US2802703A - Hydraulic jar - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 13, 1957 H. w. HARRISON 2,802,703

l HYDRAULIC JAR Filed Aug. 2, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR HAPPY W #AMP/50N ATTORNEY Aug. 13, 1957 H. w.. HARR|sN.

HYDRAULIC- JAR 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 2, 1956 INVENT OR A'ITRNEY Aug. 13, 1957 H. w. HARRISON HYDRAULIC JAR e Sheets-sheet :s

Filed Aug. 2. 1956 A INVENTOR ATTORNEY A11-lg.Y 13, 1'957 Filed Aug. 2. 1956 H. W. HARRISON 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY Aug. 13, 1957 H. w. HARRISON 2,802,703

HYDRAULIC JAR 6 Smets-sheet v5 Filed Aug. 2, .195B

INVENTOR H/l/P/Py W A//l/P/P/SO/V Y m/Z@ ATTORNEY ug 13, 1957 H. w. HARRlsoN 2,302,703

HYDRAULIC JAR Filed Aug. 2. 195s -e sheets-sheet e fm2/ey w /e/Am/So/vA 1 ATTORNEY United States Patent() HYDRAULIC JAR Harry W. Harrison, Houston, Tex., assignor to Houston Engineers, Inc., Houston, Tex.

Application August 2, 1956, Serial No. 601,730

7 Claims. (Cl. Z55-27) The present invention relates to impact tools and more particularly to hydraulic impact tools for removing lodged objects from well bores. This application is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application, Serial No. 464,278, for Hydraulic Jar, tiled October 25,- 1954.

In the many operations associated with drilling and maintaining wells, such as oil and gas wells, it is a common occurrence for objects to become lodged within the well bore during such drilling and maintenance operations; detritus such as broken drills, broken sections of pipe, portions of drill `stem testers, and the like is frequently encountered. It is obvious that before any further operations can proceed or before the well can function properly such lodged objects must be quickly and effectively removed. In addition to the problem of broken objects becoming lodged in the well it has often been the experience in oil well operations that when testing with a drill stem tester -or drilling with a diamond core drill that the tester or drill itself ksometimes becomes lodged and must be removed by suitable dislodging means.

Prior art eiforts have resulted in many and varied types of tools for the removal of such stuck objects from well bores. Among 'such tools heretofore provided have been various types of jarring or impact mechanisms including hydraulic type jar tools. The most notable disadvantage of such hydraulic jarring mechanisms heretofore used is that such mechanisms deliver an i-mpact force in both directions of operation; that is, the mecha- `nism when actuated to deliver a jarring force to the stuck object in the direction of removal also delivers :l jarring force to the object when the mechanism is reset for subsequent dislodging actions. Oftentimes the. impact force for resetting the hydraulic jar results in only further lodging or imbedding the stuck object within the well bore. As a result of the afore-described operation of prior art devices, it is obvious that Whatever is gained in a dislodging action of the jarring tool islost by the resetting action of the tool, with the net result that the removal operation is often long, tedious and unduly expensive.

Evidentiary of the excessive time and cost factors are statistics that show it has not been uncommon for such removal operations to take upwards to sixteen hours. And, when this dislodging time is considered in the light of the fact that the well is shut down during these operations, and of the idle high-salaried personnel involved, it is obvious that the expense involved in dislodging stuck objects in well bores by heretoforeknown mechanisms results in an exorbitant cost factor.

A further disadvantage of prior art devices is the fact that many of these devices embody a plurality of complicated elements whichare not only expensive to machine but also are structurally weak and result in failure in the eld.

The present invention is .directed to an impact or ICC hydraulic jarring mechanism for dislodging objects that have been stuck in well bores. Uniquely the tool of the present invention embodies a uni-directional impact operation. That is, the tool of the present invention delivers an impact force only in the direction necessary to release the lodged object and thus embodies a novel feature for smooth non-impact resetting of the tool. It is obvious, from the afore-described, that inthe present invention nothing is lost by further lodging the tool during a resetting action as heretofore experienced and describedwith prior art devices. Further, the tool of the present invention is so constructed as to embody only the simplest of machined parts having a rugged configuration to withstand the most severe operation in the iield without any possibility of failure.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel hydraulic impact tool.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel hydraulic impact `tool that delivers unidirectional impact.

