US3136362A

US3136362A - Pitless well construction

Info

Publication number: US3136362A
Application number: US813226A
Authority: US
Inventors: Baker John Gordon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Baker Manufacturing Co LLC
Priority date: 1959-05-14
Filing date: 1959-05-14
Publication date: 1964-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 1981-06-09

Description

June 9, 1964 J. G. BAKER 3,136,362

PITLESS WELL CONSTRUCTION Filed May 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JOHN GORDON BAKER ATTORNEY June 9, 1964 .1. cs. BAKER 3,135,362

PITLESS WELL CONSTRUCTION Filed May 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JOHN GORDON BAKER BY WM ATTOR NEY June 9, 1964 J. G. BAKER 3,136,362

PITLESS WELL CONSTRUCTION Filed May 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. JOHN GORDON BAKER BY W4 )hm ATTORNEY June 9, 1964 .1. e. BAKER 3,136,362

PITLESS WELL CONSTRUCTION Filed May 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INV EN TOR.

/a/m 60/404 Baker 8 a /9. #M

United States Patent 3,136,362 PITLESS WELL CONSTRUCTION John Gordon Baker, Evansville, Wis. Filed May 14, 1959, Ser. No. 813,226 Claims. (Cl. 166-85) This invention relates to pitless well construction and particularly to removable apparatus for providing a sealed connection between a liquid-carrying drop pipe within a well casing and a delivery pipe outside the casing and means for maintaining such sealed connection.

The well casing, generally tubular in form extends nearly to or above the ground level with a water discharge connection below the frost line buried permanently. Pursant to my invention the well water coming up the drop pipe within the well casing is conducted through the casing wall to a horizontal discharge pipe by means of an adapter having a sealed joint permitting simple replaceable removal of the drop pipe and other attached water system components within the well casing from above for servicing. A ring of yieldable material confined in an annular space defined by the mating parts of the sealed joint is usedas a seal. A fitting attached to the drop pipe, designated herein as the drop pipe fitting is one mating part of the sealed joint, and a fitting attached to or forming part of the casing, designated herein as a casing fitting is the other mating part of the sealed joint.

As used herein, the term adapter designates apparatus for conducting well water through a Well casing wall and permitting simple replaceable removal of a drop pipe and other attached water system components within the well casing.

A primary object of this invention is to attain leak free sealing of the adapter joint by using accurately machined and aligned surfaces of revolution for the mating and sealing surfaces of the drop pipe fitting and the casing fitting and by rigidly fixing the drop pipe fitting with respect to the casing to prevent motion in the sealed joint due to pump vibration or water hammer.

A second object is to provide such an adapter suitable for a four-inch inside diameter casing and one and onequarter inch inside diameter for both drop pipe and delivery pipe without substantial pressure drop of the water flowing through the adapter.

A third object is to facilitate well screen installation and other operations within the well casing by locating the sealing surface of the casing fitting radially beyond the inner wall of the well casing to avoid damage to the sealing surface from contact with well tools, drop pipe and attached components and to provide a full unobstructed opening within the casing when the drop pipe and attached components are removed.

A further object is to provide a drop pipe fitting adapted for easy assembly with thecasing fitting and for rigid fixing with respect to the well casing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a drop pipe fitting which is adapted to support the drop pipe and attached components without a connection to the top of the well, and to hold down the casing cap so as to provide a water-tight joint with a plane end of the casing without threads, welds, friction or set screw attachment.

An additional object is to provide an actuator for such an adapter which produces the necessary movement of the drop pipe fitting for assembly and disassembly of the sealed joint from corresponding vertical manual movements near the top of the casing, and which facilitatesassembly of the sealed joint by limiting the drop pipe fitting movements to those required for assembly, by providing for quick and easy assembly attempts and by making proper assembly readily discernible without depending on visual inspection down in the well.

A still further object is to provide such an actuator, which after assembly, coacts with the drop pipe fitting, and, if necessary, the casing cap to rigidly fix the drop pipe fitting with respect to the casing despite pump vibration and water hammer and without the necessity of actuator attachment to the upper end of the well casing.

And another object of my invention is to provide an actuator which is operated without a wrench by an inexpensive manual control rod, which, to insure its presence when needed, can only be detached when the actuator is removed from the well casing.

The invention possesses other objects and advantageous features as will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which I FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View of apparatus embodying one form of the invention and incorporating the novel features of the invention, the section being taken along a vertical center line of the well casing.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken along the line BB of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along the line AA of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the well casing unsectioned'and a transverse hole bored in the casing for installation of the casing fitting. The casing fitting parts are shown exploded.

