US1565718A - Safety device for oil wells - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 15 ,11925 E.'DORMAN SAFETY DEVICE FOR O IL WELLS Fi ed Dec. 51, 1923 "2 s eets-sheet a gwum Mozfirm Patented D... .15, 1925.

UNITED STATES EDWARD DORMANLOF HOUSTON, EXAS.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR OIL WELLS.

Afiplication filed December 31, 1923. Serial No. 683,689.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it. known that I, EDWARD DORMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, Harris County, Texas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Safety Devices for Oil Wells, of

which the following is a specification.

'My invention relates to a safety device for use on the upper end of the casing employed in oil wells, said device being designed.

to shut off the flow of oil from the casing either when the drill stem is in the well, or when it is removed.

. An object of the invention is to provide a means for closing the upper end of .the casing in case of a-blow-out, and it is particularly desired to operate the device for this purpose from a distance in case of fire. I

It is another object of the invention to so construct the device that it maybe easily operated to close thewell entirely where the drill stem has been removed, or toclose the space outside of the drill stein where the drill stem is being employed.

Other objects and advantages, and the means whereby they are secured, will be more fully set forth in the specification which follows:

i 39 Referring to the drawing herewith, Fig.

1 is "a top plan view of the upper valve and its operating means, the rod and the nut thereon being shown in horizontal section. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the lower valve with certain parts in section for greater elearness. Fig 3 is a front elevation oi. the threaded block by means of which the valves. are operated. Fig. 4 is a central vertical section through the valves and their housing shown as attached to the casing.

Fig.5 is. a brokenfront view of the gear" housing, Fig. 6 is'a detailed View illustrating the connection between the gears and their shafts. -Fig. 7 is a central vertical section through a gear housing which may be'substituted 'for that shown in Fig. 4:, and- Fig. '8 is a section on the line of 88 of Fig. 6. Like numerals of reference designate like parts jin all views.

In carrying out my. invention, I secure in the casing at a point just above the ground a housing for two separate valve members-by means of which the upper end ofthe casing may be closed when desired. The housing is mounted upon a nipple or coupling l having a threaded socket 2 by means of which it is screwed upon the upper length of easing 3. This nipple as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is of larger diameter above the casing than-in the said casing, and is flattened along one side 4, as shown in dotted lines. The radial lugs 5 on the outer margin of the nipple are adapted to' register with similar lugs upon the housing'6 above the nipple, and bolts 7 passing through these registered lugs are adapted to secure the'housing firmly upon the nipple. The upper end of the housing is formed with a threaded opening 8 therein, by means of which a shorter length of easing may be secured thereon, as desired.

I desire to use my invention to shut off the flow of oil or gas from a well where it has blown in suddenly audit, is particularly desired to operate the device where the well has caught fire as it blows in- Ifthe drill stem has not been removed from the well at the time of the blow-out, and also if the force of the blow-out does not itself remove the drillstem, I provide an upper valve to close the casing within the housing about the drill stem. This valve and its operating means is shown particularly in Fig. 1. There are two sector-sha ed plates 9 adapted to interfit at 10 w en closed. Each plate has on its face adjacent the other plate, a semi-cylindrical opening 11 to fit about the particular size of drill stem 12 which is employed. These plates are pivoted -at'13 upon an upright the housing. As shown in Fig. 4,- one of theplates has its pivoted end reduced in diameter at 15 to fit between the forked end of the other plate so as to form a hinged connection between the two valve plates.

These plates are operatedto close an opening 16 in the partition 17 of the housing .by means oftwo links or arms 18, 18'

.pin or shaft 14 extending vertically through' a threaded nut or block 23 or 23, the c0n struction of which is shownparticularly in Fig. 3. The nut or block 23 is moved toward or away from the pipe 12 to open or close the space above the opening 25 in the nut, and has a bearing 26 on its-inner. end which is rotatable within a stationary block 27 secured to the housing as shown in Fig. 4. [The outer end of the shaft has a hearing .at 28 within the outer end of the shaft 32.. It is desired that the shaft 24 upon which the gear-30 is mounted shall berotatable under ordinary circumstances only. in one dlrectlon so as to close the valve 9. L.This is accomplished by mounting the formed with notches orgrooves 51 therein and'spaces m the gear are'rccessed to pro-- stem.

gear 30 rota'tably on the shaft and forming a ratchet connection thereto, as shown in Fig. .6. The shaft adjacent the gear is vide a housing for pawls 52 which are pivoted in saidrece'ss and free to movetherein. There are four of the notches 51 in theshaft, and four. co-operating pawls on said gear to fit therein. As shown in F ig.- 6, these pawls will slip on said shaft when the shaft is rotated in a clockwise direction, and will engage said-shaft when it is rotated in opposite direction. Itis therefore.obvious that when a" gear is ro- 'ta-ted in. a counter clockwise direction, it

will engage the. shaft and rotate the same.

