Abstract: Disclosed is a torque limiting valve handle having one more independently adjustable spring loaded balls urged in contact with depressions formed in the inside surface of a housing adapted for external manual engagement. The adjustment of the torque limit setting of the valve handle is protected from tampering or inadvertent modification by unauthorized personnel by the access to the adjustment requiring disassembly of the parts. One embodiment provides a torque lock in one direction of rotation. Another embodiment provides a torque limit override feature in either direction of rotation by an axial displacement of the housing of the handle with respect to an adaptor fixedly secured to the valve stem of the valve to which it is secured.

Abstract: There is disclosed well apparatus including a wire line running tool assembly on which a well tool may be lowered into a well conduit, and then locked within the well conduit, and released from the assembly, when it is so locked, in response to manipulation of the wire line, whereby the assembly may be retrieved.

Abstract: There is disclosed a tumble dryer wherein the drum in which the goods are to be tumbled has perforations formed in its cylindrical wall at opposite sides of an imperforate annular portion, and a means is proved for circulating heated air into the drum through the perforations on one side of the annular portion, and then axially through the drum and thus the goods, and then radially out of the drum through the perforations on the other side of the imperforate annular portion. Melted plastic articles which may be co-mingled in the batch of goods to be dried are collected on a heat sink which comprises strips including a metal body of high thermal capacity and heat conductivity removably secured to the inner surface of the annular imperforate portion of the drum.

Abstract: A durable, high strength, lightweight film laminate of two layers of three-ply film with a nonwoven filament for reinforcement and permanently flexible adhesive between the film layers. The nonwoven filament is in a reinforced laminate and is an excellent protective covering and packaging material because of its resistance to weather elements, tears and punctures.

Abstract: A ring seal comprising a main body member having a U-shape cup recess opening on one side, usually having a U-shape metal spring located therein, and a hat ring with a solid projection fitting into the U-shape cup recess opening and having its opposite face being flat and normal to the ring axis. A back up ring adjacent the heel of the main body ring can be provided. An assembly of such ring seals can be stacked heel-to-heel; hat-ring-to-hat-ring or heel-to-hat-ring.

Abstract: Drilling fluid solids (mud, solids and oil) can be removed from completion/packer brines in a well system by employing a small effective amount of an aliphatic alcohol and a surface active chemical aid mixed with the contaminated brines. Under some conditions, the brine can become recontaminated in a well with a small amount of solids which settle to the production zone in the well bore. These settled solids obscure acoustic logging and plug perforations into the production zone. These settled solids are removed by spotting a chemical aid in selected volume and concentration. These solids now become buoyant and rise upwardly in the well bore leaving in the well the production zone with clean solids-free brine. As a result, the entire volume of brine does not require treatment.

Abstract: These are disclosed three embodiments of a wire line tool for use in running and/or pulling a well tool within a well bore. In each embodiment, latches are carried about a body of the wire line tool and yieldably urged from inner positions, in which their outer ends are adapted to move into the well tool, to outer positions in which their outer ends extend into a groove in the well tool when opposite thereto. The wire line tool may be latched to the well tool at the surface for the purpose of running it into the well tool, or lowered into a well bore and latched to a well tool therein for the purpose of pulling the well tool. The latches are forced inwardly to remove their outer ends from the groove, and then retained against outward movement, in response to downward jarring of the body and subsequent lifting of the body with the wire line to permit the wire line tool to be retrieved from the well tool following running of the well tool into the well bore.

Abstract: An electric light set for decorating and illuminating Christmas trees and the like, having a plurality of pairs of electrical connecting wires radiating from a sealed, ring-shaped conductor housing. Each of the pairs of electrical connecting wires connects a plurality of electrical light bulb sockets for receipt of the light bulbs used with the light set. The ring-shaped conductor housing can be easily fitted over the top of a Christmas tree with the pairs of electrical connecting wires radiating downward and outward such that the light bulbs decorate and illuminate the Christmas tree. With an alternate embodiment, the ring-shaped conductor housing can be attached to the surface of a window or other similar object.

Abstract: There is disclosed a ram type blowout preventer in which the chambers in which the rams are received and for movement between opened and closed positions are automatically vented to the bore of the preventer housing above the closed rams, as the rams are moved to open position, in order to equalize pressure across the ram and thus facilitate its opening. When the rams are moved to closed position, this vent is closed so that well pressure beneath the closed rams has access through a groove between the ram and the ram chamber to the chamber behind the closed rams so as to assist operating fluid in maintaining them closed. The stem which connects a piston of a hydraulic system for operating the rams is hollow and so arranged as to be pressure balanced whereby there is substantially no force due to well fluid pressure resisting closing movement of the rams due to the extension of the rod sealably through an opening in a wall separating the ram chamber from the cylinder of the hydraulic system.

Abstract: A shaft supported on a first member for rotation about a generally horizontal axis and having a pinion gear on its free end engageable with a rack extending vertically along a second member, whereby one member may be raised or lowered with respect to the other upon rotation of the shaft, and the torque in the shaft between its ends may be measured to determine the load on the gear teeth.

