US2829866A

US2829866A - Rotary well drilling rigs

Info

Publication number: US2829866A
Application number: US488909A
Authority: US
Inventors: Colquitt Odie
Original assignee: WINTER WEISS CO
Current assignee: WINTER WEISS CO
Priority date: 1955-02-17
Filing date: 1955-02-17
Publication date: 1958-04-08
Anticipated expiration: 1975-04-08

Description

United States Patent ROTARY WELL DRILLING RIGS Odie Colquitt, Denver, Colo., assignor to The Winter- Weiss Co., Denver, (3010., a corporation of Colorado Application February 17, 1955, Serial No. 488,909

4 Claims. (Cl. 255-23) This invention relates ot a rotary drill driving mechanism fora rotary well drilling rig, and while more particularly adaptable for use on a portable rotary rock drilling rig such as described and illustrated in applicants co-pending application Serial No. 487,086 it will be found valuable for any'type of rotary welldrilling rig.

The principal object of theinvention is to provide a relatively simple, highly efficient, lightweight rotary table structure for well drilling rigs which will maintain the drill in an accurate centered position in the table, which will operate with a minimum of power loss, and which will prevent the entrance of mud and sand to the'wearing parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rotary table structure which will act to automatically lock a drill stem bushing, herein referred to as a kelly bushing, in the table structure during the drilling operation, and to automatically release the kelly bushing from theztable when the drill string is withdrawn from the well'toallow free passage of a drill-stem-saver-substitute or kelly sub" for servicing the drill string.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had. to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout .the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section'through the improved rotary table, illustrating a drill stem or kellybar in place therein in the drilling position;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-section, looking upwardly on the line 2-2, Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a similar cross-sectiom looking downwardly I on the line 3--3, Fig. 1.

The improved rotary table mechanism is designed to be mounted on any desired supporting base structure, such as indicated on the drawing at 10, and comprisesan outer barrel 11 designed to be seated on and secured to the supporting base in any desired manner. The barrel 11 is closed at its top by means of an annular top ring 12 which is seated on the barrel 11 and secured thereto in any desired manner, such as by means of attachment bolts 14 extending through peripheral flanges 13.

A lower thrust bearin 'ace 15 ,is seated in the barrel 11 adjacent the bottom thereof upon a suitable bearing shoulder 16. An upper thrust bearingrace I7 is inset into the top ring 12. The bearing races 15 and ;'17 support suitable anti-friction bearings 18'. preferably of ,the'conical roller type. The roller bearings 18 ride against and around inner bearing ra'ces'19 which surround a tubular gear sleeve extending vertically through the barrel 11. The gear sleeve 20 is formed with a surrounding annular flange 21 which rests upon the lower inner bearing race 19 to support the sleeve 20 in the barrel 11. The upper ice . 2 inner bearing race 19 is supported from the flange 21 upon a tubular spacer 22 surrounding the gear sleeve 20.

An annular cap member 23 is secured on the upper extremity of the gear sleeve 20 by means of suitable countersunk cap screws, such as indicated at 24. The cap member 23 extends outwardly over the top ring 12 and terminates at its periphery in a circular, downwardly extending drip flange 25. The drip flange 25 surrounds the upper extremity of the cap ring 12 and acts to prevent mud and sand from entering between the top ring 12 and the cap member 23. The gear sleeve 20 is rotated about a vertical axis in the barrel 11 through the medium of a ring gear 28 which is secured to the upper surface of the flange 21 in any desired manner, such as bymeans of suitable rivets 29. A drive pinion 30 meshes with and rotates the ring gear 28 and through it the gear sleeve 20. The drive pinion is fixedly mounted on the inner extremity of a pinion shaft 31.

The pinion shaft 31 is supported, adjacent the pinion 30, in two opposed conventional anti-friction thrust bearings 32 which are mounted in a bearing sleeve 33 mounted in the side of the barrel 11. The outer extremity of the shaft 31 is supported in a bearing collar 34 which is secured through a flange formed on the bearing sleeve 33 and to the barrel 11 by means of suitable cap screws 35.

