Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR HANDLING DRILLING PIPE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to an improved system and methods for lifting
and positioning drill
pipe or other tubulars for use in conjunction with a drilling rig for drilling
a borehole. The system
and methods provide a modular system and methods for use with different types
of rigs, and is
adaptable for interchangeable use with various equipment and drilling site
environments. The
system and methods allow pipe to be easily moved from a horizontal position at
an intermediate
level to a raised position aligned with the drilling axis of a drilling rig.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A variety of drilling rigs have been developed for boring holes for
various purposes,
including stationary rigs and truck mounted rigs for example. For example,
drill rigs with top
head rotary drives require lengths of pipe to be positioned along the drilling
axis of the rig to be
driven by the top head rotary drive. In drilling operations, the handling of
the drill pipe can pose
problems, as such pipes must be properly and precisely positioning to tie into
a drill string.
Similarly, handling pipe as it is removed from a borehole is important for
safe and efficient
drilling. Typically, the drill pipe or rods are stored on racks or the like at
an elevated position
above ground level. Without a pipe handling system, the operation of a
drilling rig can be unsafe,
as such pipe is generally lifted into position via cabling and drilling
personnel physically moving
the pipe into position. There have been developed specialized systems
associated with particular
drill rigs, for lifting individual lengths of down hole pipe from a pipe rack
to a position for tying
into the drill string or for removal of pipe. Although prior lifting systems
are generally more
effective for handling pipe for that particular rig, a user does not have the
ability to interchange
such systems for use with other rigs, or adapt the system for use with a
different rig or under
different conditions and environments. Further, many rigs in use today do not
have any pipe
handling system, and are therefore potentially unsafe and cumbersome to use.
It would be
desirable to provide a system and methods which would allow such flexibility
and expanded use
of such systems. For example, a drilling operator may have several rigs for
use as needed, and it
would be desirable to provide a handling system which could be used with each
without
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necessity that the rigs be of the same type. The ability to provide a pipe
handling system with
any drilling rig provides a safe and effective system for use in any drilling
operation.
[0003] Further, prior handling systems have tended to be complicated and
expensive, both to
manufacture as well as maintain. As the prior systems are dedicated assemblies
used with a
particular rig, the systems use customized components adapted for the
particular rig and its
requirements. Due to this, maintenance becomes problematic, as any repairs may
require long
down times where the system is not usable. In such situations, the user of the
system may be
dependent on the original manufacturer for parts, which due to their custom
nature, have long
supply lead times. It would be desirable to provide a handling system where
the design allows
for significantly reduced manufacturing costs. It would also be desirable to
provide a handling
system where the maintenance is simplified and cost-effectively performed
without necessity for
significant down time of the system.
[0004] Based upon the foregoing and other reasons, it would be desirable to
provide a pipe
handling system and methods which overcome the deficiencies of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Based on the foregoing, it is an object of this invention to provide an
improved pipe
handling system and methods which overcome the limitations or disadvantages of
the prior art.
Accordingly, an embodiment of the invention is directed to a modular pipe
handling system
comprising a lift arm assembly including a base member and a lift arm mounted
on the base
member. The lift arm is pivotable about a first end between a substantially
horizontal position
and a substantially vertical position. The lift arm further comprises at least
one clamping system
for clamping a length of pipe to the lift arm, to allow movement of the pipe
between the
horizontal and vertical positions. The base member includes a leveling system
associated
therewith for independent leveling of the base member and corresponding lift
arm relative to a
drilling rig with which the pipe handling system is used.
[0006] Another obj ect of the invention is to provide a modular pipe handling
system comprising
a lift arm assembly including a base member and a lift arm mounted on the base
member. The
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lift arm is pivotable about a first end between a substantially horizontal
position and a
substantially vertical position. The lift arm further comprises at least one
clamping system for
clamping a length of pipe to the lift arm, to allow movement of the pipe
between the horizontal
and vertical positions. The base member includes a positioning system for
positioning of the
base member a predetermined distance from the drilling axis of a predetermined
drilling rig with
which the pipe handling system is used, wherein the positioning system is
adaptable to vary the
predetermined distance from the drilling axis.
[0007] A further object of the invention is to provide a modular pipe handling
system comprising
a lift arm assembly including a base member and a lift arm mounted on the base
member. The
lift arm is pivotable about a first end between a substantially horizontal
position and a
substantially vertical position. The lift arm further comprises at least one
clamping system for
clamping a length of pipe to the lift arm, to allow movement of the pipe
between the horizontal
and vertical positions. The base member includes a positioning system for
positioning of the
base member relative to a sub-base on which a drilling rig is selectively
positioned during a
drilling operation. The sub-base includes a rig indexing system for
positioning of a drilling rig at
a predetermined position thereon, wherein the rig indexing system is
selectively varied to
accommodate different drilling rigs.
[0008] According to a further feature of the invention, the lift arm is
provided with first and
second clamping systems for clamping a section of pipe to the arm, and the
spacing between the
clamping systems is selectively modified for clamping of different lengths of
pipe. A clamping
member may be movable to accommodate different length pipes on the lift arm.
Further, the lift
arm itself may be formed in two or more sections, which can be interchanged
with one another
for selectively modifying the length of the lift arm and correspondingly the
length of pipe which
can be accommodated thereon. A lower arm section is pivotably mounted to the
base member via
a hydraulically actuated linkage, and one or more further arm sections are
selectively attached to
accommodate the desired length of pipe. Alternatively, the lift arm may be
formed in telescoping
sections, which are selectively movable relative to the lower arm section to
modify the length of
the lift arm.
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[0009] The invention provides distinct advantages in providing a pipe handling
system and
methods which allow a great amount of flexibility for use with different
drilling rigs and
equipment. The pipe handling system is cost effective and maintenance is
facilitated by the use
of off-the-shelf components which are readily available via a plurality of
third party suppliers.
[0010] This provides the user with the ability to easily obtain parts if
needed for repair, to
minimize any down time where the handling system is not usable, and improving
the safety of
operation.
[0011] These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become
apparent upon a
further reading of the description of embodiments thereof in conjunction with
the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational front schematic view of a pipe
handling system
according to an embodiment of the invention, showing the lift arm thereof in a
down position.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevational view of the pipe handling system
according to an
embodiment of the invention as shown in Fig. 1, with the lift arm in an up
position.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a top elevational view of the pipe handling system as shown
in Fig. 2.
[0015] FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the pipe handling system as shown
in Fig. 1, showing
a leveling system associated therewith in both extended and retracted
positions.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of a lift arm
according to the invention.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a view of a clamping assembly according to an embodiment of
the invention,
shown in the open position.
[0018] FIG. 7 is a view of a clamping assembly shown in FIG. 6, shown in the
closed position.
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[0019] FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of the area of coupling between a
base member of the
lifting assembly and a sub-base member on which a drilling rig is positioned.
[0020] FIGS. 9 shows a series of various length coupling members or arms for
use in coupling of
the base member of the lifting assembly to a sub-base member on which a
drilling rig is
positioned.
[0021] FIG. 10 shows a partial exploded view of various mating components for
use with the
sub-base for positioning of a drilling rig thereon.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] Turning now to the drawings, FIGS. 1- 3 are general views of a modular
pipe handling
system 10, for use with a drilling rig(not shown), according to an embodiment
of this invention.
In this embodiment, the drilling rig with which the system 10 may be used can
be of the type
such as produced by Ingersoll-Rand Company, W-N Apache Corporation, Schramm,
Inc. and
other types of drilling rigs, which are commonly used for drilling oil/gas
wells, water wells or the
like. The drilling rig typically includes a truck mounted mast which defines a
drilling centerline,
and a top-head drive unit. The pipe handling system 10 may be used in
association with any of
these types of rigs for example, and can be modified for use with other types
of rigs, such as
platform rigs or the like. The pipe handling system 10 comprises a base member
12, which is
shown as a frame construction to form a floor or tub for use on the drill
site. The base member
12 may be used for example as a storage area for tooling or other equipment
during a drilling
operation, or for transport. The base member 12 may have a length to
accommodate a lift arm
assembly 14 for safety of operation, although other configurations are
possible. The lift arm
assembly 14 is provided with first and second clamp members 16 and 18, and is
pivotably
mounted to the base member 12 adjacent a side thereof.
[0023] The pipe lift arm assembly 14 is used to selectively clamp a length of
a pipe, and to move
it between a substantially horizontal position as shown in fig. 1, and a
raised, substantially vertical position as shown in Fig. 2. In the position of
Fig. 2, a length of drill pipe clamped into
clamping members 16 and 18 will be aligned with the drilling centerline of the
drill rig with
which the pipe is to be coupled. The drill pipe may be moved into and out of
the clamp members
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16 and 18 by any suitable method, and typically will be moved from a storage
rack adjacent the
base member 12 via cabling or other suitable method, for inserting a length
into a drill string, or
moved back to the storage rack after being removed from the drill string and
lowered via the lift
arm 14. It should also be understood that the invention is not limited to
drill pipe, but may also
be used for handling of other pipes, tubes, drill collars, drill casing or the
like.
[0024] The base member 12 is selectively coupled to a sub-base 20, which is
used to position the
drill rig in a predetermined position for drilling at a particular location.
The drill rig is selectively
positioned on the sub-base 20 via locating structures, and is then fixed into
position to initiate a
drilling operation. As seen in Fig. 3, the base member 12 and sub-base 20 are
coupled about the
position of the mousehole or drilling centerline, so the drill string can
rotate freely. The sub-base
20 may be formed to have tracks 22 for the truck wheels, to allow positioning
of the rig
thereover. The sub-base further has a mounting plate 24, having locating pads
26 for placement
of hydraulic jacks used to lift and level the rig relative to the sub-base 20
for drilling. The
locating pads 26 are positioned relative to the location of the borehole to be
drilled, to accurately
position the rig for drilling. It should be understood that although this
embodiment of the
invention utilizes the locating pads to properly position the rig relative to
the sub-base 20, other
structure of the rig, common to any type of such rig, may be used. Once a rig
is in position
relative to sub-base 20, the coupling of the base member 12 to the sub-base 20
accurately
positions the lift arm 14 in the proper position for moving the pipe into and
out of the drill string
during a drilling operation.
[0025] In a unique aspect of the invention, the movement of the lift arm 14
between the
horizontal and vertical positions is performed in a simplified fashion,
reducing the cost of the
assembly and making maintenance easy. As seen in Fig. 4, the lift arm 14 may
be constructed as
a beam member having a top surface which carries the clamp members 16 and 18.
The lift arm
14 is pivotally attached at its end to an upstanding support 30, and a pair of
hydraulic cylinders
32 (one shown) are positioned on either side of the lift arm 14, and used to
move the lift arm 14.
The hydraulic cylinders 32 are selectively operated by a hydraulic control
system (not shown),
and are commonly available off-the-shelf parts to allow the user to simply and
quickly repair,
replace or maintain such parts, and avoid down time of the equipment.
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[0026] As an alternative embodiment, the lift arm 14 may be formed in
interchangeable sections
as shown in Fig. 5, which allow the user to vary the length of the lift arm to
properly support
different length pipes. In such an embodiment, the lift arm 14 may be
constructed of a series of
interchangeable sections 15 and 17, which are selectively attached to one
another and to a bottom
section 19. The sections 15 and 17 can each in turn be a series of parts
having predetermined
lengths, which are the selectively arranged and coupled to one another to form
a desired length
arm 14. A universal mounting plate 21 or other suitable arrangement for
coupling the sections 15
and 17 together may be used. Alternatively, the sections 15 and 17 may be
formed as telescoping
members, with section 17 selectively extendable between a minimum length and
maximum
length relative to section 15.
[0027] Also inthis embodiment, the clamp members 16 and 18 are formed in a
configuration to
simplify use and maintenance, and are shown in open and closed positions in
Figs. 6 and 7. The
clamp members 16 and 18 may be operated by a single hydraulic cylinder 38 of a
standard off-
the-shelf type, which is selectively operated by the hydraulic control system.
As seen in Figs. 6
and 7, the actuating rod 36 is coupled to a drive and linkage system for
selectively opening and
closing the clamps. The drive may simply be an off-the-shelf hydraulic
cylinder 38 which is
attached to linkage arms 40 on one end. A linking arm 43 attaches the two
linkage arms 40 to
one another for pivoting about the axis of this connection. The upper end of
linkage arms 40 are
connected to a second linkage arm 44, which are in turn connected to a movable
clamp member
44 positioned in a housing 46. Upon actuation of the cylinder 38, the linkage
arms 40 are moved
between the positions as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, which causes corresponding
movement of the
second linkage arms 44 to cause movement of the clamp members 44 into and out
of engagement
with a pipe situated in the clamping area 48. In this embodiment, the clamping
area 48 is
designed to accommodate all desired diameters of pipe or the like, and easily
clamps any
diameter without adjustment of the clamping system. Depending on the diameter
of the pipe, the
clamp members will move into engagement to securely clamp the pipe to the lift
arm 14. It
should be evident that the clamping assemblies 14 and 16 provide a very
effective, yet simple
mechanism, which is operated by a single hydraulic cylinder 38. The repair and
maintenance of
these systems is easily performed with off-the-shelf parts.
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[0028] The clamps 16 and 18 may also be adapted to rotate to the right and
left to facilitate
loading of pipe into the clamping area 48. The hydraulic cylinder 34 is
coupled to an actuating
rod or bar 36, and is reversibly operated by reversal of the hydraulic fluid
circuit to selectively
rotate the bar 36 in a desired direction. The actuating bar 36 is coupled to
each of the clamp
members 16 and 18, in a manner that the clamps are selectively rotated with
rotation of rod 36.
This allows loading and unloading of pipe from either the left or right of the
clamps 16 and 18 as
may be desired. This may be accomplished is also accomplished using off-the-
shelf hydraulic
cylinders for ease of maintenance and repair. The position of clamp member 18
on actuating bar
36 may also be selectively varied to accommodate different length pipes,
[0029] Turning now to Fig. 8, the handling system of the invention provides an
independent
modular system which is independently stabilized apart from the drilling rig
with which it is
used. Associated with the base member 12, a pair of stabilizing jacks 50, one
of which is shown
in an extended stabilizing position and one of which is positioned in a stowed
position. The
stabilizing jacks 50 are used to level and stabilize the base member 12 and
the lifting assembly
for proper positioning and safe operation. The stabilizing jacks 50 may have a
suitable extension
and leveling capability to handle expected field conditions of a drill site.
The ability to
independently level and stabilize the lifting system 10 provides the
capability to use the system
with any drill rig, as it is independently positioned relative thereto.
[0030] As also shown in Fig. 8, the base member 12 is coupled to the sub-base
20 by means of a
pair of coupling arms 52, one of which is shown in a clamped position, and one
shown in an
uncoupled position. The coupling arms 52 are designed to position the base
member 12 precisely
relative to the sub-base 20, and positively connect the two for drilling. The
coupling arms 52 are
pivotally attached to the base member 12 by a support axle, and are easily
removed for exchange
as will be hereinafter described. The coupling arms 52 may be operated by a
pair of hydraulic
cylinders (not shown) so as to be movable to engage with coupling pockets 54
formed on the
edge of sub-base 20. The pockets 54 may be provided on extending arms 56 to
facilitate spacing
around the borehole. To facilitate use with different drilling rigs, the
coupling arms 52 may be
interchangeable so as to space the base member 12 and sub-base 20 a
predetermined distance
relative to one another.
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[0031] As seen in Fig. 9, a series of different length coupling arms 52 may be
provided, each of
which corresponds to use with a particular drilling rig, to allow the user to
simply interchange
the coupling arm 52 for use with whichever drilling rig they wish. It should
also be recognized
that alternatively, the extending arms 56 associated with the sub-base 20
could be provided as
being interchangeable to selectively vary the spacing between the base member
12 and sub-base
20. The ability to alter the spacing between the base member 12 and sub-base
20 allows the
alternative drilling centerlines of various rigs to be accommodated relative
to the pipe handling
system 10, in an easy and simply modified fashion.
[0032] Similarly, various rigs may have alternative support and/or leveling
systems associated
therewith, and the sub-base 20 according to this embodiment accommodates such
variations to
provide a modular system. As seen in Fig. 10, the sub-base 20 may be provided
with rig support
system adapted to a particular rig, and may have interchangeable locating pads
26 as previously
described. The sub-base 20 may be formed with a pad receiving pocket 58 for
each stabilizing
and leveling pad associated with a rig, with a series of differently
configured, interchangeable
leveling pad receiving sections 60 provided for mating to a particular pad
associated with the
leveling jacks of a particular rig. If needed, multiple pockets 58 may be
formed at different
positions on the sub-base 20 to accommodate different rigs. As shown, the
series of locating pads
26 can be configured such that sections 60 positively engage the leveling feet
of a particular rig,
which may be round, square/rectangular or any other suitable configuration or
dimensions. The
ability to interchange the structure which interacts with the leveling feet
for proper positioning of
the rig on sub-base 20 s enables the user to easily adapt the handling system
10 to any particular
rig. It should also be understood that other appropriate common structures on
the various types of
rigs which would allow indexing and proper positioning of various rigs
relative to the sub-base
20 and therefore to lifting arm assembly 12 are contemplated according to the
invention.
[0033] From the foregoing, it should be apparent that the handling system and
methods provide
significant benefits that enable use for alternative drilling rigs and
situations. The need for
complex systems or customized components is eliminated and various modalities
allow the
system 10 to be used with various drilling rigs in various site environments.
The system 10
provides a safe and easily operated system to effectively handle drill pipe or
the like. The system
is easily maintained and serviced to effectively eliminate down time. It
should be recognized
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that a wide range of modifications can be made to the embodiments described
above. The
invention is therefore not to be limited by the embodiments as described. It
is therefore intended
that the foregoing description be regarded as illustrative rather than
limiting, and that the
following claims, including all equivalents, define the scope of this
invention.
