U.S. patent number 3,874,196 [Application Number 05/379,664] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-01 for rotary drive and joint breakout mechanism.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Gardner-Denver Company. Invention is credited to Larry E. Halwas, Robert W. Hisey.
United States Patent |
3,874,196 |
Hisey , et al. |
April 1, 1975 |
Rotary drive and joint breakout mechanism
Abstract
A rotary table drive for a blasthole drill has a pair of roller
elements pivotally mounted in a table bushing and engageable with
cooperative longitudinal flat sided recesses formed on the exterior
of a heavy walled cylindrical drill pipe to form the rotary drive
connection with the drill stem. Multiple sections of the drill pipe
may be used to make up a drill stem. A pulldown traverse frame
mounted for longitudinal movement along the rig mast includes a
rotary coupling member connected to the top end of a drill pipe
section. The traverse frame also includes a drive transfer
mechanism which is engageable with the rotary table for
transferring the rotary drive effort from the table through the
coupling member to the drill stem when the top end of a drill pipe
section is passed downward through the table bushing. The drive
transfer mechanism can be nonrotatably locked to provide for
breakout of the threaded joint between a drill pipe section and the
coupling member. A deck mounted wrench for engaging a toothed
flange on the rotary table together with a power operated holding
wrench is also used to breakout drill stem connections.
Inventors: |
Hisey; Robert W. (Richardson,
TX), Halwas; Larry E. (Garland, TX) |
Assignee: |
Gardner-Denver Company (Quincy,
IL)
|
Family
ID: |
23498168 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/379,664 |
Filed: |
July 16, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
464/165; 175/195;
173/216 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B
7/021 (20130101); E21B 19/167 (20130101); E21B
3/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E21B
19/16 (20060101); E21B 19/00 (20060101); E21B
3/00 (20060101); E21B 3/04 (20060101); E21B
7/02 (20060101); F16d 003/06 () |
Field of
Search: |
;64/23.5,23.6,23.7,23R
;175/195 ;173/163 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Scott; Samuel
Assistant Examiner: Heald; Randall
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Martin; M. E.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A rotary drive arrangement for rotating a drill stem on an earth
drilling rig comprising:
a member disposed for rotation on said drilling rig and including
an opening in which said drill stem is disposed for longitudinal
movement with respect to said member;
said drill stem comprising at least one elongated drill pipe
section having a pair of opposed recesses in the outer wall surface
of said drill pipe section, each recess forming a drive surface
extending inward from the intersection of said recess with said
outer wall surface generally toward the longitudinal axis of said
drill pipe section, said drive surfaces extending longitudinally
over a major portion of the length of said drill pipe section;
and,
a pair of drive rollers engageable with said drive surfaces for
rotating said drill pipe section in response to the rotation of
said member, said rollers being disposed on support members which
are mounted on pivot means on said member so that said rollers may
be pivotally moved into and out of engagement with said drive
surfaces.
2. A rotary drive arrangement for rotating a drill stem on an earth
drilling rig comprising:
a member disposed for rotation on said drilling rig and including
an opening in which said drill stem is disposed for longitudinal
movement with respect to said member;
said drill stem comprising at least one elongated drill pipe
section having a pair of opposed recesses in the outer wall surface
of said drill pipe section, each recess forming a drive surface
extending inward from the intersection of said recess with said
outer wall surface generally toward the longitudinal axis of said
drill pipe section, said drive surfaces being parallel and coplanar
and extending longitudinally over a major portion of the length of
said drill pipe section; and,
a pair of drive rollers engageable with said drive surfaces for
rotating said drill pipe section in response to the rotation of
said member, said rollers including drive surfaces which are
tapered with respect to the axis of rotation of said rollers and
are engageable with the drive surfaces of said drill pipe section
in such a way that surface portions of said recesses other than
said drive surfaces are substantially prevented from engagement
with said rollers when said rollers are rotatably driving said
drill pipe section.
3. A rotary drive arrangement for rotating a drill stem on an earth
drilling rig comprising:
a member disposed for rotation on said drilling rig and including
an opening in which said drill stem is disposed for longitudinal
movement with respect to said member;
said drill stem comprising at least one elongated drill pipe
section having recesses in the outer wall surface thereof, each
recess forming a drive surface extending inward from the
intersection of said recess with said outer wall surface generally
toward the longitudinal axis of said drill pipe section, said drive
surfaces extending longitudinally over a major portion of the
length of said drill pipe section; and,
drive means engageable with said drive surfaces for rotating said
drill pipe section in response to the rotation of said member, said
drive means being disposed on support members which are mounted on
pivot means on said member so that said drive means may be
pivotally moved into and out of engagement with said drive
surfaces.
