Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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l BACKGRouND OF THE INVENTION
¦ Discussion of the Prior Art
Thi~ invention relate~ to an apparatus for handling
¦ tubular goods such as pipe, casing~, collars, etc. and more
particularly to an apparatus for tran~ferring tubular goods
between a drilling rig and a pipe rack.
~ n the prior art there are variou~ methods and
devices for lifting tubulars to and from a drilling rig
floor~ One of such methods simply attaches a wire cable to
the pipe ~nd then the cable is lifted by a hydraulic winch
which i~ typically mounted on a truck parked near the rig.
Crane~ have also been used to lift th~ pipe.- Hydraulic
driven chain~ have been successfully used too. Pipe transferred
j by these methods can be dropped on personnQl or equipment
I below causing severe injury and damage inasmuch as they can
i weigh thousands of pound~. Often ~he pipe must be lifted to
¦ heights of forty feet or more. These dangers are more intense
: I when the apparatus and rig are positioned offshore and
! sub~ected to wave, tidal and wind forces. If the pipe is
;. dropped or banged a~ainst other structure the threaded ends
can be easily damaged or the pipe bent.
i~; 1 Inclined troughs for the transfer of tubulars have also
; ¦ bee~ used wherein the tubular is frictionally slid along the
- I trough surface. Thi~ action ofte~ causes excessive wear on
pip~ especially bhe threaded ends which mu~t be protected from
¦ such wear. It was thus often necessary to keep the metal
, thread protector on a~ the pipe was moved along the trough
L l ~or removal wh~n the pipe was on the drilling rig platform.
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~hi~ neces~ary care of the threads and pipe ends creates an
I! extra ~tep ~n the installation of the pipe or other tubular
s jl ln the hole ~e~ulting in a longer cycle time.
5 Il Pr~or art troughs somRtirnes were designed to pivot
I from a generally horizontal position adjacent the pipe rack
J to an incl~ned po~ition near the drilling rig floor. However,
no satisfactory means had been developed for ~upporting the
t uppermost end on the floor. Also, the pivoted trough lifting
! mechanism and the structural integrity of the trough limited
; ¦I the length of the trough, the angle of inclination and hence
; I¦ the ultimate lifting height. When the prior art transferring
¦ apparatus was used on off~hore rigs, the wind, tidal and
wave forces would act against the pivoting trough causing it
to sway or to become out of alignment with the Aupp4rt
- ,j means.
; ¦¦ From a singlo drilling rig often 20 or more holes are
¦ ~ored. Thl~ requires that the tubular handling apparatus be
; ¦ maved around on the platform to position ~t near the hole
being used. ThiB i8 a time-consuming process and typically
j ~equires the use of additional moving equipment, e.g. cranes.
i ~ To transfer the pipe from the ground onto the prior art
pipe handling apparatu~ also required at lea~t two personnel
manually to move or roll the pipe to the machine, a procedure
i that limits the pipe from being efficiently ~tacked. Space
being at a premium on any offshore rig, the inabil~ty
efficiently to stack the pipe p~esents a serious probl~m.
~: ! Inclined conveyor systems had been used to handle tubular~ in
~ I thè pa~t but they occupied ~uch large anctunts of valuable
'~; ¦ floo ~pace that they aro not in ~my ~ tantlal use today.
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Accordingly, it is~the principal of the present
invention to provide an improved apparatu~ for transferring
tubular goods between a pipe rac~ and the floor of a drilling rig.
The present invention prov~des an apparatus for
transferring tu~ulars ~etween th~ floor of a drilling rig and a
pipe rack comprising,
an elongated main support frame adapted to be
positioned in proximity to said pipe rack,
a lift trough positioned longitudinally of said support
rame and having one end pivotallv coupled to said main support
frame, whereby said lift trough can be pivoted upwardly to an
inclined position,
power means connected to said lit trough for pivoting
said lift trough up~ardly to an inclined position relative to
said main support frame and toward said drilling rig and
downwardlv to a generally horizontal position, and
carriage means operativel~ connected to said lift
trough for moving tubulars positioned in said lift trough along
its length.
The present invention will beome more apparent to
those persons having ordinary skill in the art to which the
present invention pertains from the following description, taken
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of preferred
embodiments of the invention.
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. . THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 i8 a perspect~ve view partly broken away of an
apparatus embodying the present invention in use at a drilllng
; rig site.
Figur~ 2 i8 a side elevational view partly broken away
of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing the lift trough in a
fully inclined position.
I Figure 3 i8 a top plan view of the lift or pivoted txough
:: of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a ~ide elevational view of the lift or pivoted
. trough o~ Figure 3.
~;~. Figure 5 is a cros~-~ectional view taken along line 5-5 in
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.. Figure 4.
