US2438277A - Oil well mast - Google Patents

Description

March 23, 1948. R. E. FIFE Er A1. 2,438,277

OIL WELL MAST AFim Jan. s, 1945 Lunlnhlnn l nuunlnndll nnhnnnnun. l..

:inventor RoY E. FIFE ROY E. FnFE JR.

Patented Mar. 23, 1948 OIL WELL MAST Royv E. Fife and Roy E. Fife, Jr., Longl Beach, Calif.

Application January 3, 1945, Serial No. 571,178

1 claim. 1

This invention relates to oil well apparatus and particularly to apparatus for servicing the well; for instance, to remove such adjuncts as casings, sleeves, and the like.

It is sometimes the practice to provide but a single derrick for boring a number of wells, and to disassemble and remove the derrick from a finished well and carry it to another location for use in drilling a new well. After the derrick has been removed from the well, needs for the hoisting function of the derrick still arise, particularly when it comes to the matter of pulling pump rod casings, etc., from the now operating well. In the absence of the derrick, however, it is quite a problem to provide proper service of this kind for the well.

It is an object of the invention to provide a substitute for derricks which will be so constructed thatl it can be readily transported from one derrickless well to another, for servicing same in a manner equivalent to some of the functions of a derrick. y

In furtherance of the preceding object, it is also an aim of the invention to provide a portable, extensible and folding mast apparatus, unitarily associated with a source of operating power, for pulling casings, etc., from derrickless Wells, whichwill include a self-contained, permanently rigged block and tackle system.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a portable oil well mast and pulling rig so constructed that it can be bodily removed as a unit, from the transporting vehicle and permanently mounted on the ground, in juxtaposition with the well or pithead. In this case, the ends of the mast can, if desired, be sunk into concrete anchoring foundations, one on each lateral side of the well.

Most masts or pulling rigs have to be erected, extended and operated by means of a motor driven drum and cable system associated with the mast for that purpose alone, and hence, require the use of a rather large number of parts and 'lines to obtain the necessary pulling action.

It is an object of this invention to provide a pulling rig which will not necessitate a, motor driven drum system for erecting, extending or operating same, and yet will be more rapid and powerful in its action than the winch type of mast. The mast also will necessitate the employment of a. lesser number of parts and lines thanis usual for even less powerful apparatus of this type. Among the advantageous results ensuing from this feature can be mentioned the saving of wear on the cable and lines due to the fact that they are not subjected to a winch and drum action.

In furtherance of the preceding object, it is also an object of the invention to provide an extensible mast having a block and tackle lifting system associated with a faisable crown, the

crown being adapted to be raised to activate the block and tackle system,` which system will be simpler and more powerful than the usual system.

It is contemplated that the crown be raised by such simple, yet powerfulI means as hydraulic jacks associated with the mast. The block and tackle system, connected to the crown, will then act to multiply the already powerful lifting effort produced by the hydraulic raising of the crown. Since, in the present hydraulic mast all the operating stress is localized and confined to the vertical mast, the hoisting parts do not have to be anchored or tied down by special instrumentalities as in the winch-operated masts where the strain is angled with reference to the mast or to the top thereof.

A further4 feature of the invention resides in the fact that the erected mast will sit vertically over the well, so that despite its high pulling power, it willnot be subjected to unbalanced bending forces in operation.

The other inventive concepts, objects and features will be made manifest as this disclosure progresses.

The presently-preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings and described in the following specification, but it is to be understood that the invention is limited in its embodimental forms, only by the scope of the subjoined claim.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the portable pulling ring. foldably mounted on a vehicle and in position over a well for pulling a casing therefrom;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, and

Fig. 3 is a. detailed sectional view'on line 3-3 of Fig. l..

The embodiment illustrated includes a pulling rig or mast group, I, and a mast transporting vehicle .2, containing a source of hydraulic power connected to the mast by the piping shown.

The, mast group includes a generally rectangularf l n frame, or bent, as shown, here comprising two parallel, laterally spaced members 3, united at their upper ends by a crown 4. The lower end of each member, 3 is pivotally and lockably pinned, as ,at 5, at an ear or lug 6, on the body of the transporting vehicle. Hence, the mast,or bent I, can be erected, by hand or .by means of the guy wires, into an upright position, sitting vertically over the well, as shown in unbroken lines in Fig. 2; or lowered by'hand into a reclining position for transporting to another well, as shown in Ibroken lines in Fig. 2. When raised, the mast is suitably braced, in the necessary directions, by anchoring the guy wires shown.

The crown unit 4 includes, as best seen in Fig. 3, a transverse plate 1 at each end of the crown unit, and two parallel, spaced members 8, here shown as H-beams, connecting the plates 1, longitudinally of the head.

