BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATED
`Exhibit 1022
`
`Page 1 of 13
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`

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`Jan- 9, 1951
`
`J. 0. Laws
`
`2,537,066
`
`INVENTOR.
`
`BY JAME5 0. Laws
`Qfuoin F3. ewe.
`
`_ ‘ATTORNEY
`
`Page 2 of 13
`Page 2 of 13
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`

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`2,537,066
`J. o. LEWIS
`Jan. 9. 1951
`APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING FLUID PRODUCING FORMATIONS
`
`Filed July 24, 1944
`
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`Page 3 of 13
`Page 3 of 13
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`2,537,066
`J. o. LEWIS
`JPJl- 9. 1951
`APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING FLUID PRODUCING FORMATIONS
`
`Filed July 24, 1944
`
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`Page 4 of 13
`Page 4 of 13
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`

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`2,537,066
`J. o. LEWIS
`Jan. 9, 1951
`APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING FLUID PRODUCING FORMATIONS
`
`Filed July 24, 1944
`
`7 Sheets—Sheet 5
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`By JANE: 0.LEWlS
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`Page 5 of 13
`Page 5 of 13
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`

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`Jan. 9, 1951
`
`J. o. LEWIS
`
`2.537.055
`
`APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING FLLUID PRODUCING FORMATIONS
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`Page 6 of 13
`Page 6 of 13
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`2,537,066
`J. o. LEWIS
`Jan. 9, 1951
`APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING FLUID PRODUCING FORMATIONS
`
`Filed July 24, 1944
`
`7 Sheets-Sheet 7
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`Page 7 of 13
`Page 7 of 13
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`Patented Jan. 9, 1951
`
`2,537,066
`
`UNITED
`
`STATES PATENT OFFICE
`2,537,066
`
`APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING FLUID
`PRODUCING FORMATIONS
`
`James 0. Lewis, Houston, Tex.
`
`Application July 24, 1944, Serial No. 546,375
`10 Claims.
`(Cl. 166-2)
`
`I
`The invention pertains to an improved appa-
`ratus for increasing the recovery from gas and
`oil from wells while reducing the expense of such
`recovery and more especially in fields where there
`are a plurality of producing sands or where there
`are thick producing sands.
`It is one of the objects of the invention to equip
`a well so that production from Various forma-
`tions may be accomplished either independently
`or simultaneously.
`Another object is to produce a well to obtain the
`maximum production therefrom by excluding the
`more permeable of a plurality of formations so as
`to exclude water permeating such formation while
`continuing to produce from other less permeable
`formations.
`
`Another object of the invention is to equip a
`well to yield the maximum production by exclud-
`ing water intrusion from the bottom of the well.
`Another object of the invention is to obtain
`the maximum oil production from a well due to
`the inherent gas pressure of the well by producing
`from formations where the maximum utility of
`the gas pressure is employed.
`Another object of the invention is to obtain the
`maximum production from a well where the flow
`is due to formation draining down a dip and the
`gas cap is in the higher portion of the reservoir
`by controlling the flow from the formations to
`minimize gas intrusion.
`It is also an object of the invention to control
`the more permeable formations in a gas recycling
`system so as to extract the maximum production
`from less permeable formations.
`Another object of the invention is to produce
`independently from a plurality of formations hav-
`ing unlike permeabilities or unlike products either
`simultaneously or independently.
`Still another object of the invention is to pro-
`duce a well where various producing formations
`while being isolated from each other are not
`plugged oii, cemented off, nor are foreign mate-
`rials introduced into the formations.
`My invention is an improved apparatus for ac-
`complishing these purposes whereby it becomes
`practical to separate the formations into more
`parts at less expense and either shut a part off
`or open it or regulate the amount of flow there-
`from at less expense and less chance of harming
`the well. This I do preferably by first sealing all
`the formations one from the other behind the
`casing by cement and then perforating through
`the casing and cement into the parts of the for-
`mation to be produced leaving unperforated cas-
`ing between. This step follows usual practices in
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`I then insert a flow pipe within the
`the oil fields.
`casing on which are set packers which will seal
`between each group of perforations and prevent
`migration from one part of the formation to the
`other through the annular space between the pipe
`and the casing.
