US2171020A - Whip stock - Google Patents

Description

S. G. ACKLEY WHIP STOCK Aug. 29, '1939.

Fila Dec. 18, 1937 XIV k\\\\ .7 s \ix 0 Patented Aug. 29, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE to Peoples Finance and Thrift Company of Bakersfield, Bakersfield, Calif., a corporation of California Application December 18, 1937, Serial No. 180,603

Claims.

This invention relates to whipstocks. These devices are employed in a well hole to enable the drill bit to be deflected; Thisv is necessary in drilling operations for different reasons; for ex- 5 ample, to deflect a drill so as to avoid extremely hard formation that may be encounteredin drilling the well, or a lost tool. 1'

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a whipstock that can be carried down into the well on a drill, and which is maintained in a folded or unextended condition while passing down the well, but which, upon reaching the bottom of the well, will automatically gove to an extended position, thereby presentin a guide in the path of the drill, which will defl t the drill from alignment with the axis of the hole.

A further object of the invention is to provide awhipstock of simple construction for this purpose, and having improved means for releasing it so as to enable its parts to occupy an extended relation to obstruct the lower end of the hole, and cause a deflection of the bit as it descends past the whipstock.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efficient whipstock. V

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken through a well hole and showing my whipstock in position after it, has been expanded or extended, and is operated to deflect the bit. This view shows a portion of the whipstock shank in section.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the whipstock, and showing its parts in their unextended relation; that is to say, in the relation they have when the tool is being run down the well. The upper portion of this View illustrates the lower end of a drill bit in side-elevation and partially in' section. I

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

Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Before proceeding to a more detailed description of the invention, it should be stated that in practicing the invention I provide a pair of members movably connected together and capable of being held in an unextended relation so that other.

they can be passed down a well. This is effected through the agency of some-- kind of latching means, which is constructed in such a way that when the whipstock arrives at the bottom of the well, the latching means will be released and enable the device to extend itself; that is to say,

' enable the two relatively movable parts to swing apart. One of the parts after being extended in this way, presents itself in an inclined position so that it is capable of operating to deflect the drill from the axis of the well. In the present instance, the whipstock is described as having frangible means for attaching the same to the side of the drill collar. passed down the well with the drill string, but as soon as the whipstock has been sprung, that is to say, extended at the bottom of the well, the continued downward movement of the drill will break the frangible means and permit the drill to engage the whipstock and be deflected by it.

In practicing the invention, and referring to Fig. '2 as illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, the whipstock has a body com:- prising two members I and 2, which are movably secured together to swing on a substantially horizontal axis, preferably by means of a hinge pin, 3.- These two members are provided with" resilient means for urging them to an open or extended position, and in the present instance, this means comprises two leaf springs 4 and 5 This enables it to be attached respectively to the adjacent faces ofthe members I and 2, and pressing against each In addition to this, I provide means for holding the parts I and 2 in a folded or unextended relation to enable the whipstock to be passed down the well. For this purpose I prefer to provide a latch 6 of inverted U-form having a relatively long stem 1 that is guided through one of the members so as to project downwardly below the lower end of the'whi'pstock. When the lower end of this stem 1 strikes the bottom of the well, or an obstruction in the well, it pushes the latch upwardly and disconnects a short arm or pintle 8 from an opening 9 in which it is guided, said opening 9 passing through a lug l0 opposite to a similar lug ll through which the stem 1 is guided. The release of the device in this wayof the well or hole.

The member 2 may be considered as a guiding member for the drill that is to be deflected. and in order to facilitate its performing this function, it is preferably provided on its outer side .with'a deflecting plate M, the upper end of which is relatively deeply curved transversely so as to enable it to fit against the concave face of the other plate l5, which may be considered to form the body of the whipstock. This plate l5 has an upwardly extending concavo convex shank IS, the upper end of which is attached to a drill collar I! by frangible means such as a frangible pin or bolt [8. The lower end of the guide plate It is only slightly concave, as indicated. The lower end of the guide plate I4 is preferably: formed with an inwardly inclined extension or chisel or spur l9, which is intended to engage the hard formation at the bottom of the well so as to prevent the thrust of the drill from pushing the guide plate out of its Way. This is important, for it is evident that the springs 4 and 5 would be wholly inadequate to hold the guide plate I4 from swinging inwardly under the action of the thrust of the drill. This chisel point l9 may be reinforced at each side by an integral flange 20.

