Tubing anchor catcher with rotating mandrel

In a production unit for a cased wellbore having a wellhead and a rod string connected to actuate a downhole pump for producing fluid up through a tubing string to the surface of the ground, the tubing string having an upper end and a lower end, the combination with said production unit of apparatus for rotating the tubing string respective to the rod string while holding the tubing string in tension;

• said apparatus includes an upper mandrel attached to the upper end of the tubing string, a tubing rotator by which said mandrel is rotatably supported from the wellhead;
• a downhole tubing anchor device connected to the lower end of the tubing string by which a lower end of the tubing string is held in tension at a location downhole in the borehole while concurrently rotatably anchored to the casing string;
• said downhole tubing anchor device has a hollow lower mandrel that is connected to form a continuation of the tubing string;
• said anchor device includes a barrel, extensible slip means mounted on said barrel for radial movement respective to the barrel and mandrel;
• said barrel is concentrically arranged about said mandrel and the mandrel in mounted for axial movement therewithin, bearing means by which said mandrel rotatably engages said barrel and thereby transfer loads from the string into the slips and then into the casing wall;
• means responsive to axial movement of the mandrel respective to the barrel for extending said slips into engagement with a casing wall and thereby releasably attach the lower end of the tubing string to the well casing whereby the rotating tubing string can be placed in tension between said upper tubing rotator and said anchor device.

In a cased wellbore having a rod actuated downhole pump that produces fluid up a tubing string to the surface of the ground, a wellhead attached to the top of the casing, an anchor device by which the lower end of the tubing string is anchored to the casing to place the tubing string in tension;

• the improvement comprising;
• tubing rotating and supporting means including a hollow hanger mandrel rotatably supporting the upper end of the tubing string from the wellhead, said hanger mandrel places an upward force on said tubing string while the tubing string is rotated by the tubing rotating and supporting means;
• swivel means connected to receive flow from the upper end of the hanger mandrel through which fluid produced by the downhole pump is discharged;
• said anchor device has an anchor hollow mandrel;
• said anchor hollow mandrel has an upper end connected to be rotated by the lower end of the tubing string, said anchor hollow mandrel places a downward force on the lower end of the rotating tubing string to thereby place the tubing string in tension, said anchor hollow mandrel has a lower end connected to receive flow of fluid produced by the downhole pump which flows uphole toward the hanger mandrel;
• said anchor device is positioned downhole in the borehole and includes a barrel circumferentially extending about the anchor hollow mandrel;
• journal means rotatably mounting the anchor hollow mandrel respective to the barrel, and radially active slip means attached to the barrel by which the barrel of the anchor device is releasably fixed to the interior of the casing;
• and means extending said slip means into engagement with the interior wall of the casing to fix the barrel respective to the casing.

In a cased wellbore that is produced by a rod actuated downhole pump to lift fluid up through a tubing string to a wellhead at the surface of the ground, the improvement comprising:

• said tubing string has an upper end opposed to a lower end, a tubing rotator supported by said wellhead and connected to rotate said upper end of said tubing string;
• a fluid conducting swivel means above said upper end of said tubing string through which produced fluid from the downhole pump can flow;
• a tubing anchor supported at said lower end of said tubing string by which said tubing string is placed in tension;
• said tubing anchor includes a barrel, a mandrel, bearing means by which said mandrel is rotatably affixed to said barrel;
• said tubing anchor includes radially active slips supported for extension and retraction respective to said barrel;
• and means connected to extend said slips in response to axial movement of said mandrel respective to said barrel;
• whereby, the tubing string can be placed in tension between the rotator and the anchor mandrel and the tubing string rotated respective to the casing to thereby reduce the contact area between said tubing and rod string.