Bearing assembly retaining apparatus and well drilling equipment comprising same

A well drilling head, comprising:

• a housing having a sidewall structure defining a central bore, wherein the sidewall structure includes a tapered bearing assembly seating surface within the central bore;
• a bearing assembly removably seated within the central bore, wherein the tapered bearing assembly seating surface of the housing is engaged with a mating tapered seating surface of an outer barrel of the barrel assembly whereby engagement of the tapered bearing assembly seating surface of the housing with the mating tapered seating surface of the outer barrel of the barrel assembly fixedly supports the bearing assembly within the central bore, wherein the outer barrel includes at least one seal-receiving groove within said tapered seating surface thereof, and wherein a maximum insertion depth of the bearing assembly within the housing is jointly and entirely defined by the tapered seating surface of the outer barrel and the tapered bearing assembly seating surface of the housing;
• a ram slideably mounted on the side wall structure, wherein the ram is disposed within a passage extending through the sidewall structure;
• and
• selective displacement means coupled between the ram and the housing, wherein said selective displacement means is configured for moving the ram to an engaged position in which the ram is engaged with the bearing assembly for forcibly urging the tapered seating surface of the bearing assembly into engagement with the tapered bearing assembly seating surface of the housing and a position in which the ram is disengaged from the bearing assembly for allowing the bearing assembly to be removed from within the central bore.

A rotating control device configured for use in drilling a well, comprising:

• a housing having a sidewall structure defining a central bore, wherein the sidewall structure includes a tapered bearing assembly seating surface within the central bore;
• a bearing assembly removably seated within the central bore and including an angled ram engagement portion, wherein the tapered bearing assembly seating surface of the housing is engaged with a mating tapered seating surface of an outer barrel of the barrel assembly for supporting the bearing assembly within the housing, wherein the outer barrel includes at least one seal-receiving groove within said tapered seating surface thereof, and wherein a maximum insertion depth of the bearing assembly within the housing is jointly and entirely defined by the tapered seating surface of the outer barrel and the tapered bearing assembly seating surface of the housing;
• and
• a plurality of ram assemblies mounted on the housing, wherein a ram of each one of said ram assemblies is slideably mounted within a respective passage extending through the sidewall structure in a manner substantially constraining the ram to linear translation along a central axis of said respective sidewall structure passage, wherein the ram of each one of said ram assemblies includes an angled bearing assembly engagement portion, wherein the ram of each one of said ram assemblies is slideable between a position in which the angled bearing assembly engagement portion thereof is engaged with the angled ram engagement portion of the bearing assembly for forcibly urging the tapered seating surface of the bearing assembly into engagement with the tapered bearing assembly seating surface of the housing and a position in which the ram is disengaged from the bearing assembly for allowing the bearing assembly to be removed from within the central bore.