US1598709A - Well-casing elevator - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 7 1926.l l,598,709

1,598,709 sept 7 1926 c. A. BUTLER WELL CASING ELEVATOR Filed June l5. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 7, 1926.

UNITED STATES CHARLES A. BUTLER, OF OKMULGEE, OKLAHOMA.

WELL-CASING ELEVATOR.

Application filed June 13, 1924. Serial No. 719,814.

The object of my invention is to provide a well easing elevator which is adapted to rip the casing or tube beneath the top coup ing whereby the coupling is relieved of any I strains until after the next section or joint has been screwed into the coupling which will tighten the coupling along with the joint when the coupling will be safe to carry as much of a load as any other part of the casing.

Another object of my invention is to provide an elevator of this character in which the several slips or gripping members are at all times carried by the elevator and having interlocking features so that they will all assume a position in a horizontal line so that the pull ou the several slips` or gripping devices will be even and whereby the casing is evenly Igripped on all sides and tightly held without injury to the casing.

A further object of my invention is to provide an elevator of this character in which means are provided for simultaneously raising the slips or gripping devices to release the same from the casing and allow it to be supported by the stationary slip or gripping devices arranged around the casing, all of which is Well understood and needs no further description.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a simple, cheap and effective well casing elevator' which can be readily placed over the casing when the coupling is applied thereto and having certain details of structure and combination of parts hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a side elevation of my improved elevator showing the stationary slips or gripping devices surrounding the well casing.

Figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section showing the slips or gripping devices engaging the Well casing and supporting the same.

Figure 3 is a side elevation similar to Figure? showing the slips or gripping devices raised for releasing the well casing and allow it to be supported by the stationary slips or ripping devices.

figure '4 is a horizontal transverse sectional view of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the slips or gripping devices.

In the practice of drawing well casings, it is customary to have a casing holding means supported by any structure surrounding the well and as shown in the drawings. comprises a base 1 having a central opening therethrougli, through which passes the well casing Q and said casing adapted to be supported by the slips or gripping devices 3 which are arranged to firmly grip and support the well casing and which are constructed similar to those shown and described hereinafter as used in my elevator. These slips or gripping devices are individually raised by the interlocking feature hereinafter described and which insuresv otl an even gripping of the well casing around its entire periphery.

In the' ordinary well casing elevator the same engages the lower edge of the coupling and it has been found that the elevator unv der very heavy strains will spring to a certain extent and cause the entire weight to come on the two opposite sides of the coupling and it often happens that the 'thi-aids are stripped. thus allowing the casing to slip into the well. By my improved elevator it will be seen that the coupling isnot employed at all in lifting the casing from the well, but the entire weight is evenly distributed on all of the slips or gripping devices and the easing supported around its entire periphery and absolutely prevents the casing from dropping back into the well or injury thereto.

My improved elevator comprises a base 4 which as shown is of a ring shape having on two opposite sides the pmjections 5 and which are provided with slots and S to receive the lower ends of the links il and. l0. Fitting in the slots 7 and S are the blocks ll and 1Q which have their inner faces rurved to conform with the curve of the links and these blocks are held in the slots by means of the bolts 13 and 14. The upper ends ot the links are passed over the hook l5 which is supported by the cable 16 by means of the swivel connection 17. The cable lo passes over the blocks and is raised and lowered bv any desired form ol motor, all of which is well understood in the art and needs no further description. The base is provided with a central tapering bore l5 against which the tapering walls ot' the slip or gripping devices 19, Q0, Q1 and 22 rest. lVhile I have shown four of these slip or gripping devices it will be understood that any desired number may be. employed. The inner faces of the slip or gripping devices are vertically arranged and are provided with teeth 23 which iirmly bite into the well casing and support the casing as will be hereinafter more tully set forth.

The slip or gripping devices 19. 20, 21 and 22 are each provided on one edge with a tongue 24 and on the other edge with a groove 25. The tongue 24 of one slip or gripping device is adapted to enter the slot 25 of the abutting slip or gripping device, whereby all of the gripping devices are maintained in horizontal alinement and which cause an even gripping of the same on the well casing around its entire periphery. By this structure it will be seen that the teeth 23 of the slip or gripping devices engage the outer periphery of the well c asing and when the weight of the well casing comes on the teeth the slips or gripping devices are all forced downwardly in the tapering bore 1S of the base 4 and are "forced inwardly to tightly and evenly grip the outer periphery of the well casing.

