US3870109A

US3870109A - Hydraulic drilling or servicing rig

Info

Publication number: US3870109A
Application number: US453832A
Authority: US
Inventors: Benjamin C Gray
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-04-11
Filing date: 1974-03-22
Publication date: 1975-03-11
Anticipated expiration: 1992-03-11
Also published as: CA973160A

Abstract

A fluid operator extends and retracts vertically, elevators with or without the rotary head for placing and pulling drill pipe by the combination of scissor type linkage which moves the head vertically. The linkage includes inner and outer members which fold due to the fluid operator and cross over from a lower position to an upper position and vice versa thus giving a relatively large vertical movement to the head which enables the device to be used with standard lengths of drill pipe up to, for example, 32 feet with a fluid operator having a stroke considerably less than the length of the pipe being moved.

Description

White States ate 1; Gray HYDRAULIC DRILLING OR SERVICING [21] Appl. No.: 453,832

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,513,246 6/1950 Moench 254/122 2,950,085 8/1960 Cizzadro 254/124 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,142,380 9/1957 France 173/38 Primary Examiner-Ernest R. Purser Assistant Examiner-William F. Pate, Ill Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Stanley G. Ade

[57] ABSTRACT A fluid operator extends and retracts vertically, elevators with or without the rotary head for placing and pulling drill pipe by the combination of scissor type linkage which moves the head vertically. The linkage includes inner and outer members which fold due to the fluid operator and cross over from a lower position to an upper position and vice versa thus giving a rela tively large vertical movement to the head which enables the device to be used with standard lengths of drill pipe up to, for example, 32 feet with a fluid operator having a stroke considerably less than the length of the pipe being moved.

10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTED MAR I 1 I975 SHEET 1 0F 2 PATENIED MRI 1 I975 SHEET 2 BF 2 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to new and useful improvements in drilling and servicing rigs.

Conventionally, drill pipe, tubing and rods are pulled with a winch which utilizes a derrick structure to hold upper sheaves. Cables go down over the upper sheaves and around several travelling block sheaves to the winch operated by a source of power. When pulling pipe, it is pulled up to the next threaded connection, set in slips, broken out and lifted from the coupling. The operator pushes the bottom end of the separated pipe back away from the working area approximately 6 feet whereupon the winch lets it down on supporting timbers. When it touches the timbers, the derrick man unhooks the elevators at the top and swings the top of the pipe back into the fingers on the platform whereupon it stands in the derrick until ready to run into the hole at which time the reverse operation takes place. At the start or finish of drilling, the length of pipe are lifted from the fingers and let down to a pipe rack once again by winch.

All of this is time consuming and dangerous to the workers. Furthermore, conventional derricks are subject to instability in high winds and are difficult to stabilize.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes all of these disadvantages inasmuch as the operator does not work in the danger area and hydraulics are used which gives smoothness and ease of control over the standard cables.

The principal object and essence of the invention is therefore to provide an hydraulic rig which enables drill pipe to be placed and pulled in and from a drill hole rapidly and easily.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which permits the necessary vertical movement to the rotary drive and elevators to be accomplished with a relatively short stroke hydraulic piston and cylinder due to the provision of scissor linkage.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which, due to the fact that it is operated hydraulically, enables other duties to be automated such as unscrewing and screwing up the adjacent lengths of pipe.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which can utilize an hydraulically operated rotary head for the drilling pipe.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which consists of an easily operated pulling unit that is remotely controlled, simple in construction, and easy to transport from one position to the other.

With the foregoing objects in view, and other such objects and advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation showing the invention mounted upon conventional mounting structure at a drilling site.

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the pipe rack per se.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the invention in the lowermost position.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the invention in the fully extended position.

FIG. 5 is an end elevation taken from the right hand side of FIG. 4.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Proceeding therefore to describe the invention in detail, reference should first be made to FIG. I in which the invention is shown and identified by reference character 10, mounted upon superstructure collectively designated 11, situated above the ground level 12 and adapted to pull and rotate pipe within a drill bore 13.

A source of power in the form of motor 14 is mounted upon the supporting structure 11 and this in turn drives an hydraulic pump 15.

A control panel 16 is connected to the pump 15 by means of conventional hosing or piping l7 and this in turn is connected to the main hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly collectively designated 18, of the invention 10, by means of fluid hoses 19 in the usual way, thus permiting the piston and cylinder assembly 18 to be extended or retracted as desired by an operator situated at the control panel remote from the drill string 20.

Conventional items are shown schematically such as the blow-out preventer stack 21, slips 22 and hydraulic tongs 23, all of which are well known, and it is therefore believed not necessary to describe same further.

