US3492025A

US3492025A - Replaceable sleeve for rotary drill swivel

Info

Publication number: US3492025A
Application number: US775714A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas J Holland
Original assignee: THOMAS J HOLLAND
Current assignee: THOMAS J HOLLAND
Priority date: 1968-11-14
Filing date: 1968-11-14
Publication date: 1970-01-27
Anticipated expiration: 1987-01-27

Description

Jan. 27, 1970 T. J. HOLLAND REPLACEABLE SLEEVE FOR ROTARY DRILL SWIVEL Filed Nov. 14, 1968 United States Patent 3,492,025 REPLACEABLE SLEEVE FOR ROTARY DRILL SWIVEL Thomas J. Holland, RED. 1, E. Bare Hill Road, Harvard, Mass. 01451 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 601,165, Dec. 12, 1966. This application Nov. 14, 1968, Ser. No.

Int. Cl. F161 55/18 US. Cl. 28516 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A new type of swivel is described for a rotary drill used for test borings and in drilling for water or oil. The swivel includes an easily replaceable wearing sleeve supported on the drill pipe section by tubular plugs which conduct fluid from an exterior supply into the pipe.

This invention relates to a drill for boring a hole into the earth, as for example, to drill a deep hole for making a test boring or finding water or oil. In particular, this invention relates to a high speed rotary drill wherein drilling fluids are pumped into the drilling pipe through a swivel.

CROSS REFERENCE This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 601,165 filed Dec. 12, 1966, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION High speed rotary drills have been widely used wherein the drililng pipe (a hollow shaft) is connected by a swivel to a supply of drilling fluid under pressure. Because of the great forces, abrasive contaminants in the fluids, and high speeds, the pipe section incorporating the swivel undergoes rapid deterioration and must be frequently replaced, resulting in great expense and consumption of time.

One object of this invention is to provide a rotary drill swivel capable of being operated at high speed with high pressure abrasive slurries. A further object of this invention is to provide such a swivel having an easily replaceable wearing portion.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be aparent from the specification and claims which follow, taken together with the drawings.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The invention comprises in its most general sense a drilling pipe section surrounded by a co-axial wearing sleeve suported on the pipe section by tubular plugs which seat in orifices in the pipe and thread into orifices in the sleeve. The pipe section and sleeve are rotatable as a unit. Surrounding the pipe sleeve is a fixed, co-axial outer member having an orifice connecting an exterior supply of drilling fluid with the pipe sleeve orifices. Sealing is provided, preferably by perforated end caps threading onto the outer member and packing. The packing can be replaced at intervals as required. When the abrasives in the fluids have worn the sleeve so that repacking will no longer provide an adequate seal, the sleeve can then be replaced separately. It is necessary only to unscrew the end caps and replace the sleeve, and fresh packing, instead of replacing the entire assembly as done in prior devices.

3,492,025 Patented Jan. 27, 1970 ice The surface on which the packing rides is not commonly hardened in prior art devices. This is because the hardening process often causes distortion in the finished piece. The sleeve of the present invention can be hardened because its geometry is not complete and because the final operation of grinding can be done after hardening and the effects of distortion are minimized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS SPECIFIC EXAMPLE OF INVENTION Referring now to the drawings, the drilling pipe or hollow driving shaft 10 has a wall 12 and an inner hole space 11. Three tapered openings 12a are provided in the wall 12 to permit seating of the registering portions of tubular

tapered plugs

30, 36 and 37. The plugs are themr' selves supported by being threaded intO threaded orifices 21a, b and c in the wall 21 of the hollow cylindrical coaxial wearing sleeve 20. Each plug has a threaded portion 34 and a tapered portion 35 to engage the orifice of wall 21 and seating in the tapered orifice of wall 12. Each plug has ears 33 for engagement of a tool, and a hollow tubular space 32. After the plugs are seated and threaded they are aligned with the co-axial chamber formed by co-axial member 55 spaced within the fixed co-axial outer shell 50 and has an opening connecting to the fluid inlet pipe 56. A hose, not illustrated, connects inlet pipe 56 to a pump and supply of drilling fluid, as for example, abrasive drilling mud or slurry at 300' The shaft 10 and sleeve 21, being held together by the threaded

tapered plugs

30, 36 and 37 are rotatable as a unit within the outer shell 50. Packing means 51 (52) provided between sleeve 21 and shell 50 is held in position by perforated end cap 40 (41) threaded onto the end of shell 50 in conjunction with annular steel compression ring 42, bearing assembly 44, and annular steel compression ring 53 (54).

I claim:

1. The unitary, rotatable combination adapted for use as a rotary drill swivel and comprising:

(a) a drilling pipe member having at least one lateral orifice; said orifice being defined by wall portions of said pipe member;

(b) a tubular, open-end member having a registering portion seated against the wall portions defining said pipe member orifice and having an outer portion with external threads;

(c) a replaceable co-axial wearing sleeve surrounding a portion of said pipe member and having wall means defining a lateral orifice therein provided with threading engaged with said external threads of said tubular member;

(d) a fixed co-axial outer member having an orifice providing connection between said tubular member and an exterior fluid supply; and

(e) sealing means between said outer member and said sleeve; said combination of pipe member, tu-

3 4 bular member and sleee being rotatable within said 2,772,897 12/ 1956 Shaw et a1. 285190 outer member. 2,985,468 5/1961 Shaw et a1. 285-321 X 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the sealing means 3,191,974 6/1965 Mann et a1. 285-321 X includes compression and packing means held in position 3,301,581 1/ 1967 Winberg 285-404 X by perforated end caps attachable to said outer member. 5

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner References Cited D. W. AROLA, Assistant Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,078,952 11/1913 Prellwitz 285-490 x 1,446,789 2/1923 Dodd 2s5- 3o3X 10 348 2,393,835 1/1946 Stevenson 285-190 X 2,481,931 9/ 1949 Kester.