4. The invention set forth in claim 3 wherein:
said pivot means for mounting said support members on said member
are disposed on said member further from the longitudinal axis of
said drill pipe section than the point of engagement of said drive
means with said drive surfaces on said drill pipe section so that
in response to said drive means forcibly engaging asid drill pipe
section a force couple is formed which tends to pivot said drive
means toward said longitudinal axis of said drill pipe section.
5. The invention set forth in claim 3 together with:
biasing means on said member engaged with said support members for
biasing said drive means into said opening in said member.
6. The invention set forth in claim 5 together with:
stop means on said support members for engaging cooperating stop
means on said member for limiting the pivotal movement of said
drive means into said opening.
7. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein:
said pivot means for mounting said support members on said member
are disposed on said member further from the longitudinal axis of
said drill pipe section than the point of engagement of said
rollers with said drive surfaces on said drill pipe section so that
in response to said rollers forcibly engaging said drill pipe
section a force couple is formed which tends to pivot said rollers
toward said longitudinal axis of said drill pipe section.
8. The invention set forth in claim 1 together with:
biasing means on said member engaged with said support members for
biasing said rollers into said opening in said member.
9. The invention set forth in claim 8 together with:
stop means on said support members for engaging cooperating stop
means on said member for limiting the pivotal movement of said
rollers into said opening.
10. The invention set forth in claim 3 wherein:
said rotary drive arrangement comprises a rotary table having a
housing supporting a rotatable table member, and said member
comprises a bushing removably fitted on said table member to be
rotatably driven by said table member.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Rotary table drives for earth drilling rigs hold certain advantages
over so-called top drive arrangements in that the weight of the
rotary drive mechanism is not required to be supported by the drill
rig mast or derrick and the reaction torque from the drill stem
rotative effort can be transferred directly to the main frame of
the drill rig instead of being imposed on the mast structure. These
advantages simplify the structural requirements of the mast itself.
Additionally, the power transmission system is more compact and
easily arranged for a rotary table drive and often a portable drill
rig may require a total of only one or two drive motors for
propelling the rig, pulldown and hoisting of the drill stem, and
rotation of the drill stem.
A longstanding problem in the use of rotary table drives for large
earth drilling rigs for drilling blastholes and other relatively
shallow holes in hard rock is that the use of a conventional
noncylindrical cross section drill pipe or kelly for transmitting
rotary motion from the table to the drill stem does not provide a
suitable annular area in the drill hole for effective removal of
the drill cuttings by the hole cleaning fluid. In order to provide
suitable annular areas for drill cutting removal a flat sided drive
member is required to be so large that the corners formed by the
intersections of the sides of the member are disposed closely
adjacent the side wall of the drill hole and are subject to severe
wear from unavoidable rubbing against the side wall. Additional
severe wear which tends also to "round off" the corners and the
flat sides of a conventional drive member is caused by abrasion
from the constant stream of drill cuttings passing upward during
drilling around the exterior of the drill stem portion which is in
the hole. In a short time an unsuitable driving connection is
formed between the socket or complementary opening in the rotary
table and the drive member due to wear which changes the cross
sectional shape of the drive member itself.
Furthermore, if a square cross section or otherwise special rotary
drive member or kelly is used together with cylindrical cross
section drill pipe, then the process of adding and removing drill
stem sections is somewhat more complex and time consuming. Since
the drive member or kelly is the only drill stem member which can
be driven by the rotary table the kelly itself must be disconnected
from the drill stem and set aside in the mast or placed down an
auxiliary hole while additional drill pipe sections are added to or
removed from the drill stem and then the kelly must be reconnected
to the drill stem and reinserted in the rotary drive bushing when
rotation of the stem is desired. Conversely, if the drive member or
kelly is retained in connection with the hoisting mechanism and
over the drill hole centerline, then the mast height must be
sufficiently great to hoist the length of the kelly and at least
one section of drill pipe up out of the table.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a rotary table drive for
earth drill rigs in combination with a drill stem which will
provide for use of the drill pipe members making up the drill stem
to be used as drive members engaged with the table drive itself.
Such drill stem members are also desirably of a configuration which
will provide an annular area in the drill hole between the drill
pipe exterior and the side wall of the hole which will be of the
proper size to permit effective drill cutting removal from the
bottom of the hole without using unnecessarily large quantities of
hole cleaning fluid. It is further desirable in large rotary
blasthole drills to be able to use relatively thick walled
cylindrical drill pipe which can be driven directly by a rotary
drive mechanism because such pipe configurations are capable of
withstanding large axial pulldown forces without being susceptible
to bending or kinking.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an improved rotary drive arrangement
for an earth drilling rig wherein a novel rotary table drive
mechanism is used in combination with novel drill pipe or stem
components which are adapted to be driven directly by the rotary
table without the use of a special drill stem drive section. The
rotary table drive mechanism of the present invention provides for
driving a drill stem made up of one or more substantially
cylindrical drill pipe sections adapted to engage driving members
mounted in the rotary table. The rotary table drive mechanism of
the present invention also includes drill stem driving members
which provide positive and low friction driving engagement with the
drill stem and are mounted in such a way that they are drivingly
engageable with each drill pipe section which is added to the drill
stem as the drill pipe sections pass through the rotary table. With
the rotary table drive arrangement of the present invention
cylindrical cross section or tubular drill pipe in a modified form
is advantageously used as sectional drill stem members which are
directly driven by an improved rotary table drive mechanism wherein
wear on the pipe itself does not have harmful effects on the drive
connection with the rotary table.
