US2313177A - Blowout preventer and valve - Google Patents

Description

March 9,. 1943.

RB. sPRAGuE BLOWOAUT PREVENTER AND VALVE' Filed ne. s, 1940 2 sheets-sheet gra/umm.

Roemer .E SPR/asus,

Patented Mar. 9, 1943 Uhiiiih STATES? PATENT FFECE 2,313,177 BLOWOUT PREVENTER AND VALVE seem s. Sprague, Wilmington, oaiif., assigner to Regan Forge and Engineering Company, a corporation of California Application December 3, 1940, Serial No. 368,353

Claims.

This invention relates generally to valves andV blowout preventers of the type used in drilling oil wells for controlling fluid pressure in well casing and the like.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved valve and blowout preventer for eiectively controlling high fluid pressures such as are encountered in the drilling of oil wells. It is a particular object to provide a device of this nature requiring only a small eilort to operate and which may be operated by fluid pressure or manually.

It is also an object to provide a device which utilizes the force of the fluid flow from the well or through the conduit to be controlled to aid the closing effort of the device and which utilizes the static iiuid pressure to aid in maintaining the device closed. It is a further object to provide a device which can utilize the uid pressure in the well casing for operating the device when fluid is not iiowing through the conduit or casing being controlled.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a valve or blowout preventer of rugged construetion adaptable to entirely close the passage therethrough or to close about a pipe extending through the device. In this connection it is a further object to provide pipe centering means on the portion of the device adapted for closing about a pipe.

It is a still further object to provide a blowout preventer and valve which embodies elements for completely closing the passageway through the device and also embodies other elements for closing about a pipe extending through the device.

These and other objects will be apparent from the drawings and the following description. Re-Y embodying a means for closing about a'pipe andv also embodying means for entirely closing the passageway extending through the device;Y

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation on line 6 5 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation on line 'l--l of Fig.6; and t A t n Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic illustrationoi theup-4 per closure elements of Fig. 6 shown closed about appeo More particularly describing the invention, reference numeral' i i generally indicates onetform of the blowout preventer or valve which is shown mounted-intermediate a well casing l2 or the like. The device comprises a housing t3 having a main or` body portion l Il provided with a threaded opening Ilia to receive"the-casing l2. The body lliY is provided with acap or upper housing member l5, the two parts being connected by suitable boltsV Iii extendingthroughadjacent iiange portions lil and l5 on the respective members. Any suitable gasket means may b e utilized between the parts. The caphl is provided with a threaded Opening .Il ,to aCsQmmQdatB-the Casinem- A1- though in this form oi the invention the housing has been provided 'with threaded openings te ac commodate the sectionsxof the casing, it is within the scope oi the invention to provide the `ordinary time @tetti-malls ,liaageaead portions so that, the devies may be bolted to .other Well apparatus or casingin place of the type cf connection shown.

The housing isA provided Witha passage 20 extending therethrough an'd preferably at least asv large as the internal diameterof the casing I2. On opposite sides of this passage 'thel housingris provided with* recesses 2l ,each ofwhich is adapted to accommodate a passage closure member or gate sector 22. Each recess is provided with an arcuate surface Z whichterminates at the intersection with the circular `bore 25 of thel member llV eXePtthe extrema lateralmarsins Where the two arcuate surfaces terminate at apexes 26. The sides 2'!- and 2l' of the recesses 2i are parallelly disposed. The cap-)l`v5`is recessed at 28 to form the upper boundary or limit of the recess 24.

Each of the gate sectors ispivotally mounted inA its correspondingrecesses by means of laterally extending stud shafts 3l!Y and Sii' which extend through' openings.' 3! in'the housing. Suitable packing' glands 32'are provided to seal each shaft. The outer parts of these glands may bey secured to the'housingin any suitable'manner' asby bolts 32. The gate's'ectorsjare'provided with anV arcuate major surface33 (see Fig. 4) adapted to be juxtapositioned to therespective arcuate surfacesy respective'recss finthehousing to form a fluid pressure chamber' such asL indicated at 35. In

