CN114630949A

CN114630949A - Locking device and corresponding method

Info

Publication number: CN114630949A
Application number: CN202080076315.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: M·L·布林克曼; D·B·维伊宁
Original assignee: Itrec BV
Current assignee: Huisman Equipment BV
Priority date: 2019-10-31
Filing date: 2020-10-28
Publication date: 2022-06-14
Also published as: NL2024141B1; WO2021083937A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a locking device comprising: -a first connection member having a threaded section and a first set of n1 teeth; and-a second connection member having a threaded section and a second set of n2 teeth, wherein, after factorization of n1 and n2, n1 and n2 have a non-common factor greater than 1, wherein the locking device further comprises a single fixed diameter locking ring, wherein the locking ring comprises a third set of teeth and a fourth set of teeth configured to cooperate with the first set of teeth and the second set of teeth, respectively, and wherein the locking ring is movable in an axial direction of the connection member between a release position in which the second set of teeth is disengaged from the fourth set of teeth and a locking position in which the first set of teeth and the second set of teeth are engaged with the third set of teeth and the fourth set of teeth, respectively.

Description

Locking device and corresponding method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a locking device for locking the rotational position of a first connection member relative to a second connection member, such as is often required as part of onshore or offshore wellbore related activities during drilling operations.

Background

Drilling equipment typically comprises a top drive including one or more top drive motors, such as electric top drive motors, and a rotary stem extending along a firing line and driven by the one or more motors to impart rotary motion to a drill string when connected to the top drive. The connection between the top drive motor and the rotary rod and/or between the rotary rod and the drill string may benefit from the locking means, particularly where the connection is made using a first connection member having one of an internal threaded section and an external threaded section, and a second connection member having the other of an internal threaded section and an external threaded section to mate with the threaded section of the first connection member.

The locking means prevents the connection from being accidentally loosened, in particular when the applied torque is in the loosening direction of the thread segments for connecting the first and second connection members.

A prior art locking device is disclosed in EP1664477a1, wherein the locking device comprises two separate locking rings which engage each other by means of corresponding teeth and grooves on their first side. Each of the two locking rings has a different number of teeth and grooves on the second side. The two second sides facing the connecting member are formed to engage a corresponding number of grooves and teeth formed on the shoulders of the opposite sides of the connecting member after the locking rings are separated in the axial direction, while maintaining engagement between the first and second locking rings.

Although the locking arrangement of EP1664477a1 has the advantage that the locking rings do not have to extend radially relative to the connecting members, it has the disadvantage that two locking rings and the resulting three connections, i.e. the connection of each locking ring with the corresponding connecting member and the connection between two locking rings, are used. This not only results in a design challenge of providing a sufficiently strong connection between all components, but also a design challenge of keeping the two locking rings apart to maintain the locking engagement.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a locking device which is easy to design and use.

According to the present invention, there is provided a lock device including:

-a first connecting member having one of an internally threaded section and an externally threaded section and comprising a first set of teeth having a full gear tooth count n 1; and

a second connection member having the other of an internally threaded section or an externally threaded section for cooperation with the threaded section of the first connection member for connecting the first connection member to the second connection member, and the second connection member comprising a second set of teeth having a full number of gear teeth n2,

wherein n1 and n2 have a non-common factor greater than 1 after factorization of n1 and n2,

wherein the locking device further comprises a single locking ring of fixed diameter,

wherein the locking ring includes a third set of teeth configured to mate with the first set of teeth and a fourth set of teeth configured to mate with the second set of teeth,

and wherein, at least with the first connection member connected to the second connection member, the locking ring is movable in an axial direction of the first connection member and the second connection member between a release position in which the second set of teeth is disengaged from the fourth set of teeth to allow rotation of the first connection member relative to the second connection member and a locking position in which the first set of teeth is engaged with the third set of teeth and the second set of teeth is engaged with the fourth set of teeth to lock the rotational position of the first connection member relative to the second connection member.