~!, Flgure 6 1B ~ cro~s-sectional view taken along line 6-6 ;
. in Figure 4..
Figure 7 iQ a cross-~ectional view taken along line 7-7
. ln Figure 4.
.... Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken alon~ line 8-8
ln Flgure 4.
~,i, Flgure 9 ~ a top plan vlew of a ~lldable apron or holding
~i trough attachable to the carriage means of the tubular handling
. . apparatus o~ the pre~ent inventio~ as shown in Figure 1.
: Figure IO is.a ~ide elevational ~iew partly broken away
.~ of t~e ap~on or holding trough and carriage mRan~ of Figure 9.
.l . Figu~e 11 i~ an end elevational view of ~ portion of the
~, carrlage mean~ of Figure~ 9 and 10.
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Figure 12 i8 a perspective view of the apron and carriage
meane of F~gure 9 illu~,trating the component~ thereof in
exploaed relation.
Figure 13 i8 a perspective view partly broken away of the
lengt~ projection or adjustment device for the apron of
Flgure 9.
; Figure 14 i,~ ~ side elevational view partly broken away
~ o~ the device of Figure 13 illustrating the operatlon thereof.
i~ - Figure 15 i,s, a crsss-sectional view partly broken away
; ta~en along line 15-15 of Figure 14.
,~ Figuxe 16 is a per8pective view partly bro~en away of the
~; connectable end~ of the lift or pivo~ted an~ fixed troughs of
!~- Figure 1.
~r;; Figure 17 i8 a ~ide Qlevational view partly broken away
. of the apparatu~, of Figure 16 illustrating the troughs and the
¦ locklng means partly in cross-section.
¦ Figure 18 18 a cross-sectional view ta~en along
¦ line 18-18 in Figure 17 to illustrate the detent ~eans.
¦ Figure l9A iB a perspective view partly broken away of the
s ¦ fixed trough of Figure 1 with adjustable length segments
~. ¦ illu~,trat$ng the com~onents thereof in exploded relation.
,i,; ¦ Figure l9B i,~ a perspective view of the support member
~, ¦ for the fixed trou,gh of Figure 19~ illustrating the com~onent~,
'`. ¦ thereo~ in exploded relation.
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~lgure 20 i8 ~ side elevat~onal Yiew partly broken aw~y
of the pipe stacker asaembly arm3 at the lowered pOBition
P of Figure 1 and wlth the raised position and other ~tructure
:; ~hown in phantom line8.
Figure 21 i8 a top plan view partly broken away of the
as~embly of Figure 20 partly i~ phantom lines.
Figure 22 is a view similar to Figure 20 illustrating a
varlation thereof and illustrating the raised po~ition in
phantom lines.
, Figure 23 i~ an enlarged end view partly broken away
o~ ~he tilting mechan~m of the stacker tray of Figures 20
snd 22.
~;A ~ Figure 24 iB a side elevational view of the tilt~ng
'~' mech~nism and stacker tray in Figure 23 with the arm ~hown in
~;~ phantom lines.
~;~ F~gure 25 i6 ~ perspectlve ~iew o~ the ~tacker tray of
~: Flgure~ 20 and 22 illu~trating the parts thereof in exploded
relation.
Figure 26 is an end elevational ~iew partly broken away
i. of the pipe transfer ~ystem of F1gures 20 and 22 illu~trating
the ~tac~er tray in different elevation8 and positions and
i;~t the pipes in ~tacked posltions.
Figure 2i i~ ~ schematic illustration of the hydraulic
syste~ for operati~g the pipe ~tacker a8~embly of Figures 23 26
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~t ' ' Figure 28 ~8 a top plan view of the apparatus of Figure
~-, . .1 po~itioned ~t ~ fir~t locatlon on a drilling rig and at
~r ansther po~ition in phantom line~ and illustrating, partly
;J,' bro~en away, the trac~ system,and surrounding drllling locations.
.:j . . Figure 29 i~ a per~pectiv~ view partly broke~ away of ~he
.~ wheel as~embly for the track ~yst~m of Figures 1 and 28.
:. Figure 30 i~ a cro~s-~ectional view partly broken away t-
taken along line 30-30 in Figure 29.
Flgure 31 i~ a view similar to that of Figure 30
illu8trating th~ apparatu~ in a lifted po~ition and the
;-, . wheel in rolling relation with the track. ..
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DESCRIPTION OF T~I3 I27V~NTION
General Descript1on
. Referring to ~igures 1 through 4, there i~ illu6trated
an apparatu~ sho~n gene~t~ at lQ
.' tfor handling pipQ P and other tubular~. This apparatu8 ,'
`'1 generally include~ a main support framc 12 shown po~itioned
;¦ on the ground or, in lt8 preferred u8e, on an offshore rig. .,';
,- The apparatus al80 includes, left and right catwalk~ 13, 13 for ;
.~. utility use, ~ lift or pivoted troug~,14 pivotally connected
. to frame 12, pipe tran~ferrins assemblies 16 and 18 positioned.