When the drill head 2| carried by the drill collar, is forced downwardly by thrust in the tool string 22, the bolt l8 will be sheared and the drill will be deflected by the guide plate I, as indicated in Fig. 1. This view, however, somewhat exaggerates the curvature in the drill string due to the deflection of the drill head.

Referring again to Fig. 2, it will be noted that in this figure the "kicker or pusher member I, is of substantially rectangularform in outline,

. as viewed from the rear, and the adjacent por- 'the combination of a guide member and a pusher tion of the member 2 is cut away to form a substantially rectangular socket or 'gap 23 to receive it. When the whipstock is passing down the well, the shank I6 is substantially in line with the back of the pusher member l,-as indicated in Fig. 2, but after the release of the whipstock occurs, the joint formed by the hinge pin 3:will, of course, spring forwardly; that is, toward the axis of the well, so that the parts will have substantially the relation indicated in Fig. 1. '50 a It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention," nor in'the claims, to'the particular .'embodiment set forth.

What I claim is: Q

1. In a whipstock fordeflecting a drilling tool in a well to change'the' direction of the well bore,

member pivotally attached thereto; one of said members having an extension at its upper end for attachment to the side of a drill colla'ron a drill string; said extension'lying adjacent the side of the'wel l bore so as to, leave the well'bore un-'- obstructed for thepassage of a drilling tool, resilient means'urging the said members apart and toward an extended relation at their lower ends, and a latch for latching said members in an un extended relation while passing down the well,

said latch-having means for engaging the well bottom or an obstruction in the well bore to release the same, to enable the pusher member to engage one side of the well bore and cooperate with the resilientxmeahs to force the lower end of theoth'er;mmber;laterally.in.the we1l.:

her 2 will be pushed toward the opposite side 2. In a whipstock for deflecting a drilling tool in a well, the combination of a body comprising a same by contact with the well. bottom or an obstruction in the well bore, said deflecting memher having means at its lower end to bite into the well bottom and prevent the thrust of the drill while being deflected, from pushing the deflecting member aside.

3. In a whipstock for deflecting a drilling tool in a well, the combination of a guide member and a pusher member pivotally attached thereto, one of said members having an extension at its upper end for attachment to a drill collar ona drill string, resilient means urging the said members apart and toward an extended relational; their lower ends, and a latch for latching said members in an unextended relation while passing down the well, said latch having means for engaging the well bottom or an obstruction in the well bore to release the same, to enable the pusher member to engage one side of the well bore and cooperate with the resilient means to force the lower end of the other member laterally in the well, to assume an inclined position extending across the well bore, said guide member having a spur below operating to bite intothe well bottom and prevent the thrust of the drill from pushing the guide member to one side.:

4. In a whipstock for deflecting a drilling tool in a well, the combination of a bodvmember having an upwardly extending shank of concaveconvex form in substantially horizontal section adapting the same for attachmentjtothe-side' of side of the well bore, said body member having an inclined guide extensionto be engaged by the drill and deflected, a pusher member pivotally attached to the body memberv and extending downwardly substantially in alignment withthe shank, resilient means between the ,guide exten sion and the pusher member urging the pusher member toward the wall of the well, and urging the guide member to assume an inclined position acrossthe well bore, and a latch for latching the pusher member in its unextended position, said latch having an extension projecting below the lower end of the pusher member and operating when it strikes the bottom of the well or an obstruction in the bore, to disengage the latch.

5. In-a whipstock for deflecting a drillingtool a drill collar, said shank located adjacentthe,

in a well, the combination of a body composed of a pair of members pivotally connected to each other, resilientmeans for urging the said members to swing apart into an extended position,

one of said members to operate as a deflecting member and being made to assume -an inclined position extending acro s sthe well;;boreforde- 'flecting a well tool, and latching means for holding- -said-members together inanuhextended position, said latching means having means for releasing the same by contact with the well bottom or an obstruction in the well bore;said 'deflectof the=drlll while being deflected, from pushing giggin

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