Jet mixer for oilfield cement slurry with a divergent liquid stream

• Main Authors: EDWARD K LEUGEMORS, WILLIAM R MCINTYRE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 18.10.2000
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: EARTH DRILLING; EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; MINING; MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING, DISPERSING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR ASLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PREPARING CLAY; PRODUCING MIXTURES CONTAINING CLAY OR CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL,e.g. PLASTER; TRANSPORTING; WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE

A jet mixer comprises a liquid stream spray nozzle 61; a mixing zone in front of the nozzle 61 where liquid from the nozzle contacts cement supplied from a hopper input 63; and a discharge barrel 62. To reduce build-up of caked cement (bridging) caused by splashback of slurry and blowback of air (see figure 1 and 2) around the mixing zone and hopper input 63, the liquid from the nozzle 61 has a divergent stream so that it fills the barrel 62 before it reaches the end distal to the nozzle 61. An annular water flow (106, figure 7) may also be provided from an annulus around the nozzle to further mix with the slurry 107. Further embodiments include a barrel which is divergent (figure 6) or the inclusion of inserts (50, figure 3, and 71, 72 figure 5) in the barrel.