US1924071A - Apparatus for determining the deviation of well holes and casings - Google Patents

Description

' Aug. 22, 1933. J. D. LAUDERMILK 1,924,071

APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE DEVIATION 0F WELL HoLEs AND cAsINGs Filed Oct. 28. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 22, 1933. J. D. LAUDERMILK 1,924,071

APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE DEVIATION OF WELL HOLES AND CASINGS Filed 00L-28, 1929 5 sheets-sheet 2 OMM y 6W M btoznmf ug- 22 1933- Jf D. LAUDERMILK 1,924,071

APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE DEVIATION OF WELL HOLES AND CASINGS Filed oct. 28, 1929 3 sheets-sheet 3 Patented Aug. 22, 1933 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE DEVATION OF WELL HOLES AND CAS- Jerome D. Laudermilk, Claremont, Calif., as-

signor of one-half to Mrs.

Los Angeles, Calif.

S. Golson Harrell,

Application October 28, 1929. Serial No. 402,914

4 Claims. (ci. 234-53) measurement may be quite far from its actual depth. The drilling bit and drilling action may drill a spiral-like hole or may be drilled entirely oi at an angle to the perpendicular. Heretofore there has been no inexpensive rapid means of measuring the deviation of a well hole from the perpendicular. It is the general object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which in a single descent of a well hole canbe caused to survey the entire well hole and determine not only the slant or angle of deviation from the perpendicular of the Well hole but which is also capable of determining the direction of deviation of each part of the well hole.

More particularly, an object of the present in- 5 vention is to provide an apparatus having associated therewith compass and pendulum members with electrical indicating means by which, through simultaneous readings of the compass and pendulum members, the angle of deviation and direction of deviation of each part of the well hole may be accurately determined by passing the apparatus once down a well hole.

Various further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the description of a preferred form or example of an apparatus lembodying the invention. For this purpose there is hereafter described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, one form or example of an apparatus which embodies this invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation mainly in vertical section of the upper portion of the apparatus in position within a well casing.

Figure 2 is an elevation mainly in vertical section of the lower portion of the apparatus in position within a well casing.

Figure 3 is an elevation at right angles to Figure 1 of a' part of the apparatus.

Figure 4 is a section through the line 4 4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the shutter.

Figure 6 is a diagram of the electrical connection of the pendulum.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the shutter and needle of the compass.

Figure 8 is an electrical diagram of wiring of the compass.

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view of the receiver and connection with the testing apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, 1, indicates a Well casing situated Within a well hole which is intended to be surveyed by the apparatus. The

apparatus includes a pendulum 2 and a compass.

member 3.

4 indicates a casing which is Huid-tight which houses the major operating parts of the apparatus. Said casing at its lower end is closed by a plate 5 to which is bolted a guide carrier member 6 carrying guiding rollers 7 rotatably mounted on the ends of arms 8. The opposite ends of the arms 8 are pivoted as indicated at 9, to the guide member 6. Guiding member 6 has a central stem 10 bearing spring members 11 engaging the center of the arms 8 for yieldingly urging the arms to pivot outwardly and bring their rollers 7 in engagement with the well casing. There is alsoA provided ears 12 on the guide member which carry set screws 13 in position to engage the roller carrying arms 8 and limit their outward pivoting motion.

The upper end o f the casing 4 is closed by a plate 14 which has upwardly extending cylindrical walls which in turn are closed by the flange plate 15 of an upper guide carrying member 16. The upper guide carrying member 16 is similar to the lower member, having the rollers 17, arms 18, spring-Siand limiting set screws 20. By the construction thus described, there is provided anti-frictin rollefsurged outwardly from each endof the'vtesting device which function to retain the body of the' testing device from frictional contact with the well hole or well casing,

The upper guide carrier 16 is hollow and receives a supporting and operating cable 21 of the apparatus, which cable passes through the chamber provided by the member 14 and is there engaged by a packing forming member 22 which comprises a casing 23 having an anti-friction roller bearing 24 engaging the bottom plate of the member 14 and which is provided at its upper end with a packing gland 25 and contains packing as indicated at 26, with the wiping arms 27 held in position by bolts 28. The wiper 27 ex'- tends through the plate of the member 14 and enters into a top member 29 of a rotor casing 30. The top member 29 has a ball bearing 31 engaging the plate of the member 14. The lower dulum comprises a end of the rotor is provided with a bearing point 32 engaging in its center bearing recesses in the plate 5. By this construction, the rotor casing 30 is free to revolve within the outer major casing 4.

The rotor 30 is constructed to have a heavy side, preferably by provision of a lead strip 33 which may have half of the cylinders ofthe rotor if desired. By the provision of a rotor having a. heavy side, one side of the rotor is in operation always deiinitely disposed at the lower side of the apparatus whenever there is any deviation of the well casing from the perpendicular such as will permit the apparatus assuming a position at an angle to the perpendicular, thereby developing a position lower side.

