US2662791A - Pipe elevator - Google Patents

Description

Patented Dec. 15 1953 OFFICE PIPE ELEVATOR 7 Walter E. Kittler, Mandan, N. nit..- Application May 19, 1951, Serial No. 227,158 1 Claim. (01. 294-91) This invention relates to a pipe elevator particularly designed to greatly facilitate letting well pipe down into a prepared well opening.

It has always been a relatively slow and tedious job to lower well pipe into a drilled opening or casing since the pipe sections being let down into the opening must be held in supported relation at all times to prevent the pipe assembly from dropping into the opening and permit successive sections to be connected before being controllably let down into the prepared opening.

It is an object of my invention to provide a pipe elevator designed to securely hold a coupling equipped section of pipe to initially permit said section to be raised into connection position to facilitate connection with said section by the pipe section disposed immediately therebelow as by being screwed into the coupling of said lower pipe section and thereafter permit said upper pipe section to be lowered into the drilled opening and held in suspended relation until the next successive section is connected therewith, said elevator being then shiftable into releasing position to permit the upper section and elevator connected therewith to be passed therethrough to permit removal of said released elevator for use in connecting and lowering the next successive pipe section.

More specifically, it is an object to provide a pipe elevator having an enlarged loop in the upper portion and a diminished neck opening in the lower portion thereof. The extreme lower portion of said diminished neck being bent out at right angles to the normally vertical upper neck portion and upper enlarged opening, said uppper opening and upper neck portion being such size as to permit passage of a vertically disposed similarly shaped elevator therethrough when said loop upper neck openings are positioned horizontally.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views and in which;

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved pipe elevator;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a pair of elevators showing one elevator being passed through the other;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view partially in section showing a pair of my improved elevators in operative position;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view showing one of my elevators in retaining position at the top of a well casing and Fig. 5 is a side elevational view showing one of the elevators being positioned to permit the same to be passed upwardly around the other vertically disposed pipe supporting elevator.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings I provide a pipe elevator having an enlarged upper loop 8. The lower portions 9 of said loop 8 extend downwardly in spaced relation to form a diminished neck opening l0 therebetween and the end extremities of said lower depending portions 9 are joined in fixed relation to form a key hole shaped enclosed opening, said depending portions 9 being bent at right angles in spaced relation upwardly from the closed lower end of the neck I0 to form an outstanding gripping flange I I.

My improved pipe elevators are particularly designed for use in pairs to drop well pipe into a previously prepared opening such as into the casing l2 shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. A pair of spaced abutment stops l3 are mounted across the top opening of casing I2 and are securely anchored in predetermined spaced relation by being fixed to the supporting blocks 14 which are adapted to engage the top of casing [2, as illustrated, or otherwise support the two stops l3. The width of the neck opening I0 is just slightly greater than the outside diameter of the pipe I5 to be received therein and is substantially smaller than the outside diameter of a pipe coupling such as the coupling IS. The pipe section I5 is inserted through the neck opening I0 with the coupling [6 passing through the enlarged loop portion 8. Said coupling is then lowered into engagement with the gripping flange II and the depending portions 9 to permit the pipe section to be raised by any suitable means, such as the overhead crane supported cable ll, having the the hook l8 received in the upper portion of loop 8. The pipe section is then lowered between the two stops l3 and blocks l4 down into the casing I2 until the lower surface of the gripping flange ll engages the stops l3, as shown in Fig. 3. The hook I8 is then removed from the loop 8 of that elevator and the other elevator is mounted on the next pipe section IS in a similar manner and the second pipe section is raised into connection position and held there until the lower end is threadably connected with the lower coupling It. When this connection has been made, the entire interconnected pipe assembly is raised a short distance to release the pressure on the lower elevatorand permit the same to be shifted downwardly into horizontal position as shown in Fig. 5, and permit the coupling and upper elevator to be passed completely therethrough, thus permitting the lower elevator to be removed over the upper elevator for subsequent use in lifting, connecting and lowering the next successive pipe section.

It will be seen that an extremely ingenious, highly eificient pipe elevator has been provided which is particularly adapted for use in pairs when lowering-well pipe into a prepared opening. The enlarged loop-at the upper'portion of the elevator combines with the upper neck portion It! to permit one elevator to be passed through the. other, as shown in Fig. 2, thus greatly facilitatingand speeding up the entire operation. It should be noted that difierent sized elevammwouldlnem essarily be required for the variouspipe sizes,, but since there are relatively'fewstandard pipe sizes for wells, this would be a relatively simple matter.

ltewill, of. course be understood. that various changes may be made in theiorrn details arrangement. and proportions v of the parts without departing from-the scope Zo f-my invention.

What I claim is:

A pipe elevator comprising; anienlarged: upper than the outside width loop terminating at its lower end in a diminished neck portion closed at its lower end to form a keyhole-shaped opening therein with an elongated diminished neck portion, said elongated diminished neck opening having a sharp right angle bend in an intermediate portion thereof to form an outstanding gripping flange at the lower portion of the elevator for gripping and securely anchoring a pipe coupling after the same has been inserted through the said enlarged upper loop, the insidediameter ofsaid enlarged loop portion being sufficiently large to permit the outstanding flange to be passed therethrough and the combined length of the enlarged loop portion with the length of the portion of said diminished neck-disposed above said flange being greater of said enlarged loop. WALTER E. KITTLER.

References Cited in: the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 404,615 G-iroux June 4, 1889 733,989 Morris July 2-1, 1903 1,412,182 Kuhlman Apr. 1-1, 1922

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