US1076515A - Rotary drill. - Google Patents

Description

L. A. OWENS.

ROTARY DRILL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1912.

r F t t i AZ 2 /6 3 B Z Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

LUTHER A. OWENS, OF FELLOWS, CALIFORNIA.

ROTARY DRILL.

owers.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 211, i913.

Application filed November 29, 1912, Serial No. 734,100. 1

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUTHER A. OWENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fellows, in the county of Kern and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rotary Drills, of which the following is a specification. i

i This invention relates to rotary drills, and more particularly to rotary drills for producing deep wells, in which operation a drilling device with suitable bits is actuated to produce the hole by and through the agency of a drill pipe or string which is rotated at the surface through a rotation-imparting mechanism, such as the rotary top commonly employed at the present time. In usual practice the upper end of the drill pipe is connected with the lower end of a swivel stem which in turn is mounted for rotation upon a swlvel cross head suspended above the hole by the over-head rig or hoist,

and permitting the rotation of the drill pipe or string as above referred to. Breakage frequently occurs at the swivel stem or the point of connection between the same and the drill pipe. The drill pipe and the entire drilling string is then allowed to fall, stoppin u the hole and reventing further 7 r: P P

drilling until the obstruction has been ,-:;-ared away, which involves'great loss of time and money coupled frequently with extensive damage. In order to obviate the pos sibility of such fracture or breakage under torsion, I provide means acting to sustain and hold up the drill pipeand the whole drilling string upon the failure of the swivel stem or its conn "tion with the,(lrill pipe. This means is normally inactive and does not interfere with or affect the rotation of the drill pipe and string, but immediately acts and becomes effective upon the breakage or failure to act as specified. By the employment of such means, which may be defined as safety means, all of the damage and loss attendant upon breakage or failure of the swivel stem and the consequent dropping of the drilling string is obviated, and the drilling operation may he proceeded with with assurance of absence of any possibility of such loss or damage.

The invention has for its object to provide improved safety means of the general nature stated, or an improved organization of rotary drill mechanism inclusive of or sup plemented by such safety means, which will be superior in point of relative simplicity and inexpensiveness of construction and organization, facility in installation and attachment and detachment and adjustment, positiveness in operation and length oflife, and which will be generally superior in efliciency and serviceability.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel and useful provision, formation, construction, combination, association and relative arrangement of parts, members and features, all as hereinafter described, shown in the drawing, and finally pointed outin claims.

In the drawing :-,Figure 1 is a fragmen tary vertical section of a portion of the drill pipe and swivel-stem and swivel cross head of rotary drilling apparatus; to which is shown applied improved safety means organized in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same taken in a line of vision at right angles to that of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken upon the line X -X Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a similar view taken upon the line XX Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the appended arrows.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are designated by the same reference characters. Referring with particularity to the drawing, A designates a portion of the drill pipe, B designates the swivel stem, C designates the swivel cross head, and D designates means whereby'the swivel cross head and the drillin string are'suspended during rotation of the drillin string relative to the swivel cross head, a1 dependingfrom the over-head rig or hoist which is controlled from the drum or the like in the usual or any preferred manner. At the upper end of the swivel stem B is detachably applied a collar or the like E between which and the swivel cross head are interposed roller bearstem C is detachably connected with the drill pipe A; and H designates safety means normally inactive, and acting upon: failure of the swivel stem or at the connecting collar G, to support the drill pipe and the entire drilling string vby .co action withwthe collar G. The safety means H are operatively connected with the swivel crosshead C by link members it which extend between :the swivel cross head and a suspending-.mem-

- loosely surround the drill pipe Ainthe present service, beneath the colllar G, and slightly spaced therefrom; a suitable securingdevice 8 being engaged with projecting heads 9 and 10 at the free ends ofthe members 5 and 6 to'hold saidmembersinworking position after the pipe has been received between said members. This suspension ,meniber is may thus be readily. applied to and detached from the drill pipe at the working position beueaththc collar G. The link members h, which are connected with the respective nembers'o and 6 ofthe suspending member It" at diametrically-ppposed points, each comprise eye- rods 11 and 12 the eyes of the rods' llbeing'detach'ably'connected with the respective members 5' and 6, and the eyes of the rods 12 being detachably connected with lugs 13 tliametrically oppositely projecting from the swivetcrosshead C equidistant from diametrically oppositely projecting lug 15 upon said swivel cross head and .withwhich the lower ends ofthe suspension means D are connected. Each pair of eye- rods 11 and 12 is connected ttogether by a turn buckle 16 permitting adjustment to vary the degree of clearance of the suspending member 7: from. and beneath the collar G.

In the operation of the drilling string,

if the swivel stem l3 failsas by breakage or disconnection at the joint towhieh is applied the collar. G,-'thedrill rod and entire drilling string falls slightly, dependent upon'the space between the vcollar 1G and the suspending member J0, bringing sdch collar down upon such member, whereby the entire drilling string is suspended through the collar and the member is together'with the link members it and the swivel cross head C by which the loadis in turn imposed upon the suspension means D. The drilling string is thus preventedxfrom falling into the hole, and the loss and damage-"attendantupon such falling, as above pointed cat, are obviated.

It is manifest that'l maywnake many variations and alterations in construction the' drilling string upon failure o and organization with respect to the disclosure of the foregoing description and the drawing, .in adaptingtthe improvements to varying conditions ofuse and from considerations of preference and general adaptav bility, all withoutdeparting from thespirit of the invention; and I therefore reserve the right to all such alterations, variations and .modifications as come within the fair spirit end-scope of the invention;

Having thus described my invention I- 'claim "and'desire' to secure by Letters Pat ent:

1. The combination, with a rotary-drilling-string provided with a swivel cross head and means for, suspending the entirety in the drilling operation; bf-rmea-ns connected with the swivel cross head and acting to 85 same and with the swivel cross head to sustain the drilling string upon failure of 'the swivel stem.

3. The combination, with a drilling'string provided with a swivel cross head and means forsuspendingthe entirety during the drilling operation; there being a swivel stem whereby the drilling string is rotatively suspended from the swivel cross headfanda collar connecting the drilling string and the swivel stem; of means normally spaced beneath said collar and-co-acting with the same and with the swivel cross head to sustain the dialling string upon-"failure of the swivel stem; sa'idlatter means comprising a member surrounding the drilling string beneath the-collar, and adjustable. means extending between the same and the swivel cross head,

4. The combination, with a rotary 'drlll- 5 ing string and a swivel cross head in connection.- with which thedrilling string is rotatively suspended; said swivel cross head being provided with pairs of spaced lugs; of

to sustain the means normally sustaining the same, said means so acting being connectedv with the other said'spaced'lugs, and means acting pair'of said lugs uponsaid swivel head.

follhe combination with a rotar. drillin -'string and a swivel cross head from which ,the drilling stringis rotatively suspended; of means connected with the swivel cross head and acting to sustain the drilling string its "suspension means connected with one pair of upon failure of the means normally susname to this specification in the presence of tsining the same, ani susgension meansfor two subscribing witnesses. the swivel cross hea sai means so acting to sustain the drilling string and said sus- LUTHER OWENS 5 pension means being both connected with Witnesses:

said swivel cross head. D. M. Ronnn'rs,

In testimony whereof, I have signed my L. J. KING.

Images