CA1197412A - Sucker rods, pony rods and production thereof - Google Patents

Sucker rods, pony rods and production thereof

Info

Publication number
CA1197412A
CA1197412A CA000409901A CA409901A CA1197412A CA 1197412 A CA1197412 A CA 1197412A CA 000409901 A CA000409901 A CA 000409901A CA 409901 A CA409901 A CA 409901A CA 1197412 A CA1197412 A CA 1197412A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
rod
sucker
rods
shank
coupling
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000409901A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
John H. North
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
DRILLCON INDUSTRIES Ltd
Original Assignee
DRILLCON INDUSTRIES Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by DRILLCON INDUSTRIES Ltd filed Critical DRILLCON INDUSTRIES Ltd
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1197412A publication Critical patent/CA1197412A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F04POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
    • F04BPOSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS
    • F04B47/00Pumps or pumping installations specially adapted for raising fluids from great depths, e.g. well pumps
    • F04B47/02Pumps or pumping installations specially adapted for raising fluids from great depths, e.g. well pumps the driving mechanisms being situated at ground level
    • F04B47/026Pull rods, full rod component parts
    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21BEARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B17/00Drilling rods or pipes; Flexible drill strings; Kellies; Drill collars; Sucker rods; Cables; Casings; Tubings
    • E21B17/02Couplings; joints
    • E21B17/04Couplings; joints between rod or the like and bit or between rod and rod or the like
    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21BEARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B17/00Drilling rods or pipes; Flexible drill strings; Kellies; Drill collars; Sucker rods; Cables; Casings; Tubings

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Forging (AREA)
  • Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
  • Earth Drilling (AREA)
  • Pressure Welding/Diffusion-Bonding (AREA)

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention relates to sucker rods and pony rods for use in a well. Conventional sucker or pony rods are formed from a single length of rod the ends of which are upset forged, machined, heat treated and cold rolled in order to provide a respective coupling at each end of the rod. The present invention provides many advantages compared with the conventional sucker rods by fabricating the sucker rod from discrete components which are friction forged together. The sucker rod is formed of an elgonate central member having a respective coupling component friction forged to each end thereof. The couplings may comprise a male com-ponent and a female component. The coupling components are each provided with a shank which can be held in the chuck of a friction forging device. The shanks are shaped so as to enable raised lettering to be provided on the shank without the lettering degrading the alignment of the component in the chuck. The central member may be formed from a different material to the coupling components.

Description

7~
230P42857 1, SUCKER RO~S, PONY RODS AND PRODUCTION THEREGF

The present invention relates to sucker rods and pony rods ~or use ill wells. The only difference between a suoker rod and a pony rod is the difference in the1r lengths.

5 In this field of ~echnology pony rods are defined as being up to 2S feet in length, w~th a usual al~hou3h non ~efin~tive lower limit o~ 15 inches9 and sucker rods are defined as being rods of or exceeding 25 feet ln leng~h.

In the fGllowing description, where rePerence is made to a sucker 10 rod it is to be understood thaJc the description al~o appli~s to a pon~y rod, unless ~he context requires otherwise.

Sucker rods are joined together to form a well string which is used for providing the prime movement of a pUltlp loc~ted in a well by interconneoting the pump with sur~ace machinery. The surfaoe 15 machinery imparts a reciprocating movement to the sllcker rods.

Su~:ker rods have been known for rn~ny years and are ccnventlonally fonned from a single length of rod~ The single len~th of rod has its ends upset fo~qged9 machined and cold rolled so as ~o provide cGuplings at the ends of the rud.

20 Conventional sucker rods and the production theneoF include many irlherent dis~dvanta~es and the present inventlon seeks to proYide an improved sucker rod and me~thocl of produc~ion by mitigating at leaat some of the disadvan~ages, as will be appar~nt From ~he 3L~L~'7 ~

following description of embodiments of the present invention, According to a first aspect o~ the present invention there is prsvided a sucker or pony rod for use in a well, comprising an elongate central member having a respective coupling component friction forged to each end thereof~

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a coupling component for use in a sucker or pony rod as set out in the first aspect of the present invention, comprising a coupling portion for retention in a complimentary coupling portion of another coupling component and a shank having a plurality of substantial1y plane surfaces constituting respective circumferential portions of the shank.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing sucker or pony rods comprising friction forging a respective coupling component witn each end of a central elongdte member.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which;

