US1997152A - Casing head and blow-out preventer - Google Patents

Description

April 1935- A. J. PENICK El AL 1,997,152

CASING HEAD AND BLOW-OUT PREVENTER Filed June 26, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 9, 1935. A. J. PENICK ET AL CASING HEAD AND BLOW-OUT PREVENTER Filed June 26, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE oAsnwG HEAD AND Brow-our PBEVENTEB Arthur J. Penick and Kirby T. Penick, Houston, Tex.

Application June 26, 1933, SerialNo. 677,656

Claims. (01.286-16) This invention relates to a combination casing said flared portion the casing head has an i anhead and blowout preventer. nular external groove 6.

An object of the invention is to provide ap- There is a packing unit, or assembly, formed paratus of the character described particularly o llat co f S g indicated 5 adapted for use in carrying out drilling operaerally in Figure 1 by the numerals 1, 1. Each 5 tions to prevent a blowout of gas under pressure s gm s OOmPOSed Of an areliate meta-1hc in the well, where gas, under pressure, is present anchor 8 and an arcuate packing 9 secured to the in suflicient quantities to cause a blowout and underside of said anchor. The anchors 8 are is also useful when it is desired to maintain the hinged together at one side by means of a hinge 10 drilling fluid, or other fluid,'in the well, under plate I 0 whose ends are fitted into slots II at 10 pressure. adjacent ends of said anchors and pinned therein Another object is to provide a novel type or by the P s packing unit adapted to fit within the casing At the opposite side of the packing unit there head to completely close the space between the is a latch l3, hooklike in form, one end of which drill stem or other inner pipe and the casing head is pivoted in a slot ll in one of said anchors and 15 to prevent the escape of fluid from the well. whose hooked end is adapted to engage a pin l5 The invention also comprehendsa'packing unit e e ding ugh the Slot is o the adjacent which is adapted to be easily and quickly set in end of the other anchor. Said hook is mainposition within the casing head about the inner tained in said engaging position by means of a pipe and secured therein without danger to the flat spring H which operates against said latch. 20 workmen. The packing unit is so shaped that when latched The invention also includes novel means for u d th dr ll te other inner P it securing the packing unit in place in the casing will completely surround said inner pipe and the head which may be readily released when it is outer surface of the packing 9 is tapered to 0 desired to withdraw the packing unit and temo to h Shape Of and t0 fi closely within 26 porarily dispense with its use. the seat 3.

With the above and other objects in view, the ded within the p c 9 of eac s invention has particular relation to certain novel ment there is a rigid reinforcing member i8 P features of construction, operation, and arrangeerably form d of metal and upstanding from s 30 ment of parts, an example of which is given in reinforcing me are the anchor rods I9 30 this specification and illustrated in the accom- Which extend p through the chor 8 above and panying drawings, wherein: whose upper ends are threaded to receive the Figure 1 shows a top plan view of the complete nuts 0 whereby the packing y be a tained apparatus. in place. In case the packing should become Figure 2 shows a side view partly in section. worn so as not to form a tight fit within the seat 35 Figure 3 shows a side view partly in section, 3 the nu s 0 may be tightened p to draw 1 taken on the line 33 of Figure 1. the reinforcing members l8 to thus effect the Figure 4 shows a plan view showing the packexp s of the co esponding packing 9 so that ing unit released, and a tight fit will be secured between said packing 40 Figure 5 shows a side view partly in section and seat 3. The segments 1 have the handles 2| 40 of the resilient packing employed and the means by means of which the packing unit may be for maintaining the same assembled with the handled.

complete packing unit, and The upper end of the anchors 8 of the packing Figure 6 shows a fragmentary sectional view unit is reduced forming an annular external of a modified form thereof. shoulder 22 all the way around said unit and be- 45 In the drawings the numeral I designates a neath said shoulder each anchor 8 has an annular well casing having the casing head 2 secured to tapering face 23 shaped to conform to the contour the upper end thereof, and provided with an inof and to flt closely into the flared upper end 5 side downwardly tapering .seat 3. The casing of the seat-3.

head has a lateral tapped hole 4 beneath said The casing head 2 willusually be located be- 5f seat for the connection of a pipe thereto through neath the derrick floor and when, for any reawh-ich the fluid in the Well may be led off or son, it may be desired to seat the packing unit in through which fluid under pressure may be forced the casing head the segments of the packing unit into the well as desired. At its upper end the may be swung open and then closed around the seat 3 is outwardly flared as at 5 and beneath inner pipe it above the derrick floor and latched 55 and the inner pipe then lowered and the packing unit will be carried downwardly into the casing head and seated therein with the packing seated securely in the seat 3 and completely closing the space between the inner pipe l8 and the casing head and with the tapering face 23 seated on the flared portion 5 of the seat 3.

Novel means for securing the packing unit in place in a casing head and for releasing the same for withdrawal have been provided and which will now be described:The securing means referred to comprises the arcuate clamps 24, 24 which are hinged together at one side by the hinge pin 25, said hinge pin passing also through the laterally extending ear 26 formed integrally with the'casing head 2 whereby the clamps 24, 24 are supported on, and hingedly connected to, the casing head. I The pin is secured in place by a suitable cotter key 21.

