US2174001A - Manifold tie rod clamp - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 26, 1939. J. H. HOWARD MANIFOLD TIE ROD CLAMP Filed June 1, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept, 26, 1939. J. H. HOWARD 0 mun-"ow TIE ROD CLAMP 7 Filed June 1, 1.937 2 SheetsSheet 2 Patented Sept. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES MANIFOLD TIE ROD CLAMP James H. Howard, Houston, Tex., assignor to J, H. McEvoy & Company, Houston, Tex., a.

corporation of, Texas Application June 1, 1937, Serial No. 145,687

4 Claims.

This invention relates in general to high pressure manifolds, and particularly to that type of manifold customarily used in connection with oil wells or other high pressure flowing wells.

5 In the past, it has been customary to provide at desired points on manifolds of the type referred to cross arms known as tie rod clamps, and to connect these tie rod clamps together by means of tie rods connected to the outer ends of the clamps and extending from one clamp to another. This, it will be noted, provides a reinforcement against high pressure within the manifold, assisting in holding the parts of the manifold together, reducing the vibration caused by the action of the fluid under pressure in the well, and to some extent protecting the manifold from damage by falling objects during removal of the derrick and drilling equipment. These tie rods have in the past been connected to the clamps by means of nuts threaded onto the ends of the tie rods, but in instances where the manifolds vary in length, depending upon the conditions encountered, it has been necessary to provide tie rods with excessively long threaded 5 zones. This makes them of course more expensive, and the cutting of the threads of the tie rods renders them more susceptible to corrosion and the deteriorating influences of the weather.

Furthermore, at times the lower of the tie rod clamps may be located in inaccessible positions, such as in many instances beneath the water level, and in such cases it is extremely difiicult to place the nuts upon the lower ends of the tie rods below such clamps.

In many instances, particularly in the case of manifolds of the type known as Christmas trees which are used upon oil wells, the manifolds are first assembled and are later placed upon the wells. It is important that the operation of placing the Christmas tree upon the Well and securing it in place be carried on as rapidly as possible so as to reduce the danger of a blow-out. In the past no suitable means has been provided for handling the assembled Christmas tree in such a manner that it will be permitted to swivel or rotate about its suspension and thus make possible the ready attachment of the Christmas tree to the well.

It is an object of this invention to provide a tie rod clamp and tie rod with means for retaining the tie rod in any position desired with respect to the tie rod clamp, which means will be selfadjusting so that the tie rod and clamp may be properly positioned with respect to each other 66 without loss of time.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tie rod and tie rod clamp combination which will make it possible to readily and easily cut the tie rods to length in the field.

It is a further object of this invention to pro- 5 vide a tie rod and tie rod clamp combination which will permit the proper clamping of Christmas trees having various lengths without necessity for elongated threaded sections upon the tie rods.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tie rod clamp having provision for receiving two oppositely extending pairs of tie rods and to provide the means for receiving one of said pairs of tie rods with automatic gripping elements for 15 gripping the tie rods and retaining them in whatever position may be desired.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a tie rod clamp for a high pressure manifold of the type set forth and to shape said clamp and 20 mount it upon the manifold in such a manner that it may be utilized for providing a swivel suspension for the manifold during the handling and connection thereof.

It is a further object of this invention to pro- 25 vide a tie rod clamp with means whereby a tie rod may be connected thereto when the tie rod clamp is itself relatively inaccessible.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following descrip- 30 tion taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the same being by way of illustration and example, and not by way of limitation.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a high pressure 35 manifold illustrating tie rods and clamps constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the intermediate tie rod clamp illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to the upper portion of 4 Fig. 1 but illustrating a slightly modified form .of tie rod clamp and tie rod for cooperation therewith.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the tie rod clamp illustrated in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a vew similar to Fig. l but showing a slightly modified form of manifold and tie rod clamp.

Fig. 6 is a view illustrating the tie rod clamp of Fig. 5 while the same is being employed as a 50 swivel support for the manifold in the handling of the same.

Referring now to Fig. 1 the numeral I indicates the customary casing employed in oil .or other fluid well. At the upper end is secured a casing head 2 having lateral outlets 3 and 4 to which are connected fiow lines 5 and 6. Interposed in the flow lines 5 and 6 are valves Tand 8.