Each of the four slips or gripping devices are provided with an outwardly extending projection 26 having obliquely arranged vertical openings -7 extending therethrough and passing through said opening is a bolt 28 arranged in the same plane as the tapered boreV 18 of the base 4 as indicated at 29. By this structure it will be seen that the slip or gripping devices are at all times carried by the base 4 but are free to move upwardly and travel in an oblique direction so that-'they will move to and from the casing when raised and lowered.

The projections 26 are provided with horizontal openings 30 through which bolts 31 pass and upon which are mounted the links 32 which extend upwardly and are pivotally connected at 33 to the Spider cross head 34. It will be seen that there are two of these links on each sli or gripping device, one on each side of t e projections 26 and one link is arranged on each side of the arms of the spider cross head as clearly lshown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings. The cross head 34 is provided centrally with an eye 35 into which passes the weighted hook 36. This hook as s own is pivoted at 37 to the link 38 suspended from the hook 15; as herebefore stated the hook 36 is provided on the opposite side of the pivot 37 'with a weight 39 which normally holds the hook in the politionshown in Figure 2 of the drawings so 'there is no liability of the hook accidently entering the eye 35 and releasing the gripping devices as will be later described.

In the normal operation of my device the hook 36 passes throuffh the eye 35 and supports the gripping evices in the position shown in Fi ure 3 of the drawings. While in this position it will be seen that the device can be lowered over the upper end of the veli easing,A the same being supported by the gripping devices 3 ermanentlv carried by the base 1 surroun ing the well casing. Vhen the hook 36 is in the eye it will be seen that the gripping devices are all supported in an upward position having their ends extending a shoit distance into the bore of the base 4. The device is then lowered over the well casing 2 until said well casing engages the spider 34 which stops the downward movement ot the'base. A continued downward movement of the hook 15 allows the link 38 to move downwardly so that the weighted hook 36 is disengaged automatically from the eye 35. An upward movement of the hook 15 caused by a cable herebefore attached thereto will cause the links 9 and 1() to move the base 4 upwardly and the tapered bore thereof will engage the tapered outer faces of the gripping devices and cause the same to move inward ly which in turn forces the teeth 23 into the outer periphery of the casing, and tightly gripping the same. By the continued upward movement of the links 9 and 10 through the medium of the cable herebefore described it will be seen that the head 4 will be raised carrying with it the well casing. After the well casing has been raised the desired distance the cable supporting the links is lowered and the gripping devices 3 carried by the base 1 will supportthe casing in its raised position. The hook is then passed through the eye 35 and again tightening the cable supporting the hook 15, will cause the spider to cause the gripping devices to be raised through the medium of the links 32 until the projections 26 strike the heads of the bolts 28 when the whole device including the base 4 will be raised and supported by the hook 36 so that it is free to move upwardly around the well casing or to allow the well casing to be moved out of the same.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is:

1. An elevatorof the character described comprising a base having a tapering boretherethrough, a series of gripping devices vertically movable in said bore, suspending means for said gripping devices', and means for automatically disengaging the gripping device suspending means from the gripping devices when the suspending means come in contact with the top of the casing.

2. An elevator of thecharacterdescribed comprising a base having a tapering bore therethrough, a series of gripping devices vertically movable in said bore., means for suspending the base, means for suspending the gripping 4devices' independent'of the base, and automatic means for disengaging the gripping devices from the suspending means when the upper end of the well casing lilas assed a predetermined distance through t e ase.

3. An elevator of the character described comprising a base, having a tapering bore therethrough, gripping devices vertically movable in said bore, a spider supporting the gripping devices, a suspension means for said spider, a suspension means for the base, and automatic means for disengaging the spider from its suspension means when the upper end of the well casing engages the spider in the downwardv moyement of the base around the Well casing.

4. An elevator of the character described comprising a `base having a tapering bore therethrough, links supporting the said base, a supporting cable for said links, a series of gripping devices having tapering outer walls corresponding with the tapered bore of the base, interlocking means carried by the abutting walls of the gripping devices, means for supporting said gripping devices and raising and lowering them, means carr by the gripping devices for supporting the base after the gripping devices have been raised a predetermined distance.

5. An elevator of the character described comprising a base having a tapering bore therethrough, links supporting the said base and having a supporting hook passing through their upper ends, a series of gripping devices having'abutti'ng linterlocking side walls and fitting within the bore of the base and having tapering outer walls corresponding therewith, a cross head having link connections with the gripping devices and having a removable connection with the hook supporting the links and means carried by the gripping devices for supporting the base after the same has been moved upwardly a predetermined distance.

6. An elevator of the character described comprising a base having a tapering bore therethrough, means for suspending the base, a series o gripping devices fitting in the tapered bore of the base and having interlocking, abutting edges, a spider suspending the gripping devices and the suspending means for the spider, and having automatic disconnecting means when the spider engages the upper end of the well casing.