Each of the' members 3 is constructed toalso constitute a. hydraulic jack; that is, each member 3 includes an outer cylindrical pipe and another cylindrical, pipe or strut '9, arranged concentrlcally and telescopingly within the outer cylindrical member. Member 9 bears a hydraulic reaction-head, or Apiston I0, on its lower end,

` the major portion ofmember 9 constituting a strut. The respective plates 1 are rigidly united with the respective upper ends of the members 9, to lie in a fixed position extending from front to back of the mast. The mast shown is about 40 feet long when folded in the truck and can be extended in the present instance to sixty feet. An axle II extends transversely across the top of the crown, and its ends are mounted in strap type bearings I2, one such bearing :being mounted on the upper face of each H-beam 8. The axle is free to rotate in these bearings and bears a crown-block, or double sheave mem-ber I3, at approximately the mid-point of the length ofthe axle, each of the sheaves I3 being independently rotatable on said axle.

Movably supported below the crown block I3, is a travelling block I4, terminating in a suitable hook I5, or equivalent member adapted to` engage the pump rod casing or other member to be removed from the well.

Secured to the crown to lie between the H- beams thereof, near the terminus of each strut 9, is a rotatable pulley member I6. The pulleys I6 are of the single sheave type and lie Vtransversely of the crown and at right. angles to the double sheave I3.

Mounted in brackets I1 near the lower end of each member 3 are pulleys I8. Each pulley I8 is of the single sheave type, and has its major plane parallel to that of double sheave I3 and, hence, perpendicular t0 the planes of sheaves I6.

A continuous cable I9 is led, from a dead-end anchorage 20, first around the right hand pulley I6 on the crown; thence around pulley I8; thence around one of the sheaves of crown block I3, with a loop or bight I9 droppedl therefrom to support and move the block I4; thence to pulf ley I8, thence to left side pulley I6, and thence to a dead end anchorage 2I. tackle system; once rigged as shown in Fig. l, remains that way for every job. l

A hydraulic line 22 is provided and leads from a suitable source of fluid under pressure, includ- This block and' 4 I forty feet. Higher ratio blocks and tackles may of course be employed. Suicient upwardly directed force is thus applied to the casing to remove a section of it, whereupon the action is repeated on the successive sections. By releasing the hydraulic pressure from the piston cylinders, the load can be lowered very simply, as contrasted to the usual mode of lowering the load by the brake bands on a winch. y

By virtue of the present means and construction, the necessity, among other things, for leading of! the cable end to a winding winch or drum is obviated. Instead, both ends are dead-ended. All the blocks are rigged but once, and stay per'- manently so rigged.l In the example disclosed, due to the novel arrangement of the crown and the running rigging, when the crown rises one foot, the block I4 rises three feet..l That is, the block and tackle system is so constructed and arranged with reference tothe crown movement, that movement of the crown is tripled by the rigging system. This power ratio may of course be so chosen as to best suit the particular occasion. For the same lifting power developed, the number of the rigging lines and blocks is reduced .considerably below the number necessary in or dinary rigs.

If desired, the mast may be disconnected from the truck by removing the pins 5, and the lower ends of the bent anchored permanently in place around the well, as in concrete foundations on each side thereof.

We claim:

In a portable mast mounted on a transporting vehicle and having the form of a structural bent including hollow legs: a hydraulic strut .telescopically mounted in each leg; a crown member -connecting the struts together; hydraulic lying transversely of the crown and at right angles to the double sheave pulley; a single sheave pulley operably attached to each leg, said pulleys having their major plane parallel to that of the double sheave and perpendicular to the planes ingv a pump and a motor installed on the truck.

. and the fluid may be pumped vinto and withdrawn from line 22 by pump means .drivenly connected to the engine of the vehicle. By thus 'operating the crown, the usual winch and cable for operating the .block and tackle are obviated. Also, since all the stress is, herein, put vertically upon the vertical mast, the mast and tackle do not have to be weighted down or tied down' to the vehicle.

In use, the vehicle is backed up to a well and the mast is erected over the bore thereof. The .hook or the like, on block I4, is then engaged with the casing to be removed from the well, and hydraulic pressure is appled to the bottom of the struts 9. The crown is thereby raised a desired distance and this distance is suitably multiplied by the block and tackle system associated therewith. In the present instance, when the crown is raised ten feet, theblock I4 will rise of the rst mentioned single sheave; a continuousl cable led yfrom a dead end anchorage on each leg around each of the first mentioned single sheave pulleys, thence around each of the second single sheave pulleys, thence around the respective sheaves of the double sheave pulley and depending therefrom ina loop;v and a traveling block having a sheave supported by the loop portion of the cable.

' ROY E. FIFE. l

ROY E. FIFE, JR.

REFEREN CES CITED The following references are of lrecord in the lile of this patent:`

UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Jan. 17, 1935

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