AU592473B2 - Kelly cock - Google Patents

Description

4, 592 '73 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952-62 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Application Number: Lodged: Class Int. GC.o Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority: This document contains the amendments made underi Section 49 and is correct for printing.

LODGED AT SUB-OFFICE 1 4 OCT 1987 Adelaide Reia,ted Art: t I 1.

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Name of Applicant: t Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: t TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLiCANT GEARHART UNITED PTY. LTD.

110 Francis Road, Wingfield, State of South Australia, Commonwealth of Australia JOHN FRANCIS KENNEDY Care of R.K. MADDERN ASSOCIATES, 345 King William Street, Adelaide, State of South Australia, Commonwealth of Australia a; j ,i Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "KELLY COCK" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to -me. us.

&eo i to 0000 a 0 o 00 0 00 000 0, t o 6 0 *,No 00 0 00 0 0.0 0 06 0 0 2 This invention relates to a kelly cock which .is insertable in a fluid flow column for the mining of hydrocarbon fuels.

In the mining of hydrocarbon fuels, fluid will flow through the kelly cock, which is a ball cock contained within a housing in the column, and the fluid will in some instances include mud which is very abrasive, and which causes rapid deterioration of the kelly cock. Furthermore, in many instances the turbulence created by the flow of abrasive particles in fluid which can be water or a mixture thereof, can wash out the seals which surround the cock ball.

Kelly cocks are usually constructed with a number of elements (usually at least 16) and these are 15. conventionally supplied as a kit. However, difficulty is sometimes encountered by semi-skilled labour in assembling such a kit, and one of the objects of this invention is to provide means whereby the kelly cock can be supplied as a sub-assembly which embodies all 20. the elements. Another object is to provide improvements whereby turbulence will be sufficiently reduced to reduce the likelihood of washing out of the seals.

One of the areas of a kelly cock which wears very considerably is the key slot in the ball. It is 25. usual for the ball to be provided with a slot which extends in the diametral plane, and this is engaged by an adaptor having a socket. However, the usage is considerable and quite frequently the wear is such that the cock position is not readily identifiable, and the cock can be only partially open or only partially closed instead of fully open or fully closed respectively, and consequentially damage can occur. Another object of the invention is to provide improvements whereby the rotation of the ball is more positively limited to 1800 i .i

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3 to avoid the consequential maintenance difficulties which are encountered with the excessive wear or damage in prior art assemblies.

With the kelly cocks presently in use, once a cock is damaged or partially blocked, it is necessary for it to be removed from a column and replaced. Another object of this invention is to provide means whereby the amount of useful life can be extended notwithstanding damage which can occur. It will be appreciated by those 1o 0. skilled in the art that most damage will occur in the location of the key slot on the ball.

In an embodiment of this invention, a kelly cock comprises a ball contained between two housing o o members which are themselves retained by a pair of 15. parallel cheek plates, each plate having within it an aperture in which is located that portion of the ball which contains the key slot. There are provided two key slots opposite one another. By this means the entire oo kelly cock can be reversed through 1800 around the 20. central axis of curvature of the cock.

g An embodiment of the invent.ion is described o hereunder in some detail with reference to and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings of which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a kelly cock 25. according to the invention; Fig. 2 is an elevational section through same showing it mounted in a column; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of a cheek plate; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of said cheek plate, and Fig. 5 is a section taken on the plane of Fig. 3.

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4 00 09 ft Oft 00 o 009 Oftb o 009 000 ft 9 90 ft*I ft Oftf 0 09 94g *ft.34* 0 f In this embodiment a kelly cock 10 comprises two end housing members 11 which are located one below and one above a rotatable ball 12 which is rotatable within ring seals 13. To achieve the required rotation, the ball is provided with key slots 14 in opposite sides, one of the key slots 14 being engaged by a rectangular tang 15 on the end of an adaptor 16, which is arranged to be rotatable in an outer mounting 17 as shown in Fig. 2. Each housing has a through flow 10. aperture 18 which is either aligned with a through flow aperture 2-which extends through the ball (when the cock is open), or, upon 900 rotation, is completely misaligned (when the cock is closed). The lower end housing member 11 bears against a shoulder 20 in the lower mounting 17, and there is provided an upper annular member 21 which is a spring loading member, and, when the cock is assembled in a two-part mounting 17, 17a, this transfers a downward force through springs 22 against the upper end housing member 11 so that pressure is applied by those springs to ensure effective sealing of the'O' ring seals 13 against the ball 12. A headed bolt 23 retains the assembly of the upper housing member 11 and the spring loading member 21, and upper side bolts 24 extend through apertures 25 in cheek plates 26 to 25. allow this movement to be effective. The lower bolts 27 anchor the cheek plates 26 with respect to the lower end housing member 11.

As seen best in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4, each cheek plate 26 is provided with a generally rectangular aperture 28, side walls of which the arrest movement of the half radiu4~e projection 29 of the ball 12, and this provides a very positive limitation to rotation which is unlikely to be affected by damage. Since only two of the four projections 29 have a respectiveali6e,

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i 9484 9 0 II i 5 rotatation is limited to 90°, being arrested by the other two angular projections.

Removal of the kelly cock from the housing 17 is easily effected once the adaptor 16 is removed, and the ball is retained by the walls of the aperture 28, but upon removal of the cheek plates 26 the entire assembly can be very quickly and easily worked upon for maintenance purposes.

The invention will be seen to be simple, but a. 10. nevertheless provides an effective long life device which is useful in a column.

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Claims (4)

1. A kelly cock comprising a ball retained for rotation between an upper end housing and a lower end housing, through flow passages in the ball and end housings, a pair of diametrically opposite cheek plates, fasteners joining the ends of the cheek plates to the upper and lower housings such that the cheek plates join o o :the housings, each cheek plate having walls defining a rectangular opening, said ball having a pair of projections extending into respective openings, and key means in o each said projection.

2. A kelly cock according to claim 1 wherein each f l said projection is generally rectangular, having two diagonally opposite corners which are generally angular and the other two opposite corners each having a radius,

5. such that rotation of the ball is limited to 900. 3. A kelly cock according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each said key means comprises a key slot, and further comprising an adaptor releasably engageable with the walls of the key slot. 4. A kelly cock according to any preceding claim wherein each said end housing comprises a seal ring which sealably engages the ball surface. A kelly cock according to claim 4 wherein one of said housings carries on it an annular member, and TTaA is joined thereto by bolts, but compression springs are 7 interposed between the annular member and that said housing, which transfer pressure to the ball seal rings when assembled in a two part mounting.

6. A kelly cock substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. DATED this 14th day of October, 1987. .oa t a b *o a a GEARHART UNITED PTY. LTD. By its Patent Attorneys, R.K. MADDERN ASSOCIATES. alo j