US1967517A - Method and apparatus for handling pipe in wells - Google Patents

Description

Jufiy 24, 1934. w. A. ROGERS 1,967,517

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING PIPE IN WELLS Filed June 26, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W8 WARogera 3mm MQOQKQ July 24-, 1934. w A, ROGERS 1,967,517

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING PIPE IN WELLS Filed June 26, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F"| 29 g I7 29 3b l o I l u I i l 3/ 35 I. H 30 f l V l I l 30 i 52 32 Y- a i 35 34 l l L. 3 Q

\AJARQ Q Qrs l mented July 24. 1934' UNITED STATES intent PATENT' OFFIE NIETHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PIPE 1N WELLS Walter A. Rogers,

sixty-five per cent Tex.

Houston, Tex., amalgam" of to Lester B. Clark, Houston,

Application June 26, 1933, Serial No. 677,572 11 Claims. (01. 255-1) swings the kelly, together withthe swivel and its connections, over to one side of the derrick and drops the kelly into a specially drilled rat hole where the kelly is left while the draw works are employed in lifting up another section of pipe and attaching it to the section or sections already in After this new section 01' pipe has been attached, the drill pipeis lowered so that the up-- per end of the newly attached section is just above the rotary; the traveling block and elevator is then lowered and secured to the kelly joint, which is again raised up in the derrick and the lower end thereof is again attached to the upper tool joint box on the new section 01' pipe. This method is one in general .use and is nomical in the consumption of time as any other method now in use. I It is an object of my invention to provide a method and apparatus whereby this process 01' inserting a new section of pipe may be greatly as to consume less time and to in- 3 creasethe safety factor in the operation.

It is another object of the invention to provide a means for temporarily connecting to the Kelly joint a new section of pipe which may be swunginto position and attached to the sections Q of drill stem already in the well without the necessity of detaching the kelly joint from the traveling block.

it mechanical feature connected with my invention includes the use of a special construc- 49 tion of double-ended elevator whereby a flexible connection can be quickly made between the kelly joint and the new section of pipe which is to he handled.

I also provide a means for temporarily sus- 50 pending a new section of pipe in the derrick ready for use as soon as it is required. These and other features. of construction making up my invention will he more particularly set out in connection with the drawings wherein: Fig. l is a side view of the lower portion of a v reenforced mud well derrick equipped to carry out my invention. Fig. 21s a similar view showing the parts in Fig. 4 is a side elevationoi one portion of the elevator showing the use 01' the eyelet whereby the elevator can be supported out of the way when not in use.

Fig. 5 is a top in Fig. 3. I

In- Figs. 1 and 2 the usual apparatus employed in handling the pipe is shown somewhat diagrammatically, the draw works themselves being omitplan view of the elevator shown pipe is contemplated.

The drill stem which is attached to the drill and rotated in the drilling operation is under-- stood as being of the usual type and connected at 39 by means of a bail 6.to the hook 7 on the traveling block 8. The swivel includes a stationary goose-neck connection 9, which has a swivel connection with the upper end'of the kelly joint 2. The goose-neck 9 is connected through the usual hose 10 with the mud pump not shown, this being'the usual construction.

It is to be understood that as the hole is deepened the kelly joint 2 with the drill sections below it are gradually lowered. into the well until it becomes necessary to attach another section 109 of drill stem.

7 Instead of releasing the kelly joint from the traveling block as is usually done in handling the new section of pipe, I kelly joint in the usual the table and detach the kelly joint therefrom. .I then couple to the end of the new section oi drill stem 13 a specially conporarily holding the structed double-ended elevator-shown at A in the drawing. The lower end of the kelly joint is then swung over in the derrick and the upper end of. the elevator is coupled to the lower end of the kelly joint, this arrangement permitting swinging movement of the new section relative to the kelly joint as they are coupled together in spaced relation. The new section of pipe is then swung up into position, as shown in Fig. 2, by raising the kelly, elevators and new section of pipe and its lower end is then lowered into connection with the upper box 11 of the drill stem and the usual connection is made.