; on opposite 8~de'~ Of frame 12 ad~acent tandem pipe racks R
. ' ~nd lift trough 14 and po~itioned at approxim~te midsections
,thereof, a fixed trough 20 ~upported at one end by drilling
' rig floor 22 and at the other end by fixed trough ~upport
,. 24~ a locking mean~ 26, for connecting lift trough 14 to
~` fixed txough 20 and a pipQ carriage assem~ly 27 for mnving the'
:,~; pipe up or down the tro,ughs. Thus, apparatu~ 10 tra~sfer~
; pip~ P between pipe rack8 R on either side of the apparatu~
., 10 through the use of pipe transferring assemblie~ 16 ~nd 18
.~ which ra~se and lower the pipe P to and from ~he lift trough
~.. 14 that may be selectively lifted or lowered as desired
i' to tha fixed trough 20. The carriage assembly 26 moYes the
;~ plpe ~long the troughs to the floor 22 of the drilling rig.
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n,. etailed Description_of the Invent~on ',
L~''
~, , As best shown in Figures 1 and 2, lift or plvoted trough
~' 1~ i8 posit1onable between catwalk8 13, 13 and i~ pivotally ,~
r~ connected by pi~ a88P~hly 28 at a rearward end of elongated
.~.' ''m~in support ~rame 12. At least one hydraulic cylinder .~;
. a~sembly 30 1~ positioned rearward of the midsection of lift
,,.~. trough 14 and p~votally connected to the, lift trough at one
sj e~d ~nd to the main support frame at the other end to lift the;
~`!' llft trough 14 from a generally horizontal positlon as ~hown
i~ Fi~ure8 20! 22 ~d 26 to an incllned po8itlon a8 ~hown
~f ln Flgures 1-4 in ,which it can connect with fixed trough 20. .`
" A~ best ~hown in Figures 3~ ft trough 14 comprise8
b . horizontally and vertically spaced elongated outer f,rame
.;.~ ¦ member~ 32, 34, 36 and 38 which support a V-ahaped steel based
'`,i floor 40 along which the pipe P slide~. The V-shape defines
~,s j slot 41 formed ln the middle throughout the length of the lift
~'. trough 14. Interm~diate the ends of the lift trough and
formln~ a porti~n thereof i~ ~ dump trough 42 tiltable laterally
,' in either direction when lift trough 14~is in a down or
. . generally hor~zontal po~ition, to dump pipe or accept pipe
~;. from the pipe t~ansferring as~emblies 16 and 18 o~ e$ther ~ide
o~ the main frame to or from the pipe rack% R. Dump trough
~' 42 i8 tiltable by hydraulic cylinder~ 44 and 45 a~ be~ shown .
in Figur~ 7. Cyllnders 44 and 45 are po~itioned in~ide of
framo member~ 32, 34, 36 and 38 and have their lower end~
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piYot~lly coupled at one end to cros~ member 46 forming
n,;~ the ~ase of llft trough 14 alo~g with elongated outer frame
~r~ ~mbers 36 and 38 and at the other end pivotally coupled to
.,: ba~e support plate 48 of the dump trough 42. As uhown in
Y~ ~igure 7, in phantom ;ines~ dump trough 42 i~ tilting laterally
~:j to the right dua to the exten~ion of cylinder 44. The reverse
~,`. tilt would be achieved by extension o~ cylinder 45. A~ i8 ,.
~lea~ from ~he.description~cylinders 44 and 45 m4ve up and dow~
~ with llft trough 14 as it is raised or lowered.
?.. ¦ A carriage assembly 27 serves to move plpe P
. ¦ or othe~-tubulars along the --
~ ¦ lift trough 14 and also out beyond t~e fixed trough 20. As
¦ . ~e~t shawn in ~igures 6 and 9-12 this assembly includes
~A ~ an apron or movable holding trough supported for sliding
l .movement along floor 40 of lift trough 14. Apron $0 is
i: ¦ preferably o~ such dimension that it can support the entire
¦ length of pipe P 80 that neither of the end~ of the p$pe
~;.. ¦ are forced to slide along the trough ~hereby causing damage
¦ to the plpe end s or to the trough.
