Patent Application
20100187017
The present invention relates to a down-the-hole drill (“DHD”) hammer. In particular, the present invention relates to a DHD hammer's actuator assembly having a reverse exhaust system.
Typical DHD hammers include a piston that is moved cyclically with high pressure gas (e.g., air). The piston generally has two end surfaces that are exposed to working air volumes (i.e., a return volume and a drive volume) that are filled and exhausted with each cycle of the piston. The return volume pushes the piston away from its impact point on a bit end of the hammer. The drive volume accelerates the piston toward its impact location.
Typical DHD hammers also combine the exhausting air from these working air volumes into one central exhaust gallery that delivers all the exhausting air through the drill bit and around the externals of the DHD hammer. In most cases, about 30% of the air volume is from the DHD hammer's return chamber, while about 70% is from the hammer's drive chamber. However, this causes much more air then is needed to clean the bit-end of the hammer (e.g., the holes across the bit face). Such high volume air passes through relatively small spaces creating high velocity flows as well as backpressure within the DHD hammer. This is problematic as such high velocity air along with solids (i.e., drill cuttings) and liquids moved by the high velocity air causes external parts of the DHD hammer to wear rapidly while backpressures within the DHD hammer reduces the tool's overall power and performance.
A DHD hammer, such as the present invention, having a reverse exhaust system reduces the amount of high velocity air along the bit-end thereby reducing the overall wear on the DHD hammer. Moreover, the present invention provides for reduced backpressures within the DHD hammer that allows for improved power and performance of the tool.
In accordance with the present invention the problems associated with exhausting high velocity air volumes across the external surfaces of a DHD hammer, and in particular across the drill bit faces are solved by engendering a DHD hammer that exhausts working air volumes about both a proximal end of the DHD hammer and a distal end of the DHD hammer.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides for a down-the-hole drill actuator assembly comprising: a drive chamber configured to exhaust working fluid volumes through a backhead; a return chamber configured to exhaust working fluid volumes through a drill bit; and a solid core piston between the drive chamber and the return chamber.
In another preferred embodiment, the present invention provides for a down-the-hole drill actuator assembly comprising: a casing; a backhead configured within the casing, the backhead including: a cylindrical member; a central bore within the cylindrical member; a check valve assembly within the central bore; a supply inlet in communication with the central bore; an exhaust valve stem in communication with the central bore; and at least one exhaust port in communication with the exhaust valve stem; and a piston housed within the casing and operatively associated with the backhead, the piston comprising a bore partially sized to exhaust a portion of a fluid within the casing there through.
In a further preferred embodiment, the present invention provides for an actuator assembly comprising: a casing; a piston housed within the casing, the piston comprising a thru-bore sized to allow a fluid within the casing to partially exhaust through; a drill bit connected to a distal end of the casing and operatively associated with the piston; and a backhead connected to a proximal end of the casing and operatively associated with the piston, the backhead comprising: an exhaust port; and an exhaust valve stem in communication with the exhaust port, and wherein the exhaust port exhausts the fluid; a drive chamber formed within the casing and in communication with the exhaust valve stem; a return chamber distal to the drive chamber, formed by an inner wall surface of the casing and an outer surface of the piston; and wherein the fluid is supplied to the drive chamber through the supply inlet, and wherein the casing, piston, and backhead are configured to exhaust fluid within the drive chamber through the exhaust port, and exhaust fluid within the return chamber through an opening in the drill bit.
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
In the drawings:
Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words “right,” “left,” “upper,” and “lower” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. For purposes of convenience, “distal” is generally referred to as toward the drill bit end of the DHD hammer, and “proximal” is generally referred to as toward the backhead end of the DHD hammer as illustrated in
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides for a DHD hammer 5 having a percussive actuator assembly 10 as shown in
The piston 14 is generally configured as shown in
The piston 14 also includes a central bore 50 (e.g., a thru-bore) configured along a central axis of the piston 14 as shown in
The DHD hammer 5 can be assembled to a drill pipe (not shown) via threaded connections, such as with threads 20. The drill pipe can be any conventional drill pipe whose structure, function, and operation are well known to those skilled in the art. A detailed description of the structure, function, and operation of the drill pipe is not necessary for a complete understanding of the present embodiment. However, the drill pipe supplies the DHD hammer 5 with high pressure air, feed force, and rotation. It will be appreciated that while air is the preferred gas used in conjunction with the present invention, some other gas, combination of gases or fluids could also be used. The drill pipe is also typically smaller in diameter than the DHD hammer 5 (which can typically be about 2⅞ to about 12 inches in diameter).
