US3043619A

US3043619A - Guide for oil well pipe

Info

Publication number: US3043619A
Application number: US30990A
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert L George; William C Lamb
Original assignee: WILLIAM C LAMB
Current assignee: WILLIAM C LAMB
Priority date: 1960-05-23
Filing date: 1960-05-23
Publication date: 1962-07-10
Anticipated expiration: 1979-07-10

Description

July 10, 1962 A. L. GEORGE ET AL 3,043,619

GUIDE FOR OIL WELL PIPE Original Filed Dec. 10, 1957 William 0. Lamb Albert L. George INVENTORS Continuation of abandoned application Ser. No. 701,745, Dec. 10, 1957. This applicationMay 23, 1960, Ser.

4 Claims. (Cl. 294-86) This invention comprises a novel and useful pipe elevator stabbing or guide device and more particularly pertains to a means to facilitate the guiding of a pipe elevator upon successive sections of pipe for the purpose of inst-alling the sections in or removing them from a well bore.

During the process of drilling or completing a well, of the type employed for producing oil or gas from a productive formation, it is necessary to frequently install or remove successive sections of pipe in a well, such as a drill string, a production tubing, or a casing for wells being completed or to facilitate further drilling operations. It is common practice to hoist each successive section of pipe into a vertical position by means of a flexible line, one end of which is attached to a traveling block assembly and the other end is attached to a tool known as an eleva-tor which is adapted to firmly clamp or grip the upper section of the pipe for raising or'lowering'the same. The vertical section of pipe so gripped, is lowered into alignment with the string of pipe already disposed in a well bore and is screwed, welded or otherwise attached to the previous upper section of pipe of the string, and which latter is held by a gripping mechanism at the floor level of the drilling well. When the section of pipe being installed has been properly attached onto the previous section, the flexible line with the elevator is lowered onto the upper end of the last section of pipe so attached, the elevator is then caused to grip the pipe, the gripping mechanism at the floor level of the drilling rig is released and the section of pipe being installed is lowered with the string of pipe to which it has now been attached into the well bore until the top of this section isat about the floor levelI The gripping mechanism at the floor level is then again engaged to hold the pipe, the elevator grip is released, and the operation is repeated with each successive section of pipe being installed in the well bore.

The present invention pertains particularly to the stabbing of a section of pipe into an elevator as the elevator is lowered onto the pipe. This operation as heretobefore practiced requiresthat -a man on the derrick floor or on a stabbing board move the elevator laterally until the pipe opening in the elevator is directly in vertical alignment with the pipe, a driller or hoist operator then lowering the elevator on to the pipe before the swinging momentum of the assembly causes the elevator to move out of such alignment. This operation obviously-requires much eifort, I

demands a great skill and very close coordination between the drill and the derrick man, occasions very exactingand fatiguing work of the derrick man, is usuallytime-consuming and is a fruitful source of accidents in the event of carelessness. a

It is therefore the main objective of the presentinvention to provide a device which will enable alignment of an elevator with a vertical section of pipe to be engaged by the latter with a minimum of effort and time being required and with a maximum of safety for the drilling crew.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment which may be applied to conventional elevators and will greatly facilitate the ease and certainty with which the elevator may be stabbed on to a section of pipe.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device in accordance with the foregoing object which when at- States Ptent 0 3,043,619 Patented July 10,1962

2 tached to an elevator will greatly lower the center of gravity of the same and thereby render it easier to stab a section of pipe with the elevator.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a device in accordance with the preceding object which by means of a removable circumferentially extending seg ment thereof will enable access to be had laterally to the bore within the device and to the pipe being gripped by the elevator. I

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a bottom plan view of the present invention showing the stabbing device mounted upon the bottom end of an elevator;

FIGURE 2 is a view in vertical longitudinal section taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, parts of the device being shown in section and the elevator being shown in eleva tion therein, the section of the pipe being stabbed'being shown in full lines in illustration of the manner in which the device stabs the pipe with the elevator and in dotted lines showing the position of the pipe after the same has been stabbed by the elevator and gripping by the same;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view in vertical central section taken on an enlarged scale substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, a part of the lower end of the elevator jaws being shown in elevation therein; and

FIGURE 4 is an elevation view taken from the left end of FIGURE 3 and showing the removable segment of the attachment in accordance with this invention.