The present invention also provides a rotary drive transfer
mechanism for use with a rotary table drive in an earth drilling
rig wherein sectional drill stem members may be rotatably driven
while the end portions thereof are passed through the rotary table.
The rotary drive transfer mechanism of the present invention is
particularly advantageous for use with a rotary table drive which
includes members engageable with cooperating drive surfaces on a
drill stem member and wherein positive driving engagement between
the table and the drill stem member cannot be provided when an end
portion of a drill stem member is passed through the table during
drilling operations.
The rotary drive transfer mechanism of the present invention also
includes means for nonrotatably locking a rotary coupling between a
drill stem and a pulldown traverse frame whereby the drill stem
members may be easily disconnected from the traverse frame.
The present invention further includes improved means for breaking
out threaded joints between sectional drill stem members and
between a drill stem member and a drill bit portion. The joint
breakout means of the present invention includes a power operated
wrench for holding a drill stem member during breakout operations
and which also provides for handling the detachable drill bit
portion in a fast and work saving manner .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal side elevation of an earth drilling rig
including the rotary drive and joint breakout mechanisms of the
present invention;
FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the drill rig of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the rotary table of the present invention
taken from line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a view from line 4--4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a section view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a sectional elevation of the rotary table and drive
bushing;
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal view of a section of drill pipe in
accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a section view taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a section view taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is a plan view of the rotary drive bushing of the present
invention;
FIG. 11 is an elevation view of the rotary drive bushing shown in
FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is a plan view of a power operated holding wrench and bit
handling tool;
FIG. 13 is a side elevation of the power operated holding wrench
and bit handling tool of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a view of a pair of removable shoes for use with the
power operated holding wrench of FIGS. 12 and 13;
FIGS. 15 through 18 are views of the rotary drive transfer and
breakout mechanism showing the operation thereof;
FIG. 19 is a section view taken along line 19--19 of FIG. 15;
and,
FIG. 20 is a section view taken along line 20--20 of FIG. 18.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The rotary table drive and joint breakout mechanism of the present
invention is particularly suitable for use with relatively large
rotary blasthole drills which are designed for drilling holes to a
maximum depth usually in the range of 100 to 150 feet. Such types
of drills are characterized by mechanism for exerting a heavy axial
down thrust or pulldown force on the drill stem and bit portion
while the drill stem including the bit is rotated to provide for
localized crushing and grinding of the rock and earth to form the
drill hole. However, since the mode of drilling is generally
similar to that practiced with other types of drilling rigs such as
oil and water well drilling equipment it is contemplated that the
present invention could be utilized with these as well as other
rotary drilling devices.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 a portable rotary blasthole drilling rig
is illustrated and generally designated by the numeral 22. The
drill rig 22 is characterized by a frame 24 which is mounted on
spaced apart crawlers 26. The frame 24 supports an elongated mast
28 which is mounted on support means 30 for pivotal movement
between the erect or working position shown and a substantially
horizontal position when the rig is being propelled from one
drilling site to another. The mast 28 includes two spaced apart
longitudinal posts 32 on which are formed gear racks 34. The mast
28 is adapted to support a longitudinal traverse frame 36 which
includes a pair of spaced apart rotatable shafts 38 and 40 each
having pinions 42 mounted thereon and engaged with the racks 34.
Suitable flexible drive means such as endless chains designated by
numeral 44 are supported by the mast 28. The drive chains are
suitably engaged with the shafts 38 and 40 for rotating the shafts
to advance the traverse frame reversibly along the mast.
The traverse frame 36 includes a transverse yoke member 46
including means for rotatably supporting a coupling member 48 for
connecting the traverse frame to a drill stem generally designated
by numeral 50 and made up of one or more elongated drill pipe
sections 52. The drill stem 50 also includes a stabilizing sub 54
and a rotary bit 56 connected to the lower end thereof for forming
a drill hole 58. The traverse frame 36 is reversibly driven along
the mast 28 by the chains 44 to exert an axial feed or pulldown
force on the drill stem 50 and to hoist the drill stem components
out of the drill hole. A drive motor and transmission unit 60
mounted on the rig 22 is connected by drive means 62 to the endless
flexible chains 44 for driving the traverse frame 36 along the
mast. A more detailed description of the pulldown traverse frame 36
and its associated drive means is disclosed in U.S. Pat.
application Ser. No. 362,576 filed May 21, 1973.