¦. ~he ~arriage assembly includes carriage 52 releasably
¦ ~ecured to apron 50 for movement by the power transm~sion
~ ¦ as~embly ~hown generally at 54 of Figure 12~ The apron 50
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18 provided with an aperture 56 formed close to the rear ~;
~; end 57 o~ apron 50 into which 18 fitted a tooth shaped
.. ~ecuring ~ember 58 which projects upwardly a~ a forwardly
..s. . extendlng neck 60 o~ carriage 52. Aperture 56 doe~ not
,~.. ~xtend all of the way to the rear end of apron 50 but is
! . spaced therefrom n distance comparable to the length of
., necX 60. The pro~ection of tooth member 58 slants downwardly
; toward it~ forward or leading end 59 whereby tooth member 58
.... m~y be inserted into aperture 56 while apron 50 i8 held
~:i ; 8t~tionary, To secure the apron to the carriage,rear end 57:.
. o ap~on 50 when moved toward the carrlage rides upwardly
.' on tooth member 58 until it reaches the ~ll length of
nperture 56 at which time the apron will drop down and lock `
onto the carriage. When the carriage 52 is connected with
;'. the apron 50 by the tooth member 58, both are ~aved forwardly
3 by the endles~ chain 60 as shown in Figure 12.
" The carriage a~embly 27 includes main drive endless
, chain 60 whiPh attache~ to tooth member 58 by ~ttaching block
.~...... 62 as be~t ~hown in Figure lO. Chain 60 io driven by
.i. sprocket 64 whicb i8 secured to one end of ~haft 66 a~ shown
in Figure 12 ~nd connected to lift trough 14. ~haft 66
~`$.~. ¦ i8 rotated at itR other end by n second sproc~et 68 which i8
in turn rotated by a second endless drive chain 70. Chain 70
~8 dr~ven by motor ~proc~et 72 wh~ch i8 rotated by a suitabl~
hydraullc ~otor 74 mounted on the basG of th~ lift trough 14.
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; For ~n~forrLng pipo or other tubular~ between the rlg : ¦
platform ~o the pipe ~ack, apron 50 Will be moved onto fixed
trough 20 by carriage a~embly 27. A length of plpe P will be
. loaded O~tO apron 50 and contac~ the ~lightly resilient back
5~ plate 53 o~ carriage 52. The apron with the pipe and the
,' carriage will be ~oved downwardly by chain 6 0 and the action
i o motor 74.
~,. . Dump trough 42 has two elongated apron holding strips 73
; and 75, as best shown in Figure~ 6 and 7, formed along its
;:m outer edges 80 that when the apron 50 i8 pulled onto the
dump trough 42 the sid~ edge~ 51 of the apron slide under
.,. strip8 73 ~nd 75 whereby the apron i~ fixed wlth re~pect to
~I.' lateral mo~eme~t to dump trough 42. Thu~ when l~ft trough 14
i~ lower~d to a horizontal position and dump trough 42 $8 tilted
~<r~',. laterally, apron 50 will al~o be tllted laterally allowing
~t, pipe P to be dumped onto catwalk~ 13, 13 for loading onto
the pipe rack~ R. To be in dumping positlon, ~ecuring tooth
i member 58 and carriage 52 mu~t move ~ust beyond the dump
trough 42 into the lower non-tilting portion of the lift
~,~. trough. Only the apron 52 will then be above dump trough
~ . and held by the strips 73 and 75.
j:;,! When apron 50 i~ tllted laterally during dumping, aperture
~,'. 56 18 moved above tooth member 58. However, when the apron
i~ moved ~ack in place by the dump trough, aperture 56 will
. f$t b~c~ around tooth member 58 whereby the carriage 52 may
~ push apron 50 with pipe P along lift trough 14 to fixed trcugh
~ 20 where pipe P may be picked up by the usual crane, not ~hown, ¦
~ on ~h~ floor 22 of the drilling r$g and placed again on apron 50
,,S~' to begin other cycle to restack the pipe.
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. In use slmilar to that of apron 50 transferring pipe
: .from the rlg floor 22 for loading on the pipe rack R, it i~
to b~ under~to~d that the apron ca~ obviously be used for
~; .mo~i~g pipe in the opposite direction, ~rom the r~ck to the
. - de~iQk floo~ to ~orm the drill 8trlng. Apron 50 also h
advantages ln that it protects llft trough 14 and fixed trough
t 20 from wear~ to which end, grea~e or other friction reducing
~1~ mate~ihl may be coated to the underside of ~pron 50.
When the height differenti~l between drilling rig floor
~t 22 ~n~ ~upport fr~me 12 i8 sufficient ~uch that the pipe will.
:. slide down trough~ 14 and 20 by gravlty, the apron 50 may
..
.. be removed as well as the securing to~oth mR~ber 58. In order
': to permlt such d~mounting, tooth member 58 m~y be removably
~; secured to the forward extension of the nec~ of c~rriage 52
: by bolt~ or equivalent means.
. Instead of employing the strlp~ 73 and 75 to hold apxon 50
to th~ d~mp trough 42, the apron may have a thin neck of a
.i lengtb ~nd depth 8imilar to neck 61 extending down from and
¦ secured to lt8 bottom with an enlarged removably secured
; lug of width greater than ~lot 41 attached to the thin neck.
