US1617303A - Oil-well-tool operator - Google Patents

Description

C. T. DOUGHERTY OIL WELL .TOOL OPERATOR Filed Dec. 5, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

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` c. T. DOUGHERTY 'OIL WELL Tool.. OPERATOR Filed Dec. s. 1923 2 sheets-sheet 2 Mflff,

Patented Feb. 8, l927.

cnARLnsT/DOUGHERTY, oTLnIaoonn' CALIFORNIA, Assrenoa, BY DIRECT AND iansNn AssIeNivInNTs, OF SIX TIFTY-rrTTns TOIIATTIE E; noUeHniaTmsrX. ItIFTY'- FIFTITS TON, 'H nonennnTn AND SIX FIrTY-rIrTrIs To F. o. DOUGHERTY, ALIioI vIIUInrINeTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA; SIX FIrTY-FITTIIS To o. o. CAMPBELL, or coA'LINeA, CALIFORNIA; SIXTITTYTFIFTIISTO n. L. JOHNSTON, OF'sANTA NAR- BARA, CALIFORNIA; 'TI-INEE TIFTY-rIFTIis To I1. A. CAMPBELL, or LONG BEACI,

n CALIFORNIA; THREE TWENTY-FIETHS T Vv. V7. SMITH, TV10 TWENTY-FIFTHS TO J'. H. DUNAWAY, TVT() TVENTY-FIFTHS TO RAY M. WAGNER, 'IfVOvTV/'ENTY-*FFTIHS TO CLARENCE WAGNER, AND ONE TWENTY-FFTH TO ETI-IBL G.- SMITH, `ALL OF FRESNO COUNTY', CALIFORNIA'.

OIL-WELL-TOOL OPERATOR. l

Application led'December 3,1923. Serial No. 678,371..

This invention relates to a tool for use in voil well drilling,` and especially to a tool Y 81/4, G1/ZL and 491/2 inches.

erable de 3th With a sinfrle line of casino'l and itis therefore necessary to start with a large casing7 for instance, 121/2 inches, and proceed until Vthis is landed, then continue with a l() inch. casing,and so on, the different sizes employed being usually 121/510, In other Words, there may be four orivel different strings of casing in aWell. Y Y

Innumei'able troubles kare encountered in connection with carrying eachl` string of casingV to the furthest possible depth, among these may be mentioned, parting-of the easing at' diiteientrplaces'by breakage of thel casing, strippingfofthreads, etc., treezing up of the casing,l due to external 'friction or settling ot' sand, `loss .ot tools,

' vleaky joints, etc. Various/'forms of tools are employed tor fishing out or removing a parted string ot' casing and lost tools, but not always 'with success. Similarlyyleaky joints may lue-tightened, but oftencausing damage to other joints, thereby necessitating removal ot the `casing and insertioiiof nevi7 sections. The failures encountered are com-l paratively numerous' and 'any number f of abandoned Wells may be found throughout Vthe various oil districts; the lWork performed and the material lostA in lsuchinstances representing an investment'` otinillionsot. dollars. The inaincause of failure Y `when loosening a 4frozen casing or removing a parted casing is vdue to the fact that the tools employed are only capable of pulling' A out or lifting the casing yas a Whole. The upward pull or strain exerted*v under such conditions is enormous and .sometimes causesgparting of the casing again and again, or further loss of tools, thus renderingthe operation ot clearing the Well increasingly ditlicult. l f Y Y The purpose otl the present invention is to provide a tool which is capable of more efficiently handling ditlicultiesof this char# acter andV others, among `v'vhich, may be named the following :ci i ,Y Y l. Removing a frozen or lost casing, section by section, 1

2. `rllaking out broken pieces of casing;

3. Setting'up leaky joints atrany point desirable. i.

4.. Setting up die collars or die *nipple-5.(

5. Disconnecting casing in case of Water leaks.

Y 6. Removing tools that are bull-doggedin the casing.V .Y l LV y v 7. Locating joints Where casing is cemented. f .H y y Taking. out old casing to shut olfvvater, 9. Unserewing` casingth'at is too rotten to stand strain from top of the hole.V y

v10. Tightening jointsat any place desired Without tonging casing and spoili-ng-joints in the string above.

11. Straightening up tools that are out y oI` line with the casing so as to get them into the casing.V l j `12, Removing a stri-ng, or-connecting up and removing` as-a Whole, and in case of failure disconnecting at Willi `and at placey desired.

13. Connect-ing tool joints on lost tools or un'sciewing the same.`

141. The tool may` also be einployedV for the purpose ot rotating under-reamers of lvarious makesaiid construction. .Y ,v

.15. The tool 'may also be employed for the piirpiris'e et removing or attaching out? a piece at al time,

ting tools or bits of the type employed in connection with a rotatingcasing.

