Soap stick launcher and method for launching soap sticks

A stick launcher for launching soap sticks into a gas or oil well, the stick launcher comprising:

• a containment vessel adapted to house the soap sticks, the containment vessel comprising a contiguous wall having a top and a bottom;
• a turret-style separator within the containment vessel, the separator comprising blades, the separator adapted to contain the soap sticks between the blades of the turret-styled separator and the contiguous wall of the containment vessel;
• a ball valve positioned adjacent the bottom of the containment vessel, the ball valve, when in open position, adapted to be in fluid communication with a well bore and the containment vessel;
• a rotating assembly comprising a ratchet mechanism and an actuator plate, the ratchet mechanism for rotating the turret-styled separator, the actuator plate comprising a first end, a second end and a middle, the first end connected to the ratchet mechanism and the middle fixedly attached to the ball valve;
• an actuator for rotating the rotating assembly, the second end of the actuator plate linked to the actuator.

A stick launcher for launching soap sticks into a gas or oil well, the stick launcher comprising:

• a containment vessel adapted to house the soap sticks, the containment vessel comprising a contiguous wall having a top and a bottom;
• a removable turret-style separator within the containment vessel, the separator comprising blades, the separator adapted to contain the soap sticks between the blades of the turret-styled separator and the contiguous wall of the containment vessel;
• a ball valve positioned adjacent the bottom of the containment vessel, the ball valve, when in open position, adapted to be in fluid communication with a well bore and the containment vessel;
• a rotating assembly comprising a ratchet mechanism and an actuator plate, the ratchet mechanism for rotating the turret-styled separator, the actuator plate comprising a first end, a second end and a middle, the first end connected to the ratchet mechanism and the middle fixedly attached to the ball valve;
• an actuator for rotating the rotating assembly, the second end of the actuator plate linked to the actuator.

A stick launcher for launching soap sticks into a gas or oil well, the stick launcher comprising:

• a containment vessel adapted to house the soap sticks, the containment vessel comprising a contiguous wall having a top and a bottom;
• a turret-style separator within the containment vessel, the separator comprising blades, the separator adapted to contain the soap sticks between the blades of the turret-styled separator and the contiguous wall of the containment vessel;
• a ball valve positioned adjacent the bottom of the containment vessel, the ball valve, when in open position, adapted to be in fluid communication with a well bore and the containment vessel;
• a rotating assembly comprising a ratchet mechanism and an actuator plate, the ratchet mechanism for rotating the turret-styled separator, the actuator plate comprising a first end, a second end and a middle, the first end connected to the ratchet mechanism and the middle fixedly attached to the ball valve, the ratchet mechanism comprising a pawl body, the pawl body comprising an upper section, a lower section and a middle section, the ratchet mechanism further comprising two or more pawls mounted on the upper section of the pawl body for engaging with and rotating the blades of the turret-style separator and the lower section extending outside of the bottom plate;
• an actuator for rotating the rotating assembly, the second end of the actuator plate linked to the actuator.

A stick launcher for launching soap sticks into a gas or oil well, the stick launcher comprising:

• a containment vessel adapted to house the soap sticks, the containment vessel comprising a contiguous wall having a top and a bottom;
• a turret-style separator within the containment vessel, the separator comprising blades, the separator adapted to contain the soap sticks between the blades of the turret-styled separator and the contiguous wall of the containment vessel;
• a ball valve positioned adjacent the bottom of the containment vessel, the ball valve, when in open position, adapted to be in fluid communication with a well bore and the containment vessel;
• a rotating assembly comprising a ratchet mechanism and an actuator plate, the ratchet mechanism for rotating the turret-styled separator, the actuator elate comprising a first end, a second end and a middle, the first end connected to the ratchet mechanism and the middle fixedly attached to the ball valve;
• an actuator for rotating the rotating assembly, the second end of the actuator plate linked to the actuator;
• and
• a drying chamber adjacent the ball valve, a threaded adapter threaded onto the lower end of the ball valve, an orifice nipple having a first end and a second end, the first end threadedly connected to the threaded adapter, the second end of the orifice nipple threadedly connected to the drying chamber so that well fluids enter the drying chamber when the ball valve is in a closed position.