Figure 1, is a diagrammaticJ partly sectioned9 side view of a sucker rod, Figure 2 is ~ diagrammatic side view to an enlarged scale of a coupliny component shown in Figure 1, ~nd, Figure 3 is a diagram~atic end view of the coupling component of Figure 2 and illustrates the retention of the component by the jdWS of ~ chuck.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the sucker or pony rod 1C consists of three distinct components; a c~ntral member 12 a male coupling component 14 and a female coupling component 160 The male coupling component 14 is known as the pin and the fema7e coupling co~ponent is known as the box. The three components are secured together by friction forgingO The pin 14 and box 16 may be sequentially secured to the central member 1~ or, with the aid of suitab1e machinery, may be simu7taneously secured to the central member 12. In either case, the central member lZ is held stationary and the, or both ~oupling components are retained in respective chucks. The chucks are rotated at high speed and the coupling components and central member 12 are brought into contact under the action of a relatiYely high pressure. The friction between the components is sufFicient to cause the components to fuse together~
A certain amount of flash may be produced at the junctions of the eomponen~s and this is subsequently machined off, It has been found possible to produce friction forged adhesion between components wherein the adhesion is stronger than one of the parent materialsO The ends o~ *he central member 12 ma~ be upsat ~orged to p~ovide larger areas ~or adhesion ~ith the pin 14 and base 16 ~hich ~ also be pro~rided ~ith correspondingly increased areas ~or adhssion.

4, ManuPacture of sucker rods 10 in the described manner permits ~any advan~ages as compared wi~h c3nventional sucker rods.

T'ne coupling components are preforned and hence the sucker rods 10 are easi l y constructed wi th di fferen~ cornbi nati ons of coupl i ng components. Sucker rods 10 having pins 14 at both ends, boxes 16 at both ends or the illus~ra~ed pin 14/box 16 confi~ura~ion are readily realised. The correct com~ination of coupllny components merely have to be inserted into the chuck or chucks of ~he fric~ion forging apparatus. Specialised coupling componen~s can be pro\lided~
for example~ in order to effeGt a ohang2 ~rom one diameter of sucker rod to another. The provision of couplings in the conventional manufacture o~ sucker rods ls ~urdensome because the entire rod has to be manipulated and mach;ne con~rolled during forma~ion of ~he couplings. Oonventional manufacture becomes more onerous where specialis2d couplings or combinations are required and the necessary apparatlls is considered to be relatively exDensiYe and slow in operation compared with the method of manufacture of the present inventlon. The length of the sucker ro~ 10 is readily v~riable, since diPferlng len~ths of .~he oenkral member 12 are eas~ly incorporated in~o ~he rost 10~

Since the sucker rods 10 are constructed from separate compone~ts, the components need not consist of ~he same ma~erial unlike conventiGnal sucker rods. The process of frict~on forging enables materials such as aluminiuln and skeel to be joined even though such joints are generally regarded as being unobtainable by known methods of welding. In the known art~ i~ it is desired to provide coup1ings )7~

of a high quality material, then the entire sucker rod must necessarily be formed of ~hat material. The present inYention permits a lower quality material to be used for the major7 central, member and a different material having the requisite qualities to be used for the coupling componen~s. It will often be acceptable to have a central member 12 of the sucker rod 10 fabricated from a different quality material th~n the coupling componentsO This is due to the fact that the coupling components engage with other components, normally by way of threaded portions, and knll be subjected to 10 rotary I;orques during assembly of the rods to form a well string for insertion into the well. The cen~ral members 12 are nok subjected to any substantial rotary torques during assembly into a well string and under normal ~orking conditions the sucker rods 10 are subjected to mainly tensile and compression forces rather ~5 than rotary ~orces. It has been found that the sucker rods 10 of the present invention can surpass the industrial strength standards . specified for sucker rodsO An addi~ional benef;t of forfning the sucker rods 10 of discreet components is that ihe central member 12 can be pretreated, for example~ by being provided with a coating~
20 Such coatings mdy be applied for a specific purpose such as anti-corrosion and.a par~icularly convenient coating may be formed frclll a thermo-setting epoxy resin~, This feature can be of particular benefit when the central member 12 is fabricated of a lower quality material than the coupling components~

Sucker rods 10 of the present invention are economically desirable 7 ~ '`J /q ~

6.
since they may permit the raw ma~erial cost to be reduced and permit the speed of manufacture to be improved. It has been found possible~ using the double ended friction forging techniqllQ, to attach the coupling components to ~he cen~ra1 member 12 in approximately 30 seconds. The combined time for preforming the coupling components and central member and assemb1ing the sucker rod 10 is enhanced with respect to the conventional manufacturing process involving upset forging of the ends of ~he sucker rod.

Improved ali~nment between the axes of the components can accrue from the use of the fric~ion ~orging process~ In known sucker rods a tolerance af 1/64th of an inch in alignment of the axes of the couplings is common. It has been found possible to obtain a repeatable value of 2/lOOOOths of an inch for sueker rods of the present invention. Such an improvement in alignment represents a major potential saving in the cost of well operation. Suck2r rods are often used to a working depth of 1500~ to 25000 feet and the "run out" caused by conventional tolerance standards necessitates frequent well maintenance. The improved tolerances of the sucker rods of the present invention, when multiplied by the number of sucker rods employed in a well string, represents a substantial enhancement of alignment and corresponding reductions in essential maintenance are anticipated.