FIGURE 5 is an elevation view of an alternative form of the casing fitting suitable for welding on the casing.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary vertical section view of an alternative form of control rod and easing cap where the section is taken through the centerline of the casing.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary horizontal section of the alternative form of cap and control taken along the line CC of FIGURE 6.

FIGURES 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are fragmentary vertical partial sections showing progressive steps in the assembly.

FIGURE 12 shows an exploded view of the casing cap parts.

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary elevation view of the assembled unit.

FIGURE 14 is the top view of the finished installation with the fill completed. Only the casing cap appears.

FIGURE 15 is a side view of the actuator showing the centerline of the slot, the upper slot angle, and the maximum slot'angle.

FIGURE 16 is a top view of the actuator within the well casing showing the angle of vertical corners in relation to a centerline of the actuator.

While the invention is applicable to all types of pumps commonly used for pumping water from wells and is susceptible of various modifications and alternative con-' structions, I have shown in the drawings and will describe herein a preferred embodiment as applied to the so-called submersible type pump. It is to be understood that I do not intend to limit the invention by such disclosure, but aim to cover all modifications, alternative constructions and uses falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the claims.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the tubular well casing 10 extends downward into the ground below the frost line 11 and upward above the ground level 12. A drop pipe 13 supports a submersible pump 14 (not shown) and conducts the well water up from the pump 14 into the drop pipe fitting 15. The water continues through drop pipe fitting 15 and the casing fitting 16 and into the delivery.

a t. pipe 17 tightly screwed into casing fitting 16. .The round neck 18 of drop pipe fitting extends into the cylindrical recess 19 within the casing fitting 16. A rubber ring seal 20 within an annular groove 21 surrounding the neck 18 fits tightly against the smooth cylindrical surfaces of the groove 21 and the recess 19 to form a pressure tight seal between the drop pipe fitting 15 and the casing fitting 16. The outer surface of the neck 18, including the annular groove 21, is a surface of revolution, the axis of which will be designated herein as the neck axis. The cylindrical recess 19 is a surface of revolution, the axis of which will be designated herein as the recess axis. The neck axis and the recess axis coincide. There axes also intersect and are perpendicular to the axis of the casing 10.

The chamfer 22 around the neck 18 and the chamfer 23 around the recess 19 facilitate entry of neck 18 into recess 19 during assembly. The chamfer 23 also prevents damage to the ring seal 20 as it enters the recess 19 during assembly. 7 The cylindrical surface 24 of the casing fitting 16 has substantially the same radius as that of the outside of the casing 10. The cylindrical neck 25 of the casing fitting 16 has a slightly smaller diameter than the bored hole 26 in the casing 10.

Referring now'to FIGURE 2, the casing fitting 16 is provided with the

ears

27 and 27A which are slotted to receive the ends of the U bolt 28. The U bolt 28, the nuts 29 and 29A and the

washers

30 and 30A hold the casing fitting 16 tightly against the outer wall of the casing 10. I

Referring to FIGURE 1, the casing fitting 16 is pro vided with a groove 31, surrounding the neck 25, shaped to squeeze the rubber ring seal 32 against the outside diameterof the casing 10 to form a fiuidtight seal between the casing fitting 16 and the casing 10 to prevent contamination entering the well from the adjacent ground. An alternative form of easing fitting 16W is shown in FIGURE 5, prior to welding. Since the weld is made fluid tight, the ring seal is eliminated.

The drop pipe fitting 15 extends upward to the boss 52 which is tapped to receive the lift out pipe 53. The lift out pipe 53 extends vertically upward to within a few inches of the top of the casing 10. A fitting 54 is threaded on to the upper end of the lift out pipe 53 to facilitate (a) vertically positioning and orienting of the attached components inside the casing 10, and (b) fastening down the casing cap.

Referring to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, the fitting 54 has the large eye 55 for attachment of a hoist when the bolt 56 is removed and for clearance for the lower end of the bolt 56 when-the latter is in place. The upper end 57 of the fitting 54 is tapped to receive the bolt 56 and countersunk to facilitate the insertion of bolt 56.

