US1644947A - Core barrel - Google Patents

Description

J. T. PHIPPS Oct. 11, 1927.

CORE BARREL Filed Aug. 25, B235 @mom-asm@ .i @chainsaw JOHN T.

??HIPES, QF HUNTENGTON EARK, CALEFORNIA..

CORE BARREL.

Application tiled August 23 This invention relates to the oil well drilling industry. lt is necessary to identify the strata which is penetrated'when a. well is being bored, in order to know when drilling should be stopped and the casing lowered and cemented in place. lt is common practice in this industry to use a core barrel for taking cores for samples of the strata, the core being lifted to the surface of the ground with the core barrel which is attached to the lower end of the drill. pipe.

lt isian object of this invention to provide a new and improved form of core barrel.

'.lhe ordinary core barrel consists of a shell i which is attached to the lower .end of the drill pipe. At the lower end of the shell is an annular` cutter and extending upward from the cutter inside the shell is a barrel. When the core barrel is rotated the annular cutter forms a core which extends upward into the barrel. 'lhe upper end of the barrel is provided with a check valve which isadapted to permit rotary mud to pass from the barrel into the shell but not in a reverse,

direction VRotary mud is supplied tothe cutter through the shell around the barrel, this rotary mud being prevented from entering the barrel by means of the check valve. lhere is a liabihty that the check valve will be prevented from seating. This permits the rotary mud to pass through the barrel from, the shell. Since this rotary mud is under a high pressure, the core being formed is some-` times entirely washed out of the barrel.

lt is an object of this invention'to provide a core barrel in which the interior of the barrel has absolutely no connection with the interior of the shell.

Another object of niy invention is to provide a core barrel in which the barrel thereof is vented to the exterior of the shell so that the interior of the barrel will be of the same pressure as the pressure in the lower end of the well, and therefore there can be no reverse flow of rotary mud through the barrel.

lt is a further object of the invention to provide an improved cutter which will cut a true bore substantially to gage for a substantial period of time.

1t is another object of the invention to make a core barrel having thorough circulation of lubricating fluid,

1t is "an object of the invention to provide a core barrel having a lubricated core catcher.

, 1925. Serial I\IT0. 130,859.

@ther objects and advantages of the invention will be made evident hereinafter..

Referring to the drawings in which l illustraite my invention,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 3, being a section through a core barrel embodying the features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical end of the core barrel.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of F ig. l;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4 4 of F igfl.

vReferring to the drawings and particularly -to Fig. 2, the numeral 1l denotes an section of the upper upper body which is threaded at 12 at its 'to upper end so that it maybe secured to the lower end of a drill pipe. Formed vertically through the body 11 is a rotary mud passage 13. l-he lower end of the body 11 is reduced in size, as indicated at 14, andan upper end of'a top section 15 of' a shell 16 is extended onto this portion 14. The top section 15 and the body 11 ma be secured together by welding 17. The ower end of the top section 16 is threaded portion 18, onto .which an internally threaded portion 19 of a bottom section 2O of the shell 16 is secured.

The lower end of the bottom section 20 is provided with a threaded pin 22 which is adapted to be screwed intoa socket 23 of a boring element 24. The boring element 24 has a body 25 from which substantially radially extending cutting wings 27 extend., Formed at the lower end of the bodyv 25 are teeth 28 which are in annular arrangement and which surround the lowerend of an opening 30 formed through the boring element 24. Placed in anenlarged part 3l of the opening 30 is a cylinder 32, to which core provided with an externally o@ holders in the form of spring arms 33 are y secured.

The lower end of a barrel 35 is screwed into a socket 36 formed at the lower' end of the bottomrsection 2O immediately above a neck 37 thereof.. rlhe opening 30, the neck 37 Aand the interior of the barrel '35 are in communication and in axial alignment with each other.

