US1569183A - Well-drilling apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 12 1926.

1,569,183 c. H. HERMAN ET AL WELL DRILLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 7 1924 "Zine s a";

Patented Jan. 12, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. HERMAN AND FRANK G. SCHROER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI; SAID FRANK G. SCHBOER ASSIGNOR TO SAID CHARLES H. HERMAN.

wnLt-nn ume APPARATUS.

Application filed January 7,

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that we, CHARLES H. HERMAN and FRANK G. SCHROER, citizens of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in VVell-Drilling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

()ur invention relates to apparatus for drilling wells and while it may be employed to advantage in drillin different kinds of wells it is especially eiiicient in drilling deep wells, such as oil or artesian wells.

Important features reside in a hammer for striking blows to force the drill bit through hard pan and rock encountered when drilling the well, and in hydraulic mechanism for lifting said hammer preparatory to its delivering each blow, said mechanism being actuated at little additional cost by the same water which is forced into the well to flush out the sediment caused by drilling with a rotary drill.

Other features will hereinafter appear, and in order that the invention may be fully understood, reference will now be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a vertical section partly in elevation showing the mechanism constituting the resent invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken section on line IIII of Fig. 1. V

Fig. 3 is a cross section on line --III-III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged broken section on line IV-IV of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a cross section on line V'V of Fig. 4.

Referring now to the different parts, 2 designates'a tube closed at is upper end by a plug 4 connected to ip'es 6 and 6*, the former of which exten s above the top of the well. The pipe 6 extends upwardly into the pipe 6 to form a trap 6 for catching coarse sediment carried in by the water which is forced to the bottom of the well to flush out the borings.

8 designates a cylinder secured within the tube-2 and connected at its up er end to a pipe 10 secured at its upper en to the plug 4 and communicating with the pipe 6".

-12 designates a hollow piston reciprocably arranged within the cylinder 8 and having its interior divided into two chambers 14, and 16 by an oblique partition 18. The pis- 1924. Serial No. 684,770.

ton chamber 14 has upper and lower ports tact the cylinder heads 30 and 32, respec'- tively. 1

The piston 12 is provided at its upper side with a tubular stem 44 which communicates with the piston chamber 14 and extends upwardly into the pipe 10 throu h a stuffing box 46 carried by the c lind er head 30. The piston 12 is provide at its lower side with a tubular stem 48 which communicates with the piston chamber 16 and extends therein through a stufiing box 50 on the lower cylinder head 32.

The lower end of the piston stem 48 terminates inv the bore 52 of a head 54 provided at its upper portion with a stufling b0x'56 through which said stem 48 extends. The head 54 has a reduced portion 58 of angular cross section loosely embraced by a nut 60 threaded into the lower end of the tube 2 and cored out to loosely fit the angular ortion 58 of said head 54 for the purpose 0 rotating the same and a drill bit 62, as will hereinafter appear. For convenience in placin the nut 60 around the reduced portion 58 o the head 54, said nut is made in two parts 61, as shown more clearly by Fig. 5. The reduced portion 58 is longer than the nut 60, so that the head 54 may move up and down to a limited extent independently of said nut 60, for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

The bit 62 has ducts'64 extending from end to end and comunicating with the bore 52 of the head 54. Packin 65 is interposed between the head 54 and t e nut 60 to prevent water and debris from entering the lower'end of the tube 2.

66 design ranged within the tube 2 and rovided with a central bore 68 through wh ch the piston stem 48 freely extends. The upper end of mounted intermediate their ends on pivots 74 carried by arms 76 projecting from a collar 7 8 secured to the piston stem 48 by suitable means such as a set screw 80. The lower ends of the hooks 72 are normally forced apart toengage the internal flange 70 of the hammer 66 by springs 82 secured 'to said hooks 72 and bearing against the intervening piston stem 48. The lower ends of the hooks 72 are beveled as indicated at 84, so

that when they descend and contact the beveled upper surface 71 of the flange 70 they will be guided inwardly thereby until they pass beneath said flange 70, whereupon they will be forced under the same by the springs 82.

