Inflatable straddle packer
First Claim
1. A straddle packer apparatus, comprising:
- a housing having a central housing opening, and having packer inflation passage means defined in said housing, and having a treating fluid passage defined in said housing with an outlet of said treating fluid passage communicating with an exterior of said housing;
upper and lower longitudinally spaced packers mounted on said housing on opposite sides of said outlet of said treating fluid passage, said packers being in communication with said packer inflation passage means;
an inner mandrel slidably received in said central housing opening, said mandrel having a mandrel bore and having an inflation port means and a treating port means each communicated with said mandrel bore; and
lug and endless J-slot means, operably associated with said housing and said inner mandrel, for controlling a telescoping position of said mandrel relative to said housing in response to telescoping reciprocation without rotation of said mandrel relative to said housing, said mandrel being movable between an inflating position wherein said inflation port means of said mandrel is communicated with said inflation passage means of said housing and said treating port means of said mandrel is isolated from said treating fluid passage of said housing, and a treating position wherein said inflation port means of said mandrel is isolated from said inflation passage means of said housing and said treating port means of said mandrel is communicated with said treating fluid passage of said housing.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A straddle packer apparatus includes a housing having a central opening. The housing has inflation passages, treating fluid passages, and equalizing passages defined therein. Upper and lower longitudinally spaced packers are mounted on the housing on opposite sides of an outlet of the treating fluid passage. An inner mandrel is slidably received in the central opening of the housing. The mandrel has a mandrel bore and has upper and lower inflation ports, upper and lower equalizing ports, and a treating port, all of which communicate with the mandrel bore. A lug and endless J-slot is operably associated with the housing and mandrel for controlling a telescoping position of the mandrel relative to the housing in response to telescoping reciprocation without rotation of the mandrel relative to the housing. The lug and J-slot define an endlessly repeating sequence of inflating position, treating position, equalizing position, and ready position wherein the tool is ready to return to the original inflating position on the next telescoping stroke of the mandrel within the housing.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A straddle packer apparatus, comprising:
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a housing having a central housing opening, and having packer inflation passage means defined in said housing, and having a treating fluid passage defined in said housing with an outlet of said treating fluid passage communicating with an exterior of said housing; upper and lower longitudinally spaced packers mounted on said housing on opposite sides of said outlet of said treating fluid passage, said packers being in communication with said packer inflation passage means; an inner mandrel slidably received in said central housing opening, said mandrel having a mandrel bore and having an inflation port means and a treating port means each communicated with said mandrel bore; and lug and endless J-slot means, operably associated with said housing and said inner mandrel, for controlling a telescoping position of said mandrel relative to said housing in response to telescoping reciprocation without rotation of said mandrel relative to said housing, said mandrel being movable between an inflating position wherein said inflation port means of said mandrel is communicated with said inflation passage means of said housing and said treating port means of said mandrel is isolated from said treating fluid passage of said housing, and a treating position wherein said inflation port means of said mandrel is isolated from said inflation passage means of said housing and said treating port means of said mandrel is communicated with said treating fluid passage of said housing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A straddle packer apparatus constructed for use with a tubing string having a tubing bore, said apparatus comprising:
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upper and lower longitudinally spaced inflatable packers; a housing having an interior and having said packers mounted on said housing, and said housing further including; inflation passage means defined therein communicated with said upper and lower inflatable packers; treating fluid passage means defined therein and having a treating fluid outlet communicated with an exterior of said housing between said upper and lower inflatable packers; and equalizing passage means defined therein communicated with said exterior of said housing on a side of at least one of said upper and lower inflatable packers opposite from said treating fluid outlet; upper connecting means, operably associated with said housing, for connecting said housing to said tubing string and for communicating said interior of said housing with said tubing bore; and control means, operably associated with said housing, for defining a plurality of operating positions of said apparatus including; an inflating position wherein said inflation passage means is communicated with said tubing bore, and said treating passage means and said equalizing passage means are both isolated from said tubing bore; a treating position wherein said treating fluid passage means is communicated with said tubing bore and said inflation passage means and equalizing passage means are both isolated from said tubing bore; and an equalizing position wherein said equalizing passage means is communicated with said treating fluid passage means and said inflation passage means is isolated from said tubing bore. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of treating a subsurface zone of a well having a well casing with a production tubing string in place in said casing, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a straddle packer apparatus having upper and lower inflatable packers with a treating fluid passage outlet located between said packers, said packers each having a flexible packer element defining an inflation cavity so that the packers can be inflated by inflation fluid contained in said cavities and acting directly against said flexible packer elements; (b) lowering said straddle packer apparatus on a working tubing down through and below a lower end of said production tubing; (c) placing said straddle packer apparatus adjacent said subsurface zone; (d) pumping inflation fluid down through a bore of said working tubing into said inflation cavities and thereby inflating said upper and lower packers to seal said packers against said casing and isolate said zone of said well; (e) setting down weight on said straddle packer apparatus with said working tubing, without rotating said working tubing, and thereby trapping said inflation fluid in said inflatable packers and placing said treating fluid passage outlet of said straddle packer apparatus in communication with said bore of said working tubing; (f) pumping treating fluid down through said bore of said working tubing to treat said isolated zone of said well; and (g) picking up weight from said straddle packer apparatus with said working tubing, without rotating said working tubing, to communicate said isolated zone of said well through said straddle packer apparatus with an interior of said casing outside of said isolated zone thereby equalizing pressure between said isolated zone and said interior of said casing while said packers are still inflated. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification