Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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"PIPE TRANSFER SYSTEM"
This invention relates to improved apparatus for
moving well pipe to and from a pipe storage deck adjacent a
well drilling rig.
Background of the Invention
It is conventional in drilling rigs to store pipe
when not in use on a supporting deck near the derrick, with
the pipes extending horizontally on the deck and parallel to
one another. When one of the pipes is to be added to a string
in the well, the pipe is usually lifted by a crane or other
hoisting equipment from the horizontal storage position to
a generally central position,. and is then pulled upwardly a-
long a V-door ramp to the drilling location using auxiliary
hoisting equipment. When a length of pipe is removed from the
string, it is lowered by the auxiliary hoisting equipment and
the crane back to its horizontal position on the deck. These
handling methods normally employed involve considerable manu-
al manipulation of the pipes, with the expenditure of more
rig time than would be desired in the handling process, and
with substantial danger to the rig personnel. Inclined con-
veyors have been proposed for mechanically advancing a length
of pipe upwardly from a storage deck to the drilling rig, or
downwardly from the rig to the deck, but problems still re-
main in transporting the pipes between their horizontal stor-
age positions and the conveyor, or between different hori~-
zontally extending positions on a storage deck or decks.
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Summary of the Invention
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided an
apparatus for moving well pipes between two storage decks and a derrick,
comprising: conveyor
means for moving a pipe in a generally horizontal condition between said two
decks; a first pipe
handling machine mounted movably adjacent a series of generally horizontal
pipes on a first of
the decks and operable to move a pipe in essentially horizontal condition
between said first deck
and said conveyor means; a second pipe handling machine mounted movably
adjacent a series
of generally horizontal pipes on the second deck and operable to move a pipe
between said
conveyor means and said second deck; said second machine being constructed to
move a pipe
from a generally horizontal position to an inclined position; and additional
conveyor means
positioned to receive a pipe from said second machine in said inclined
position and advance said
pipe along an inclined path to or from the derrick.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided
an
apparatus for moving well pipes between two storage decks and a derrick,
comprising: conveyor
means for moving a pipe in generally a horizontal condition between said two
decks; a first pipe
handling machine mounted movably adjacent a series of generally horizontal
pipes on a first of
the decks and constructed to move a pipe in essentially a horizontal condition
between said first
deck and said conveyor means; a second pipe handling machine mounted movably
adjacent a
series of generally horizontal pipes on the second deck and constructed to
move a pipe between
said conveyor means and said second deck; and additional conveyor means
positioned to receive
a pipe from said second machine in an inclined position and advance said pipe
along an inclined
path to or from the derrick; said first mentioned conveyor means including a
first conveyor
operable to advance a pipe longitudinally and horizontally between locations
adjacent the two
decks, and a second conveyor operable to move a pipe vertically in essentially
a horizontal
condition between said first conveyor and said second deck.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided
an apparatus for moving well pipes between two storage decks and a derrick,
comprising:
conveyor means for moving a pipe in generally a horizontal condition between
said two decks;
a first pipe handling machine mounted movably adjacent a series of generally
horizontal pipes
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on a first of the decks and constructed to move a pipe in essentially a
horizontal condition
between said first deck and said conveyor means; and a second pipe handling
machine mounted
movably adjacent a series of generally horizontal pipes on the second deck and
constructed to
move a pipe between said conveyor means and said second deck; said conveyor
means including
a first conveyor to advance a pipe longitudinally and horizontally between
locations adjacent the
two decks, and a second conveyor to move a pipe vertically in essentially a
horizontal condition
between said first conveyor and said second deck.
Preferably, a machine embodying the invention can be installed on a standard
rig
very easily and rapidly, and without substantial alteration of the rig. The
machine preferably
occupies a minimum amount of space, does not interfere with other operations
performed on the
rig, and structurally is very simple and inexpensive. In a rig equipped with a
machine or
machines constructed in accordance with the invention, a length of pipe may
preferably be
moved entirely mechanically from one or more storage decks to an inclined
conveyor, and then
to the well axis, without any manual manipulation of the pipe by persons on
the rig.
In rigs which have two pipe storage decks, two machines of the above discussed
type may be provided, with a first of the machines acting to shift a pipe in
horizontal condition
between different positions on a first of the decks, and to a conveyor for
advancing the pipe
toward the second deck, and with the second machine functioning to advance a
pipe from the
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Brief Description of the Drawings
The above and other features and objects of the in-
vention will be better understood from the following detailed
description of the typical embodiment illustrated in the ac-
companying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view representing a portion
of a well drilling rig provided with pipe handling equipment
embodying the invention;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view
of one of two pipe handling machines illustrated in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a side view of one of the pipe handling
machines, taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and showing the arm
of the machine in its lowermost position
Figs. 4 and S are fragmentary views taken on lines
4-4 and 5-5 respectively of Fig. 3;
Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view corresponding
to a portion of Fig. 3, and illustrating the interengagement
between the wheels of the operator's cabin and its supporting
tracks;
Fig. 6A is a fragmentary vertical section taken on
line 6A-6A of Fig. 6; and
Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion
of the pipe feed mechanism.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
The well drilling rig 10 fragmentarily illustrated in
Fig. 1 includes the usual derrick represented at 11 containing
suspension equipment for lowering a string of drill pipe down~-
wardly into a well and apparatus for rotating the string to
drill the well. Adjacent the derrick 11 is a horizontal pipe
deck 12 on which pipes 13 are stored in parallel horizontally
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extending positions, to be delivered to the derrick as needed
through a V-door 14 in the side of the derrick. Several para-
llel I-beams 15 project upwardly from deck 12, so that the
pipes 13 may contact the upper flanges of these beams for sup-
port on the deck. Vertical posts 16 secured to and projec-
ting uperwardly from beams 15 assist in holding pipes 13 in
place on the deck. Each of the pipes 13 of course has the
usual internally threaded box 17 at one of its ends and ex-
ternally threaded pin 18 at its opposite end for connection
to other similar pipe sections in forming the drill string.
In conventional well drilling operations, the pipe
sections 13 are pulled upwardly by a crane or other means
from the level of deck 12 to the higher level of the main
rig floor 19 at the bottom of the derrick by movement along
an inclined V-door ramp 20. In assisting such delivery of
the drill pipe sections to the rig floor along ramp 20, rig
hands may walk along a catwalk 21.
If the pipe deck 12 does not provide enough
space for storage of all of the pipe sections which may be
required for a well, an auxiliary horizontal pipe deck 22
may be provided at another still lower level, positioned as
illustrated in Fig. 1. Pipe sections 13 may be supported on
this deck by engagement with parallel I beams 23 attached to
and projecting upwardly from the deck 22 and carrying upwardly
projecting posts 24 for locating the pipe sections on the deck.
Individual lengths of pipe can be fed longitudinally by a
conveyor structure 25 from the location 26 of Fig. 1 on. deck
22 to a location 27. A lifting unit 128 may then raise an
individual one of the pipes from the level of deck 22 to the
higher level of deck 12, still in horizontal condition.
The pipes on deck 12 are moved vertically and hori=
zontally relative to that deck by a pipe handling machine 28,
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which can deliver the pipes between any position on deck 12
and an inclined conveyor 29, or between any position on the
deck and the lifting unit 128 at the. side of deck 12. Machine
28 is movable laterally of deck 12 along two parallel tracks
30 and 130 secured to the deck. A second pipe handling machine
31 is similarly mounted on two tracks 32 and 33 attached to
lower deck 22, and functions to move pipes between different
positions on deck 22, and between any position on that deck
and the longitudinal pipe advancement conveyor mechanism 25.
Conveyor 25 is typically illustrated as comprising
a number of identical vertical posts 39 having rollers 40 at
their upper ends for supporting a horizontally extending pipe
and advancing the pipe longitudinally and horizontally be-
tween the positions 26 and 27 of Fig. 1 as the result of rota-
tion of the rollers by individual motors 41.
