PIPE HANDLING APPARATUS

APPAREIL DE MANUTENTION DE TUYAUX

English Abstract

The invention relates in general to pipe handling apparatus to position pipe through a range of horizontal and vertical positions. In one embodiment a pipe handling apparatus comprises a longitudinal base having a longitudinal axis, a boom carrying member slidably mounted to the longitudinal base for axial movement there-along, member actuating means operable to move the boom carrying member axially relative to the longitudinal base, a boom supported by the boom carrying member, the boom having a trough adapted for receiving at least one section of pipe therein and boom actuating means operable to raise and lower the boom.

French Abstract

Linvention concerne de manière générale un appareil de manipulation de tuyau pour positionner un tuyau dans une plage de positions horizontales et verticales. Dans un mode de réalisation, un appareil de manipulation de tuyau comprend une base longitudinale ayant un axe longitudinal, un élément porteur de flèche monté de manière coulissante sur la base longitudinale pour un mouvement axial le long de celle-ci, des moyens dactionnement délément pour déplacer lélément porteur de flèche axialement par rapport à la base longitudinale, une flèche supportée par lélément porteur de flèche, cette dernière ayant une goulotte conçue pour recevoir au moins une section de tuyau, et des moyens dactionnement de flèche servant à élever et à abaisser la flèche.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN
EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS BEING CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS
FOLLOWS:
1. A pipe
handling apparatus for handling sections of pipe to and from a
derrick work floor, the apparatus comprising:
a longitudinal base having a first longitudinal axis;
a boom carrying member having a second longitudinal axis, said boom
carrying member slidably mounted to the longitudinal base for telescoping
axial
movement along said first longitudinal axis;
a longitudinal cavity within boom carrying member;
member actuating means operable to move the boom carrying member
axially relative to the longitudinal base along the first longitudinal axis;
a boom supported by said boom carrying member, the boom having a
proximal end proximal to the derrick work floor, a distal end distal from the
derrick
work floor, and a trough extending along the boom and adapted for receiving at
least one section of pipe therein, the distal end of the boom being movably
guided
substantial horizontal along the longitudinal cavity of boom carrying member,
so as
to prevent substantial vertical movement of said distal end during operations;
and
boom actuating means operable to raise and lower the boom's proximal end;
wherein when the boom carrying member is moved along the first
longitudinal axis of the longitudinal base, said first longitudinal axis and
said second
longitudinal axis are substantially parallel.

2. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising height
adjustment means to position the boom's proximal end at a desirable height.
3. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 2, wherein the height adjustment
means comprises a hydraulic ram and linkage which acts between the boom
carrying member and the boom.
4. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 3, wherein the linkage is a
telescoping linkage.
5. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising horizontal
adjustment means, acting between the boom carrying member and the boom, to
position the boom at a desired horizontal position relative to the boom
carrying
member.
6. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 5, wherein the horizontal
adjustment means comprises a carriage slidably supported by the boom carrying
member, said carriage supporting said boom actuating means.
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7. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising carriage
means to carry pipe in a bi-directional manner between the boom's proximal and
distal ends
8. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising boom tilting
means to laterally tilt the boom in either direction along the second
longitudinal axis.
9. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 8, wherein the boom tilting
means further comprises a boom support member and lateral actuating means.
The pipe handling apparatus of claim 9, wherein the boom support
member is a double hinged member having two hinge points, each hinge point
oriented substantially parallel to each other and to the second longitudinal
axis.
11 The pipe handling apparatus of claim 2, further comprising
horizontal
adjustment means, acting between the boom carrying member and the boom, to
position the boom at a desired horizontal position relative to the boom
carrying
member.
12 The pipe handling apparatus of claim 2, further comprising carriage
means to carry pipe in a bi-directional manner between the boom's proximal and
distal ends
12

13. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 5, further comprising carriage
means to carry pipe in a bi-directional manner between the boom's proximal and
distal ends.
14. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 2, further comprising boom titling
means to laterally tilt the boom in either direction along the second
longitudinal axis.
15. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 5, further comprising boom titling
means to laterally tilt the boom in either direction along the second
longitudinal axis.
16. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 7, further comprising boom titling
means to laterally tilt the boom in either direction along the second
longitudinal axis.
17. A pipe handling apparatus for handling sections of pipe to and from a
derrick work floor, the apparatus comprising:
a longitudinal base having a first longitudinal axis;
a boom carrying member having a second longitudinal axis, said boom
carrying member slidably mounted to the longitudinal base for telescoping
axial
movement along said first longitudinal axis, said first longitudinal axis and
said
second longitudinal axis being substantially parallel;
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a longitudinal cavity within boom carrying member substantially along said
second longitudinal axis;
a boom supported by said boom carrying member, the boom having a third
longitudinal axis, a proximal end proximal to the derrick work floor, a distal
end
distal from the derrick work floor, and a trough extending along the boom and
adapted for receiving at least one section of pipe therein, the distal end of
the boom
being movably guided substantially horizontal along the longitudinal cavity of
boom
carrying member, so as to prevent substantial vertical movement of said distal
end
during operations, the proximal end being movable into and out of the
longitudinal
cavity of the boom carrying member;
boom actuating means operable to raise and lower the boom's proximal end;
member actuating means to position the boom carrying member at a desired
horizontal position along the first longitudinal axis; and
horizontal adjustment means, acting between the boom carrying member
and the boom, to position the boom at a desired horizontal position relative
to the
boom carrying member;
wherein the boom is substantially nestled in the longitudinal cavity when
fully
lowered; and
wherein, when the boom is substantially nestled in the longitudinal cavity and
when horizontal adjustment means positions boom at a desired horizontal
position,
said first longitudinal axis, said second longitudinal axis and said third
longitudinal
axis are all substantially parallel.
14

18. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 17, wherein the horizontal
adjustment means comprises a carriage slidably supported by the boom carrying
member, said carriage supporting said boom actuating means.
19. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 18, wherein the horizontal
adjustment means further comprises a hydraulic ram and linkage which acts
between the boom carrying member and the boom actuating means.
20. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the boom is
substantially nestled in the longitudinal cavity when fully lowered.
21. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising track
means to movably guide the distal end of the boom along the longitudinal
cavity of
boom carrying member and to prevent substantial vertical movement of said
distal
end.
22. The pipe handling apparatus of claim 17, further comprising track
means to movably guide the distal end of the boom along the longitudinal
cavity of
boom carrying member and to prevent substantial vertical movement of said
distal
end.

Description

CA 02771777 2012-03-21
"PIPE HANDLING APPARATUS"
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to pipe handling systems and
in particular to a system for providing pipe to, and receiving pipe from, work
floors of
a derrick or rig which may be positioned at various heights from the ground.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Drill strings of pipe for oil and gas wells are assembled or
disassembled vertically on a derrick one joint at a time, and are stored
horizontally
on pipe racks situated on the ground adjacent the rig. The work floor of the
rig is
typically elevated substantially above the pipe rack such that transferring
sections of
pipe to and from the work floor and the racks is necessary and requires
careful
handling of the heavy pipe to protect the workers and the pipe.
As shown in Figure 1, a common prior art solution in the context of a
transportable trailer is a pipe handling apparatus implementing a base
supporting a
pivoting boom having a pipe receiving trough along its upper surface. The boom
has an upper end which can be placed adjacent to and raised to the height H of
a
derrick or rig floor (not shown), and a lower end which is movable along the
base.
Typically the lower end is guided in a cavity in the base which also serves to
receive
the boom therein when lowered. An arm pivots between the base and the boom for
raising the boom from the base to the floor height. At the end of a pipe
lowering

CA 02771777 2012-03-21
operation, as well as during transport or storage, the boom is retracted to
nest into
the cavity.
Although effective to raise the upper end to a predetermined height H,
this type of prior art pipe handling apparatus does not readily permit
adaptation to
raise the upper end to a range of different rig floor heights. Additionally,
this type of
prior art pipe handling apparatus also does not readily permit a variety of
horizontal
placements of the upper end of the boom, such as closer to, or further back
from, a
work floor of the rig.
There is a demonstrated needed for a pipe handling system wherein
the boom can be raised to meet with a range of derrick or rig floor heights,
as well
as a range of horizontal positions relative to such derrick or rig floor,
without the
disadvantages of the prior art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring to the drawings, several aspects of the present invention are
illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in detail in the
figures,
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side view of a prior art pipe handling apparatus;
FIGS. 2a-2f are various perspective views of one embodiment of the
invention, illustrating the boom being retracted into a cavity in a boom
carrying
member and also illustrating various horizontal positioning of the boom
carrying
member relative to a base;
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FIG. 2g is a perspective view of some of the components of the
embodiment of FIG. 2a;
FIGS. 3a ¨ 3e are end views of some of the components of the
embodiment of FIG. 2a;
FIGS. 4a ¨ 4b are side views of the embodiment of FIG. 2a, illustrating
the boom being completely retracted into the boom carrying member (FIG. 4a)
and
at an intermediate height (FIG. 4b);
FIGS. 5a ¨ 5b are perspective views of another embodiment of the
invention, similar to the embodiment of FIG. 2a;
FIGS. 6a ¨ 6e are side views of the embodiment of FIG. 5a, illustrating
various boom vertical and horizontal positioning;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following description is of a preferred embodiment by way of
example only and without limitation to the combination of features necessary
for
carrying the invention into effect. Reference is to be had to the Figures in
which
identical reference numbers identify similar components. The drawing figures
are
not necessarily to scale and certain features are shown in schematic or
diagrammatic form in the interest of clarity and conciseness.
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Referring to the Figures, various embodiments of a pipe handling
apparatus 100 for handling pipe or other tubulars P are shown. The pipe
handling
apparatus 100 comprises a longitudinal base 105 slidably supporting a boom
carrying member 110 and typically includes conventional suitable power supply
and
controls (not shown). Although base 105 is shown in a stationary embodiment, a
person of skill in the art would understand that base 105 may also be of the
mobile
variety, such as being placed on a transportable trailer or being provided
with
suitable wheels.
Boom carrying member 110 is capable of axial or sliding movement M,
relative to the base 105 and along the longitudinal axis A of base 105.
Preferably,
rollers or wheels 115 are provided on each side of the boom carrying member
110,
said rollers 115 then slidably supporting boom carrying member 110 on the base
105. More preferably, said roller 115 are moveable within longitudinal
channels or
guides 107 in the base 105. Boom carrying member 110 supports a boom 120
which comprises a trough 140, for receiving pipe P therein.
Member actuating means 130 are operable to move the boom
carrying member 110 relative to the base 105. Preferably, member actuating
means 130 comprise a hydraulic ram 133 and suitable linkage 134 which act
between the base 105 and the boom carrying member 110, for the purpose of
positioning boom carrying member 110 at various desirable positions along the
base's longitudinal axis A (see, for example, FIGS. 2a and 2b).
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Boom carrying member 110 supports boom 120 in a variety of
positions. For example, in FIG.4b boom 120 is shown with a proximal end 121 in
a
raised position and positioned towards a derrick work floor (not shown) and a
distal
end 122 in a lowered position within the boom carrying member 110. Herein, the
terms proximal and distal are used in relation to the a rig floor, the extreme
end of
the boom adjacent the rig floor being referred to as the proximal end 121.
Boom actuating means 150 are operable to raise the boom's proximal
end 121 and lower the boom 120 substantially parallel to the boom carrying
member 110. Boom 120 is adapted for raising out of and lowering into nestable
positioning into a longitudinal cavity 110c within boom carrying member 110.
The
boom is preferably nestled in a longitudinal cavity 110c when fully lowered
(see, for
example, FIG. 2d).
As the boom 120 is raised out of the cavity 110c, the proximal end 121
moves towards the derrick work floor (generally as indicated by UM) with the
distal
end 122 moving longitudinally along longitudinal cavity 110c (generally as