Yet another object of the present novel invention is to provide a novel hydraulic impact tool that delivers unidirectional impact and rapidly resets with non-impact motion.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic impact tool having a novel closed Huid chamber operatively mounting a movable piston whereby impact forces are imposed on the tool by movement in one direction of the piston and resetting of the piston is done without impact forces.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a well tool jar which may be quickly reset after actuation with a minimum of eifort so as to deliver repeated blows in a minimum amount of time in a predetermined direction to the stuck object.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide in a hydraulic jar a means for restricting movement between `spaced impact faces and to then suddenly release or unrestrict movement so that the impact faces may come together suddenly and deliver an impact or jarring action to a stuck object and which means allows the jar to be quickly reset for delivering additional blows to the stuck object.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic tool with novel pressure creating means and cooperating pressure responsive means to effect unidirectional impact action of the pressure creating means and a rapid non-impact resetting of the pressure creating means.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic tool with novel pressure responsive means to effect an impact in one direction and rapid nonimpact resetting action in the opposite direction.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic tool with novel pressure creating means and cooperating fully movable pressure responsive means to effect a severe uni-directional impact action upwardly and a smooth, rapid, non-impact downward resetting action.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic tool with a closed iluid chamber having relatively movable pressure creating and pressure responsive means therein for effecting uni-directional impact action for releasing a stuck object and rapid nonimpactresetting action' to prevent further lodging of the stuck object during a resetting action ofthe tool.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a `uni-directional impact tool with novel ytorque means to permit rotation of the entire tool for connection to either another tool element or a stuck object.

A .still further object of the invention is to provide ya 3 hydraulic jar which includes a movable barrier to restrict movement of uid in one direction in the tool, but which does not restrict movement of fluid in the other direction in the tool.

Yet a further object of the invention is -to provide a hydraulic jar which delivers a maximum number of impacts in a predetermined direction in a minimum amount of time.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a uni-directional hydraulic impact tool that is of rugged construction, has prolonged service life, is simple to operate, and delivers maximum eciency over an extended period of service life.

These and other objects will become more apparent when read in conjunction with the following detailed description and the attached drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of of a preferred embodiment of the present invention will an upper portion of a preferred embodiment of the present 'Y invention showing the novel uid piston and novel movable sleeve mounted in a closed hydraulic chamber which elements cooperate to deliver the impact forces and rapid resetting of the tool.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View of the lower portion of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the guide means for the novel mandrel or shaft and also showing the means for attachment of the present tool to a suitable tishing tool or the like.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 3 3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of one embodiment of the tool showing the relative position of the parts at the time of delivery of the impact or jarring action of the tool.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view similar to that shown in Figure 5, but showing the tool during a resetting operation prior to the delivery of a successive impact stroke.

Figures 7 through 10, inclusive, are vertical sectional schematic views showing successive positions of the novel piston and sleeve during the delivery of an impact stroke.

Figures 11 through 14, inclusive, are vertical sectional schematic views showing the successive positions of the piston and the novel movable sleeve during a resetting operation of the present invention.

Figure 15 is a vertical sectional View, somewhat enlarged in horizontal dimensions for illustrative clarity, of the upper portion of a further form of the present novel invention, showing novel torque means and novel means of connection to the mandrel.

Figure 16 is a vertical sectional view of the intermediate portion of the tool shown in Figure l5, and further showing the preferred form of movable sleeve.

Figure 17 is a vertical sectional view or the lowermost portion of the tool shown in Figures 15 and 16, and showing the means of connecting the tool to another form of tool such as a shing tool, diamond core drill, or the like.

Figure 18 is an enlarged elevational view of the novel movable sleeve shown in Figure 16.

Figure 19 is a horizontal sectional View taken substantially along the line 19--19 of Figure 18.

Figure 20 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 20-20 of Figure 15.

l Figure 2l is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 21-21 of Figure 16.

Figures 22 through 25 inclusive, are vertical sectional schematic views of successive positions of operation of the second form of tool during the delivery of an irnpact force, and

Figures 26 through 29 inclusive, are successive vertical sectional schematic viewsof a resetting action of the novel tool shown in Figures 15 through 17.