In many applications of the rig 22 a single traversal of the frame
36 down the mast will be sufficient to cause the formation of a
drill hole of desired depth. However, when it is desired to form a
hole depth greater than that provided for by one pass of the frame
36, additional drill pipe sections must be added to the drill stem.
Accordingly, the drill rig 22 is provided with a storage rack 64
for holding a second drill pipe section 52. The storage rack may
take various forms and may be adapted to hold a plurality of drill
pipe sections. The rack 64 is exemplary and is of the type which is
mounted in the mast 28 on pivotal linkage members 66 and 68
adjacent the top and bottom of the rack, respectively. A pressure
fluid operated cylinder and piston device 70 is connected to the
member 68 for moving the rack 64 from the retracted position shown
in FIG. 1 into a position whereby the pipe section 52 held by the
rack is in line with the longitudinal axis of the drill stem
50.
Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3 and FIG. 6 the drill rig 22 is
characterized by a rotary table drive mechanism for imparting
rotary motion to the drill stem 50. The rotary table drive
mechanism of the present invention is generally designated by
numeral 72 and includes a boxlike housing 74 mounted on the frame
24. The housing 74 includes bearings 76 and 78 mounted therein for
supporting a rotating table member 80. The table member 80 is
characterized by a circular flange 82 having radially projecting
teeth 84 formed on the periphery thereof. An axial opening 86
through the table member 80 includes a square or flat sided portion
88 which forms a socket for receiving a removable rotary drive
bushing 90. The table member 80 also includes a bevel gear 92 fixed
on the underside of the flange 82 and engaged with a bevel pinion
94 rotatably mounted in the housing 74. The pinion 94 is connected
to a shaft 96 which in turn is drivenly connected to the drive
motor and transmission 60. The table housing 74 is mounted on the
frame 24 so that the table member 80 extends slightly above the
deck or platform 98, FIG. 1. A hinged cover 100 is shown in FIG. 3
for partially covering the table member 80 in the vicinity where
drill operating personnel normally work when making up and breaking
out threaded connections between the bit, stabilizing sub, and
drill pipe sections.
The rotary table drive of the present invention includes the
improved drive bushing 90 which in combination with the drill pipe
sections 52 shown in FIGS. 7 through 9 provides for use of
sectional drill stem members as the rotary driven member or what is
sometimes referred to as the kelly. Referring to FIGS. 6 through
11, the rotary drive bushing 90 is characterized by a flat sided
and square depending portion 101 which is removably fittable in the
complementary socket portion 88 in the table 80. A circular flange
102 formed on the bushing includes a plurality of circumferentially
spaced teeth 104 which project axially upwardly when the bushing is
fitted in the table. The bushing 90 also includes a central opening
106 through which the drill pipe sections 52 pass during drilling
and hoisting operations. Recesses 108 are formed in two opposed
sides of the portion 101 and intersect the opening 106. The
recesses 108 are formed to accommodate a pair of drive rollers 110
which are mounted to be substantially parallel to each other and to
project partially into the opening 106. The rollers 110 are each
rotatably mounted on a support plate 112 having a hub portion 114
for mounting the rollers to swing about a substantially vertical
pivot formed by pins 116 projecting through the hub portion of each
support plate. The pins 116 are suitably retained on the bushing
90. The hub portions of the support plates 112 each include a
recess 118 in which is positioned a torsion coil spring 120
surrounding the pin 116 and engaged with the support plate for
biasing the roller 110 inwardly toward the center of the opening
106. The support plates 112 also include projecting tabs 122, as
shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, which engage projections 124 formed on
the bushing 90 so as to limit the inward swinging movement of the
rollers toward the center of the opening 106. The bushing 90 also
includes a pair of recesses 126 located adjacent to the opening 106
and opposed to each other along a line through the center of the
opening as shown in FIGS. 6 and 10. The recesses 126 have disposed
therein pivotally mounted dogs 128 which may be pivoted to project
into the opening 106 for engaging holding slots formed in a drill
stem member such as the pair of slots 130 in the stabilizer 54 as
shown in FIG. 6. When not required for holding a drill stem member
the dogs 128 may be swung away from the opening 106 to lie along
the sloped surfaces of the recesses 126.
