Well packer and retriever

Claim 2

A well packer to be set in a casing which comprises: a. a cylindrical mandrel, b. a resilient packer unit encircling said mandrel and radially deformable into contact with said casing when longitudinally compressed, c. a drive cylinder secured to said mandrel below said packer unit to support said packer unit, d. a lower cylinder means encircling said mandrel to bear against the top of said packer unit and movable longitudinally on said mandrel, e. a hollow cylindrical grip having beveled generally parallel ends with toothed shoulders adjacent to opposite extremities of said beveled ends, mounted on said mandrel and bearing on said lower cylinder means as to be tilted into engagement with said casing but normally resiliently biased toward an untilted attitude, and f. an upper cylinder means encircling said mandrel and slidably positioned thereon above said grip, whereby forces acting upward on said mandrel and downward on said upper cylinder means apply a setting forcE to said grip which force is transmitted through said packer unit to tilt and wedge said grip between opposite sides of said casing as said packer unit seals the annulus between said mandrel and said casing.

Claim 3

The packer set forth in claim 1 including wedge retainer means between said upper cylinder means and said mandrel to permit downward movement and prevent upward movement of said upper cylinder means with respect to said mandrel.

Claim 4

The wellbore packer set forth in claim 1 wherein said grip has a downward opening slot opposite the lower toothed shoulder thereof, and said wellbore packer further comprises a grip release bar supported on said lower cylinder means and extending into the mouth of said slot, a release lug on the surface of said mandrel below said bar, and releasable means coupling said mandrel and said drive cylinder to permit limited upward movement of said mandrel relative to said drive cylinder means for releasing said grip from a set configuration by driving said bar by said lug against the end of said slot.

Claim 5

The well bore packer set forth in claim 3 wherein said releasable means includes dogs coupling the lower end of said drive cylinder and said mandrel with a dog retainer having a recess to receive said dogs located within the lower end of said drive cylinder and secured by shear elements which part upon upward movement of said retainer to reserve said dogs in said recess and to cause said retainer to engage said mandrel.

Claim 6

The well bore packer set forth in claim 3 wherein said releasable means responds to an upward force and includes dogs releasably coupling the lower ends of said drive cylinder to said mandrel, and wherein a dog retainer is releasably mounted within the lower end of said drive cylinder by shear elements, said dog retainer having a recess positioned therein to receive said dogs upon an upward movement of said dog retainer in response to said force which shears said elements and causes said retainer to move said mandrel upward.

Claim 7

A well packer to be set in a casing by engagement of a cylindrical grip having generally parallel beveled ends and mounted on a mandrel as to be tilted to engage said casing while normally biased toward an untilted attitude, comprising: a. a first control structure encircling the mandrel and slidably positioned thereon above the grip, b. restraining means to suspend said first control structure above the grip, c. a second control structure encircling the mandrel and slidably positioned thereon to support the bottom of the grip, d. a housing encircling the mandrel below and supporting said second control structure and movable longitudinally on the mandrel, e. resilient packer unit encircling the mandrel supporting said housing and radially deformable into contact with said casing when axially compressed, and f. a concentric drive structure secured on the mandrel below said packer unit and supporting said packer unit, whereby forces acting upward on the mandrel and downward on said first control structure releases said restraining means for movement of said second control structure relative to said first control structure with a force which is transmitted through said packer unit serving to tilt the grip and expand said packer unit to engage said casing, whereby the grip becomes wedged in said casing as said packer unit seals the annulus between the mandrel and said casing.

Claim 8

A well packer to be set in a casing by engagement of a cylindrical grip having generally parallel beveled ends and mounted on a mandrel as to be tilted to engage said casing while normally biased toward an untilted attitude, comprising: a. a first control structure encircling the mandrel and slidably positioned thereon above the grip, b. restraining means to suspend said first control structure above the grip, c. a second control structure encircling the mandrel and slidably positioned thereon to support the bottom of the grip, d. a housing encircling the mandrel below and supporting said second control structure and movable longitudinally on the mandrel, e. resilient packer unit encircling the mandrel supporting said housing and radially deformable into contact with said casing when axially compressed, and f. a concentric drive structure secured on the mandrel below said packer unit and supporting said packer unit, whereby forces acting upward on the mandrel and downward on said first control structure releases said restraining means for movement of said second control structure relative to said first control structure with a force which is transmitted through said packer unit serving to tilt the grip and expand said packer unit to engage said casing, whereby the grip becomes wedged in said casing as said packer unit seals the annulus between the mandrel and said casing.