; The thin neck will extend through ~lot 41 with the enlarged
.. lug located below floor 40D Thi~ arrangement allows apron 50
t~ to slide on fl~or 40 yet holds apron 50 to the dump trough when
it is tilted for dumping purposes. In thi~ embodimRnt, apron 50
may be coupled to carriage 52 by s~curing tooth m~mber 58
~: ~ to the forward ~xtension of nec~ 61 of carriag~ 52 through
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¦apurtur~ 56 apron 50 when the ~pertur~ o~ the ~pro~
,..; over the forward extenslon of the neck. The'apron may be
~i...~ ,re ved by removing too~h m~mber 58 and by slidlng the apron ~
:, .forw~rd when'the ~ift trough i8 at a slightly in~lined position
' ~i `' to re ye the lower thin neck of the apron from slot 41 at
.;;. ~he for,ward-~nd of the trough.
; ' . Apron'50 ~8 of such dimen~ion~ as earlier mentioned,
,. t~ be longer than even the longest tubulars. When short pipes
~!.t;~ are to be transferred it ~8 de~irsble to provide an effectively,
.'! shorter apron 80 that the pipe need not slide as far when
5~ being transferred from the rig floor to the apron and that
~," the ~ipe will be more nearly centered on the dump trough when
.!' the carrisge,reaches its lowe~t position, and further that
t~ ~ the pipe will still extend or pro~ect freely out beyond the end
. of the fixed trough lnto the drilling rig for essier pick up
by the usual crane on rig platform. .
~, T~e present a~paratus as ~eist s~own i`n Figures 13-15
$11ustrat~s at 77 structure to control the length of the
i. ' pro~ection of the pipe from the end o~ the apron 50. This
length projector or positionable carriage 77.includes ~ body
section 7~, 8 front or working face 80 again~t which the pipe~
~,,.,. will rest,-a handle 82 secured to the body 78, a tubular, ..
open-ended protruding member 84,,a button 86 mounted ln bore 85
'~r'.' provided in body 78 slidably received within the tubular
~:_ .protruding member 84 referred to generally a~ an engagement
,;. mechanism 87.
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Apron 50 is provided with a series of spaced positioning
holes 88 thxough which protruding member ~4 may be received.
Positionable carriage 77 is designed, as best s~own in Figure 14,
that it may be held and moved ~y hand and ~hile the operator is
grasping handle 82 he may depress button 86. When button 86
îs depressed, engagement mechanism 87 is operated to release
protruding member 84 which then ma~ be wlthdrawn from one hole
and placed in a more desira~le hole. When it is placed in the
desired hole 88 and button 86 is released the mechanism
positioned on the underneath side of the apron is activated
thereby securing the positionable carriage to the apron at the
desired location. Figure 15 best illustrates the details of the
engagement mechanism 87.
The protruding member 84 is provided with a central bore
84a and with a sliding bore 84b to slidably receive rod 89
secured to the button 86 and which extends the length of the
protruding member 84. A spring 90 abuts ledge 91 in which sliding
bore 84b is formed to surround rod 89 and bias button 86
upwardly. Secured to the end of the rod remote from the button
86 is an enlarged head 92 haviny an upper conical portion 92a, a
cylindrical portion 92b for controlled sliding engagement within
bore 84a and an enlarged lip 92c which abuts the bottom edge 84c
and limits the upward movement of the protruding member 84.
As shown the protruding mem~er 84 is provided with
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a plurality of ports 84 and into which ball detents 93 are
positioned and sized to partially extend outwardly of the
protruding member 84 but yet be retained within the bore of
the protruding member.
In use, depressing the button 86 permits the balls
93 to be retracted on the conical surface 92a and the position-
able carriage may be inserted into the bore 85. Release of
the button, forces the ball detents outwardly by the action
of the conical surface 92a. The balls thus extended have a
larger diameter than the holes 88 of the apron 50 to releasably
lock the positionable carriage 77 to the apron 50 at the
selected hole 88.
As best shown in Figure 1, fixed trough 20 is inclined
towards lift trough 14 and is supported at one end by drilling
rig floor 22 and at the other end by fixed trough support 24.
When lift trough 14 is in a fully inclined position, locking
mechanism 26 connects it to fixed trough 20, as shown in
Figure 17. In this position, apron 50 can slide up the fixed
trough and pipe loaded or unloaded from the apron onto the
drilling rig. The trough dimensions of the fixed trough must
thus be such that the apron may be fully supported thereby and
may freely slide thereon.