Mounted on top of the casing head 2 is a hanger device 9 for hanging the tubing ID, the upper end of which projects therefrom and is provided with a gate valve It. Connected to the upper end of the gate valve H is a cross fitting |2 having lateral outlets connected to fiow lines I3 and M, respectively. Gate valves l5 and I6 are provided in these flow lines which may have any customary connections thereto, such as for instance the gate valve I1 and the fittings [8.

Above the cross fitting l2 and connected with the upper outlet thereof is a gate valve |9, the upper end of which is normally closed by means of a bull plug tapped to receive a connection with a pressure gauge 2|. The hull plug 20 differs from the ordinary bull plug in that there is provided adjacent its upper end .a laterally extending flange 22. Surrounding the bull plug 20 below the flange 22 so as to be rotatable with respect to the bull plug and the remainder of the manifold, but relatively fixed against longitudinal movement thereon, is a tie rod clamp 23 having laterally extending . arms 24 and 25. The arms 24 and 25 it is to be noted are cut away on their lower edges so as to provide an intermediate portion of their lower edges which extends first upwardly and outwardly, then downwardly and outwardly, for a purpose to be presently set forth. These rods 26 and 21 are adapted to be received into perforations formed in the arms 24 and 25 and secured in proper position within said arm by means of nuts 28 and 29 threaded into the ends of the tie rods.

Ihe lower ends of the tie rods 26 and. 21 are shown as disposed within the openings in the arms 30 and 3| of an intermediate tie rod clamp member 32 which is built in the form of a cross. These lower ends of the tie rods 26 and 21 are secured in the arms 30 and 3| by means of nuts 33 in much the same manner that the upper ends of said tie rods are secured within the arms 24 and 25.

The intermediate cross tie rod clamp 32 is also provided with two other laterally extending arms 34 and 35 disposed substantially at right angles to the arms 30 and 3|, and having in their outer ends downwardly tapering openings adapted to receive the slips 36 and 31. Received in these openings between the slips 36 and 31 are the upper ends of a second pair of tie rods 38 and 39. The lower ends of these tie rods extend through openings in the arms 49 and 4| of a lower tie rod clamp and are secured therein by means of nuts 42. This lower tie rod clamp 43 is threaded onto the lower end of the casing head 2 by means of loosely fitting threads 44. By virtue of threaded connection 44, tie rod clamp 43 may be freely swivelled with respect to the casing head 2 so as to properly position it with respect to the flow lines 3 and 4, but may at the same time serve as a holddown for the casing head through the medium of the third pair of tie rods 45 and 46. These tie rods are secured within a second pair of openings in the arms 40 and 4| by means of nuts 41 and 48.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 3 the only difference is that instead of the tie rods 26' and 21' being connected to the arms 24' and 25' of the tie rod clamp 23' by means of nuts as in Fig. 1, they are connected by means of slips 49 and 50 similar to the previously mentioned slips 36 and 31. In this instance the upper ends of the tie rods 26' and 21' are not threaded, but are simply inserted into the slips to the desired extent and then the slips will prevent downward movement of the tie rods with respect to the tie rod clamp.

With reference now to Fig. 5, it will be noted that the upper tie rod clamp 23 while of slightly different configuration from that illustrated in Fig. 1, is in effect substantially the same, and adapted to receive the tie rods 26" and 21" in the same manner that the clamp 23 of Fig. 1 receives the tie rods 26 and 21. The manifold or Christmas tree illustrated is however of somewhat different form from that shown in Fig. 1, the tubing hanger 9 being slightly different in form from the corresponding element in Fig. 1, and the casinghead 2' being likewise slightly different. The outlets 3' and 4' carrying the flow lines 5 and 6' are substantially the same, the hook-ups merely being a little different, such hook-ups, however, depending upon differences in design. In this instance the flow line 6 instead of being used as a flow line is connected to a pressure gauge 8', whereas the flow line 5 is provided with a gate valve 1', and is adapted to be used as a fiow line.

