion threadedly connected to said first packer assembly;

a tubular screen mandrel connected between said top and lower screen assembly adapters, said screen mandrel having a plurality of radial bores disposed therethrough; and

a cylindrical pump screen disposed about an outer surface of said screen mandrel.

10. The downhole tool of claim 9, wherein said screen assembly further comprises:

a flow tube disposed concentrically within said screen mandrel and having a lower end received in said lower screen assembly adapter; and

wherein said suction inlet means of said screen assembly includes said radial bores of said screen mandrel and an annulus between said flow tube and said screen mandrel.

11. The downhole tool of claim 10, wherein said screen assembly further comprises:

an inner mandrel disposed concentrically within said flow tube and having a lower end connected to said lower screen assembly adapter; and

a seal mandrel engaging upper ends of said inner mandrel and said flow tube, said seal mandrel having a central bore communicated with an interior of said inner mandrel and having a longitudinal bore communicated with an annulus between said inner mandrel and said flow tube.

12. The downhole tool of claim 1, wherein said first packer assembly comprises:

an upper packer shoe having an internally threaded portion for threadedly connecting said packer assembly to said screen assembly located thereabove;

a bypass mandrel having an upper portion connected to said upper packer shoe;

a packer mandrel adapter having an upper end connected to a lower end of said bypass mandrel;

a mandrel cover tube extending downwardly from said packer mandrel adapter;

an inflatable bladder means having an upper end connected to said upper packer shoe; and

a floating packer shoe slidably engaging an outer cylindrical surface of said mandrel cover tube, a lower end of said inflatable bladder means being connected to said floating packer shoe.

13. The downhole tool of claim 12, wherein said first packer assembly further comprises:

a packer mandrel having an upper portion concentrically disposed within said mandrel cover tube and connected to said mandrel cover tube;

a flow connector having an upper end connected to a lower end of said packer mandrel;

a lower packer adapter having an upper end connected to a lower end of said flow connector, and having an externally threaded portion threadedly connected to said intake port assembly;

a packer flow tube having an upper end received in said bypass mandrel and having a lower end received in said flow connector; and

a flow connector cap having a lower end connected to said flow connector and an upper portion engaging said mandrel cover tube.

14. The downhole tool of claim 13, wherein said first packer assembly further comprises:

a packer bypass passage means disposed in said first packer assembly for bypassing well fluid located outside the first packer assembly from a point above the inflatable bladder means to a point below the second packer assembly.

15. The downhole tool of claim 1, wherein said intake port assembly comprises:

a top port assembly adapter having an internally threaded portion for threadedly connecting said intake port assembly to said first packer assembly located thereabove;

a port adapter having an upper end connected to a lower end of said top port assembly adapter, said plurality of ports of said intake port assembly being disposed through said port adapter; and

a seal mandrel connected to said top port assembly adapter and having a lower end received in said port adapter.

16. The downhole tool of claim 15, wherein said intake port assembly further comprises:

a spacer connector having an upper end connected to said port adapter; and

a lower port assembly adapter having an upper end connected to said spacer connector.

17. The downhole tool of claim 16, wherein said intake port assembly further comprises:

a bypass passage means for communicating well fluid from an upper end of said intake port assembly to said lower end of said intake port assembly.

18. The downhole tool of claim 1, wherein said lower pump portion includes a poppet valve assembly for a reciprocating piston of said downhole pump, said poppet valve assembly comprising:

a valve body having a valve bore disposed therein, said valve bore being communicated with a cylinder in which said reciprocating piston is disposed.

19. The downhole tool of claim 18, wherein said poppet valve assembly further comprises:

a poppet base member disposed in said valve bore and including an inner bore disposed therein with a poppet seat disposed about an end of said inner bore;

a poppet retainer assembly connected to an end of said base member and having a port means disposed therethrough for communicating said cylinder with said inner bore of said base member; and

a valve poppet having a cylindrical poppet body with a flange portion extending radially outward from said poppet body, said valve poppet being movable between a closed position wherein a surface of said flange portion facing said poppet seat sealingly engages said poppet seat to isolate said port means of said poppet retainer assembly from said inner bore of said base member, and an open position wherein said valve poppet is disengaged from said poppet seat to communicate said port means of said poppet retainer assembly with said inner bore of said base member.

20. The downhole tool of claim 19, wherein said poppet valve assembly further comprises:

spring means, disposed between said poppet retainer assembly and said valve poppet for resiliently urging said valve poppet toward its said closed position.