Inventors:
Howard D. Bechthold - Plano TX
Assignee:
Otis Engineering Corporation - Dallas TX
International Classification:
E21B 2300
Abstract:
A side pocket mandrel for use in gas lift wells and having a sleeve valve in its side pocket receptacle for closing the receptacle's lateral ports when no flow control device is disposed therein. The sleeve valve is latched in its port-closing position but is readily displaced to its open position when a gas lift valve or other flow control device is installed in the receptacle. When the flow control device is withdrawn from the receptacle, the sleeve valve is returned to its closed position, there being provision for automatically coupling the sleeve valve and flow control device together in end-to-end relation in response to the flow control device being installed in the receptacle and for automatically uncoupling them in response to removal of the flow control device from the receptacle. The seals carried by the flow control device seal in the same bore in which the seals of the sleeve valve engage and are, therefore, equal in diameter. Thus, full size, standard flow control devices are accommodated by this side pocket mandrel.