Referring to FIGS. 7 through 9 a drill pipe section 52 is
illustrated which is adapted to be used as the member rotatably
driven by the rotary table bushing 90 and which may be used as part
of the drill stem disposed in the drill hole without suffering wear
which would be harmful to the driven surface portions engaged with
the rollers 110. The drill pipe section 52 is basically a
cylindrical thick walled steel tube having a central longitudinal
passage 131 for conducting hole cleaning fluid through the drill
stem to the bottom of the drill hole. The drill pipe section 52
includes an externally threaded portion or pin 132 at one end and
an internally threaded portion 134 or box at the opposite end. The
threaded portions 132 and 134 will be assumed to be of the "right
hand" for purposes of this disclosure. A slightly reduced diameter
portion 136 is formed at the pin end of the section 52. The drill
pipe section 52 also includes a pair of longitudinal recesses 138
formed in the outer cylindrical wall surface 139. The recesses 138
extend over a major portion of the drill pipe section 52 and
include parallel and opposed surface portions 140. The surfaces 140
are each intersected by a surface 142, which intersection is such
that the surfaces 140 and 142 of each groove 138 are substantially
perpendicular to each other. The surfaces 142 are formed to be
coplanar and lie in a longitudinal plane which passes through the
longitudinal rotational axis 143 of the drill pipe section 52.
As shown in FIG. 10 the surfaces 142 of the grooves 138 are
disposed to be engaged by the rollers 110 whereby rotation of the
bushing 90 will impart rotation to the drill pipe section 52. As
may be seen in FIG. 10 the drive faces 144 of the rollers are
provided with a taper or slope with respect to the axis of rotation
of the rollers which provides for clearance along the surface 140
of the grooves 138 with respect to the sides of the rollers when
the rollers are drivingly engaged with the surfaces 142. As may be
noted also from FIG. 10 the location of the pivot pins 116 for the
roller support plates are radially further from the rotational axis
of the drill pipe section 52 than the drive surfaces 142 which
engage the rollers 110 and are positioned such that when the
rollers are driving the drill stem rotatably a force couple is
formed about the pivot pins 116 which tends to swing the rollers
inwardly toward the center of the opening 106 to assure maximum
engagement of the surfaces 142 with the roller drive faces 144.
With the arrangement of the rollers 110 and drive surfaces 142 as
provided on the drill pipe section 52 the drill pipe can be easily
proportioned to be of the proper size to provide the desired
annular area in the drill hole for effective drill cuttings removal
and furthermore the drive surfaces 142 are not affected by rubbing
of the drill pipe against the side wall of the hole or by abrasion
from the drill cuttings passing upward out of the hole around the
drill stem. Moreover, by providing the drill pipe section 52 with
surfaces 142 which are substantially flat and radially extended
with respect to the longitudinal axis of the pipe section the
direction of the driving force transmitted from the rollers 110 to
the drill pipe section 52 is more effective for turning the drill
stem 50. Accordingly, a more positive and long lasting drive
connection may be maintained with the rotary device disclosed
herein.
The drill pipe section 52 also includes a pair of slots or recesses
148 in the outer wall surface near the pin end which recesses are
for engagement with the dogs 128 in the rotary bushing for holding
the drill pipe section in the bushing during joint makeup and
breakout operations. The drill pipe section 52 also is
characterized by a pair of opposed grooves 150 disposed near the
lower end which are cooperable with a pair of jaws of a holding
wrench to be described herein. If multiple pass drilling is
performed by the drill rig 22 all of the drill pipe sections may be
of the same configuration as the section 52 shown in FIGS. 7
through 9. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIGS. 15 through 18 the grooves
138 are formed such that the surfaces 140 are sloped radially
outwardly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the drill pipe
section toward the outside wall surface at the reduced diameter
portion 136. This flaring out of the grooves 138 provides for the
rollers 110 to be urged to swing outwardly away from the center of
the opening 106 as the end portion of the drill pipe section 52
passes down through the opening whereby the lower end of the next
drill pipe section added to the drill string may be initially
passed into the opening 106 regardless of any longitudinal
misalignment of the drive surfaces 142 on one drill pipe section
with the corresponding surfaces on the adjacent drill pipe section.
When the pipe sections are being removed from the drill hole the
table 80 may be rotated in the reverse or nondriving direction
slightly to cause the rollers 110 to swing outwardly with respect
to the opening 106 so as not to engage or catch on the transverse
end faces of the pipe sections as they are withdrawn from the hole.
If single pass drilling only is to be performed the grooves 138 may
be formed to extend entirely the length of the pipe section 52 to
thereby provide driving engagement of the rollers 110 throughout
the entire length of the section. With the drive transfer mechanism
disclosed herein it is advantageous to form the grooves 138 as
shown in FIG. 7 since the rollers are not drivingly engaged with
the drill pipe at the end portion 136 anyway.
For drilling operations wherein more than one section of drill pipe
is to be used to increase the length of the drill stem for drilling
deeper holes a drive transfer mechanism may be advantageously used
with the rotary table drive mechanism of the present invention so
that the grooves 138 of one drill pipe section 52 are not required
to be longitudinally aligned with the corresponding grooves on an
adjacent drill pipe section in the drill stem. Referring to FIGS.
