Background of the Invention When an oil well is drilled it is lined with a casing which is cemented in place. The casing is fractured or perforated at various chosen depths. These fractures and perforations allow oil, gas and water to migrate out of the formations surrounding the well and into the casing. Due to the differences of their specific gravity the oil, gas and water segregate in the casing. The water will be on the bottom sometimes referred to as the water zone. The oil will float on top of the water, sometimes referred to as the oil zone. And the gas will be above the oil and water.

Conventional oil production commonly involves using above-ground pumping units.

Such units consists of a pump jack, sucker rod and down hole pump. The down hole pump is located in the oil casings at a depth such that it is in the middle of the casing perforations.

The down hole pump is operated by attaching the lower end of a sucker rod to the pump.

The upper end of the sucker rod is then attached to a pump jack located at the surface of the well. The pump jack then uses mechanical leverage in order to manipulate the sucker rod up and down and, thus, operates the pump by this up and down motion.

An alternative to using a traditional above-ground pumping unit is the use of a bailer device. Bailer devices have been in use for a number of years and typically consist of a

bucket-type device, a line and winching mechanism. The winching mechanism is located at the surface level adjacent to the casing.

The bailer device is operated by unreeling the line off of the winching mechanism.

The opposite end of the line is then attached to the bucket-type device which is lowered down the casing as the line is paid off of the winching mechanism. The bucket-type device is lowered until it reaches the oil zone in the casing. The bucket-type device then enters the oil zone such that it is immersed into the oil zone and the oil is captured on the inside of the bucket-type device. Once the bucket-type device is filled with oil, the bucket-type device is then hoisted to the surface where the oil is poured from the bucket-type device into a storage reservoir.

In many applications, the bailer devices have an advantage over traditional above- ground pumping units in that they can operate using less energy than a traditional above- ground pumping unit and, thus, at lower production costs.

However, in the past, the drawback of using a bailer device is that it has not been possible to produce gas from an oil well while, at the same time, producing oil or other liquids. Whereas it was possible to produce both oil or other liquids and gas using a traditional above-ground pumping unit. Also the above ground pumping units typically are capable of moving a higher volume of liquid than a typical bailer device.

The present invention makes it possible to produce both oil or other liquids and gas from a well while using a bailer device.

Purported improvements to bailer devices are luzown and represented in the prior art.

For example: United States Patent No. 4,037,662 issued on July 26,1977 to Leslie Bowling

discloses an automated bailing apparatus in flexible combination for bailing shallow wells.

On a portable frame skid base, a receiving tank is mountable and centered to engage therein a production casing of a well to be bailed. A sectional frame hoisting tower is mountable over the tank for suspending a pipe bailer therein and in alignment with the production casing. The bailer is bottom operated by means of a ball valve and downwardly extending stinger in frictional cooperation with engaging rolls mounted in the tower. A wire line drum has an adjustable flange for the proper spooling of a range of sizes of wire line connected to bailer. An electric motor and reduction gear is mountable on the skid base adjacent the drum for driving it in reversible rotation as directed by automated motor controls and safety controls operable by mechanical feedback from drum and apparatus to continuously or intermittently bail a well in accordance with establishable parameters, and to shut it down in case of malfunction.

United States Patent No. 4,086,035 issued on April 25,1978 to Joseph H. Klaeger Jr. et al. discloses a bailer pump designed for securing to a well head comprising an elongated stand pipe projecting upward from the well head supporting a motor driving a reel for cable through a drive train incorporating a magnetic brake, when the current to the motor is interrupted the magnetic brake is activated. A bailer is propelled into and out of the well in a repititious controlled manner. The electrical control mechanisms operate in conjunction with a pivot arm mounted at the top of the stan pipe on an axle. Pillow blocks retain the pivot arm in a tilting position. Tension or lack of tension on the cable passing over the top pulley causes a reciprocal tilting of the pivot arm and the pulley. The tilting arm contacts a micro switch which through time delay and relays start, stop, and reverse the electric motor operating the cable reel. The short delay in the well permits filling of the bailer and a long

delay at the well head permits unloading of the bailer. The long delay is energized by the bailer striking a bailer stop contacting the top micro switch stopping the motor and activating the long delay. The unloading function is accomplished mechanically by the bailer contacting the bailer stop pulling an actuating rod which through a trough linkage tilts the unloading trough under the bailer striking a dart at the bottom of the bailer emptying the contents of the bailer into an oil receiver.