`In each section of the pipe be-
`tween the packers, I include a coupling through
`which there is a port to permit fluids to enter the
`flow pipe, the couplings being adapted to receive
`and to anchor in place a packer sleeve which can
`be lowered into the pipe on a wire line and an-
`chored into position without killing the well by
`introducing mud or liquids which is expensive
`and may be harmful to the producing formation.
`The sleeve so introduced into the pipe can either
`blank off the port or it may contain an orifice of
`predetermined capacity which will regulate the
`flow from that part of the formation. Sleeves
`can be set at any or all ports and withdrawn at
`will though it is to be noted that the upper sleeves
`must be withdrawn before the lower sleeves can
`be introduced or withdrawn.
`Another object is to provide an apparatus for
`producing well formations whereby all or any part
`of a formation may be produced while other
`parts or formations are temporarily closed to
`production.
`By use of this device, I can separate a formation
`into as many parts as is wanted and I can blank
`off any ports I want or I can regulate the fluid
`flow out of every port or if I am using the well to
`inject fluids, and I can regulate or shut off the
`flow into any part of the formation.
`Still another object is to equip a well to either
`flow from, inject to, or exclude various parts of
`one or more formations.
`Among the advantages gained by my invention
`are, that I can in turn shut off all but one part
`of the formation and test it separately for gas,
`oil or water contents and for pressure or for its
`capacity to produce fluids or to receive fluids in-
`jected from the surface and the undesirable parts
`can then be excluded from production thus re-
`ducing or prohibiting the entry of water, free gas
`or dry gas. Or I can proportion the fluids from
`or into different parts of the formation by means
`of orifice size in the sleeve. Because of the better
`control of the formations, I can open to produc-
`tion a thicker section of producing formations
`thus speeding up recovery or reducing the num-
`ber of wells needed without sacrificing the ad-
`vantages of less production expense and less
`trapping of oil in the formations.
`It is also an object of the invention to so equip
`a well that all or any part of a formation may be
`Page 8 of 13
`Page 8 of 13
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`2,537,066
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`3
`opened, closed, or controlled in order to permit
`testing for oil, gas or water, pressure, and capacity
`to produce or receive fluids.
`It is to be understood that though I show my
`preferred apparatus I can accomplish the same
`purposes by variants. For example, where the
`producing formation is firm, it is sometimes pos-
`sible to set packers directly against the formation
`and to do away with casing through the produc-
`tive section with cement behind. Or pipe can
`be cemented in and sections opposite the produc-
`ing parts can be reamed or shot out instead of
`opening the sand to production through perfora-
`tions. Or packers can be attached to the casing
`between the groups of perforations and the flow
`pipe run through them, each packer being
`equipped to seal against the flow pipe as well as
`against the casing.
`I can also use other devices
`for opening, sealing or regulating the flow from
`each separated part of the productive section into
`the pipe.
`Where a well penetrates several productive
`formations, it has been usual to cement in casing,
`open up one or two of the formations and when
`they are depleted, to cement them off and open
`up a new formation production. This requires
`that the well be killed with mud and worked over
`each time a change is made. By my device, all
`of the formations can be perforated upon when
`the well is first completed, each formation sepa-
`rated by packers the manner set forth and blank
`sleeves set against all by the formation to be
`produced first. Later, when this is depleted, it
`can be blanked off and the blank removed from
`an undepleted formation at slight cost.
`It is still another object of the invention to
`pack off between a plurality of formations which
`have been perforated through the casing and
`then the formation opened or closed at will to
`produce or exclude any one or more of such
`formations.
`I know of no means whereby a number of
`formations can be separated and controlled in-
`dependently or when one formation can be sub-
`divided into several parts and each part con-
`trolled independently by mechanical means and
`the control exercised through a single flow pipe.
`It is to the control by mechanical means of sev-
`eral separated formations or separated parts of
`one formation, through a single flow pipe, that
`my invention is directed.