Mounted in'a chamber 33 below the upper valve-chamber are two pivoted valve plates 34 similar in general construction to the valve plates 9, except that they have no opening 12 therein to fit about the drill Their forward faces have a tongue and groove connection to make a tight lit with. eaclrother to prevent the passage of fluid upwardly through the housing. Said plates 34. are pivoted upon the pin14, as are the other valves, and are operated by means of links 18, 18 engaging in nuts 23, 23, and operated upon a threaded shaft 36,

similar in all respects to the upper valve and its operating means. The outerv end of the shaft 36 has a bearing at 37 within the housing, and has on-its forward end a gear 30' identical with that shown and described relative to the upper shaft 29. The ratchet engagement between the shaft 36 and the gear 30' is the same as was previously described, except that the gear is brought into operative connection with the shaft when the operating crank shaft 32 'isrotated in the opposite direction' The idea of this arrangement is that when the crank shaft 32 is rotated in onedirection, it will close one set of valves and when rotated in the opposite direction, will close the other set of valves. It will thus be. possible with one crank to close either set of valves desired, depending upon whether the drill stem is still in the hole, or whether it has been removed. It is contemplated that the shaft 32, by means of which thevalves are operated, may be eXtended'for some 'dis- .nection with another gear 41 mounted upon with the connectim ears 45 and 48 as is tance from the well so that in case of fire the valves may be closed without a pproach-' ing within danger. 1

It will be obvious that thepurpose of the valve has been performed when the flow of fluid has been stopped and the fire has been extinguished. With the arrangement of operating gears herein described, the valves may be opened only by removing the front plate 39 which houses the gears, and sliding the central shaft 32 and its gear 31 from its position, and then independently rotat, ing the shaft 29*or shaft 36 by a direct connection with the ends thereof, using the gears thereon as'handles.

It is sometimesadvisable to arrange for the operation. of the shafts 2i and 36 in a direction to open the valves while the operator is at some distance from the well, and whose this is desirable, the operating means 30 shown in Fig. 7 may be substituted for the means shown'in Fig. 4 In this form, the shaft 24 will have on its forward end a beveled gear 40,"whieh has operative con-- avertical shaft 42 within thehousing. Shaft 42 has a bearing at 43 within a bracket 44, and extends below the said bracket and has thereon a second gear 45 adapted to mesh with a gear 46 on a shaft '47 at right angles thereto, said shaft 47 projecting beyond the housing and serving as a crankshaft in the samemanner as doesthe shaft 32 previously described. The forward end of the shaft 36 has thereon a gear 48 which may be brought into an engagement with a similar gear 49' onthe shaft 471 'lhesaid shaft 47 is slida-ble hmgitudinally in the honsingso as to bring the'gears 46 and 49 into or out of operativeehgagement desired. It is to be noted that but one of these sets of co-operating gears will be in engagement atone time. Thns, when it is intended to operate the. shaft/24- the' shaft 47 will be forced inwardly into the position shown in Fig. 7, in'which position the shaft 24 may be operated in either direction. \Vhen it is desired to rotate theshaft 36, the shaft 47 is moved longitudinally outward bringing the gear 49 into engagement with the gear 48 so that shaft 36- may be operatedin either direction. The operation of my device will be now apparent. When either of the valves is to be closed, the shaft 32 will be operated in such directionas to close the valve desired, and as the shaft is rotated, the block 23 will 'be forced forward on the threaded shaft to .move the valves into closed position. ..It

housing will be entirely prevented, and if the-well has taken fire, the fire may be easily extinguished thereafter. When the well has thenbeen brought'under control,

resumed. Openings .50 in the'casmg head allow the connection of pipes thereto by means of which oil may be rawn oil while the valves9 or 34 are closed. Y

The advantages-of his construction ,will

be apparent to one skilled in the art without further. descri tion.

What I claim as. new, and desire, to protect by Letters Patent-is:

1. In a deviceof the character described, a well casing, a housing thereon, a valve therein comprising two interfitting, coopcrating, arcuate plates pivoted on a common axis to swing toward or away from'eachother -to close or open the passage from said casing through said housing, a threaded shaft in said housing, a nut on said shaft,-

links connecting said nut and said valve plates, and means to rotate said shaft from a distance 2. In a device of the character described, a ,well casing in which a drill stemmay operate,ia'housi'ng thereon having a passage therethrough from vsaitlica'sin means to close said passage when'said "positioned therein, separate means I to close (passage when said-drill stem is. 136 i said last'mentioned meanscompriS- ing sector-shaped valve plates pivoted on a rill stem' is said move

. about said drill stem, a slid' I connecting said block and sai valves, and

common. axis and means to close said "lates operative from a distance includ ng a lock,

a-shaft having threaded engagement-with I saidblock, and links; connecting said .block the valves may be opened and operationsand saidplates, l 3. In adevice. of the character described, a well casingpa housin thereon having an opening therethrough r, a drill stem, and means jtoclose the-space in saidhousing about said drill stem, comprising a pair of sector shaped valve plates shaped to fit a shaft "having an abutment bearing in said casing and having threaded fenga ement withsaid block toadvance or with rawit 'to close or'open said valve.

4. Ina device of the character described,

block, links a casing, a hon singi ther'eon, two" sets of valves 1n said housing, one adapted to close said casing about a pipe and the other adapted to close said casing where no pipe is present, a block for-each setof valves slid-able in said housing, links connecting each block with its valves, threaded shafts connected with said blocks and a rotatable o crating shaft connected to said threaded siafts to ioperate' onenby rotation in one' direction and to operate the ,othershaft by rotation in the opposite direction.

In testimony'w ereof Ihereu'ntoaflix my" signature this 28th'day of Decemben- A. D.

1923.. 1 -EDWARD 'DORMAIL-

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