Flexible drill pipe
AssigneeTexas Eastern Drilling Systems, Inc.
InventorJames L. Hatten
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flexible drill pipe adapted for connection in a drill string, having sufficient wall thickness in order to withstand forces imposed by drilling a well. The flexible pipe has a plurality of cuts defining interlocking teeth and recesses on axially adjacent segments of the pipe, the teeth in one segment being positioned in the recesses of, and interlocking with the teeth of, the adjacent segment. Each of the teeth includes a generally semicircular crown section, two essentially flat shoulders and a tapered base portion, with the curved, tapered sides of circumferentially adjacent bases forming the semicircular recesses for receiving the crowns of axially adjacent interlocking teeth.
Claims18
A flexible pipe comprising:
- an elongated tubular member subdivided into a plurality of segments of rigid pipe of substantial wall thickness in end-to-end relationship with a plurality of interlocking teeth and complementary recesses on each end of the segments intermediate the ends of said tubular member, the teeth of one segment being positioned in the recesses of, and interlocking the teeth of, the adjacent segment with sufficient clearance to form a joint permitting limited relative movement between the segments,
- each of said teeth comprising an arcuate crown portion with its arc extending generally axially of said pipe, a tapered base portion and a substantially flat shoulder area extending between said crown and base portions in a direction generally circumferentially of said pipe.
A flexible pipe comprising:
- an elongated tubular member subdivided into a plurality of segments of rigid pipe of substantial wall thickness in end-to-end relationship with a plurality of interlocking teeth and complementary recesses on each end of the segments intermediate the ends of said tubular member, the teeth of one segment being positioned in the recesses of, and interlocking the teeth of, the adjacent segment with sufficient clearance to form a joint permitting limited relative movement between the segments,
- each of said teeth having an arcuate crown portion with its arc extending generally axially of said pipe, a tapered base portion, with said tooth having its greatest circumferential dimension where said base portion of such tooth is attached to the body of said pipe segments of which said tooth is a part, and a shoulder area,
- the shoulder areas of the teeth in one pipe segment being adapted to engage the shoulder areas of the teeth in the adjacent pipe segment to thereby limit the amount of angular rotation and the amount of axial movement of said pipe segments relative to each other.
A flexible pipe comprising:
- an elongated tubular member subdivided into a plurality of segments of rigid pipe of substantial wall thickness in end-to-end relationship with a plurality of interlocking teeth and complementary recesses on each end of the segments intermediate the ends of said tubular member, the teeth of one segment being positioned in the recesses of, and interlocking the teeth of, the adjacent segment with sufficient clearance to form a joint permitting limited to relative movement between the segments,
- each of said teeth having a semicircular crown portion, with the base of said semicircle extending generally circumferentially of said pipe, and the arc of said semicircle extending generally axially of said pipe,
- two shoulder portions at opposed outer ends of the base of said semicircle,
- and a base portion tapering generally downwardly in an axial direction and outwardly in a circumferential direction.
A flexible pipe comprising an elongated tubular member adapted for connection in a drill string, having sufficient wall thickness in order to withstand forces imposed by drilling a well, said tubular member being subdivided into a plurality of segments, each of essentially equal length, with two interlocking teeth and complementary recesses on each end of the segments intermediate the ends of said tubular member, the teeth of one segment being positioned in the recesses of, and interlocking the teeth of, the adjacent segment with sufficient clearance to form a joint permitting limited radial and axial movement between the segments, each of said teeth having a semicircular crown portion, with the base of said semicircle extending generally circumferentially of said pipe, and the arc of said semicircle extending generally axially of said pipe, two shoulder portions at opposed outer ends of the base of said semicircle, and a base portion tapering generally downwardly in an axial direction and outwardly in a circumferential direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.