`It is to be noted that though better results
`can be obtained by grouping the perforations and
`leaving blank casing between where a packer
`can be set, that I can set packers to divide a
`producing section that has already been perfo-
`rated though usually not so effectively. Also, I
`can adapt my device to lock within the recess
`between adjacent flow pipe sections in the usual
`coupling joint and I can close perforations that
`have been made through the tubing either be-
`fore the tubing had been inserted in the well or
`after the tubing had been inserted in the well.
`In this manner, I can adapt my invention often
`to existing conditions in an old well.
`Other and further objects of the invention will
`be readily apparent when the following descrip-
`tion is considered in connection with the accom-
`panying drawings wherein;
`Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically a vertical sec-
`tional View of a well which has been equipped
`with the apparatus for practicing the method
`of the invention where a plurality of productive
`formations have been encountered in spaced re-
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`4
`lation and where packers are attached to the
`flow pipe.
`Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view diagrammati-
`cally illustrating the equipment for practicing
`the method of the invention where a relatively
`thick formation having no natural subdivisions
`has been encountered, and where packers are
`attached to the casing.
`Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view illustrating
`the internal construction of a coupling,
`flow
`ports and a closure sleeve.
`Figs. 4 and 5 are sections taken on the lines
`4—4 and 5—5 respectively of Fig. 3 to illustrate
`the arrangement of the structure.
`Fig. 6 is a broken detailed sectional view illus-
`trating a form of closure sleeve having a control
`orifice or flow port therein.
`Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view illustrating
`the setting tool and the manner of locating a
`control sleeve.
`Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8--8 of
`Fig. 7.
`Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a
`withdrawing tool for removing a control sleeve.
`Figs. 10 and 11 are sections taken on the lines
`lG—l0 and ll—ll respectively on Fig. 9.
`Fig. 12 is a vertical sectional view of a modified
`form of control sleeve where a check valve per-
`mits flow into the well, but prohibits flow from
`the well into the formation.
`Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken on the line
`I3—-I3 of Fig. 12.
`Fig. 14 is another modified form of the control
`sleeve which permits flow from the well into the
`formation, but prohibits a return flow.
`Fig. 15 is a vertical sectional View of a well
`which has been equipped with apparatus for
`practicing the invention where a plurality of
`producing formations in one group are spaced
`by a thick impermeable strata from other for-
`mations which are to be produced, so as to pro-
`duce two independent and separate flow pipes.
`Fig. 16 is a vertical sectional view of a modified
`form of coupling and closure sleeve whereby a
`flow may be conducted vertically through the
`coupling and also a separated flow permitted into
`the interior of the control sleeve.
`Fig. 17 is a section taken on the line l'l——l1
`of Fig. 16.
`Fig. 18 shows still another modified form of
`closure wherein the lower end of the closure is
`either completely closed with a plug or a con-
`trol choke.
`In Fig. 1 a well bore 2 has been drilled through
`a plurality of formations such as the impervious
`formations 3 which have spaced between them
`the permeable formations such as the gas forma-
`tion A, an oil formation B, a water formation C
`and additional oil formations D and E. Some of
`these formations are to be produced while others
`are to be blanked off to exclude production. To
`equip the Well the casing 4 has been run into po-
`sition and a body of cement 5 has been pumped
`down through the casing and upwardly there-
`around so as to fill the space between the wall of
`the well bore 2 and the outside of the casing 4.
`During the drilling operations or prior to or
`subsequent
`to the setting of
`the casing it is
`usual to make a survey or to in some other man-
`ner obtain a log of the well so as to locate the
`respective elevations of the impervious forma-
`tions 3 and the productive formations A, and so
`forth. With this information before him, the
`operator is enabled to perforate the casing at the
`desired elevations in order to prepare for com-
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`$532,088:
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`pietion and production of the well. These per-
`Iorations are shown generally by the perforations
`liwhich are shown as having been made at each
`of the formations A to E inclusive and no per-
`forations have been made at the impervious for-
`mations 3.
`The foregoing operations are usually conduct-
`ed while the well is filled with a drilling fluid
`having sufiicient specific gravity to prevent the
`inflow of fluids from the formation. When these
`perforations have been made,
`the production
`string of pipe 8 is run into position in the well
`bore. This tubing may be run into position either
`before or after the drilling mud has been washed
`from the well and replaced either with water or
`oil or some other liquid having a lesser specific
`gravity so as to encourage inflow into the well.