A pin 14 is shown in Figures 2 and 3~ In order to be suitable for a 1 inch diameter sucker rod, the pin 14 would typically have a length of 6 inches and a maximum diameter of ~ inches. The 7 ~

pin 14 is formed in the required m~terial by drop forging. There are four sections constitutlng the pin 14, sequentially; the threaded stub 18~ collar 20, shank 22 and bull 24~ A thread 19 is cold rolled on the thread stub 18 after the pin 14 has been S heat treated. Collar 20 mates with the end surf~ce 26 of the box 16 (Figure 1) when the thread 19 of the pin 14 is fully engaged with the thread of the box 16~ Bull 24 is similar in sh~pe to that portion of the upset end of a conventional sucker rod which remains after machining of ~he CQUp7 in9 has taken place. The 10 bull ~4 may be omitted or replaced by a s~raigh~ sided portion but if retained it is useful when handling the sucker rods 10 during their assembly into a we71 string.

The shank 22 is an important portion of ~he pin 14. It provides the pl~ne sur~aces of the pin 14 which ~re held by a chuck during friction forging and it is also the portion of the pin 14 on which the rod specifications are loca~ed., The rod specificatiolts are provided in this region of the sucker rod in order to oomply with convention~ ThP rod specifications wou7d typically include~ the grade (quality) of the rod, year of manufaoture, identification of manufacturPr and year o~ manufacture. I~ has been found that the most efficient method of providing the rod specif7cations on the pi~ 14 is by the use of raised let~ering 28 formed during the drop ~orging of ~he pin 140 Stamping the speci~ica~ions onto the pin 14 either before or after Friction forging the pin 14 25 to the central member 12 is uneconon7ic and time oonsuming. I, 8.
the lettering 28 is indented rather than raised, the die used during drop forging is found to become unaccept~bly degraded after approximat21y 500 operations whereas if raised lettering is produced as many as 20000 to 30000 operations can be performed befor2 degradation 5 becomes unacceptable. It is therefore economically desirable to effect the rod spesifica~ions in raised le~tering 28. However, raised lettering will detrimentally effect the accuracy of alignment o~ the pin 14 in a chuck, if the jaws of the chuck engage the letterjng 28. Consequently, the shank 22 has an external configuration 10 wh~ch enables the rod specifications to be provided without effecting alignment of the pin 14 in a chuck.

The friction forging device will typically have a two jaw chuck in which the jaws are spaced apart by 180 and in which the gripping portion of each jaw is formed by two indented surfaces which intersect 15 each other at an angle of 9Q, The jaws are shown by the phantom lines 30 in Figure 3~ The shank 22 has a substantially squar~
transverse cross-section and the gripping surfaces of each iaW
28 enyage two respective sides of the shank 22. In order to provide an area on which the raised lettering 28 of the rod specifications 20 can be located without af,eoting alignmen~ of the pin 14 in the chuck, the deslred aumber of corners of the square cross section of the shank 22 are truncated. The truncated corners 32 provide an area having a width of 3/16ths of an inch and two such areas will usually be suf~icient to contain the rod specifications.
25 The rem~ining corners of the cross-sec~ion of -the shank 22 are rounded. If the truncated corners 32 arP positioned between the jaws 309 the gripping surfaces of the jaws 3Q engage the flat sides of the shank 22 and the raised lettering 28 proYided on the truncated corner 32 is not contacted by the chuck jaws 30.
Hence, the selection of corners to be gripped is not cri~ical~

The provision of truncated corners 32 on which the rod specifications are presented enables the pin 14 to be gripped by a four Jaw chuck in a corresponding manner to that desoribed for a two jaw chuck w~thout da~aging the letterin~ 28. The truncated corner system can be applied to other rectilinear external configurations of ~he shank 22 in order to seoure the same advantage.

The box 16 is formed in a si~ilar fashion to the pin 14 and in part;cular~ the box 16 is proYided with a shank 34 corresponding to the shank 72 of the pin 14.