A stick launcher for launching soap sticks into a gas or oil well, the stick launcher comprising:

• a containment vessel adapted to house the soap sticks, the containment vessel comprising a contiguous wall having a top and a bottom, the containment vessel comprising an outer wall, the outer wall wrapped in a cooling system, the cooling system comprising cooling tubes and insulation so that the temperature within the containment vessel is maintained at a range of about 10° F. to about 60° F. below ambient temperatures;
• a turret-style separator within the containment vessel, the separator comprising blades, the separator adapted to contain the soap sticks between the blades of the turret-styled separator and the contiguous wall of the containment vessel;
• a ball valve positioned adjacent the bottom of the containment vessel, the ball valve, when in open position, adapted to be in fluid communication with a well bore and the containment vessel;
• a rotating assembly comprising a ratchet mechanism and an actuator plate, the ratchet mechanism for rotating the turret-styled separator, the actuator plate comprising a first end, a second end and a middle, the first end connected to the ratchet mechanism and the middle fixedly attached to the ball valve;
• an actuator for rotating the rotating assembly, the second end of the actuator plate linked to the actuator;
• and

A stick launcher for launching soap sticks into a gas or oil well, the stick launcher comprising:

• a containment vessel adapted to house the soap sticks, the containment vessel comprising a contiguous wall having a top and a bottom, the containment vessel further comprising a removable and sealable top plate and a bottom plate;
• a removable and rotatable turret-style separator within the containment vessel, the separator comprising blades, the separator adapted to contain the soap sticks between the blades of the separator and the contiguous wall of the containment vessel;
• a ball valve positioned adjacent the bottom of the containment vessel, the ball valve, when in open position, adapted to be in fluid communication with a well bore and the containment vessel;
• a rotating assembly comprising a pawl body, two or more pawls mounted on the pawl body, a ratchet arm and an actuator plate connected to the ball valve and joined to the ratchet arm by a linkage, the pawl body comprising an upper section, a lower section and a middle section, the upper section and middle section within the containment vessel and the lower section extending outside of the bottom plate, the pawls mounted on the upper section of the pawl body for engaging with and rotating the blades of the turret-style separator and the ratchet arm mounted radially to the axis of the containment vessel for engagement with the lower section of the pawl body, so that rotation of the actuator plate opens the ball valve and moves the ratchet arm in a direction so as to disengage the pawls from the blades of the turret styled separator;
• a gas cylinder mounted adjacent the containment vessel, the gas cylinder linked to the actuator plate for rotating the rotating assembly;
• and a drying chamber for maintaining the containment vessel in a state of overpressure.

A method for launching soap sticks into a gas or oil well, the method comprising:

• a) loading soap sticks into a stick launcher comprising a containment vessel and a separator with blades, the blades in a clearance position relative to the contiguous wall, the blades and the contiguous wall defining a plurality of compartments;
• b) positioning the soap sticks within the compartments, the bottom of the containment vessel defining an opening above the ball valve;
• c) rotating the separator so that one stick falls through the opening and comes to rest on top of the ball valve;
• d) closing the ball valve simultaneously to the rotation in step (c) to avoid well fluids from entering the containment vessel;
• e) rotating the ball valve in a direction opposite to the first direction of step (c) to open the ball valve so that the soap stick drops into the well bore, while simultaneously disengaging the rotating mechanism from the separator to prevent separator from rotating while soap stick is dropping;
• f) maintaining the containment vessel in an overpressure condition so that pressure from the containment vessel is exhausted while the ball valve is opened to avoid the inhalation of well fluids into the containment vessel.