In combination with a geothermal well that has a string of casing that extends to a producing zone, said string of casing having an upper end, a device in communication with said upper end that controls the flow of geothermal fluid from said well, said device capable of having solid deposited material scraped from the interior surface thereof without shutting down said well, said device including:
- a. a first assembly that includes an elongate tubular body that has upper and lower ends and is vertically disposed;
- first means that effect communication between said lower end of said tubular body and said upper end of said casing;
- upper and lower longitudinally spaced sets of pins supported on said tubular member that may be moved inwardly and outwardly relative thereto, each of said upper and lower pins having an inner end portion;
- at least one tubular boss that projects outwardly from said tubular body below said lower set of pins;
- and a valve in communication with said tubular boss for controlling the flow of geothermal fluid therefrom;
- b. a gate valve that includes an elongate valve body that when vertically disposed has upper and lower ends, a transversely movable valve member, and said valve body having a longitudinally extending interior passage of at least as great transverse cross section as that of the interior of said tubular body;
- c. second means for securing said lower end of said gate valve to said upper end of said tubular body;
- d. a hydraulic cylinder assembly that includes a hydraulic cylinder that has a top and bottom;
- a piston slidably mounted in said cylinder;
- third means for discharging hydraulic fluid under pressure into and out of said cylinder to move said piston upwardly and downwardly therein;
- fourth means for removably securing said bottom of said hydraulic cylinder to said upper end of said gate valve;
- a graduated rod that extends upwardly through a seal defining opening in said top of said hydraulic cylinder;
- an actuating member that extends downwardly from said piston through a seal defining opening in said bottom of said hydraulic cylinder, downwardly through said gate valve body when said valve member is in an outwardly disposed position;
- a transverse pin on a lower portion of said actuating member, which pin has projecting end portions;
- and a force exerting member supported from said actuating member above said pin;
- e. a plug assembly that includes a rigid body that has a cylindrical sidewall, a top surface, and a bottom surface that may be disposed in said tubular body;
- a circular recess in said sidewall that extends downwardly from said top surface to terminate in a circular body shoulder;
- resilient packing means in said recess;
- a cavity that extends downwardly from said top surface into rigid body to terminate in a bottom, said cavity having a pair of vertical grooves extending outwardly from the portion thereof adjacent said top, said pair of grooves that extend from intermediate positions of said vertical grooves, said vertical and horizontal grooves being removably engageable by said projecting end portions of said transverse pin;
- a plurality of slots that extend upwardly in said cylindrical sidewall from said bottom surface that may be radially aligned with said lower pins;
- a rigid force receiving ring that has a downwardly extending first leg that abuts against said packing means and an inwardly extending second leg that may be contacted by said force exerting ring, said force receiving ring having a pluraliry of circumferentially spaced grooves therein that may be engaged by said upper pins when said packing means is compressed by downward movement of said first leg of said force receiving ring;
- spring means in said cavity that exert an upward force on said actuator member that tends to maintain said end portions of said transverse pin above said horizontal slots when said end portions are in said vertical grooves;
- and fifth means that slidably connect said force receiving ring to said body of said plug assembly, with said force receiving ring only compressing said packing means into sealing contact with the interior surface of said tubular body of said first assembly until after said transverse pin end portions have moved downwardly in said vertical grooves below said horizontal grooves;
- with said graduated rod visually indicating the position of said plug assembly in said tubular body;
- f. first and second insignias on said graduated rod and said top of said hydraulic cylinder which when in a predetermined position relative to one another indicate said slots and grooves are radially with said upper and lower pins;
- and
- g. sixth means for rotating said graduated rod together with said piston and actuating member, with said plug assembly being in a sealing position in said tubular body when said lower pins have said inner end portions in engagement with said slots and said inner end portions of said upper pins engage said grooves;
- with said plug scraping said foreign material from the interior of said tubular body of said first assembly when said graduated rod, piston and actuating member are rotated to dispose said transverse pin end portions in said horizontal slots, said lower pins are moved outwardly from disengagement from said slots, and said piston is caused to move said actuating member and plug assembly downwardly in said tubular member for said teeth to scrape said foreign material therefrom;
- said plug assembly being returned to a sealing position when said first and second insignia are aligned, said plug is moved upwardly in said tubular body to a position where said slots are above said lower pins, said lower pins are moved inwardly, said plug assembly is moved downwardly for said inner end portions of said pins to engage said slots, said actuating member, piston and graduated rod are rotated to dispose said transverse pin end portions in said vertical grooves, said actuating member is moved downwardly to move said force exerting ring and force receiving ring downwardly until said grooves are below said upper pins, said upper pins are moved inwardly to engage said grooves to maintain said packing means in compressed sealing contact with the interior surface of said tubular body of said first assembly;
- and said plug assembly, actuator rod and hydraulic cylinder assembly capable of being removed from said first assembly by rotating said actuator rod to dispose said inner end portions of said transverse pins in said horizontal slots, moving said upper pins outwardly from engagement with said grooves, moving said plug assembly upwardly in said elongate body of said gate valve above said transversely movable valve member, and moving said valve member to an inwardly disposed position whereupon said hydraulic cylinder assembly, actuator member and plug assembly may be removed from said gate valves without shutting down said well.