US3754609A — Drill string torque transmission sleeve

Claim 1

Independent Claim 347 words

A lower drill string assembly comprising: a first metal member having a flow passage therethrough, said first member having a body whose wall has a cross-sectional area transverse to the axis of said flow passage that is at least two times the cross-sectional area of said flow passage, said first member having at one end a pin of reduced outer perimeter and wall thickness compared to that of said body forming an external shoulder between the pin and body, said shoulder having a first annular sealing surface extending about the flow passage through said member and adapted to seal with a correlative metal sealing surface, said pin including a first connector portion located at a distAnce from said shoulder, said connector portion being exteriorly conically tapered in a direction flaring toward said shoulder and being exteriorly screw threaded, said pin including between said shoulder and connector portion a sleeve receiving portion adapted to receive the hereinafter mentioned torque sleeve, a second metal member having a flow passage therethrough, said second member having a body whose wall has a cross-sectional area transverse to the axis of said flow passage that is at least twice the cross-sectional area of said flow passage, said second member including adjacent one end thereof a second connector portion of reduced wall thickness compared to that of said body, said second connector portion being interiorly conically tapered in a direction flaring toward said one end of said second member and being interiorly screw threaded and engageable with said first connector portion, said second member including a second annular sealing surface extending around said fluid passage therethrough, and a metal torque sleeve carried by said sleeve receiving portion of said pin, said sleeve having oppositely facing annular sealing surfaces thereon respectively engageable with said first and second sealing surfaces of said members to seal therewith and being adapted, when the sleeve is compressed between said shoulders by engagement of said connector portions of said members sufficient to place said pin in tension, to transmit between said shoulders torque acting about the axis of the sleeve.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 347 words

A lower drill string assembly comprising: a first metal member having a flow passage therethrough, said first member having a body whose wall has a cross-sectional area transverse to the axis of said flow passage that is at least two times the cross-sectional area of said flow passage, said first member having at one end a pin of reduced outer perimeter and wall thickness compared to that of said body forming an external shoulder between the pin and body, said shoulder having a first annular sealing surface extending about the flow passage through said member and adapted to seal with a correlative metal sealing surface, said pin including a first connector portion located at a distAnce from said shoulder, said connector portion being exteriorly conically tapered in a direction flaring toward said shoulder and being exteriorly screw threaded, said pin including between said shoulder and connector portion a sleeve receiving portion adapted to receive the hereinafter mentioned torque sleeve, a second metal member having a flow passage therethrough, said second member having a body whose wall has a cross-sectional area transverse to the axis of said flow passage that is at least twice the cross-sectional area of said flow passage, said second member including adjacent one end thereof a second connector portion of reduced wall thickness compared to that of said body, said second connector portion being interiorly conically tapered in a direction flaring toward said one end of said second member and being interiorly screw threaded and engageable with said first connector portion, said second member including a second annular sealing surface extending around said fluid passage therethrough, and a metal torque sleeve carried by said sleeve receiving portion of said pin, said sleeve having oppositely facing annular sealing surfaces thereon respectively engageable with said first and second sealing surfaces of said members to seal therewith and being adapted, when the sleeve is compressed between said shoulders by engagement of said connector portions of said members sufficient to place said pin in tension, to transmit between said shoulders torque acting about the axis of the sleeve.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 28 words

Assembly according to claim 1 wherein the torque sleeve has a modulus of rigidity of the same order of magnitude as that of said first and second members.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 35 words

Assembly according to claim 1 wherein the sleeve is axially compressed to produce a stress of at least 50,000 lbs. per square inch but less than the yield stress of the sleeve and said members.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 26 words

Assembly according to claim 1 wherein the sleeve has a length of at least about the same order of magnitude as the diameter of said members.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 28 words

Assembly according to claim 1 including wall contacting means affixed to the outer periphery of the sleeve and extending out radially beyond the outer periphery of said members.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 53 words

Assembly according to claim 5 wherein the outer periphery of the sleeve, excluding said wall contacting means, is of substantially the same diameter as the outer periphery of said first and second members, and said wall contacting means comprises a layer of hard facing material secured to the outer periphery of the sleeve.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 28 words

Assembly according to claim 5 wherein said wall contacting means comprises a plurality of blades secured to said sleeve at circumferentially spaced apart positions providing fluid passages therebetween.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 41 words

Assembly according to claim 7 wherein each blade is provided at its outer periphery with a layer hard facing material welded thereto and at its lower end with a plurality of apertures into which are inset bodies of hard facing material.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 32 words

Assembly according to claim 1 including retention means holding said sleeve to said sleeve receiving portion of the pin even if said screw threaded connector portion of the pin should break off.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 36 words

Assembly according to claim 9 wherein said retention means comprises protuberant means on one of said pin and sleeve extending into an opening in the other with play therebetween in the direction of the sleeve axis.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 31 words

Assembly according to claim 10 wherein said protuberant means comprises a peg extending inwardly from said sleeve and said opening is a slot in said sleeve receiving portion of the pin.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 40 words

Assembly according to claim 11 wherein the slot extends in the direction of the sleeve axis a distance as great as the length of the threaded connector portion of the pin that is engaged by the second threaded connector portion.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 34 words