As best shown in
The check valve assembly 32 includes a supply check valve 34, a biasing member, such as a spring 36 between the supply check valve 34 and an abutment 38. The abutment 38 is positioned distal to the supply check valve 34 and above a guide cage 58. The abutment 38 can also be configured as a top surface of the guide cage 58 and positioned within the central bore 30 so as to seal or block the flow of air between the supply inlet 28 and the exhaust valve stem 24. The check valve assembly 32 is operatively associated with the supply inlet 28. The supply check valve 34 is of a generally cylindrical configuration having a closed end 40 and an open end 42 with an inner bore 44. The inner bore 44 houses one end of the spring 36 for reciprocal motion of the spring 36 therein. The supply check valve 34 is positioned within the central bore 30 such that upon compression of the check valve assembly 32, the supply check valve 34 rests upon the abutment 38.
The check valve assembly 32 is configured to control the flow of high pressure air from the supply inlet 28 to the reservoir 48 (
Thereafter, the high pressure air in the reservoir 48 feeds the drive chamber 52 and return chamber 46 through a series of ports (not shown) formed and bound by the piston 14, casing 12 and cylinder 54. The series of ports are either open or closed depending upon the position of the piston 14 within the casing 12. Such porting configuration of the series of ports are well known in the art and a detailed description of their structure and function is not necessary for a complete understanding of the present embodiment. The high pressure air in the reservoir 48 cyclically opens and closes the series of ports to effectuate pressurization of the drive chamber 52 and return chamber 46 to drive the percussive movement of the piston 14 within the actuator assembly 10.
The guide cage 58 includes a number of slots 60a, 60b (only two shown for illustration purposes) in communication with exhaust ports 26a, 26b (only two shown for illustration purposes), respectively. The slots 60a, 60b are aligned with the exhaust ports 26a, 26b to minimize flow resistance and buildup of backpressure while the guide cage 58 is preferably configured with a plurality of slots. The guide cage 58 can alternatively be configured with any other type of opening that allows for the flow of air from the exhaust valve stem 24 to the exhaust ports 26a, 26b, such as an opening or a plenum.
The flapper check valve 62 is configured as an annular flexible valve that seats in an annulus 64. The flapper check valve 62 can be made from any material suitable for its intended use, such as a polymer (e.g., elastomers, plastics, etc.) or a composite material. The size and thickness of the flapper check valve 62 can advantageously be configured to compensate for any spacing gaps between the backhead 18 and outer casing 12.
Referring to
The cylinder 54 has a plurality of supply ports 72 and a cylinder cap 56 that seats on top of the cylinder 54. As high pressure air from the reservoir 48 fills the drive chamber 52, through the series of ports, the drive chamber 52 is filled or pressurized to cause the piston 14 to accelerate toward impact with the drill bit 16. Thereafter, high pressure air from the reservoir 48 fills the return chamber 46 to move the piston 14 back up into the drive chamber 52.
In operation, as high pressure air is supplied to the DHD hammer 5, the high pressure air causes the check valve assembly 32 to open. High pressure air then flows through a passage 68 and into a reservoir 48. The reservoir 48 then feeds the high pressure air to a drive chamber 52 and a return chamber 46 to effectuate percussive movement of the piston 14. As the piston 14 percussively moves within the casing 12, it allows for either the drive chamber 52 to exhaust the high pressure air i.e., working air volumes or the return chamber to exhaust working air volumes. That is, as the piston 14 moves distally, the distal end of the piston 14 sealingly engages a stem bearing seal (not shown) that prevents working air volumes from the return chamber 46 from exhausting, while allowing the working air volumes from the drive chamber 52 to exhaust. As the piston 14 moves proximally, the proximal end of the piston 14 sealingly engages the exhaust valve stem 24 to prevent working air volumes from the drive chamber 52 from exhausting, while allowing the working air volumes from the return chamber 46 to exhaust.
