Ball injecting apparatus for wellbore operations with external loading port

Abstract

A ball injecting apparatus for releasing balls into a well comprises a housing adapted to be supported by a wellhead structure, the housing having an axial bore therethrough, said axial bore being in fluid communication and aligned with the wellbore, at least one ball housing having a radial bore extending away from the axial bore, a ball ram block movable along the radial bore and having a plurality of chambers, each for storing a ball therein or for releasing a ball therefrom, an actuator for moving the ball ram block along the radial bore and an external port on the ball housing for providing access to the ball ram block and the plurality of chambers.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is being claimed are defined as follows: 
     
         1 . A ball injecting apparatus for releasing balls into a well having a wellhead structure and wellbore comprising:
 a main housing adapted to be supported by the wellhead structure, the main housing having an axial bore therethrough, said axial bore being in fluid communication and aligned with the wellbore;   at least one ball housing having a radial bore extending radially away from the axial bore and in fluid communication therewith;   for each ball housing, a ball ram block movable along the radial bore, the ball ram block having a plurality of chambers, each for storing a ball therein or releasing a ball therefrom;   for each ram block, an actuator for moving the ball ram block along the radial bore for operably aligning each of said plurality of chambers with the axial bore, as may be desired, for releasing a stored ball therein into said axial bore and operably misaligning said ball ram block from the axial bore for clearing the axial bore; and   an external port on said ball housing for providing access to the ball ram block and each of the plurality of chambers.   
     
     
         2 . The ball injecting apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the external port further comprises:
 a passage through the ball housing to guide a ball into each of the plurality of chambers when said ram ball block is in a misaligned position; and   means to selectively seal the external port so as to retain fluid pressure in the ball housing or so as to provide access to each of the plurality of chambers.   
     
     
         3 . The ball injecting apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the external port has a distal end and the means to selectively seal the external port comprises a closing member that is removably, sealably secured at said distal end. 
     
     
         4 . The ball injecting apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the closing member comprises a plug sealably secured at the distal end by means of a quick release union. 
     
     
         5 . The ball injecting apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the quick release union is a hammer union. 
     
     
         6 . The ball injecting apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the passage is oriented at an angle anywhere between 10 to 80 degrees up from the horizontal plane. 
     
     
         7 . The ball injecting apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of chambers comprises entrance and exit openings of sufficient dimensions to provide sufficient clearance to a ball to allow said ball to enter or exit easily through either of said entrance or exit opening. 
     
     
         8 . The ball injecting apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising an electronic position sensor for each actuator to provide confirmation of alignment of any of the plurality of chambers of the ball ram block with the axial bore. 
     
     
         9 . The ball injecting apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one ram block receiving housing having a second radial bore, said ram block receiving housing oriented along the axial bore at substantially 180 degrees opposite to said at least one ball housing and of such dimensions so that a ram block can be at least partially received within the second radial bore. 
     
     
         10 . The ball injecting apparatus of  claim 9 , further comprising comprises a spring-biased radial bore cap within said second radial bore, said radial bore cap normally biased outward so as to align substantially with the wall of axial bore. 
     
     
         11 . The ball injecting apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a plurality of ball housings arranged into at least one radial ball array. 
     
     
         12 . The ball injecting apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the actuator is a telescoping actuator. 
     
     
         13 . A ball injecting apparatus for releasing balls into a well having a wellhead structure and wellbore comprising:
 a main housing adapted to be supported by the wellhead structure, the main housing having an axial bore therethrough, said axial bore being in fluid communication and aligned with the wellbore;   at least one ball housing having a first radial bore extending radially away from the axial bore and in fluid communication therewith;   for each ball housing, a ball ram block movable along the radial bore, the ball ram block having a plurality of chambers, each for storing a ball therein or releasing a ball therefrom;   at least one ram block receiving housing having a second radial bore extending radially away from the axial bore and in fluid communication therewith, said ram block receiving housing oriented along the axial bore at substantially 180 degrees opposite to said at least one ball housing and of such dimensions so that the ram block can be at least partially received within the second radial bore; and   for each ram block, a telescoping actuator for moving the ball ram block along the radial bore for operably aligning each of said plurality of chambers with the axial bore, as may be desired, for releasing a stored ball therein into said axial bore and operably misaligning said ball ram block from the axial bore for clearing the axial bore;   wherein each of said plurality of chambers comprise entrance and exit openings of sufficient dimensions to provide sufficient clearance to a ball to allow said ball to enter or exit easily through either of said entrance or exit opening.   
     
     
         14 . A ball housing with actuator assembly for use with a ball injecting apparatus, said ball injecting apparatus for releasing balls into a well having a wellhead structure and wellbore and having a main housing adapted to be supported by the wellhead structure, the main housing having an axial bore therethrough, said axial bore being in fluid communication and aligned with the wellbore, the ball housing assembly comprising:
 a radial bore extending radially away from the axial bore and in fluid communication therewith;   a ball ram block movable along the radial bore, the ball ram block having a plurality of chambers, each for storing a ball therein or releasing a ball therefrom;   a telescoping actuator for moving the ball ram block along the radial bore for operably aligning each of said plurality of chambers with the axial bore, as may be desired, for releasing a stored ball therein into said axial bore and operably misaligning said ball ram block from the axial bore for clearing the axial bore; and   an external port on said ball housing for providing access to the ball ram block and the plurality of chambers.   
     
     
         15 . The ball injecting apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the telescoping actuator has an internal telescoping mechanism. 
     
     
         16 . The ball injecting apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the telescoping actuator has an external telescoping mechanism.