The cap shown generally at 58 consists ofa washer 63, the cap cover 59 and the cap ring 60 with a gasket 61 between cap cover 59 and cap ring 60 and a second gasket 62 between 60 and the upper end of the casing 10. This cap assembly is clamped down by means of the bolt 56 which is screwed into the fitting 54. Due to the eccentricity of the bolt pull on the lift out pipe 53, the fitting 54 is pressed against the inner wall of the well casing at 64. That this is so may be shown by considering the lift out pipe 53 as a beam fixed at its lower end to the casing 10 by its threaded connection to the drop pipe fitting 15 and the latters firm contact with the casing 16 at the bosses '33 and 34. Such a beam, subject to the moment produced by the eccentric pull of the bolt 56, requires a lateral reaction at 64 because lateral deflection of the upper end of the lift out pipe 53 is prevented by the contact between the fitting 54 and thecasing 10 at 64.

The cap ring 60 is tapped at 65 to receive the conduit fitting 66 for the conduit 67 that protects the pump motor 4 cables 68. The cables 68 enter the well casing 10 through the cap ring 66 and the pocket 69 of the cap cover 59. A detachable coupling for cables 68 can be used if necessary or desirable.

Referring to FIGURES l and 2 the channel shaped actuator and related parts, including the control rod 46:

(a) convert vertical manual movements of the upper end 47 of control rod 46 into horizontal movements of the drop pipe fitting 15 and limit the degrees of freedom of the drop pipe fitting 15 in order to facilitate the insertion of the neck 18 into the recess 19;

(b) after assembly aid in fixing the drop pipe fitting 15 with respect to the casing 10 and when necessary;

(c) convert upward manual movement of the control rod 46 into a horizontal movement of drop pipe fit ting 15 withdrawing neck 18 from recess 19.

The control rod 46 is bent about a 90 angle at its upper end 47 to facilitate its vertical movement. The lower end of the rod 46 has four closely spaced substan tially, right angle co-planar bends, the lowest and highest of these bends being 48 and 50 respectively. The actuator 35 is punched to make a strong coupling between rod 46 and actuator 35. The bend 48 at the lower end of the 7 rod 46 retains the actuator rod connection when the rod 46 and actuator 35 are assembled outside the well casing and prevents removal of the rod 46 When inside of the well. Force from the rod 46 is transmitted to the actuator 35 through the hole 49 punched in the actuator. The bend 50 and the notch 51 also punched in the actuator in combination with the bend 48 and the hole 49 locate rod 46 in a substantially vertical plane through the casing axis.

The pin 36 extends through the

holes

37 and 37A in the drop pipe fitting 15 and through the

slots

38 and 38A in the actuator 35. The spacer 39 fits over the pin 36 and into the slot 38 of the actuator. The square head 40 of the pin 36 fits similarly in the other slot 38A of the actuator 35. A square shape is used for the spacer 39 and the head 40 in order to sustain the large loads between the pin 36 and the

slots

38 and 38A resulting (a) from forcing the drop pipe fitting 15 against the inner wall of the casing 10 at the

bosses

33 and 34, and (b) from Water hammer. The pin 36, the spacer 39 and drop pipe fitting 15 are held together by the cotter pin 41 inserted into the hole 42 in the pin 36.

The upper portions of the

slots

38 and 38A down to the level at 45 are straight. The angle of either slot in the upper straight portion, i.e., above the point 45 is designated herein as the upper slot angle. slot angle" shown is about three degrees with the axis of casing 10. Below the level at 45 each slot center

line for'the slots

38 and 38A is a circular arc tangent to the center line of the straight upper portion of the slot. A relatively large radius arc is used to provide a smooth passage for the square spacer 39 and the square head 40. The maximum slot angle with respect to the casing center line is about 30. This angle occurs at the lower ends of the

slots

38 and 38A.

After insertion of the drop pipe fitting 15 and attached water system components into the well casing 10 as shown in FIGURE 9, the elevation and angular orientation of the drop pipe fitting 15 about the axis of the casing 10 are determined by the corresponding elevation and orientation of the fitting 54. Under the same condition, the neck axis is held approximately horizontal by the drop pipe 13 and the lift out pipe 53. Also under the same condition, theactuator 35 and the relative elevation of the actuator 35 with respect to the drop pipe fitting 15 determine the lateral position of the drop pipe fitting 15.