Abstract: A through-conduit, double-wedging parallel seat gate valve. The valve has a monolithic body forming a spherical segment with a cylindrical flow passage and flange end connections. The body has a transverse chamber mounting a rectangular gate moved across the passage between opened and closed positions. The chamber has an obround cross section with parallel sides facing the sides of the gate and rounded ends facing the edges of the gate. Integral parallel guide surfaces on the body separate the rounded ends from the parallel sides, and these guide surfaces engage the edges of the gate. Replaceable seats about the flow passage seal to the sides of the gate. Upper and lower closure members are releasably secured on annular sealing surfaces on the body and enclose the gate within the chamber. The flanges and body can have the same radii as the bar stock from which the body is machined. The guide surfaces are tangents at the intersection of semicylindrical grooves in the parallel sides with the rounded ends.

Abstract: Improved bonding in a well system between cement, well tubular members and the formation about the well/bore at a pay zone. Drilling fluid materials (mud, solids, filter cake, etc.) are displaced at turbulent flow conditions by a slug of concentrate consisting essentially of a water-free mixture of surfactant and alcohol. The aqueous fluid cement immediately follows the slug. Residual filter cake and tubular member are water-wetted. The cement on hardening has an improved bonding to both tubular members and formation at the pay zone.

Abstract: Eliminating drilling mud and other solids from surface equipment of a well system (e.g. offshore platform) which is to receive solids-free completion and packer fluids having an affinity to entrain residual solids. These solids are mechanically removed (where possibly by scrapers, squeeging, etc.), and then the surface equipment is washed with water to carry the solids to a convenient disposal. Clean water is placed into the surface equipment and added to it are a surfactant and alcohol to produce a treated water. The treated water is circulated at turbulent (high shear) flowing conditions through the surface equipment. The treated water with entrained solids is removed to a suitable disposal by displacement with clean water whereby the surface equipment is sufficiently free of solids to avoid contamination of completion or packer fluids introduced thereinto.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for ventilating and purifying the unpleasant bathroom odors arising from the bowl of a water closet type commode. The apparatus has a seat and lid commonly mounted upon pintles for swinging relatively to one another and to the bowl. The lid carries a tubular shutter valve, which is closed except when the lid is open, for sealing the filter and motor elements carried within a sealed compartment in the lid from air inlets in the seat. The seat has a concealed air inlet opening downwardly at the rear edge of the bowl. Water cannot traverse the shutter valve and injure the filter or motor.

Abstract: There is disclosed well drilling apparatus which includes a mast pivotally mounted on a base so that it may be tilted about a horizontal axis in order to drill a well at a slant with respect to the vertical, a laydown device at the front side of the mast for use in moving joints of drill pipe to and from the mast, during drilling of the well or on completion of the drilling, and a tower and setback in which stands of drill pipe may be racked, together with a frame extending between the mast and tower to facilitate transfer of the stands of drill pipe between the tower and the mast during tripping of the drill string--i.e., as it is raised from the well, to permit repair or replacement of the drill bit, and then lowered back into the well to resume drilling.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring the driving resistance and velocity of piles during driving utilizing a strain gage accelerometer mounted on the pile. The accelerometer is constructed of a material having high internal dampening characteristics and is excited by alternating current electric signals. The acceleration signals of the accelerometer are electronically integrated to provide a measurement of velocity and an accurate blow count, which may be simultaneously recorded on two separate recording media. The velocity measurements are integrated a second time to derive a measure of pile displacement for selected hammer blows, which in turn enables the driving resistance to be determined. Observation of the velocity measurement during pile driving operations permits anomalous data to be eliminated prior to the calculation of driving resistance.

Abstract: There is disclosed a ram type blowout preventer in which the chambers in which the rams are received and for movement between opened and closed positions are automatically vented to the bore of the preventer housing above the closed rams, as the rams are moved to open position, in order to equalize pressure across the ram and thus facilitate its opening. When the rams are moved to closed position, this vent is closed so that well pressure beneath the closed rams has access through a groove between the ram and the ram chamber to the chamber behind the closed rams so as to assist operating fluid in maintaining them closed. The stem which connects a piston of a hydraulic system for operating the rams is hollow and so arranged as to be pressure balanced whereby there is substantially no force due to well fluid pressure resisting closing movement of the rams due to the extension of the rod sealably through an opening in a wall separating the ram chamber from the cylinder of the hydraulic system.

Abstract: There are disclosed two embodiments of a packer for closing off the annular space between a pipe string and a well bore in which the pipe string is disposed, each of which includes an annular packing element adapted to be expanded into sealing engagement with the well bore in response to relative axial movement between inner and outer tubular members, and releasably latched in expanded position by means which includes a circumferentially expandible and retractable body lock ring. In each case, the body lock ring has cam teeth about its outer side which are engaged with cam teeth on the inner circumference of the outer tubular member for circumferential expansion and contraction with respect thereto, and a relatively long length of ratchet teeth on its inner side for ratcheting with respect to a relatively short length of ratchet teeth on the outer circumference of a latching member carried by the inner tubular member in response to movement of the tubular members to retracted positions.