Wells – With electrical means
Patent
1995-08-07
1997-09-16
Dang, Hoang C.
Wells
With electrical means
166 975, E21B 3303
Patent
active
056670087
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
STATEMENT OF THE PRIOR ART
Substantial difficulty has heretofore been encountered in providing a sealed arrangement for supplying electrical power to a sealed wellhead over a petroleum producing well bore in a hazardous area where explosions or fires may occur due to gases and other substances associated with the production of petroleum products being ignited by electric arcs. Also, personnel and the general public are subject to electrical shock or death by electrocution.
So far as known to applicant, there has not heretofore been provided a satisfactory and safe method and arrangement for supplying electrical power through power source electrical conductor means to electrical conductor means extending through a sealed barrier associated with a wellhead associated with a well bore in a hazardous area to overcome the above and other problems.
Present commonly employed electrical installations for supplying electrical power through the wellhead and into the well bore for various purposes typically consist of a flexible corrugated electrical conductor means extending through the wellhead which are connected externally of the well bore with the power source electrical conductor means. It is substantially difficult, if not impossible, to initiate and/or maintain an effective seal with the corrugated cable as it passes through the wellhead to prevent discharge of fluids in the hazardous area. The internal elements of the electrical cable are also subject to transmitting well bore liquids and gases therethrough. The gases and liquids pass through the electrical conductor means to an electrical enclosure in an adjacent non-hazardous area which creates another hazardous area. Arcing in the enclosure can cause an explosive situation. From this point, the power source electrical conductor means continues from ground level to the level of the power transformer. Such outdoor electrical installation is not in compliance with commonly accepted electrical practices and requirements, whether such installations occur in a hazardous or in a non-hazardous location.
Designs previously and currently in use fail to overcome the problems presented by the above installations. Both previous and current products employ the use of an attachment plug and receptacle, which constitutes a means by which the device being powered can be disconnected while power continues to be supplied to the power source electrical conductor means. The attachment plug and receptacle constitutes disconnecting means which requires that the attachment plug and receptacle be rated for the same horsepower as the device to which power is being supplied. So far as known to applicant, no such rating is possible, especially since such plug and receptacle should also be capable of withstanding an internal explosion without spreading such explosion.
Inside the wellhead barrier, it is desirable to provide connectors to connect the power conductors to the pump cables from a down hole pump. These connectors allow easy removal in case the well is pulled. However, problems have arisen where the connectors have been disconnected and/or damaged due to changes in pressure when the pump is turned on or off. It is known that the insulation surrounding conductors and the rubber typically used for insulation boots are permeable to fluids, such as gas and other liquids in the well bore. Pressurized and fluid impregnated rubber tends to fill gaps and exposed seams causing paths for fluid to escape to undesired areas. A well is typically pressurized due to pressures exerted by the formation, and can reach pressures at the wellhead in excess of 5,000 to 10,000 pounds per square inch (psi) while the down hole pump is turned off. Such high pressure forces fluids to saturate any gas permeable materials such as rubber and insulation, which would then leak to the conductors and reach external areas where well fluids are undesired via the conductors causing a hazardous situation.
For example, in my previous U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,393, it was disclosed how to seal electrical conductors pas
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Dang Hoang C.
Quick Connectors, Inc.
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