Patent ID: 8215396

Claim:
A ball and plug dropping head for use in sequentially dropping one or more balls, darts or plugs into a well tubing, comprising: a) a housing having an inlet at its upper end adapted to be fluidly connected in line with the lower end of a top drive, an outlet generally aligned with the inlet and a mating inside surface; b) the housing having an inner surface surrounding an outer bypass channel and an inner flow channel, wherein each said channel connects to the inlet and the outlet; c) a plurality of valving members spaced between the inlet and the outlet, each valving member having an inner valve with a flow bore, and being movable between open and closed positions, each valving member having an outer valve that is in an open position when the inner valve is closed and in a closed position when the inner valve is open, said outer valve presenting a mating surface to the housing inner surface when the inner valve is open, each outer valve not valving flow in the bypass channel when the inner flow channel is closed; d) canisters in the housing that separate said inner and bypass secondary fluid flow channels, said bypass channel enabling fluid to bypass the inner valve and the inner flow channel when the outer valve is in the open position and the inner valve is in the closed position; e) wherein the inner valve does not valve fluid flow in the bypass flow channel when the inner valve is in the closed position; f) wherein fluid flow flows around the inner valve and in between the canisters and the housing inner surface when it is in the closed position and through the inner valve when it is in the open position; g) each canister being a sliding sleeve above each inner valve that is configured to support a ball, dart or plug when the inner valve below the sleeve is closed; h) wherein in the open position each inner valve flow bore permits a ball, dart or plug to pass therethrough, and circulating fluid to pass downwardly therethrough when neither a ball, dart nor plug is in the inner valve flow bore; and (i) one or more members attached to and rotating with the valving member that close the secondary channel when the valving member opens the main channel, said member having a mating edge that tracks said mating inside surface.