Apparatus and process for preventing blow-outs

Claim 2

Blow-out prevention apparatus for an oil well comprising: A. a surface casing, B. a mud return means leading from said casing, C. a blow-out preventer means attached to said casing, D. a mud diverter valve means connected with said casing, said valve means comprising: a. a cylindrical sleeve having a diverted-mud inlet end which leads into said casing, a biasing end, and a diverted-mud outlet opening in the side wall of the sleeve b. a piston housed in said sleeve which is slideable back and forth between said ends of the sleeve, said piston having a mud contact end and a biased end c. a mud diverter conduit leading from said sleeve through said outlet opening, and d. biasing means for resiliently biasing said piston from the biasing end thereof toward said mud-inlet end of the sleeve until said outlet opening thereof is covered by said piston.

Claim 3

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said biasing means includes a fluid pressure supply means leading into said biasing end of the sleeve and further including means for regulating the pressure at which fluid is supplied to the biasing end.

Claim 4

Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said blow-out preventer means is positioned between said mud return means and said diverter valve means.

Claim 5

Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein the mud inlet end of said sleeve leads directly into said casing and the mud diverter conduit leads into said sleeve in the proximity of the mud inlet end thereof.

Claim 6

Apparatus as in claim 4 wherein said means for resiliently biasing comprises pneumatic means including a conduit for a pneumatic fluid which leads into said biasing end of said sleeve, a pneumatic regulator in said conduit, and a dump valve in communication with said pneumatic conduit.

Claim 7

Apparatus as in claim 5 and additionally including a plurality of packing means attached to the circumference of said piston.

Claim 8

Apparatus as in claim 6 and additionally including a piston position indicator secured to said piston.

Claim 9

Apparatus as in claim 7 wherein said piston position indicator comprises a rod member attached to said biased end of said piston, said rod member slideably extending through said biasing end of said sleeve into the outside atmosphere.

Claim 10

Apparatus as in claim 8 additionally including a wash conduit leading into said sleeve opposite said mud outlet opening therein.

Claim 11

Apparatus as in claim 9 wherein said rod member of the position indicator additionally includes a stop plate attached thereto on the outside of said sleeve, said stop plate engaging the outside of said biasing end of said sleeve to stop said piston from sliding further within said mud-inlet end after said outlet opening is covered by said piston.

Claim 12

Apparatus as in claim 10 wherein said dump valve is an automatic dump valve which upon closure of the blow-out preventer means dumps pneumatic fluid and thus reduces pressure at the biasing end of said sleeve, enabling said piston to slide toward said biasing end to open said diverted-mud outlet.

Claim 13

Apparatus as in claim 11 wherein said diverted-mud inlet end of said sleeve includes a flange member, said casing has a flange member attached thereto at the point where said diverted-mud inlet leads into said casing, and said connection of said mud diverter valve means with said casing is effected by the mating and connecting of said flange member of said mud-inlet end and said flange member of said casing.

Claim 14

Apparatus as in claim 12 wherein said biasing end of said sleeve includes a flange member attached to the circumference thereof, a sealing plate removably connected to said biasing end flange member for enclosing the biasing end of said sleeve, said sealing plate having a structure defining an aperture wherethrough said rod member slides, and said stop plate engages the outside of said sealing plate to stop excess sliding travel of the piston within the mud-inlet end.

Claim 15

In a process for preventing blow-out of an oil well from underneath, around or through a surface casing of the well, the improved method of diverting mud flow from the casing which comprises: a. passing diverted mud from said casing axially into an elongated mud diverting channel which leads from the casing, said mud being diverted from the casing when the pressure therein exceeds a predetermined limit, b. subsequently discharging said diverted mud from said channel through an outlet opening therein, the mud flow from said opening being in a direction which is substantially transverse with respect to the longitudinal axis of the channel, c. said outlet opening being coverable by a movable obstruction member in said diverting channel, said member being urged to move in one direction along the longitudinal axis of said channel by pressure exerted on one end of said member from within said casing, but which is resiliently biased with a biasing pressure from the other end and urged to move in the opposite direction along the longitudinal axis of said channel and hence cover said outlet opening when the biasing pressure on said member exceeds a pressure within said casing which is below said predetermined limit, and whereupon development of a casing pressure which exceeds said limit, said obstruction member is moved within said channel and said outlet opening is uncovered.

Claim 16

In a process for preventing blow-out of an oil well from underneath, around or through a surface casing of the well, the improved method of diverting mud flow from the casing which comprises: a. passing diverted mud from said casing axially into an elongated mud diverting channel which leads from the casing, said mud being diverted from the casing when the pressure therein exceeds a predetermined limit, b. subsequently discharging said diverted mud from said channel through an outlet opening therein, the mud flow from said opening being in a direction which is substantially transverse with respect to the longitudinal axis of the channel, c. said outlet opening being coverable by a movable obstruction member in said diverting channel, said member being urged to move in one direction along the longitudinal axis of said channel by pressure exerted on one end of said member from within said casing, but which is resiliently biased with a biasing pressure from the other end and urged to move in the opposite direction along the longitudinal axis of said channel and hence cover said outlet opening when the biasing pressure on said member exceeds a pressure within said casing which is below said predetermined limit, and whereupon development of a casing pressure which exceeds said limit, said obstruction member is moved within said channel and said outlet opening is uncovered.

Claim 17

A method as in claim 14 wherein the biasing pressure applied to the other end of the obstruction member is a fluid pressure.

Claim 18

A method as in claim 15 wherein the biasing pressure is a pneumatic pressure.

Claim 19

A method as in claim 16 wherein said diverting channel is washed to remove residual mud following the diversion of mud through said channel and prior to recovering said outlet opening with said obstruction member.