United States Patent No. 4,368,909 issued on January 18, 1983 to Granison T.

Alexander Jr. discloses an oil well bailer apparatus for use in bailing oil from an oil well.

It includes a housing adapted for mounting over the top of the wellhead and a bail bucket which is arranged for lowering and raising between the well and the housing for raising oil to the housing and depositing it at the wellhead surface.

United States Patent No. 4,921,577 issued on May 1,1990 to Dennis R. Eubank discloses a method and downhole well installation for facilitating the removal of detrimental material such as sand accumulated within a well penetrating a subterranean hydrocarbon formation. A tubing string in the well extends to a production interval open to the formation.

A production stinger is slidably disposed in the tubing string and extends downwardly from the bottom of the tubing string into the production interval. A seal is provided between the stinger and the tubing string which permits slidable movement of the stinger but provides for a seal against fluid flow upwardly in the stinger-tubing string annulus. A longitudinal passage extends through the stinger and opens into the tubing string above the seal. At least one inflow opening to the longitudinal passage is provided in the stinger near the bottom thereof. Thus, when the stinger comes to rest upon the sand or other unwanted material accumulated in the well, the inflow opening is located adjacent the surface of the unwanted

material. A pressure gradient is established through the inflow opening into the stinger passage. Fluid such as gas from the formation flows through the inflow opening into the longitudinal passage and entrains particulate material and carries it to the stinger passage to form a fluid stream containing entrained particulate material. The fluid-particulate material mixture passes upwardly through the stinger passage and into the tubing string above the seal.

United States Patent No. 5,170,845 issued on December 15,1992 to Marion H. Gay et al discloses a method and apparatus for pressurizing the top of the valve member of a subsurface safety to equalized pressure thereacross and assist in opening the valve. The apparatus includes a chamber filled with fluid under pressure which is admitted in to the space between the apparatus and a valve when landed in the valve to pressurized the valve.

A spring loaded prong on the apparatus urges the valve member of the safety valve to open position. A latch is included which will bypass a top landing nipple and land in a second landing nipple. The subsurface safety valve is provided with means for filling its spring chamber with liquid with the valve closed. When the safety valve is open the spring chamber is isolated to protect the chamber from flow of fluids and solids.

United States Patent No. 5,341,692 issued on August 20,1994 to Samuel Sher et al. discloses a device made of non-contaminating inert material for taking and preserving a fluid sample containing volatile substances for analysis having a tubular body with gas tight valves at opposite end portions which are opened to allow fluid to pass into and out of a chamber and closed to seal off the escape of and preserve a fluid sample therein during transfer to a laboratory for analysis. Opposite end portions of the tubular body are adapted for attachment of a lower one-way inlet check valve unit and an upper outlet extension unit

thereto used with a supporting line or rod to lower and raise the device into and out of a body of fluid and thereby take a fluid sample thereof for analysis. Closing of the valves traps fluid and seals off the sample taken into the chamber between the valves and is removed therefrom by piercing a septum located adjacent the chamber and between the valves by suitable means including a hypodermic needle.

United States Patent No. 6,099,274 issued on August 8,2000 to Kenneth S. Com discloses a reciprocating pump is provided for pumping subterranean fluids containing fine solids to surface. The pump comprises a pump barrel, piston and piston rod. The piston rod is suspended form reciprocating production tubing. The barrel is anchored in the casing of a well. A standing valve is located at the bottom of the barrel. The piston and travelling valve are located at the bottom of the piston rod for minimizing the dead-space between standing and travelling valves. Upper and lower stacks of hydraulic piston seal rings are positioned on the piston above and below the travelling valve for minimizing piston height.

Each seal has radially flared lips at its leading edge. The piston spaced grooves formed therein, corresponding to the seal ring flared lips. At least the lower seal stack is axially movable so that the flared lips alternate between being compressed against the piston during the pumping stroke and being engaged with their respective grooves on the return stroke thereby relaxing the lips and releasing pressure trapped between the upper and lower seals.

A barrel wiper at the lower seal ensures sand is excluded from the lower seal. Large bore flow passages are provided in the piston rod and valves while providing complementary piston rod and pump barrel means for enabling piston rod reciprocating motion while still rotary actuation of the anchor.

