US1778442A

US1778442A - Expansible reamer

Info

Publication number: US1778442A
Application number: US187746A
Authority: US
Inventors: York Victor
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1927-04-30
Filing date: 1927-04-30
Publication date: 1930-10-14
Anticipated expiration: 1947-10-14

Description

Oct. 14, 1930.

V.YORK

EXPANS IBLE REAMER Filed April 50, 1927 2 SheetsSheet l Patented Oct. 14, 1930 PATENT QFFICE VICTOR YORK, OF WHITTIER, CALIFORNIA EXPANSIBLE REAMER Application filed April 30,

My invention relates to the art of drilling oil wells, and is particularly applicable to the drilling of oil wells by what is known as the rotary system.

In this system a rotary bit or cutter is secured to the bottom of a string of drill pipe being rotated by a rotary table situated at the surface of the ground. Rotary mud is forced downward through the drill pipe and through openings in the bit to a point near the bottom of the hole, this mud being circulated by means of high-pressure pumps situated'on thederrick floor. The mud so circulated serves to carry upward with it l the cuttings from the bit, and also serves to cement and mudsup the walls of the hole, so that. they will stand withoutthe necessity of easing, it being very common to drill holes in excess of 2000 feet deep by the rotary method without the use of any casing whatever, the rotary mud under pressure serving to hold up the walls of the well and make such drilling possible.

It is not the usual practice in drilling with the rotary method to carry pipe, that is to say, it is not the practice to suspend in the well a string of easing through which the drill pipe projects, this casing being used to hold up the wall of the well, as is the usual practice when drilling a well by the so-called standard or reciprocating system. In some cases,however, it is highly desirable to be able to carry casing, this casing bein suspended in .the well during the drilling operation and gradually lowered as the drilling progresses.

' It is necessary to frequently withdraw the drill pipe for the purpose of replacing or sharpening the bits, and one of the principal values of carrying casing is to prevent the well from caving during the time the drill pipe and 'bit are being withdrawn. This necessitates the use of a bit which will pass readily through the casing and which will, therefore, drill ahole either smaller or of approximately the same diameter as the inside of the carried casing. Casing cannot pass through a hole of asmaller diameter ,50 than its outside diameter, and the practice 1927. Serial No. 187,746.

of carrying casing in rotary drilling has never been generally adopted.

It is an object of my invention, however, to provide an underreamer which may be collapsed in such a manner as to pass readily .55 through the casing but which automatically expands as it leaves the casing so that it will drill a hole somewhat larger than the outside diameter of the casing.

It is a further object of my invention to provide such an underreamer which can be readily drawn upward into the casing for withdrawal from the well, said underreamer being collapsed for this purpose.

A still further objectof the invention is to provide an underreamer in which the reaming elements move bodily from retracted into extended position.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an underreamer in which the reaming elements are locked in retracted position and are released by fluid pressure.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be made evident hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view illustrating the utility of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the in vention partly sectioned, the reaming elements being shown in retracted position.

- Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an .elevational view similar to Fig. 2 but showingthe reaming elements in extended position.

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line .66 of Fig. 5.

Figs. 7 and 8 are fragmentary sections showing the latch-means of the invention.

The underreamer or reamer 11 of my invention is adapted to be secured to the lower end of a drill column 12 directlyabove a cutter such as a fish-tail 13. The drill column 12 extends upward through a casing 1 1 of the well and is supported at its upper end by means of a traveling block 16 which connects to a swivel head 17 thereof. The drill column 12 is rotated by a rotary 18 carried V on the floor of a derrick. Rotary mud is delivered to the fish-tail 13 by means of a pressure pump which. is connected to the swivel head 17 by means of a stand pipe 21 a and a hose 22.