The pipe lifting unit 128 includes two lifting claws
42 which are adapted to engage the underside of a pipe sec-
tion supported on rollers 40 and lift the pipe section upwardly
to the level of deck 12. Claws 42 are mounted by vertical
guide structures 43 for upward and downward movement in uni-
son, and are actuated vertically by hoisting chains 44 which
at their upper ends engage sprocket wheels 4S on a shaft 46
driven by a motor 47 to shift lifting claws 42 either upwardly
or downwardly for movement of a supported pipe either upwardly
or downwardly between the levels of the two decks 12 and 22.
The inclined conveyor 29 includes an endless belt 48
formed of any convenient flexible material, with the belt at
its upper end extending about a roller 49, i~~hich is mounted at
the upper end of a support structure 50 and is driven by a
motor S1 to cause endless movement of the belt, A second rol-
ler 52 mounts the lower end of the belt. Motor 51 can drive
the belt in either direction, to move the upper run of the
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belt either upwardly to advance a supported pipe section from
the level of deck 12 to the level of the rig floor 19, or down-
wardly to move a supported pipe section back down to the level
of deck 12.
Referring now to Fig. 2, the pipe deck machine 28
includes a main body or carriage 53 which preferably takes the
form of a cabin for containing an operator who controls the
manipulation of the pipes 13 by machine 28. A seat 54 for the
operator may be provided in the cabin, with controls 55 in the
cabin accessible to the operator. To render the machine as
self contained as.possible, all of its operations may be ef-
fected hydraulically, by fluid pressurized by a hydraulic
power unit 56 driven by an internal combustion engine 57,
all carried by and movable with cabin 53~
The two tracks 30 and 130 which movably support the
machine 28 may take the form of parallel I-beams having their
lower flanges 58 welded, bolted, or otherwise rigidly at-
tached to the upper horizontal surface of pipe deck 12. The
upper horizontal flanges 59 of the two tracks rigidly carry two
rail~elements 60 and 61 ~ahich are welded or otherwise attached
to the I-beams, and cahose upper surfaces lie in a common hori-
zontal plane for engagement with two pairs of wheels 62 mounted
rotatably to the underside of the operator's cabin 53, to sup-
port the cabin for lateral movement longitudinally of tracks
30 and 130. Each of the wheels 62 has flanges 362 at opposite
sides of the engaged track to retain the wheels on the tracks.
One or more of the wheels 62 is driven in either direction by
a hydraulic motor 63 carried by cabin 53 and supplied with
pressurized hydraulic fluid from unit 56 under the control
of the control mechanism 55 in the cabin. One of the flanges
362 of each of the power driven wheels may have an annular
series of teeth 162 engaging a series of rack teeth 262 on
the corresponding rail element 61 to drive the cabin along
the tracks,
Additional rollers 64 are mounted rotatably to plates
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65 projecting downwardly from the framework of cabin 53, to
engage the undersides of the top webs 59 of I-beams 30 and 130
and resist upward movement of the cabin relative to either
of the tracks 30 or 130. The cabin is thus effectively confined
for only horizontal movement along a horizontal axis represented
at 66 in the figures. The vertical plane 67 containing axis 66
is perpendicular to the longitudinal axes 167 of the well pipe
sections 13 on deck 12. It is also noted that the tracks 30
and 130 and cabin 53 are all located leftwardly beyond the
left ends 18 of pipes 13 as viewed in Fig. 3.
