Gravel packing apparatus for wells

Claim 1

A GRAVEL PACKING ASSEMBLY FOR WELLS, COMPRISING, A LINER HANGER INCLUDING A TUBULAR BODY HAVING MEANS FOR CONNECTING ITS LOWER END TO A PERFORATE LINER, MEANS INCLUDING ANCHOR ELEMENTS AND A RESILIENT SEAL ELEMENT MOUNTED ON THE BODY, MEANS CARRIED BY THE BODY COOPERATING WITH SAID ANCHOR AND SEAL ELEMENTS TO ACTUATE THE SAME FOR ANCHORING THE BODY TO A WELL WALL AND FOR SEALING BETWEEN THE BODY AND THE WELL WALL, A PLURALITY OF RADIAL DISCHARGE PORTS THROUGH THE WALL OF SAID BODY BELOW THE SEAL MEANS, A TUBULAR MANDREL EXTENDING THROUGH THE BORE OF THE BODY AND CONNECTIBLE TO AN OPERATING PIPE, A GENERALLY TUBULAR CROSS-OVER HEAD CO-AXIALLY CONNECTED TO THE MANDREL WITHIN SAID BORE OF THE BODY, SAID CROSSOVER HEAD HAVING A PLURALITY OF RADIAL PASSAGES COMMUNICATING BETWEEN THE BORE OF THE HEAD AND THE EXTERIOR THEREOF, FLOW PASSAGES EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE CROSS-OVER HEAD AND BY-PASSING SAID RADIAL PASSAGES, THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID FLOW PASSAGES COMMUNICATING WITH THE BORE OF THE CROSS-OVER HEAD AT POINTS BELOW SAID RADIAL PASSAGES, MEANS INTRODUCIBLE IN THE BORE OF THE CROSS-OVER HEAD FOR CLOSING THE BORE OF THE CROSS-OVER HEAD AT A POINT BETWEEN THE INNER ENDS OF SAID RADIAL PASSAGES AND SAID LOWER ENDS OF SAID FLOW PASSAGES WHEREBY TO DIRECT FLUID FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE MANDREL ABOVE THE CLOSURE MEANS INTO THE RADIAL PASSAGES AND FLUID FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE MANDREL BELOW THE CLOSURE MEANS INTO SAID FLOW PASSAGES, SAID CROSS-OVER HEAD HAVING LIMITED LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE HANGER BODY BETWEEN UPPER AND LOWER POSITIONS ADAPTED TO MOVE SAID RADIAL PASSAGES INTO AND OUT OF REGISTRATION WITH THE RADIAL DISCHARGE PORTS OF THE HANGER BODY, AND MEANS RELEASABLY CONNECTING THE CROSSOVER HEAD TO THE HANGER BODY.