It should be noted that any of the first through fourth sets of teeth may be formed from one or more gear segments and, therefore, do not form a complete gear. In order to avoid distinguishing the case of a set of teeth forming one complete gear from the case of a set of teeth formed by one or more gear segments, the concept of a complete gear tooth number is introduced, which refers to the number of teeth of the complete gear defined by a set of teeth. When a set of teeth has formed a complete gear, the number of complete gear teeth is equal to the number of actual teeth in the set of teeth. When a set of teeth forms part of a complete gear, the complete number of teeth will be higher than the actual number of teeth in the set.

Preferably, the first and second sets of teeth form a complete gear. An advantage of this may be that it is easier to determine which tooth of the first set of teeth is substantially aligned with another tooth of the second set of teeth, which may be useful for correctly orienting the locking ring to move the locking ring towards the locking position, as will be explained in more detail below.

An advantage of the locking device according to the invention is that only a single locking ring of fixed diameter is used, resulting in only two connections, i.e. the connection between the locking ring and the first and second connecting members, and that the locking requires only a movement of the locking ring relative to the connecting members. This results in less design challenges and easier use of the locking device.

The use of the complete number of gear teeth n1 and n2 has the advantage that the number of lockable orientations of the first connection member relative to the second connection member is increased and is higher than the maximum values of n1 and n2, wherein n1 and n2 have a non-common factor of more than 1 after factorization of n1 and n 2. Table 1 below provides examples of some suitable combinations of n1 and n 2.

Table 1: examples of suitable combinations of full gear tooth count n1 and full gear tooth count n2

In the above example, n1 is always greater than n2, but this need not be the case, e.g., when n1 and n2 are swapped, n2 is greater than n1, and the same applies. It is explicitly pointed out here that the fact that the number n1 differs from n2 is not sufficient to result in a larger number of lockable orientations. For example, when one of the numbers is a multiple of the other, e.g., n1 is 6 and n2 is 3 (i.e., n 1-2 × n2), the resulting number of lockable orientations is equal to the maximum of n1, n2, and thus in this example is 6(n 1).

As can be seen from the example in table 1, after the factorization of n1 and n2, the complete number of gear teeth n1 and the complete number of gear teeth n2 without any common factor other than 1 can preferably be selected. It is true, for example, when one of n1 and n2 is a prime number and the other of n1 and n2 is not a multiple of the prime number. The number of lockable orientations is then n1 × n 2. The greater the number of lockable orientations, the less the mutual rotational orientation between the first and second connection members needs to be adjusted, thereby allowing the locking ring to lock the rotational position of the first connection member relative to the second connection member, i.e. the locked mutual rotational orientation.

In one embodiment, one of the complete gear tooth counts n1 and n2 is 56 and the other of the complete gear tooth counts n1 and n2 is 55.

In one embodiment, the first set of teeth is disengaged from the third set of teeth in the release position. This has the advantage that the locking ring can be rotated relative to the first and second connecting members, thereby allowing the orientation of the locking ring to be adjusted to the mutual orientation between the first and second connecting members, and thereby allowing the locking ring to lock the rotational position, preferably without adjusting the mutual orientation between the first and second connecting members.

In one embodiment, the third set of teeth has a complete gear tooth count n3, which is equal to a complete gear tooth count n 1.

In one embodiment, the fourth set of teeth has a complete gear tooth count n4, which is equal to a complete gear tooth count n 2.

In one embodiment, the teeth extend axially parallel to the longitudinal axis on an exterior of the respective connecting member and extend radially outward from the respective connecting member from a root to a tip.

In one embodiment, the locking device comprises a retaining member to retain the locking ring in the release position or the locking position. Preferably, the retaining member engages with the first and/or second set of teeth to retain the position of the locking ring.

In one embodiment, the locking ring comprises a first seat and a second seat, for example in the form of holes, configured to accommodate the retaining member, wherein the locking ring is held in the release position with the retaining member accommodated in the first seat, and wherein the locking ring is held in the locking position with the retaining member accommodated in the second seat.

