Abstract: The invention provides a method of separating at least two production zones in a well (P) using the following method and apparatus. The method is a method of making a sealing ring (18) in situ in an annular space (5) lying between a well (P) and casing (T) in the well, with the sealing ring being made adjacent to a production zone in the well, and with the method comprising the following stages:the annular space (5) to be occupied by the sealing ring (18) is delimited; anda sealing substance (11) is injected into the annular space.The apparatus comprises two confinement membranes (2--2) for sealing off the annular space (5); andseparator membrane (8, 13) for separating the substance to be injected (11) from the fluids that normally exist between the well (P) and the casing (T), said separator membrane also serving to eject said fluids from said space (5). The invention is applicable to the drilling industry, and in particular to the oil industry, and the like.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and apparatus useful primarily in the presplitting and blast removal of earth formations, the improvements according to the invention involving the use of inflatable devices suspended in boreholes used in shattering earth formations. The inflatable devices of the invention can be of various shapes and are provided with valves to allow a fluid such as air to be pumped into each device on placement of the device at a desired location in a borehole. The inflatable devices are preferably formed of a flexible, polymeric material which allows a desired degree of stretching to cause plugging of a borehole. The "plug" formed by an inflatable device of the invention allows loading of explosives into a borehole in order to produce desired blast results according to the several methods of the invention.

Abstract: The plug set of the present invention comprises an upper plug having a non-rotation insert retained therein and a lower plug having two non-rotation inserts retained therein. The present invention further includes the use of a non-rotation insert in the floating equipment with which the plug set of the present invention is used.

Abstract: The pipeline packer described herein typically includes a main body adapted for propulsion through the pipeline in an axial direction. A brake shoe support assembly is located on the main body and a plurality of circumferentially spaced brake shoes capable of gripping the interior wall of the pipeline are mounted to the support assembly. Fluid pressure activated means are associated with the brake shoe support assembly for urging the brake shoes radially outwardly into gripping engagement with the pipeline to secure the main body in a desired location in the pipeline against the pipeline pressure forces acting thereon. A pair of annular wedging means are also mounted to the main body for axial movement toward each other as the fluid pressure activated means acts on the brake shoe support assembly to urge the brake shoes into gripping engagement.

Abstract: An easily drillable production packer for use in testing, treating and squeeze cementing operations in wells which may be easily converted by securing an appropriate baffle, profile, valve assembly or plug assembly to the lower end of the mandrel thereof.

Abstract: A bottom hole shut-in tool incorporating a ball and seat shut-off valve and a ball and seat pressure equalizing valve. The ball elements of the valves are formed of elastomeric material, which allows the ball elements to engage their seats in continuous annular sealing contact even when debris from the well is trapped between a ball and its seat or when a ball is not exactly aligned with its seat. This arrangement effectively seals off the pressure gauge used in conducting a pressure survey from fluid in the well tubing located above the shut-off valve.

Abstract: A landing nipple having a landing sub is adapted to be connected to a production well conduit. When temporarily abandoning the well, a pump-out plug is seated in the landing sub and includes a bi-directional valve which allows flow through the plug when running and after seating seals in both directions. When desired, the pump-out plug and landing sub may be expelled by pressure to provide a full bore production of the well.

Abstract: There is provided a new and useful tamping and topping plug for use in a seismic bore hole, and comprising a cylindrical body member having a forward and a rearward end and terminating at its forward end with a closed end part, a plurality of elongated members extending outwardly and rearwardly from at least one end and preferably from the forward and rearward ends of the body member, the members so arranged as to give the plug axial stability when inserted into a bore hole. There is also provided a process utilizing the plug for enhancing information available from seismic blasting.

Abstract: An inflatable hour glass shaped rubber plug is placed in blasting holes immediately after they are drilled. This plug prevents unwanted debris from entering drilled holes, during idle periods. Thus it will allow necessary space for blasting agents, resulting in a greater shattered blast, and level roadbed conditions. As a direct result, it will increase production in loading and haulage equipment, and lower maintenance cost and mining operation cost overall.

Abstract: A bridge plug apparatus includes a mandrel assembly having an operating fluid passageway disposed therein. A releasable coupling assembly has an upper end adapted to be connected to a tubing string and has a lower portion adapted to be releasably connected to the mandrel assembly. An annular packer is disposed about the mandrel assembly. A mechanical first slip assembly is connected to the mandrel assembly below the packer. A hydraulic second slip assembly is connected to the mandrel assembly above the packer. A power piston is disposed about the mandrel assembly for longitudinally compressing and radially expanding the packer to seal the packer in response to an increase in fluid pressure within the operating fluid passageway of the mandrel assembly. A hydraulically actuatable releasing device is provided for releasing a latched connection between the coupling assembly and the mandrel assembly. This releasing device is defined upon a power sleeve slidably disposed about the mandrel assembly.

