ATMOSPHERE TO PRESSURE BALL DROP APPARATUS

摘要

An improved ball drop apparatus including an atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber. A ball is first inserted into the atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber from a ball feeding apparatus. The ball is then pushed into a pressure equalization section through a first seal pack. In a preferred embodiment, the pressure equalization section is connected to a pressure equalization apparatus and also to the wellbore through a second seal pack. Once the ball is injected into the pressure equalization section, the pressure equalization apparatus applies pressure, thereby causing the pressure of the pressure equalization section to increase until it reaches close to wellbore pressure. Once the pressures of the pressure equalization section and the wellbore are close, the atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber and the frac ball are pushed through the second seal pack and into the wellbore, where the frac ball can be pumped downhole. The atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber is then retracted into the pressure equalization section. The pressure equalization section can then be returned to atmospheric or close to atmospheric pressure by the pressure equalization apparatus. The ball injection chamber is then returned to a ball loading position where it may again be loaded by a ball feeding apparatus.

主权项

1. A ball drop apparatus, the ball drop apparatus comprising:
one or more ball drop receiver sections connected to one or more atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chambers, the ball drop receiver sections configured to feed one or more frac balls into the atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber in an initial loading position, one or more first seal packs situated between the initial loading position of the one or more atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chambers and one or more pressure equalization sections, one or more second seal packs situated between the one or more pressure equalization sections and an axial passageway connected to the wellbore, an injection ram assembly configured to move the one or more frac balls from the initial position of the one or more atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chambers, through the one or more first seal packs and into the one or more pressure equalization sections and the one or more second seal packs, thereby releasing the one or more frac balls into the wellbore, and one or more pressure equalization apparatus connected to the one or more pressure equalization sections, the one or more pressure equalization apparatus configured to increase the pressure of the frac ball loaded atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber situated in the pressure equalization section before the injection ram assembly moves the one or more frac balls into the wellbore.