Brief Summary of the Invention The present invention entails both a method and an improvement to the bailer device to recover both oil or other liquids and gas from an oil or gas well at the same time. The bailer device in the present invention is similar in many respects to a traditional bailer device. However, the present invention differs from the prior art in that it is capable of simultaneously producing liquid and gas from a well. This is possible by locating the reel, line and bucket-type device within a sealed cabinet connectably sealed to the casing. The prior art either was not capable of containing gas produced from a well, or if it claimed to be capable of containing or producing gas from a well, the reel was located outside the gas containment structure. This means the line used to lift the bucket-type device in the prior art had to penetrate the gas containment structure, such as in U. S. Patent Nos. 4,037, 662and 4,368,909.

The sealed cabinet in the present invention is constructed such that it is impermeable to the gas which rises out of the casing and into the sealed cabinet. The sealed cabinet is connectably sealed to the casing. All of the seams, doors and access panels of the sealed cabinet are constructed so they impermeable to the gas and air under normal operating pressures. Once the gas accumulates in the sealed cabinet, it can then be drawn off by a gas take-off mechanism located either on the sealed cabinet or on the casing itself. From there, it is compressed so that it is in usable state to either be used on the oil lease itself or to be entered into a gas gathering system.

The pressure inside the sealed cabinet and casing is kept at a positive pressure. This prevents air from entering into the sealed cabinet and casing and causing a mixture of air and gas which could support the combustion or explosion of the gas. The maintaining of the

pressure inside the sealed cabinet is accomplished by using the pressure created by the gas entering the casing and forcing its way up the casing and then setting the gas take-off mechanism such that it will take-off gas within the desired range. As a back-up mechanism to prevent over pressurization of the sealed cabinet, a pressure relief valve is located on the sealed cabinet such that if the pressure inside the cabinet exceeds the upper end of the desired range, the pressure relief valve will vent gas from the sealed cabinet into the atmosphere or a separate containment or device thus reducing the pressure inside the sealed cabinet to the desired level.

The operation of the bailer device and the gas take-off mechanism can be controlled by a programable logic controller, other computer controller or even hard wired electrical controls.

Other objects and further scope of the applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like parts are designated by like reference numerals.

Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a diagram of one embodiment of an oil well and bailer device containing the present invention to recover both oil and gas from a well.

Figure 2 is a side view of another embodiment of an oil well and bailer device containing the present invention to recover both oil and gas from a well.

Figure 3 is a top view of the bailer device as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the inlet arm assembly, well head assembly, casing and bucket-type device incorporating the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides for inventive concepts capable of being embodied in a variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific manners in which to make and use the invention and are not to be interpreted as limiting the scope of the instant invention.

The claims and the specification describe the invention presented and the terms that are employed in the claims draw their meaning from the use of such terms in the specification. The same terms employed in the prior art may be broader in meaning than specifically employed herein. Whenever there is a question between the broader definition of such terms used in the prior art and the more specific use of the terms herein, the more specific meaning is meant.

While the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is clear that many changes may be made in the details of construction and the arrangement of components without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Such modifications might include, but are not limited to, modifications to the configuration of the sealed cabinet 43 and bailer device 45, location of the gas take-off mechanism 11 on the fluid containment volume 46, or the apparatus or methods for creating a fluid impermeable seal. It is understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein for purposes of exemplification, but is to be limited only by the scope of the attached claim or claims, including the full range of equivalency to which each element thereof is entitled.

The present invention is the method and related apparatus necessary to enclose a bailer

device 45 within the fluid containment volume 46 such that any gas which is produced from a casing can be captured.

Figure 1 shows a bailer device 45 containing the present invention attached to a casing 1. Located within the casing 1 is the water zone 4 with the oil zone 3 floating on top of the water zone 4. The perforations 34 in the casing 1 are also shown. Located at the top of the casing 1 is the well head 2. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1, the sealed cabinet 43 is comprised of three main parts, that is the well head assembly 13, the inlet arm assembly 10 and the lift housing 25. All three of these subassemblies are connectably sealed to one another and to the well head 2 such that they are in fluid communication with one another and form a fluid impermeable compartment called the fluid containment volume 46. If two elements are said to be connectably sealed they are in fluid communication with one another with a fluid impermeable connection. The term"fluid"is to include both gas and liquid phases. The well head assembly 13 has a well head assembly lower opening 17 and a well head assembly upper opening 18. The well head assembly lower opening 17 is connectably sealed to the well head 2. The well head assembly upper opening 18 is connectably sealed to the inlet arm assembly upper opening 19. The inlet arm assembly lower opening 20 is connectably sealed to the lift housing opening 21. If structurally necessary the inlet arm assembly 10 can be supported by one or more inlet arm assembly supports 40. There are many methods which are well known in the art to achieve the fluid impermeable seal between the various parts making up the fluid containment volume 46.

