USRE5758E - Improvement in piston-rod adjusters - Google Patents

Description

, UNITED STA-Tes PATENT OFFICE.

DOUGLAS BLY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN PISTON-ROD ADJUSTERS.

v Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 78,045, dated May 19, 1868; reissue No. 4,015,

dated June 7, 1870; reissue No. 5,758, dated February 10, 1874 application iled November 8, 1873.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, DOUGLAS BLY, of the cit-y of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Sucker-Rod Heads Aor Clamps for Artesian VVeIls, of which the following is a specitication:

In deep-bored wells the connection between the line of sucker-rods connecting the piston (which is at the bottom of the well) and the working-beam consists of the connecting-rod attached to the working-beam, answering to an ordinary piston-rod, being smooth and polished and working' through a stufng-box at the top of the well-tubing. To this rod are connected the sections of the sucker-rod, eX- tending to the piston in the working-barrel at the bottom of the tubing. Adjustment vertically, by raising or lowering the sucker-rod andJ piston to place the latter in its proper position. for workin g effectively in the barrel, is required.

It is necessary to the operation of the pump that the piston shall be inserted in the working-barrel7 and the valves adjusted to their relative proper positions. This barrel situated at so great a depth that no measurement can be taken with sutticient accuracy to effect this. The piston must be forced down until it strikes the valve at the lower extremity of the barrel, and then drawn back the requisite distance. Much experiment is required to determine the best mode of pumping an oil-well. Sometimes a short and quick stroke of the piston is the most cii'ective, and at others a long and slow motion. Changes ot' the depth of the working-barrel in the woll have to be made until it is ascertained what point yields thebest. In doing this it is often necessary to cut the upper sect-ion ot' sucker-rod to adapt .it to proper length, which involves the new application of the joint-irons to the cut portion, requiring much time and labor.

It is one of the purposes of my invention to enable such adjustments to be made wit-hout cutting the sucker-rod, and thereby adapt the pumping mechanism to undergo the experimental changes of testing and working a well at different depths with ease and rapidity.

It is the object of my invention to obviate this ditlieulty, and it consists of ahead or Vwhen the clamping clamp and axis for connecting with the working-beam, of such construction as to enable the connecting-rod to be adjusted up or down indeiinitely, and at the same time maintain the proper vertical position as the beam works up and down.

. In the drawing, Figure l is a side elevation of my improved head or clamp, theend portion of the working-beam, and a part of the connecting-rod. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the clamp and a portion of the rod removed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the end of the working-beam; Fig. 4, a similar view of the plank or bearer E used with the beam.

In the drawing, A indicates the head or clamp; B, the connecting-rod connecting the sucker-rod with the workin g-beam, and C the working-beam itself. The head consists of two essential elements-iirst, the clamping part by which it is connected with the rod, so as to allow the proper adjustment 5 second, the journal portion, by means of which a bearing is obtained in a suitable seat ofthe beam, and by which the proper position of the rod is maintained during the oscillations of the beam. The rst of these consists preferably of two opposite metallicl parts, c b, their proximate surfaces having hollow segmental cavities corresponding in some degree to the outside of the rod which they hold, said segmental cavities bearing such relation of size, curvature, or inclination to the rod as to admit of tightening the segmental portions upon the latter by compression. Such com pression may be readily obtained by screw-bolts c c passing through the parts, or by other means of effecting a firm hold upon the sides of the rod by compression of the inclosing portions, the means bein g unimportant so long as suieient force is employed to make it effective; but it is essential that there should be left a space, 1'., between. the clamping-surfaces, so that an indefinite pressure may be applied. When bolts are employed one or more may be used on each side of the rod; but it is necessary to loosen that upon one side-only, to enable the rod to be moved, the jaws then opening as it' hinged on the other bolt or bolts. The'eonstruction also allows the rod to be placed in or removed from the adjuster horizontally portion is unfastened, it

being sometimes desirable kto.v place it in or reand bolted to the beam, by which means the necessary pressure is obtained to retain the Ijournal in its seat. The bolts which secure the cap are all situated on one side of the journal, so that in seating or unseating the journal in or from the working-beam, it is only necessary to loosen the nuts ofthe bolts suffieiently to allow the end of the cap to be raised, so that the journal can be seated or unseated, but without removing the nuts from the bolts. By this means, when the plunger or clamp and sucker-rod are to be removed for repairs or any other purpose, the cap is raised and the clam p with the sucker-rod attached is lifted from its bearings in the working-beam without interfering with the proper adjustment of y the plunger or clamp and the sucker-rod.