Projecting rightwardly from cabin 53 as viewed in
Figs. 2 and 3, the pipe handling machine includes an elongated
rigid pipe handling arm 68 which extends above the left hand
portions of pipes 13, and is adapted to engage a pipe sec-
tion from its upper side and lift it vertically while the pipe
section remains in horizontal position. The longitudinal axis
69 of arm 68 is parallel to the longitudinal axes of the pipes
13 on deck 12, and is perpendicular to the vertical plane 67 de-
fining,the direction of horizontal shifting movement of cabin
53. Arm 68 is actuated upwardly and downwardly by a hoist as-
sembly 70 including a vertically extending piston and cylinder
mechanism 71, whose cylinder is rigidly attached to a vertic-
ally extending frame structure 72 rigidly attached to cabin 53
at 73. Frame 72 includes two parallel vertical channel shaped
members 74 forming a guideway receiving an inverted U-shaped
inner frame 75 and guiding that frame 75 for upward and down-
ward movement along a vertical axis 76 relative to frame 72
and cabin 53. Arm 68 is rigidly attached to the vertically
movable frame structure 75, for movement upwardly and down--
wardly therewith. The attachment between arm 68 and frame 75
may be made by two horizontal upper and lower plates 7? welded
to the left end of arm 68 and to lower portions of frame 75.
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The piston of mechanism 71 actuates frame 75 and arm 68 upwardly
and downwardly in accordance with the supply of pressure fluid
to mechanism 71 under the control of the operator in cabin 53.
To effect such actuation, the upper end of the piston may carry
two sprocket wheels 171 engaging two chains 271, each of Wich.
extends downwardly from the sprocket wheel and is connected at
a first end 371 to the framework of cabin 53 and at a second
end 471 to one of the plates 77 attached to arm 68.
At its right end as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3, arm 68
carries a lifting head 78, which is adapted to engage one of
the pipes and apply upward force thereto. This lifting head
78 may have gripping jaws 79 as represented in Fig. 5 which
are hydraulically actuated by an operating unit 80 in the head
between the full line gripping positions of Fig. S and the
broken line open positions of that figure. Alternatively,
lifting head 78 may be an electromagnet adapted to exert up-
ward force on the pipe when electrically energized, or may be
any other type of device capable of lifting the weight of a
pipe section. The lifting head 78 is attached to the end of
arm 68 by a pivotal connection 179, ailo~ing liraited pivotal
movement of head 78 and a supported pipe 13 about a horizontal
axis 180 parallel to axis 66 and plane 6~7, and lying in a verti-
cal plane perpendicular to the axes 167 of the pipe sections on
deck 12.
Leftwardly of lifting head 78, and between that head
and cabin 53, arm 68 carries a stabilizing shoe 81, which ap-
plies downward force to a supported pipe 13 at a location near-
er to its left end 18 than the area of engagement between the
lifting head 78 and the pipe. This stabilizing shoe 81 con-
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tains a recess 82 at its underside (Fig. 4) which may be curved
circularly to receive and confine one of the pipe sections 13
while applying downward force to the pipe.
Arm 68 is supported from cabin 53 and its tracks 30
and 130 as a cantilever. The center of gravity of arm 68 is
located to the right of cabin 53 and to the right of both of
the cabin supporting tracks 30 and 130, and is typically re-
presented at CGI in the figures. The center of gravity of a
pipe section 13 when supported by arm 68 is represented at CG2
in Fig. 3, and is located rightwardly of the right end of arm
68 and rightwardly beyond the areas of engagement of both the
lifting head 78 and stabilizing shoe 81 with the pipe. The
pipe is thus supported by arm 68 as a cantilever, having its
center of gravity rightwardly beyond the extremity of the arm;
The combined structure defined by arm G~ and a pipe 13 sup- --
ported thereby is also supported from cabin 53 and tracks 30
and 130 as a cantilever. The center of gravity of this com-
bined structure consisting of the arm and pipe together is
located well to. the right of cabin 53 and both of its support-
ing tracks 29 and 30, and is typically represented at CG3 in
Fig. 3. Because of the cantilever relationship between arm 68
and a supported pipe 13, the arm effectively maintains the pipe
in horizontal position even though lifting head 78 and stabiliz-
ing shoe 81 both engage the pipe well to the left of its center
of gravity. Thus, the pipe can be lifted from deck 12 in horir
zontal condition, and-can be moved laterally in that horizont-
al condition to different positions on deck 12, and into and
out of engagement with conveyor 29 or hoisting assembly 128.