Turning now to Figures 1 and 2 a detailed description now be given. As clearly seen in Figure 1, the novel impact or jarring tool of the present invention is generally indicated by the numeral 20. Tool 20 consists of a pair of hollow outer body members 22 and 24, respectively, internally threaded at their respective ends as indicated by the numeral 26. Threadedly mounted at the upper end of hollow body 22 is a hollow seal mounting member 28 internally threaded as at 30 and having an internal inwardly extending guide shoulder 32 for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

Threadedly inter-connecting the lower end of body portion 22 with the upper end of body portion 24 is another seal member 34, having internally directed guide shoulders 36 and also being internally threaded as at 38 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The lower end of body portion 24 is threadedly connected to connector member 40, which is provided with an axially extending bore 42 for a purpose to be hereinafter described, and external pipe threads 44 for the purposes of connecting the tool 20, of the present invention, to a fishing tool, diamond drill, or other, suitable tool.

Mounted within counter bore 46 of seal member 28 are a plurality of axial or annular sealing members 48 which 'are compressed between shoulder 32 and a seal gland nut 50 threadedly mounted on threads 30 of seal member 28. Gland nut 50 is provided with an axial bore 52 in axial alignment with the bore 53 dened by inwardly directed shoulder 32, for a purpose which will hereinafter be described. Similarly, seal members 54 are mounted in counter bore 56 of seal member 34 and compressed between shoulder 36 and gland nut 58 threadedly mounted on threads 38 of seal member 34. Gland nut 58 also has an axial bore 60 in line with and of the same dimension as the bore 61 through shoulder 36 of seal member 34, for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

The space between shoulder 36 of seal member 34 and the under face 62 of seal member 28 defines a closed hydraulic chamber designated 64 which serves to mount a novel impact mechanism Which Will now be particularly described.

Mounted within hydraulic chamber 64 is a novel hollow cylindrical or tubular sleeve having a close sliding t with the sidewalls of chamber 64, this sleeve being generally designated by the numeral 66. The upper and lower ends of sleeve 66 are provided with a plurality of circumferentially equally spaced fluid by-pass means or slots 68 and 70, respectively. The length of said slots is approximately one-third of the length of sleeve 66, thereby leaving an un-slotted portion 72 of approximately one-third the length of sleeve 66 for a purpose which shall appear.

Slidably mounted within the bores S3 and 61 deiined by shoulders 32 and 36, respectively, and bores 52 and 60 of gland nuts 50 and S8, respectively, is an elongate mandrel member 73 having an axially extending bore 74 and also having upper and lower threaded ends 76 and 78, respectively, for a purpose which will appear. Threadedly connected to the upper end of mandrel 73' is a connector member having internal pipe threads 82 for suitable connection to a drill string and having an laxially extending bore 84 in alignment with bore 74 of mandrel 73.` Connected to threadv78 at the lower end of mandrel 73 is a guide mounting member 86, which will be described in detail hereinafter. Formed on mandrel 73 intermediate shoulder 36 and face 62 is an enlarged piston portion 88 which cooperates with novel movable sleeve 66 for delivering the impact forces as will hereinafter appear. The internal diameter of sleeve 66 is somewhat larger than the external diameter of piston 88 to,v thereby define a small annular passage 90 between sleeve 66 and piston 88 for a purpose which'will hereinafter more fully appear.

Turning momentarily'to the lower portion of Figure 1 and to Figure 2, attention is directed to the fact that seal member 34 is provided with'l an integral downwardly ex. tending sleeve portion' 92 which extendsfsubstantiallythe full length of housing 24 andl terminates just'short of the inner end of connector member 40 asrclearly seen in Figure 2. Intermediate upper and lower solid cylindrical portions 94 and 96, respectively, sleeve`92 is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed slotted portions 98 extending substantially the full length of sleeve 92 to serve as a novel guide means for mandrel 73 as will be now particularly described. k

