US1217467A

US1217467A - Valve means for oil-well swivels.

Info

Publication number: US1217467A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hugh B Lincoln
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1916-12-27
Filing date: 1916-12-27
Publication date: 1917-02-27
Anticipated expiration: 1934-02-27

Description

H. B. LINCOLN.

VALVE MEANS FOR OIL WELL SWIVELS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.27. 1916.

1,217,467. Patented Feb. 27,1917.

BESTAVAMBLE CGP lHUGH B .I.I1\iooL1v, or ELECTEA. TEXAS.'`

VALVE MEANS FOR OIL-WELL SWIVELS.

Specification f Letters Patentv Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

Application led December 2j, 1916. Serial No. 139,224.

To all whom 'it may concern .Be it known that I, HUGH B. LINCOLN,

a citizen of the United lS,tates,.residing at Electra, inthe county of Wichita ,and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Valve Means for Oil-iWell Swivels, `of which the following is a' specification.

j My invention relates to the art of drilling' oil wells, .and more-particularly to the art of idrillingoil wells by the so-called rotary sysiteni', in which a string of drill pipe carrying pif bitat its lower end is rotated in the' hole [by suitable power driven means. In this stenig'a mud laden uid i's pumped downi'zwardlv through-'the drill pipe, emerging `.through suitable holes in the bit at the bottom of the hole, and serving to retain the ffiwalls'of the well and hydrostatically bal- `ance any pressures existing in the well..

' 'It common practice 1n the art of drill fing to wholly or partially support the up- 'per end of the'string of drill pipe 1n a -wiveL this swivel being supplied with :der through a-.iexible pipe. -The principal object of my invention is to provide valve means which are incorporated in the swivel for the purpose of expedi'ting and simplifying the drilling ofl wells', a's will be hereinafter explained.

drawings,

In' the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only: v 'v Figure 1 is a side elevation, partially in section, of a -portionof the apparatus used .in the rotary system. ,l

. Fig. 2 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, of agoo'se-neck, such ,as is employed in the swivel in such a system. ,.Fig. 3 is a plan view of the goose-neck shown in Fig. 2. p "-il-Inthe form of the invention illustrated in an oil well 11 is shown in being drilled, a derrick 13 being built over the well, this derrick having a floor 14 onwhich is placed a rotary 'table 1.5 which is driven by suitable power means. not shown. h

"5" I through the rotary table 15 is the i nt a string of drill pipe 16 which :suitable bit 17 at its lower end, this provided with perforations 18 i .vhichthe mud forced downwardly ,ne drill pipe 16 may be forced into the process of me methods of using the rotary systable l5 is provided with .grips rh siamo directly upon' the drillpipe.

. holes 34, normally Y In'other fo'rnis of' the systemia square o'r groove stem is uscdon the upper end of the drill pipe, and my invention is applicable toeither method of drilling. In eitherfcase, a swivel 20 1s secured tothe upper end of the pipe. this swivel being supported by a` bail 21 from 'a hook 22,*the hook 22 being secured by means of a' bail- 23 to suitable hoisting cables and hoisting apparatus, not

is a goose-neck 21, this goose-neck being se.-

.curedvx to a stationary pipe 25 which pro- Vis connected to the pressure side of a mud pump 28, the mud pump drawing mud ladenv fluid through a pipe 29 from a small well or sump 30, into which the lnud rising in the well overflows. A relief valve 31 is provided on the lower end of the stand-pipe '27. The goose-neck 24 is provided with a check "valve, as shown in Fig. 2, the upper limb -of the goose-neck Qi being tapped, as show n sov shown. Secured on the top of the swivel 20 at 32, and having a plug 33 screwed therein.

The plug 33 is provided with a plurality of closed by a valve 35, this valve sliding on a stem 36 formed in the plug 33, and being held on its 'seat by a spring 37, the other end of which abuts on a diaphragm 38. The diaphragm 38 has a hole 39 in the center thereof somewhat larger than the stem 36.

The method of operation of the invention is as follows:

T hepipe- 16. is rotated by the table 15 by means of the grips 19. a portion of the weight of the pipe being carried on the swivel 2.0. Mud laden fluid is supplied to the upper end of the pipe through the flexible- .hose 26 and the stand-pipe 27 fromthe mud pump 28, this -mud laden fiuid passing down-ll wardly through the pipe 16, outwardly through the openings 18 and upwardly through the well 11, 'and overiiowing into the sump 30, from which it is taken by the suction pipe into the pump 28. The pressure requiredto circulate mud laden fiuid may be considerable, and this pressure acts in conjunction with the. spring 37 to hold the valve35 firmly on'its seat, thus closing 'the openings 34.

Whenever it is fi# BEST/WAILABLE @Op tions of the n"dr-illy pipe done frequetljf for theqpurpose of removing bits; or adding sections to the. string 'of pipe, i considerable inconvenience:results from the' ordinal-57 methods of drillingin which no check 'valve 35 is provided. The water con'- tained in the upper sections of the drill pipe 16 and the `Hem-ble hosev tendsto remain in these sections, as there 1s no means. of

letting- -air into the to J of the 3i )e to dis-v e l l place the water, and tlus water remalns'm' the pipee until al.; secondopening,isjmade by breaking'-:another joint, at -which time it Comesv oli-ballet once, flooding. the-floor of the derrrckland greatlymcreasmg the hazards ofloperating,ecspeeially in very coldremain opeirto ,admit-air .,intdthe gooseneel( 24. when a partial. Vacurun `is. formed therein, 55:0 :that waten lsreadily drained from the c lrilhpipe l'vvand the' exi'ble-hose 2G and stand-pipe 2,b y. openingthe Valve- 31, .the water in theleXible hose QGdand stand-pipe- .27 A flowing i outwardly through th'efvalve3l,l and the-water lin theI drill' pipe lffalling to the level (ii-thewater in the.

By ltheajlse of my inrentionthere isno i danger of'wate'r beingi trappedinfthe upper portionsof the apparatus, and practically nowater inds its 'ay to theI floor of the.

'derricle A Iclaim asiny invention:

.\ il.l In Combination; a .string of drillpipe;

swivel means for supporting the .upper end Aofsaid pipe; a flexible hosefor supph-'ing mud ladenfiuid under pressure to the upper end of said pipe; means for Connecting said` flexible hose to Said pipeaud a fch'eekiralre which are in open Cconnection `\\'ith"'a"string yof drill pipefand haring its other' limb'f'f i :formed to connect t-h'rouglra v flexible hose with a muclpump 'anda check lvalve. insaidv goosefneckfso arranged as todmitair to -gthein'terior of said goose-ueekfonly `when aj partial ra-cu'uin isfor-mel in said goose-mech7 f l 55% 'my'. hand-iat Los Angeles," California"5 this* v lIn.testimony whereof,`I I-hare'he'relmto set 16th day offDecelnber,'1916. 1-

Hoei-1B.. LiNe'oLN.'