The next step is tolower this new section of pipe and the drill stem so that the upper end is near the rotary table. As soon as this new section of pipe is properly supported on the slips, then the kelly joint is lowered and threaded onto the new section or the lower elevator of the apparatus can be detached and the kelly joint lowered and connected to the upper end of the new section of pipe 13. The upper elevator can then be detached from the kelly joint and the entire apparatus placed in its position on the derrick floor, as shown in Fig. 2, ready for attachment,to another section of the pipe to be used in the next operation.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, I contemplate temelevator A in position at one side of the derrick platform by connecting the same to a cable 14, which is suspended around a pulley 15 in the derrick and its free end swung down along the side of the derrick and has a weight 16 secured thereto. The weight 16 being approximately the same as the weight of the elevator, it will be easy at all times to raise and lower the elevator in use without other special equipment.

The structure of the elevator will now be described. Referring particularly to Figs. 3, 4 and 5, it will be noted that the elevator A is composed of two elevators flexibly connected together. The upper elevator 17 is approximately the same as the lower elevator 18, except that thebail connections on the two elevator blocks are reversed in position. Each of the blocks comprises two approximately semi-circular sections 19 and 20, which are hinged together at one side by hinge pins 21 and are adapted to latch together on the opposite side by a latch including a T-shaped latch member 22, which is pivoted at one end upon a pin 23 secured through two outwardly extending lugs 24 on the section 20. The head 25 is adapted to latch over the ends of two spaced lugs 26 on the section 19 of the elevator. Thelatch is normally held in latching position by means of a spring 27 on the pin 23. Each of the sections 19 and 20 may have thereon outwardly extending handles 28. In this portion of the construction the elevator blocks are of ordinary commercial construction.

The upper elevator member has on its side thereof outwardly extending supports 29 and lower arms 30. A bolt 31 may be extended through the outer ends of two projecting arms and be secured therein by means of nuts 32. The lower arm 30 is substantially stronger than the upper arm and is recessed slightly at 33 to receive the bail 34, and it will be understood that when the upper elevator is secured around the lower end of the kelly joint indicated at 35, in Fig. 3, the lower elevator member will be sus'iiendcd flexibly thereto by means of the bail members 34.

The lower ends of the bails are connected tothe arms 30 on the lower elevator and it will be noted -method of adding new sections of drill stem that the lower elevator has the arms 30' and 29' reversedin position upon the elevator so that the bails 34 are connected with :the arms 30 so as to suspend the lower elevator from the upper one.

At one side of the upper elevator I connect an eyelet 36 whereby the hook on the suspending cable 14 may be temporarily attached thereto when the elevator is not in use. This eyelet comprises an approximately U -shaped clevis, the ends of which are secured one beneath the head of the hinge pin 21 and the other between the two sections of the elevator at the hinge, as shown particularly in Fig. 4.

It will be obvious that with the use of my improved form of elevator I am enabled to-handle the connection of new sections of pipe in the drill stem with less loss of time and with greater convenience to the operator than can be done by the old method.

It will not be necessary to use a "rat hole into which the kelly joint may be supported while a new section of pipe is being handled by elevators in the usual method. All that is necessary is to detach the kelly and engage the elevator with the lower end of the kelly and the upper end of the new section and swing the said new section into position and connect it with the drill stem. The elevator may then be swung out of position ready for attachment to a new section of pipe and the kelly may be connected and the drilling 105 proceed without delay. This avoids a loss of time which is serious in the expenseof drilling a well and is much. more convenient and desirable from the standpoint of the operator. The advantages will be understood by those skilled in the art.