ordei` to seal this chamber the rear surface of each sector is provided with a exible seal of suitable material indicated at 36 which is secured to the sector by means of a suitable plate 31 and screws 38. Preferably this seal and plate are recessed into the main body of the gate sector as shown. To complete the sealing of the chambers 35, a pair of transversely extending seals 40 are provided in the cap I5. These seals engage the respective arcuate upper surface 4| of the sectors and insure a seal regardless of the position of the sectors. Means are provided, as the threaded openings 42, for introducing fiuid under pressure to the chambers 35 for the purpose of removing thegate sectors from a position of retraction of Fig. 1 to a position ofV passage closure as shown in Fig. 4. It should be noted that when the gate sectors are moved to their extreme position of closure as shown in Fig. 4 the sealing elements 36 are still within the connes of the respective recesses in the housing, thereby making it possible to maintain fluid pressure against the gate sectors urging them and maintaining them in the closed position of Fig. 4.

In order to insure a fluid tight closure the gate sectors are each preferably provided at their inner surfaces with a recessed portion 44 adapted to accommodate a resilient sealing element such as a rubber or oil resistant rubber composition plate 45. Each of the plates is held in position by means of a metal plate 46 which is bolted as at 41 to the main body of the gate sector. When the gate sectors are in their closed position their inward movement is limited by reason of the fact that the plates 46 bear against the abutment surface 48 in the cap member. With this construction the pressure tending to move the gate sectors to a position beyond that or inward of that shown in Fig. 4 causes the plates 46 to compress the rubber plates 45 and thereby secure a more effective seal.

In order to synchronize the movement of the two gate sectors or passage closure elements 22, the shafts 30 are provided at their outer ends with gears 50 which are keyed to the respective shafts. Intermediate the gears 50 are an idler gear 5| and a drive gear 52. The drive gear is keyed to a shaft 53 and may be operated, if desired, by means of a handle: 54. With this construction synchronism of the gate sectors is assured and at the same time means are provided for either retracting or closing the gate sectors manually.

As a further means of operating the gate sectors, there is provided a uid operable mechanism generally indicated by reference numeral 56 and illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. This mechanism comprises a housing 51 having a pair of chambers each indicated by 58. In each chamber and keyed to the respective shafts 36' of the gate sectors, are members 59. Each of these members is provided with an outer arcuate surface 66 Vwhich substantially corresponds with inner surface 6| of the respective chambers 58 whereby the members may be pivotally moved through an arc of approximately 90 within the housing. Each element is provided with a sealing band 62 mounted in a groove 63 which extends across the arcuate surface: 66 by each side and around a sleeve upper end portion 64. The band also extends across the top as shown on the drawing in Fig. 3. Each of the elements is mounted on a reduced portion 65 of the shaft 36' by `means of a'nut 66. The housing 51 is provided with a cover plate 51 secured to the main body of the housing by means of any suitable bolts such as shown at 61 with suitable gasket or sealing means between.

The housing is provided at the top with a threaded passage 68 by means of which fluid under pressure may be introduced into or eX- hausted from each of the chambers 58 for the purpose of actuating the members 59. A passageway 16 is provided which communicates with the opposite ends of the chambers 58 and is provided with a threaded port 1| through which fluid pressure may be introduced for moving the members 59 to the broken line position shown in Fig. 3. Additional threaded ports 1|' are provided for the purpose of providing additional conduits connecting with the passage 16.

With the construction shown and described it is possible to remove the synchronizing and manually operable gear means, indicated generally by reference numeral 49, and the fluid operable means 56 from the remainder of the device merely by removing the nuts 59' and 66 respectively, it being then possible to pull or slide the elements 49 and 56 from the shafts 30, 30. This construction enables the ready interchange of gate sectors 22.