As clearly seen at the lower en'dofkFigure 2, guide mounting member 86 is provided 'with a pair of diametrically oppositely extending wings orlugs 100 having a span of just slightly less than the internal diameter of housing or body portion 24 and a width just slightly less than the width of slots 98. Lugs 100 slidably lit in slots 98 to thereby guide axial sliding'movements of mandrel 73, and in addition, slots 98 and their cooperative lugs 100 permit rotative action of the entire tool 20 to permit connection of connector 40 by means of threads v44 to a fishing tool, diamond drill, or other tool that may be in the well. Since rotation of upperconnector member 80 will be transmitted to mandrel 73 by virtue of the rigid threaded connection therebetween, 'such rotational force will be transmitted from the mandrel 75 to lugs 100 and to sleeve portion 92 of seal mounting number 34 thereby transmitting rotative force tothe entire tool 20. Guide mounting member A86 is also provided with a through bore 102 in axial alignment with bore 74 of mandrel 73 and bore 42 of connector body 40 to provide a uid passage through the entire'tool 20 to permit the passage therethrough of a wash fluid or other suitable iiuid media for whatever purpose it may be used.

It is obvious from the foregoing detailed description that annular axial seals 48 and 54 are 'eiectively seal off the ends of chamber 64 to define a closed uid'or hydraulic chambery This chamber is filled with a hydraulic fluid for cooperative actionwith sleeve 66 and piston 88 for a purpose which will now fully appear in connection with a description of the novel operation of the tool of the present invention.

Turning to Figures 5, and 7 through 10, the operation of the tool while delivering an impact force to dislodge an object in the well will now be particularly described. In operation a shing tool can be threaded to connector member 40 as heretofore described or the tool can be lowered into a well and rotated so that threads 44 of connector member 40 can-threadedly engage the upper end of a sh, grapple, drill, or the like, which may already be within the well and desiredkto be retrieved. Once the appropriate connection has beenmade between tool 20 and another tool, the .tool-'20l is then ready for operation to deliver its novel impact dislodging action to any vobject lodged within the well. 'f

Turning now to Figures and'7 through 10, inclusive, a detailed description of the operation of the tool during the delivery of an impact or dislodging action Vwill now be given. With the tool appropriately connected to the lodged object or shing tool, as the case mayA be, an upward pull is exerted on the drill stringv (not shown) which upward pull is transmitted to upper connector member 88 and from connectorfmember 80 to mandrel 73 by virtu-e of the connection between mandrel 73 and 'connector member 80, as heretofore described. Initially, upward movement of the drill string and mandrel 73 is accompanied by an upward movementofpiston 88 until the upper end of the piston v88`5is coincident with the upper ends of lower slots 70 of movable 'sleeve 66. At this point of relative position of piston 88 and sleeve 66 fluid flow from above the piston to beneath thepiston is restricted by virtue of substantial cutoff of slots 70 by piston v88. As a result further movement of piston 88 upwardly lrelative to sleeve 66 results in a compressive force being transmitted to the hydraulic uid above piston 88.

*Since the fluid above piston 88 can only slowly drain to .the lower side of piston 88 through the small or restrictive passages98 about or between piston 88 and sleeve 66 the `movement of piston 88 upwardly through the unslotted portion 72 of sleeve 66 is substantially retarded, and as a result of this retarded movement a tensile stress is 4applied or stored in the drill string resulting in an elongation of the drill string.

Movement of piston 88 through the unslotted portion 72. of sleeve 66 is obviously very slow due to the slow draining of uid above the piston 88 through the passage 90 to the underside of the piston. As the lowermost end of piston'SS nally clears the uppermost end of unslotted portion 72 there is a rapid ow of hydraulic fluid from the upper end of piston 88 or the upper end of chamber 64 through the now opened slot 68 to the lower end of chamber 64 and as a result the retarding or resisting iow force of the fluid is dissipated and due to the tensile stresses stored in the drill string and the no longer restricting force of the hydraulic fluid in the upper portion of chamber 64, the piston 88 moves upwardly with tremendous rapidity and the uppermost end of piston 88 designated by the knumeral 104 impacts or contacts the face 62 of seal member 28 with a severe upward impact force resulting in a dislodging pull or upward pull on the lodged object connected to either connector member 40 or the sh which is mounted on connector member 40. In this manner a tremendous impact or dislodging movement is exerted upwardly on the lodged object within the well bore to effect release of the lodged object.

It can be readily appreciated that, throughout the upward movement of piston 88 in -chamber 64, after it clears sleeve 66, movable sleeve 66 remains at its lowermost position in chamber 64 due to the force of the lluid therein exerting itself upon the upper end of sleeve 66 forcing the sleeve downwardly. Therefore, the only movement during the delivery of the impact .force is the upward movement of the piston 88 relative to sleeve 66.

