Abstract: An apparatus and method for selectively disconnecting a wireline from a downhole tool when the tool becomes lodged in an oil or gas well. The apparatus is directed to a wireline releasing device which includes a precharge chamber which can be pressurized to a predetermined amount for applying a force against a piston assembly located within the releasing device to hold together telescopically connected upper and lower tubular portions which are locked in place by retractable dogs which extend through aligned openings in the upper and lower tubular portions. The device is intended to be connected at one end to a length of wireline and, to another end, to the top of the downhole tool. During wireline operations, upon the downhole tool becoming lodged within the well, the wireline operator applies hydraulic or pneumatic pressure from the surface which exceeds the precharged pressure, which acts to disconnect the upper portion of the device from the lower portion and the downhole tool.

Abstract: Apparatus (100) for separating components of a liquid mixture such as oil from water. The apparatus comprises a cyclonic device (110) and a separating device (150). The cyclonic device has a tangential inlet (112) for inlet of the mixture, an elongate chamber (114) in which, in use, the admitted mixture is subjected to contrifugal action and an outlet (116) from the components of the mixture are in use together taken. The separating device (150) may be a conventional cyclone separator having a separating chamber (154), with an inlet (152) coupled to in use receive the components from the outlet of the cyclonic device (110) for admission to the separating chamber (154), and separate outlets (156, 158) from the separating chamber (154) for respective outlet therefrom of th separated liquid components.

Abstract: A cyclone separator comprising an elongated separating chamber having a longitudinal axis of symmetry between opposite first and second ends, the separator including at least one feed inlet (3) adjacent the first end and at least two outlets (4), (5), the cyclone separator being characterized by the provision of control means (12) which is adapted to vary the cross-sectional dimension of the or one or more of the feed inlets (3).

Abstract: A cyclone separator with an inlet and two outlets for separating oil and water from an oil-water mixture wherein the separation chamber has a large diameter inlet end and a smaller diameter underflow outlet end. The overflow is arranged as an axial outlet at the inlet end of the chamber. The underflow outlet end is provided with a cone shaped portion of increasing diameter in the direction of flow and a choke portion downstream of the cone shaped portion, the choke having a reducing diameter configuration.

Abstract: A cyclone separator for separating a denser liquid component from a less dense liquid component of a multi-phase liquid mixture wherein one phase is in the form of drops dispersed in the other phase, the separator having an elongated, unobstructed separating chamber with a longitudinal axis of symmetry between opposite first and second ends and including at least one feed inlet adjacent the first end and at least one outlet. The inlet is characterized by the provision of a control means for varying the cross-sectional dimension of the feed inlet. Means are provided for determining the concentrations of at least one of the phases in the mixture, and the control means is operated in response to the determination of phase concentration to vary the cross-sectional area of the feed inlet.

Abstract: An optical device including a fluid filled prism that has flexible side wall portions to provide a variable lens system in conjunction with the prism. The device has translucent side walls formed in a trough shape with an open top side for conveniently changing the fluid in the prism body and thoroughly cleaning the interior side walls of the prism. The side walls of the prism are flexible through a range of spacings to provide a lens effect variation from concave to convex.

Abstract: In a pipeline crossing, a carrier pipeline is annularly surrounded by a casing with the ends of the casing vented to the surface and sealed with the periphery of the pipeline to minimize corrosion of the pipeline wall. Access and pressure relief valves are provided on the casing vents at opposite sides of the crossing. This permits purging of the casing injecting an inert gas under pressure into the casing annulus through the valve equipped vents to provide a protective fluid, and periodically monitoring the gas pressure. The gas is maintained at a low pressure which is substantially less than the pressure of product materials within the pipeline.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for separating oil-water mixtures in which the oil is present as droplets so as to comprise the disperse phase, the mean droplet size being greater than 56.7 micron, using a cyclone separator having a swirl coefficient, S, in the rangeS'.ltoreq.S.ltoreq.S.sup.u2, whereS'=-0.46 .phi.+31 or S'=2, whichever is the greater, and S.sup.u2 =0.26 .phi.+31.6, where .phi. is the mean droplet size in micron.The swirl coefficient is defined as ##EQU1## where d.sub.i is the effective diameter at the inlet to the separator d.sub.2 is the nominal separator diameter at a downstream location, and A.sub.i is the total effective inlet area.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for selectively disconnecting a wireline from a downhole tool when the tool becomes lodged in an oil or gas well. The apparatus is directed to a wireline releasing device which includes a precharge chamber which can be pressurized to a predetermined amount for applying a force against a piston assembly located within the releasing device to hold together telescopically connected upper and lower tubular portions which are locked in place by retractable dogs which extend through aligned openings in the upper and lower tubular portions. The device is intended to be connected at one end to a length of wireline and, to another end, to the top of the downhole tool. During wireline operations, upon the downhole tool becoming lodged within the well, the wireline operator applies hydraulic or pneumatic pressure from the surface which exceeds the precharged pressure, which acts to disconnect the upper portion of the device from the lower portion and the downhole tool.

Abstract: The particular embodiment described herein as illustrative of one form of the invention incorporates a round elongated handle sized for holding in the fisted grip of a person. A shield is positioned on top of the handle and extends radially outwardly therefrom to an extent sufficient to substantially shield the fisted hand of a person gripping the handle. An opening in the center of the shield communicates with a cavity in the handle for receiving a test tube therein. When transferring fluids from a syringe to a test tube, one inserts the test tube into the cavity in the handle and then inserts a syringe needle into the upper end of the test tube with the other hand. If the person performing the operation were to miss the end of the test tube with the needle, the hand of the person holding the device holding the test tube would be shielded from the needle. A ridge on the outer peripheral edge of the shield will pervent a needle from sliding off the edge of the shield should the needle strike the shield.

Abstract: A mechanism for permitting a shift lever to be stowed away when it is not being used to operate a shiftable mechanism in a motor vehicle. The mechanism may be attached to shifting apparatus already in place in a vehicle or provided as original equipment. The mechanism has first and second portions that are slidably arranged so that in a first position the shift lever is rigidly connected to the shiftable mechanism and in a second position the shift lever is moved to an out of the way, (stowed position), near the floor of the vehicle. A slot on one of the sliding portions and a pair of pins on the other sliding portion are arranged to permit easy selective movement from the rigid to the stowed position. A biasing spring is connected between the sliding portions to releasably hold the lever in which ever position it is moved to.

Abstract: For the directional drilling of boreholes, the orientation or roll angle of the drill head or mud-motor in the borehole has to be ascertained for steering purposes. The roll angle is determined, during drilling, by sensing at the location of the drilling tool in the borehole the values of the earth's magnetic field strength in two axes transverse to the main tool axis, signalling these values to the drilling station and translating them according to the direction and inclination of the borehole axis, which are known and normally updated at intervals between drilling runs. The down-hole assembly, located in a fixed attitude to the mud-motor, requires only static magnetic sensors. A resolver in a surface indicating unit provides for the indication of the roll angle as the angle determined by the sensors, translated according to the borehole information by the addition of an angle precalculated and selected from tables, calculated in a computation center, or calculated by computation in the indicating unit.