When a pipe is supported by arm 68, the wheels 62 of cabin 53
which engage the right hand track 130 of Fig. 6 bear downward-
ly against the rail element 61 of that track, while the wheels
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64 which engage the underside of the left hand track 30 bear
upwardly against upper web 59 of that track, to txansmit the
cantilever support forces to tracks 30 and 130 and through
those tracks to the structure of deck 12.
To now describe a cycle of operation of the pipe
handling machine 28, assume that a length of pipe resting on
beams 15 of deck 12 is to be transported from a position on
that deck to derrick 11. The operator first actuates the con-
trols SS in cabin 53 to deliver pressurized hydraulic fluid
from unit 56 to piston and cylinder mechanism 71 in a direc-
tion lowering arm 68 into engagement with one of the pipes on
deck 12. He then energizes gripping head 78 to grip the pipe
in supporting relation. The operator next reverses the drive
to piston and cylinder mechanism 71, causing it to elevate
frame 75 and arm 68 and thereby lift the engaged pipe while
retaining it in horizontal position. As discussed, head 78
applies upward lifting force to the pipe while shoe 81 exerts
downward force against the pipe near its left end to support
the pipe as a cantilever from arm 68 and from the cabin and its
supporting tracks 30 and 130. The arm 68 may be elevated in
this manner to a position such as that represented in broken
lines at 68a in Fig. 3, in which position the pipe 13 supported
by the arm has its right end higher than a corresponding por-
tion of belt 48 of inclined conveyor 29. With the arm and pipe
in this elevated position, the operator actuates the controls to
deliver power to hydraulic motor 63 for shifting cabin 53 and
the arm 68 and carried pipe laterally along axis 66 to a posi-
tion in which the pipe is directly above and in the same verti-
cal plane as conveyor 29. The operator then reverses the de-
livery of hydraulic fluid to the piston and cylinder mechanism
71, to lower arm 68 in a manner bringing the right end of the
supported pipe into engagement with the upper surface of belt
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48. As the arm 68 is lowered further, as through the position
represented at 68b in Fig. 3, the engagement of the right end
of the supported pipe with the belt prevents further downward
movement of that right end, causing pivotal movement of Lift-
ing head 78 and the pipe relative to arm 68 about axis 180, with
this motion continuing until the pipe is disposed at the same
inclination as the upper run of belt 48 and is supported thereby,
The operator can then actuate the lifting head 78 to release the
pipe, so that the pipe may be supported entirely by the inclined
upper run of belt 48, and can be mechanically advanced upwardly
by energizing motor 51 to advance the belt endlessly and feed
the pipe through V door 14 to the drilling location on deck 19.
After release of the pipe from arm 68, the operator can again
raise arm 68 to the elevated position 68a, and then energize
motor 63 to shift cabin 53 and the~arm laterally of the con-
veyor and back to a position to pick up another pipe section
from deck 13. The described method of operation, can of course
be reversed to move a pipe section downwardly along inclined
conveyor 29 from the drilling location, and to a position at
which it can be picked up by arm 68, lifted from an inclined
position on the conveyor to a horizontal position such as that
represented at 68a, and then shifted laterally and lowered to
any desired, location on pipe deck 12. The machine 28 may also
be shifted laterally to a side of the pipe deck 12, to receive
a pipe held by lifting unit 128 in its elevated position, or
to return a pipe to lifting unit 128 in that elevated position.
The second pipe handling unit 31 may be identi-
cal to the unit 28 described specifically above, to raise a
pipe in horizontal position from any location on deck 22, or
lower the pipe to such a position on deck 22, and to shift the
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pipe laterally between any positions relative to the deck by
movement of the machine along tracks 32 and 33. Also, machine
31 can lower a pipe onto the horizontal advancement conveyor
mechanism 29, for delivery thereby to unit 128, or can raise
a pipe from that horizontal conveyor 29.
While a certain specific embodiment of the present
invention has been disclosed as typical, the invention is of
course not limited to this particular form, but rather is appli-
cable broadly to all such variations as fall within the scope
of the appended claims.