In order to reset the piston 88 at the lowermost end of chamber 64 for a successive impact action reference should be had to Figures 6 and l1 through 14, inclusive. During a resetting action the drill string and consequently mandrel 73 are moved downwardly which results in downward movement of piston 88. During the downward movement of piston 88 there is a compressive force exerted on the hydraulic fluid beneath `piston 88. As La lresult of this downward movement the fluid pressure stored in the fluid beneath piston 88 is also exerted on the underside of movable `sleeve, 66 and as the piston 88 moves downwardly the hydraulic pressure moves the sleeve upwardly relative to the piston 88 as clearly seen in Figure l2. Therefore there is a rapid relative movement of piston 88 with respect to sleeve 66 and there is no retarding action due to the compression of fluid and a limited escape means since, as piston 88 compresses the fluid, sleeve 66 constantly moves upwardly leaving an expanded chamber for the dissipation of the uid pressure. Once the uppermost end of piston 88 clears the lowermost end of unslotted portion 72 of sleeve 66 there is an even greater dissipation of fluid pressure since the fluid can now flow from the lower end of chamber 64 through slots 70 to the upper side of Vpiston 88 and as a result thereof piston 88 will be rapidly moved to its lowermost or reset position without even the slightest indication of an impact force being exerted downwardly on the tool, and conse- It is obvious from the foregoing and a study of Figures 7 through )14 that the present invention provides a novel means of delivering a uni-directional impact force for removing lodged objects while providing an absolute smooth rapid resetting of the tool without the delivery of any negative impact forces which could only further lodge the object within the well bore.

As a result of the foregoing the tool of the present invention hereby facilitates the removal of lodged objects from wells in a minimum amount of time and with a maximum efficiency and the tool as heretofore described is of relatively simple construction that is rugged and easily maintained in the field and simple to operate.

Turning now to Figures l through 17, a further form of the present invention will be particularly described, the figures being slightly exaggerated in horizontal dimension for illustrative clarity of certain small detail parts. The numeral 200 generally designates the novel hydraulic tool of the present embodiment consisting of an outer hollow housing member consisting of sections 2027 204 and 206, each interconnected as will hereinafter be described, to define upper, intermediate, and lower body portions of novel tool 200. The lowermost internal end of section 202 is internally threaded as at 208 while the upper internal end of intermediate section 204 is internally threaded as at 210 in order that externally threaded intermediate connector member 212 can be threaded into the lower end of section 202 and the upper end of section 204 to connect these sections together as clearly seen in Figures and 16.

The lowermost end of intermediate section 204 is similarly internally threaded as at 214 for receiving the upper externally threaded end of section 206 in order that sections 204 and 206 can also be threadedly interconnected. Similarly the lower end of section 206 is internally threaded as at 216 for threadedly receiving externally threaded connector member 218 which is provided with external pipe threads 220 for suitable connection to a fishing grapple, diamond drill, drill stem tester, or the like.

The uppermost end of section 202 is provided with a counterbore 222 interconnected by means of countersink 224 to axial extending bore 226 which opens into cylindrical chamber 228 within section 202. As clearly seen in Figure 15 the uppermost limit of cylindrical chamber 228 is defined by the inwardly exposed annular face 230 which defines an impact face as will hereinafter more fully appear. At the uppermost and lowermost ends of cylindrical chamber 228 there are provided upper and lower diametrically opposed drain holes 232 and 234 respectively7 for purposes of draining an accumulation of uid within chamber 228 as will hereinafter more fully appear. The lowermost limit of cylindrical chamber 228 is defined by the inwardly directed face 236 of intermediate connector member 212.

As best seen in Figure 16 section 204 is provided adjacent its upper end with an inwardly directed annular shoulder 238 defining a circular bore 240 therethrough which serves as a guide means as will hereinafter be more particularly described.

Slidably disposed within section 204 between the upper end of annular shoulder 238 and the lower end of intermediate member 212 are annular sealing rings 246, 248, and 252. The innermost end or slide of annular shoulder 238 is countersunk or biased as indicated by the numeral 254. Shoulder 238 defines the upper limit of a closed hydraulic chamber 256 whose function is similar to hyi draulic chamber 64 of Figure 1, as will hereinafter become apparent.