1, 2 and 15 through 20 the rotary drive transfer mechanism of the
present invention includes the rotary coupling member 48 which is
rotatably supported in bearings 152 and 154 mounted in a housing
156 on the yoke 46. The member 48 includes an internal passage 158
in communication with a drill hole cleansing fluid conduit 160. The
lower end of the member 48 is characterized by an internally
threaded portion 162 for receiving the pin end 132 of a drill pipe
section 52. The member 48 also includes a plurality of longitudinal
keyways 164 in which are slidably fitted keys 166. The drive
transfer mechanism further comprises a coupling sleeve 168 having
complementary grooves 170, FIG. 18, in which the keys 166 are
disposed to form a rotary driving connection between the sleeve and
the member 48. The sleeve 168 includes a flange 172 at one end
having a ring of circumferentially spaced and axially projecting
teeth 174 which are engageable with complementary teeth 176 formed
on a collar 178 fixed to the yoke 46. The lower end of the sleeve
168 also includes circumferentially spaced teeth 180 which project
axially downwardly and are operable to be interfitted with the
teeth 104 on the bushing 90 to form a driving connection between
the bushing and the sleeve. The sleeve 168 also includes a flange
182 which has disposed on its circumference a plurality of rollers
184. The rollers 184 are disposed in a radially inward facing
channel 186 formed on a circular plate 188. The plate 188 is
attached to the ends of a pair of pressure fluid cylinder and
piston type actuators 190. The cylinders 190 are slidably guided in
tubular sleeves 192 disposed on the yoke 46. The distal ends of the
cylinder piston rods 194 are suitably fixed to the yoke 46 as shown
in FIG. 15.
The drive transfer mechanism also includes a second sleeve member
196 disposed in a bore 197 in the sleeve 168 and adapted to
surround and frictionally grip the reduced diameter portion 136 of
a drill pipe section 52 as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. The sleeve 196
includes keyways 198, FIG. 19, in which are disposed the keys 166
to form a driving connection with the member 48.
As shown in FIG. 20 the sleeve 196 includes a plurality of slots
200 which extend longitudinally a portion of the length of the
sleeve along which portion the exterior surface 202 of the sleeve
is also sloped and is engageable with a correspondingly sloped
collar 204 as shown in FIGS. 15 through 18. The collar 204 is
suitably retained in the interior of the sleeve 168 and is
engageable with an inwardly projecting shoulder portion 206. The
sleeve 196 also includes a shoulder portion 208 engageable with the
shoulder portion 206 on sleeve 168, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18.
The drive transfer mechanism provides for rotatably driving the
drill stem 50 when an end portion of a drill pipe section 52 is
passed through the rotary bushing 90 so that sufficient hole depth
is achieved to permit the addition of a drill pipe section to the
drill stem and engagement of the rollers 110 with the groves 138 of
the section added to the drill stem at the onset of drilling after
the section has been added. The drive transfer mechanism also is
adapted to be used to break out the threaded connection between the
member 48 and a drill pipe section.
An operating sequence of the drill transfer mechanism will now be
described in connection with viewing FIGS. 15 through 18. During
drilling operation, with the rotary drive being imposed on the
drill stem 50 by the driving connection between the rollers 110 and
a drill pipe section 52, the cylinders 190 are extended as shown in
FIG. 15 to cause the collar 204 to compress the sleeve 196 to grip
the reduced diameter portion 136 of a drill pipe section. This
prevents the right-hand thread connection between the member 48 and
the drill pipe section 52 from breaking loose due to the rotary
driving effort imposed on the drill string which is in the
direction of the arrow 210 in FIG. 10.
As the pulldown traverse frame 36 feeds the drill stem downwardly
to the position shown in FIG. 16, the complementary teeth 180 and
104 on the sleeve 168 and bushing 90 become engaged and rotary
driving effort is transferred from the bushing 90 to the coupling
member 48 by way of the sleeve 168. Accordingly, rotation of the
drill stem 50 is now no longer dependent on the rollers 110 driving
against the surfaces 142 on the drill pipe section. Continued axial
down thrust by the traverse frame will result in axial sliding
movement of the member 48 downward, viewing FIGS. 16 and 17, with
respect to the sleeve 168 which will also cause the sleeve 196 to
move downward with respect to the collar 204. The sleeve 196 will,
upon moving free of the radial inward wedging action of the collar
204, release its grip on the portion 136 of the drill pipe section
52, as shown in FIG. 17. The rotary drive now being from the member
48 to the drill pipe section 52 will, of course, tend to tighten a
right-hand threaded connection therebetween. The cylinders 190 will
be allowed to telescope into the sleeves 192 as the traverse frame
36 moves downward from the FIG. 16 position to the FIG. 17
position. As shown in FIG. 17 the top end of a drill pipe section
52 is now below the rollers 110 and a drill pipe section to be
added to the drill stem could be lowered into the opening 106 so
that the rollers could engage the drive surfaces 142. Prior to
adding a drill pipe section the threaded connection between the
member 48 and the upper end of a drill pipe section 52 must be
broken out. To accomplish this the traverse frame 36 is reversed to
hoist the drill pipe section 52 up through the bushing 90 until the
dogs 128 can be pivoted into position in the recesses 148 to hold
the drill pipe section in the position shown in FIG. 18 and in the
same manner as shown for the stabilizer 54 in FIG. 6. The cylinders
190 are then actuated to move the sleeve 168 upward until the teeth
174 are interfittingly engaged with the teeth 176 as shown in FIG.
