US 4,611,656 AGranted

Protective jacket assembly

OwnerClarence E. Kendall, Jr., Boyd B. Mooreinventors

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Abstract

A crush and abrasion resistant, sealed, impervious, flexible protective jacket assembly for oil and gas wells containing a plurality of electrical and/or fluid conductors that are oriented in linear, spaced, parallel relation. A pair of elongated protective metal sheets define elongated conductor grooves. The metal sheets are joined by welding to define a plurality of elongated chambers containing one or more of the conductors. The chambers are sealed from the atmosphere and may be filled with a non-gaseous dielectric material to prevent the development of corona discharge that might cause deterioration of the protective jacket assembly. The configuration of the sheets of protective material is such that the development of corona discharge is resisted. A pair of metal longitudinal structural elements are attached at opposed sides of the protective jacket assembly and prevent damage thereto by abrasion, crushing, bending, etc., and provide sufficient tensile strength so that the protective jacket assembly will support its entire length.

Claims62

Dependent claims

For use in production of oil, gas and other fluid materials from subsurface formations, a crush and abrasion resistant protective jacket assembly adapted to be suspended in an oil or gas well which may have a corrosive, high temperature, high pressure gas and/or liquid environment, said protective jacket assembly being sufficiently flexible to permit reeling and unreeling during manufacture and installation in a well bore and bending to accommodate well bore deviation, said protective jacket assembly comprising:

(a) elongated conductor means extending in unbroken manner the length of said protective jacket assembly;
(b) a first metal sheet extending the length of said protective jacket assembly and being formed to define at least one elongated conductor groove means;
(c) a second metal sheet extending the length of said protective jacket assembly and being formed to define elongated conductor groove means, said first and second metal sheets being placed in assembly with said conductor groove means thereof cooperating to define elongated conductor passage means extending the length of said protective jacket assembly;
(d) a pair of elongated continuous welds securing said meal sheets in sealed assembly on either side of said elongated conductor passage means, said sheets and said welds cooperating to define elongated sealed protective metal sheath means extending the length of said protective jacket assembly, said metal sheath means including said elongated conductor passage therein;
and
(e) a pair of metal longitudinal structural elements being positioned at opposed sides of said metal sheath means and being structurally interconnected with at least one of said metal sheets, along the length thereof, said longitudinal structural elements having at least a part thereof exposed for guiding and protective contact with well casing and other objects with which it comes into contact as said protective jacket assembly is installed in or removed from a well, said longitudinal structural elements resisting crushing of said metal sheath means and said conductor means when said protective jacket assembly is located in a bore hole or in the annulus between the tubing and the casing of a bore hole, said longitudinal structural elements also resisting longitudinal compressive and longitudinal tensile forces and being capable of supporting the weight of said protective jacket assembly and conductors included therein when installed within a well.

3 more elements

In well production apparatus including well casing extending downwardly along a well bore to a production formation from which petroleum products are produced and wherein the production environment is of high temperature and corrosive nature, and production tubing extends from the surface of the earth to said production zone, the improvement comprising:

(a) an uninterrupted, liquid and gas impervious crush and abrasion resistant sealed protective jacket assembly extending along said production tubing to a subsurface location of interest, said protective jacket assembly comprising;
(b) elongated, uninterrupted conductor means extending the length of said protective jacket assembly;
(c) first and second elongated uninterrupted metal sheets extending the length of said protective jacket assembly;
(d) a pair of spaced welds securing said metal sheets in assembly along opposed sides thereof, said welds and said sheets cooperating to define sealed metal sheath means forming an elongated sealed conductor passage extending the length of said protective jacket assembly, said conductor means being located within said elongated sealed conductor passage of said sealed metal sheath means;
(e) a pair of uninterrupted longitudinal metal structural elements being positioned at opposed sides and externally of said metal sheath and being structurally interconnected with at least one of said metal sheets, said longitudinal structural elements having at least a part thereof exposed for guiding and protective contact against said well casing as said tubing and protective jacket assembly is installed in or removed from said well, said longitudinal structural elements preventing crushing and abrading of said metal sheath means and said conductor means when in contact with said tubing and well casing, said longitudinal structural elements being of sufficient tensile strength to support the weight of said protective jacket assembly and included conductor means when suspended within said well.

2 more elements

For use in production of oil and gas from subsurface formations, a sealed, gas and liquid impervious crush and abrasion resistant protective jacket assembly adapted to be suspended in an oil or gas well which may have a corrosive, high temperature, high pressure gas and/or liquid environment, said protective jacket assembly comprising:

(a) a pair of elongated uninterrupted metal sheets of sufficient length to extend from wellhead apparatus to a zone of interest within said well, said metal sheets being in welded assembly and defining a sealed impervious protective metal sheath extending the length of said protective jacket assembly;
and
(b) a pair of uninterrupted longitudinal metal structural elements of substantially the same length as the length of said metal sheets, said structural elements and said metal sheets being structurally interconnected at inner portions of said structural elements and at edge portions of said metal sheets, said structural elements providing structural protection for said protective metal sheath to prevent well components from forcibly contacting said metal sheets, said structural elements defining abrasion resistant outer surface portions thereof exposed for abrasion and crush force resisting contact with well components during movement of said protective jacket assembly within said well.

An uninterrupted, liquid and gas impervious, crushed and abrasive resistant seal protective jacket assembly having sufficient tensile strength to support the weight of long lengths thereof, said protective jacket assembly comprising

(a) elongated, uninterrupted conductor means extending the length of said protective jacket assembly;
(b) first and second elongated, uninterrupted metal sheets defining a groove extending the length of said protective jacket assembly;
(c) a pair of spaced welds securing said metal sheets in assembly along opposed sides thereof, said welds and said groove cooperating to define sealed metal sheath means forming an elongated sealed conductor passage extending the length of said protective jacket assembly, said conductor means being located within said elongated sealed conductor passage of said sealed metal sheath means;
(d) a pair of uninterrupted longitudinal metal structural elements being positioned at opposed sides and externally of said metal sheath and being structurally interconnected with at least one of said metal sheets, said longitudinal structural elements having at least a part thereof exposed for guiding and for protective contact with other structures as said protective jacket assembly is moved linearly relative to said other structures, said longitudinal structural elements preventing crushing and abrading of said metal sheath means and said conductor means when in contact with said other structures, said longitudinal structural elements being of sufficient tensile strength to support the weight of said protective jacket assembly and included conductor means.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 06/774,985Filed 11 Sep 1985 · continuation in part
Priority: 29 Dec 1979
Granted: 16 Sep 1986
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

F16L 57/06
Protection of pipes or objects of similar shape against external or internal damage or wear: against wear
E21B 17/1035
Wear protectors; Centralising devices , e.g. stabilisers: for plural rods, pipes or lines, e.g. for control lines
H01B 7/0072
Insulated conductors or cables characterised by their form: electrical cables comprising fluid supply conductors
H01B 7/0838
Flat or ribbon cables: parallel wires, sandwiched between two insulating layers

Family

Serial000,017Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 29 Dec 1979
Serial247,526Parent of this division · filed 25 Mar 1981
Serial453,360Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Dec 1982
Serial575,218Parent of this continuation · filed 30 Jan 1984
Serial691,483Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 14 Jan 1985
US 4,611,656 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.