As clearly seen at the lower end of Figure 16, the upper threaded end of section 206 is provided with an annular groove for the reception of a sealing element 258 similar in construction to one of the sealing elements 252, 246, and 248 above shoulder 238 at the top of chamber 256. In addition, section 206 is provided with an internal annular groove for the mounting of annular seal ring 260 within bore 262 of section 206, while an external annular groove is provided in section 206 just beneath threads 214 for the mounting of an annular seal rin'g264 therein, to prevent leakage from :section 204 to section 206. Bore 262 atY the upper end of sec-tion 206 is interconnected with enlarged bore or chamber 266of section 206 by means of countersunlt portion 268 as clearly seen in Figure 16. Chamber 266 is defined at its lower vend by the inner face 270 of connector member 218 which isalso provided with an axial extend ing bore 272 having a countersunk portion 274 in axial alignment therewith at its upper end, for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

Attention is now directed to Figure 20 in conjunction with Figure 15 wherein it will be seen that bore 226 at the upper end of section 202 is provided with diametiically opposite or opposed fiat surfaces 276 defining chords of a circle of a diameter of bore 226, which serve as guide surfaces for a novel mandrel as will be now particularly described.

As clearly seen in the upper portion of Figure 15 there is provided a substantially cylindrical connector member 278 having an internally threaded pipe thread portion 280 terminating in a countersunk portion 282 which is in axial alignment with axially extending bore 284 of integral elongate mandrelV portion 286. As clearly seen in Figure 20 the cross section of integral elongate mandrel portion 286 conforms exactly in cross section to the configuration defined by fiat sides 226 and arcuate sides 276 of the bore portion heretofore described. Thus the fiat portions of mandrel 286 are guided by fiat portions 276, and in addition serve as a torque transmitting device as will hereinafter more fully be described. The lowermost end of elongate mandrel section 286 is threaded as at 288, so as to threadedly engage the upper end of internally threaded mandrel-connector member 290. In addition the lowermost end of mandrel 286 is provided with an external annular groove for the mounting of annular sealing ring 292 which cooperates with the internal diameter of connector member 2.90 to prevent any leakage therebetween.

As clearly seen in Figure 15 intermediate shoulder 294 of mandrel connector 290 is provided with axial bore 296 in alignment with bore 284 of elongate mandrel 286. The upper end of intermediate mandrel 298 is provided with an external annular groove for the mounting of annular sealing ring 300, and is also externally threaded as at 301 for connection to the lower internally threaded portion of mandrel connector 290. Intermediate mandrel 298 is provided with an axially extending bore 306 which is in connection with and in alignment with bores 284 and 296 heretofore described. The lower end of intermediate mandrel 298 is internally threaded as at 308 for receiving the upper threaded end of lower mandrel section 310 which is provided with an external annular groove above its threaded portion for the mounting of annular sealing ring 312 in order to prevent leakage past mandrel sections 298 and 310, respectively.

Attention is particularly directed to the lowermost end of intermediate mandrel portion 298 wherein it is clearly seen that this lowermost end is provided with an enlarged cylindrical boss `314'having a circumferential shoulder 316 at its upper end which defines a fluid piston for purposes of compressing a hydraulic fluid (not shown) in chamber 256 as will hereinafter become more apparent.

Slidably mounted within hollow chamber 256 is a movable sleeve 318 operatively interposed between the outside diameter of piston 314 and the inner wall of chamber 256, this sleeve functioning in essentially the same manner as sleeve 66 shown in Figure 1.

Turning now to Figure 18, the novel sleeve 318 of Figure 16 will now be more particularly described. As clearly seen in Figures 18 and schematic Figures 23 through 30, the upper portion of sleeve 318 is a tubular or hollow cylindrical portion 320 having a smooth internal bore 322 slightly larger than the outside diameter of piston 314,to define therebetween a restricted fiuid passage 324 comparable to passage of Figure 1. The

lowermostvportion 326 ofsleeve 318 is provided with circumferentia'lly. equally.l spaced inwardly directedf slotted portions 328 which are ,essentially similar to slots 70 at the lower end of sleeve 66 illustrated in Figure 1. `Mounted within the bore 322 of sleeve 318 is an annular ring 330 whose lowermost face332 is coincident or in the same plane with the lowermost face or end 334 of sleeve 318. Annular ring 330 is xedly secured to the lowermostportion 326 of ring 318, `as by brazing or welding for a purpose to be more fully hereinafter described.