It will be seen that, in operation, as the beam works up and down, the journals will allow the head or clamp to turn, to adapt itself to the vertical position of the rod without binding.

By this arrangement it will be perceived that the connecting-rod B can be adjusted up and down in the clamp in any degree desired. It is only necessary to loosen the boltsc c upon one or both sides, and raise or lower, as may be necessary, and then tighten again. There is' no limit, therefore, to the vertical adjustment, except the length of thc rod itself. In this manner I am enabled to make the necessary adjustment of the piston and valves in deep wells by adjustin thc connecting-rod B in the clamp.

)When an alteration in the depth at which the well is pumped is necessary, as vhas been previously stated, the change is made by the addition or removal of sections of tubing and of sucker-rods in the usual way, and the connecting-rod B is v adjusted in the clamp A to readjust the piston and working-valve to the new situation of the pump-barrel, thus obviating the necessity of `cuttin g thc rods, as previously described.

In pumping oil-wells the rods have to be withdrawn every few days, in order to replace the leather-valves as they become worn. As the proper position of the piston in the barrel is obtained (in wells of great depth) with mu'ch difficulty, its loss, by the removal of the rods, occasions much inconvenience, and it is important to indicate the position in such a manner that it can be accurately replaced. I provide for this as follows: Instead of a hole through the beam for the .passage of the rod B, I make a vertical longitudinal slot, D, of y sufficient depth, in which the rod works. Having ascertained the position and placed the .piston at its proper working depth, I fix the clamp 'rmly to the rod and seat it in its bearings e e on the beam. When necessary to withdraw the rods, I do not disconnect the clamp from the rod, as by so doing the adjustment of the piston would be lost; but instead thereof, I merely loosen the bolt or bolts g sufficiently to raise it enough to allow the journal to be unseated, and pass the rod B, with thel clamp attached, horizontally out of the open end of the slot, and then the rods may be drawn. To be replaced, the rod B with the clamp attached is re-connected with the sucker-rods, returned with the clamp to its seat, the bearer tightened, and the well is in pumping order at once.

This -method is very simple and convenient, not a single bolt or nut having to be removed. The head may be inverted and operate in the same manner.

I claim as my invention-- l. An adjustable clamp or coupling, having its axis journal or journals d d supported by a bearing on a working-beam, for so connecting with the working-beam as to conform to the vertical position of the pump-rod during the oscillations of the beam, as set forth.

2. rIhe combination of a pump-rod and its adjusting-coupling with a bearing in or attached to the working-beam, said bearing being so arranged that the rod and coupling can be seated in or unseated from the bearing without disconnecting or disturbing the adjustment of the rod in the coupling, as set forth.

3. A `pump-rod coupling, having a clamping-surface and an axis, arranged so as to allow the rod to be placed in or removed horizontally when the clamping portion is unfastened.

4. A pump-rodv coupling, having an eXtension from the axis, for the purpose of clamping the pump-rod.

5. The combination of the axis or journal of au adjusting pump-rod coupling, with a working-beam having an opening or slot, D, in the end for the passage or adjustment of the rod, as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination of a pump-rod or connecting sucker-rod, with an adjustable clamp havin g its bearings connected with a workin beam, substantially as described.

T. In combination with the journal of a pumprod clamp, a4 cap or bearing, E, having its bolts all o n one side of the journal, and so arranged that the journal may be seated or uuseated by loosening the nuts of the bolts, but without removing them from place.`

DOUGLAS BLY.

Titnesses z R; F. Oscoop, Y 11.13. Soo'rr.

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