Abstract: A centrifugal submersible pump has wear resistant features to resist erosion due to sand laden fluid from a well. The pump has a plurality of stages, each having a diffuser and an impeller located within a housing. The diffuser has a sleeve in its inner portion that has a flange on its upper end. The sleeve is a separate component from the remaining portions of the diffuser and harder. The impeller has a vane section and a hub. The hub is carried inside the sleeve. The hub has a flange that bears against the flange of the diffuser sleeve. The impeller hub is a separate component from the vane section of the impeller and is of a harder material.

Abstract: A drill pipe spinner having a body with an open throat for receiving a drill pipe. A pair of cylindrical driven rollers are mounted on the body for rotation about a vertical axis. A pair of pressure arms are pivotally mounted on the body for rotation about a primary pivot pin. A pair of secondary pressure arms are mounted on the primary pressure arms, for rotation relative to the primary pressure arm about a secondary pivot pin. A pair of cylindrical pressure rollers are mounted on the secondary pressure arms, for holding the drill pipe against the driven roller. A pair of piston and cylinder assemblies exert force on the secondary pressure arms, to cause the secondary pressure arms to rotate. The moment arms between the piston and cylinder assemblies and the primary pivot pins are shorter than the moment arms between the piston and cylinder assemblies and the secondary pivot pins.

Abstract: An improved feedback system for use with an oscillator carried in a bore hole is provided. The feedback system connects the output legs of a well bore oscillator to the feedback nozzles of the oscillator. It consists of a detachable housing that contains two compliance chambers. Each chamber has a supply port and an exhaust port. Inertance passageways allow fluid to pass through each chamber.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for making an electrical connection through a tubing hanger in a subsea well avoids the need for precise gauging and alignment. The tubing hanger has an electrical receptacle located on its rim and a guide hole also located on the rim. An impression block tool is lowered into the wellhead from the surface to make an impression of the rim to determine the orientation of the guide hole. A carrier is mounted to the tree connector at the surface. The carrier has a guide pin and an electrical connector. The carrier is aligned, then secured to the tree connector so that it can move only a limited amount rotationally. As the tree connector enters the wellhead, the guide pin will enter the guide hole, which is tapered. A limited amount of rotation of the carrier relative to the tree connector allows the electrical connectors to precisely align before contacting each other.

Abstract: A self-locating seal assembly is shown for sealing between a well string and the bore of a surrounding well conduit, the surrounding conduit being provided with an internal recess for engagement by the seal assembly. A mandrel has an internal bore, an exterior, and a lower end. A seal body is carried about the mandrel and has an external seal region for engaging the interior bore of the surrounding well conduit and an internal seal region for engaging the mandrel exterior. The seal body provided with a plurality of window openings, each opening having an upper and lower tapered ramp surface. An upper and a lower sleeve circumscribe the seal body about the window openings and are spaced to define a circumferential opening with respect to the exterior of the seal body. A plurality of latch elements are carried in the annular circumferential opening and have camming surfaces which cooperate with the ramp surfaces of the window openings.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for mixing dry particulate material and liquid is shown. The dry material is initially mixed in a mixing module. The pre-mixed slurry then passes to a two stage mixing tank system featuring a smaller, primary tank and a larger capacity, secondary tank. The premixed slurry passes into the primary tank for additional mixing, then flows over a weir into the secondary tank. A portion of the slurry in the secondary tank is recirculated to the mixing module while the density of the slurry in the primary is monitored. The overall slurry density is controlled by adjusting the dry material entering the mixing module based upon the density reading taken from the primary tank.

Abstract: A slip gripping mechanism is shown for supporting a string of cylindrical conduit within the interior bore of a circumscribing well conduit. A cone retaining ring engages a plurality of floating cone segments which define spaced longitudinal slots on the outside of the cylindrical conduit. Vertically shiftable slips are carried in the slots by side edges which engage mating profiles formed in the slots. The slots form guideways for the slips for shifting the slips upwardly and outwardly between a set position engaging the circumscribing conduit and an unset position. Each slip has an arcuate lower surface and a selected width to thickness ratio to allow controlled flexing of the slip in the direction of the circumscribing conduit as the slip moves to the set position.

Abstract: A wrench assembly for making and breaking connections between tubular members, such as a drill string and a top drive sub. The wrench assembly consists of a lower wrench and an upper wrench. The lower wrench has a curved gate arm and a curved latch arm, pivotable between an open position and a closed position. The gate arm has a plurality of teeth on its outer surface, and the latch arm has a plurality of teeth on its inner surface, for locking engagement with the teeth on the gate arm. The lower wrench also has a clamping cylinder and a die block for forcing the tubular member against the gate arm. The upper wrench, mounted above the lower wrench, has a semicircular plate. A plurality of splines are mounted on the interior surface of the semicircular plate for engagement with splines on the top drive sub. A fluid cylinder is provided for applying torque to the wrenches to rotate one of the wrenches with respect to the other wrenches.

Abstract: A side pocket mandrel for use in well tubing. The mandrel has a body, having an open bore extending through the body in alignment with the well tubing, and a side pocket offset from the bore. A valve receptacle is formed in the side pocket of the mandrel. The body of the mandrel has a plurality of forged indentations. These indentations are axially spaced above the valve receptacle and extend into the side pocket for a distance sufficient to keep well tools from entering the valve receptacle. The indentations may also taper away from the valve receptacle.

Abstract: An earth boring bit with an improved extended jet nozzle constructed with a tube having only one curved entrance near the head of the bit and a straight region adjacent the exit of the nozzle, with the curved region being smoothly convergent without substantial disruption or deflective surfaces from a maximum cross sectional area adjacent the head to a minimum cross sectional area in the straight region. The velocity of the fluid flowing through the tube increases gradually from a minimum adjacent the head to a maximum at the exit, with the ratio of minimum to maximum being substantially three to one.