Claim 9

The combination set forth in claim 6 wherein said restraining means comprises shear elements which couple said first control structure to the mandrel.

Claim 10

The combination set forth in claim 6 wherein said restraining means comprises a threaded coupling between said first control structure and the mandrel, and said first control structure has means engaging said casing to oppose rotation thereof when the mandrel rotates.

Claim 11

A well packer which comprises: a hollow cylindrical mandrel, a grip retainer encircling the upper end of said mandrel, a bidirEctional grip encircling said mandrel below said retainer having laterally serrated wall engaging shoulders adjacent the tips of opposite generally parallel beveled ends thereof, the distance between said shoulders being greater than the internal diameter of the well and the portion between said ends being of diameter less than the diameter of said well to permit movement through said well, a longitudinally compressible, radially deformable resilient packer unit encircling said mandrel below said grip, spacer means encircling said mandrel between said grip and said packer unit, structure secured to said mandrel below said packer unit to engage the bottom of said packer unit, a top connection on said mandrel adapted to receive a packer setting means for moving said mandrel upward relative to said retainer to tilt said grip into engagement with said walls by applying a force to said grip through said packer unit thereby forcing said packer unit to seal against said wall when said wall limits tilting of said grip and sets said grip, and securing means between said retainer and said mandrel to oppose downward movement of said mandrel relative to said retainer to lock said packer in a set configuration upon release of the setting means.

Claim 12

A well packer which comprises: a hollow cylindrical mandrel, a grip retainer encircling the upper end of said mandrel, a bidirEctional grip encircling said mandrel below said retainer having laterally serrated wall engaging shoulders adjacent the tips of opposite generally parallel beveled ends thereof, the distance between said shoulders being greater than the internal diameter of the well and the portion between said ends being of diameter less than the diameter of said well to permit movement through said well, a longitudinally compressible, radially deformable resilient packer unit encircling said mandrel below said grip, spacer means encircling said mandrel between said grip and said packer unit, structure secured to said mandrel below said packer unit to engage the bottom of said packer unit, a top connection on said mandrel adapted to receive a packer setting means for moving said mandrel upward relative to said retainer to tilt said grip into engagement with said walls by applying a force to said grip through said packer unit thereby forcing said packer unit to seal against said wall when said wall limits tilting of said grip and sets said grip, and securing means between said retainer and said mandrel to oppose downward movement of said mandrel relative to said retainer to lock said packer in a set configuration upon release of the setting means.

Claim 13

The combination set forth in claim 9 wherein a second securing means between said spacer means and said mandrel opposes downward movement of said mandrel relative to said spacer means.

Claim 14

A well packer for use in a casing which comprises: a. a cylindrical mandrel, b. a resilient packer unit on said mandrel radially deformable when longitudinally compressed, c. a drive cylinder secured to said mandrel below said unit to support said unit, d. a spacer cylinder means encircling said mandrel to bear against the top of said unit and movable longitudinally on said mandrel, e. a hollow cylindrical bidirectional grip having beveled generally parallel ends with toothed shoulders adjacent to opposite extremities of said beveled ends, mounted on said mandrel and bearing on said spacer cylinder means as to be tilted into engagement with said casing but normally resiliently biased toward an untilted attitude, f. an upper cylinder means encircling said mandrel and slidably positioned thereon above said grip, and g. setting means to apply a force acting upward on said mandrel and downward on said upper cylinder means to tilt said grip and wedge it between opposite sides of said casing and while forcing said unit by longitudinal compression to seal the annulus between said mandrel and said casing.