Referring to Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive, the underreamer 11 has a body 30. The body includes "a head 31 having a threaded pin 32, by means of which it is connected to a tool joint 33 provided atthe lower end of the drill column 12; a foot-piece '34 having a threaded pin 35 which screws into a coupling 36, by means of which the body 30 is attached to a rotary cutter such as the fishtail 13; and a plurality of arms 37 which connect'the head '31 and the foot-piece 34 together. 7 r

In the form of the invention shown, I provide three arms 37 which are arranged symmetrically around the axisv of the body 30 e which is also the axis of the drill'column12.

These arms are near together at the lower end and diverge outward until they are spread apart a maximum distance at their upper ends. The adjacent edges of the arms 37 have grooves 38'which are arranged in planes extending at right angles. to a radial line extending from the axisof the body 30 and through the center of the spaces between the grooves 38; The pairs of grooves 33 cooperate to provide ways. As will be ob-' viousfrom the description the ways dive'rge upward from the axis of the body 30. .The

lower ends of the ways are closed, whereas the upper endsthereof are opened so that carriers 40'may beextended into them.

'The carriers'40 have tongues 41 which project into the grooves 38 which oooperateto provide'the ways. The carriers are adapted 4 5 i v and alower face of the tool joint- 33.

to slide along the ways but are prevented from being removed from place by means of a retainer 42. The retainer 42 is placed on the head 31and is retained thereon, since it is provided with an annular in-turned lip .43'whichis clamped between the head 31 The retainer42 has arms 45, each of which extends so as to close the upper ends of the ways. I Eacharm 45 has a face 46 which is adapted to lee engaged by an upper face 7 3 of each of the carriers 40 when each carrier -is'n1oved into its extreme upper position.

The carrlers 40 include shafts 47 which tendparallel to the ways in which they are carried andon'iwhichreaming elements 48 are supported, these ream ng elements 48 conslsting of cutters havlng serrations and being adapted to rotate. V The head 30 has a central vertical opening '50, and the foot-piece 34 has a vertical cen- 1 tral opening 51, these openings being aligned.

Extending through these openings and through the space 1 insidev the arms 37 'isa circulation tube or conduit 52. [The lower end of the conduit 52 is threadedly secured in the opening 51 and the upper end thereof has a seal formed aroundit by a packer 54.

The conduit 52 conducts rotary mud from the drill column 12 torthe fish-tail 13.

Surrounding the conduit 52 and adapted to slide thereon is a collar 56. This collar 56 is provided with ears 57 to which links 58 are pivoted by shafts 59. The upper ends of the carriers 40 have the outer ends of the links 58 pivoted thereto by pivot-shafts 60. Surrounding the conduit 52 below the collar 56 is a coil-spring 61, the lower end of which rests. in a cavity 62 of the foot-piece 34 and the upper end ofwhich engages the collar 56.

The purpose of the coil-spring 61 is to tend to urge the collar 56 from the position shown in Fig. 2 into theposition shown in Fig. 5,

in which position the faces 7 3 of the carriers 40 engage faces 46 provided bytheretainer 42. In view of the face that the carriers move outward when they move upward-it "collar 56 is in the position shown in 2 and 7. Pivoted on a shaft'66 which isinside the conduit and directly below the'opening 65 is a latch-member 67, The latch member 67 has an arm 68which extends upward and is provided with a book 69 at its upper end. l/Vhen the latch-member 67 is in latchpositiom'the hook 6 9 extends through the opening 64 and into the notch 65, looking the collar 56 in the positionshown in Figs.'2 and 7. Extending substantially at right'angles 'tothe arm-68 is a plate 70 which has'a small opening- -(1 and whlch is slightly smaller in drameter'than the opening through the conduit 52. 7 When the latch-member 67 is in latching position, the" plate, '70 closes the opening of theconduit 52. -Tlie latch-member 67 may be moved intounlatchedposition as indicated by dotted lines'72 bystarting the pressure-pump 20. When the pressure.

pump is started, mud is forced downward through the drill column. and through the conduit 52. The. pressure against the plate 70 swings thelatch-member 67 from latched 'positionflinto the position indicated by dotted lines 7 2 and releases the collar;56. hen the collar 56 is released, the coil-spring 61 force'sit upward and the reaming elements 48 are moved'into' reaming positions.

