DRILLING FLUID SAVER AND SAFETY VALVE

• US 3,847,372 A
• Filed: 02/26/1973
• Issued: 11/12/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mason Rawleigh Litchfield
• Original Assignee: Mason Rawleigh Litchfield
• Inventors: Litchfield, Mason Rawleigh
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwadron, Martin P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Matthews, David R.
• Application Number:
  US05/335,489
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 251/58,77,172,218,248,249.5,250,250.5,251,340 137/315,329.05,495,496,614.11 175/218 214/350 179/41
• US Class Current: 251/248
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/106 Valve arrangements outside the borehole, e.g. kelly valves valves specifically for maintaining circulation of drilling fluid while connecting or disconnecting tubular joints E21B21/019
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 2200/04 Ball valves
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/6103 Cam type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87981 Common actuator

Abstract

A drilling fluid saver and safety valve assembly includes a tubular body having a core rotatably mounted within the tubular body to open and close the valve and an actuator rotatably mounted about the tubular body having a lost motion rotation whereby the initial rotation of the actuator rotates the core to the closed position and a further rotation causes the tubular body to disconnect from the drill string.

Claims

1. Drilling fluid saver valve assembly comprising:

a tubular body having a flow axis;

valve closure means mounted within said tubular body for rotation about an axis transverse to said flow axis between an open position permitting fluid flow through said tubular body along said flow axis and a closed position preventing fluid flow through said tubular body along said flow axis;

actuator means rotatable around said flow axis;

drive means connecting said actuator means to said closure means for rotating said valve closure means between said open and closed positions when said actuator means is turned about said flow axis between predetermined positions; and

torque means for transmitting torque between said actuator means and said tubular body about said flow axis, said torque means including a portion carried by said actuator means and a portion carried by said body, said portions being engageable in one relative position of said body and closure means to transmit torque in one direction about said axis and being engageable in another relative positioN of said body and closure means to transmit torque in the opposite direction about said flow axis, said positions being azimuthally separated by an amount equal to the azimuthal travel of said actuator means relative to said body required to move said closure means between open and closed positions, said torque means being independent of said drive means, whereby torque can be transmitted between said actuator means and said tubular body without passing through said drive means, thereby avoiding torque strain on said drive means except when the closure is being moved between said open and closed positions.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said tubular body includes valve seats disposed in said flow passage at opposite sides of said valve closure means and engageable therewith, said seats being free of stop surfaces that would prevent rotation of said closure means relative to said seats about said flow axis.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said valve seats are tubular members telescopically received in recesses in said valve body and are free to rotate in said recesses about said flow axis.

4. Drilling fluid saver valve assembly comprising:

a tubular body having a flow axis;

valve closure means mounted within said tubular body for rotation about an axis transverse to said flow axis between an open position permitting fluid flow through said tubular body along said flow axis and a closed position preventing fluid flow through said tubular body along said flow axis;

means rotatable around said flow axis for rotating said valve closure means between said open and closed positions; and

lost motion means engageable with said rotatable means for rotating said tubular body after said valve closure means has rotated to a new position;

said lost motion means including a splined connection between said rotatable means and said tubular body, said connection having at least one spline received within a channel, said channel being sufficiently larger than said spline to permit said rotatable means to rotate said valve closure means to a new position before said spline engages one side of said channel to cause said tubular body to rotate with said rotatable means.

5. A valve assembly according to claim 4 wherein said tubular body includes rotary shouldered connection means at both ends thereof for connection with other fluid conducting members whereby upon the rotation of said tubular body with said rotatable means one of said rotary shouldered connections is effected with one of said other fluid conducting members.

6. A valve assembly according to claim 5 wherein said valve closure means includes pinion means having first gear teeth engageable with said rotatable means for rotation of said valve closure means;

and said rotatable means includes a sleeve circumferentially mounted about said tubular body for rotation thereabout, said sleeve having segmented windows receiving said pinion means;

said windows having second gear teeth mating with said first gear teeth whereby a rotation of said sleeve about said tubular body causes said pinion means to rotate thereby rotating said valve closure means.

7. A valve assembly according to claim 6 wherein:

said pinion means includes two pinions having first gear teeth disposed around their periphery; and

said segmented windows including one window having said second gear teeth projecting from its upper portion and another window having said second gear teeth projecting from its lower portion.

8. A valve assembly according to claim 7 wherein said valve closure means further includes a trunnion mounted within said tubular body for rotation about an axis transverse to said flow axis, a plug mounted for rotation on said trunnion and having a flow bore alignable with said flow axis in the open position, and seats engageable with said plug, said pinions being mounted on said trunnion.

9. Drilling fluid saver valve assembly comprising:

a tUbular body having a flow axis and rotary shouldered connection means at both ends thereof for connection with other fluid conducting members;

a valve closure rotatably mounted within said tubular body on an axis transverse to the flow axis;

said valve closure including a shaft having a pinion; and

an actuator rotatable around the flow axis having a crown gear engaging said pinion whereby upon rotating said actuator, said valve closure is rotated within said tubular body.