What is claimed as new is:

1. An elevator for wells comprising upper and lower tubular collars, each longitudinally divided into two sections, a hinge at one side of each collar, a latch thereon opposite said hinge, the 1 5 latches on said collars being longitudinally aligned to open on the same side thereof, bail supporting arms on said upper collar, arms on said lower collar engaged by said bail and means to retain said bails on said arms.

2. A pair of elevator collars each adapted to latch about a different pipe, bail engaging arms adjacent the lower end of one of said collars, similar arms adjacent the upper end of the other of said collars, and bails engaging said arms and flexibly connecting said collars whereby the pipe engaged by one collar may be used to lift the elevator and pipe engaged by the other collar. I

3. Upper and lower elevator collars each adapted to latch about a difierent pipe, laterally projecting arms on each collar and bails engaging said arms to flexibly connect said collars whereby the ends of the two different pipes may be supported in spaced apart relation or coupled together.

4. In a well drilling apparatus including a sectional drill stem, a kelly joint thereon, and a hoisting cable connected therewith for raising and lowering said kelly joint and drill stem, the method of attaching additional sections of drill stem including detaching the kelly joint from the drill stem, swinging said kelly joint to a point adjacent said new section, connecting said kelly joint flexibly with said new section of drill stem, raising said kelly joint and said new section to a position above said drill stem, at- 1 5 taching said new section to said drill stem, disconnecting said flexible connection and screwing said kelly joint to said new section.

S. in the operation of rotary well drilling, the

the main string of drill stem, comprising unscrewing the keily joint from the. drill stem, connecting the lower end of said keily joint ilexibly with the upper end 01' the new section, rais- I ing the keily J int and said new section to position above said drill stem, connecting said new section with said drill stem, releasing said flexible connection and attaching said keily joint to said new section.

6. In the operation of rotary well drilling the method or adding new'sections of drill stem in the main drill stem string comprising detaching the keily joint, connecting the upper end of the new drill stem section to said keily Joint, raising said new section to position above said drill stem and attaching said new section to the upper end of said drill stem.

7. An elevator for handling two uncoupled pipe sections comprising upper and lower pipe engaging' collars eachlongitudinally dividedinto sections, a hinge at one side of each collar, a latch thereon opposite said hinge whereby each collar may be engaged abouta pipe, bail supporting arms on said upper collar, arms on said lower collar, bails engaging both sets of said arms whereby the two collars are spaced apart so that the pipe end engaged by each collarmay be spaced from the other, and means toretain said bails on said arms. 7

8. A device of the character described, upper and lower pipe-receiving elevator collars adapted to latch about the pipe received, and means flex ihly connecting said collars together wherebythe pipe engaged by the 1113362301181 may be disposed at an angle with'respect the pipe e cased by the lower collar.

9. A pipe handling device for use in connecting additional sections 01' pipe to a drill stem comprising an elevator means to engage the upper end oi the additional joint oipipe to be added, a second elevator means to receive the lower, end or the keily joint as it'is disconnected from the drill stem, and means connecting said elevators whereby one may have swinging movement with respect to the other in connecting the additional section and then the keily joint to the drill stem.

10. A method of adding a new section of pipe to a drill stem in the rotary method 01' drilling wells consisting'ot the steps 01' disconnecting the keily joint from the drill stem, linking the lower endot the keily Joint to the upper end or the new section, raising the keily Joint so that the new section will swing into line over the drill stem, connecting the new section to the drill stem, lowering the drill stemthe length of the new section and connecting the keily joint to the new section. v

i ii. In the art oidrilling wells by the rotary method by adding sections of drill pipe to the drill stem as the drilling progresses and wherein -thedrill stem is rotated by a kelly joint, the

steps of disconnecting the keily joint from the drili'stem when a new section is to be added, coupling the lower end oi the keily joint to the newsection so that the new section may have swinging movement relative to the kelly Joint, raising the keily joint and new section while coupled-so that the new section will swing into line with the-drill stem, and then successively connecting the newsection and the keily joint to rotate the drill stem,

' WALTER A. ROGERS.

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