Weatherford/lamb, Inc.

Exxon Production Research Company

Other

Martin E True

Warren E Holland

Terry D Timmerman

Tom H Hill

Clarence W Sullivan

A spinner for rotating a pipe, such as a spinner mandrel, including a chambered frame having aligned openings through which the pipe can be inserted, drive assembly, such as a sprocket, rotatably mounted in the chamber, endless flexible spinning member, such as a multistrand roller chain, normally slackly encircling the pipe and the drive assembly, and clutch assembly, such as an idler sprocket in engagement with the multistrand roller chain and a hydraulically actuatable piston for laterally moving the idler sprocket, for decreasing the slack sufficiently to force the endless spinning member into frictional rotational driving engagement with the pipe. The preferred embodiment comprises a kelly spinner for use on an oil rig for independently spinning the kelly in order to more safely connect and disconnect drill pipe joints with the kelly during drilling operations.

Spinner for use in connecting pipe joints

An improved power spinner for rotating a kelly joint having a pipe sub rotatably mounted in a housing with a ring gear on the sub and a motor mounted on the housing for powering the ring gear. A drive gear is connected coaxially to the motor and a shifting arm is pivotally mounted coaxially with the axis of the drive gear. A movable gear is positioned in the plane of the ring gear and mounted on the shifting arm for engagement and disengagement with the ring gear and the movable gear is connected to and driven by the drive gear and rotatable about the drive gear. A control is connected to the shifting arm for laterally moving the movable gear toward and away from the ring gear and for locking the gears together when engaged. The control may include a cam engaging the arm for rotating the arm about the axis of the drive gear with a bell crank connected to the arm and an actuator connected to the bell crank. A control insures that the movable gear is in engagement with the ring gear before the motor is actuated.

Power spinner for rotating a kelly joint

In a power pipe tong including doors with a latch handle and having a circular rotary with connecting ends for opening and closing and receiving pipe for make-up or break-out in which the connecting ends of the rotary are fastened together by a spring loaded plunger, the improvement in means for inserting the plunger into the connecting ends as the tong doors are closed and preventing the plunger from becoming disengaged until the doors are opened. A cam is pivotally mounted, on the tong in position for engagement with the top of the plunger for inserting the plunger into the rotary and for releasing the plunger. A connecting linkage mechanism pivotally connects between the cam and the door latch handle and is actuated by the handle for moving the cam into engagement with the plunger when the latch is closed and moves the cam out of engagement with the plunger when the latch is opened. An actuating spring is positioned between the tong and the handle which is cocked when the handle is opened and which actuates the latch to the closed position for actuating the cam when the doors are closed. A spring biased trigger on one of the doors engages and locks the latch handle in the open position when the latch is opened and a releasing pin on the other door engages and unlocks the trigger from the latch handle when the doors are moved to the closed position.

Power pipe tong rotary plunger inserter

A power actuated cleaner for cleaning the threads on the ends of tubular members including a housing having a rotatable disc in the housing with power means connected to the disc for rotating the disc. A plurality of cleaning brushes are provided, each of which is connected to one of a plurality of brush adjusting arms. The brush arms are pivotally connected to the disc with a releasable connection between the adjusting arms and the disc whereby the arms may be rotated on the disc for moving the brushes for coacting with different sized pipe. The housing includes an opening at one end with a plurality of guide adjusting arms, each of which supports a guide support for a pipe, pivotally connected to the housing about the opening. A releasable connection between the adjusting arms and the housing allows the guide arms to be rotated on the housing for guiding and aligning different sized pipe into the opening. Coacting indicators are positioned between the brush adjusting arms and the disc and between the guide adjusting arms and the housing indicating the adjusted position of the arms. A conduit extends from the outside to the inside of the housing and is carried by the rotatable disc. An air supply and a solvent supply is connected to the conduit with a valve which may be alternately actuated to spray solvent on the threads or blow cleaning air on the threads.

Power pipe thread cleaner

Apparatus for control of a power tong for imparting torque to a tubular member to make a threaded connection with another member, torque being sensed by means such as a strain gauge and torque transducer. Cams are provided to coact with the throttle or motor valve lever of the power tong and are disengageable to allow the throttle or valve lever to move to an idle or neutral position when torque being imparted to the tubular member reaches a predetermined amount.

Power tong apparatus

A surface controlled subsurface safety valve for controlling fluid flow through a tubing string in an oil or gas well is combined with an injector valve, which is used for injecting a chemical fluid into the tubing string. The pressure exerted by the chemical fluid is used to operate both the injector valve and the subsurface safety valve. The injector valve is designed to open at an injection pressure equal to or greater than the pressure needed to hold the safety valve in its open position.

Combination subsurface safety valve and chemical injector valve

A subsurface safety valve which is used to control the flow of well fluids through well tubings combines (1) the velocity valve principle of differential pressure and (2) a change in well tubing pressure to produce a closing force for the valve. A valve housing is connected into a well production tubing. A movable valve element is connected to the valve housing. In one position of the valve element flow of fluids through the valve housing is permitted and in another position thereof flow of fluids through the valve housing is prevented. The movable valve element forms with the valve housing a pressure chamber and larger and smaller differential areas. An inwardly protruding surface or flow bean is formed on the valve element. Fluids flowing through the valve housing cause a pressure differential across the flow bean. The flow bean is located between the larger and smaller differential pressure areas, the larger being above and the smaller below the flow bean. The flow bean is sized relative to the sizes of the differential pressure areas in any particular flow system so that the differential pressure across the flow bean is below that required to overcome the tubing pressure forces holding the valve open under normal flow velocity conditions. However, the valve closes upon increased flow velocity above normal flow velocity because of the increased differential pressure across the flow bean and decreased tubing pressure on the larger differential pressure area.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Martin E True