Abstract: A reperforable bridge plug fastenable to a tool through a weak point and integrated by an elastic gasket between support and compression pieces has a dentated fastener for fastening to a tube line, a bridge plug having a tubular body with upper and lower ends, an enlarged diameter hollow portion on the lower end portion of the bridge plug forming a chamber, a plurality of slots through the wall of the chamber so that it communicates with the exterior of the bridge plug body, a plurality of calibrated rings formed by enlargements of the exterior surface of the wall calibrated to fit the well diameter in which the bridge plug is to be applied, an interchangeable converter plug mounted in the end of the tubular body adjacent the enlarged portion between the chamber and tubular body, a lower compression piece located below the elastic gasket and fastened to the tubular body by a fuse pin and having an external frusto conical surface thereon, a frusto conical surface on the exterior of the enlarged diameter portio

Abstract: A method and apparatus for effecting the sealing of a well conduit comprises the positioning of a sealing plug unit within a special nipple provided in the well conduit and defining first and second surfaces and a seal bore. The sealing plug unit is provided with external seal elements cooperable with the seal bore and a first and second latching elements respectively cooperable with the first and second surfaces provided on the nipple. The sealing plug is actuated by first passing it downwardly through the nipple and then retracting it upwardly, whereupon the first of the latching elements engages with one of the surfaces on the nipple, thus preventing further upward movement on the assembly and permitting the application of a tensile force to release the plugging unit from the remainder of the unit to bring a camming sleeve into engagement with the second latching element to cam such element outwardly into engagement with an upper recess of the nipple.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sealing a well casing, when a length of production tubing is disposed within the well casing, utilizes a sealing means having a first diameter less than the diameter of the production tubing, and the sealing means is compressible to a second diameter which sealingly conforms to the diameter of the well casing, to prevent fluids disposed in the well casing below the sealing means from flowing through the well casing to above the sealing means.

Abstract: A retrievable well tool which can be lowered into a well casing and set on a wire line and thereafter moved for resetting or retrieval with a drill string. The tool includes a body having expandable slips mounted thereabout for anchoring with the casing. Drag blocks which are longitudinally slidable along the body slide from a first to a second position to expand the slips. A lug on the drag blocks is received into a channel on the body. Manipulation of the plug body effects locking the drag blocks into their first position. Shear bolts maintain the drag blocks in their first position when the tool is initially lowered into the casing on a wire line. A shiftable abutment adjacent the drag blocks is selectively operated to shear the bolts and shift the drag blocks to their second position to anchor the tool.

Abstract: A bridge plug for use in plugging a well at a subterranean location and adapted to be set in place by insertion through a tubing string. The bridge plug comprises an elongated vent tube supporting upper and lower petal basket structures, each of which comprises a plurality of petal leaves movable between a retracted position and an expanded position. In the expanded positions the petal leaves for the upper and lower baskets form conical configurations which face upwardly and downwardly respectively. Upper and lower fabric bags cover the respective petal basket structures respectively and extend over the inner and outer surfaces of the petal leaves. Each of the petal basket structures are further provided with conically shaped liners formed of an impermeable material inside the bags and interposed between the inner surfaces of the petal leaves and the conforming portions of the bags. The liners may be formed of an adhesion-resistant material such as fiber-glass fabric coated with a polytetrafluoroethylene.

Abstract: An inflatable flowing hole plug system including two fluid inflatable hole plugs, having an upper and a lower plug, a connector pipe for connecting these plugs and allowing fluid communication between them, a valve system for controlling the inflation of the plugs and an external fluid supply apparatus for inflating the plugs is disclosed.

Abstract: A retrievable plug having a dog locking sleeve which has a specially contoured outer surface to more closely fit within the packer mandrel and increased axial length to limit movement of the dog locking sleeve within the plug thereby eliminating binding of the dog locking sleeve within the plug mandrel during actuation of the plug body for the removal of the plug body from the member in which it is installed.

