Vibrating tool

Abstract

A vibrating tool comprising a hammer and valve that oscillate axially inside a housing to produce vibrations solely in response to fluid flow through the tool at an operating flow rate. The valve is supported by a spring that resists compression until a minimum operating flow rate is achieved, and hammer is also spring-loaded. When the valve strokes down and engages the hammer, flow through the hammer is restricted. Increased fluid pressure pushes the hammer down away from the valve, resulting in a sudden decrease in pressure, allowing both the hammer and valve to rebound and create vibrational impacts. The cycle repeats continuously as long as an adequate flow rate is maintained.

1 . A vibrating tool for use in a bottom hole assembly, wherein the tool comprises a housing defining a flow path through the tool, and the tool further comprising a hammer and a valve both resiliently supported inside a solid housing for oscillating axial motions solely in response to fluid flow through the tool at an operating flow rate. 
     
     
         2 . The vibrating tool of  claim 1  wherein the tool further comprises a vibrator housing forming a fluid chamber inside the tool, wherein the hammer comprises a piston like member axially movable inside the fluid chamber, wherein the hammer has a flow path therethrough, wherein the valve comprise a valve stem axially movable in the fluid chamber to open and close the flow path through the piston like member of the hammer. 
     
     
         3 . The vibrating tool of  claim 2  wherein the housing has an impact receiving surface, wherein the hammer further comprises a bottom member having an impact transmitting surface configured to repeatedly impact the impact receiving surface as the hammer oscillates. 
     
     
         4 . The vibrating tool of  claim 3  further defined as having an uphole end and a downhole end, herein the vibrator housing and the tool housing are configured to form an annulus therebetween defining a secondary flow path through the tool, wherein the uphole end has an inlet to provide communication from the flow path into the annulus, wherein the downhole end has an outlet to providing communication from the annulus into the flow path. 
     
     
         5 . The vibrating tool of  claim 1  wherein the resilient support for the hammer is a helical compression spring. 
     
     
         6 . The vibrating tool of  claim 5  wherein the resilient support for the valve is a helical compression spring. 
     
     
         7 . The vibrating tool of  claim 6  wherein the resistant of the hammer spring is greater than the resistance of the valve spring. 
     
     
         8 . The vibrating tool of  claim 1  wherein the resilient support for the valve is a helical compression spring. 
     
     
         9 . The vibrating tool of  claim 1  wherein the tool housing defines a fluid chamber continuous with the flow path, wherein the valve comprises a first tubular piston movable axially in the fluid chamber and having a valve contact face, wherein the hammer comprises a second tubular piston movable axially in the fluid chamber and having a hammer contact face, wherein the hammer further comprises a flow path extending through the hammer, and wherein the valve contact face and the hammer contact face are configured so that when the valve contact face engages the hammer contact face fluid flow through the flow path in the hammer is restricted and so that when the hammer contact face is spaced a distance from the valve contact face fluid flow through the flow path in the hammer is unrestricted. 
     
     
         10 . A vibrating tool comprising:
 a tool housing defining a fluid-tight flow path;   a hammer supported in the flow path of the tool to stroke axially therein in response to fluid flow through the tool and having a hammer contact face, wherein the hammer defines a hammer flow path extending from the contact face and continuous with the flow path of the tool housing;   a valve supported in the flow path of the tool to stroke axially therein in response to fluid flow through the tool and having a valve contact face, wherein the valve defines a valve flow path extending from the valve contact face and continuous with the flow path of the tool housing and the hammer flow path;   a valve return spring configured to resist downward movement of the valve until at least an operating flow rate through the flow path of the tool is achieved;   a hammer spring configured to resist downward movement of the hammer, the hammer spring having a greater resistance than the valve spring;   wherein the valve is positioned in the housing above the hammer so that when the tool is in the neutral position the valve contact face opposes and is spaced a distance from the hammer contact face permitting unrestricted flow from the valve flow path to the hammer flow path and so that in response to an operating flow rate the valve strokes downward against the resistance of the valve spring to bring the valve contact face into engagement with the hammer contact face; and   wherein the hammer and valve are configured for performing a repetitive vibratory cycle in which, when the hammer and valve contact faces engage, flow through the hammer flow path is restricted to produce increased fluid pressure on the hammer contact face to stroke the hammer down against the resistance of the hammer spring, which in turn separates the contact faces causing a pressure decrease, which then allows the hammer and the valve to rebound causing an impact within the housing to vibrate the tool, the cycle repeating for so long as the operating flow rate is maintained.   
     
     
         11 . The vibrating tool of  claim 10  further comprising a stop for limiting the downward axial movement of the valve. 
     
     
         12 . The vibrating tool of  claim 11  wherein the valve comprises a valve stem axially supported in a valve support, wherein the tool further comprises a second valve lift-off spring, and wherein the downward travel of the valve is limited by the valve lift-off spring. 
     
     
         13 . The vibrating tool of  claim 11  wherein the tool housing defines an annular shoulder surrounding the valve, wherein the valve comprises a tubular piston having an outer diameter that defines an annular shoulder configured to engage the annular shoulder on the housing to limit the downward travel of the valve.