In the operation of the device when it is desired to close the passage extending through the housing the gate sectors may be moved from the position of Fig. l to the position shown in Fig. 4 merely by introducing fluid under pressure to the chambers 35 through the passages or ports 42. This fluid pressure will serve to move the gate sectors to the closed position Where the rubber plates 45 will engage to effectively seal the passage as hereinbefore described. In the event Huid is flowing upwardly through the casing |2 this will serve to aid the inward movement of the gate sectors to the closed position and when they are closed the fluid pressure below the gate sectors will ordinarily serve to maintain them closed. In the event there is no fluid flowing through the casing l2, as would be the case where the casing I2 is closed at a poinft above the device I and there is considerable iiuid ypressure in the casing, the gate sectors may be closed by the utilization of only a very low pressure fluid by making use of the fluid operable means 56 providing the fluid in the casing is introduced to the chambers 35. By introducing fluid under pressure fthrough either of ports 1| or 1|' the members 59 may be caused to move to the broken line position of Fig. 3 thereby closing the gate sectors 22. In this connection as the effective combined area of the rear sides of the gate sectors and fthe effective areas of the members 59 is greater than the exposed or front sides of the gate sectors, it is possible to accomplish the closing of the gates merely by bleeding off the fluid pressure from the casing I2 to rthe iiuid operable means 56. It is of course within the scope of the invention to rely entirely upon the introduction of fluid pressure greater than the iiuid p-ressure in the casing behind the gate sectors for the closing of such elements. The retraction of the gate sectors may be accomplished either by manually operating the handle 54 or by reversing the flow of fluid to the fluid operable means 56.

If desired, the two ponts 1|' of the fluid operable means 56 may be connected respectively to the ports 42 of the blowout preventer or valve and in this manner fluid under pressure may be delivered through port 1| of the fluid operable means 56 to both fthe iiuid operable parts 'and the gate sectors for moving the gates inwardly to a closed position.

In Figs. to 8 there is illustrated a form of the invention in which means 14 are provided for entirely closing the passage 'through the blowout preventer and valve generally indicated by reference numeral 15 and in which other means 16 are provided for closing about a pipe or casing which may be extending through the outer casing 17.

In this form of the invention the housing 'i8 is provided which is comprised of a lower member 19 and an intermediate member 8S and a cap or top closure element 8l. These members may be secured together in any suitable manner and be provided with packing therebetween as shown. The lower member or element 19 of the housing is provided with an annular inner surface 82 form-ing the lower boundaries of a passageway which extends entirely through -the housing and when the gate sectors are in retracted position is unobstructed, the size of the passage being limited only by the annular surface 82, the intermediate annular surface 83 and upper annular surface 8d. On each side of the passageway extending through the device the lower element 'F9 is provided with a pair of recesses 85 which correspond to the recesses 2| in the form of the invention shown in Fig. l.. Each of these recesses is adapted fto contain a pivotally mounted gate sector 22 which is in all respects similar to the gate sectors previously described in connection with the other form of the invention. These sectors are shown in the closed position in Figs. 6 and '7.

The intermediate member '.'3 of the housing is also provided with a pair of oppositely disposed recesses indicated by numerals 86 which are adapted rto receive another form of gate sector indicated by reference numeral 22a. The sectors 22a. may be used in place of the sectors 22 of Fig. l if desired. These sectors 22a differ from the type previously described in being provided with semi-circular recesses 8l adapted to cooperate when the parts are in closed position to surround and abut against a pipe extending through the device in order to close off the annular space surrounding the pipe. Thus, in this form of the invention the rubber or resilient plate indicated by 45a is provided with a recess or semicircular cutout portion S3 to surround the pipe as aforementioned. Similarly the top plate 46a is provided with a recess 8g.

In order to provide for the contingency that the pipe or casing extending through the outer casing 17 and indicated in Fig. 8 at 9U may not be concentric with the outer `casing at the time it is desired to move the gate sectors 22a from a point of retraction shown in Fig. 6 to a point of closure about the pipe shown diagrammatically in Fig. 8, a pipe centering means comprisingthe ridges or projections 92 are provided on the surface of the plate iia. In operation as the guide sectors 22 are moved inwardly these ridges or guide projections engage a pipe which may be oiic center as indicated in Fig. 5 and by reason of their curvature engage and guide the pipe to a concentric position relative to the outer casing as the gate sectors are moved to a position of closure.

In this form of the invention any suitable system of supplying fluid pressure to the above two gate sectors 22a and to the bottom two gate sectors 22 may be provided so that these pairs of sectors may be operated independently of each other.