Secured to the upper end of the barre135 is 38 is a nipple 39 which extends upward therefrom. The upper end of the nipple 39 E05 a reducer 38 and attached to the reducer l joint.

f slotte l these two parts may extends into a socket 40 which forms theV lower end of a vent pipe 41; The nipple fits snugly in the socket so as to form a tight provided with atapered guide portion 42 which extends outward and engages the interior face of the shell 16. The guide portion 42 has openings 43 formed therethrough. Referrinor to Fig. 2, the vent pipe 41 has an upperV o set portion 44which` is attached to the lower end of the body 11 in communication with a vent opening thereof. The offset portion 44 may be secured to the body 11,-as by welding indicated at 46. It willbe seen that it is necessary to offset the vent pipe-41 sothat it ma; be connected to the vent opening 45 whic is formed in thekbody 11 at one side ofthe passage 13. In orderl to rigidly secure the vent j ipe in place,

at the upper end of the vent pipe and be welded together as indicated at 47. l l Rotary mud which is supplied to the boring element 24 is forced downward through the passage 13 and through the shell 16 around the barrel 35. Formed at the lower end of the bottom section 20 of the shell 16 immediatel above the pin 22 are bosses 48 in which dyucts 49 are formed. The ducts 49 are positioned, as will be seen in Fig. 3, so as to direct the rotary mud along the cutting face of each of the cutting wings 27. When the core barrel is, set into operation, the cutting wings 27 and the teeth 28 cooperate to4 form a core which, as drilling progresses, gradually moves upward barrel 35. When a suiicient core has been formed it is broken and the core barrel is elevated. The -core holders 33 which are sprung outward by the core during its` enterthe fact lthat the nipple ing the barrel 35 will move inward into the positions shown in Fig. 1, thus supporting the core within the barrel 35. p

In order to remove the core from the' barrel 35 it is necessary to separate the top and bottom sectionsv 15 and 2,0 of the shell 16. The top section and the parts secured thereto are then removed, this givin@ access to the up r end of the barrel 35. lly reason of 39 is only in fricthe socket 40, this be accomplished. The bartional engagement with separation may rel 35 is then unscrewed from the bottom sec--l tion 2O and the core may then be removed therefrom.

An important feature of the invention is lthat the upper end of the interior of vthe barrel 35 is not in communication with the interior of the shell 16 or any of the passages in the core barrel through which the rota mud is suppliedto the boring element 24. he barrel 35, as previously explained,

is connected to the exterior of the core barrel by means of the vent and vent opening The lower end of the socket 40 is vthe vent 45 may the.shell 16 may be into the- 41 and 45 respectively. The static ressur inside the barrel 35 is the same ast at out'- side of the core barrel; therefore, there will be n'o flowof rotary mud through the barrel 35 in a reverse direction." As the core is formed and extended through the barrel 35 the rotary mud therein will be displaced and will pass upward through the venting arrangement to the exterior of the core barrel. The mud passage is made eccentric so that be made quite large. It is desirable to have a large vent so that liability of clogging lwill be made a minimum.

A feature of the invention resides in the form of cutter wings 2 Lower faces 60 of ,the wings slope upward towards the outside and have an excellent centralizing action. The outer cutting faces of the wings have notches 61 which render the.cutting edges interrupted. This is found to be very helpful in boring an accurate hole.

Another feature of the invention is present in the core catcher. vided with an annular grease chamber 63 which may be packed with grease, thus assuring a free rotation of the cylinder and core catcher arms. 4

A still further feature 48 in which the ducts 49'are formed. There is plenty of clearance around the bosses for upward-moving cuttings.

I cla'imlas my invention:

1. -A core barrel comprising: a body; a

boring element at the lower' end. of said body; a barrel supported in said body, the lower end of said barrel being open to the lower end of said body, said barrel being secured to said body. at its lower end; and a vent pipe supported inside said body and in communication with Vthe exterior of said body, said vent pipe which the upper end of said barrel exbody, said ven`t pipe having a socket into which the upper end of said barrel extends, said barrel being'vented by said vent pipe, there being means in said body for conducting rotary mud to said means not being in communication with said barrel or said vent pipe.

3. A core barrel comprising: a body; a boring element at the lower end of said body; a barrel supported in said body, the lower end of said'barrel being open to the lower end of said body; and a vent pipe supported inside said body and in communicahaving a socket into The cylinder is proexists in the bosses boring element, said 1,644,947 y y f 3 tion With the exterior of said bod said from said boring element, lower faces being Vent pipe having a socket into which the sloped upward towards the outside 'and 10 upper end of said barrel extends, said barrel having notches formed in the outer cutting being vented by said vent pipe, there being faces. l

5 aI guide portion at the lower end of said Vent In testimony whereof, have hereunto set pipe for guiding said barrel thereinto. my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 4. In combination` in a core barrel: a bor- '17th day of August, 1926.

ing element; and wings extended outward JOHN T. PHIPPS.

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