It is noted that in this hook-up the intermediate tie rod clamp is omitted, and the lower tie rod clamp 43 is slightly different from the tie rod clamp 43 of Fig. 1. This tie rod clamp is not threaded to the lower end of the casing head, but is merely mounted to surround the section I of the casing below the casing head. The lateral arms of this clamp 43' are provided with upwardly tapering openings 5| and 52 adapted to receive the slips 53 and 54. Below the openings 5| and 52 supports 55 and 55 are provided, adapted to receive the lower ends of the springs 51 .and 58. which springs at all times urge the slips 53 and 54 upwardly into clamping position within the openings 5| and 52. The lower ends of the tie rods 26" and 21" are not threaded but are adapted merely to be pushed into position between the slips 53 and 54, and to be retained therein when again pulled upwardly.

The tie rod clamp 43 is provided with holddown rods 45 and 46, the same as illustrated in Fig. l, downward movement of the tie rod clamp 43' with respect to the casing being prevented in any desirable manner.

When it is desired to position a Christmas tree or manifold having thereon tie rod clamps constructed in accordance with this invention, the bails 59 of an elevator are simply hooked under the laterally extending arms 24 and 25 of the upper tie rod clamp, and the manifold or Christmas tree is then lifted by means of a hook 6|) connected to the elevator bails 59 and to suitable hoisting apparatus. It is to be noted that the configuration of the lower edge of the upper tie rod clamp as previously described enables the elevator bails 59 to be retained thereon, and the fact that this upper clamp is positioned about the bull plug 20 and beneath the laterally extending flange 22 thereon renders it impossible for the elevator bails to pull this clamp off of the manifold, but at the same time permits the manifold to be rotated with respect to the clamp so that it may be properly and easily fitted in the position on the upper end of the casing After the manifold has been properly placed in position and secured, the tie rods are then put in place. In the form illustrated in Fig. 1, the tie rods 38 and 39 are merely inserted upwardly between the slips 36 and 31 until the lower ends thereof occupy the proper position with respect to the clamp 43. The nuts 42 are then tightened so as to place the proper tension upon these tie rods.

In Fig. 3, the tie rods 26' and 21' are merely inserted upwardly between the slips 49 and in the same manner as just described in connection with the tie rods 38 and 39. Nuts on the lower ends of the tie rods 26' and 21 are then tightened to place the proper tension on these tie rods.

In some instances the lower tie rod clamp is found to be positioned under water or for some other reason relatively inaccessible at the time that the manifold should be placed on and connected to the casing. Under these circumstances it is preferably that the lower tie rod clamp be constructed as illustrated in Fig. 5 so that the tie rods 26" and 27" may simply be inserted from above and then tightened by means of the nuts 28 and 29 on their upper ends. This of course makes it unnecessary to obtain such access to the lower clamp as would be necessary if the tie rods had to be secured thereto by means of nuts in the customary manner.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that a means has been provided for carrying out all the objects and advantages of this invention in an extremely simple and thoroughly practical manner.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. An intermediate tie rod clamp for a high pressure manifold assembly comprising a part adapted to engage such assembly, and two pairs of opposed arms extending laterally therefrom, one pair of said arms adapted to receive tie rods extending in one direction therefrom, and the other to receive tie rods extending in the opposite direction therefrom, and slips on one of said pairs of arms for gripping the tie rods extending therefrom.

2. A tie rod clamp for a high pressure manifold assembly comprising a part adapted to engage a portion of the assembly, arms extending laterally therefrom and having openings at their outer ends adapted to receive tie rods, slips in said openings adapted to grip the tie rods when same are inserted therein to retain them against movement in one direction, and resilient means for urging said slips toward gripping position at all times.

3. A lower tie rod clamp for a high pressure manifold assembly comprising a part adapted to be secured adjacent a casing head, and arms extending laterally therefrom, said arms being adapted to receive the lower ends of downwardly extending tie rods, and having slips thereon for preventing upward movement of such tie rods, and yieldable means for urging said slips at all times toward gripping position.

4. A lower tie rod clamp for a high pressure manifold assembly comprising a part adapted to threadedly engage a casing head, and arms extending laterally therefrom and adapted to receive tie rods, slips on said arms adapted to receive and retain against upward movement a pair of downwardly extending tie rods, and means on said arms adapted to receive downwardly extending tie rods for anchoring such casing head.

JAMES H. HOWARD.

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