Turning now to Figures 22 through 25 a progressive step by step operation during the delivery of an impact force of the tool shown in Figures through 17 will now be'particularly described. n

kFigures 22 through 25` illustrate a lstep by step schematic representation of the operation of the novel tool of Figures 15 through17 during the delivery of an impact or dislodging action.

Once'the tool 200 has been secured to a grapple or to a lodged object a pull is exerted at the surface on the drill string `(notshown), which upward pull is transmitted to the mandrel 298. Initially upward pull on themandrel is easily accomplished, since at rst the oil above the piston 314 will be forced through slots 328 to the underside of the piston 314. However, once the upper end of piston 314 cuts olf or closes the slots 328 the only way that the hydraulic uid above piston 314 can escape to the underside of the piston is through the very vnarrow annular passage 324 between piston 314 and the inner wall of the upper part 320 of the sleeve 318. Since passage 324 is very small the ow of hydraulic uid therethrough is very slow, and consequently there is a compressive force exerted by piston 314 on the hydraulic fluid thereabove.

The `pull on the drill string varies anywhere from 30,000 to 90,000 pounds above the weight of the string and connected piping. Since there is a high resistance resulting from the compression of the hydraulic fluid there is an elongation or storing up of tensile stresses in the drill string. With the tensile stresses being exerted in :the drill string, oil or other hydraulic fluid slowly bleeds through the passage 324, and the piston 314 slowly moves through the unslotted portion 320 of sleeve 318 due to the elongation of the drill string which exerts a pull on mandrel 298. Once the lowermost end of piston 314 clears the upper end of sleeve 318 there obviously is an opportunity for a rapid dissipation pressure or resistance to movement of piston 314, since the oil or other hydraulic fluid in the upper portion of chamber 256 can quickly flow past the underside of piston 314 to the lower portion of chamber 256. With this rapid dissipation of pressure or loss of resistance to piston movement the piston 314, and of course the mandrel sections 286 and 298, move with sudden rapidity upwardly due to the tensile stresses stored in the elongated drill string.

As a result of this very sudden and rapid upward movement due to the release of pressure resistance the upper end 291 of intermediate mandrel connector 290 contacts the surface 230 with a severe and sudden dislodging impact, as can be readily appreciated by reference to Figure l5. As a result a sudden dislodging force is transmitted through tool 200 to the device connected thereto, through connection with connector member 218.

It will be readily appreciated from a study of Figures 22 through 25 that throughout the upward movement of piston 314 that the sleeve 318 remains down or at the lowermost position in chamber 256. This positioning of sleeve 318 is due to the fact that during upward movement and compressive action of the uid above piston 314, :that the lluid exerts a downward pressure on the uppermost ends of sleeve 318 holding the sleeve in the, position illustrated in Figures 22 through 25.

Turning now to Figures 26 through 29 the novel, rapid,

smoothmesetting of the tool will now be-particularly described. The mandrel 298 and consequently the piston l314 are moveddownwardly'upon downward movement of the drill string. This downward movement also results ina compression ofthe hydraulic. fluid beneath the piston 314. However, Vas-the fluid is compressed pressure is exerted on the underside of sleeve V318 Ycausing the sleeve 318 .to move upwardly relative to :the downward movement of piston 314. As a result, there is a constant expanding chamber beneath piston 314 for pressure dissipation so that the relative movement of piston 314 and sleeve 318 is very smooth `and rapid, contrary to the heretofore described slow` resisted upward movement.

Attention is directed to Figures 26 and 29 wherein it is clearly seen that sleeve 318 does not move to the uppermost end of chamber 256, as doessleeve 66 'in chamber 34, because ring 330 prevents piston 314 from kpassing clear throughsleeve 318. When piston 314 abuts kends of sleeve 318 preventing undue warping or expansion thereof due to the high pressures exerted within chamber 256.