7. An elevator of the character described comprising a' base having a tapering bore therethrough, means for supporting, raising and lowering said base, a series of gripping devices having tapering walls fitting against the tapering bore ofthe 'base and having abutting, inter-locking edges, means for raising and lowering said gripping devices simultaneously and means carried by the gripp ing devices for raising and supporting the base after the gripping devices have moved upwardly a predetermined distance.

8. An elevator of the character described comprising a base having a tapering bore therethrough, means for suspending said base, a series of gripping devices fitting in the tapered bore of the base and having correspondingly tapered outer faces, the abutting walls pf one gripping device having a projection entering a recess in the wall of the adjoining gripping device, a spider for supporting the gripping devices, means for suspending the spider, means for automatically disconnecting the suspending means from the spider when the spider has been lowered on the upper end of the well casing.

9. An elevator of the character described comprising a base having a tapering bore therethrough, means for supporting, raising and lowering said base, a series of gripping devices fitting in the tapered bore of the base and having correspondingly tapered outer faces, the abutting wall of one gripping device having a projection entering a recess in the wall of the adjoining gripping device, and means for raising and lowering the gripping devices independent of the base.

10. An elevator of the character described comprising a base having a tapering bore therethrough, means for supporting, raising and lowering said base, a series of gripping devices fitting in the tapered bore of the base and having tapering outer faces corresponding with the taper of the bore of the base, means for raising and lowering said gripping devices, means for causing the gripping devices to move outwardly in their upward movement, and said means adapted to support the base after the gripping devices have been raised a predetermined distance.

V11. An elevator of the character described comprising a base having a tapering bore therethrough, links supporting the base and having a hook passing through their upper ends, a series of gripping devices fitting in the tapering bore ofthe base and havingA their outer faces correspondingly tapered, said gripping devices having their abutting walls interlocking to allow the same to move horizontally when moved upwardly, a spider supported by the hook and having link connections with the gripping devices for rais.

ing the same and means carried by the base for causing the gripping devices to move horizontally intheir upward movement and to support the base when the gripping devices have moved upwardly a predetermined tapered -to correspond with the bore of they base, the abutting walls yof the gripping devices, projections interlocking with the recesses of the adjoining gripping device, an outwardly extending ear carried by the upctv per end ot each ot the gripping devices, a guide carried b v the lisse and arranged in a plane with the taper of the bore ot' the base and passing through said lugs, and having beveled upper ends, a spider derachahly connected to a hook supported by a link carried by the lirst mentioned hook, links pivotally connected to the outer end of the spider and having their lower ends pivorallyY connected to the lugs carried by the gripping devices substantially shown and described.

lil. An elevator ot` the character described comprising a hase having a tapering bore therethrough, means tor raising and lowering said base, a series ot' grippingdevices tilting against the tapering walls ot' the bore ol` the base, means carried b v the raising and lowering means of the base for raising and lowering thc 'gripping devices independent oif the base.

ll. )in elevator ot the chai'acter described comprising a base, having a tapering bore therethrough, a series ot' gripping devices vertically movable in said bore, and having interlocking means with each other, means for raising and lowering the base, and means' carried by said -raising and lowering means tor connection 'with the gripping devices ior raising the same a limited distance independent ot the base.

l5. in elevator ot the character described comprising a base having a tapering bore therethrough, gripping devices vertically movable in said bore, links supporting the base, means for supporting the links, gripping devices vertically movable in said bore,

and a weighted hook carried by the link supporting means and adapted to support the gripping devices and adapted to automatically release the gripping devices upon the downward movement of the link supporting means.

16. Lin elevator of the character described comprising a base having a tapering bore therethrough, links carried by the base, supporting means having a movable connection with said links, gripping devices movable in said bore, and a weighted hook carried by the link supporting means and adapted to support the gripping devices in their raised position and to release the gripping devices upon the downward movement of the link supporting means after the baise has been stopped in.its downward movement.

1T. An elevator of the character described comprising a base having a tapering bore therethrough, links carried by said base, means for `supporting the links and having a vertical movement therein, gripping devices vertioally movable in said bore, an eye carried by said gripping devices, and an intermediately pivoted hook carried by the link supporting means, and having a weight to overbalance the hook, whereby the hook automatically disengages with the eye 'of the gripping devices on the downward movement ot the link supporting means when the base ,has been stopped on its downward movement by the engagement of the upper end of the well casing with the gripping device supporting means.

In testimony whereof, I atlix my signature.

UHARLES A. BUTLER.

Images