As high pressure air is exhausted through exhaust ports 26a, 26b, it initially travels through the exhaust valve stem 24 before entering into annulus 64. The air traveling through exhaust valve stem 24 enters guide cage 58, flows through slots 60a, 60b and then travels through exhaust ports 26a, 26b. The exhausting air flow then enters annulus 64 where it disperses to exert an evenly applied radial opening pressure (i.e., an opening force) upon flapper check valve 62. The flapper check valve 62, being made from materials such as an elastomer, closes due to the restoring forces of the material upon the absence of air being exhausted from the DHD hammer 5, thereby preventing debris from entering the DHD hammer 5. The exhausting air then exits the DHD hammer 5 through one or more openings 70 in a backhead sleeve 66 that allows for the passage of air from within the annulus 64 to exist the DHD hammer 5. The backhead sleeve 66 surrounds the backhead 18 and is configured about an upper end of the casing 12. This effectively results in about 70% of the total air in the DHD hammer 5 being exhausted above the drive chamber 52 or near the top of the actuator assembly 10, thereby significantly reducing the amount of air flowing past the drill bit's cutting face.
Exhausting air back through the top of the actuator assembly 10 advantageously results in less backpressure within the DHD hammer 5. This advantageously provides improved power and performance of the tool as less backpressure means less counteracting forces upon the air pressure used to power the DHD hammer 5. In addition, less high velocity flow across the drill bit's cutting face is induced which results in less overall part wear. This is a direct result of exhausting air closer to the top-end of the DHD hammer 5, where the external air pressure outside the DHD hammer 5 is lower due to the drill pipe diameter being smaller than the overall diameter of the DHD hammer 5. Typically, the external flow area above a DHD hammer 5 in the region where the drill pipe is connected is approximately 3 times larger than the external area around the DHD hammer itself. As a result, the dynamic pressure about the top end of the DHD hammer 5 can be about 9 times lower than the pressure toward the bottom end of the DHD hammer 5.
Moreover, exhausting air through exhaust ports 26a, 26b located above the piston 14 and having a relatively large internal diameter relative to typical air passageways in DHD hammers results in reduced flow velocities and less backpressure within the overall DHD hammer 5.
In another preferred embodiment, the present invention provides for an actuator assembly 110, as shown in
The drive chamber 152 is configured to exhaust working air volumes through the backhead 118. The return chamber 146 is configured to exhaust working air volumes through a central opening 174 in the drill bit 116. Referring to
Referring to
The seal 156 provides a means to seal off the return chamber 146 from the rest of the actuator assembly 110 above the return chamber 146 to advantageously prevent debris from entering the actuator assembly while in the “drop-down” position. The seal 156 can be positioned about an upper portion of the stem bearing seal 166 such that when the piston 114 is in the “drop-down” position, it sealingly interfaces with the piston 114 and casing 112. Preferably, the seal 156 is seated within a groove 158 within an inner surface of the casing wall.
The actuator assembly 110 of the present embodiments advantageously provide for a DHD hammer in which substantially all of the working air volume in the drive chamber 152 can be exhausted through the backhead 118 while substantially all of the working air volume in the return chamber 146 can be exhausted through the drill bit 116. As previously noted, it is problematic to have extremely high velocity flows past the drill bit face, but with conventional DHD hammers, it was necessary to exhaust working air volumes from the DHD hammer to remove drilling debris from the drill bit 116. However, the inventors of the instant invention have discovered that exhausting substantially all of the working air volumes above the drill bit 116 also resulted in clogging of the central opening 174 of the drill bit 116 due to insufficient blow out through the drill bit 116. Clogging of the drill bit 116 by drilling debris leads to failure of the DHD hammer such that penetration by the DHD hammer ceases. In sum, the inventors of the instant invention have discovered that one cannot simply exhaust all or substantially all working air volumes through the proximal end of a DHD hammer without incurring significant operational problems, such as drill bit clogging.
To address this problem, the inventors of the instant invention have surprisingly discovered that not all of the working air volumes need to be exhausted through the drill bit 116 to prevent clogging of the drill bit 116. In fact, the inventors discovered that exhausting the working air volume from the return chamber 146 alone through the drill bit 116 provided sufficient “blow-out” of the central opening 174. This was accomplished by restricting the flow of working air volume in the return chamber 146 back to the proximal end of the DHD hammer through the use of a solid core piston 114 with only a central bore 156 configured to receive exhaust valve stem 124. In other words, the central bore 156 is not a thru-bore. The solid core piston 114 also advantageously prevents debris from entering the distal or lower portion of the DHD hammer and provides added structural integrity to the overall DHD hammer. This is significant as conventional DHD hammers generally suffer from structural integrity issues as a result of pistons having thru-bores.
Referring back to
Furthermore, it was generally accepted that conventional DHD hammers required air to be continuously exhausted though the drill bit 116 when the DHD hammer was in the “drop-down” position (see
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
