US2665886A

US2665886A - Method and apparatus for drilling wells

Info

Publication number: US2665886A
Application number: US185819A
Authority: US
Inventors: William H Ellis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-09-20
Filing date: 1950-09-20
Publication date: 1954-01-12
Anticipated expiration: 1971-01-12

Description

Jam. 12, 1954 W. H. ELLIS 3 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DRILLING WELLS Filed Sept. 20, 1950 FIGS.

FIG. I.

Patented Jan. 12, 1954 WELL , METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DRILLING William H. Ellis, LovelacevilleQKy. Application September 20, 1950, Serial No. 185,81 9 4 Claims. (o1.-2s5 1.s)

This invention relates to a method and; appae ratus for drilling a well and has for its primary object to properly seat a strainer in a well between the well bottom and the well pipe.

Another object is to support on the end of a 5 Referring to the drawings in detail a cOnVenwell pipe a drill bit which may be readily distional length of well pipe IIl has welded thereto connected from drilling relation to the well pipe as at I2 a sleeve I4, the upper portion of which when the desired depth of well hole has been is reduced in diameter as at It to fit into thewell reached. pipe I0 as shown. The inner wall I8 of the sleeve A still further object is to enable the well to 10 I4 adjacent the upper end thereof istapered-as be bailed by a conventional slush bucket should shown to facilitate the introduction of a slush the desirability of such bailing of the well be bucket, well tools or the like into the sleeve shouldindicated, occasion require. Formed in the sleeve I4: atthe The above and other objects may be attained end thereof remote from the reduced portion I6. by employing this invention which embodies are notches to facilitate the fiushingout of among its features advancing into the ground a well cuttings as the sleeve advances into the; well pipe carrying a drill bit in drilling relation ground to form the well hole and opening into thereto, when the desired depth of well hole has the same end of the sleeve are diametrically been reached knocking said drill bit out of drillopposite recesses 28 and for thereception of ing relation to the well pipe, advancing a strainer 20 the drill bit to-be more fully hereinafter described." through the Well pipe and into contact with the Seated in the

recesses

28 and 30 and extending bottom of the well hole and moving the well pipe across the end of the sleeve I4 is a drill bit 24 away from the bottom of the well hole a distance which as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 comprises substantially equal to the length of the strainer. a substantially flat body 26 having a notched por- Other features include holding the strainer tion 32 which is hardened in order -,to provide a against the bottom of the well hole during the suitable cutter which will satisfactorily drill into movement of the well pipe away from the bottom the earth to form the well hole. 1 of said Well hole. In employing the sleeve I4 and drill bit 24, the

Still other features include a sleeve welded or sleeve I4 is welded to an end of a length of well otherwise permanently fixed to an end of a well 30 pipe I0 and the drill bit 24 is seated in the repipe, a drill bit extending transversely across the

cesses

28 and 30 in the sleeve I4 and welded sleeve at the end thereof remote from the well thereto adjacent to the recess 30 by a frangible pipe, and a frangible weld joining the drill bit to weld 22. The parts thus assembled arethen-ad-j the sleeve, whereby when the desired depth of vanced into the ground in any conventional man: 4 well hole has been reached, the drill bit may be 93 ner to form a well hole H (Fig-3). When the knocked out of drilling relation with the sleeve. desired depth is reached the pipe may be re- Still other features include notches in the end tracted slightly and the bit is struck'through the of the sleeve carrying a drill bit through which pipe [0 t k ck it t of th recess 2 and t the well cuttings may be flushed out o f;the well cause it to hinge out into the earth at the side of hole, and an inwardly and downwardly; tapering 40 the recess 30 by bending and breaking the weld annular wall at the upper end of the sleeve t 22. This will cause the drill bit 24 to swing downfacilitate the introduction of a slush bucket wardly and into the earth at the side of the sleeve thereinto. or shoe I4 substantially as shown in Figure 3.