Claim 15

A well packer for use in a casing which comprises: a. a cylindrical mandrel, b. a resilient packer unit on said mandrel radially deformable when longitudinally compressed, c. a drive cylinder secured to said mandrel below said unit to support said unit, d. a spacer cylinder means encircling said mandrel to bear against the top of said unit and movable longitudinally on said mandrel, e. a hollow cylindrical bidirectional grip having beveled generally parallel ends with toothed shoulders adjacent to opposite extremities of said beveled ends, mounted on said mandrel and bearing on said spacer cylinder means as to be tilted into engagement with said casing but normally resiliently biased toward an untilted attitude, f. an upper cylinder means encircling said mandrel and slidably positioned thereon above said grip, and g. setting means to apply a force acting upward on said mandrel and downward on said upper cylinder means to tilt said grip and wedge it between opposite sides of said casing and while forcing said unit by longitudinal compression to seal the annulus between said mandrel and said casing.

Claim 16

The combination set forth in claim 11 in which lock means opposes downward movement of said mandrel relative to said grip.

Claim 17

The combination set forth in claim 11 in which lock means between said spacer cylinder and said mandrel opposes downward movement of said mandrel relative to said packer unit.

Claim 18

A well packer to be set in a casing which comprises: a. a hollow cylindrical mandrel, b. a resilient packer unit encircling said mandrel and radially deformable into contact with said casing when longitudinally compressed, c. a drive cylinder secured to said mandrel below said packer unit to support said packer unit, d. a spacer encircling said mandrel to bear against the top of said packer unit and movable longitudinally on said mandrel, e. a hollow cylindrical grip having beveled generally parallel ends with toothed shoulders adjacent to opposite extremities of said beveled ends mounted on said mandrel and bearing on said spacer so as to be tilted into engagement with said casing but normally resiliently biased toward an untilted attitude, f. an upper cylinder means encircling said mandrel and slidably positioned thereon above said grip so that forces acting upward on said mandrel and downward on said upper cylinder means apply a setting force to said grip which force is transmitted through said packer unit to tilt and wedge said grip between opposite sidEs of said casing as said packer unit seals the annulus between said mandrel and said casing, g. wedge retainer means between said upper cylinder and said mandrel to permit downward movement and prevent upward movement of said upper cylinder with respect to said mandrel to lock said well packer in a set configuration, h. a grip release bar supported on said spacer and extending upward into the mouth of a downward opening slot in said grip opposite the lower toothed shoulder of said grip, i. a release lug on said mandrel below said bar, and j. a releasable means coupling said mandrel and said drive cylinder to permit limited upward movement of said mandrel relative to said drive cylinder means for contacting said bar to release said grip from a set configuration by driving said bar by said lug against the end of said slot.

Claim 19

A well packer to be set in a casing which comprises: a. a hollow cylindrical mandrel, b. a resilient packer unit encircling said mandrel and radially deformable into contact with said casing when longitudinally compressed, c. a drive cylinder secured to said mandrel below said packer unit to support said packer unit, d. a spacer encircling said mandrel to bear against the top of said packer unit and movable longitudinally on said mandrel, e. a hollow cylindrical grip having beveled generally parallel ends with toothed shoulders adjacent to opposite extremities of said beveled ends mounted on said mandrel and bearing on said spacer so as to be tilted into engagement with said casing but normally resiliently biased toward an untilted attitude, f. an upper cylinder means encircling said mandrel and slidably positioned thereon above said grip so that forces acting upward on said mandrel and downward on said upper cylinder means apply a setting force to said grip which force is transmitted through said packer unit to tilt and wedge said grip between opposite sidEs of said casing as said packer unit seals the annulus between said mandrel and said casing, g. wedge retainer means between said upper cylinder and said mandrel to permit downward movement and prevent upward movement of said upper cylinder with respect to said mandrel to lock said well packer in a set configuration, h. a grip release bar supported on said spacer and extending upward into the mouth of a downward opening slot in said grip opposite the lower toothed shoulder of said grip, i. a release lug on said mandrel below said bar, and j. a releasable means coupling said mandrel and said drive cylinder to permit limited upward movement of said mandrel relative to said drive cylinder means for contacting said bar to release said grip from a set configuration by driving said bar by said lug against the end of said slot.

