Coker unit drilling equipment

• US 5,794,729 A
• Filed: 01/16/1996
• Issued: 08/18/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Spiralex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Spiralex Corporation
• Inventors: Pater, Lowell L., Van Meter, Eldon L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Neuder, William P.
• Application Number:
  US08/587,214
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 175/65, 175/67, 175/385, 175/424, 175/317, 175/318, 175/220
• US Class Current: 175/424
• CPC Class Codes: C10B 33/006 Decoking tools, e.g. hydraulic coke removing tools with boring or cutting nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/18 Drilling by liquid or gas jets, with or without entrained pellets E21B7/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/28 Enlarging drilled holes, e.g. by counterboring

Abstract

In a petroleum coke operation, a pilot hole is drilled in the coke by high pressure water emitting from downwardly directed nozzles in a drilling assembly. A full hole is eroded in the coke by diverting the high pressure water to a series of full hole nozzles in response to shutting off, and then resupplying, high pressure water to the drilling assembly. This conveniently converts pilot hole operations to full hole operations, which is the normal mode of cutting coke from a drum. Thus, the modes of operation are switched each time water is resupplied to the drilling assembly.

Claims

1. In a drilling operation including a drill stem, a drilling assembly on the end of the drill stem and including a downwardly directed pilot nozzle for drilling a vertical pilot hole and an outwardly directed full hole nozzle for enlarging the pilot hole and a pump for delivering high pressure fluid to the nozzle, the improvement comprising means responsive to stopping high pressure fluid flow to the drill stem and then restarting high pressure fluid flow to the drill stem for shifting fluid flow from the pilot nozzle to the full hole nozzle and including

a housing providing a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet having a first passage to the pilot nozzle and a second passage to the full hole nozzle,

a diverter valve body in the housing shiftable between a first position connecting the fluid inlet to the first passage and a second position connecting the fluid inlet to the second passage, and

means mounting the diverter valve body for movement between the first and second positions in response to stopping high pressure fluid flow to the drill stem and then restarting high pressure fluid flow to the drill stem.

2. The combination of claim 1 further comprising means responsive to stopping high pressure fluid flow to the drill stem and then restarting high pressure fluid flow to the drill stem for shifting the diverter valve body from the second position to the first position in response to stopping high pressure fluid flow to the drill stem and then restarting high pressure fluid flow to the drill stem.

3. The combination of claim 1 further comprising a coker unit having a plurality of coke drums and a rig for drilling coke out of the drums, the rig comprising the drill stem and the drilling assembly.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein the rig comprises a derrick on top of each of the coke drums, a crown block on the derrick, a travelling block and a plurality of lines suspending the travelling block from the crown block, the drill stem being suspended from the travelling block.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the diverter valve body has an intermediate position between the first and second positions and the mounting means comprises means for shifting the diverter valve body from the first position to the intermediate position in response to stopping high pressure fluid flow to the drill stem and means for shifting the diverter valve body from the intermediate position to the second position in response to restarting high pressure fluid flow to the drill stem.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein the mounting means comprises means for shifting the diverter valve body from the second position to the intermediate position in response to stopping high pressure fluid flow to the drill stem and means for shifting the diverter valve body from the intermediate position to the first position in response to restarting high pressure fluid flow to the drill stem.

10. The combination of claim 5 wherein the cam comprises a roller bearing, received in the groove, having a stationary stem extending through the housing.

15. The combination of claim 5 wherein the full hole nozzle comprises an upstanding sealing rim on the end plate and the valve body includes a secondary fluid passage having a cleaning nozzle therein, the cleaning nozzle being arranged to be received in the full hole nozzle when the main fluid passage receives the pilot nozzle.

7. In a drilling operation including a drill stem, a drilling assembly on the end of the drill stem and including a downwardly directed pilot nozzle for drilling a vertical pilot hole and an outwardly directed full hole nozzle for enlarging the pilot hole, the improvement comprising means responsive to fluid flow in the drill stem for shifting fluid flow from the pilot nozzle to the full hole nozzle and for shifting fluid flow from the full hole nozzle to the pilot nozzle, the fluid flow responsive means comprising a diverter valve having a

a housing providing an outlet end having a first passage to the pilot nozzle and a second passage to the full hole nozzle, and a main fluid inlet,

a valve body in the housing having a main fluid passage extending from the outlet end toward the inlet,

means mounting the diverter valve for axial movement toward the outlet end in response to fluid flow toward the drilling assembly, and

means mounting the diverter valve for rotational movement between a first lowermost position connecting the main fluid passage to the pilot hole nozzle and a second lowermost position connecting the main fluid passage to the full hole nozzle.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein the means mounting the diverter valve for rotational movement includes a guide track on the exterior of the valve body and a cam, extending through the housing, into cooperative engagement with the guide track.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein the guide track comprises a groove in the exterior of the valve body.

11. The combination of claim 7 wherein the outlet end of the housing comprises an end plate and the pilot nozzle comprises an upstanding sealing rim on the end plate arranged to be received in the main fluid passage of the valve body and further comprising means sealing between the sealing rim and the main fluid passage.

12. The combination of claim 11 wherein the valve body includes a recessed shoulder in the main fluid passage and the sealing means comprises a flat washer abutting the recessed shoulder and arranged to abut the sealing rim of the pilot nozzle in a lowermost position of the diverter valve.

13. The combination of claim 7 wherein the outlet end of the housing comprises an end plate and the full hole nozzle comprises an upstanding sealing rim on the end plate arranged to be received in the main fluid passage of the valve body and further comprising means sealing between the sealing rim and the main fluid passage.

14. The combination of claim 13 wherein the valve body includes a recessed shoulder in the main fluid passage and the sealing means comprises a flat washer abutting the recessed shoulder and arranged to abut the sealing rim of the full hole nozzle in a lowermost position of the diverter valve.