In practice the bit 62 and the tube 2 with the mechanism assembled in the latter is lowered and rotated by the pipe 6. As the drilling operation proceeds, the weight of 4 the apparatus resting on the lower shoulder 86 of the head 54 aids the bit 62 in its boring operation. The bit 62 supports the head 54 with its shoulder,- 88 spaced above the nut. 60, so that the impact of the hammer 66 against said head 54 will be transmitted to said bit 62 instead of to the remainder of the apparatus. Assuming that the hammer 66 is resting upon the head 54, 39 the operation is as follows: Water forced through the pipe 6 from the top of the wellto clear the bottom of the latter of dbris caused by the boring operation, flows through the pipe 6, the upper piston stem 44, the piston chamber 14 and into the upper portion of the cylinder 8 through the port 20. The pressure of the water upon the piston 12 forces the same downwardly, during which operation the water below said piston 12 escapes from the cylinder 8 through the port 36, the piston chamber 16, the lower piston stem 48, the bore 52 in the head 54, and the ducts 64 in the bit 62. The downward stroke of the piston 12'carries the hooks 72 below the flange 70 and causes the springs 28 and 42 to contact the cylinder head 32 and be compressed sufliciently to "shift the valves 24 and 38 upwardly until they close the ports 20 and 36, said valves 24 and 38 being held in raised position by the pressure of the water in the chambers 14 and 16, respectively. The water then passes through the chamber 14 and the port 22 and forces the piston 12 on its upward stroke, the water escaping from the upper portion of the cylinder 8 to the piston stem 48 through the port 34 and the piston chamber 16. As the piston 12 travels upwardly it carries the ooks 72, which, having engaged the under side of the flange 70, lift the hammer I 66 until the upper ends of said hooks 72 are spread a art by the conical end 90 of '1 the stufling x 50, whereupon said hooks 66 72 release the hammer 66 which descends piston 1 ates and cooperates therewith in shifting by the force of gravity and delivers a blow u on the head 54, the resultant impact aiding the bit 62 in its boring operation. The piston 12 continues on its downward stroke until the springs 26 and 40 are compressed 1 against the cylinder head 30, whereupon they restore the valves 24 and 38, respectively, to their initial position so that the water may again flow through the port 20 and force the piston 12 on another downward stroke. The foregoing operations are repeated as long as desired.

At times it is desirable to stop the operation of the hammer 66 and yet permit the water to flow to the bottom of the well to clear the debris therefrom. This is accomplished by raising the tube 2 until the nut 60 engages the shoulder 88. Raising of the tube 2 also lifts the cylinder 8 and the hooks 72, so that when the same are carried downward by the piston 12 they will not descend far enough to engage and lift the hammer 66, which is permitted to remain idle on the head 54 until the tube 2 is again lowered to carry the nut 60 down upon the shoulder 86, which is supported bylfhe bit 62 resting on the bottom of the we The tube 2 not only holds the difierent parts in proper relation to each other, but prevents dbris from lodging on said parts and interfering with their proper operation, especially the hooks 72, the hammer 66 and the head 54.

As shown by Fig. 4 the drill bit 62 is removable from the head 54, it being screwed therein so that different bits may be used as -required, according to the formation of the rock or soil through which the well is being drilled.

From the foregoing description it is ap- 1 parent that we have provided an apparatus embodying the advantages above pointed out, and while we have shown and described the preferred construction, combination and arrangement of parts we reserve the right to make such changes as'properly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described our invention, what we.claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: X

' 1; In a drilling apparatus a hammer,

means for engaging said hammer to raise the same, a hollow reciprocatory piston for actuating said means, a partition dividing the interior of said piston into chambers having ports, valves for controlling said ports, a cylinder in which the piston oper- 12 said valves to effect alternate closing of the ports, means forv effecting the release of he hammer so that th same may deliver a blow to force the drill bit downwardly, and a tubular piston stem coinmunic tins:-

with one of t' e piston chambers and exspring-pressed means, and an element for 10 tending through one end of the cylinder and disengaging said spring-pressed means a bore in the hammer. from the hammer so that the same may 2. In a drilling apparatus a head qarrydeliver a blow to the head. ing a drill bit, a hammer associated with In testimony whereof we aflix our sigsaid head and provided with a flange, natures. spring-pressed means for vengaging said flan e and raising said hammer, hydraulic CHARLES H. HERMAN. mec anism for raising and lowering said FRANK G. SCHROER.

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