US2131830A

US2131830A - Rat hole drilling mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2131830A
Application number: US206175A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward D Ackerman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1938-05-05
Filing date: 1938-05-05
Publication date: 1938-10-04
Anticipated expiration: 1955-10-04

Description

Oct. 4, 1938.

E. D. ACKERMAN RAT HOLE DRILLING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 5, 1958 INV ENT OR. ED WA RD Z2 A C'KERMAN Oct. 4, 1938. E. D. ACKERMAN RAT HOLE DRILLING MECHANISM Filed may 5, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. .Ebw RD [3 A CKERM 1V BY w M ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 4, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE RAT HOLE DRILLING MECHANISM Edward D. Ackerinan, Ellinwood, Kans.

' Application May 5, 1938, Serial No. 206,175

Claims.

My invention relates to a rat hole drilling mechanism and has for its principal object a portable device operated by the turn table of an oil well rotary drilling rig to produce that which -5 is known in the oil fields as a rat hole that is associated with rotary drilling of oil wells, the rat hole being in close proximity to the well.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simple and eflicient means to drill the rat hole slanting upward and toward the well, the rat hole being means to dispose of an element commonly known as the Kelly joint, which is the turning means for the s em of a rotary drill, the

stem being in joints, each of which has a coupling for their connection and adapted to receive a coupling carried by the Kelly joint, the said Kelly joint being rectangular in cross section to engage in a recangular opening of a-bushing insertible in the master bushing of a power actuated turn table comprised with the equipment of a drilling rig and positioned in axial working relation to the well. To connect other joints to the stem during the course of drilling, the stem is raised by the Kelly joint so that the upper end of said stem is positioned above the turn table elements, and being secured against retraction, at which time said Kelly joint is removed and placed in the rat hole to avoid obstruction during the process of placing another joint on the stem, after which the stem is dropped and retained at a similar point to that of the previous joint and secured while the Kelly joint is withdrawn from the rat hole and attached to the end of the stem. During this process of stem connection, the Kelly joint bushing is removed and replaced to engage said Kelly joint to turn the stem for further drilling; it being understood that said bushing is split diametrically and brought in snug engagement as it enters the master bushing. Heretofore, improvised power actuated methods have been resorted to for the drilling of a rat hole and in some instances the drilling was performed manually, and to avoid such performance, I have arranged a mechanism that is operated by the oil well drilling mechanism that is nism, the axis of which is vertical but having a pyramidal opening about said axis that will accommodate for the slanting position of the Kelly joint without interruption while turning the same in its slanted position. I

It will be further understood tha my invention also provides horizontally positioned sprocket wheels engaged by a chain belt as smooth running means therefor regardless the vertical incline of a tool that is turned by one of the wheels. 10

To attain these and other objects hereinafter described, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like characters will apply to like parts in the difierent views. 15

Referring to the drawings:

Fig.1 is a side view of the rat hole drilling mechanism, parts removed, the Kelly joint fragmentarlly shown, and the relative position of an oil well turn table to the mechanism shown 20 by dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1, the Kelly joint removed.

Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of -the arrow in said figure. 25

Fig. 4'is an elevation of an oil well derrick showing relative position of the rat hole to the well, also slanting position of the line relative to the rat hole.

Fig. 5 is an inside view of one half of the Kelly 30 joint hubbed sprocket-wheel.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line B5 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a sector roller bearing for the side thrust of the hubbed sprocket 35 wheel for the Kelly joint.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a standard Kelly joint bushing.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view. of a standard make of an oil well drilling turn table. 40

Fig. 10 is an underside perspective view of one of the clips in which the Kelly joint hubbed sprocket wheel turns.

My invention herein disclosed consists of a sprocket wheel Lintegrally joined to the upper 45 end of a hub 2, the peripheral surface of the hub conforming to the opening of a master bushing A that is positioned at he turning axis of turn table B, the bushing being old in the art of rotary drilling, and positioned in said turn table B, that is likewise well known. The said iurn table has means to rotate the same through the medium of a motor not shown in the drawings but commonly employed in rotary drilling,

and in such case, the master bushing is equipped with a bushing A, leaving a square opening axially extending therethrough as shown 'in Fig. 8, and known to the trade as a Kelly joint bushing, through which extends the said Kelly joint, slideable therein, functioning as turning means for a drill stem, and descending therewith, it being understood that said bushing, when seated in the master bushing A, will rotate therewith when the table is turned. To operate my rat hole mechanism, the said Kelly bushing is removed and replaced by the said hubbed sprocket wheel above described, which is turned in like manner to that of the Kelly joint bushing A.