Claim 20

A selectively retrievable well packer which comprises: a. a hollow cylindrical mandrel, b. a resilient packer unit encircling said mandrel and radially deformable into contact with said casing when longitudinally compressed, c. a drive cylinder releasably secured to said mandrel below said packer unit to support said packer unit, d. a spacer cylinder encircling said mandrel to bear against the top of said packer unit and movable longitudinally on said mandrel, e. a hollow cylindrical grip having beveled generally parallel ends with toothed shoulders adjacent to opposite extremities of said beveled ends, mounted on said mandrel and bearing on said spacer cylinder as to be tilted into engagement with said casing but normally resiliently biased toward an untilted attitude, f. an upper cylinder encircling said mandrel and slidably positioned thereon above said grip so that forces acting upward on said mandrel and downward on said upper cylinder apply a setting couple to said grip by a force transmitted through said packer unit to tilt and wedge said grip between opposite sides of said casing as said packer unit seals the annulus between said mandrel and said casing, g. retainer means between said upper cylinder and said mandrel to permit downward movement and prevent upward movement of said upper cylinder with respect to said mandrel and thereby lock said packer in set configuration, h. a grip release bar supported on said spacer cylinder and extending into a downward opening slot in said grip opposite the lower toothed shoulder thereof, i. a release lug on the surface of said mandrel below said bar, j. a movable captured shear resistant element in the bottom portion of said packer which spans a common boundary between said mandrel and said drive cylinder, k. an insert cylinder supported by said mandrel having an outward facing peripheral groove dimensioned to accommodate said element and normally restrained with said groove positioned below said element, l. structure supporting said insert cylinder from said drive cylinder having vertical internal ribs circumferentially arrayed below said insert cylinder of internal diameter about the same as the internal diameter of said insert cylinder and separated by vertical recesses, and m. a tubing operated retriever insertable down through said mandrel having circumferentially arrayed longitudinal bars carrying upward facing hooks of width less than the width of said recesses which hooks may engage the bottom of said insert cylinder only when aligned with said recesses to move said groove into registration with said shear resistant element for release of said mandrel from said drive cylinder and to unset said packer by driving said bar by said lug against the end of said slot.

Claim 21

A selectively retrievable well packer which comprises: a. a hollow cylindrical mandrel, b. a resilient packer unit encircling said mandrel and radially deformable into contact with said casing when longitudinally compressed, c. a drive cylinder releasably secured to said mandrel below said packer unit to support said packer unit, d. a spacer cylinder encircling said mandrel to bear against the top of said packer unit and movable longitudinally on said mandrel, e. a hollow cylindrical grip having beveled generally parallel ends with toothed shoulders adjacent to opposite extremities of said beveled ends, mounted on said mandrel and bearing on said spacer cylinder as to be tilted into engagement with said casing but normally resiliently biased toward an untilted attitude, f. an upper cylinder encircling said mandrel and slidably positioned thereon above said grip so that forces acting upward on said mandrel and downward on said upper cylinder apply a setting couple to said grip by a force transmitted through said packer unit to tilt and wedge said grip between opposite sides of said casing as said packer unit seals the annulus between said mandrel and said casing, g. retainer means between said upper cylinder and said mandrel to permit downward movement and prevent upward movement of said upper cylinder with respect to said mandrel and thereby lock said packer in set configuration, h. a grip release bar supported on said spacer cylinder and extending into a downward opening slot in said grip opposite the lower toothed shoulder thereof, i. a release lug on the surface of said mandrel below said bar, j. a movable captured shear resistant element in the bottom portion of said packer which spans a common boundary between said mandrel and said drive cylinder, k. an insert cylinder supported by said mandrel having an outward facing peripheral groove dimensioned to accommodate said element and normally restrained with said groove positioned below said element, l. structure supporting said insert cylinder from said drive cylinder having vertical internal ribs circumferentially arrayed below said insert cylinder of internal diameter about the same as the internal diameter of said insert cylinder and separated by vertical recesses, and m. a tubing operated retriever insertable down through said mandrel having circumferentially arrayed longitudinal bars carrying upward facing hooks of width less than the width of said recesses which hooks may engage the bottom of said insert cylinder only when aligned with said recesses to move said groove into registration with said shear resistant element for release of said mandrel from said drive cylinder and to unset said packer by driving said bar by said lug against the end of said slot.