Locking mechanism 26 includes a pair of downward
extending detents in the form of hooks 98 and 100 at the end
of the fixed trough 20 and a pair of upwardly disposed
holding slots
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l~2~ 104 Ln ~ho outer ~nd of ths lift trough 14. $hu~,
a~ ths lift t~ough is l~fted, hook~ 98 and 100 are forced
into ~lots 102 an~ 104. The hooks prevent the l~ft trough
from moving up or from ving laterally relative to the
fixed ~rough.
The fixed trough ex~ends onto ~he drilling rig floor 80
that the tubul~rs may be then llfted onto the platform. With
diff~ent tubular lengths andtor positloning of the drilling
equipment on the platform it is often desirable to have
the ixed trough ex*end an additional di~tance onto the
platform. Preferably this adjustment should be made
without requlring that the fixed trough be lifted snd
repo~itioned o~ without replacing it wlth a new fixed
trough o~ different length. The pre~ent lnvention ~atiRfies
~hose criteria.
s 1~ best lllustrated in Figurc l9A additlonal trough
segmento 10~ ~d 110 may be ~dded to the uppe st end of
fixed trough 20. A pair o~ plate~ 112 and 114 are fa~tened by
bolts or other equivalent means to the sides of the fixed
trough 20 and the trough segment 108. The plates mu~t ~e of
such length and strength as to overcome any moment~ created
when pip~ P ~nd apron 56 are on the trough ~egment. A~ i~
shown in Flgure l9, as many segments may be ndded a~ needed
llmited only by the aforementioned m~ment created. Predrllled
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:. hole~ 115 ¢an al80 be provlded in the end o~ the fixed trough,
~i~ the trough segment~, a~d corresponding hole~ 115a providad
ln the plate~, 80 that the fastene~s and thus the ~egme~t~ ;
may ~ Added o~ removed with greater speed. - . -~
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~;Fixed trough 8upport 2~ i~ telescopi~ and nd~ustable to
a~y deslred length and lnclude~ upper leg 116 and lower leg
118 which a~ suitably ~zed to ~e disposed in telescoping
'~i relatlon, as best shown in Figure l9B. Upper leg 116 is
provided with holes 120 ~nd lowe~ ~egment 118 with holes 122.
With leg segment 116 placed inside segment 118 and thQ
desired len~th qf fixed trough support 24 chosen, hole~ 120
and 12~ are ~l~gned and pin8 124 and 126 inserted to secure
~?.support 24 ~t that length. Cotter pins 128 and 130 may then
f'i ~ be placed through holes in the ends of pin~ 124 and 126 to
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hold the pins in place.
F$xed trough support 24 is pivotally connected to the
lower end of fixed trough 20 by pin 132 in~erted in a suitably~
~paced hole 135. Cotter pins 134 hold ~ecuring pin 132 in
place. It i~ thus seen that the length of the fixed trough
~t . support may be ad~usted where~y the angle of inclination of
the fixed trough is adjusted so that lt may properly align
with lift trough 14. The bottom portion of leg segment
~ c~ 118 i~ attached to main frame 12 as shown in F~gure 2.
#t~The pipe transfer syste~ includes a pipe
transferring assemblies 16 and 18 po~itioned on the ~ides of
catwalks 13, 13 and ~etween pipe racks R~ As shcwn in Figures
~; 1 and 20~24, the pipe transferring assemblies include a pair
of aligned arms 138 and 140 each located on the side of
. the pipe handllng apparatus and next to one of the pipe rack~
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Tha arm end~ 138a ~nd 140~ ars pivotally coupled to the frame
~t 142 and 143. Each pair of opposite arm end~ 138b and 140b
is conn0cted to a tilt tray 144 for holding pipe and may mové
to ~n upper po~ition above catwalk 13 and to a lower position
below th~ ~atwalk a~ ~hown in F$gures l, 20, 22 and 26. In
Figure~ 20 and 22 arm~ 138 and 140 are shown in phantom form
in thelr upper positions. ~`
A hydraulic sy~tem i~ e~ployed ~or moving the arm ends ~
138b and 140b together to upward or downward positions or to;
any level in between. The hydraulic sy~tem comprises a pair of
cylinder~ 1~5, 145 positioned horizontally and having their
ends piYotally coupled to frame 10 ~t 146.~nd 148 at one end.
At the other ends 150 and 152, the cylinder~ are pivotally
coupled to arm~ 138 and 140 at 154 and 156 through use of
ear# 158 and 160 connected to arm~ 138 and 140 respectively
at 4 location 161 ln which the arms are enlarged to permit
the cyllnder~ 145, 145 to be horizontal at the lowest pos~tion~
of arma 138 ~nd 140, thus permitting a lower reach of the
tllt~ng t~ay 14~ without interference between the arms and
cyllnders.
F~gure 22 ~hows a ~lightly dif~erent embodiment of ~he
invention o~ Figure 20 primarily having the hydraulic cylinder
attachments and arm shapes shown.