16. The tool may also be employed for the purpose of supporting a milling` or cutting tool, whereby obstructions in the casing or on tools lodged vin the casing` may be cut away. Y f f A The invention briefly stated comprises a ratchet block, a nut carried thereby, a spiral shaft extending through the nut, means for imparting a reciprocal movement to the shaft, and means carried by the shaft capable of imparting a turning and a lifting movement.

The invention further consists of the parts and the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-V Fig. 1 is a section of a well showing the application of the invention. Y

Fig. '2 is a continuation view of Fig. 1, showing the position of the tool in the well and in engagement with the upper section of a lost string of casing.

Fig. 3 Vshows a modified form of the tool.

Y Fig. 4 is a plan view of the ratchet block partly broken away.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the ratchet block partly broken away. n

Referring to the drawings in detail, A indicates a ratchet block of suitable length and diameter, on the Vexterior surface of which are mounted a plurality of gripping pawls or yratchet members Q. .These pawls are pivotally mounted and are normally held in engaging position by springs indicated at 3. The pawls are provided for the purpose of locking the ratchet block against turning movement within the well casing in one direction, and to release the block and permit turning movement thereof in the opposite direction. The ratchet block ispreferably forged or otherwise formed from a sin-V gle piece of steel as considerable strain is Xerted thereon when the tool is in operation., Extending through the ratchet block from end to vend, and centrally positioned therein, is a spiral shaped opening 4t through I will refer to Figs. 1 and 2, Y i ures represent a section of a deep oil well,

which extends a spiral shaft 5. This shaft is provided with a collar at its opposite ends as at 6, which are provided for the purpose of limiting` the stroke or reciprocal movement of the shaft with relation to the ratchet block. Forming an extension of ythe lower end of the shaft 5 is a square .shaft '4". This shaft is provided for the support of a tool holder andV serves vthe function of imparting a turning movement and a lifting movement thereto.

To clearly illustrate one use of the tool,

vthe upper casing representing a common 8 lnchcasmg as shown at 8, and the succeed- These fig-A mately two hundred feet below the lower end ofthe S inch casing. There are numerous fishing tools employed for the purpose of removing lost casing,vamong which may be named Vthe following, spears, die collars and die nipples. YThese tools often prove a failure due to the fact that they are only capable of one function, to-wit, that of eX- erting a pull or lifting a lost casing section as a whole. The upward pull or strain required under such conditions is often so great that the casing parts or the tools free themselves, and more than one well has been abandoned due to -failure in this direction. The present tool is particularly suited for an instance of this character as it is capable of entering the well and engaging the uppermost section of the lost casing and Valso capable of unscrewing the casing, section by section, and removing the same. This is, obviously a great advantage as comparatively no pull :is required to remove the casing, section by' section.

The tool proper' forming the subjectV matter of this application is shown in Figs.- 1

and 2. It is supported near the lower end .Y

of the 8 inch casinfr by means of an inner casing as illustrateda at 10, being connected with the ratchet block by means of a swivel connection as at 11. The casing 10 is merely rovided for the purposeof supporting the ratchet block and the swivel 11 to permitj turning movement of the same inone direction,ras will hereinafter be described.

Extending downwardly through the'inner casing 10 is a drill line 12, and forming a connection vbetween the drill line andthe spiral shaft 5 are a combination socket 14 of suitable construction, a set of jars 15, a'stem 16 and a rope socket 17. These several connections areA known as a string of tools and they serve several functions; the combina-y tion socket 1li, that of making a connection with the shaft 5; the jars 15 that of transmitting a driving movement when required; the stem 16 that ofadding weight to the string of tools, and the rope socket that of connecting a string of tools with the drill line 12. Y

Suitably attached to the lowcrend of the ratchet block A is a swivel connection 1o,

turning movement to a section of casing 23, which is suitably attachedthereto as vat 0^ and itY is provided for the purpose of transmitting leo Ll t) the casing 23 being merely an extension of the tool and being provided for the purpose of supporting the tool required for the work in hand. i Y- In the present instanee,iI have illustrated` a standard foi'infof spear as at 25.

l The spear is secured tothe lower end of the casing 23 andV is capable of two functions, that of .entering the upper end of the lost casing and engaging the same, and secondly, that of unscrewing the casing and removing it This is accomplished in the following)r manner:

`Tiththe tool in position in the well as illustrated iirFigs. l and 2,.it is only necessary to Vtransn'iit a reciprocal movement to the string of tools shown in Fig. l. This may Vbe accomplished by fastening the drill line to a walking beam or by passing it over a bull wheel. This reciprocal movement is of course transmitted to the shaft 5 and as it passes through the 'nut or spiral shaped opening foi'med in the 'atcliet block A, it is obvious that a turning movement will be transmitted thereto when Vtravelling in lan upward direct-ion, this being due to the fact that the pawls. engage the interior of the 8v inch casing and thereby secure theratchet block against turning movement. The turning movement of the shaft 5 is also tra-nsinitted to the squarel shaft 7 Vforming an extension thereof, and through the lblock 2O turning movement is also transmitted' to the casing 231and the spear 25 carried thereby. The first upward Vmovement of the shaft causes the expanding slips 26 on the spear to grip the upper end of the lost casing, and still further movement, after the grip has been made, causes a turning` movement to be transmitted to the upper section of the casing 9, thereby unscrewing it with rela-tion to thek collar 2T. The spiral inthe shaft 5 is'so arranged that `approximately only one revolution is transmitted during the upward travel of the same, and vas itv takes several turns of the casing to unsciew the saine. it is obvious that shaft 5 must be raisedand lowered from l() to 30 times beforetlie pipe is entirely free.

The ratchet block transmits a ,turningy movement to the spiral-.shaft whenthis is :inovedin an upward direction and the spiral shaft in turn transmitsa turning movenient to the ratchet block when travelling in a downward direction, this being due to the fact that swivel joints, as at llland 18, are connected with the opposite ends of the .ratchet block, and also due to the Yfact that,

the pawls 2 will onlysecure the ratchet block against' turning .movement in vone direction. "V This is ofy importance as it is necessary` that a turning n'iovement should bev tiansmitted to the engaging tool, for instance, the spear 2 5 only in one direction.

When a casing section is unscrewed itis Vremoved by lifting the entire mechanism out ot the well, an l then re-inserting the saine and proceeding as described.

The foregoing is a brief 'description of the operation of thetool,jor'tlie function of.

the same under normal conditions. It may, however, happen that the threads ofthe casing have been set up or Aso tightly screwed that a slow upward pull or movement of the shaft 5 would not loosen the same: The jars 15 are then brought into function by attaching the drill line toa walking beam.

great advantage over other tools which AareV only capable of pulling-out the casing as a Awhole astheyr'oiften prove a failure. The present tool would not be a' failure under these conditions as it would only have to remove one Vorf-more sections' ofthe casing at a time. YAs stated in the preamble of the specitication',vthe tool is capable of many functions, that of unscrewing and removing pipe sections as described; setting up leaky joints at any point desired; setting up die'collais or die nipples; disconnect-ing casing. in case of 'water leaks; removing tools that arebull-doggedin lthe casinggtaking out old sections of casi-ng, etc. l

A tool such as illustrated in Figs. l and 2 is capable of most of the requirements specified, but only under certain conditions` and I therefore provide a. modified Vform-of the tool as shown in Fig. 3', this formbeing particularly adapted Vfor tighteningv up or unscrewing casing sections at anyA de'pthdesired.Y This tool isA lowered into the well by a drill line and string of tools such as shown in l, and it is'heldV at 'any point' desired by frictional engagement ofA spring arms such as indicated at 30. Two ratchet blocks are employed as at 3l and 82.

Both

llOO

-llU

are identical in construction vto that shown in Figs. 2 and 4,.'one .forming the function of a fliolder, and the other function of a wrench when tightening orunscrewing eas- Y When tightening up sections ing sections. the tool assumes the position shown in Fig. 3, and when unscrewing casing sections, it

isV only necessary to reverse the position ofthe tool end 'for end as turning movement will then be transmittedv in opposite direc-"V ftions, or it,` is obvious that reversible paw-ls inight'be employed `to' vavoid rturning of the` tool end for end.

The tool shown 1n FigB, as already stated,- vis particularly yadapted for setting up or unmin screwing casing sections, the tool being capable of this operation even though one casing is mounted within the other. For instance, the upper ratchet block might en- .gage the inner face of an 8 inch casing, and

the lower ratchet block might be reduced in diameter to enterY a Grinch casing. I n that case, the upper ratchet block will serve as a'holder whether-the 6 inchcasing was heing tightened up or removed.

The tool is capable of many other uses, fer instance, that of lining up lost tools with the end of a casing. It sometimes happens that a drill bit becomes unscrewed or detached with relation to a string of tools. If this should happen, yit is only necessary to attach a tool, known as a fram horn, to the end of the square shaft 7 and then lower the tool to the bottom of the well. A slight upward pull of the shaft 5 will then transmit a turning movement to the shaftrsection 7 and the ram horn tool attached thereto. This would-cause the ram horn .to engage the drill bit and swing it into alignment with the casing.