In one embodiment, the third set of teeth cannot pass through the second set of teeth, such that engagement of the third set of teeth with the second set of teeth may additionally or alternatively retain the locking ring in the locked position.

In one embodiment, the first seat is disposed between the third and fourth sets of teeth and the second seat is disposed on an opposite side of the fourth set of teeth.

In one embodiment, the locking ring is provided with a visual indication of the mutual rotational orientation of the third and fourth sets of teeth, for example a line indicating the position at which the teeth of the third set of teeth are aligned with the teeth of the fourth set of teeth.

By way of illustration, the mating of one set of teeth with another set of teeth and the locking of the rotational positions of the first and second connecting members may allow some movement between the respective parts due to backlash, which is common for mating of teeth. Alternatively, the backlash may be defined as at most 0.1 times the circumferential pitch of the respective set of teeth, preferably at most 0.05 times the circumferential pitch, more preferably at most 0.02 times the circumferential pitch, most preferably at most 0.01 times the circumferential pitch.

The invention also relates to a method for connecting and locking a first connecting member and a second connecting member of a locking device according to the invention, wherein the method comprises the following steps:

a) connecting the first connection member to the second connection member by mating the corresponding threaded segments; and

b) the locking ring is moved from the release position to the locking position.

In one embodiment, the locking ring is rotated into a lockable orientation prior to moving the lock into the locked position. Preferably, the locking ring is provided with a visual indication of the mutual rotational orientation of the third and fourth sets of teeth, for example a line indicating the position at which the teeth of the third set of teeth are aligned with the teeth of the fourth set of teeth, wherein the method comprises aligning the visual indication on the locking ring with the first and second sets of teeth, for example by aligning the line on the locking ring with the teeth of the first set of teeth that are aligned with the teeth of the second set of teeth.

In one embodiment, a retaining member is provided to retain the locking ring in the release position, wherein the method comprises the step of removing the retaining member prior to moving the locking ring to the locking position. Preferably, the retaining member is removed from the first seat.

In one embodiment, the method comprises the step of providing a retaining member to maintain the locked state in the locking position after moving the locking ring to the locking position. Preferably, the retaining member is disposed in the second seat.

Drawings

The present invention will now be described in a non-limiting manner with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like reference numerals, and wherein:

fig. 1 schematically depicts a locking device according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the first and second connection members are in a disconnected state and at a distance from each other;

FIG. 2 schematically depicts the locking device of FIG. 1, wherein the first connecting member is inserted into the second connecting member;

fig. 3 schematically depicts the locking device of fig. 2, wherein the threaded section of the first connection member cooperates with the threaded section of the second connection member;

FIG. 4 schematically depicts the locking device of FIG. 3, wherein the first and second connecting members are securely connected therebetween;

FIG. 5 schematically depicts the locking device of FIG. 4 after aligning the locking ring with the sets of teeth on the first and second connecting members;

FIG. 6 schematically depicts the locking device of FIG. 5 after removal of the locking ring retaining bolt;

FIG. 7 schematically depicts the locking device of FIG. 6 after moving the locking ring from the release position to the locking position;

FIG. 8 schematically depicts the locking device of FIG. 7 before the locking ring retains the bolt in;

FIG. 9 schematically depicts the locking device of FIG. 8 after the locking ring retains the bolt in; and

figure 10 schematically depicts a cross-sectional view of the locking device, wherein the right side of the figure corresponds to the locking position of the locking ring as shown in figures 7 to 9 and the left side of the figure corresponds to the release position of the locking ring as shown in figures 5 and 6.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 to 10 schematically depict a locking device LA according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the respective figures indicate different steps of connecting and locking the first connection member CM1 and the second connection member CM2 to each other, or, if viewed in reverse order, releasing and disconnecting the first and second connection members CM1, CM 2.

First connection member CM1 includes an externally threaded section MTS and second connection member CM2 includes an internally threaded section FTS to mate with the externally threaded section MTS, as will be explained below with reference to fig. 1-4. As shown in fig. 1, the male threaded section MTS and/or the female threaded section FTS are preferably tapered. This has the advantage that it is easier to align the first and second connecting members CM1, CM 2.