Considering the latter determination in detail, the inner wall of the well casing 10, except for small clearances, circumscribes the outer extremities of the actuator 35, which are the four

parallel corners

44, 44A, 44B and 44C, and therefore locates-the actuator 35 itself The upper laterally and orients it so that the

corners

44, 44A, 44B and 44C are vertical. The actuator 35 is orientated about the axis of the'casing by the pin 36, the spacer 39, the head 40, and

slots

38 and 38A which connect the actuator 35 to the drop pipe fitting as described above. The lateral location of the drop pipe fitting 15 in the direction of the axis of the pin 36 with respect to the actuator 35 and therefore with respect to the axis of the casing 10, is determined by the contacts between the

ribs

43 and 43A and the inner walls of the actuator such that the neck axis intersects the axis of the casing 10. The lateral location of the drop pipe fitting 15 in the direction of the neck axis with respect to the actuator 35, and therefore with respect to the axis of the casing 10, is determined by the lateral location of the center lines of the

slots

38 and 38A at the elevation of the pin 36.

It follows that with the arrangement shown inFIG- URE 9, the drop pipe fitting 15 has only the three degrees of freedom necessary for assembly with the casing fitting 16; The first of these degreesof freedom is in elevation enabling, by the adjustment of the elevation of the fitting 54, the equalization of the elevations of the neck axis and the recess axis. The second degree of freedom is in rotation about the axis of the casing) enabling, by the rotation of the fitting 54, the orientation of the neck 18 toward the'recess 19 bringing the neck axis and the recess axis into coincidence. The third degree of freedom is in lateral position enabling the insertion of the neck 18 into the recess 19 by lowering of the actuator 35, without change in elevation of drop pipe fitting 15, with a downward push on the end 47 of the control rod 46. This movement starts with the actuator 35 at its uppermost position with respect to the drop pipe fitting 15, when the pin 36 and related parts are at the lower end of the

slots

38 and 38A. With the rod 46 and the actuator 35 moving downward at a given rate, the neck 18 first moves into the recess 19 at a comparatively rapid rate on account of the relative large angle of the

slots

38 and 38A with respect to the axis of the casing 10 below'the level at 45. After the level at 45 of the actuator 35 reaches the pin 36 and the straight upper portions of the slots move over 36, the inward movement of the neck 18 is comparatively slow because of the small upper slot angle. When the drop pipe fitting 15 reaches the inner wall of the Well casing 10 at the

bosses

33 and 34, a moderate downward force on the actuator 35 produces large forces between

bosses

33 and 34 and the casing 10 on account of the small upper slot angle. These forces directly prevent lateral movement of the drop pipe fitting 15 in the vertical plane of the recess axis, and, by the friction they produce, prevent rotation of the drop pipe fitting 15 about the recess axis. Vertical and horizontal movement of the neck axis is prevented by the radial fit between the neck 18 and the recess 19. Rotation of the drop pipe fitting 15 about any vertical axis is prevented by the radial fit between the neck 18 and the recess 19 and the connection to the actuator 35 by the pin 36, the spacer 39, the head 40, and the

slot slots

38 and 38A, as well as the contacts between the

ribs

43 and 43A and the inner walls of the actuator The use of a sufficiently small upper slot angle also makes it practical to use the friction resisting upward movement of the actuator 35 to hold actuator 35 and therefore the drop pipe fitting 15 in place. The tests indicated: that the greater the vibration of the drop pipe fitting 15, due to the pump unbalance for instance, the smaller the upper slot angle required for the corresponding friction to be adequate, the required angles varying from about 2 degrees for severe vibration to about 15 degrees where the vibration is very mild. An actuator of less than 3 degrees upper slot angle becomes so long that where the vibration is too severe to rely on friction alone with a 3 degree upper slot angle, I prefer to restain '6 the upward movement of the actuator 35 with the modified form of cap cover 59A as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7. In order to do this, an elongated nut 77 is added to the upper end of an altered actuator control rod 46A which is threaded to suit the nut as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7. The lower end of the control rod 46A and the coupling to the actuator 35 are the same as for the control rod 46, as previously described in connection with FIG- URE 1. The upper end of the nut 77 is fitted with the cross pin 78 to facilitate both raising and lowering of the actuator 35 and rotation of 77 on control rod 46A. The nut 77 is adjusted on the rod 46A so that when the actuator 35 is in place in the assembled condition the upper end of the nut 77 will just clear the upper surface 79 of the pocket 80 within the cap cover 59A as shown in FIGURE 6. Under these conditions the cap cover 59A prevents upward movementsof the actuator 35 by the di rect restraint of 79 on the upper end of 77. Rotation of the nut 77 with the cross pin 78 is also prevented by the elongated shape of the pocket 80 as'shown in FIGURE 7.

It is to be noted that there is no attachment of the actuator to the cap or the well casing.