Abstract: A retrievable plug having a dog locking sleeve which has extensions thereon to increase the effective axial length thereof to eliminate binding of the dog locking sleeve within the plug mandrel during actuation of the plug body for the removal of the plug body from the member in which it is installed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for sequentially treating two vertically separated zones in a well bore, utilizing a packer having a fluid passageway therethrough set between the zones, a pressure shearable plug at the lower end of the packer, and a retrievable fluid plug at the upper end of the packer. Once the packer, with the shear plug on its lower end, is set in the well bore between the two zones, the retrievable plug is placed in the upper end of the packer to isolate the shear plug from well pressure in the upper zone, and the desired treating steps are performed on the upper zone. The retrievable fluid plug is then removed and tubing run to the packer to establish communication with the shearable fluid plug. The shearable plug permits static pressure testing of the tubing string and seals before communication is established with the lower zone, and then may be removed by elevating fluid pressure to sufficiently shear the plug.

Abstract: A pump plug for use in through-the-flowline well operations, including a sleeve provided with annular sealing fins, which fins are flexible in both directions of the central axis of the sleeve. Support means are mounted on the sleeve for supporting the sealing fins in each of the flexed positions thereof.

Abstract: A removable plug for the J-tube of an offshore platform or marine structure comprising a plug housing, plug body releasably retained with the plug housing, and shear type threaded fastening means retaining the plug body within the plug housing. The plug body may comprise a buoyant plug body to assist in the retrieval of the plug body after the removal thereof from the plug housing.

Abstract: A plug comprising an easily releasable plug body having either a compression set type packer member, cup type sealing member or inflatable packer member, having locking dogs thereon, having sleeve type releasor abutting the locking dogs, having pressure equalization plugger abutting the sleeve type releasor and a plug body housing.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for the selective placement of ball sealers for fluid treatment of a well, said ball sealers having a density less than the density of said fluid comprising a tubular member, means on said tubular member for positioning said apparatus in said well casing and means on said tubular member for deploying and blocking said well casing to prevent upward movement of said ball sealers past said apparatus.

Abstract: A reusable plug for sealing the conductor pipe of offshore platforms comprising a cylindrical housing, central body member and pressure equalization means.

Abstract: A bridging plug for a circular blast hole has a relatively longer major axis and a relatively shorter minor axis. The plug is hinged to pivot about the minor axis. A tension line is secured to the minor axis for lowering the plug into an explosive placement hole. The plug pivots into an angular open position when lowered into the hole. An upward force on the tension line jams the hinged portions of the plug in a closed position to plug the hole. An explosive charge can be placed in the hole at the location defined by the closed plug.

Abstract: A sealing unit to be used in sealing system to block fluid flow between two spaced surfaces. The unit seats within a recess in one of the surfaces and includes a support to which is secured deformable sealing means having a pair of sealing members. A pressure differential across the unit deforms the sealing members into a sealing position to effectively seal between the surfaces. This abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application which, of course, is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

Abstract: A ball sealer for use as a diverting agent when treating a well having a perforated casing. The ball sealer is sized to plug a perforation and has a density less than the treating fluid. The ball sealer is made of a core material, such as syntactic foam or polymethylpentene, and a covering of a thin layer of an elastomeric material. After some of the treating fluid has been injected into the well, the ball sealers are injected and carried by the fluid flow down to the perforations where they seat and divert the further injection of treating fluid through the remaining open perforations.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a new container that can be displaced by rotary force, consisting of a continuous sheet that assumes a form similar to a cylindrical surface, generated by a rectangle whose shorter sides have been substituted by convex semicircumferences, when it rotates around an axis that is very close and parallel to one of the long sides. An element is then placed in the direction of the axis and forms the axis of rotation. This element is held fast by the container when the latter is filled with fluid or other matter that induces multidirectional pressures of sufficient magnitude to cause the element installed, when impelled by a force, preferably along the axis but from either direction, to pull with it the enclosed sheet, thus displacing the container by rotary force over the supporting surface.

Abstract: A sealing unit to be used in sealing system to block fluid flow between two spaced surfaces. The unit seats within a recess in one of the surfaces and includes a support to which is secured deformable sealing means having a pair of sealing members. A pressure differential across the unit deforms the sealing members into a sealing position to effectively seal between the surfaces. This abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application which, of course, is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sealing a well casing, when a length of production tubing is disposed within the well casing, utilizes a sealing means having a first diameter less than the diameter of the production tubing, and the sealing means is compressible to a second diameter which sealingly conforms to the diameter of the well casing, to prevent fluids disposed in the well casing below the sealing means from flowing through the well casing to above the sealing means. .Iadd.To support the sealing means when it has been sealingly conformed to the diameter of the well casing, the well bore apparatus of the invention further includes upper and lower sets of opposed reinforcing members which are mounted on the body of the well bore apparatus above and below the sealing means and operatively arranged to be respectively swung outwardly from the body to an extended position for supporting the upper and lower end portions of the sealing means against longitudinal movement in the well casing. .Iaddend.