In fig. 1, first and second connection members CM1, CM2 are disposed at a distance from each other, and a longitudinal axis LA1 of first connection member CM1 is substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis LA2 of second connection member CM2, thereby allowing insertion of the male threaded section MTS into the female threaded section FTS when the first and second connection members CM1, CM2 are moved relative to each other in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axes LA1, LA2 of first and second connection members CM1, CM 2. Preferably, the longitudinal axes LA1, LA2 coincide.

In fig. 2, the above-mentioned relative movement of inserting the male thread section MTS into the female thread section FTS has taken place, the male thread section MTS and the female thread section FTS being in contact or almost in contact with each other without fitting each other, which means that in this position the male thread section MTS can still be retracted from the female thread section. If there is an initial misalignment in the case of fig. 1, contact (unmating) may align the first and second connection members CM1, CM2 with each other.

In fig. 3, first connection member CM1 has been rotated relative to second connection member CM2 about longitudinal axis LA1 as shown by arrow a1 such that male threaded section MST and female threaded section FST mate, meaning that male threaded section MTS cannot be retracted any further without first being rotated in the opposite direction to arrow a 1. The rotation between fig. 2 and 3 that causes the threaded segments to mate may alternatively be referred to as threading the male threaded segment into the female threaded segment or threading the female threaded segment onto the male threaded segment. It is explicitly pointed out here that due to the threaded connection of the thread segments they also approach each other in the axial direction.

Fig. 3 depicts the case where the first connection member CM1 may be rotated further in direction a1 or may be rotated in the opposite direction. Fig. 4 depicts the case where the first connection member CM1 has been rotated further in direction a1 until no further rotation is possible. The case of fig. 3 may be considered as a connected state of the first and second connecting members, and the case of fig. 4 may be considered as a connected and fastened state of the first and second connecting members.

The connection between the first and second connection members may be used in many different applications, for example, to transfer rotary motion from a rotary rod of a top drive motor of a drilling apparatus to a drill pipe. When the transmitted rotational movement is in the direction of arrow a1, the tightened state of the threaded connection will ensure that the rotational movement is easily transmitted. However, when the transmitted rotational motion is in the opposite direction to arrow a1, it may happen that the threaded connection between the first and second connection members is loosened unexpectedly to become the state shown in fig. 3 or even fig. 2. To prevent this, the locking means LA comprise measures to lock the rotational position of the first and second connection members independently of the connection provided by the male and female threaded sections, as will be explained in more detail below.

The first connecting member CM1 includes a first set S1 teeth T1 having a full gear tooth count n 1. Only a few teeth T1 are indicated using the reference T1 to maintain clarity of the drawing. The second connecting member CM2 includes a second set S2 teeth T2 having a full gear tooth count n 2. Likewise, only a few teeth T2 are indicated using the reference numeral T2 to maintain clarity of the drawing.

Teeth T1 and T2 each extend axially parallel to longitudinal axes LA1, LA2 on the exterior of the respective connecting member CM1, CM 2. The teeth T1 and T2 extend radially outward from the respective connecting members CM1, CM2 from the root to the tip.

The first and second sets of S1, S2 teeth T1, T2 form complete gearwheels arranged adjacent to each other when the first and second connecting members CM1, CM2 are in the connected and fastened state as shown in fig. 4. Providing a full gear means that no teeth are omitted and therefore the number of actual teeth T1, T2 is equal to the full number of gear teeth n1, n2, respectively. However, the first and second sets S1 and S2 may also be formed of one or more gear segments that do not form a complete gear, but are arranged in a manner similar to a complete gear, and thus a complete gear tooth count refers to the number of teeth that would occur if the missing teeth between one or more gear segments were filled to complete the gear.