Thev bearing collar 34 supports the outer extremity of the pinion shaft 31 in suitable ball bearings 36. The ball bearings surround a hub 37 formed on a universal joint coupling 38'which is locked on the shaft extremity and through which power is ,suppliedto the shaft in any suitable manner from any suitable source.

Inuse, the barrel 11 is maintained partially filled with lubricating oil through an oil nipplenormally closed by means of an oil plug 40. An oil seal is provided atthe 'top of the barrel by means of two annular horizontal packing rings 26 embedded in the .top ring 12 and frictionally engaging the lower surface ,of the cap member 23. An oil seal is provided at the bot om of the barrel by means of a lower annular sealing ring 27 fixed in the bottom of the barrel 11 in frictional engagement with the lower extremity of the ,gear. sleeve 20. A packing gasket 39 prevents leakage of lubricating oilfrom the barrel 11 aboutt p n n ha '31.

The gear sleeve 20 isprovided with an axial passage for a drill stem or kelly bar 41. This passage mayhave any non-circular cross-section,preferably ahexagonal cross-section as illustrated. .The. passage is sufficiently 1 large to allow the passage of. a conventional drill-stemsaver-substitute, such as known in the art as a "fkelly sub and indicated at 48 on the drawing. The difference in size between the kelly bar 41 and the passage in the gear sleeve 20 is accommodated by means of a hexagonal kelly bushing 42 having an outer contour to correspond to and fit snugly within the gear sleeve 20. The kelly bushing 42 is supported in the sleeve 20 by means of an upper peripheral projecting flange 50 which rests upon the .cap member 23. i

The kelly bar 41 may have any desired contour, such as square, hexagonal, or fluted. As illustrated, it is cylindrical and provided with longitudinalridgesor keys 43,, and the kelly bushing is-providedwith keyways for slidably receiving the keys 43. Thus, torque will be transmitted from the gear sleeve 20 throughthe kelly bushing 42 to the keys .43.so as to impart drilling rota- ;tion to the kelly bar 41.

. Upward movement of thekelly bushing 42 in the sleeve v:20 during drilling operationsnis prevented by means of two key balls 44 positioned in radially extending ball passages 45 formed at opposite sides of and extending completely through the wall of the kelly bushing 42. vThe diameters of the balls 44 exceed the thickness of the aasaaqs I wall of the kelly bushing 42 so that, when in contact with the kelly bar 41, they protrude from the kelly bushing into ball sockets 46 formed in the sleeve 20. Therefore, it will be seen that when the kelly bar'41 is in the operating or drilling position, it will be impossible for the kelly bushing 42 to move upwardly in the sleeve 20. The kelly bar 41, however, is provided with a plurality of oppositely positioned ball pockets 47 positioned a. distance above the lower extremity of the kelly bar equal to the distance the balls 44 are spaced above the bottom of the kelly bushing 42. Thus, when the kelly bar is elevated until its lower extremity aligns with the bottom of the kelly bushing 42, the pockets 47 will align with the balls 44, allowing them to move inwardly sufficiently to release them from the ball sockets 46 so as to allow the kelly bushing to move upwardly with the kelly bar.

During the drilling operation a length of drill pipe is threaded into the lower extremity of the kelly sub 48..

When the drilling has progressed. the length of the kelly supporting said sleeve concentrically about said kelly bar;'means for rotating said sleeve; a hexagonal kelly bushing fitted into the hexagonal passage in said sleeve about said kelly bar, the hexagonal interconnection preventing relative rotation between said sleeve and said kelly bushing; longitudinally extending keys formed on said kelly bar and engaging keyways in said kelly bushing so as to prevent relative rotation between said kelly bushing and said kelly bar; a radial ball passage extending completely through the wall of said kelly bushing;

a freely movable ball positioned in said ball passage in contact with said kelly bar and having a diameter exceeding the thickness of the wall of said kelly bushing so that when in contact with said kelly bar the ball will bar, the latter is drawn upwardly through the gear sleeve.

