Top drive bearing for use in a top drive system, and made of non-vacuum arc remelted steel configured to achieve an extended life cycle at least equivalent to a life factor of three for a vacuum arc remelted steel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9695875-B2
Application number	US-201414327912-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2014
Priority date	Jul 17, 2013
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

A top drive thrust bearing configured for use in a heavy loaded top drive system. The top drive thrust bearing includes an upper plate; a lower plate; and a plurality of rollers disposed between the upper plate and the lower plate. The composition of the top drive thrust bearing comprising a non-vacuum arc remelted steel including, in weight percent (%), about 0.15% to about 0.18% carbon (C), about 0.15% to about 0.4% silicon (Si), about 0.4% to about 0.7% manganese (Mn), 0% to about 0.025% phosphorus (P), about 0.0005% to about 0.002% sulfur (S), about 0.0002% to about 0.0007% oxygen (O), about 0.001% to about 0.003% titanium (Ti), about 1.3% to about 1.6% chromium (Cr), about 3.25% to about 3.75% nickel (Ni), about 0.0005% to about 0.003% calcium (Ca), about 0.15% to about 0.25% molybdenum (Mo), balance iron (Fe).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A top drive system comprising:
a stationary frame;
a rotatable shaft within the frame; and
a top drive thrust bearing surrounding the shaft; the top drive thrust bearing of the top drive system comprising:
an upper plate;
a lower plate, wherein at least one of the upper plate and the lower plate is secured to the frame; and
a plurality of rollers disposed between the upper plate and the lower plate; the composition of the top drive thrust bearing comprising a non-vacuum arc remelted steel comprising, in weight percent (%), about 0.15% to about 0.18% carbon (C), about 0.15% to about 0.4% silicon (Si), about 0.4% to about 0.7% manganese (Mn), 0 to about 0.025% phosphorus (P), about 0.0005% to about 0.002% sulfur (S), about 0.0002% to about 0.0007% oxygen (O), about 0.0005% to about 0.003% titanium (Ti), about 1.3% to about 1.6% chromium (Cr), about 3.25% to about 3.75% nickel (Ni), about 0.0005% to about 0.003% calcium (Ca), about 0.15% to about 0.25% molybdenum (Mo), balance iron (Fe).

2. A top drive thrust bearing configured for use in a heavy loaded top drive system, the top drive thrust bearing comprising:
an upper plate;
a lower plate; and a plurality of rollers disposed between the upper plate and the lower plate; the composition of the top drive thrust bearing comprising a non-vacuum arc remelted steel comprising, in weight percent (%), about 0.15% to about 0.18% carbon (C), about 0.15% to about 0.4% silicon (Si), about 0.4% to about 0.7% manganese (Mn), 0 to about 0.025% phosphorus (P), about 0.0005% to about 0.002% sulfur (S), about 0.0002% to about 0.0007% oxygen (O), about 0.0005% to about 0.003% titanium (Ti), about 1.3% to about 1.6% chromium (Cr), about 3.25% to about 3.75% nickel (Ni), about 0.0005% to about 0.003% calcium (Ca), about 0.15% to about 0.25% molybdenum (Mo), balance iron (Fe).

3. The top drive thrust bearing of claim 2 , wherein the non-vacuum arc remelted steel comprises between about 0.001% and about 0.002% sulfur.

4. The top drive thrust bearing of claim 2 , wherein the non-vacuum arc remelted steel comprises between about 0.0004% and about 0.0007% oxygen.

5. The top drive thrust bearing of claim 2 , wherein the non-vacuum arc remelted steel comprises between about 0.001% and about 0.003% titanium.

6. The top drive thrust bearing of claim 2 , wherein the non-vacuum arc remelted steel comprises between about 0.001% and about 0.003% calcium.

7. The top drive thrust bearing of claim 2 , wherein the composition of the bearing exhibits uniform properties in a processing direction and in a direction perpendicular to the processing direction.

8. The top drive thrust bearing of claim 2 , wherein the bearing is configured to achieve a fine grain size of ASTM No. 6 or finer, as measured according to ASTM E 112.

9. The top drive thrust bearing of claim 2 , wherein the bearing is configured to achieve ASTM A 534 quality requirements in terms of inclusions.

Assignees

• Roller Bearing Co America Inc

Inventors

• Parkinson Steven

Classifications

• F16C19/30

  for axial load mainly · CPC title

• F16C33/62 Primary

  Selection of substances · CPC title

• F16C2220/62

  by turning, boring, drilling · CPC title

• F16C33/366

  Tapered rollers, i.e. rollers generally shaped as truncated cones · CPC title

• E21B3/022

  Top drives · CPC title