Gas and oil well interface tool and intelligent controller

A valving member for use with a well producing fluids under pressure through a product conduit having an inner wall, the member comprising:

• a body slidable within the production conduit, the body having a longitudinal axis, a transverse radial axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, and an internal passageway;
• a radially expansible sealing means attached to the body for selectively circumferentially sealing the production conduit against a first flow of said fluids between the body and the inner wall, the sealing means comprising an elastomeric layer circumferentially disposed over a portion of the body to sealingly engage the inner wall of the conduit when expanded and to avoid engaging the wall when not expanded;
• bleeder means for permitting a second flow of said fluids through the internal passageway when in an opened position, and for restricting the second flow of the fluids through the passageway when in a closed position;
• bleeder control means for selectively disposing the bleeder means into the closed position when the body is at a first end of the conduit, and for disposing the bleeder means into the opened position when the body is at the other end of the conduit;
• and,
• initiating means for selectively urging the sealing means into radial expansion, the initiating means comprising linkage means for urging the sealing means into radial expansion in response to a presence of the body at the first end of the conduit.

An apparatus for use with a generally cylindrical gas and oil well tool slidable within a production well conduit and having an internal passageway and a longitudinally slidable rod extending from end-to-end and beyond the tool, the apparatus comprising:

• a resilient radially expansible elastomeric layer means disposed over a portion of the tool for uninterrupted circumferential sealing engagement with an inner wall of said production well conduit when in an expanded condition and for avoiding engaging the inner wall when in a relaxed condition;
• mechanical force transmitter means, connecting the expansible elastomeric layer means with the longitudinally slidable rod, for radially urging the expansible elastomeric layer to said expanded condition when the longitudinally slidable rod is at a first position within the tool and for permitting the expansible elastomeric layer means to contract to said relaxed condition avoiding engaging the inner wall when the longitudinally slidable rod is at a second position within the tool;
• bleeder means, cooperatively associated with said longitudinally slidable rod and said tool, for opening to permit a fluid flow through said internal passageway and closing to restrict said fluid flow through said internal passageway;
• and,
• bleeder control means for opening said bleeder means permitting said fluid flow through said internal passageway when said tool is at a first end of said production well conduit, and closing said bleeder means restricting said fluid flow through said internal passageway when said tool is at a second end of said production well conduit.

An automatic control system for use with a well producing fluids under pressure through a conduit and a sales line comprising:

• an interface tool comprising:
• a body slidable within the conduit having a longitudinal axis, a transverse radial axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis and an internal passageway;
• a radially expansible sealing means attached to the body for selectively circumferentially sealing the conduit against a first flow of said fluids between the body and an inner wall of the conduit, the sealing means comprising an elastomer layer circumferentially disposed over a portion of the body to sealingly engage the inner wall of the conduit when expanded and to avoid engaging the wall when not expanded;
• bleeder means for permitting a second flow of said fluids through the internal passageway when in an opened position, and for restricting the second flow of the fluids through the passageway when in a closed position;
• bleeder control means for selectively disposing the bleeder means into the closed position when the body is at a first end of the conduit, and for disposing the bleeder means into the opened position when the body is at the other end of the conduit;
• and,
• initiating means for selectively urging the sealing means into radial expansion, the initiating means comprising linkage means for urging the sealing means into radial expansion in response to a presence of the body at the first end of the conduit;
• pressure sensing means for sensing a fluid pressure within the conduit and for generating a conduit pressure signal;
• interface tool catch means for selectively holding the tool at a first end of the conduit and having means for releasing the interface tool in response to a tool release signal;
• tool arrival sensing means for sensing the tool at the first end of the conduit and for generating a tool arrival signal;
• sales valve means responsive to a sales valve close signal and to a sales valve open signal for respectively restricting and permitting flow of the fluids through the sales line;
• and,
• an intelligent controller responsive to the conduit pressure signal for generating the sales valve open signal when the fluid pressure is at a first predetermined level and for generating the tool release signal when the fluid pressure is at a second predetermined level.

A method of operating a gas and oil well system having a conduit connecting a producing formation and a storage tank, a sales valve between the tank and the formation, a pressure transducer for sensing pressure within the conduit between the sales valve and the formation, an interface tool slidable within the conduit, and a tool catcher for selectively holding the tool, the method comprising the steps of:

• opening an internal valve in the tool and contracting a circumferential seal on said tool away from contacting an inner wall of said conduit when the tool is at the catcher;
• closing the sales valve and releasing the tool from the tool catcher into the conduit when the pressure transducer senses a first pressure in the conduit allowing the tool to fall within the conduit toward the formation;
• closing the internal valve and expanding the circumferential seal to contact the inner wall of said conduit by a mechanical linkage initiated when the tool arrives at the formation;
• opening the sale valve when the pressure transducer senses a second pressure different from the first pressure in the conduit to cause the tool to raise the accumulated fluids;
• catching the tool in the tool catcher, and;
• holding the tool in the catcher while the pressure transducer senses a changing pressure in the conduit different from the first pressure and different from the second pressure.

An apparatus slidable within a well production conduit connecting a fluid producing formation with a collecting device, the apparatus comprising:

• a substantially cylindrical body member having an internal passageway therethrough;
• a radially expansible sealing means attached to the body for selectively circumferentially sealing the production conduit against a first flow of said fluids between the body and an inner wall of the conduit, the sealing means comprising an elastomeric layer circumferentially disposed over a portion of the body to sealingly engage the inner wall of the conduit when expanded and to avoid engaging the wall when not expanded;
• bleeder means for permitting a second flow of said fluids through the internal passageway when in an opened position, and for restricting the second flow of the fluids through the passageway when in a closed position;
• first urging means for selectively urging the sealing means into radial expansion when the body is at first predefined position in said well production conduit and selectively allowing radial contraction when the body is at a second predefined position in said well production conduit;
• second urging means for selectively urging the bleeder means into the closed position when the body is at a third predefined position in said well production conduit, and urging the bleeder means into the opened position when the body is at a fourth predefined position in said well production conduit.

A production tool apparatus slidable within a well production conduit connecting a fluid producing formation with a fluid collection device, the apparatus comprising:

• a substantially cylindrical body member;
• a radially expansible sealing means attached to the body member for selectively circumferentially sealing the production conduit against a first flow of said fluid between the body member and said conduit, the sealing means comprising an elastomeric layer circumferentially disposed over a portion of the body to continuously sealingly engage the inner wall of the conduit when expanded and to avoid engaging the wall when not expanded;
• urging means for selectively urging the sealing means into radial expansion when the body is at a first predetermined position in said well production conduit and selectively allowing radial contraction when the body is at a second predefined position in said well production conduit;
• means defining a fluid passage in said apparatus;
• valve means for selectively permitting a second flow of said fluid through said passage;
• and,
• valve control means for actuating said valve means open when said tool apparatus is at said second predetermined position in said well production conduit to permit said second flow and actuating said valve means closed when said tool apparatus is at said first predetermined position in said well production conduit to restrict said second flow.