It will be noted that thereaming elements when in collapsed position are included with in" a circle which is of asma ller diameter than the casing 14:, but when they are in extended position the outer edges touch a circle which is of a larger diameter than the outer diameter of the casing 14. It will be seenthenthat the underreamer may be readily lowered through a casing, and after it has passed from the lower end thereof may be actuated so that the reaming elements are moved into extended position, by merely starting the pressure-pump 20. In view of the fact that when the reaming elements are moved downward they are collapsed, the underreamer may be pulled upward through the casing, this being because the engagement of the reaming elements 48 with the casing moves them downward so that they are retracted and may pass through this casing.

The important features of the invention may be briefly enumerated as follows: The provision of reaming elements which are moved bodily from retracted into extended position is important to the invention. The means for moving the reaming elements into extended position is important because of its reliability and simplicity of construction.

The locking means shown is satisfactory, but it should be understood that other locking means may be provided if desired.

The term under-reamer tends to comvey the impression that my invention is solely for the purpose of underreaming for a well casing which is advanced downward into a well as the drilling progresses. I wish to impress, however, that my invention is equally useful as a reamer which operates continuously with a bit. As an example, in some wells a short surface casing which extends through the stovepipe casing, is employed for preventing a caving-in of the softer strata near the surface. In removing or inserting the bit and reamer, they must pass through this surface casing. My invention is very suitable for use under these conditions, owing to the novel means for locking the cutter elements in contracted position while the bit passes through the casing.

I claim my invention 1. A reamer comprising a body adapted to be secured to a drill column, said body having a my, said way extending non-parallel to the axis of said column; a carrier adapted to travel along said way; a reaming element caried by said carrier; and a fluid-operated latch for holding said carrier in n rmal retracted position.

2. A reamer comprising: a body adapted to be secured to a drill. column, said body having away, said way extending non-parallel to the axis of said column; a carrier adapted to travel along said way; a reaming element carried by said carrier; an operating member slidable relative to said body; a thrust link connecting said carrier and said operating member; and urging means for urgmg said operating member to slide relative to said body.

3. A combination as defined in claim 2 also having a releasable latch for holding said operating member in such a position that said carrier and reaming element are retained in retracted position, said latch being releasable irrespective of the position of said drill column.

4. A reamer comprising: a body adapted to be secured to a drill column, said body having a way, said way extending non-parallel to the axis of said column; a carrier adapted to travel along said way; a reaming element carried by said carrier; an operating member slidable relative to said body; connecting means for connecting said carrier and said operating member; urging means for urging said operating member to slide relative to said. body; and a fluid-operated latch for re taininp said operating member in such a position that said carrier and reaming elements are retained in retracted position.

5. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said reaming element rotates on an axis parallel to said way.

A reamer comprising: a body adapted to be secured to a drill column, said body hav ing a plurality of ways extending nonparallel. to the axis of said column; a carrier adapted to travel along each of said ways; reaming elements car 'ied by said carriers; a collar slidable relative to said body; a spring for urging said collar upward; links connecting said collar and each of said carriers; and a releasable latch engaging said collar to hold said spring in compressed position.

7. A reamer comprising: a body adapted to be secured to a drill column, said body having a plurality of ways extending nonparallel to the axis of said column; a carrier adapted to travel along each of said ways; reaming elements carried ly said carriers; a fluid conduit in said body; a collar slidable on said conduit; a linkage connecting said collar and said carriers a resilient means for urging said reaming elements into extended position; and a latch engaging said collar to hold said resilient means in compressed position, said catch being fluid operated to release said collar.

8. A combination asdefincd in claim 7 in which said latch comprises a plate pivotally secured inside said fluid conduit and including a hook extending through said conduit to engage said collar.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 20th day of April, 192?.

VICTOR YORK.