Pipe handling machine

F. E. BURLETT

PIPE HANDLING MACHINE

April 9, 1968

Filed May 5, 1966

3,376,933

Sheets-Sheet 1

<img file="US3376933A_D0001.tif" />

3,376,933

F. E. BURLETT

PIPE HANDLING MACHINE

April 9, 1968

Filed May 5, 1966

Sheets-Sheet

<img file="US3376933A_D0002.tif" />

United States Patent Office 3,376,933 __________________ Patented Apr. 9, 1968

3,376,933 PIPE HANDLING MACHINE

Frederick E. Buriett, Benson, Vt. 05731 Filed May 5, 1966, Ser. No. 547,827 10 Claims. (Cl. 166—76)

My invention relates to well equipment and pertains more particularly to a device for conveniently handling pipe and for lowering and raising lengths of pipe into drilled wells.

There has been a great growth in rise of drilled wells for water supplies in recent years. It is not uncommon for wells to be constructed that run many hundreds of feet in depth. Usual practice is to place a submersible pump at or near the bottom of the well. A pipe, which may. be copper, steel, galvanized iron, or plastic, runs within the well casing to the pump, and serves as the suspending element for the pump as well as the conduit for water to be delivered.

The lowering of a pump is at present a tedious, somewhat hazardous operation. Pipe lengths of approximately 20 feet are added (with suitable couplings) as the pump is lowered into the well until the desired depth is reached. With increasing depth the weight of the accumulated pipe and pump increases, and in deep wells the problem of keeping in control of the process becomes formidable. There are two general method now used in this work. In one, a tripod is erected over the well, and with the use of pipe vises and chain hoists, the pipe is laboriously let down (or raised) a section at a time. Another method employs a hydraulic hoist, which may be mounted on a truck or drill rig. In the former case much time and effort is called for; in the latter case the equipment is expensive and cumbersome at best.

In accordance with my invention I provide a simple mechanical device by which one man can perform the entire operation. My machine is easily understood, maintained and repaired, and can be used on the well site without requiring the use of expensive auxiliary equipment.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference may now be made to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings in which

FIGURE 1 is a view in elevation of my device shown mounted and in operation over a well opening;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the device shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an outline view, in elevation, of my unit in transportable form.

Referring now more particularly in FIGURES 1 and 2, it will be seen that my device is assembled on a central structural rib 6 which carries a speed reducer gear box 7, and upon which are journaled a pair of wheels—a powered wheel 9 and an idler wheel 8. These are not unlike automobile wheels, and in fact standard wheels with pneu- 55 matic tires may be used. For reasons which will later be apparent, I prefer to use tires having a flat, treadless face.

The wheel 9 is driven under suitable power by means °f amotor ¹⁰_r secured on a bracket 11 pivotally mounted motor in FIGURE 1 is shown as an electrical power source, while the motor shown in FIGURE 2 is gasoline driven. In the case of a gas engine, the pivotable bracket 11 provides a convenient clutching means whereby the op- at the left of the pivot, best shown in FIGURE 2. In the case of electrical power, suitable controls, not shown, may be provided.

,J^be motor ^dz^ivf ^{is carried t0 the gear box} 7 by a belt worm gear reduction in the box 7, which results in ~an output shaft 14 at right angles to the input shaft 13. A chain drive 15 completes the power transmission to the wheel 9.

Both wheels 8 and 9 are journaled in bearings the housings of which are pivotally mounted on the rib 6 This is best shown in FIGURE 2. When the belt 12 is removed, the wheel 9, the gear box 7 and the chain drive 15 are all free to rotate about the axis of pin 16. The idler wheel 8. is similarly arranged so that it and its associated. bearing, assembly may rotate about a pin corresponding to pin 16 on the other side of the unit. I provide a short hollow tube 17 extending from the bearing housings for each of the wheels 8 and 9. The lengths of the tubes 1.7 are so chosen that their ends join on a common axis when the wheel 9 is rotated ninety degrees around the pin 16 (counterclockwise looking down on FIGURE 2) and when the wheel 8 is similarly rotated around its pin 16 ninety degrees (clockwise looking down on FIGURE 2). The two tubes 17 may then be conveniently clamped together.

When this has been accomplished, the wheels 8 and 9 are no longer oriented in a common plane (as in FIGURES 1 and 2) but lie in parallel planes as in FIGURE 3. In this position it will be seen that my unit becomes a trailer, with the wheels 8 and 9 serving in a conventional way, and the rib 6 comprising the body. Thus the entire machine may be transported and a conventional hitch used to attach it to a truck, auto, or the like. The wheel spindles themselves may be hollow, the tubes 17 being extensions thereof; in which case a shaft may be slipped through nr r&gt;^{to secur}e the wheels in the position shown in FIGURE 3.