1 contact,'the ball pockets 47 will be positioned horizontally opposite the balls 44 to provide space for the latter to move radially inward. The upward movement of the kelly bushing brings the balls into contact with the upper edges of the ball sockets 46 and this contact will force the balls radially inward into the ball pockets 47 to release the kelly bushing and allow it to move upwardly through the gear sleeve 20 sothat the topmost length of drillpipe may be drawn through the drill sleeve so as to project above the latter. The upwardly projectingdrill pipe is'now locked in the gear sleeve by means of conventional split wedge slips, as is usual in rotary drilling operationsfso as to suspend the drill string in the well from the drill sleeve 20. The kelly sub 48 is now unscrewed from the uppermost length of drill pipe and a new length of drill pipe is coupled between the kelly sub and the former uppermost length. The kelly bar is i then lifted to release the wedge slips and the kelly bar is lowered to'the drilling position. The kelly bushing 42 moves downwardly with the kelly bar and enters the passage in the gear sleeve until stopped by the flange 45 50. The kelly bar continues downwardly, causing the ball pockets 47 to travel away from the balls 44 to force the latter outwardly into the sockets 46 to automatically lock the kelly bushing in place, and the drilling is re' sumed.

It will be noted that the kelly bushing requires no attention. It will lock itself in place automatically when the drill string is ready for drilling, and will similarly automatically unlock itself as the lengths of drill' pipe are withdrawn. i y

When the kelly bushing 42 is elevated above the gear sleeve 20 its weight is supported by the kelly sub 48 so that there is no tendency to force the balls outwardly from their passages 45. In use the kelly bar 41, the kelly bushing 42 and the gear sleeve are protected by a coating of hard oil'or grease; The latter maintains the balls in their passages against dislodgement by vibration.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is desired tov be underproject partially radially outward from said kelly bushing;a ball socket formed in said gear sleeve positioned to receive the outwardly projecting portion of said ball 7 so that said ball will enter said socket and prevent withdrawal of said kelly bushing from said sleeve; and a ball pocket formed in said kelly bar and adapted to be brought into alignment with said ball when desired to provide space which will allow said ball to move radially inward in its passage and from said socket so as to free the kelly bushing from the sleeve.

2. Means for rotating a kelly bar in a rotary drilling mechanism as described in claim 1 having a kelly sub mounted on the lower extremity of said kelly bar of larger diameter than said bar, said ball pocket being positioned a distance above said lower kelly sub corresponding to the distance from the ball to the lower extremity of the kelly bushing so that when said sub contacts said bushing said ball pocket will align horizontally with said ball to allow the latter to move radially inward from said socket.

3. Means for rotating a kelly barin a rotary drilling mechanism as described in claim 2 having a flange projecting about the upper extremity of said kelly bushing and over said gear sleeve so as to limit the dowward movement of said kelly bushing in said gear sleeve.

4. Means for rotating a kelly bar in a rotary drilling mechanism comprising: a vertical, tubular gear sleeve having a flat-sided axial passage; means for rotatably supporting said sleeve; means for rotating said sleeve; a fiat-sided kelly bushing adapted to axially receive said .kelly bar, said kelly bushing being slidably fitted into the flat-sided axial passage of said sleeve, the flat-sided shape of the bushing preventing relative rotation between said sleeve and said kelly bushing; longitudinally extend- 0 ing. keys formed on said kelly bar and engaging keyways in said kelly bushing to prevent relative rotation between said kelly bushing and kelly bar; means on said kelly bushing for limiting its downward movement in said gear sleeve; ball passages formed in and completely through the wall of said kelly bushing at opposite sides 1 of said kelly bar; a ball contained in each ball passage,

stood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention. v

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters. Patent is:

1. Means for rotating a kellybar ina rotary drilling o mechanism comprising: a vertical, tubular gear sleeve having a hexagonal axial passage; means for rotatably each ball having a larger diameter than the thickness of the wall of said kelly bushing so that the balls will project oppositely outward from said kelly bushing when in contact with the normal surface of said kelly bar; and ball sockets in said sleeve positioned to receive the outwardly projecting portions of said balls.

References Cited in the file ofthis patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,030,318