US 4,842,059 AGranted

Flex joint incorporating enclosed conductors

AssigneeHalliburton Logging Services, Inc.

InventorMartin L. Tomek

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Abstract

A flex joint for an elongate oil tool which permits flexure and bending while yet protecting electrical conductors is disclosed. The duplicated flex joint incorporates a hollow knuckle having a passage therethrough received in a mating and confining socket terminating in a passage. The knuckle and socket form a flex joint. The flex joint is pinned so that rotation in a conic angle is permitted while rotation of the two components relative to one another is forbidden. The passage is periodically closed by means of a transverse plug, an electrical feedthrough permitting electrical conductors to extend through said plug. The passage is further protected from the intrusion of fluids from the well borehole by means of a spring loaded piston compensating pressurized sealed oil system which operates in an annular space on the exterior of the passage.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A downhole elongate oil tool adapted to flex as required in placing the elongate tool in a crooked well borehole wherein electrical signals are transmitted along conductors along the elongate tool, the elongate tool incorporating a flex tool comprising:

(a) a generally spherical knuckle;
(b) a surrounding socket engaging said knuckle with a limited rotational range relative to a defined axis through said knuckle and socket;
(c) a passage through said knuckle opening at an outlet into said socket;
(d) a serially communicated passage through said socket aligned with said knuckle;
(e) means cooperative with said knuckle and said socket;
(1) permitting flexure in a conic angle relative to an axis through said knuckle and socket;
and
(2) preventing relative axial rotation betwen said knuckle and said socket;
and
(f) means for filling said passages with a pressure isolated oil bath for contacting structural components in said passages, and further wherein said oil bath is pressure isolated by a piston responsive to external fluid pressure in the well borehole to sustain a pressure on said oil bath equal to and in excess of prevailing external pressure.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.