Claims (13)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION TO WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR
PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A sucker or pony rod to impart reciprocating movement to a pump located in a well comprising: a pair of threaded connectors, each connector comprising a threaded portion, a wrench engaging shank; and a tapered section, each said connector being of unitary constuction for transmitting rotary torque for securing a connector on a first rod to a connector on a second rod to form a string of rods; an elongated central rod member; and weld means securing said tapered portions of said connectors to opposite ends of said central rod member such that said weld means at opposite ends of said central rod member is not subjected to any substantial rotary torque during interconnection between connectors on opposite ends of adjacent rods.
2. A sucker or pony rod as claimed in Claim 1 at least one of said threaded connectors comprising stainless steel and said central rod comprising a dissimilar material.
3. A sucker rod as claimed in Claim 2 with the addition of a coating on the rod of dissimilar material and on a portion of each threaded connector.
4. A sucker or pony rod as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the coating is in the form of a thermo-setting epoxy resin.
5. A coupling component for use in a sucker or pony rod as claimed in claim 1, comprising a coupling portion for retention in a complementary coupling portion of another coupling component and a shank having a plurality of substantially plane surfaces constituting respective circumferential portions of the shank wherein the planes containing the substantially plane surfaces intersect at substantially 90° and wherein two of the substantially plane surfaces are interconnected by a surface having alpha-numeric characters provided thereon.
6. A coupling component as claimed in claim 5, wherein the alpha-numeric characters project from the shank above the level of the surface on which they are provided.
7. A sucker or pony rod for use in a well, comprising an elongate central member and two coupling components, the coupling components being friction forged to respective ends of the elongate central member, wherein at least one of said coupling components comprises a coupling portion for retention in a complementary coupling portion of another coupling compnent and a shank having a plurality of substantially plane surfaces constituting respective circumferential portions of the shank, wherein the planes containing the substantially plane surfaces intersect at substantially 90°, and wherein two of the substantially plane surfaces are interconnected by a surface having alpha-numeric characters provided thereon.
8. A method of making sucker rods adapted to be secured end to end by threaded connectors to form a well string for providing reciprocating prime movement of a pump located in a well, comprising the steps of:
positioning couplings of unitary construction having a threaded portion, a flat wrench engaging shank, and a tapered bull in engagement with opposite ends of a rod;
and rotating the couplings relative to the rod to friction weld the tapered bulls on the couplings to opposite ends of the rod such that couplings on adjacent sucker rods may be threadedly secured together without transmission of torque through the welds.
9. The method of Claim 8 wherein the step of positioning couplings in engagement with opposite ends of a rod comprises positioning the couplings in engagement with a rod of dissimilar material.
10. The method of Claim 9 wherein the rod has a unifrom cross-section along the length of the rod.
11. The method of Claim 10, the rod being constructed of aluminium.
12. The method of Claim 9 with the addition of the step of applying a coating of epoxy resin to cover the rod of dissimilar material and a portion of each of the couplings.
13. A method as claimed in claim 8 comprising the step of pre-forming at least one of the couplings by drop forging and including the step of cold rolling a thread on the coupling subsequent to drop forging and prior to friction forging.
CA000409901A 1981-08-24 1982-08-23 Sucker rods, pony rods and production thereof Expired CA1197412A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08125760A GB2104936B (en) 1981-08-24 1981-08-24 Sucker rods, pony rods and production thereof
GB8125760 1981-08-24

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1197412A true CA1197412A (en) 1985-12-03

Family

ID=10524136

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000409901A Expired CA1197412A (en) 1981-08-24 1982-08-23 Sucker rods, pony rods and production thereof

Country Status (8)

Country Link
JP (1) JPS5862284A (en)
AU (1) AU561534B2 (en)
BR (1) BR8204951A (en)
CA (1) CA1197412A (en)
ES (1) ES515226A0 (en)
GB (1) GB2104936B (en)
IE (1) IE53115B1 (en)
IN (1) IN157571B (en)

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0145154A1 (en) * 1983-10-05 1985-06-19 Texas Forge & Tool Limited Improvements in or relating to rods
DE3590880C2 (en) * 1985-11-26 1989-02-23 Azerbajdzanskij Ni Skij I Pki Process for the manufacture of pump rods
AT391914B (en) * 1985-11-26 1990-12-27 Azerb Nii METHOD FOR PRODUCING PUMP RODS CONSISTING OF A ROD AND END HEADS
US5088638A (en) * 1985-11-26 1992-02-18 Karaev Islam K O Method for making sucker rods
CN103089166A (en) * 2013-02-22 2013-05-08 李汉余 Sucker rod connector
DE102018124781A1 (en) * 2018-10-08 2020-04-09 Avl List Gmbh Assembly method for joining the telescopic rod part of a VCR connecting rod

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BR8204951A (en) 1983-08-02
IE53115B1 (en) 1988-06-22
ES8308388A1 (en) 1983-08-16
AU8754082A (en) 1983-03-03
IE822033L (en) 1983-02-24
GB2104936B (en) 1985-11-13
GB2104936A (en) 1983-03-16
JPS5862284A (en) 1983-04-13
IN157571B (en) 1986-04-26
AU561534B2 (en) 1987-05-14
ES515226A0 (en) 1983-08-16

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