Indicated generally by the numeral 10 in the accompanying drawings is a conventional'forrn of pipe elevator, commonly employed for Well drilling operations,- which may be either of the movable jaw type or of the solid ring type as desired. Secured to and depending from the lower portion of the elevator 10 is the stabbing device desig nated generally by the numeral 12 and forming the subject matter of the present invention. The stabbing device comprises a body having a flat plate-like upper flange 14- which may be suitably apertured to receive bolts 16 or the like whereby the stabbing device may be removably secured to the bottom surface of the elevator 10.- Alternatively, any other desired fastening means may-be employed for removably securing the stabbing device to the elevator,

. and in some instances the stabbing device maybe integrally formed with the elevator. 1

In any event, the stabbing device in addition to the laterally projecting upper flange 14 by which the same is mounted upon the elevator, includes a central opening 18 which is adapted to be aligned with the opening through the elevator which receives a pipe section 20, and the opening 18 is of at least diameterequal to thatlextending through the elevator for receiving the pipe section 20.

The body below the mounting flange 14 is provided with a preferably conical downwardly and outwardly flaring skirt 22, the inner surface of the skirt having a conical guide surface 24 which at its upper end merges into the opening 18.

It will be observed that the lower edge of the skirt 22 has its outside diameter somewhat less than that of the mounting plate 14, and the internal diameter of the guide surface 24 at its lower end is sufiiciently greater than that of the opening 18 to permit the elevator to be-moved considerably off-center wtih respect to the pipe section 20, asindicated in full lines in FIGURE 2, and yet as the elevator is lowered will guide the pipe into the opening 18 of the stabbing device and thus into the opening in the elevator for gripping engagement by the latter.

It is an important feature of this invention to provide a stabbing device of sufficient weight so that when the same is mounted upon the lower end of the elevator, it will appreciably lower the center of gravity of the combined elevator and stabbing device until the center of gravity is adjacent or even below the bottom surface of the elevator itself. This lowering of the center of gravity prevents possible tilting or swinging of the elevator from a truly vertical positon as the same is lowered by its supporting means upon the section to be gripped thereby, thereby increasing the certainty and facilitating the proper attachment of the elevator upon the upper end of the pipe section 20.

In certain situations and conditions of use, it may be undesirable or impractical to place the elevator and stabbing device-above the upper end of a pipe section 20.

In order to specifically adapt the device for operation under such conditions, there is provided a radially removable circumferentially extending segment 26 which extends part of the total circumferential extent of the stabbing device and which extends the entire vertical length of the stabbing device and extends radially inwardly to the opening 18 thereof. Obviously, when the segment 26 is removed an axially extending radially disposed slot is provided through the stabbing device whereby ready access may be had to the pipe for moving the stabbing device laterally thereof to position the pipe within the stabbing device or to remove the stabbing device from a pipe;',or to obtain access to the pipe on the lower end of the elevator for various purposes.

' The removable secti-oncomprises a pair of substantially parallel radially projecting axially extending mounting flanges 28 which are received between and which are adapted to be' secured to corresponding mounting flanges 30 carried by the body of the stabbing device on opposite sides of the radial notch therein, while removable fastening bolts 32 extend through these flanges for detachably securing the removable section to the body of the stabbing device.

The removable section has an apertured lug or web 34 projecting radially therefrom and extending axially there of between the mounting flanges 28 and received in the vice 30.

As will be readily understood, in some instances, it may be desired to omitthe removable segment 26 in order to provide a simpler and less expensive construction of the device. However, the form of device illustrated contains a removable segment which will not only perform all of the functions of a non-segmented stabbing device, but also will permit lateral positioning of the device upon or removal of the device from a pipe section as hereinbefore set forth.

This is a continuation of our prior copending application bearing Serial No. 701,745, filed December 10, 1957, now abandoned.