Abstract: An earth boring bit having a cantilevered bearing shaft and a compensator system to equalize the pressure of the lubricant with the hydrostatic pressure of the drilling fluid surrounding the bit. A rigid face seal assembly, positioned between the cutter and bearing shaft of the bit, moves axially in response to, and to compensate for, dynamic pressure changes in the lubricant adjacent the seal. The positioning and sizing of resilient energizer rings in relationship to the geometries of the mating grooves between the cutter and shaft and the rigid sealing rings of the face seal assembly minimize axial seal movement relative to cutter and shaft during drilling to enhance seal life. A threaded bearing lug receives an internally threaded bearing sleeve. The journal bearing surface is approximately midway between the shaft seal groove, a portion of which is on its bearing sleeve and another portion on the cutter seal groove.

Abstract: An earth boring bit having a rotatable cutter secured to a lubricated, cantilevered bearing shaft, sealed with an improved pressure compensating rigid face seal assembly. The assembly has a rigid ring with a radial face that opposes and engages a radial face integral with a cutter seal groove. A resilient energizer ring is compressed between opposed conical surfaces, one on the rigid ring and the other in a shaft seal groove, to force the radial faces together. The periphery of the energizer ring is inside the journal bearing surface, which is ideally aligned with the mid-section of the ring, to define a essentially constant, lubricant filled, volume between the seal assembly and the shaft seal groove--even as the cutter and seal assembly move relatively to the shaft during drilling. As a result, pressure variations in the vicinity of the seal assembly are minimized.

Abstract: An apparatus for sealing electrical conductors through a pressure barrier provides high pressure sealing. The apparatus includes a tubular housing with conductor rods which are inserted in the housing, which is then filled with epoxy and allowed to harden. The conductor rods are also insulated. A grommet is press fitted on each end of the housing, by pushing the grommet over installation pins which insert over the conductor rods. A mandrel is used to drive the grommet into compressive contact with the bore of the housing. Once in place, the installation pins are pulled and the mandrel is removed.

Abstract: A metal support ring is located between a housing and a wellhead for reducing bending movement of the wellhead relative to the housing. The support ring has a plurality of circumferentially extending ribs for engaging the bore of the housing. The ribs are parallel to and vertically spaced apart from each other. Each rib protrudes outwardly from the wellhead a distance greater than the inner diameter of the housing. This causes the ribs to deflect in an interference fit when the wellhead is inserted into the housing.

Abstract: A slip gripping mechanism is shown for supporting a string of cylindrical conduit within the interior bore of a circumscribing well conduit. A cone retaining ring engages a plurality of floating cone segments which define spaced longitudinal slots on the outside of the cylindrical conduit. Vertically shiftable slips are carried in spaced-apart fashion on the cylindrical conduit and have side edges adapted to engage mating profiles formed in the slots. The slots form guideways for the slips for shifting the slips upwardly and outwardly between a set position engaging the circumscribing conduit and an unset position. Selected ones of the slips and cone segments are tapered to index the slips and facilitate alignment within the slots as the slips are brought into contact with the cones during the setting operation.

Abstract: A well pump assembly has a tube extending into the well for delivering water to a point below the pump to reduce the viscosity of the oil being pumped. The downhole motor that drives the pump is surrounded by a jacket. The tube that delivers the water extends to a point below the jacket to a cross-over member mounted to the lower end of the jacket, which directs the water upward and inward. The cross-over member also has passages that directs the production fluid upward and outward.

Abstract: A well packer is shown having an annular packing element surrounded on either side by axially shiftable annular shoulders. Extrusion preventing devices are located between each shoulder and the packing element to prevent extrusion of the packing material during use. The extrusion preventing devices include an outer split ring having a generally triangular cross-section defined by a cylindrical abutment surface for abutment with the outer conduit, a tapered sidewall engageable with one of the shoulders, and a planar surface which is substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the packer. The planar surface has an innermost radial extent which joins the tapered sidewall and an outermost radial extent which joins the cylindrical abutment surface. The extrusion preventing device also includes an inner split ring of complimentary shape but reversely arranged to the outer ring.

Abstract: A method and device are shown for manufacturing rotary rock bits. The method eliminates repositioning errors in robotic welding operations by combining a cutting torch and a welding torch on a single, rotatable bracket whereby a bit can be welded at a single station without multiple rechuckings. The quality of the weld tie-in between any two intersecting seams (radial-radial or radial-axial) results where the groove for the latter seam in each pair is cut after the first seam in the pair has been welded.

Abstract: A pump differential pressure monitor system enables both discharge and intake pressure to be monitored at the surface of a centrifugal well pump. This system includes a tubular sub mounted between the pump and the tubing. A receptacle is located inside the sub. A bypass passage extends past the receptacle for directing fluid discharged from the pump past the receptacle and into the tubing. A pair of pressure sensors are lowered on conductor cable and located inside the receptacle. One of the sensors communicates with the bypass passage to monitor discharge pressure. A port extends from the receptacle to the exterior of the sub and communicates fluid to the other pressure sensor for monitoring intake pressure.

Abstract: A subsea hydraulic coupling has a pair of vertically spaced apart receptacles, each mounted to a different subsea well subassembly. A connector is lowered from the surface into engagement with the receptacles. The receptacles have radial ports. The connector has radial pistons that mate with the ports. Each piston has a flow passage extending through it. A communication passage extends from the flow passage of each piston through the body of the connector to a source of hydraulic fluid pressure. The connector body has a bore with a cam located inside. The cam, when actuated by hydraulic fluid pressure, pushes the pistons outwardly to engage the receptacle ports.