US2491747A - Lubricating means for well-drilling rotaries - Google Patents

Description

ec. 20, 1949 A. R. MAIER 2,491,747

LUBRICATING MEANS FOR WELL DRILLING RoTAR-IES Filed Nov. 24, 1948 Q Q [L hwentom' Patented Dec. 20, 1949 LUBRICATING MEANS FOR WELL-DRILLING OTARIES August R. Maier, Dallas, Tex., assignor to Oil Well Supply Company, a corporation of New J ersey Application November 24, 1948, Serial No. 61.857

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to well drilling rotaries and particularly to improved means for lubricating main hearings in such rotaries.

'In the well drilling art a rotary is a gear mechanism which is connected to the grief stem at the top of a string of rotatable drill pipe and which translates rotation of a horizontal drive shaft to the vertical grief stem. Essentially a rotary comprises a fixed base or bed plate, a table rotatable on the bed plate, a main bearing composed of balls or rollers to facilitate rotation, a ring gear fixed to the table and a drive shaft and pinion rotatably mounted in the bed plate and connected to a source of motive power. The bed plate and table form an enclosed chamber which contains a pool of lubricant. The pinion dips into the lubricant and thereby lubricates the ring gear. It is necessary also that lubricant from the pool circulate throughout the main bearing. v

An object of the present invention is to provide improved and simplified means for transferring lubricant from the pool in the bed plate to the main bearing.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved lubricant transfer means which comprises a baflie and trough that intercept part of the lubricant thrown ofi by the driving pinion and divert such lubricant to the main bearing, thereby eliminating the need for more complex systems with which I am familiar.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, a preferred form of which is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a well drillin rotary which has improved lubricating means embodying features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line II--II of Figure l; and

Figure 3 is a side elevational View of the wall. and baffle which divert lubricant to the main bearing.

The improved lubricating means of the present invention is illustrated as embodied in a. rotary which comprises a fixed bed plate It, a table it rotatable on said bed plate, a main bearing it having balls M to facilitate such rotation, a bevel ring gear l5 fixed to said table, and a bevel driving pinion it, which meshes-with said ring gear. The pinion is keyed to a drive shaft Ill, which is connected to a source of power for motivating the rotary. The central portion of table it is open for receiving a grlei stem, not shown, to which the drill string is joined. Inasmuch as the foregoing elements may be of any standard construction, no more de tailed description is deemed necessary. Also in accordance with standard practice, the interior of the bed plate contains a chamber l8 beneath the driving pinion. Said chamber is adapted to contain a pool of lubricant and the driving pinion dips into this lubricant and conveys a portion to the ring gear for lubricating the latter.

In accordance with the present invention, I provide a vertical wall l9 which preferably is integral with the bed plate and extends in a radial direction with respect to the axis of rotation of the table and arises from the floor of the lubricant chamber alongside the driving pinion. The top of this wall slopes upwardly toward said pinion and is situated at a height preferably a little below the upper tangent of the pinion. The top of this wall thus forms an integral baffle 20 for intercepting part of the lubricant which the driving pinion throws of! as it dips into the pool. In the radial direction the underface of the baffle slopes downwardly at approximately the angle of bevel of the pinion. Preferably the edge of the baffle adjacent the pinion has a downwardly extending lip 21 that assists in intercepting lubricant. An integral trough 22 extends beneath the baifie and slopes downwardly in a radial direction and terminates adjacent the main bearing at a position from which lubricant caught therein flows on to said main bearing. Therefore a portion of the lubricant thrown olf by the driving pinion is directed by the bafiie into the trough, from which it flows into the main bearing to lubricate the latter.

Lubricant may return from the main bearing to the pool via any suitable known system, for example, such as that shown in my earlier Patent No. 2,073,559, dated March 9, 1937, and assigned to the assignee of the present application.

From the foregoing description, it is seen that I have provided an extremely simple yet highly emcient means for lubricating main bearings of well drilling rotaries.

While I have shown and described only a single embodiment of the invention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a well drilling rotary including a bed on said table, and a pinion rotatably supported in said bed plate and driving said rin gear,

said bed plate providing a chamber for containing a pool of lubricant into which said pinion dips, improved means for transferring lubricant from said chamber to said main bearing comprising a wall upstanding from said chamber alongside said pinion, means on said wall for intercepting a portion of the lubricant thrown oii by said pinion as it dips into said chamber, and a trough on said wall for receiving lubricant thus intercepted and directing such lubricant to said main bearing.

2. In a well drilling rotary including a bed plate, a rotatable table, a main bearing supporting said table in said bed plate, a ring gear on said table, and a pinion rotatably supported in said bed plate and driving said ring gear, said bed plate providing a chamber for containing a pool of lubricant into which said pinion dips,

improved means for transferring lubricant from 7 said chamber to said main bearing comprising a wall upstanding from said chamber alongside said pinion, a battle at the top of said wall sloping toward said pinion ior intercepting a'portion of the lubricant thrown ofi by said pinion as it dips into said chamber and a trough on said.

wall below said bafiie for receiving lubricant thus intercepted and directing such lubricant to said main bearing.

3. In a well drilling rotary including a bed plate, a rotatable table, a main bearing supporting said table in said bed plate, a ring gear on said table, and a pinion rotatably supported in plate, a rotatable table, a main bearing supporting said table in said bed plate, a bevel ring gear,

on said table, and a bevel pinion rotatably supported in said bed plate and driving said ring gear, said bed plate providing a chamber for containing a pool of lubricant into which said pinion dips, improved means for transferring lubricant from said chamber to said main bearing comprising an integral wall upstanding from the floor of said chamber and extending radially with respect to the axis of rotation of said table alongside said pinion, an integral bafile at the top of said wall sloping upwardly toward said pinion and sloping in the radial direction at approximately the angle of bevel of said pinion, said baiile being adapted to intercept a portion of the lubricant thrown ofl by said pinion as the latter dips into said chamber, and an integral trough on said wall below said baille for receiving lubricant thus intercepted, said trough sloping downwardly in the radial direction toward said main bearing and terminating adjacent said main bearing for directing lubricant thereto.

AUGUST R. MAIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,017,260 Smith Oct. 15, 1935 2,053,929 Weidmaier Sept. 8, 1936

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