`This production string or tubing 8 has been il-
`lustrated diagrammatically as having been pro-
`vided with couplings 9 which are so spaced and
`arranged in the string that the couplings will be
`opposite the formations A to E inclusive.
`Arranged on the outside of
`the production
`string 8 are a plurality of packers II) which are
`arranged to close the area II between the pro-
`duction string and the inside of
`the casing.
`These packers may be of any desired form which
`may maintain a seal and provide a producing
`chamber such as II at each of the formations A
`to E inclusive. It will be observed that each of
`these chambers I
`I is open to but a single produc-
`ing formation and is excluded on the inside of
`the casing by the packers II) from the other pro-
`ductive formations above and below it and, of
`course, the cement 5 on the outside of the casing
`forms a seal with each impermeable strata such
`as 3. Thus with the construction and arrange-
`ment of Fig. 1 five different formations have been
`opened into the well bore and may be produced,
`controlled, or closed off at will. Such closing off
`or control is accomplished by means of a control
`sleeve I3, one of which has been illustrated at
`each of the formations A and C. These sleeves,
`as will be hereinafter described, are capable of
`either closing the ports I4 in the respective cou-
`plings 9 or controlling the flow therethrough de-
`pending upon the type of closure or sleeve which
`ispositioned adjacent the coupling.
`In some in-
`stances the upper and lower packers III as seen
`in Fig. 1 may be omitted and as indicated before,
`the packers may be of any desired type carried
`by either the tubing string 8 or by the casing 4
`so long as they are capable of forming a barrier
`between the casing and tubing or production
`string.
`omitting the details of construction of the ap-
`paratus it seems obvious that an arrangement
`such as shown in Fig.
`1 permits a selective or
`simultaneous opening, closing or controlling of
`the various formations to admit gas, oil or water,
`or to exclude such products at will, and to co-
`mingle or exclude the various oil formations de-
`pending upon the conditions and circumstances
`encountered with a View of obtaining the maxi-
`mum production in the most economical manner.
`Fig. 2 shows an arrangement which is applied
`to a well bore 2 having a casing 4 cemented at
`5 ina thick formation F which is composed of a
`gas area I5, an oil area I6 and a water area I1
`which will occur in the order shown with the
`gas at the top, the oil in the middle and the water
`below because of their relative specific gravities.
`Under such conditions, it is often desirable to
`close off, control, or flow the well from different
`elevations in the thick formation so as to obtain
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`the maximum productive effect from the i!e1.h5.3.1'_-»
`ent pressures occurring in the. formation and
`prevent the intrusion of either gas or water if the
`oil is being produced.
`In this arrangement the
`production string 8 has been run into position
`with the couplings 8 thereon located opposite the
`perforations 6 so as to provide ports I4 at the
`desired elevations.
`In Fig. 2 the upper series
`of ports have been located in the gas area, the
`four series of ports have been located in the oil
`area I6 and another series have been located in
`the water area I1. The packers II) have been
`provided between the series of openings so that
`any particular section of the formation may be
`produced while excluding or controlling produc-
`tion from other sections of the formation. The
`closure or control sleeves I3 have been shown as
`disposed in the ,couplings 9 opposite the gas and
`the water formations while all of the couplings
`at the oil formations have been illustrated as re-
`maining open.
`With a formation such as shown in Fig. 2 which
`may have considerable dip as shown by the in-
`clination of the impermeable stratum 3 at the
`top of the figure, the gas-oil contact may subside
`or the oil—water contact may rise to higher levels
`depending upon pressures, rates of flow and other
`conditions so that the elevation at which produc-
`tion is to be obtained may be changed. Thus the
`upper area of the oil section may be denuded of
`oil and occupied by the gas and the lower portion
`may be denuded of oil and occupied by the water.
`The ports M in the production string 8 have
`beeneshown as disposed in the couplings 9, but, of
`course, it is obvious that they may be formed
`either directly in the pipe or in the coupling and
`that they may be provided before the pipe and
`couplings are lowered into the well or with known
`equipment they can be formed by a gun perfora-
`tion through the pipe to provide an opening of
`the desired size.