Theforegoingis considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed. i

What is claimed is: i

l. A combination pipe elevator and stabbing device for raising and lowering a pipe comprising, an elevator having a pipe receiving opening extending therethrough,

, ing opening to guide pipe into said opening so that it may be engaged by the elevator for raising and lowering comprising, a body, said body having a downwardly extending skirt, said skirt defining an opening at its lower edge, a laterally projecting annular flange on said body forming a mounting means for removably securing said body to the underside of said elevator to align said opening in said skirt with said elevator pipe receiving opening, a downwardly flaring surface on said skirt, said surface extending from said lower skirt edge and merging at its upper end toward said elevator pipe receiving opening to form a guide surface to guide pipe into said aligned elevator pipe receiving opening, and means whereby pipe and said body may be moved radially of each other to disengage said body and the pipe, said means comprising a portion extending around a part of the circumference of and substantially the vertical length of said body, dc tachable means for securing said portion in position on the underside of said elevator and in circumferential alignment with said body whereby said guide surface extends 360 on said skirt, said detachable means also functioning to accommodate removal of said portion whereby said body is radially removable from about the pipe.

2. A pipe gripping and lifting tool comprising in com bination a pipe elevator and a pipe stabber mounted thereon, said pipe elevator having a pipe receiving axial opening therethrough and pipe gripping jaws disposed in said opening, said stabber comprising a body having an axial pipe receiving opening therethrough registering with said opening in said elevator, said body including a mounting'means for securing the body to the underside of said elevator, the underside of said body having a conically downwardly opening, upwardly converging guide surface merging with said body opening, and means whereby pipe and said body may be moved radiallyv of each other to disengage said body and the pipe, said means comprising a portion extending around a part of the circumference of and substantially the vertical length of said body, detachable means for securing said portion in position on the underside of said elevator and in circumferential alignment with said body whereby said guide surface extends 360, said detachable means also functioning to accommodate removal of said portion whereby said body is radially removable from about the pipe.

3. A pipe elevator stabbing device for securing adjacent the pipe receiving opening in a pipe elevator to guide pipe into the pipe receiving opening so that it may be engaged by the elevator for raising and lowering comprising, a body, said body having an opening therein, said body including a laterally projecting annular flange forming a mounting means for securing said body to the underside of the elevator to align said opening in said body with the elevator pipe receiving opening, said body having a downwardly extending skirt, said skirt defining an opening at its lower edge, an inner surface on said skirt extending from said lower skirt edge and merging at its upper end with said body opening to form a guide surface to guide pipe into said body opening and aligned elevator pipe opening, and means whereby pipe and said body may be, moved radially of each other to disengage said body and the pipe, said means comprising a portion extending around a part of the circumference of and substantially the vertical length of said body, detachable means for securing said portion in position on the underside of the elevator'and in circumferential alignment with said body whereby said guide surface extends 360 on said skirt, said detachable means also functioning to accommodate removal of said portion whereby said body is radially removable from about the pipe.

4. A pipe elevator stabbing device for securing adjacent the pipe receiving opening in a pipe elevator to guide pipe into the pipe receiving opening so that it may be engaged by the elevator for raising and lowering comprising, a body, said body having an opening therein, said body including a laterally projecting flange forming a mounting means for securing said body to the underside of said elevator to align said opening in said body with the elevator pipe receiving opening, said body having a downwardly extending skirt, said skirt definingan opening at its lower edge, an inner surface on said skirt extending from said lower skirt edge and merging at its upper end with said body opening to form a guide surface to guide pipe into said body opening and aligned elevator pipe opening, means forming a handle on said body for manually manipulating the pipe elevator stabbing device, and means whereby pipe and said body may be moved radially of each other to disengage said body and the pipe, said means comprising a portion extending around a part of the circumference of and substantially the vertical length of said body, detachable means for securing said portion in position on the underside of said elevator and in circumferential alignment with said body Whereby said guide surface extends 360 on said skirt, said detachable means also functioning to accommodate removal of said portion whereby said body is radially removable from about the pipe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Lewis Aug. 21, 1900 Braun June 3, 1919 Dailey Sept. 7, 1920 Segelhorst Sept. 7, 1926 Montgomery Sept. 28, 1926 Montgomery Apr. 3, 1928 Iurey Oct. 28, 1930 Young et a1 Aug. 1, 1933 Rhoads Aug. 15, 1950 Fitch July 24, 1951 Stone Dec. 8, 1953 Gentry Sept. 16, 8

FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Oct. 1, 1913