18 whereby the sleeve 168 and member 48 are nonrotatably locked.
The rotary table 80 is then driven in the direction of the arrow
210 of FIG. 10 to rotate the pipe section 52 with the rollers 110
as well as the dogs 128 drivingly engaged in their respective
recesses until the pipe section 52 is disconnected from the member
48. After moving the traverse frame 36 up the mast 28 an additional
drill pipe section 52 can be added by positioning a suitable
storage rack such as the rack 64 over the axis of the drill stem
and rotating the table 80 in reverse to make up a threaded
connection between the drill pipe section supported in the table
and the section being added. The traverse frame 36 is then lowered
to engage the coupling member 48 with the section added to the
drill stem whereby further reverse rotation of the table would
thread the pin end 132 of a drill pipe section into the threaded
portion 162 on the coupling member. The cylinders 190 are extended
after the coupling member is reconnected to the drill string to
unlock the sleeve 168 and to cause the sleeve 196 to be lowered
into frictional gripping engagement with the top portion of the
drill pipe section now connected to the coupling member 48.
If a drill pipe section is to be removed from the drill stem 50 the
threaded connection between a drill pipe section 52 and the
coupling member 48 would be broken loose generally in accordance
with the above described procedure. Then, prior to complete
separation of the coupling member 48 from the drill pipe section,
the traverse frame 36 is raised up the mast to pull the pipe
section to be removed from the drill stem up through the table
bushing 90 until the upper portion of the drill pipe section which
is below the one to be removed is in position to have the recesses
148 engaged by the dogs 128 and the recesses 138 engaged by the
rollers 110. With the drill pipe storage rack in position to
receive the pipe section being removed from the drill stem or an
auxiliary hoisting line connected thereto, the table 80 is rotated
forward, the direction of arrow 210 in FIG. 10, until the coupling
member 48 is separated from the pipe section being removed. Then a
suitable holding wrench such as the wrench described hereinbelow is
engaged with the grooves 150 of the pipe section being removed from
the drill string while the table 80 again is rotated forwardly to
break out the joint between the section being removed and the
section supported in the table bushing 90.
The rotary drive and joint breakout mechanism of the present
invention includes improved auxiliary breakout and drill stem
component handling devices. Referring to FIGS. 3 through 5 a rotary
table turning device, generally designated by numeral 220, is
disposed on the deck 98 and is connected to a bracket 221 for
limited swinging movement about a vertical pivot 222. The table
turning device 220 includes a rectangular tubular frame 224 upon
which is supported a hydraulic cylinder actuator 226. One end of
the cylinder 226 is connected to the frame 224, and a piston rod
228 extending from the opposite end of the cylinder is connected to
an arm 230 by means of a pin 232. The arm 230 is supported for
sliding movement in the frame 224 and includes a hook 234 formed on
the end which is opposite the end connected to the piston rod 228.
The frame 224 is suitably connected to a pressure fluid actuator
236 by way of a member 238 whereby in response to operation of the
actuator the device 220 may be pivoted into the position shown in
FIG. 3 and held for engagement of the hook 234 with one of the
radially projecting teeth 84 on the table 80. The actuator 236 is
mounted on bracket 240 which is disposed on the deck 98 and which
also partially supports the frame 224. With the hook 234 positioned
to engage a tooth on the table 80 the cylinder 226 may be actuated
to retract the piston rod 228 so as to rotate the table 80 with
great force a small portion of a revolution for breaking out drill
string connections which cannot be loosened with the turning effort
available from the motor and transmission 60 through the table
drive gears 92 and 94. When the breakout device 220 is not in use
the actuator 236 is energized to pivot the frame 224 so that the
hook 234 is moved radially away from the table 80.
Referring to FIG. 3 and FIGS. 12 through 14 the drill rig 22
includes a drill stem holding wrench 250 which is also adapted to
handle a drill bit for adding and removing the same with respect to
the drill stem 50. The wrench 250 includes a power rotated base 252
having a shaft portion 254 rotatably mounted in a bearing sleeve
256 supported on the rig substantially below the deck 98. The base
252 includes a sprocket 258 fixed thereon and engaged with a chain
260 which is drivenly connected to a sprocket 262 mounted on the
shaft of a suitable drive motor, not shown. The base 252 includes
an upstanding part 264 upon which a boom 266 is mounted for
movement about a horizontal pivot 268. A hydraulic cylinder 270 is
connected between the boom 266 and the part 264 for raising and
lowering the boom about the pivot 268. The boom 266 is adapted to
receive a partially tubular member 272 which is secured against
rotation with respect to the boom by a pair of removable pins 274.
