Tool driving or impacting – With work engaging means supporting drive
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-21
2001-11-13
Smith, Scott A. (Department: 3721)
Tool driving or impacting
With work engaging means supporting drive
C173S112000, C173S147000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06315059
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to well drilling. More particularly, the present invention relates to water well drilling in confined spaces. The present invention relates generally to equipment useful in drilling water wells and/or earth bore holes. More specifically, this invention concerns a lightweight, portable drilling rig, capable of drilling shallow water wells in locations that are of a confined nature and/or considered to be impossible by larger drilling equipment. The present invention may be easily and quickly disassembled (if further necessary) and manually transported to areas not previously accessible to conventional drilling equipment currently available. The machine is capable of drilling a well in confined locations that would not be accessible by prior well rigs. It is now possible to effectively accomplish this in an acceptable time frame thereby allowing for a brand new market, which until now had been excluded.
2. Description of Related Art
Well drilling is well known in the art. The prior art inventions address the problem of drilling a hole in the ground through various materials. The well drilling equipment is generally configured for use on a vehicle and for large sized wells. Little attention has been paid to drilling wells in confined and unreachable locations. What is needed is a man portable well drilling device that can negotiate obstacles and barriers such as fences and narrow passageways.
In many areas of the country and throughout the world, it remains extremely difficult, if not impossible (i.e., location), to transport to a location drilling equipment necessary to drill water wells. Inadequate or nonexistent roads prevent conventional, heavy truck mounted water well drilling equipment from reaching the desired location. Because the substantial roads required to sustain such conventional drill rigs and truck mounted equipment are not available in many areas in underdeveloped and third world countries, large areas throughout the world are effectively isolated and it is not feasible to drill water wells in these locations.
A small, lightweight, easily portable yet effective drilling system is needed that would allow water wells to be drilled in currently isolated areas. A unit that is relatively simple to operate and which would not require highly skilled laborers is needed. If required, the present invention can be placed by helicopter in inaccessible areas along with the encompassing well drilling tools. The present invention addresses this critical need.
The present invention includes a drilling rig unit which can be manually mobilized to be transported to drill water wells and bore holes in even the most remote areas on earth. Further, the unit can be easily disassembled. The described drilling system includes a detachable mast, engine, engine cradle, winch assembly, transmission, air/water/mud injection flow control valve unit, main base stabilizers, and mobile wheel unit which is easily disassembled to aid in transport and to allow for crating to ship overseas. The winch assembly is attached to the rear mast pole and the top of the engine cradle through a cable to raise the engine assembly up the mast guided by a left and right mast pole engine cradle sliders. The winch assembly includes a modified hand winch which accommodates the mechanical cable pull-down system to provide pull-down pressure capabilities. Rotating the winch clockwise provides a hoisting action. By reversing the direction, the winch provides pull-down pressure via cables routed from the winch to the bottom of the base routed through pulleys and connected to springs mounted on each side of the engine cradle. Rotating direction of winch pulls cables to stretch tension on springs forcing downward pressure. To aid in downward pressure, a weight bar is mounted atop the engine cradle. At left and right distal ends weights can be added to the weight bar for additional pull-down enhancement and adjusted accordingly to rock formation requirements and drilling time. Winch design allows constant pressure to be applied to the springs.
The hand winch has two gear ratios for varying pull-down or hoisting loads or applications. This winch shares a common spool but has separate cables for pull-down and hoisting duties. The engine cradle allows the power unit and transmission to be removed from over the water well or bore hole to allow ease in installing well casings and or well pipe. This feature also allows aid in transporting or shipping the drill unit. The air/water/mud flow control valve is located below the transmission on the steel swivel unit. This allows quick diversion and adjusted control of drilling fluid or air and/or combination from the water well or bore hole, to a mud pit or vice versa. Important location of this flow control valve also allows hoses to travel freely and out of the way of the drilling operations and moving parts.
The main base is equipped with water deflector shields to protect the operator and equipment from debris and water forced up out of the well or bore hole under high air pressure. The two water deflector shields consist of a primary stationary deflector shield mounted under the main base and a secondary removable deflector mounted on the bottom of the drill steel guide table.
Under the main base is positioned the main base stabilizer rails. This is the counterweight for the pull-down system and helps prevent the unit from lifting itself off the ground. Stabilizer rails double as a stable base to spread support for the weight above on the pull-down assist weight bar. This counterweight, bottom heavy, eliminates the need for guy wires or tie-down ropes, allowing access to confined areas that would not allow tie-down ropes or guy wire area. The stabilizer rails allow for somewhat of a platform to raise the drill unit off the ground for observation of the drilling fluids or drill cuttings escape area and allows operators a platform to work upon out of mud or water.
A steel quill provides means of connecting the power unit torque through the transmission to the drill pipe and allows air injection or drilling fluid injection from a compressor unit or a pump to enter the hollow drill pipe through a multiple side port. The quill is directly coupled to the transmission connected to a power output shaft from a power unit.
A steel swivel housing is rigidly mounted to the rotary power unit but has a sheer pin to break away to prevent engine or transmission damage. The swivel housing is completely removable from the quill. Compression seals are greased through grease fittings at the top and bottom seal.
The present invention satisfies an important need not met by currently available drilling equipment. A primary advantage of this invention is that it provides a simple rotary air/water drilling unit with pull-down pressure capabilities. The invention provides a drilling rig that is truly manually portable for mobilization into areas where other power drilling rigs could not be brought or taken except through helicopter transport. The short height of this unit allows it to be accessible in areas where conventional drilling units were too tall. Confined or enclosed locations necessary for well placements are now accessible. This may possibly by the smallest rotary air/water/mud injection drilling unit with pull-down pressure capabilities.
The present invention provides a drilling system with a durable mast and fully stabilized base unit and is simple in design and operation. It includes commonly available parts and bolt-on components that are easily replaceable in the field to eliminate rig downtime for repair of worn parts. Equipment overhead repair and operation expense are affordably low in comparison to convention well drilling rigs drilling the same diameter wells as the present invention. The unit described is so simple to operate and repair that a person with only limited drilling experience can safely and effectively operate the rig after a brief training period is completed for either residential pers
Geldean Dorothy
Malin Haley & DiMaggio, P.A.
Smith Scott A.
LandOfFree
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