At their other ends the clamps 24 have the outwardly turned grips or handles 28, 28 which are connected by means of a pull spring 29. This pull spring has its ends secured to the respective grips 28 by means of the clamp bolts 30. Between the grips 28 the clamp members 24 have the intermeshing lugs 3| having the pin bearings 32 which register when the clamps are secured around the packing unit andthrough which a pin 33 may be inserted to hold the clamps in securing position. This pin 33 may be secured against loss by means of a cable or other flexible tie member 34.

As more clearly shown in Figure 3 each clamp member 24 has an inside groove 35, providing the lower and upper inside arcuate shoulders 36, 31, the former of which is engageable underneath the external annular shoulder 38 on the casing head 2 and the latter of which is engageable over the external annular shoulder 22 of the corresponding anchor 8 whereby the packing unit will be secured in place in the casing head.

The clamps 24, 24 are flared upwardly as at 39 and when the packing unit is fastened around the pipe I8 and said pipe is lowered as hereinabove explained said packing unit will enter between the clamps 24, and the tapering faces 23 will contact with the correspondingly tapered portions 39 of said clamps and the packing unit will be guided into the casing head and the clamps 24 will be spread apart, the spring 29 yielding to permit this, and when the shoulders 22 of the packing unit clear the shoulders 31 of the clamps 24, said clamps will be drawn together by the spring 29 causing the shoulders 31 to engage over the shoulders 22 as shown in Figure 3 whereby the packing unit will be locked in place and the pin 33 may then be inserted through the bearings 32 to secure said clamps against spreading whereby the packing unit will be securely maintained in place against danger of displacement by the internal well pressure.

It should be noted that the shoulders 31 engage over the shoulders 22 of a packing unit, at diametrically opposite sides of said unit only, as more clearly shown in Figure 1, that is to say at opposing points approximately midway between the hinged ends of the clamp and the opposite ends thereof so that when it is desired to release the packing unit the pin 32 may be withdrawn and the grips 28 pulled apart until the shoulders 22 are cleared by the shoulders 31 and into the position more clearly illustrated in Figure 4.

If desired the lower end of the packings of said packing unit may be equipped with arcuate guides 40 which may be suitably secured to said packing as shown in Figure 6 and whose outer sides have the inwardly tapering faces 41 whereby the packing unit may be guided into the casing without injuryto the packing.

The drawings and description disclose what is now considered to be a preferred form of the invention, by way of illustration only, while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What we claim is:-

l. The combination with a casing head shaped to receive an inner pipe and having an inside seat, of arcuate confronting clamps hinged at one end to the casing head, yieldable means connecting the other ends of said clamps, a packing unit shaped to surround said inner pipe and adapted to be lowered with the pipe to seat in the casing head and close the space between the casing head and inner pipe, co-acting means on the packing unit and clamps efiective to spread said clamps, upon lowering of the unit to permit said unit to seat on said seat, interengaging means on the casing head, packing unit and clamps arranged to be interengaged when the clamps are closed about the casing head and packing unit to secure the packing unit in the casing head.

2. A casing head shaped to receive an inner pipe, clamp means hinged on, and shaped to surround, the casing head, all in combination with a packing unit in the casing head shaped to surround the pipe and to be lowered with the pipe into position to close the space between the pipe and head, means normally holding the clamp means closely around the casing head, co-acting means on said unit and clamp means effective to actuate the clamp means into position to permit the packing unit to move into said closing position upon such lowering thereof, means on the packing unit and clamp means which normally interengage to secure said unit in the head. said holding means being yieldable to permit the clamp means to open to efl'ect the release of theinterengaging means whereby the unit may be removed from the head.

3. A casing head shaped to receive an inner pipe, clamp means hinged on, and shaped to surround, the head and having an upwardly flared portion, all in combination with a packing unit adapted to be secured around said pipe and to be lowered into-the casing head to close the space between said pipe and head, yieldable means normally holding the clamp means closely around the casing head, said packing unit having an external, downwardly tapering face arranged to engage said flared portion to spread the clamp means to permit the unit to seat in the head, means on the packing unit and clamp means arranged to be interengaged, by said yieldable means, upon the seating of the unit in the easing head.

4. In a casing head shaped to receive an inner pipe, a packing unit composed of a plurality of segments, means to secure said segments about said pipe, clamp means hinged on, and adapted to surround, the casing head and interengaging means carried by said clamp means and packing unit respectively shaped to permit the packing unit to be lowered into the casing head and adapted to interengage to secure the packing unit in the casing head, co-acting means on the packing unit and clamp means effective to spread the latter upon passage of the former downwardly therethrough and means adapted to maintain said interengaging means in interengaging relation and being yieldable to permit the release thereof whereby the packing unit may be released from the head.

5. A casing head shaped to receive an inner pipe, confronting clamps hinged at one end on,

and shaped to surround, said casing head and having grips at their other ends, yieidable means connecting said last mentioned ends of said clamps, a packing unit shaped to surround said inner pipe and to fit within the casing head and close the space between the pipe and head, said unit having an external shoulder, and inwardly extending projections arranged approximately centrally between the ends of the clamps and engageable with said shoulder to secure the said unit in said head.

ARTHUR J. PENICK.

KIRBY T. PENICK.

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