Borehole sand catcher
AssigneeFallback LLC
InventorsPhilip Head, Lawrence Hugh Burleigh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A downhole apparatus for collecting solids fallback in the tubing of an oil producing borehole comprises two or more baskets to collect the solids fall back, each basket partially occupying a portion of the inner cross section of the tubing, leaving a portion of the inner cross section of the tubing having an unrestricted flow path. The baskets when considered in plan view along longitudinal axis of the tubing are distributed such that together they cover substantially the whole area of the tubing while leaving an unobstructed non-straight flowpath around the baskets.
Claims26
A method of collecting solids fallback in the tubing of an oil-producing borehole, the method comprising:
- providing, fixed to and integral with the production tubing and comprising two or more baskets having an upward-facing opening to collect the solids fall back, wherein each basket partially occupies a portion of an inner cross-section of the tubing, leaving a portion of the inner cross-section of the tubing having an unrestricted flow path, the baskets, when considered in plan view along a longitudinal axis of the tubing, being distributed such that together they cover substantially the whole inner cross section of the tubing while leaving an unobstructed non-straight flowpath around the baskets;
- wherein the method employs an apparatus that does not induce fluid movement, does not reciprocate, and does not rotate, and is self-cleaning in the well without requiring retrieval to the surface.
A downhole apparatus to collect solids fallback in the tubing of an oil-producing borehole, the apparatus being fixed to and integral with the production tubing and comprising two or more baskets having an upward-facing opening to collect the solids fall back, wherein each basket partially occupies a portion of an Inner cross-section of the tubing, leaving a portion of the inner cross-section of the tubing having an unrestricted flow path, the baskets, when considered in plan view along a longitudinal axis of the tubing, being distributed such that together they cover substantially the whole inner cross section of the tubing while leaving an unobstructed non-straight flowpath around the baskets;
- wherein the apparatus does not induce fluid movement, does not reciprocate, and does not rotate, and is self-cleaning in the well without requiring retrieval to the surface, and wherein each basket has a lower surface transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tubing, the lower surface of the two or more baskets being less than the full circumference with respect to the tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.