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Referring to Figure 27, the hydraulic system for
operating cylinders 145, 145 comprises an oil reservoir 162,
a pump 164, a four-way directional control valve 166 and
appropriate flow lines.
Pivotally coupled to arm ends 138b and 140b is a
tilt tray or trough 144 for carrying pipe P between rack R
and pipe handling apparatus 10. Trough 144 can be tilted
laterally in either direction to allow pipe P to be loaded or
unloaded.
Referring to Figures 20-27, the mechanisms for
coupling tilt tray 144 to arm ends 138b and 140b and for
tilting tray 144 are shown. Tilting mechanisms shown
generally at 170 and 172 are identical and are positioned at
each end of arms 138, 140 for operating each tray 144. Arm
ends 138b and 140b have stub shafts 174 and 176 rotatably
secured at one end therein respectively allowing arms 138 and
140 to move up and down together carrying the length of tray
144 in a generally horizontal position.
As best shown in Figure 23, stub shaft 174 is
rotatably secured at its other end in a suitable bore 178
formed through pivot block 180 which is pivotally mounted on
shaft 182 positioned at right angles to shaft 174 and extending
partial through pivot block 180. Dummy shaft 183 on pivot
block 180 is pivotally received in plate 184. Plate 184 and
186 are mounted on shaft 182 for rotation by rotary actuator
190 secured to plate 184. Suitable bearings 192 and 194 are
included to permit free pivoting of block 180. Plate 186,
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I a~ best hown in Figure 23~ includes a V-shaped cradle
¦ 196 at its top. Tilt tray 144 i8 ~ecured to the cradle
¦ ~ormed by V-~haped portion 196 by bolt~ 200 or by equivalent~
¦ mean~. Thu8 as rotary actuator 190 rotates plate 186 through
I sha~t 182, tilt tray 144 tilts from one side to the other.
¦ Tilting mechanisms 170 and 172 are arran~ed in parallel
¦ fashion 80 that they wor~ in tande~ ,
¦ Rotary actuator 190 i8 a commercially available device t
¦ and a8 shown in Figure 27, it comprises a cylinder 202 having
¦ two p~stons 204 and 206, with a rack 208 connected between
¦ the pistons. Rack 208 engages ~ pinlon 210. Shaft 188 ;
¦ i~ an extension of pinion 210. When pressure i8 imposed
¦ on one slde of the cylinder 202 it drives the piston and the
rack in one direction to rotate pinion 210 and hence ~haft 182
¦ On the opposit~ side of the cylinder the pressure is relea~ed.
¦ In Figure 27~ member 212 ia the cylinder for an identical
¦ rotary actuator 214 used in tilting mechanism 172. Cylinder
1 140 has two piston~ 216 and 218 and a rack 220 connected
¦ between the pi~tons for rotating a pinion 220 fro~ which
¦ extends a shaft similar to shaft 188~ Both actuators of
¦ mechani~ms 170 and 172 are operated ~imultaneou~ly by
¦ hydraulic fluid from reservoir 162 and pump 164 for driving
~ ~ i 8haft~ in tho ~me dir tion ior tiltlng th- ~ray 144.
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Four-way valve 166 is employed for controlling the direction
in which the two actuators 190 and 214 rotate their shafts
and hence the direction in which tilt trough 144 is tilted.
Arms 138 and 140 and tilt tray 144 operate in the
following manner to transfer pipe onto the rack R from the
pipe handling apparatus 10. Assume that pipe is to be trans-
ferred from apparatus upwardly to the rack R on one side. Arms
138 and 140 of the pipe transferring assembly 18 are initially
located such that tilt tray 144 will be just below catwalk 13
innon-tilted position. In this position, the upper edge of
tray 144 is located close to catwalk 13 with very little space
between the tray edge and catwalk 13 such that pipe P rolling
outwardly on thecatwalk will roll into the tray. The dump
trough of the lift trough 14 is tilted laterally to dump the
pipe onto the catwalk 13. From the catwalk, the pipe will
roll into tilt tray 144. Cylinders 145, 145 are actuated
to raise arms 138 and 140 and tray 144 with the tray held in
a non-tilted, horizontal position. The tray thus will cradle
and carry the pipe upward with no longitudinal rnovement of the
pipe. Thus the pipe cannot roll off of the tray nor can it
slide off of the tray longitudinally. When the tray 144 reaches
the top of rack R, upward movement of arms 138 and 140
will be terminated and tray 144 will be tilted laterally in
a direction to dump the length of pipe onto the top of rack R.
Tray 144 will be moved to a non-tilted position and arms 138
and 140 and tray 144 moved downward to repeat the process.