The degree of elongation ofthe drillstring or time delay during yan upward impact pull of the tool `can be varied very easily by the variation of one of four variable features of the present invention. These variables are the viscosity of the fluid used within the closed hydraulic chambers 66 or 256, the dimensioning of the annular spaces 90 or 324, the clearance between the sleeve and the inner wall of the chamber, and the length of the unslotted portion of the sleeves.

Turning now to Figures 15 and 20 the purpose or function `of the novel torque mechanism of this embodiment will now be particularly described. As heretoforev described the upper portion of section 202 is provided with a bore defined by a pair of ilat sides 226 and a pair of arcuate sides 276. The mandrel 286 which passes through this bore conforms exactly in cross-section to this bore, thus the arcuate sides 276 are in sliding contact with similar arcuate sides on the mandrel 286. When it is desired to rotate tool 200 to connect it to a grapple or other object, rotation of upper connector member 278 will be transmitted through mandrel 286 to housing section 202 and consequently housing sections 204 and 206, and finally to connector member 218, thereby permitting threaded connection of member 218 to whatever object tool 200 is to be connected. The torque device as herein disclosed is of rugged and simple construction, involving the simplest of machined parts and susceptible of the severest type of usage.

It will be readily appreciated from the foregoing description that there is herein provided a novel, inexpensive, easily assembled and highly eicient impact tool that develops maximum impact forces in a single positive direction and permits rapid, smooth, non-impact resetting of `the tool. In addition there is also herein disclosed novel tool means embodying torque means which contribute to la maximum efficiency lof the tool.

The invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of 'the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and 11 range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. n

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A uni-directional jarring tool comprising a body having a closed fluid chamber'therein; a non-compressible fluid medium in said chamber; a piston movably mounted in said chamber adapted to be connected to an elevating mechanism; a freely oating annular sleeve mounted in said chamber adjacent the wall of the chamber but spaced therefrom in surrounding relation to said piston; said sleeve being normally positioned at one end of said chamber; said piston having its exterior surface adjacent to but spaced from the interior wall of said sleeve, said sleeve being of a length substantially less than the length of the uid chamber and `substantially longer than the length of said piston; whereby the sleeve is movable longitudinally relative to said wall and the piston is freely movable longitudinally relative to said sleeve; means providing a hammer carried by said piston; means providing an anvil carried by said body; and fluid-by-pass means in the lower portion of said sleeve, said by-pass means being operable to allow fluid ow from below said piston to above said piston as said piston is moved downwardly into said sleeve, whereby upward movement of the piston tends to force the fluid medium thereabove through the restricted spaces between the chamber, the sleeve, and the piston to retard such upward movement of the piston until the piston completely emerges from said sleeve, whereupon the fluid above the piston is caused to ow freely into the space below the piston and said hammer strikes said anvil with a sudden impact action.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said piston is connectedv to a mandrel, and cooperating means on -said body and said mandrel permitting axial movement of one with respect to the other and preventing rotative movement of one with respect to the other.

3. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sleeve is provided with a radially inwardly extending ring von the bottom thereof, whereby said piston engages said ring to move said sleeve as a unit therewith on-downwardrnove ment of the piston to reset the piston and sleeve.

4. A device as set forthV in claiml', wherein said anvil and hammer are located exteriorly of said closed -uid chamber. l

5` A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein mandrels extend upwardly and downwardly from said piston and spaced annular seal means are mounted in said body so as to embrace said mandrels. l v l 6. A device as set forth in claim l, wherein said wall of the closed fluid chamber has a smooth internal bore extending throughout its axial extent, and wherein said sleeve has a smooth external and internal surface through out its axial extent, and wherein said piston has a smooth external surface throughout its axial'extent. 1 l f 7. A device as set forth in claim l, wherein said by-pass means are in the form of circumferentially spaced slots extending axially from the bottom end of said sleeve to a point below the top end thereof. f

References Cited in the tile kof this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 23,354 Storm Apr. 10, 1951 1,637,505 Wigle Augj2, 1927 1,803,732 Shater ,May 5, 1931 1,804,700 Maxwell May 12, 1931 2,205,910 Raybould June 25, 1940 2,643,147 Funkhouser et al June 23, 1953 2,645,459 Sutlifrr Iuly 14, 1953 2,647,778 Shields Aug. 4, 1953 2,721,056 Storm Oct. 18, 1955 2,733,045 Burns Jan. 3l, 1956

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