FLOW DIVERTER

摘要

FLOW DIVERTER Apparatus adapted for connection to a drilling conduit beneath a drilling rig floor for diverting pressurized well bore fluid in the conduit from the rig and sealing the annulus between a pipe or other object and the conduit or closing the vertical flow path of the conduit in the absence of any object in the conduit is disclosed. The apparatus includes a housing, an annular packing element and two pistons. The housing is provided with at least one outlet passage in the wall of its body, and one of the two pistons acts as a sliding sleeve valve in cooperation with the housing wall for preventing fluid communication between the outlet passage and the interior of the housing when it is in a nonactuated or normal position and for allowing fluid communication when it is in an actuated or diverting position. The second piston is advantageously disposed axially upwardly within the housing and is adapted for engagement with the upper part of the first piston after the first piston has moved an upward axial distance sufficient to insure opening of the outlet passage before the upward movement of the first piston urges the second piston upwardly thereby causing the annular packing element to close about an object in the housing bore. Another embodiment of the invention provides two outlet passages in the housing wall and two holes in the first piston. When the first piston is in the normal position, one of its holes is in alignment with one of the housing outlet passages, while the other outlet passage is covered by a portion of the piston wall. When actuated, the piston closes the previously opened outlet passage and opens the previously closed outlet passage.