indicated
by M2). Preferably, the movement of distal end is 122 guided by track means
116
and thereby prevent any vertical movement of distal end 122. Preferably, boom
actuating means 150 comprise a hydraulic ram 153 and suitable linkage 154
which
act between the boom carrying member 110 and the boom 120, for the purpose of
positioning the boom's proximal end 121 at various positions, such as in a
raised
position towards a rig floor (see, for example, FIGS. 4d and 6b) or in a
lowered,
nestable position (see, for example, FIGS. 4a and 6a). More preferably, and to
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CA 02771777 2012-03-21
facilitate said raising and lowering movement, linkage 154 pivots at a lower
pivot
point LP and an upper pivot point UP.
Preferably, the pipe handling apparatus 100 further comprises height
adjustment means 200 to position the boom's proximal end 121 at a desirable
height H, such as at the height of a rig floor, or to provide fine adjustments
to the
height of the boom's proximal end 121. Preferably, height adjustment means 200
comprise a hydraulic ram 203 and suitable linkage 204 which act between the
boom
carrying member 110 and the boom 120 (see FIG. 2g), for the purpose of
positioning the boom's proximal end 121 at various heights, such as in a
raised
position towards a rig floor (see, for example, FIG. 6c) or in an intermediate
position
(see, for example, FIG. 6b). More preferably, the linkage 204 is a telescoping
linkage 204t.
Preferably, the pipe handling apparatus 100 further comprises
horizontal adjustment means 300 to position the boom 120 at a desirable
horizontal
position HP, such as at the edge of a rig floor, or to provide fine
adjustments to the
horizontal positioning of the boom's proximal end 121. Preferably, horizontal
adjustment means 300 comprise a hydraulic ram 303 and suitable linkage 304
which act between the boom carrying member 110 and the boom actuating means
150 (see, for example, FIG. 2a), for the purpose of positioning the boom 120
at
various horizontal positions relative to the boom carrying member (see, for
example,
FIGS. 2c-2d and 6c-6d). More preferably, horizontal adjustment means 300
further
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comprises a carriage 310 slidably supported by boom carrying member 110 and,
in
turn, supporting boom actuating means 150. Preferably, rollers or wheels 315
are
provided on each side of the carnage 310, said rollers 315 then slidably
supporting
carriage 310 on, or within, boom carrying member 110. More preferably, said
Preferably, the pipe handling apparatus 100 further comprises
carriage means 400 to carry the distal end of a pipe P in a bi-directional
manner BD
between proximal end 121 and distal end 122 of boom 120 (see FIGS. 6d ¨ 6e).
More preferably, carriage means is driven by a leadscrew-based power means
410,
Preferably, the pipe handling apparatus 100 further comprises boom
tilting means 500 which is operable, when the boom 120 is lowered into the
longitudinal cavity 110c, for the purpose of ejecting, or receiving, pipe P
laterally to
or from the trough 140 (see FIGS. 3a ¨ 3e). More preferably, boom tilting
means
500 comprises boom support member 510 and lateral actuating means 520. Even,
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more preferably boom support member 510 is a double hinged member, having two
hinge points 510a, 510b, each oriented substantially parallel to the
longitudinal axis
A. Boom tilting means 500 is able to laterally tilt boom 120 in either
direction along
the longitudinal axis A (see FIGS. 3b and 3d).
Preferably, boom support member 510 is provided between boom 120
at one end and the linkage 154 and height adjustment means 200 at the other
end.
More preferably, boom support member 510 provides a plurality of upper pivot
points UPI, UP2, to selectably, securably receive linkage 154 as may be
desired
and so as to provide yet further variation/selection in boom height H (see,
for
example, FIG. 4b versus FIG. 6b). Even more preferably lateral actuating means
520 is provided at a different location, such as between a different part of
the boom
120 and boom carrying member 110, preferably at a location closer to the
distal end
122. Lateral actuating means 520 is preferably comprised of conventional
hydraulic
rams, linkages and rollers (such as illustrated in FIGS. 3a ¨ 3e).
Preferably, the pipe handling apparatus 100 further comprises pipe
handling arms 600 which are operable, when the boom 120 is lowered into the
longitudinal cavity 110c, for purpose of the assisting the boom tilting means
500
with ejecting, or receiving, pipe P laterally to or from the trough 140 (see
FIGS. 3a ¨
3e). Pipe handling arms 600 are preferably comprised of conventional hydraulic
rams and linkages (such as illustrated in FIGS. 3a ¨ 3e).
Advantageously, by selectively utilizing and actuating member
actuating means 130, boom actuating means 150, height adjustment means 200
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and horizontal adjustment means 300, the pipe apparatus 100 can position pipe
P
through a range of horizontal HP and vertical (height) H positions, see, for
example
FIGS. 6a-6e.
9

Representative Drawing