The embodiment of the present invention as shown in Figure 1 shows the lift housing 25 with an access door 41. The access door 41 is constructed such that there is a fluid

impermeable seal between the access door 41 and the lift housing 25. The lift housing 25 is shown mounted on a skid 39. Also mounted on the skid 39 is a resistor 33. The pump and motor 27 is shown mounted on the outside of the lift housing 25 as is the controller 22 and drive mechanism 24. The inner limit switch 29 and the outer limit switch 30 are also shown.

The embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1 shows the reel 23, the drive mechanism 24, the tension pulleys 37, the lower float switch 31 and the upper float switch 32, located within the lift housing 25. The lifting mechanism is comprised of the reel 23, the line 8 and the buclcet-type device 42, all contained within the fluid containment volume 46. The drive mechanism 24 is coupled to the reel 23 to control the rotation of the reel 23 and can be any one of a number of conventional motors including but not limited to, electric, hydraulic or pneumatic either with or without a gearbox. The line 8 has an upper end of line 28 and a lower end of line 35. The upper end of line 28 is attached to the reel 24 such that when the reel is rotated in one direction, the line 8 is wound onto the reel 23.

When the reel 23 is rotated in the opposite direction, the line 8 is unwound from the reel 23.

The lower end of the line 35 is connected to the bucket-type device 42. The present invention should not be limited to a specific type of line. The configuration of the line 8 can take many different forms and can be made of many different types of material, including but not limited to, steel cable, wire rope, cloth webbing, belting, etc.

The gas take-off mechanism 14 as shown in the embodiment of the invention in Figure 1 is comprised of a gas take-off line 11, a pressure switch 44, a compressor 12 and a pressure relief valve 13. The gas take-offline 11 connects the compressor 12 to either the sealed cabinet 43 or the casing 1. Likewise, the pressure switch 44 and the pressure relief

valve 13 can also be located anywhere on the sealed cabinet 43 or the casing 1.

In the embodiment of the invention as shown in Figure 1, the bucket-type device 42 is comprised of a flexible tube 5 with a flexible tube upper end 15 and a flexible tube lower end 16. The flexible tube upper end 15 is open and attached to the lower end of the line 35.

There is a check valve 6 which is mounted in the flexible tube lower end 16. The check valve 6 allows fluid to flow into the flexible tube 5. The weights 7 are also attached to the flexible tube lower end 16.

Oil, water and gas in the formations surrounding the casing 1 migrate through the formations and the casing perforations 34 and into the casing 1. Due to the differences in the density of the water, oil and gas, once in the casing 1 the oil, water and gas segregate such that there is a water zone 4 at the bottom of the casing 1, an oil zone 3 floats on top of the water zone 4. The gas migrates up the casing 1 and into the sealed cabinet 43, such that the gas is contained within the sealed cabinet 43 and the casing 1. The pressure from the formations surrounding the casing 1 and the migration of the oil, gas and water from the surrounding formations into the casing 1 create a positive pressure inside the fluid containment volume 46. Through the present invention the gas can be removed from the fluid containment volume 46 at any pressure through the gas take-off mechanism 14.

However, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is to maintain the pressure inside the fluid containment volume 46 at a range between 1 inch of water column and 10 inches of water column. This is accomplished by use of a pressure switch 44 and a pressure relief valve 13. When the pressure is above the 1 inch of water column, the pressure switch 44 activates the compressor 12. The gas then leaves the fluid containment volume 46 through the gas take-off line 11 where it enters the compressor 12. The gas is then

compressed to a high enough pressure so it can enter a gas gathering line or some other device. If the pressure inside the fluid containment volume 46 exceeds 10 inches of water column or any other pre-determined upper limit of safety, the pressure relief valve 13 will open thus releasing the pressure from the fluid containment volume 46 so that the pressure is lowered into a safe range once again.

With regarding to the production of oil or other liquids from the casing 1, the bailer device 45 in Figure 1 is similar in many respects to other bailer devices commonly used.