With the upward movement of the control rod 46A prevented the upper slot angle can be substantially larger than 3 degrees even with severe vibration because friction is not depended on to prevent upward movement of the actuator 35 once the cap cover 59A is in place. -On the other hand friction is depended on to hold the actuator 35 in place before the cap cover 59A is in place. In other words, too large an upper slot angle, even with no vibration or water pressure present would result in the actuator 35 returning upward and relieving the contact force at the

bosses

33 and 34 after the control rod 46A is pushed downward in the assembly process.

With no downward force on the control rod 46 or the control rod 46A and no vibration, any upper slot angle that is small enough to prevent the actuator 35 from returning upward after being pushed downward during the assembly process is designated herein as a no return angle.

To determine the maximum possible no return angle, consider the forces on the actuator 35 in the fully assembled condition, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, with no downward force exerted on the control rod 46 or the control rod 46A except for the weight of said control rod, and no vibration. Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, cc is the centerline of the slot 38, ml is the axis of the casing 10, a is the upper slot angle, 5 is the maximum slot angle, and B is the horizontal resultant of the reaction forces B and B at the contacts between the

corners

44 and 44A of the actuator 35 and the inner wall of the casing 10. Referring more particularly to FIG. 16," is the angle between each of the forces B and B and the centerline lab of the actuator 35. A is the resultant of the normal forces between the left sides of the

slots

38 and 38A and the spacer 39 and the head 40, respectively.

The forces A and B are produced either by the wedging action of the actuator 35 when it is forced downward with the control rod 46 or the control rod 46A orbythe water pressure in the water passage or by both. Thevertical and horizontal components of A are A and A respectively. A is the sum of the contact forces on the

bosses

33 and 34 and the water pressure force, if any, tending to push the drop pipe fitting 15 out of the casing fitting 16, A is the resultant of the friction forces between the left sides of the

slots

38 and 38A and the spacer 39 and the head 40, respectively. The vertical and horizontal components of A are A and A respectively. B, is the vertical component of the resultant of the friction forces produced by B and B D is the downward force on the actuator 35 due to the weights of both the actuator 35 and the control rod 46 or the control rod 46A. Equilibrium 7 of the actuator 35 in the vertical and horizontal directions requires, respectively, that i'l' fv'l' v B h+ fh The forces A and D are considered negligible, however, because of their small size in comparison with the other forces mentioned. The above equations may therefore be rewritten to read:

t+ fv v I n Under the condition that upward movement of the actuator 35 impends Equation gives the tangent of the angle a at which the upward movement of the actuator 35 impends. It

may be concluded that for any angle a less than that shown by Equation 10, the frictional forces A and B; are adequate to hold the actuator 35 in its downward position with no weight or other downward force on the actuator 35 and the control rod 46 or the control rod 46A. Conversely, for an angle a greater than that shown by Equation 10, the frictional forces Af and B alone are insufficient to hold the actuator down. The angle a determined by Equation 10 is thus the maximum angle at.

which the frictional forces will prevent the actuator 35 from returning upward after being forced down. a in Equation 10 is therefore the maximum no return angle. In a case where 7 equals 45 degrees which is about as large as is desirable in the present invention, and the coeflicient of friction ,u equals 0.15, which is a normal coefiicient of friction for the engaged metal parts of the present invention, it can be found from Equation 10 that the maximum no return angle is approximately degrees. In a case where 'y is less than 45 degrees or the coefiicient of friction ,u is less than 0.15 as might result from the presence of oil, the maximum no return angle a as determined by Equation 10 is also smaller.

The use of an upper slot angle smaller than the maximum no return angle through adding length to the actuator 35 increases the allowable tolerance in the adjustment of the nut 77 for a given allowable loss in the contact force at the

bosses

33 and 34.

Installation and Assembly Procedure The adapter and cap are installed in the following manner:

(1) With the well casing 10 in place an excavation is made of sufficient depth below the frost line and of sulficient diameter to work on the casing-delivery pipe connection as shown in FIGURE 4. a

(2) The horizontal axis hole 26 is bored in the casing below the frost line 11, the diameter of the hole being that suited to the outside diameter of the neck of the casing fitting 16 as shown in FIGURE 1 (or 16W as shown in FIGURE 5).

(3) Where the U bolt type of casing fitting 16 is used, the ring seal 32 is placed in the groove 31 of 16, as shown in FIGURE 1. The neck 25 of casing fitting 16 is then inserted into the bored hole 26 in the casing 119. The U bolt 23, the washers 3t) and 36A and the nuts 29 and 29A are next put in place and the latter tightened as shown in FIGURE 2.