An associated unit serving to mount the device over a well will now be described. A mounting plate may be clamped to the top of a well casing 19 by means of a pair of chain vises 20. The plate 18 carries a notched extension 21 which is adapted to receive a crossbar 22 affixed to the end of the rib 6. A threaded stud 23 on the plate 18 provides means to secure the unit with a nut 24.

The opertion of my unit now be described. As explained above, the machine can be carried to the site in the form of a trailer (FIGURE 3). It may be wheeled by one man to the exact site of the well. After the plate 18 is clamped into position, the crossbar 22 is dropped into the notched extension 21 and the rib 6 (along with the entire assembly) is provided about crossbar 22 into the upright position. It is there secured by stud 23 and nut 24. Any other convenient clamping means could here be employed.

The ends of the tubes 17 are then separated and the two wheel units are brought around, about pins 16 to substantially the coplanar position of FIGURE 1. At this point the first section of pipe 25 may be positioned between the wheels. A tie rod 26 is then used to bring the wheels together with suitable pressure against the pipe 25 This is done, by rotating the nut 27 on the threaded portion of the tie rod 26. I have found that an air pressure in the ------- -------x ~——u ^{about 60 lbs}· ^wil1 P^rf&gt;vide sufficient force against at the end of the rib 6 as shown in FIGURE 1. The 60 ^{a 1/2 plpe}’ ^{when the rubber} surfaces join along the line motor ρτητπ,ρ 1 ------------------- . 28, t0 support over 3 500 Ibs This fJ _exc^aXh7t^bna« weight of pump and pipe for wells of any practical depth.

Upon rotation of the wheel 9 under power (counter _e . , , , - -------------------x- clockwise m FIGURE 1) the pipe 25, to which a suitable erator may decouple the power by depressing the bracket 65 ^su™iersible pump has been affixed may be run down into 1, .. .x. ,.. .x .x ...... the well Normally, pipe sections are used which are about twenty feet in length, and this distance has been safely traversed with my device in about forty seconds The ----------- „ _{ιυ Uic} ,_{gear D0X} ·, _{Dy a pelt}^P7X’^SJ¹¹¹¹ interrupted and a coupling 29 is added to 12 to input shaft 13. I find it convenient to use a 40 to 1 ⁷⁰ * τ Τ’ °^{f pipe 25}’ ...... ¹⁰¹ . I also provide a guide stand which (for 20 foot pipes) rises about ten feet above the machine when threaded into

3,376,933 the end member 31. A gate 32 to loosely hold the pipe in slidable position is operated by a cable pull 33.

The succeeding section of pipe is passed up against the open gate (providing a convenient fulcrum) and threaded to the section already between wheels 8 and 9 and extending downwardly into the well. The coupling 29 is the joining means, and the process is then repeated. Pipe wrenches are used to secure the joint as is well understood in the trade.

It was found that the slightly enlarged portion caused by the coupling 29 passes easily between the tires with no loss of gripping force. Thus no special operation is required in passing from section to section as the pipe is lowered into the well. For additional safety a U-shaped collar 34 may be slipped over the pipe to stop it at the next collar, should control for any reason be lost. It should be understood that a coupling 35 is added to each section of pipe before it is attached to the preceding section.

In raising a pump from a well for servicing, the above process is reversed. This operation is equally important and is often required in the maintenance of water systems. In wells which may run hundreds of feet in depth, my unit makes it possible for one man to perform the entire process, with a great saving in time and effort. Expensive auxiliary machinery (such as drill rigs, hydraulic hoists, or trucks) is not required. Furthermore, a variety of pipe sizes and types may be accommodated without expensive changes in the equipment. The resilient .means afforded by the pneumatic tires will accept a variety of pipe sizes. Also, if plastic or thin walled copper piping is used, the pressure against the pipe can be readily adjusted by a combination of tie rod tension (nut 27) or pneumatic pressure in the tires. In all cases, the hold on the pipe is over a large area, and the unit pressure is held well below the yield point of the pipe being used. In very deep wells 35 well, it may be useful to use rubber tires impregnated, with abrasive to increase the coefficient of friction but this has not been found necessary for wells of as much as 500 feet in depth.

The surface condition of the pipe appears to have.little 40 effect on the ability of my machine to control the lifting or dropping operation. In lifting, the pipe is usually wet and often has a slippery coating. The tires effectively squeeze this off, and no loss in lifting power has been observed. While I have described the basic principles of my 45 invention and illustrated the same with a particular embodiment, it will be appreciated that many engineering refinements within the spirit and scope of the claims will occur to skilled persons in this field. For example, in an may be provided in the form of a limit switch 36 operated by the coupling 35. The operator can then be preparing the next section of pipe, as the machine operates.