Debris Collection Device with Enhanced Circulation Feature

Abstract

A debris cleanup tool uses an eductor principle to induce flow into a lower end to bring debris into a housing where the debris will either settle out or be screened out and the remaining fluid drawn up into the eductor with motive force for the eductor coming from clean fluid pumped down a tubular string from the surface. The eductor performance is enhanced with a surrounding sleeve on the eductor outlet that directs eductor exhaust flow into an annular passage oriented in a downhole direction. The exterior of the sleeve has passages to allow some of the flow to go uphole while the sleeve wall has ports through it to allow flow in the annular passage to cut through to outside the sleeve for passage uphole or downhole.

1 . A tool for subterranean use, comprising:
 a housing having a passage therethrough;   an eductor located in said passage for inducing fluid circulation through said passage, said eductor having an outlet leading through a wall of said housing;   a turbulence reducing member mounted adjacent said outlet to enhance the ability of said eductor to induce fluid circulation in said passage.   
     
     
         2 . The tool of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said turbulence reducing member extends from said housing to allow said member to serve as a centralizer for said housing.   
     
     
         3 . The tool of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said turbulence reducing member defines an annular passage about said outlet.   
     
     
         4 . The tool of  claim 3 , wherein:
 said annular passage has a closed end and an opposed open end.   
     
     
         5 . The tool of  claim 4 , wherein:
 said outlet is located closer to said closed end than said open end.   
     
     
         6 . The tool of  claim 4 , wherein:
 said turbulence reducing member comprises a sleeve mounted to said housing where said closed end is defined and spaced from said housing at an opposite end to define a flow outlet.   
     
     
         7 . The tool of  claim 6 , wherein:
 said sleeve comprises a wall defining said annular passage, said wall having at least one opening from said annular passage extending therethrough and between said ends.   
     
     
         8 . The tool of  claim 6 , wherein:
 said sleeve comprises a wall defining said annular passage, said wall having an outer surface and at least one groove on said outer surface.   
     
     
         9 . The tool of  claim 8 , wherein:
 said groove is substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of said housing.   
     
     
         10 . The tool of  claim 9 , wherein:
 said groove has a rounded, quadrilateral or triangular shape in section.   
     
     
         11 . The tool of  claim 6 , wherein:
 said sleeve comprises a wall defining said annular passage, said wall having at least one wall passage therethrough that extends longitudinally between said ends of said sleeve.   
     
     
         12 . The tool of  claim 11 , wherein:
 said wall passage has a rounded, quadrilateral or triangular shape in section.   
     
     
         13 . The tool of  claim 8 , wherein:
 said sleeve comprises a wall defining said annular passage, said wall having at least one opening from said annular passage extending therethrough and between said ends.   
     
     
         14 . The tool of  claim 13 , wherein:
 said opening intersects said groove.   
     
     
         15 . The tool of  claim 13 , wherein:
 said opening is offset from said groove.   
     
     
         16 . The tool of  claim 11 , wherein:
 said sleeve comprises a wall defining said annular passage, said wall having at least one opening from said annular passage extending therethrough and between said ends.   
     
     
         17 . The tool of  claim 16 , wherein:
 said opening intersects said passage.   
     
     
         18 . The tool of  claim 17 , wherein:
 said opening is offset from said passage.   
     
     
         19 . The tool of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said eductor draws debris laden fluid into said housing where at least some of said debris is captured.   
     
     
         20 . The tool of  claim 14 , wherein:
 said eductor draws debris laden fluid into said housing where at least some of said debris is captured.