Assembly according to claim 10 wherein said protuberant means comprises a thread on said sleeve extending inwardly therefrom and said opening is the space between turns oF a thread on said sleeve receiving portion.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 38 words

Assembly according to claim 13 wherein the play between the flanks of the threads on said sleeve and said sleeve receiving portion of the pin is of the same order of magnitude as the width of said threads.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 35 words

Assembly according to claim 13 wherein the pitch of the threads on said sleeve and said sleeve receiving portion of the pin exceeds the pitch of the threads on said connector portions of said members.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 42 words

Assembly according to claim 13 wherein the inner periphery of said sleeve and the outer periphery of said sleeve receiving portion of the pin are correlatively tapered but have a lesser taper than that of said threaded connector portions of said members.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 30 words

Assembly according to claim 13 wherein said threads on said sleeve and said sleeve receiving portion have fewer turns than said threads on said threaded connector portions of said members.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 31 words

Assembly according to claim 13 wherein fewer rotations are required to unscrew said sleeve from said sleeve receiving portion than are required to unscrew said threaded connector portions of said members.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 60 words

Method of connecting lower drill string members having shouldered pin and box connectors thereon comprising placing around the pin a torque sleeve of a length as great as the diameter of the members and then screwing the pin and box together with torque sufficient to produce an axial stress of at least 50,000 pounds per square inch in the sleeve.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 60 words

Method of connecting lower drill string members having shouldered pin and box connectors thereon comprising placing around the pin a torque sleeve of a length as great as the diameter of the members and then screwing the pin and box together with torque sufficient to produce an axial stress of at least 50,000 pounds per square inch in the sleeve.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 150 words

A lower drill string member comprising a thick walled tubular body providing a flow passage from one end to the other and having means at each end for making fluid sealing, torque transmitting, connection with another lower drill string member capable of taking axial stress and bending moment, said means at one end comprising a pin of smaller transverse extent than said body forming therebetween a shoulder, said pin having at its end remote from said shoulder a tapered threaded screw adapted to engage a correlative box on an adjacent lower drill string member, said pin including a mandrel between said shoulder and screw, said mandrel having a length of at least the same order of magnitude as the transverse extent of said tubular body, and retention means carried by said mandrel for engagement with a torque sleeve to be disposed on said mandrel between said shoulder and said box.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 150 words

A lower drill string member comprising a thick walled tubular body providing a flow passage from one end to the other and having means at each end for making fluid sealing, torque transmitting, connection with another lower drill string member capable of taking axial stress and bending moment, said means at one end comprising a pin of smaller transverse extent than said body forming therebetween a shoulder, said pin having at its end remote from said shoulder a tapered threaded screw adapted to engage a correlative box on an adjacent lower drill string member, said pin including a mandrel between said shoulder and screw, said mandrel having a length of at least the same order of magnitude as the transverse extent of said tubular body, and retention means carried by said mandrel for engagement with a torque sleeve to be disposed on said mandrel between said shoulder and said box.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 19 words

Lower drill string member according to claim 20, said retention means comprising a slot extending longitudinally on said mandrel.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 27 words

Lower drill string member according to claim 21, said slot having a longitudinal extent of at least the same distance as the axial extent of said screw.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 28 words

Lower drill string member according to claim 22, said retention means comprising a thread on said mandrel, said thread being narrower than the space between the thread turns.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 44 words

Lower drill string member according to claim 25, said mandrel being stepped providing upper and lower lands, the upper land being of larger outer diameter than the lower land, said thread forming the juncture between the smaller diameter land and the larger diameter land.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 69 words

Lower drill string member according to claim 21, in combination with a torque sleeve disposed on said mandrel and held thereon by said retention means, said retention means allowing limited relative axial motion of said member and sleeve of at least a distance of the order of magnitude of the compression of the sleeve when axially stressed to near the yield point, i.e., to 50,000 pounds per square inch.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 16 words

Combination of claim 25 including means to transmit torque from said mandrel to said torque sleeve.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 29 words

Combination of claim 25, said retention means comprising an opening in said mandrel and a peg screwed through a radial hole in said sleeve and extending into said opening.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 27 words

Combination of claim 25, said retention means comprising a thread on the interior of said sleeve axially loosely engaging a thread on the exterior of said mandrel.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 47 words

Combination of claim 28, said mandrel being tapered and stepped to provide upper and lower tapered lands, the interior of said sleeve being correlatively shaped, said mandrel lands fitting snugly inside said sleeve lands, said threads on said sleeve and mandrel forming the junctures of the lands.

Claim 33

Dependent Claim 14 words

Combination of claim 25 including wall contacting means on the exterior of said sleeve.

Claim 34

Dependent Claim 43 words

Combination of claim 27, said wall contacting means comprising a generally cylindrical layer of hard facing material attached to the outer periphery of said sleeve, the outer periphery of said layer having a larger diameter than the outer diameter of said tubular body.

Claim 35

Dependent Claim 20 words

Combination of claim 31 including means to transmit torque from said mandrel to said sleeve independently of said pin shoulder.