In the drawings: In knocking out the bit use is made of a piece of Figure 1 is an enlarged fragmentarywside View pipe just small enough to gothrough the shoe or of a well pipe showing this improved sleeve nd sleeve I4 and about three feet long and perforated drill bit in position thereon preparatory to drillthroughout its length. Such pipe may have a ing a well, certain portions of the figu e being solid, slightly pointed bottom welded into it and illustrated in section more clearly to illustrate its top end ha atta h d th r t by it bl certain details of construction; reducer, a sufficient length of small size pipe to Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the drill bit reach the bottom of the well. By giving this and equipment illustrated in Figure 1, and knock-out pipe an up and down movement to Figure 3; is a fragmentary sectional view apply one or two hard blows to the drill bit, the through a well hole showing the drill bit moved bit will be dislodged on the unwelded side and out of drilling relation with the well pipe and the will swing downwardly and laterally by hinging well pipe moved away from the bottom of a well hole a length substantially equal to the length of a strainer, and the strainer in place the well hole.

Fries} on the welded side so that it will swing to an out of the way position in the well hole as illustrated so as not to interfere with the introduction of the hereinafter described screen Or strainer. In this action of breaking out the bit it does not matter whether the Weld merely bends or whether it breaks entirely free, the principal object being to make the bit hinge out to one side so as to be out of the wayof thescreemor strainer. 'Also in this operation if nowater is found thepipe H! is drawn out and a new bit is welded in and the drilling can be proceeded with to a greater depth.

If the bit 24 were merely knockedentirelytree and permitted to drop into the bottom of the well hole difiiculty would then be encountered in proceeding with the drilling, whereas by'the above described operation the bit willbecausedtelodgein the side of the well hole or may remain ataeeasse While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred form of this invention, it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

l. The herein-described method of drilling a well which comprises advancing into the ground awell pipe carrying an elongate drill bit disposed across the advancing end of the pipe, effecting theshitting; ofbne end of the bit downwardly away from the pipe while maintaining the other end against such downward shifting to effect the swinging of the bit downwardly and laterally into 3 theearthwallof the well hole, and then running tached to the pipe and it will then be out of the way if it is stuck in the side of the hole, in the.

eartln. or: it can. be removed: when. the pipe is withdrawn. the drill. bit. 2E; thus moved out. of. the passage through the sleeve M, a suitable strainer 3k: iaentered; mm the upper end of the well t3 andilowered into: contact with the bottom oi the Walk. hole Hz after which the well. pipe I8 is; moved". upwardly away from the bottom of the well. hole Be a. distance substantially equal. to the lengthen the strainer 31'; Obviously by so doing liquid in the: well hole may flow through the strainer 34. and. into the well pipe. l0 in a conventienalmanner. whilezin. the present instance, the strainer 34'; is illustrated; as a conventional screen, it evident: that any' suitable strainer may be substituted that. pass: through. the interior of: the well pipe: to; It is also evident thatshould. it become necessary: to bail. the well, or otherwise; introduce tools; into the well hole at the bpttom thereot,v the beveled shoulder or wall? llgwill in no way interfere with the intro- (faction and; removal of a slush bucket or the likeitoole it is obvious that the strainer 34 heiddhwnwardly; against the bottom of we pe iqjby introducingsuitable hold down implements-throughthe upper open end of the pipe-fiend engaging the upper end- 'of' the 34' therewith.

Byempleying thev equipment above described itisobvious that the strainer 34 may be easily and. quickly inserted in properpositibn in a well hole If and furthermore the distance that the sleeve H is moved away from the drill bit 24 may be varied. ta meet different depths of liquid in: the well hole simply'by using strainers ofdiflengths hotel-IT during the upward: movement of a strainer through and beyond the lower end of the well pipe past the bit.

2. Drilling equipment of the character described, comprising a-drill; pipe,:a sleevesecnred tome-lower end thereoi,..saidi sleeve havingstwo diametrically opposite positioned notches in its bottom edge, an elongate fiat drill bit having: a length greater than the outside diameter of the sleeve and disposed transversely across said end of the sleeve with its top edge seated said notches, a light weld. coupling between said ed'ge of the bit and the outer side of the sleeve at. one notch only, the bit being removably maintained in the other notch, and said sleeve having additional notches in the bottom edge for the. pas.- sage of wash fluid. 3-. In well dlflling equipment, a well pipe, a sleeve secured at one end to said well pipe at the lower end of the latter, a drill bit of a width materially greater than the diameter of the.

References Cited in the file of this patent UN'I'IED STATES PATENTS Number Name Datev 576,953 Davis Feb. 9-, 189? 587,779 Barker Aug..10; 1-891