Situated to one side of the supporting structure 11 is a drill rack collectively designated 24 upon which lengths of drill pipe 25 may be stored horizontally. Spaced and parallel support members 26 are provided pivoted by one end thereof to vertical supports 27 and pivotally secured to hydraulic fluid operators 28 by the other end thereof. Drill pipe retainers 29 extend upwardly from the ends of the members 26. The fluid operators 28 permit the members 26 to be inclined upwardly as shown in phantom by reference character 26A or downwardly as shown in phantom by reference character 268 thus allowing the length of pipe to run towards one end or the other depending whether these lengths are being taken from the rack for use or being placed upon the rack for storage.

In this connection, an hydraulically operated crane 30 is provided on the supporting structure 11 to facilitate the lifting and placement of these lengths of drill pipe as they are needed.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show details of the invention per se identified previously by reference character 10 and including the aforementioned hydraulically operated piston and cylinder assembly 18.

A pair of spaced and parallel support members 31 extend upwardly from the supporting structure 11 and may be braced if necessary, by diagonal members 32 extending between the support members 31 and the supporting structure, said members being shown in FIG. 1.

An outer linkage system collectively designated 33 is provided and forms a parallelogram. It consists of a pair of spaced and parallel main linkage members 34 pivoted by one end thereof to adjacent the upper ends of the support members 31 by means of pivot pins 35.

A pair of spaced and parallel brace links 36 are pivoted by one end thereof to the support members 31 by means of pivot pins 37 and these are spaced below pivot pins as clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

A second pair of spaced and parallel link members 38 are pivotally secured between the outer ends of the first linkage members 34 by means of pivot pin 39 and by the lower ends thereof to the outer ends of the brace links 36 by means of pivot pins 40 thus forming the aforementioned parallelogram, which is capable of moving from the position shown in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIG. 4 or vice versa.

Also provided is a head support linkage system collectively designated 41 and this consists of a pair of spaced and parallel link members 42 pivoted intermediate the ends thereof upon either side of the cylinder 18A by means of pivot pins 43.

An hydraulically operated rotary head collectively designated 44 is pivotally secured between the ends 45 of the linkage members 42 by means of pivots 46 and this rotary head takes the place of the conventional square drive Kelly. However, as the construction and operation of this rotary head does not form part of the invention, it is not believed necessary to provide details thereof.

The other ends of the linkage members 42 are pivotally secured to the pivot rod 39 which extends through the other ends of the

links

34 and 38 as previously described.

Link means collectively designated 47 interconnect the piston rod 18B to the outer linkage system 33 and this link means 47 consists of a head frame collectively designated 48. This head frame includes the cross member 49 secured intermediate the ends thereof transversely to the distal end of the piston rod 188 as clearly shown in FIG. 5.

A pair of spaced and parallel side members 50 extend one each from each end of the cross bar 49 and are pivotally secured to the first main linkage members 34 intermediate the ends thereof by means of pivot pins 51.

The pivot pins 40 extend between the

members

36 and 38 and are provided with limit links 52 pivotally secured to this pivot pin 40 by one end thereof and being pivotally secured to the lower end 18C of the cylinder 18A by means of pivot pins 53.

Sprocket and chain means collectively designated 54 are interconnected between the outer linkage system 33 and the head support linkage system 41. This sprocket and chain means includes a first gear or sprocket segment 55 secured to the other end of the link members 42 but being pivotally secured to the linkage members 34.

A second gear or sprocket segment 56 is secured to the link members 38 intermediate the ends thereof.

An idler sprocket 57 is journalled for rotation upon a pin 58 secured to the linkage members 34 between

pivot pins

39 and 51 and a sprocket chain 59 is secured by one end thereof to the one end of the segment 55 as at 60 and extends around this segment, around the idler sprocket 57 and is secured by the other end thereof to one end of the second segment 56 as indicated by reference character 61.

This sprocket and chain assembly interconnects the movement of the outer linkage system 33 with the head frame linkage system 41 when the piston and cylinder assembly 18 is extended or retracted. FIG. 3 shows the device in the lowermost position and with the piston and cylinder assembly 18 fully retracted. As the piston and cylinder assembly is extended, the interconnected linkage causes the rotary head 44 to move vertically to the uppermost position shown in FIG. 4, with the various linkage connections jack-knifing and crossing over in a scissor-like fashion to the fully extended position of the piston and cylinder assembly shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

If desired, a high pressure gas piston and cylinder assembly 62 may be connected between pivot 37 and the member 34, which acts as an energy storing device inasmuch as the gas is compressed when the device is in the lowermost position and assists in raising the device as the piston and cylinder is extended.

The device enables the operator to have full control at all times and facilitates the operation of drill string pulling and running particularly.

Finally it should be noted that the assembly is well suited for mounting on a mobile platform particularly when it is used as a servicing rig. Under these circumstances it is designed to fold down for transportation. In this regard, support members 31 are pivoted to the supporting structure 11 together with the diagonal braces 32. By disconnecting the upper ends of the braces 32 from the members 31, both the braces and the device 10 can be folded down upon the upper side of the platform 11.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an hydraulic drilling rig which includes supporting structure, a source of power, an hydraulic pump, a control panel and hydraulic hoses interconnecting same; the improvement comprises an operating unit mounted upon said supporting structure, said unit comprising in combination support members extending upwardly from said supporting structure, a parallelogram outer linkage system pivotally secured by one end thereof to said support members, an hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly, a rotary head supporting linkage system pivotally secured intermediate the ends thereof to said cylinder intermediate the ends thereof, a rotary head pivotally securing one end of said supporting linkage system, and link means interconnecting said piston rod to said outer linkage system, the other end of said supporting link system being pivotally connected to the other end of said outer linkage system.

2. The invention according to claim 1 which includes sprocket and chain means interconnected between said outer linkage system and said head supporting linkage system for controlling the movement therebetween when said piston and cylinder is extended or retracted.

3. The invention according to claim 1 in which said outer linkage system includes a first pair of spaced and parallel main link members pivotally secured by one end thereof to adjacent the upper ends of said support members, a pair of brace links pivotally secured by one end thereof to said support members below said main linkage members, a second pair of link members pivotally secured between the other ends of said first linkage members and the other ends of said brace links.

4. The invention according to claim 1 in which said head support linkage system includes a pair of spaced and parallel link members pivoted intermediate the ends to said cylinder intermediate the ends of said cylinder, said rotary head being pivoted between the one ends of said spaced and parallel link members, the other ends of said spaced and parallel link members being pivotally secured to the other ends of said outer V linkage system.

5. The invention according to claim 2 in which said head support linkage system includes a pair of spaced and parallel link members pivoted intermediate the ends to said cylinder intermediate the ends of said cylinder, said rotary head being pivoted between the one ends of said spaced and parallel link members, the other ends of said spaced and parallel link members being pivotally secured to the other ends of said outer linkage system.

6. The invention according to claim 3 in which said head support linkage system includes a pair of spaced and parallel link members pivoted intermediate the ends to said cylinder intermediate the ends of said cylinder, said rotary head being pivoted between the one ends of said spaced and parallel link members, the other ends of said spaced and parallel link members being pivotally secured to the other ends of said outer linkage system.

7. The invention according to claim 1 in which said link means interconnecting said piston rod to said outer linkage system includes a head frame secured to said piston rod, said frame including a cross member and a pair of spaced and parallel side members extending from the ends of said cross member, the distal ends of said side members being pivotally secured to intermediate the ends of said outer linkage system.

8. The invention according to claim 2 in which said link means interconnecting said piston rod to said outer linkage system includes a head frame secured to said piston rod, said frame including a cross member and a pair of spaced and parallel side members extending from the ends of said cross member, the distal ends of said side members being pivotally secured to intermediate the ends of said outer linkage system.

9. The invention according to claim 3 in which said link means interconnecting said piston rod to said outer linkage system includes a head frame secured to said piston rod, said frame including a cross member and a pair of spaced and parallel side members extending from the ends of said cross member, the distal ends of said side members being pivotally secured to intermediate the ends of said first pair of spaced and parallel main link members.

10. The device according to claim 5 in which said sprocket and chain means includes a first sprocket segment secured to said second pair of link members intermediate the ends thereof, a second sprocket segment secured to the other end of said link members of said head supporting linkage system an idler sprocket pivotally secured to said first pair of main link members of said outer linkage system intermediate the ends thereof and a sprocket chain secured by one end thereof to said first segment, said chain extending around said idler sprocket and being secured by the other end thereof to said second segment, the other end of said first main linkage member, said other end of said link members of said head support linkage, and the other ends of said second'pair of linkage members of said outer linkage system all being pivotally secured together.

Claims

4. The invention according to claim 1 in which said head support linkage system includes a pair of spaced and parallel link members pivoted intermediate the ends to said cylinder intermediate the ends of said cylinder, said rotary head being pivoted between the one ends of said spaced and parallel link members, the other ends of said spaced and parallel link members being pivotally secured to the other ends of said outer linkage system.