Claim 36

Dependent Claim 20 words

Combination of claim 30, said wall contacting means comprising rib means extending radially from the outer periphery of said sleeve.

Claim 37

Dependent Claim 19 words

Combination of claim 32, said retention means also serving to transmit torque directly from said mandrel to said sleeve.

Claim 38

Dependent Claim 62 words

Combination of claim 32, said rib means being provided with hard facing material welded to its outer periphery and leading edge (as judged from the hand of said tapered threaded screw), said rib means being provided with sockets at its lower end into which are received inserts of hard material, said sockets having depths greater than the transverse dimension of said inserts.

Claim 39

Dependent Claim 94 words

A torque sleeve for transmitting torque between lower drill string members, said sleeve having a length greater than its inner diameter, the ends of said sleeve being planar providing sealing and torque transmitting surfaces, said sleeve having wall contacting means on its outer periphery, the inner periphery of said sleeve having retention means thereon adapted for cooperation with means on a lower drill string member to retain the sleeve on the member, said retention means comprising a threaded peg screwed into a threaded radially disposed hole in said sleeve and extendable radially inwardly thereof.

Claim 40

Dependent Claim 94 words

A torque sleeve for transmitting torque between lower drill string members, said sleeve having a length greater than its inner diameter, the ends of said sleeve being planar providing sealing and torque transmitting surfaces, said sleeve having wall contacting means on its outer periphery, the inner periphery of said sleeve having retention means thereon adapted for cooperation with means on a lower drill string member to retain the sleeve on the member, said retention means comprising a threaded peg screwed into a threaded radially disposed hole in said sleeve and extendable radially inwardly thereof.

Claim 41

Dependent Claim 136 words

A torque sleeve for transmitting torque between lower drill string members, said sleeve having a length greater than its inner diameter, the ends of said sleeve being planes providing sealing and torque transmitting surfaces, said sleeve having wall contacting means on its outer periphery, the inner periphery of said sleeve having retention means thereon adapted for cooperation with means on a lower drill string member to retain the sleeve on the member, said retention means comprising a helical thread on the interior of the sleeve, the width of the thread being less than the distance between turns of the thread by an amount at least as great as the compression of the sleeve from one end of the sleeve to the remote end of the thread under a compressive stress of 50,000 pounds per square inch.

Claim 42

Dependent Claim 136 words

A torque sleeve for transmitting torque between lower drill string members, said sleeve having a length greater than its inner diameter, the ends of said sleeve being planes providing sealing and torque transmitting surfaces, said sleeve having wall contacting means on its outer periphery, the inner periphery of said sleeve having retention means thereon adapted for cooperation with means on a lower drill string member to retain the sleeve on the member, said retention means comprising a helical thread on the interior of the sleeve, the width of the thread being less than the distance between turns of the thread by an amount at least as great as the compression of the sleeve from one end of the sleeve to the remote end of the thread under a compressive stress of 50,000 pounds per square inch.

Claim 43

Dependent Claim 44 words

Sleeve according to claim 37, said thread on the sleeve being flat crested and having steep flanks, e.g., of the order of 15* to the plane perpendicular to the sleeve axis, and a coarse pitch, e.g., of the order of two threads per inch.

Claim 44

Dependent Claim 28 words

Sleeve according to claim 37, the interior of said sleeve being tapered and stepped providing larger and smaller diameter lands with the thread forming a helical shoulder therebetween.

Claim 45

Dependent Claim 80 words

A sleeve replacement for a replaceable sleeve blade stabilizer, said sleeve comprising a tubular body having smooth ends providing sealing and torque transmitting shoulders, and a plurality of ribs spaced circumferentially about the body and extending radially therefrom forming fluid passages therebetween, each of said ribs having hard facing material welded to the outer periphery thereof and having sockets in the lower end thereof receiving hard inserts, said sockets having depths at least 50 percent as great as their widths.

Claim 46

Dependent Claim 80 words

A sleeve replacement for a replaceable sleeve blade stabilizer, said sleeve comprising a tubular body having smooth ends providing sealing and torque transmitting shoulders, and a plurality of ribs spaced circumferentially about the body and extending radially therefrom forming fluid passages therebetween, each of said ribs having hard facing material welded to the outer periphery thereof and having sockets in the lower end thereof receiving hard inserts, said sockets having depths at least 50 percent as great as their widths.

Claim 47

Dependent Claim 51 words

Sleeve according to claim 40, some of said sockets in each rib extending substantially parallel to the sleeve axis from the under Side of the rib and some of said sockets in each rib extending substantially radially into the outer periphery of the rib at the lower end of the rib.

Claim 48

Dependent Claim 16 words

Sleeve according to claim 40, said inserts being flush with the adjacent portions of the ribs.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1976-08-27	1977-02-26	1977-08-28	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1980-08-27	1981-02-26	1981-08-28	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1984-08-27	1985-02-26	1985-08-28	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Drill string torque transmission sleeve

Abstract

Inventors

Bibliographic Details

Claims Analysis

References Cited (Backward Citations)

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Assigned Categories & Tags

Assign Category Tag