To secure said hubbed sprocket wheel in the opening of the master bushing A, I have positloned a bolt 3, axially extending through the hub 2, and having secured to the lower end thereof a bar 4 diametrically crossing the lower end of the hub, and the said bar is of sufllcient length so that each end thereof will seat on the lower end of said master bushing as shown at C and D, and being tensioned thereto by a nut 5 threadedly engaging on the upper end of the said bolt; when thus positioned, the sprocket wheel is spaced above the horizontal plane of the turn table as shown in Fig. 1.

Spaced a short distance from the said turn table is a pair of frame elements 6, each of which has a base member E and a plate element F spaced upward from member E in parallelism therewith and supported by legs G, slantingly positioned and connecting said base and plate as shown in Fig. 1. Each end of said base members is cut slantingly upward and outward to move the same freely longitudinally, the said frames being spaced apart and connected at one end by a cross bar 1 that is medially severed in such a way that the adjacent ends thereof will lap as at H, and being secured together by apin 8. While the other ends and upper portion of the frame members are substantially secured by a sector roller bearing 9 extending thereacross, each end of which is secured to its respective frame member by a bolt i and pin Ii, the latter, being spaced from the bolt, is bracing means against opposite longitudinal movement of the side frame members and coacting with the abutting ends of bar member I that are secured to their respective sides of the frame and free to move therewith when said pin 8 is removed. To rock the sides of the frame in the direction indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, I first remove pins 8 and I i, at which time the sides are free to rock on their respective pivot points established by slots iii, the purpose of which is later described.

Seated on plates F of said frames is the end of hub l2, having sprocket wheel IS on the other end, and rotatable therewith, the hub rotatably secured by a plurality of clips Hi, the lips L of which lap over the annular flange l integrally joined to the lower end of said hub, and the said hub has a shoulder J adjacent the sprocket wheel, and between said flange and shoulder is an annular bearing as at K against which the said sector roller bearing ill will engage.

The last said hubbed sprocket wheel has a pyramidal opening l6 concentrically positioned and passing therethrough to receive the shaft of a Kelly joint I! slideable therein, and being turned by the said hubbed sprocket wheel through the medium of a chain l8 that is in mesh with oil well rig. The said chain is properly tensioncd by a strut rod 20, one end of which is pivotally connected to cars 2| integrally joined to said roller bearing while the other end is connected in like manner to the turn table as at 22, by said arrangement of the strut, and through the medium of its turn buckle 23; the said frame elements C and hubbed sprocket wheel carried thereby may be moved toward and from the said turn-table as tensioning means for the chain. To avoid excess sag of the chain, there is positioned on the corresponding ends of base member E a standard 24, the standard having at the upper end a roller 25 trunnioned between cars 26, substantially as shown, the said ears upwardly extend as guiding means for the chain belt as carried by the rollers.

The said hubbed sprocketwheel carried by the frame is diametrically split as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 5, and being secured together by bolts 21, engaging through apertured ears 28, that are integrally connected to their respective halves of said hubbed sprocket wheel and being on the sprocket wheel end thereof, the other end of the hub structure being supported to close engagement by the said clips spaced therearound but free to rotate as above described. Being so arranged, is means to separate and place the same on the shaft of said Kelly joint prior to drilling the rat hole, and the said frame rockably connected as above described is means to receive said Kelly joint therebetween, and when thus assembled, and when said hubbed sprocket I is positioned in the master bushing of the turn table as heretofore described, and having a chain belt placed to engagement with each sprocket, the mechanism comprising my invention is fully prepared to drill the rat hole as the said table is turned by its respective power as actuating means therefor.

In Fig. l is shown the approximate slant of the Kelly joint when drilling the rat hole;' the slant of said jointis due to its eccentric position at the base of the derrick as shown in Fig. 4, the pendent supporting means being centered on the turning axis of sheave 29 at the top of the derrick; therefore the rat hole must axially align with the said center point to avoid excess drag of the Kelly joint while entering or being removed from said rat hole.

To drill a rat hole at a point selected adjacent the well, I first disassemble the frame and hubbed sprocket wheel in order to place the Kelly joint with drill, but connected at the point of spudding in, I then assemble the hubbed sprocket wheelto engagement with the stem of the Kelly joint, after which the frame is rocked to its normal working position with said hubbed sprocket wheel seated on the frame and retained thereon by the engagement of the clips with the flange of the huh. I then remove the Kelly bushing from the master bushing in the turn table and place in said master bushing the other hubbed sprocket wheel securing the same to rotate the same with the table; a chain belt is then placed to engagement with each of said sprocket wheels as turning means for the Kelly joint as it drills the rat hole. When said rat hole has been drilled and cased the mechanism of my invention is removed to resume drilling of the oil well.