The member 272 includes a portion formed in part by two spaced
apart plates 276. A pair of holding jaws 278 and 280 are mounted
between and supported for pivotal movement with respect to the
plates 276. Each jaw includes a short arm portion 282 which is
connected by means of a link 284 to a clevis 286. The clevis 286 is
connected to a piston rod portion of a linear pressure fluid
actuator 288 mounted on the member 272 for moving the jaws between
the closed position shown by the solid lines in FIG. 12 and the
open position shown by the dashed lines. The holding jaws 278 and
280 have removable shoes 290 secured on the jaws by pins 294. The
jaws 278 and 280 each also includes a depending member 296 having a
projection 298 formed on the lower end thereof, viewing FIG. 13,
which is engageable with a bail 300 mounted on a bit holding
fixture 302.
The bit holding fixture 302 is characterized by a cylindrical
portion 304 which is adapted to be retained in suitable receptacles
306, one shown in FIG. 3, in the deck of the rig 22. A flat sided
flange 308 is attached to the portion 304 and is adapted to fit in
the socket or opening 88 of the table 80 in place of the bushing
90. The flange 308 also has a socket opening 310 formed to closely
fit around the integral legs of a roller type rotary bit such as
the bit 56 in FIGS. 1 and 2, whereby with the fixture disposed in
the table 80 and surrounding the bit the table may be rotated to
make up or break out a connection between the bit and the
stabilizer 54.
The process of changing bits on the drill rig 22 may be performed
by raising the traverse frame 36 and drill stem up the mast 28
until the lower end of the bit 56 is pulled up through the table 80
and above deck level sufficiently to permit swinging the holding
wrench 250 from a retracted position, as shown in FIG. 3, with a
fixture 302 attached thereto into position over the table. The
fixture 302 is then lowered into the opening by operation of the
cylinder 270 and the jaws 278 and 280 are at least partially closed
to disconnect the members 296 from the bails 300. When the drill
string is removed from the hole the flutes 55, see FIG. 6, on the
stabilizer 54 engage the bushing 90 and carry it upwardly out of
the table 80 to provide for accommodation of the fixture 302 in the
table opening 88. After placement of the fixture 302 in the table
80 the bit 56 is lowered into the socket 310 and the jaws 278 and
280 with modified shoes 314, as shown in FIG. 14, disposed thereon
are closed so that projections 316 on the shoes 314 are engaged
with the sides of grooves 57 in the stabilizer. The table 80 is
then rotated, while the stabilizer 54 is prevented from rotation,
to break a threaded connection between the bit and stabilizer. The
bit fixture 302 with a bit disposed therein may then be removed
from the table by the wrench 250 and deposited in a receptacle 306,
and a similar fixture and bit can then be picked up and swung into
place in the table opening. With the new bit disposed in the table
the drill stem and stabilizer are lowered and the table rotated in
reverse to make up a joint between the bit and stabilizer. The
wrench 250 may be used to hold the stabilizer nonrotatably while
the joint is being made up. The drill stem including the new bit is
then raised to remove the bit from the fixture 302 and after
retraction of the wrench 250 and fixture to the stored position the
drill stem is lowered into the table and the bushing 90 returned
into the opening 88 preparatory to a drilling operation.
The wrench 250 is also used to hold a drill pipe section 52 while
threaded joints between sections are made up or broken loose. By
rotation of the base 252 and operation of the boom cylinder 270 the
wrench may be moved when desired into a position with the jaws 278
and 280 surrounding the drill stem 50. The shoes 290 shown in FIG.
12 include surfaces 292 engageable with the sides of the grooves
150 for holding a drill pipe section 52 while the table is rotated
to break one section loose from another.
The wrench jaws 278 and 280 may also be inverted by removing the
pins 274, rotating the member 272 in the boom 266, and then
reinserting the pins. This inversion of the jaws 278 and 280 may be
performed so that the shoes 290 can be engaged with the surfaces
142 to hold one drill pipe section from rotating while the table 80
is rotated in reverse, with another drill pipe section or
stabilizer 54 supported therein by the dogs 128, to tighten a
joint.
As may be appreciated from the foregoing description the present
invention provides improved rotary drive means for rotating a drill
string in a rotary earth drilling rig. The rotary drive means of
the present invention together with a novel drive transfer
mechanism and the holding wrench and bit handling device 250
provides for more rapid and efficient drilling operations on rotary
drill rigs than was heretofore known.
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