'I'he rotor 30 is provided with a central bar 34 pivotally mounting with pendulum 2. The pendulum 2 is provided with a number of selenium cells 35 mounted on a disc rigid with the bar 34 and connected with plus and minus mains 36 and 37, forming part of the supporting and operating cable 21, as indicated in' Figure 6 of the drawings, i. e. between each of the selenium cells there is a section of resistance wire 38 so that the total amount of resistance between the plus and minus mains 36 and 37 is dependent upon which, if any, of the selenium cells 35 is reeiving light. The swinging part of the penshutter plate 39 having a narrow slit 40 in its upper center, which shutter disc 39 is weighted, as indicated at 41, so that the slit 40 is always in a dennite position relative to the vertical. A casing 42 is provided on the opposite side of the shutter 39` from the selenium cells 35 and includes an incandescent bulb 43 connected with lines formthe operating supporting cable. By this construction it will be seen that in operation, whenever the apparatus deviates from the perpendicular, the shutter af the pendulum member 40 will move over the series of selenium cells 35, the extent of motion depending upon the angle of deviation with the result that by energizing one of the selenium cells, the resistance connecting mains 36 and 37 varies in proportion to said deviation.

The compass 3 is mounted in the lower end oi the rotor 30 and includes a compass case 44 which provides a gimbal support for a compass face 45 which is held always horizontal in the apparatus on account of the gimbal mounting. The compass face 45 has an axle 46 rotatably mounting a compass needle member 47 which is in the form of anopaque disc provided with an opening 48. The compass face 45 is provided with circumferentially spaced apart selenium cells 50 connected by resistance turns 51 and wired with plus and minus mains 52 and 53, as indicated inv Figure 8. Thus, the amount of resistance between lead 52 and 53 in operation varies, depending upon which, if any, of the selenium cells is energized by light. The upper part of the compass casing 44 houses an incandescent bulb 55 shining upon the shutter 47 so as to illuminate the particular seleniumcell 50 uncovered by the slot 48 in the compass.

In order to prevent the pendulum member 2 from vibrating in descent and to act as a damper for the same, I have provided a brake member pivoted to the rotor casing as at 61 and provided with a weight 62 which will normally hold -the member stationary during descent.

- The brake member 60 is pivoted to the rotor casing 30 so that it is applied to the pendulum 2 up until the apparatus passes a portion of the well hole and casing at a deviation from the perpendicular.

At such time the rotor casing 30, due to its. heavy side, pivots to bring the pivot point of the brake 61 at a lower position and the weight 62 then releases its pressure against the pendulum 2, thereby permitting the pendulum to commence to operate.

In operation it will be apparent that any desired means may be utilized for measuring during the descent of the apparatus the resistance between mains 36 and 37 controlled by the pendulum 2 and the resistance between mains 52 and 53 controlled by the compass 3. The measurement of these resistances, of course, should proceed simultaneously with the recording of the length of the supporting and operating cable 21 which has been placed out in lowering the apparatus. In Figure 9 there is indicated one apparatus in diagrammatic form by which the operation of the pendulum and compass may be recorded automatically with the operation of the testing apparatus. The figure also discloses a full ratus. In the ligure, 66 indicates a source of electricity connected by a line 67 to the incandescent bulbs 43 and 55 of the pendulum and with the source 66. The source with the positive lead 36 connected to the selenium cells 35 of the pendulum and which are in return lead 37 connects the magnet of the galvanometer 70, the rotor 71 of which is provided mirror 72 reflecting light bulb 73.

The positive main 52 connects with the selenium cells 50 o the compass which in turn connect with the negative line 53 which leads to the coils 74 of the magnet 75 of the galvanometer. The galvanometer is provided with a rotor 76 having a semispherical reflecting mirror 77 refleeting light from an incandescent bulb 78. 79 and 80 indicate lines connecting the bulbs 73 and 77 with the source of electricity 66. Above the galvanometers 70 and 75 there is mounted a moving photographic recording paper 81 which receives light from the semispherical mirrors 72 and 77 of the galvanometers. By moving this photographic recording paper, at a rate proportional to the descent of the testing apparatus, there will be automatically recorded the deviation of the well hole from the Vertical, the direction of deviation of the proper coordination relative to the depth of the testing apparatus.

While the particular form of apparatus herein described is well adapted for carrying out the objects of the invention, it is to be understood that various modifications and changes may be made in the details of construction and various substitutions of equivalents made and that all such changes, modifications and substitution of equivalents come Within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

`1. An apparatus for testing deviation of a well hole which comprises, a body member, an instrument carriage mounted by said body member to freely swivel. about the axis ol.' the body, a pendulum carried by said instrument carriage and adapted `to swing in accordance with the angle ofdeviation from the perpendicular, means for.

wiring-diagram of the appatransmitting to the surface of the Well the position of said pendulum, said means including a plurality of resistances and a means in the pendulum for cutting out part of the resistance in accordance with the position of said pendulum.

2. An apparatus for recording the deviation of a well hole or casing which comprises, a body,

a carrier swivelled to said body and weighted so as to possess a normally lower side, a pendulum carried thereby, and means for transmitting to the surface of the well the position of said pendulum, said means including resistances connecting selenium cells, a shutter connected with said pendulum, and a source of light.

3. An apparatus for recording the deviation from the perpendicular of a well hole or casing which comprises, a body, an instrument carrier rotatably mounted by the body and provided with a weighted side, an instrument carried by said carrier, a plurality of selenium cells conmounted by the body to revolve axially, said inf strument carrier being weighted to maintain one side lowermost when the body deviates from the perpendicular, and a gimbal mounted compass carried by said body, electrical resistances associated with said compass, and means for cutting out said resistances in accordance with the positions of said compass, said electrical conduits being connected to said resistances.

JEROME D. LAUDERMILK.

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