(3a) Where the welded casing fitting 16W is used, the neck 25 is inserted in the casing hole 26 and the casing fitting 16W welded to the casing all around the outer circumference of 16W to form a fluid tight joint as shown in FIGURE 10.

(4) The pump 14 (not shown) is attached to the lower end of the drop pipe 13 in a manner well known in the art.

(5) The pump, drop pipe 13 and pumpcable 68 are lowered into the well until the upper end of the drop pipe 13 approaches the upper end of the well casing 111. At this point the drop pipe 13 is restrained from further descent by attaching a pipe clamp (not shown) in a manner well known in the art. During the lowering process the motor cable 68 is taped to the drop pipe 13 at spaced intervals as is common practice in the installation of submersible pumps.

(6) The actuator assembled on the drop pipe fitting 15, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, is pulled upward with respect to 15 until the spacer 39 and the head 40 of the pin 36 slide to the lower end of the

slots

38 and 38A respectively. The drop pipe fitting 15 thus exposed is screwed tightly onto the upper end of the drop pipe 13.

(7) The motor cable 68 is now passed through the channel between a wall of the actuator 35 and the drop pipe fitting 15 as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. If desired, the cable 68 is taped to 15 (tape not shown).

(8) The lift out pipe 53, the fitting 54 and the drop pipe fitting 15 are now screwed tightly together ending with the tapping in the upper end 57 of the fitting 54 on the opposite side of the center line of the lift out pipe 53 from that of the neck 18.

' 9. The rubber ring seal 20 is next installed in the annular groove 21.

(10) A hoist is attached to the fitting 54 making use of the opening therethrough, and the pipe clamp (not shown) supporting the drop pipe is removed.

(11) With the actuator rod 46 substantially horizontal as shown in FIGURE 8, the lower bend 48 of the rod 46 is inserted into the hole 49 of the actuator 35 and the end 37 of the rod swung upright to complete the coupling of 46 and 35. The rod 46 is now used to hold the actuator 35 in the uppermostposition while the assembly attached to the hoist is lowered into the well until it is determined by rough measurement of the depth of the fitting 54 that the axis of the neck 18 is at about the same level as the axis of the recess 19, as shown in FIGURE 11. At the same time the suspended assembly is oriented so that the angle of the fitting 54, with respect to the delivery pipe 17, as viewed from above, indicates that the neck axis and the recess axis are approximately coincident.

(12) A downward push is now applied by hand to the upper end 47 of the actuator rod 46. If the neck axis is nearly coincident with the recess axis, neck 18 will be moved into recess 19 until the drop pipe fitting 15 comes in contact with the inner wall of the casing 10 at the

bosses

33 and 34; after which the upper end 47 of the actuator rod 46 is tapped downward with the handle of a hammer to fix 15 tightly against the inner wall of casing 11). If the neck axis and the recess 19, neck 18 will not enter the recess 19, the rod 46 will be arrested in its downward movement. However, repeated assembly tries with small changes in elevationand orientation enable the operator to quickly complete the assembly without the necessity of accurate measurement or observation down in the well. Complete assembly is positively discerned by noting the elevation change of the upper end 47 of the actuator rod 46.

(12a) If restraint on the upward movement of the actuator 35 is to be used on account of the possibility of severe vibration the cap cover 59A, the control rod 46A and the nut 77 are used with the same procedure as set forth in paragraph 1 except that the nut 77 is adjusted so that when the actuator 35 and cap 59A are in place the upper end of 77 will just clear the upper side 79 of the pocket 80 as shown in FIGURE 6.

(13) The cap is assembled with the parts arranged as shown in the exploded portion of FIGURE 12; The bolt 56 is screwed into the fitting 54 holding the washer 63, the cap cover 59, the gasket 61, the cap ring 60, the gasket 62, all against the upper end of the casing 10.

(14) The conduit fitting 66 on the conduit 67 is installed into the tapped hole 65 of the cap ring 60 in the same way as is common in electrical conduit assembly.

(15) The excavation is now filled with the fill extending somewhat above the surrounding ground level at the well casing as shown in FIGURE 13.

FIGURE 14 shows the completed installation as it appears from above.

Although a preferred embodiment of my invention has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention as set forth in the following claim.

