US1275018A - Swivel for use in well-drilling. - Google Patents

Description

J. GROWDER.

SWIVEL FOR USE IN WELL DRILLING.

APPLICATEON FILED AUG. 17. !9l7- 8 m M i T 6 M .R VI 70 8 W u T A M A M 0 m rm m. P m

:ronn enownnn, or .a v oca, IRELAND.

SWIVEL FOR USE IN WELL-DRILLING.

' subject of the King of Great Britain, and

resident of Gonna House, Avoca, county Wicklow, Irelandfliave invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Swivels for Use in Well-Drilling, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to the swivels which, used to connect the drilling tool with the wire rope by which the tool is raised and lowered in the bore of the well. In such swivels, the lower end of the rope is held in a ferrule or tubular spindle about the axis of which the body of the swivel is freely rotatable, this tubular spindle having an external shoulder which bears upwardly against an internal shoulder in the hollow part of the swivel-body, so that while the swivel body (and with it thetool) can rotate relatively to the rope and tubular spindle, a pull on the rope will raise the spindle and, consequently, the swivel-body and tool.

As is well known, the wire rope becomes worn, and is liable to break, immediately above the upper extremity of the swivel, so that it is frequently necessary to withdraw from the tubular spindle the piece of rope held therein, and to thereafter make a fresh attachment at a oint above the break in the rope. To ena le this to be done, the swivel has in-some cases been made in a single piece so constructed as to permit of the rope being, when necessary, passed downward throughout the whole length of the swivel-body and out through the screwed socket in which the tool is held; such an arrangement allowing of only a very narrow shoulder being provided on the spindle and,

swivel-body, and necessitatin the'useof a relatively long tubular spin le, which results in excesslve Wear and rapid deterioration of the rope. In other cases the length of the swivel has been divided at a point between the lower end of the tubular spindle and the upper end of the tool-socket, so as to permit the passage of the rope clear through the upper section of the swivel-body when separated from the lower; the two sections being united by a screwed joint. Such a construction necessitates the provision on the swivel-body of two sets of flats for engagement by screw-spanners, and a consequent lengthening of the swivel, whereof the Weight is correspondingly increased.

Specification of Letters Patent.

in well-drilling operations are.

object of the present invention is, to overcome the disadvantages referred to, by

Patented Aug. a, rare.

Application filed August 17, 1917. Serial No. 186,7?1,

providing a swivel the body of which, while capable of being made in a single piece, is

so constructed as to avoid the necessity of passing the rope downward throughout the whole length of the swivel-body and out through the tool-socket. For this purpose there is provided in the improved swivelbody, a chamber forming an enlarged downward continuation of the neck-passage in the swivel-body, said chamber having in its side wall an open slot of such length and width as to permit the insertion in and withdrawal from working position of the shouldered tubular spindle which is directly attached to the rope. In order to prevent the tubular spindle from dropping out of working position in the swivel-body when the may be removably fixed in the swivel-body immediately beneath the lower end of the The body of the improved swivel has, as; usual, a tubular neck a at its upper end-, a

screwed socket b for the reception of "the drilling tool at its lower end, and flats 0, 0 above the level of the socket b for engagement by a' 'screw spanner.,- Between the.

lower end of the necka and the upper limit of the Hats 0, c, the swivel-body is made hollow so as to provide a chamber d whose internal diameter (which is greater than that of the neck a) corresponds to the external diameter of the enlarged lower end e of the tubular spindle f. The spindle I, when m the working positionshowmextends through A the neck a, a'was'he'r 9 being interposed between the internal shoulder is within the chamber 03 and the external shoulder on the spindle f. The bore of the spindle f, within the enlargement e, is made conical as usual, as indicated at 70, so as to prevent the upward withdrawal. of the expanded-lower. 1

end of-the rope (not shown). f

The wall'm of the ch berd has, at one sid an upright slot 0 of a width to g e I g tension on the rope is relaxed, a cross-pin lines 3 3andmpjectivly spindle.

passage to the enlargement e on the spindle f, the length of the chamber at and of the slot 0 being sufficient to permit of the spindle 7' being inserted through the slot from outside and passed upward into the working position shown, or lowered from said position and withdrawn through the slot, as may be required, even when the spindle is attached to the unbroken rope.

In order that the width of the slot 0 may be kept as small as possible. the enlargement e of the spindle, and also the washer 9, may have their diameter reduced at opposite sides by means of flats cut thereon as indicated at 1-,?

\Vhcn the swivel is to be attached to the rope, the latter is passed downward through the neck a and outward through the slot '0. The tubular spindle f, with the washer g, is then threaded over the rope, whose lower end is thereupon expanded and metaled into the conical part is of the bore of the The rope can now be pulled upon so as .to draw the spindle I through the slot 0 into the chamber 6, and upward in the latter until the washer g is arrested by the shoulder it; after which the parts are retained in working position by means of a pin p-which is passed, transversely of the slot 0, through holes in the walls m of the chamber (Z and securely riveted at the ends.

The neck a is, as usual, made of reduced emons external diameter and provided with annular grooves 8 adapted for engagement by the fishing tools when the swivel is left in the bore of the well in consequence of the rope breaking.

t is a boring-center provided, for convenience in manufacture, at the bottom of the chamber d.

I claim:

An improved swivel for use in well-drilling to connect the drilling tool with the wire rope by which the tool is raised and lowered, comprising a body having an elongated tubular neck at itsupper end, a chamber below its neck, and closed at its lower end, said chamber being of greater diameter than the bore of the neck and having a right-angled shoulder at the junction therewith, and a slot in the side of the chamber, said slot extending from near, the upper end of the chamber to the bottom thereof, a tubular spindle having an enlarged lower end and a reduced upper end which is of a length greater than that of the neck of the body and forming a right-angled shoulder at the junction therewith, a washer between the shoulders of the body and spindle, the

washer and the enlarged portion of the spindle having their opposing sides flattened, and a cross p111 for retaining the spindle in position in the b0 gig. JO N GROWDER,

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