The gate sectors 22a, have been shown provided with semi-circular recesses, however it is contemplated that these members may be provided with recesses of any suitable configuration so that the elements may be closed about a non-circular member, such as a Kelly, for example.

Although the invention has been shown and described with reference to particular preferred forms, it is contemplated that various ychanges and modiiications can be made within the scope of the invention and it is intended to cover such changes as come within the claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a device of the class described, a housing having a passage therethrough; a pair of elements pivotally mounted in said housing on opposite sides of said passage and movable into said passage to a position of engagement to close said passage; said elements cooperating with said housing to form a fluid pressure chamber behind each element isolated from the passage through the housing, the rear side of each element forming a pivotally movable wall of each' chamber having the major portion of its surface disposed to one side of the pivotal axis of the element whereby fluid pressure in the chamber will tend to pivot the element; and means for introducing fluid under pressure into said chambers to move said elements partially out of said recesses into the Vpassage to a position of engagement.

2. In a device of the class described, a housing having a passage therethrough; a pair of elements pivotally mounted in said housing on opposite sides of said passage and movable into said passage to a position of engagement to close said passage; said elements cooperating with said housing to form a fluid pressure chamber behind each element isolated from the passage through the housing, the rear side of each element forming a pivotally movable wall of each chamber having the major portion of its surface disposed to one side of the pivotal axis of the element whereby iiuid pressure in the chamber will tend to pivot the element; means for introducing fluid under pressure to said chambers to move said elements partially out of said recesses into the passage to a position of engagement; and means connecting said elements for synchronous movement.

3. In a device of the class described, a housing having a passage therethrough; a pair of elements pivotally mounted in said housing on opposite sides of said passage and movable into said passage to a position of engagement to close said passage, said elements cooperating with said housing to form a fluid pressure chamber behind each element isolated from thepassage through the housing, the rear side of each element forming a pivotally movable Wall of each chamber having the major portion of its surface disposed to one side of the pivotal axis of the element whereby fluid pressure in the chamber will tend to pivot the element; means for introducing fluid under pressure to said chambers to move said elements partially out of said recesses into the passage to a position of engagement; means connectingsaid elements for synchronous movement; and means operable by iiuid pressure Iconnected to said elements for moving same in either direction.

4. In a device of the type described, a housing having a passage therethrough and having a recess on each side of said passage oppositely 'disposed to each other, said recesses each having an arcuate surface terminating at its inner margin at said passage; a gate sector pivotally mounted in each recess rotatable to a position of engagement with each other to close the passage through said housing, said sectors each having a major arcuate surface juxtaposed to the arcuate surface of the recesses and having a minor arcuate surface at the opposite side and closer to the axis of rotation of the sector than said major arcuate surface; means on each sector engageable with the walls of the recess to form a iiuid seal at the margins of the rear side of each sector except in the region of said minor arcuate surface; means in said housing engageable with the minor arcuate surface of each sector to form a fluid seal therewith whereby a fluid chamber is formed behind each sector; and means for introducing uid pressure to said chambers to move said sectors partially out Aof said recesses into said passage to a position of engagement.

5. In a device of the class described, a housing having a passage therethrough and having a pair of recesses, one on each side of said passage, said recesses each having an arcuate sur face, the radius of which is less than the vertical distance but greater than one-half such distance between the top and bottom of the recess,Y the axis of each arcuate surface being located adjacent the top wall of the recess a short distance to one side of the passage through the housing; a gate sector pivotally mounted in each recess on the respective axes of said arcuate surfaces of said recesses, said sectors each having a minor arcuate surface positioned closely adjacent the top of the recess; means in said housing engageable with said minor arcuate surface of each sector to form a fluid seal; means on each sector engageable with the walls of the recess to form a uid seal at the margins of the.

rear side of each sector except in the region of said aforementioned seal whereby a fluid chamber is formed behind each sector; and means for introducing fluid pressure to said chambers to move said sectors partially out of said recesses into the passage to a position of engagement with each other.

ROBERT B. SPRAGUE.

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