I claim:

1. In a pitless well construction, the combination of:

(a) a substantially tubular well casing having a wall with an aperture therein spaced below the upper edge of said casing,

(b) a drop pipe within the well casing for conducting water up from the well,

() a delivery pipe extending outwardly from said wall casing communicating with said aperture,

(d) apparatus for continuing the conduction of the water through said aperture in said casing wall and into said delivery pipe, and for permitting the upward removal of the drop pipe from the well casing, said apparatus including:

(1) a casing fitting attached to said well casing at the location of said aperture, said casing fitting having a substantially cylindrical mating surface of revolution having a horizontal axis intersecting the longitudinal axis of said well cas- (2) a drop pipe fitting attached to the upper end of said drop pipe, said drop pipe fitting having a neck with a substantially cylindrical mating surface of revolution having a horizontal axis substantially coincident with said casing fitting horizontal axis,

(3) said drop pipe fitting mating surface being engaged by said casing fitting mating surface in withdrawable mated relation whereby to support said drop pipe within said well casing and to define an annular space,

(4) a sealing ring of yieldable material located within said annular space in substantially liquidtight relation to provide a sealed joint between said drop pipe fitting and said casing fitting,

(5) connecting means extending horizontally from said drop pipe fitting perpendicular to said horizontal neck axis,

(6) an actautor within said casing, the outer extremities of which are in slidable contact with the inner wall of said casing,

(7) said actuator having a slot therein including a straight upper portion through which said connecting means extends, the centerline of said upper portion of said slot being disposed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the casing of not less than about 2 or more than about 15 in order to provide an angle of no return for the actuator with said centerline extending in a direction such that a downward movement of said actuator produces a lateral movement of said drop pipe fitting into said casing fitting,

(8) a control rod coupled to said actuator and extending upwardly within said casing for manually displacing said actuator in the vertical direction,

(9) and means whereby to suspend said drop pipe fitting and said drop pipe within said casing during assembly and disassembly.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said slot in said actuator includes a lower portion having a centerline disposed at a greater angle to the longitudinal axis of the casing than the centerline of said upper portion of said slot with said lower portion extending in the same direction as said upper portion.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the mating surface of said casing fitting extends substantially horizontally from beyond the inner surface of said casing wall in a direction away from the axis of said casing.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said drop pipe and drop pipe fitting are supported within said well casing by the mated engagement of said drop pipe fitting neck within said casing fitting.

5. The combination of claim 1, wherein said drop pipe fitting has a boss above and a boss below said connecting means, said bosses engaging the inner wall of said casing when said drop pipe fitting is in mating engagement with said casing fitting.

6. The combination of claim 1 in which said actuator has an aperture below its upper end to receive the lower portion of said control rod, said lower portion being disposed within said actuator and extending upwardly from the lowermost end of said control rod to a first bend, beyond which a second portion of said control rod extends laterally through said aperture to the outside of said actuator to a second bend, beyond which a third portion of said control rod extends upwardly, said third portion substantially abutting the inner surface of said well casing when said actuator is positioned within said Well casing, whereby said control rod is removable from said actuator when said actuator is outside of said well casing but is not removable therefrom when said actuator is in place within said well casing with said third portion substantially abutting the inner surface of said well casing.

7. The combination of claim 1 in which said actuator has an aperture below its upper end to receive the lower portion of said control rod and a notch spaced above said aperture in substantially vertical alignment therewith with its upper open end disposed at the upper end of said actuator, said lower portion being disposed within said actuator and extending upwardly from the lowermost end of said control rod to a first bend, beyond which a second portion of said control rod extends laterally through said aperture to the outside of said actuator to a second bend, beyond which a third portion of said control rod extends upwardly to a third bend, beyond which a fourth portion of said control rod extends laterally through said notch in a direction opposite to the extension of said second portion of said control rod and into said actuator and then to a fourth bend, beyond which the control rod extends upwardly, said third portion of said control rod substantially abutting the inner surface of said well casing when said actuator is positioned within said well casing, whereby said control rod is removable from said actuator when said actuator is outside of said well casing but is not removable therefrom when said actuator is in place within said well casing, engagement between the opposed walls defining said notch and said fourth portion of said control rod serving to maintain said control rod in its upwardly extending position when said actuator and control rod are positioned within said well casing.

8. The combination of claim 1 wherein means are provided for adjusting the length of said control rod, and wherein said combination includes a cap for the upper end of said casing, said casing adapted for contact on its undersurface by the upper end of said control rod to restrain an aasez provided at the to the top of said Well casing and wherein Y the upper end of said control rod is adapted to substantially abut the undersurface of said cap cover to prevent upward movement of said control rod when said drop pipe,

fitting is in assembled relation with said casing fitting.