It will thus render it possible tovlower an ordinary combination socket to engage and remove the bit.

rlhe important feature of the present invention is the fact that I have provided a tool which is capable of transmitting, first of all, a turning movement, secondly, a lifting movement, and third, a driving movement.' These movements combined permit attachment and use of varying forms of tools, and permit handlingof .these tools inra manner heretofore never attempted.

While certainfeatures of the present invention are more or less specifically illustrated, I wish it understood that changes in design and construction may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

k1 similarly wish it understood that the materials and finish of the several p'artsemployed may be such as the experience and judgment of the manufacturer may dictate or varying conditions may demand.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by LettersmPatent is 1. A tool of the character described comprising a ratchet block, a plurality of pawls pivotally mounted in the ratchet block engageable with the interior wall of a well casing to secure the ratchet block against turning movement in one direction, a nut Vformed within the ratchet block, a helically twisted shaft extending throughthe nut and slidable therein, a swivel connection below the ratchet block, a tool holder attached toV the swivel connection, means for transmit- Vting a turning movement from the helically twisted shaft to the tool holder'and the swivel connection, said means comprising a square shaft forming an extension of the heli-callvtwisted shaft and extending down" Leif/,ece

Vinto the lool holder, and a nutkin the tool holder through which the square shaft eX- tends.

2. A tool of the character described comprising a nut, a'threaded shaft extendingthrough the nut, and slidable and turnablc in the nut, means for supporting the nut at )risine` a nut a threaded shaft extendingY through the nut and slidableand turnable therein, means for supporting the nut at a predetermined point within a well casing, means on the nut engageable with the well casing to secure the nut Vagainst turning movement when the shaft travels in one direc-tion to transmit a turning movement to the shaft, said means adapted to release the nut to permit this to turn within the wellV casing when the shaft moves iny the opposite direction, a tool holder carried by the shaft, and meansfor transmitting a turning movement from the shaft to the tool holder.

t. A tool of the character described comprising a ratchet block, a plurality of pawls pivotally mounted inthe ratchet block engageable with the interior wall yof a well casing to secure the ratchet block against turning movement in one direction, a nut formed in the ratchet block, a helically twisted shaft extending therethrough, and slidable and turnable therein, and a tool holder carried by the shaft adapted to be turned thereby.

5. A tool of the character described comprising a ratchet block, a plurality of pa wisV vpivotally mounted in the ratchet block en- .gageable with the interior wall of a well casing to secure the ratchet block against turning movement in one' directionfa nut formed in the ratchet block, a helically twisted shaft extending therethrough and yslidable and turnable therein, 'independent means for supporting the ratchet block at a predetermined point within the casing, a `tool holder supported by the shaft, and means for transmitting a turning movement thereto.

6. A tool of the character described comprising a ratchet block, a plurality of pawls pivotally mounted in the ratchet block engageable with the interior wall of a well casing to secure therratchet block against turning movement'in one direction, a nut formed in the ratchet bloc-k, a helically twisted shaft extending therethrough and slidable and turnable therein, :means for supporting the ratchet block at a predetermined point within a well casing, a swivel connection between the ratchet block and said support, a second swivel connection attached to the lower side of the ratchet block, a tool holder attached to the swivel connection, and means for transmitting a turning movement from the vshaft to the tool holder and the swivel connection.

7. In a tool of the charac-ter described, a nut, means for supporting the nut against vertical movement within a well casing, means carried bythe nut and lengageable with the interior surface of the well casing to secure the nut against rotation in one directioina helically twisted shaft extending through the nut7 means for imparting a reciprocal' movement to the shaft which movement is simultaneously transmitted to rotary move#y ment by the nut and the helical formation of the shaft, and a tool adapted to be rotated by said shaft.

8.The combination with a well casing, vof

a fishing wrench therefor, saidwrench com- Y prising a ratchet block, pawls on said block locking the blockagainst. turning movement in one direction within the casing, asecond casing adapted to support the ratchet block at a predetermined point within the-first named casing, a swivel connection between the second named casingy and the ratchet bloclna nut formed in the ratchet block, a helically twisted shaft slidable and turnable in the nut, and a tool holder adjacent the ratchet block and below the same adapted to be turned by theshaft. Y

9. The combination with a well'casing, of a fishing wrench therefor, said wrench comprising a ratchet block, pawls on said block locking the block against turning movement in one direction within the casing,` a second casing adapted to support the ratchet block 'at a predetermined point within the first named casing, a swivel connection between the secondfnamed casing vandthe ratchet block, a nut'formedin the ratchet block, a helically twisted shaft slidable and turnable in the nut, a swivel connectionattached tov the lower side of the ratchet block, a tool holder .carried thereby, and means for trans# mitting a turning movement from the shaft Y to the swivel andthe Atool holder carried thereby. v .Y Y

CHARLES VT.V DOUGrHER'l-Y`

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