The drive mechanism 24 rotates the reel 23 in a direction such that the line 8 is unwound from the reel 23 and across the tension pulleys 37 which help maintain tension on the line 8. The line 8 is strung through the housing opening 21 and through the inlet arm assembly 10 into the well head assembly 9 where it is carried across the plurality well head assembly pulleys 36 and down into the casing 1. As previously mentioned, the bucket-type device 42 is attached to the lower end of line 35 such that when the line 8 is unwinding from the reel 23, the bucket-type device 42 is lowered down the casing 1.

The controller 22 controls the operation of the bailer device 45, including, but not limited to, the pumping of liquids from the liquids reservoir 26, the removal of gas from the fluid containment volume 46 and the decent and assent of the bucket-type device 42. The controller 22 can be any programmable logic controller, other computerized controller or hard wired electrical controls.

In the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1, the drive mechanism 24 is an electric motor. With this embodiment of the present invention the electric motor generates electricity while the bucket-type device 42 is descending the casing 1. This electricity is changed into heat and dissipated across a resistor 33.

Before the bucket-type device 42 enters the oil zone 3 the controller 22 slows the decent of the buclcet-type device 42. Once in the oil zone 3, the unwinding of the line 8 from the reel 23 is stopped so that the entire bucket-type device 42 is contained within the oil zone 3. The oil then enters the flexible tube 5 through the check valve 6 located in the flexible tube lower end 16 and the open flexible tube upper end 15. After the expiration of the predetermined bottom dwell time, the drive mechanism 24 then rotates the reel 23 in the opposite direction, thus winding the line 8 onto the reel 23 at a slow pace. This lifts the bucket-type device 42 containing the oil up the casing 1. Once the bucket-type device 42 is out of the oil zone 3 the controller 22 increases the assent speed of the buclcet-type device 42. The controller 22 then slows the assent speed of the bucket-type device prior to the bucket-type device 42 reaching the well head 2. The bucket-type device 42 is then carried up the casing 1 at the slower assent speed, through the well head assembly 9, across the well head assembly pulleys 3 6 through the inlet arm assembly 10 until the flexible tube upper end 15 contacts the outer limit switch 30 at which time the controller 22 stops the rotation of the reel 23. The oil contained in the bucket-type device 42 then pours out of the flexible tube upper end and into the liquid reservoir 26 found in the bottom of the lift housing 25. If the flexible tube upper end 15 contacts the inner limit switch 29 the controller 22 shuts down the bailer device 45.

In this stopped position, the weight 7 attached to the flexible tube lower end 16 are located either within the casing 1 or directly vertically above it in the well head assembly 9. When the bucket-type device 42 is emptied of the oil, the controller 22 releases the drive mechanism 24 and the weight of the weights pulls the bucket-type device 42 back into the casing 1 to repeat the cycle again.

Once the liquid contained in the liquid reservoir 26 ; whether it is oil, water or other liquids, reaches the lower float switch 31, the motor and pump 27 are turned on for a set period of time. This pumps the liquid out of the liquid reservoir 26 and into adjacent gathering lines or storage tanlcs. If the level of the liquid in the liquid reservoir 26 reaches the upper float switch 32, the bailer device 45 is turned off until the liquid in the liquid reservoir 26 is below the upper float switch 32. This prevents accidental spillage.

Another use of the bailer device 45 as described above would be on a coal seam gas well or other gas well which produces only water and gas. In this application the bailer device 45 would be producing water from the casing 1 instead of oil. In this type of well it is often beneficial and necessary to produce water out of the casing 1. This allows the well to increase its production of gas. In such an application the bucket-type device 42 would carry water from the casing 1 up to the fluid reservoir 26 where the water is stored until it is transferred by the pump and motor 27 to another storage type device or otherwise disposed of.

While this invention has been described to illustrative embodiments, this description is not to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments as well as other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon referencing this disclosure. It is therefore intended that this disclosure encompass any such modifications or embodiments. Due to the mature nature of bailer device market, the configuration of the bailer device 45 and its parts necessary to recover liquids from a well can vary greatly. Therefore, the equivalent elements comprising the sealed cabinet 43 and the fluid containment volume 46 can vary greatly. Likewise the location, apparatus and method of the gas take-off mechanism 14, the specific method or manner in which fluid impermeable seals are created between exterior panels, doors and/ or elements of the fluid containment volume 46 is subject to many different equivalents.