US 11,021,931 B1Granted

Sand fallback submersible pump protection apparatus

AssigneeThe Cavins Corporation

InventorsRoy Spence Arterbury, Michael Edwin Pollard

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Abstract

A sand fallback tool having an outer tubular body with proximal end, a distal end, a chamber therebetween surrounding an axis extending from the proximal end through the distal end, a tubular flow divider supported within the chamber to divide at least a portion of the chamber of the outer tubular body into a central passage along the axis and an annular passage radially intermediate an exterior of the tubular flow divider and an interior of the outer tubular body, and an unobstructed axial settling path from the proximal connector into the central passage. One embodiment further includes a tubular extension coupled to the proximal connector and extending along the axis to terminate at a distal end of the tubular extension received within a proximal end of the tubular flow divider to provide an “S”-shaped flow pathway intermediate the annular passage and the proximal connector of the outer tubular body.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A sand fallback tool, comprising:

an elongate outer tubular body having an axis, a proximal end with a proximal connector for coupling to a production string, a distal end with a distal connector for coupling to a submersible pump, and an elongate chamber within the outer tubular body surrounding the axis and disposed axially intermediate the proximal end and the distal end of the outer tubular body;
and
a tubular flow divider having a proximal end and a distal end, the tubular flow divider supported within the chamber of the outer tubular body in a position to surround the axis and to divide at least a portion of the chamber into a central passage and an annular passage disposed radially intermediate the flow passage divider and the outer tubular body, the central passage of the tubular flow divider being axially aligned with the proximal end of the outer tubular body to provide an unobstructed axial settling path;
wherein during interruptions in a power supply to the submersible pump, sand entrained in fluid residing in the production string will settle from the production string through the unobstructed axial settling path into the central passage of the tubular flow divider.

1 more element

A sand fallback tool, comprising:

an elongate outer tubular body having a proximal end with a proximal connector, a distal end with a distal connector, an axis extending from the proximal connector to the distal connector, and an elongate chamber intermediate the proximal end and the distal end of the outer tubular body;
and
a tubular flow divider supported within the chamber to surround the axis and to divide at least a portion of the chamber into a central passage about the axis and an annular passage surrounding the tubular flow divider;
and
an unobstructed axial settling path from the proximal connector into the central passage to allow sand settling into the sand fallback tool through the proximal connector to move into the central passage of the tubular flow divider with the sand fallback tool with the axis being vertically aligned;
wherein during interruptions in a power supply to the submersible pump, sand entrained in fluid residing in a production string coupled to the proximal connector will settle from the production string through the unobstructed axial settling path into the central passage of the tubular flow divider.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.