While I have shown and described integral hubbed sprocket wheels, the same may be modifled by separating the wheel from their hub and means to assemble the same securely.

Such modiflcations may be employed as lie within the scope of the appended claims.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a rat hole drilling mechanism, in combination with a turn table of an oil well drilling rig, the table having a master bushing concentrically positioned therein and rotatable with the table, a hubbed sprocket wheel, the periphery of the hub to conform to the inner wall of said master bushing, and means to secure the same in said bushing as turning means for the said hubbed sprocket wheel, a frame and a hubbed sprocket wheel rotatably seated on the frame so that the sprocket wheel of each hub is aligned -horizontally, a chain belt as power transmitting means from one sprocket wheel to the other, means in the said other hubbed sprocket wheel to engage the shaft of a drilling stem as turning means therefor.

2. In a rat hole drilling mechanism, in combination with a turn table having a master bush ing axially secured therein, a frame spaced from the turn table and means to move the frame for adjustment toward or from the turn table, a pair of hubbed sprocket wheels, one of which is secured in the master bushing of the turn table and rotatable therewith, the table being motor actuated, the other hubbed sprocket wheel having a pyramidal opening extending axially therethrough, the side walls of said opening diverging toward the outer extremity of the hub, means to retain the last said hubbed sprocket wheel seated on-top of the frame and rotatable thereon, a chain belt connecting said sprocket wheels as turning means for last said hubbed sprocket wheel, which in turn will rotate a drill element having a stem rectangular in cross section to slidably engage through the pyramidal opening and rotatable therewith.

3. In a rat hole drilling mechanism, in combination with a turn table having a master bushing axially positioned therein, a frame comprising two side elements, detachabiy arranged means to connect the frame elements at one end thereof, and means to pivotally connect said frame elements medially or their ends whereby said frame elements detached at its end connection will rock go toward and from each other, a pair of hubbed sprocket wheels, one of which is secured in the master bushing of the turn table, the other hubbed sprocket wheel being seated on said frame and-removable therefrom when the side frames are rocked from parallelism, a chain belt as power transmitting means from one sprocket wheel to the other, and means carried by the frame to support the chain medially of its sprocket wheels, means to engage a drilling stem slidable through the last said hubbed sprocket wheel as turning means for the drill stem, and being positioned concentric to said hubbed sprocket .wheeLthedrillstembeingtermedastheKelly joint 4. In a rat hole drilling mechanism, in combination with a turn table having a master bushing axially positioned-therein, a frame spaced from the turn table, and means to move the frame for adjustment toward or from the turn table, a pair of hubbed sprocket wheels, one of which is axially bored and a'bolt positioned in the bore and extending outward therefrom, the hub being seated in the master bushing and rotatable therewith, a bar transversely positioned and secured to the outer extension of the bolt medially of the bar length, each outer end of the bar to lap on the master bushing by which means said hubbed sprocket wheel is secured in said master bushing, the other hubbed sprocket wheel being divided diametrically, forming two halves, means to secure the'halves together, there being a pyramidal opening concentrically passing therethrough, the

walls of the opening diverging from the sprocket wheel end of the structure for the purpose specifled, a chain belt connecting said sprocket wheels as power transmitting means to last named hubbed sprocket wheel.

5. In a rat hole drilling mechanism, in combination with a turn table having a master bushing axially secured therein, a frame spaced from the turn table, and means to move the frame. for adjustment toward or from the turn table, a pair of hubbed sprocket wheels, one of which is axially bored and a bolt positioned in the bore and extending outward therefrom, the hub to seat in the master bushing and rotatable therewith, a bar transversely positioned and secured to the outer extension of the bolt medially of the end of the bar to lap on the master bushing by which means said hubbed sprocket wheel is secured in said master bushing, the other hubbed sprocket wheel having a sprocket wheel on one end of the hub and a shoulder adjacent the wheel, the other end of the hub having an annular flange outwardly extending from the periphery of the hub, a plurality of clips seemed to the frame in such a way as to space the clips around the flange, each clip having a lip under which the flange will rotatabiy engage, the clips as retaining means for the hub on the frame, a chainbelt in mesh with each sprocket wheel as power transmitting means to turn last named sprocket wheel, there being a pyramidal opening through the axis of said hub and wheel to engage the stem of 'a Kelly joint vertically or slantingly po- I EDWARD D. ACERMAN.