US2599041A - Apparatus for enlarging and straightening wellholes - Google Patents

Description

June 3, 1.952 c. E. BANNISTER APPARATUS FOR ENLARGING AND STRAIGHTENING WELL-HOLES Filed Nov. 20, 19.4?

INVENTOR. [LYUE' E. BH/V/V/fi 75/ 1 "411W X). dZZbrr/a Patented June 3, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OZF'FI-ICE APPARATUS FOR ENLARGING .STRAIGHTENIN G WELIIHOBES Clyde E. Bannister, Houston, Tex- Application November-1'20, 1947, "Serial N 0. 281.1%

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to apparatus for operating upon the wall of a well, as enlarging or straightening an oil-well hole or compacting the wall of the hole.

Its chief objects are to provide inexpensive and efiicient apparatus for those purposes, and-to provide for facility and rapidity in the operation of such apparatus.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section showing a well hole and, in operating position therein, apparatus embody-mg my "invention ini-ts preferred form,'par ts of the apparatus being sectioned and broken away.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3--3 of Fi 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 1.

The embodiment here shown comprises an elongated structure adapted to be lowered and raised in the hole by means of a pair of cables l0, 10, secured to the respective arms of a yoke and fluid-coupling structure ll, through which a hose 12, extending from the top of the ground, is in communication with a fluid-coupling swivel l3 which supports the said elongated structure.

This structure comprises, in order from the swivel downward, a heavy inertia member 14, an oscillating-type motor l5 (which can be of the type shown and claimed in any of my U. Reissue Patent No. 19,397 or my U. S. Patents No. 1,965,564, No, 2,016,667 or No. 2,254,641), and a reaming and/or compacting tool It.

The structure as a whole, comprising those three elements, is largest in its middle region and moderately tapers toward each of its ends, so that it will find its way in a crooked hole and yet in its middle region will be large enough to rapidly cut away and/or compact the wall at one side of the hole, to straighten the hole, or to operate concurrently throughout the circle of the hole to enlarge the hole.

The motor [5 is adapted to receive its motive fluid from the hose [2 through a central passage Il formed in the inertia member l4 and, by its operation, to oscillate its shaft I8, on which the tool It is fixed.

The motors shaft I8 is hollow and through it the spent motive fluid from the motor is passed into the tool member I6, which is hollow and is formed with exhaust holes l9, 19 near its upper end and an exhaust hole 20 at the center of its rounded lower end-wall.

To provide ample flow space for the upward flow of exhaust fluid to the top of the well and to provide scraping or rubbing elements, each of the members l4, l5 and I6 is externally of longitudinally fluted form, as shown clearlyin il 'igs. 12,73 and 4. The form and size of .the tool,:how.ever, can :be varied.

in the operation .of the device, the inertia mom.- ber M, being rigid with the casing .of the motor, sustains the reaction-of the motor :withoutsube stantial oscillating movement 'o'f its own, when the tool member 1'6 :is relatively ?lig=ht, as ibyzreason of sbei-ng :of thin :walled construction, :as' .here shown.

Izdo vnot-.vv1h'o'1 ltyi li-mit my inuentionghoweuer, to an apparatus in which'the member fixed tothe motor shaft has relatively high amplitude of oscillation, as the motor casing and its upward continuation, as in the inertia member 14, can perform substantial reaming and/or compacting.

As the device is lowered in the hole, with the motor operating, the assembly, by reason of its double taper and its rounded lower end, can find its way, without jamming of its lower end against the wall of the hole, even in a hole having a high degree of crookedness, the reaming and/or compacting action of the flutes on the tool, and/or those on the motor casing and the inertia member, easing the passage of the assembly in the hole.

The reaming and/ or compacting action is greatest at the middle region of the assembly because of its relatively large diameter in that region, and, as to salients of the wall that are on the low side of an inclined part of the hole, the suspension of the device by the cables causes gravity to be a factor for urging the device against such salients, on one side and then another of the hole, and thus makes the hole more nearly vertical in all of its parts, while straightening it, whether or not all of the hole is enlarged by the apparatus.

Flutes of more or less sharp form can be employed, according to whether a predominance of reaming or of compacting is desired, or a smooth, circular tool small enough to permit fluid to pass it in the hole. can be used for compacting the wall of the hole.

The apparatus as here shown is designed for a predominance of compacting, plastering or mudding up of the wall of the hole, and, to avoid excessive washing effect of the upwardly moving exhaust fluid the exhaust hole 20 at the bottom of the tool It is of smaller flow capacity than the holes 19 at its upper end. Yet it is of a size such as to provide sufiicient up flow along the tool to carry cuttings and crumbs upward to the stronger current above the holes l9 and thus prevent them from settling through the water or drillers mud to the bottom of the well.

Modifications are possible without departure 3 from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for enlarging and thereby straightening a previously drilled well hole, said apparatus comprising two oppositely tapered wall-engaging members of vertically elongated form, means for holding the two substantially in vertical alignment with their larger ends adjacent each other and in relatively rotatable relationship, each of the two said members being tapered to its end farthest from the other of the two said members, means for lowering and raising the assembly in the well hole, means for effecting rotative movement of one of said members in relation to the other, and means for conducting fluid to and discharging it from a low part a of the lower member, each of the two members being externally of fluted form for enlarging the hole while permitting upward flow of the fluid between the flutes.

2. Apparatus for enlarging and thereby straightening a previously drilled well hole, said apparatus comprising a fluid-actuated motor of the shaft-oscillating type having an elongated, tapered casing, an elongated, tapered tool secured upon the shaft of the motor, with the larger end of the motor casing and the larger end of the tool adjacent each other, means for lowering and raising the assembly in the well hole, and means for supplying motive fluid to the motor from the top of the ground, the said casing and the said CLYDE E. BANNISTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 19,397 Bannister Dec. 18, 1934 1,357,475 Rigby Nov. 2, 1920 1,965,564 Bannister July 10, 1934 1,997,880 Watry Apr. 16, 1935 2,016,066 Bannister Oct. 1, 1935 2,166,937 Bettis July 25, 1939 2,229,912 Baily Jan, 28, 1941 2,254,641 Bannister Sept. 2, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 876,721 France 1 Aug. 17, 1942

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