Well apparatus with tubular elevator tilt and indexing apparatus and methods of their use

Well drilling apparatus for use in a derrick having a derrick floor, the apparatus comprising:

• a drilling unit including a rotary element adapted to be connected to the upper end of a drill string for rotation therewith about the axis of the string, and a motor operable to drive the element and the connected string rotatively about the axis;
• an elongated guide structure connected to the derrick which extends generally vertically parallel to the axis to which the drilling unit is movably mounted and which guides the drilling unit for movement upwardly and downwardly with a connected drill string to drill a well;
• a link adapter connected to the drilling unit, the link adapter having two radially extending supports for supporting elevator links;
• two elevator links having lower ends and having upper ends movably connected to the link adapter for movement upwardly and downwardly therewith and in a relation suspending the links at opposite sides of the axis, the links movable from a first position over the axis to a second position to the side of the axis;
• an elevator connected to lower ends of the links and suspended thereby beneath the drilling unit and adapted to support a section of the drill string in axial alignment with the axis;
• and
• a link tilt mechanism rotatably mounted on the link adapter,
• the link tilt mechanism comprising a body member movably mounted on the link adapter,
• two arms extending downwardly from the body member, the arms disposed between the links,
• a first arm projection projecting from each arm outwardly, each first arm projection disposed so that upon tilting of the body member toward the axis the first arm projections contact the links thereby tilting the links to the second position, and
• power means connected between the link tilt mechanism and the link adapter, the power means operable to move the arms and arm projections of the link tilt mechanism laterally outwardly from said axis, bringing the arm projections into contact with the links and thereby shifting the links and the elevator connected thereto from the first position beneath the drilling unit and aligned with the axis to the second position in which the elevator is offset to the side of the axis and is not aligned with the drilling unit, enabling the elevator to engage a section of drill pipe offset from the axis while the drilling unit remains in alignment with the axis.

A link tilt mechanism for well drilling apparatus for use in a derrick having a derrick floor, the well drilling apparatus having a drilling unit including a rotary element adapted to be connected to the upper end of a drill string for rotation therewith about the axis of the string, and a motor operable to drive the element and the connected string rotatively about the axis, an elongated guide structure connected to the derrick which extends generally vertically parallel to the axis to which the drilling unit is movably mounted and which guides the drilling unit for movement upwardly and downwardly with a connected drill string to drill a well, a link adapter connected to the drilling unit, the link adapter having two radially extending link adapter supports for supporting elevator links, two elevator links having lower ends and having upper ends movably connected to the link adapter for movement upwardly and downwardly therewith and in a relation suspending the links at opposite sides of the axis, each link's upper end having an elongated slot through which its corresponding link adapter support extends, the elongated slots permitting further downward movement to the extent of the slot's length of the drilling unit after the links' lower ends have contacted the derrick floor, the links movable from a first position over the axis to a second position to the side of the axis, an elevator connected to lower ends of the links and suspended thereby beneath the drilling unit and adapted to support a section of the drill string in axial alignment with the axis, the link tilt mechanism comprising:

• a body member movably mounted on the link adapter, the body member having two recesses therein for rotatably mounting the mechanism on the link adapter supports,
• two arms extending dowwardly from the body member, the arms disposed between the links,
• a first arm projection projecting from each arm outwardly, each first arm projection disposed so that upon tilting of the body member toward the axis the first arm projections contact the links thereby tilting the links to the second position, and
• power means connected between the link tilt mechanism and the link adapter, the power means operable to move the arms and their arm projections of the link tilt mechanism laterally outwardly from said axis, bringing the arm projections into contact with the links and thereby shifting the links and the elevator connected thereto from the first position beneath the drilling unit and aligned with the axis to the second position in which the elevator is offset to the side of the axis and is not aligned with the drilling unit, enabling the elevator to engage a section of drill pipe offset from the axis while the drilling unit remains in alignment with the axis,
• the power means comprising an air cylinder housing having a movable air piston therein and a piston rod connected to the air piston and to the link adapter extending partially from the housing, the air cylinder housing on the link tilt mechanism and the air piston secured to the link adapter so that movement of the air piston and its connected rod effects rotation of the link tilt mechanism about the link adapter extending supports.