The locking device LA further comprises a single, fixed diameter locking ring LR. As shown in FIG. 10, the locking ring LR is provided with a third set S3 of teeth T3 and a fourth set S4 of teeth T4, the third set S3 of teeth T3 being configured to mate with the first set S1 of teeth T1, and the fourth set S4 of teeth T4 being configured to mate with the second set S2 of teeth T2.

In this embodiment, the third and fourth sets S3, S4 of teeth T3, T4 form complete gearwheels arranged adjacent to one another, each having a complete number of gear teeth n3, n4, wherein preferably n1 ═ n3 and n2 ═ n 4. Also, as described above for the first and second sets S1 and S2, it is contemplated that the third and fourth sets S3 and S4 are formed from one or more gear segments.

When the third set of S3 tines T3 is engaged with the first set of S1 tines T1, while the fourth set of S4 tines T4 is engaged with the second set of S2 tines T2, the rotational position of first connection member CM1 relative to second connection member CM2 is locked. Such a rotational position may alternatively be referred to as a lockable orientation.

After factorization of n1 and n2, the full gear tooth counts n1 and n2 have a non-common factor greater than 1, such that the number of lockable orientations of first connection member CM1 relative to the second connection member is increased and above the maximum values of n1 and n 2.

The locking ring LR is further movable in the axial direction of the first and second connecting members CM1, CM2 (i.e. parallel to the longitudinal axes LA1, LA2 of the first and second connecting members CM1, CM 2) between a release position, in which the teeth T3, T4 of the locking ring LR are disengaged from the teeth T1, T2 on the first and second connecting members CM1, CM2, and a locking position, in which the teeth T3, T4 are engaged with the teeth T1, T2, respectively. While only teeth T4 need be disengaged from teeth T2 from the locked condition to the released condition, an advantage of disengaging teeth T3 from teeth T1 is that the locking ring LR is free to rotate relative to first and second connecting members CM1, CM 2.

The locking ring LR is further provided with an upper bore UH and a lower bore LH extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis LA1 of the first connecting member CM 1. Upper bore UH extends between the third and fourth sets of S3 and T3, S4 and T4 tines, while lower bore LH extends on the opposite side of the fourth set of S4 and T4 tines. The upper and lower bores UH, LH are configured to receive a retaining member RM, in this case in the form of a bolt.

When the retaining member RM is received in the upper bore UH, the locking ring LR cannot pass through the first set of S1 teeth T1 on the first connecting member CM1 and is therefore retained in the released position. This is illustrated in fig. 1 to 5 and on the left side of fig. 10.

When the retaining member RM is received in the lower hole LH, the locking ring LR cannot pass through the second set of S2 teeth T2 on the second connecting member CM2 and thus remains in the locked position. This situation is shown on the right side of fig. 9 and 10.

As can be clearly seen in fig. 10, the different sets of teeth are arranged at different distances from the longitudinal axes LA1, LA 2. The first set S1 is disposed at a distance D1, the second set S2 is disposed at a distance D2, the third set S3 is disposed at a distance D3, and the fourth set S4 is disposed at a distance D4. In order for the third set S3 to mate with the first set S1, D1 needs to be larger than D3. In order for the fourth set of S4 to mate with the second set of S2, D2 needs to be larger than D4. In order to disengage the fourth set S4 from the second set S2 without engaging the first set S1, D4 needs to be larger than D1. Therefore, the following may apply: d3< D1< D4< D2. As a result, the third group S3 cannot pass through the second group S2 on the second connection member CM2, which will also cause the lock ring LR to be held in the lock position.

The third and fourth sets S3 and S4 have a fixed mutual rotational orientation. This fixed mutual rotational orientation may be indicated on the outside of the locking ring LR, in this example line LI, which may for example indicate the position where the teeth T3 are aligned with the teeth T4. As shown in fig. 5 for the illustrated embodiment, this allows the locking ring LR to be rotated relative to the first and second connecting members CM1, CM2 to match the mutual rotational orientation of the first and second sets S1, S2, for example by finding the teeth T1 that are aligned with the teeth T2 and positioning line L1 at these teeth. Due to the matching rotational orientation, the third set S3 can engage with the first set S1 while the fourth set S4 can engage with the second set S2.