~14~7
For transferring pipe from rack R to pipe handling
apparatus 10, arms 138 and 140 and tray 144 operate in the
following manner. Assume that pipe P is to be transferred
from an upper row of pipe on rack R to the pipe handling
apparatus. Cylinders 145, 145 extend to move arms 138 and
140 such that tray 144 will be just below the top row of the
pipe on the rack R with tray 144 on a non-tilted position
whereby the V of the trough will be essentially straight up.
A length of pipe P will be pushed into tray 144. Arms 138
and 140 will then be lowered simultaneously with tray 144
carrying the length of pipe downwardly in a horizontal position.
When tray 144 reaches the level of catwalk 13, downward
movement of arms 138 and 140 will be terminated and tray 144
will be tilted laterally in a direction to dump the length
of pipe onto catwalk 13 where it will roll into the dump
trough tilted to receive the pipe. Tray 144 will be moved
to a non-tilted position and arms 138 and 140 and tray 144
moved upwardly to repeat the process. A pair of arms 138 and
140 and a laterally tiltable tray 144 as described above will
be located on both sides of the apparatus in the form of the
pipe transferring assemblies 16 and 18 between the racks and
the apparatus.
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~,, Referring to Figure 28 there i~ shown a drilling rig
platform D and rlg floor 22, pipe handling apparatus 10 and
drilling hol~ 226 . It 18 oten neces~ary to repo~ition
i~ ~ apparatu~ 10 a8 ~h~wn ~o tha$ it can be u~ed at other hole
r '~ ~ite~ and thiB invention provides a novel track and wheel ~ .
,` ; s~se~bly to accomplish thiB~ -; '
'~';..~ This track and wheel assembly is illustrated in F~gures ,
.;, 28-31~ It generally comprises two ldentical tracks 228 and
.~'."i 230 and fou.~ identical friction reducing means in the form or ~.
wheel as~emblies 232, 234, 236 and 238 extending from the mai,n~
., ; frame, Track 228 ~ncludes an I-beam 240 of structural dimen-
sions and material ~ufficient to support apparatu~ 10 for ~;
. . movem~nt and a guide strip 242 centrally mounted on top
of the beam 240. ., ;
.~ Wheel a88Qmbly 232 include~ a pair of L,~haped bracket~ !'
244 and 246, wheel 248, ~tabilizing platform 2S0, leveling
pad or bos~ 252, hydraul~c cylinder 254 and cyl~nder unt~ng.. ¦
fram~ 256. . . .
~ ; Bracket~ 244 nnd 246 are posltioned mutually parallel
3~ on opposite side~ of the vertical mem~er ~5B of maln ~upport .
~t ' ~am~ 12 and ~re pivotally connected thsreto by ~haft 259. :
" . Wheel 248 18 positioned between the brackets 244 ~nd 2~6
and 1~ plv~tally connected by ~haft 26~ at a point offset ' :~
~' ` fro haft 259 Wheel 248 rDlls on top oS ~h- tDp flange
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~t l ' 0~ I-baam 240-~nd it~ guide strip 242., Stabilizing platform
~' '' 1 250 i~ m4unted on top of the two ~ac~ts. 'AB best shown
in Flgur~s'30, and 31 a depxe~sion 262 i8 formed on the upper '
~''''¦ ~urface of ~tabllizing platform 250. Leveling pad 252
i8 connected at the bottom of the housing 263 for cylinder 254
,Cylinder ~upport 256 is mounted to an underside ~urface of a
horizontal member 270 of main ~upport frame 12. Cylinder 254
~ I i~ held vertically by means o~ support 256. As hydraulic
;~ ¦ fluid flows through line 272 hydraulic cylinder 254 bears
~ ¦ against main support frame horizontal member 270 and through ,
'i; ¦ leveling pad 252 to stabilizing platform 250 to $orce the
'''~' I wheel 248 downwardly- Thu~ a~ should bè *pparent from t~.'
Figure 31, ~upport $rame 10 i8 lifted above track 228 and r,
¦ wheel 248 i8 then in rolling relation with the tracX.
' ¦ Leveling pad 264 rock8'in depre~sion 262 a~ the brackets'pivot
thereby allowlng the hydraulic cylinder to remain vertical. ,~
Pipe handling apparatus 10 may then'be moved manually or by ~
¦ power mean~ to the desired locatio~. ~r~
Fro~ tbe foregoing detailed,description, lt will be
evident that there are a number of changes, adaptations and
¦ modification~ of the present invention which come w~thin
; t prov~nc~ ~f tho~e pereon having crdlnary ekll1 ln the
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art to which the aforementioned invention pertains. ~owever,~
it i~ i~tended that all such variations not departing ~rom the,
~t' ¦ ~pirit o~ the invention be considered as within the scope
¦ ther-of as litnlted ~olely by ~te appended claims.
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