`It is to be understood, of course,
`that the various series of perforations may be
`spaced as desired with suitable blank pipe sec-
`tions and packers arranged between the various
`series of openings.
`In order to close off, control or open the ports
`of the various formations, devices have been ar-
`ranged which can be inserted and removed; at will
`at the various locations in order to obtain the
`results desired.
`In Fig. 3 a section of pipe 20 has been illus-
`trated and this section may be a diagrammatic
`showing of either the production pipe 8 or the
`coupling 9 as the case may be, and it has been
`provided with the ports I4 extending radially
`therethrough.
`In order to close off the ports I4 or control the
`rate of flow thereth-rough a closure sleeve or
`member 2| has been shown as having been
`lowered through the pipe 20 and located in posi-
`tion so as to close the ports I4. This sleeve 2I
`is made up of a cylindrical section or body 22 hav-
`ing a plurality of radial openings 22’ therein ad-
`jacent the upper end, which openings are ar-
`ranged to receive the lugs 23 mounted on the
`spring fingers 24 whose lower ends 25 are dis-
`posed against a shoulder 26 in the sleeve 22.
`These fingers are held in place by a tube 21
`threaded at 28 inside of the member 22. The
`lugs 23 are of a size to move outwardly into the
`annular recess 30 formed in the inner periphery
`of the pipe 20 so that when the closure member
`2| arrives at the desired elevation it will be locked
`in place by these spring fingers and lugs.
`In order to close off the ports I4
`
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`2,537,066
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`is provided with a series of packing
`member 2|
`rings 3| arranged outside of the tube 21 and dis-
`posed upon a shoulder 32 thereon which is pro-
`vided due to the external rib 33. This rib is of
`the same size as the sleeve 22 so as to have a slid-
`ing fit on the inside of the pipe 20.
`In order to
`provide a seal below the rib 33 another set of
`packing cups 34 have been shown about the tube
`21 below the rib and these packings are confined
`by a collar 35 threaded at 36 on the lower end of
`the tube.
`It will be noted that this collar is
`beveled at 31 to direct the well flow therethrough.
`The tube 21 is also beveled at its ends for the
`same purpose. The upper end of the sleeve 22
`is beveled at 38 so as to provide an inwardly in-
`clined surface while the fingers 24 are beveled
`outwardly at 39 so as to form a tapered pocket
`40. This pocket 40 is arranged to receive the
`skirt 4| of a setting tool 42 which is best seen in
`Fig. 7 as including a mandrel 43 and the skirt 4|
`threaded at 44 thereon in spaced relation to the
`extension 45 which has a beveled face 46 thereon.
`This setting tool is arranged to be positioned as
`shown in Fig. 7 by having the skirt 4| forced into
`the pocket 40 so as to cause the fingers 24 and the
`lugs 23 to be sprung inwardly to retract the lugs
`inside of the periphery of the sleeve 22.
`In this
`manner the closure sleeve 2| can be lowered
`through the pipe 20 to the desired position
`whereupon if the setting tool 42 is moved sharply
`upward the inertia of the closure member will
`cause the skirt 4| to withdraw from between the
`fingers 24 and the sleeve 22. This permits the
`fingers to spring outwardly to engage the inner
`surface of the pipe 20. Additional upward move-
`ment of the setting tool 42 will cause the shoulder
`41 thereon to move against the lower edge 48 of
`the lugs 23 on the fingers 24 and cause the closure
`member to move upwardly until the lugs 23 ar-
`rive at the elevation of the recess 30 whereupon
`they will snap outwardly into the recess and the
`shoulder 48 will in this manner release from the
`shoulder 41. The setting tool can now be raised
`upwardly and the operator is advised by such
`movement that the closure member has been
`properly set and locked in position.
`Fig. 6 shows a modified arrangement of the
`closure member 2| wherein the rib 33 has been
`provided with the control passages 50 which will
`be of a size to control the rate of flow through the
`ports I4 from the particular formation which is
`being produced. The passage 5|] is inclined up-
`wardly to facilitate the fiow and prevent sand
`blasting. The remaining portion of the closure
`assembly 2| can be identical with that shown in
`Fig. 3 and it may be set with the tool 42 of Fig.