10. The combination of claim 1 wherein a cap cover is provided at the top of said well casing, said cap having a substantially horizontal undersurface matching the top end of said well casing, a gasket between said horizontal undersurface of said cap cover and said top end of said well casing, a tension member extending downwardly from 12 said cap cover and into said well casing and engaging said drop pipe fitting to hold said cap cover in place on the top end of said well casing and to exert sealing compres sion on said gasket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,689,611 Martinson Sept. 21, 1954 2,771,955 Carter Nov. 27, 1956 2,851,106 Dicken Sept. 9, 1958 2,903,067 Hall Sept. 8, 1959 2,949,961 Anderson Aug. 23, 1960 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3Y1369362 June 9 1964 John Gordon Baker It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patentshould read as corrected below.

Column 3 line 14 for "There" read- Thesecolumn 5, line 60 strike out "slot"; column 8 line 45, for "and" read with Signed and sealed this 17th day of November 1964 (SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Altesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

Claims

1. IN A PITLESS WELL CONSTRUCTION, THE COMBINATION OF: (A) A SUBSTANTIALLY TUBULAR WELL CASING HAVING A WALL WITH AN APERTURE THEREIN SPACED BELOW THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID CASING, (B) A DROP PIPE WITHIN THE WELL CASING FOR CONDUCTING WATER UP FROM THE WELL, (C) A DELIVERY PIPE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID WALL CASING COMMUNICATING WITH SAID APERTURE, (D) APPARATUS FOR CONTINUING THE CONDUCTION OF THE WATER THROUGH SAID APERTURE IN SAID CASING WALL AND INTO SAID DELIVERY PIPE, AND FOR PERMITTING THE UPWARD REMOVAL OF THE DROP PIPE FROM THE WELL CASING, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING: (1) A CASING FITTING ATTACHED TO SAID WELL CASING AT THE LOCATION OF SAID APERTURE, SAID CASING FITTING HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL MATING SURFACE OF REVOLUTION HAVING A HORIZONTAL AXIS INTERSECTING THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID WELL CASING, (2) A DROP PIPE FITTING ATTACHED TO THE UPPER END OF SAID DROP PIPE, SAID DROP PIPE FITTING HAVING A NECK WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL MATING SURFACE OF REVOLUTION HAVING A HORIZONTAL AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY COINCIDENT WITH SAID CASING FITTING HORIZONTAL AXIS, (3) SAID DROP PIPE FITTING MATING SURFACE BEING ENGAGED BY SAID CASING FITTING MATING SURFACE IN WITHDRAWABLE MATED RELATION WHEREBY TO SUPPORT SAID DROP PIPE WITHIN SAID WELL CASING AND TO DEFINE AN ANNULAR SPACE, (4) A SEALING RING OF YIELDABLE MATERIAL LOCATED WITHIN SAID ANNULAR SPACE IN SUBSTANTIALLY LIQUIDTIGHT RELATION TO PROVIDE A SEALED JOINT BETWEEN SAID DROP PIPE FITTING AND SAID CASING FITTING, (5) CONNECTING MEANS EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY FROM SAID DROP PIPE FITTING PERPENDICULAR TO SAID HORIZONTAL NECK AXIS, (6) AN ACTAUTOR WITHIN SAID CASING, THE OUTER EXTREMITIES OF WHICH ARE IN SLIDABLE CONTACT WITH THE INNER WALL OF SAID CASING. (7) SAID ACTUATOR HAVING A SLOT THEREIN INCLUDING A STRAIGHT UPPER PORTION THROUGH WHICH SAID CONNECTING MEANS EXTENDS, THE CENTERLINE OF SAID UPPER PORTION OF SAID SLOT BEING DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CASING OF NOT LESS THAN ABOUT 2* OR MORE THAN ABOUT 15* IN ORDER TO PROVIDE AN ANGLE OF NO RETURN FOR THE ACTUATOR WITH SAID CENTERLINE EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION SUCH THAT A DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID ACTUATOR PRODUCES A LATERAL MOVEMENT OF SAID DROP PIPE FITTING INTO SAID CASING FITTING, (8) A CONTROL ROD COUPLED TO SAID ACTUATOR AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY WITHIN SAID CASING FOR MANUALLY DISPLACING SAID ACTUATOR IN THE VERTICAL DIRECTION, (9) AND MEANS WHEREBY TO SUSPEND SAID DROP PIPE FITTING AND SAID DROP PIPE WITHIN SAID CASING DURING ASSEMBLY AND DISASSEMBLY.