However, prior to engagement, as shown in FIG. 6, the retaining member RM needs to be removed from the upper bore UH. This allows the locking ring LR to be moved from the release position in fig. 6 to the locking position as shown in fig. 7. Then, as shown in fig. 8, the retaining member RM is moved toward and accommodated in the lower hole LH, thereby retaining the lock ring LR in the lock position as shown in fig. 9.

Claims

1. A locking device, comprising:

a first connecting member having one of an internally threaded section and an externally threaded section and comprising a first set of teeth having a full gear tooth count n 1; and

a second connecting member having the other of an internally threaded section and an externally threaded section to cooperate with the threaded section of the first connecting member for connecting the first connecting member to the second connecting member, and the second connecting member comprising a second set of teeth having a full gear tooth count n2,

wherein the locking device further comprises a single fixed diameter locking ring,

and wherein the locking ring is movable in the axial direction of the first and second coupling members at least with the first coupling member connected to the second coupling member between a release position in which the second set of teeth is disengaged from the fourth set of teeth to allow rotation of the first coupling member relative to the second coupling member and a locking position in which the first set of teeth is engaged with the third set of teeth and the second set of teeth is engaged with the fourth set of teeth to lock the rotational position of the first coupling member relative to the second coupling member.

2. The locking device of claim 1, wherein the full gear tooth count n1 and the full gear tooth count n2 do not have any common factor other than 1 after factorization of n1 and n 2.

3. The locking device of claim 2, wherein n1 or n2 is a prime number and the other is not a multiple of the prime number.

4. A locking device according to any one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the first set of teeth is disengaged from the third set of teeth in a release position.

5. The locking device of any one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the third set of teeth has a complete number of gear teeth n3, which is equal to a complete number of gear teeth n 1.

6. The locking device of any one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the fourth set of teeth has a complete number of gear teeth n4, which is equal to a complete number of gear teeth n 2.

7. The locking device of claim 1 wherein one of the complete gear tooth counts n1 and n2 is 56 and the other of the complete gear tooth counts n1 and n2 is 55.

8. A locking arrangement according to any one or more of the preceding claims, further comprising a retaining member to retain the locking ring in a released or locked position.

9. The locking device of claim 8, wherein the retaining member engages the first and/or second set of teeth to retain the position of the locking ring.

10. The locking device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the locking ring comprises a first and a second seat, for example in the form of holes, configured to accommodate the retaining member, the locking ring being held in the release position with the retaining member accommodated in the first seat and in the locking position with the retaining member accommodated in the second seat.

11. The locking device of claim 10, wherein the first seat is disposed between the third and fourth sets of teeth and the second seat is disposed on an opposite side of the fourth set of teeth.

12. A locking arrangement according to any one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the locking ring is provided with a visual indication of the mutual rotational orientation of the third and fourth sets of teeth, for example a line indicating the position at which the teeth of the third set of teeth are aligned with the teeth of the fourth set of teeth.

13. A method for connecting and locking a first and a second connection member of a locking device according to any of the preceding claims, the method comprising the steps of:

a. connecting the first connection member to the second connection member by mating corresponding threaded segments; and

b. moving the locking ring from the release position to the locking position.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the locking ring is rotated into the lockable orientation prior to moving the lock into the locked position.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the locking device is according to claim 11, and wherein the method comprises aligning the visual indication on the locking ring with the first and second sets of teeth, for example by aligning a line on the locking ring with teeth of the first set of teeth that are aligned with teeth of the second set of teeth.

16. A method as claimed in any one or more of claims 12 to 15, wherein a retaining member is provided to retain the locking ring in the release position, the method including the step of removing the retaining member prior to moving the locking ring to the locking position.

17. A method as claimed in any one or more of claims 12 to 16, and including the step of providing a retaining member to retain the locked condition in the locking position after the locking ring has been moved to the locking position.