`'7.
`It seems obvious that either a closure or a
`controlled passage assembly may be set at an ele-
`vation depending upon whether the formation at
`that elevation is to be closed off or subjected to
`a controlled flow.
`Fig. 9 illustrates the construction and the
`manner of removing a closure assembly by using
`a withdrawing or retrieving tool 52. This tool
`is operated on a string of pipe such as 53 or it
`may be connected to a wire line and is formed
`with the annular skirt 4| the same as the setting
`tool 42. The extension 45, however, of the tool
`42 as seen in Fig. 7 has been modified by form-
`ing a plurality of slits 55 therein to provide the
`spring arms 56, each of which has a beveled face
`51 and a shoulder 58. When this tool is lowered
`into position the beveled face 51 will cause the
`arms 56 to be compressed toward each other so
`as to pass inside or the fingers 24 and then the
`
`10
`
`15
`
`2|)
`
`(3 or
`
`40
`
`8
`skirt 4| will move in between the fingers 24 and
`the sleeve 22 so as to cause the fingers 24 and
`the lugs 23 to move inwardly and be released
`from the recess 30. This
`inward movement
`causes the shoulder 48 on the lugs to engage over
`the shoulder 58 on the extension arms 56 so that
`the closure member is securely locked to the
`withdrawing tool. Upward movement of
`the
`withdrawing tool raises the closure assembly with
`it so that it may be withdrawn from position to
`be replaced with a different type of assembly to
`permit either closure or controlled flow or to be
`replaced with another unit.
`With the closure or control units so far pro-
`vided it is contemplated that the flow from the
`various formations will be directed into the pro-
`duction string or tubing 8 so that the products
`will be co-mingled and flow or be pumped to the
`surface.
`It seems obvious that the introduction and re-
`moval of
`these closure units may be accom-
`plished in any desired manner as by the use of
`a string of small or macaroni pipe, or by means
`of a wire line, either of which may be passed
`through a. suitable stulfing box at the well head
`so that control of the pressures can be had at
`all times and it will be unnecessary to kill the
`well during these operations, which is of sub-
`stantial advantage and avoids injury or damage
`to the well.
`With the arrangement and control units above
`described it seems obvious that the various sleeves
`to close or control the flow can be set in sequence
`with the lower unit being positioned first and the
`other units being subsequently positioned. Of
`course, if one of the lower units is to be replaced
`or another type of unit substituted, it will be
`necessary to remove the other closure units above
`it in the assembly.
`Quite often the various formations which are
`to be opened into the well are not of the same
`pressure and it may be desirable to provide a
`control unit which will permit either inflow or
`outflow as to a particular location thus restrict-
`ing the flow to one direction. For instance, the
`flow from a high pressure formation might enter
`the production pipe and move along to a for-
`mation having a lesser pressure and flow out
`into that
`lower pressure formation.
`In order
`to control such a situation a unit such as shown
`in Fig. 12 may be provided.
`In this unit the
`tube 21 may be arranged of such a length and a
`thickness as to provide an inlet passage 6|)
`to
`conduct the liquid from the port I4. This pas-
`sage may be directed upwardly into a chamber
`6| having a seat 62 at one end and a stop shoulder
`63 at the other end. A ball check valve 64 is ar-
`ranged for movement in this chamber. A dis-
`charge opening 65 leads into the interior pas-
`sage 66 so that a flow entering the unit will lift
`the check ball 64 upwardly to the position shown
`in Fig. 12. This movement
`is caused by the
`equalizing passage 67 formed in the unit.
`In
`event the pressure in the interior of the unit
`should exceed that at the port I4, then, of course,
`the force of gravity would cause the ball 64 to
`drop down to the seat 62 so as to effect a closure.
`In this manner the flow would enter the ports
`I4 only so long as the pressure was predominant
`on the outside of the unit.
`Any desired number of these check valves may
`be provided, two having been illustrated in Fig.
`12. With this arrangement there may be an in-
`flow, but no outflow as to that formation con-
`75 trolled by a unit of this type.
`
`50
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`2:! 0|
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`(51)
`
`6-3
`
`70
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`Page 11 of 13
`Page 11 0f13
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`

`
`2,587,066
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`9
`In some instances it may be desirable to force
`a fluid into a formation and prevent any back
`flow into the tubing. The closure unit of Fig. 14
`is arranged to accommodate such a procedure
`and the parts of the unit of Fig. 12 have been
`reversed so that the check valve seats when there
`is a predominant pressure on the outside, tending
`to flow into the well which will cause closing of
`the check valve.
`In some instances where it is desirable to con-
`duct two columns of fluid to the surface as a
`separate and independent production from a
`different formation, it is desirable to permit the
`flow from one formation to pass the coupling or
`unit which controls the flow from another for-
`mation. A structure to accomplish this function
`is «shown in Fig. 16 where the pipe 20 is shown
`as having a. coupling 10 therein which is formed
`with inlet ports I4 as previously described. This
`coupling 10 is of special construction however
`in that it has a plurality of bores or passages
`1| circumferentially arranged therein as seen in
`Fig. 17 and these passages will permit a flow
`from the annular space 12 in the pipe 20 through
`the coupling 10 and into the annular space 13
`thereabove. The production pipe or tube 8 is
`then connected to the inlet ports M by a closure
`unit 15 which is shown as having been incorpo-
`rated in the form of a coupling 16 between the
`sections of the tubing. This unit 15 is provided
`with packing 11 above and below the inlet pas-
`sages 18 which open into the ports I 4. When the
`production string is run into position this cou-
`pling 16 will be in the position seen in Fig. 16.
`The recess 3 which is arranged to receive the
`locking lugs 23 is shown as having been formed
`inside of this coupling so as to receive a suitable
`control unit such as that shown in either Figs. 3,
`9, 12 or 14.
`In this manner the flow from one
`unit will extend through the central passage 65
`in the production string or tubing 8 while another
`flow can be had through the pipe 20 so that two
`independent columns of liquid may be conducted
`to the surface.
`While the closure units have been described as ,
`being locked in an annular recess such as 33
`formed on the inside of the pipe it seems clear
`that they may be arranged to engage in the spaces
`between the pipe ends inside of a coupling of
`conventional construction which would avoid the
`expense of a special recess. The ports, however,
`would have to be properly positioned in the pipe
`with respect to such connection.
`In other in-
`stances the sleeve valve or control unit could be
`positioned by anchoring it in suitable openings or
`holes in the pipe and, of course, the unit may be
`used as a flow valve to control only a single flow
`from a single formation.
`Figs. 15, 16 and 17 show another condition
`which is encountered in the production from
`various formations and this arrangement shows
`the impermeable formations 3 as being inter-
`spaced between the productive formations such as
`A, B, C and D. These productive formations are
`in turn spaced upon a relatively thick imperme-
`able formation such as 88 which in turn has
`spaced below it productive formations G, H and
`J which are also spaced between impermeable
`formations 3 with such a construction.
`It may
`be desirable to produce from the upper formations
`A to D inclusive through one string of pipe and
`from the formations G and H through another
`string of pipe. To accomplish this the assembly
`82 of Fig. 15 has been provided. Only a single
`pipe is required in the lower formations and for
`
`4‘: 0
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`”‘,in
`
`CI
`
`10
`
`20
`
`'25
`
`30
`
`10
`this purpose the pipe 23 carries the packers 84
`and has the openings 85 therein to permit the
`inflow from the formation. Any particular sec-
`tion such as G may be controlled by a unit 86
`which will either close off the formation or limit
`the flow with a suitably restricted closure unit.
`This flow moves upwardly through the pipe 33
`until it reaches the elevation at 81 where an
`additional flow pipe 88 is arranged concentrically
`about the pipe 83 so as to form an annular flow
`passage 89 extending to the surface. The flow
`moving up through the pipe 83 is forced out-
`wardly into this annular space 89 by means of
`a closure plug 90 through the outlets 9| arranged
`in the pipe 83.
`At the formation D a coupling such as 10 shown
`in Fig. 16 may be provided so as to permit a flow
`upwardly around the inside pipe and a closure
`unit 92 is shown as closing off the formation D.
`At the formation C no closure unit has been pro-
`vided and the flow enters through