Floor mounted racking arm for handling drill pipe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10053934-B2
Application number	US-201414563678-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2014
Priority date	Dec 8, 2014
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

A racking arm assembly is adapted to be mounted on a drill floor of a drilling rig and includes a lift arm assembly having a first arm that is movably coupled to a vertical support column, wherein the lift arm assembly is adapted to be raised and lowered along a vertical length of the vertical support column during a pipe handling operation. A lift jaw assembly is pivotably coupled to a second arm of the lift arm assembly and includes a lift jaw assembly having a lift jaw gripping apparatus that is adapted to grip and fixedly hold a drill pipe stand proximate a pin end of the drill pipe stand during the pipe handling operation. The lift jaw gripping apparatus is further adapted to be rotated relative to the lift arm assembly about a substantially horizontal axis while the lift jaw gripping apparatus is fixedly holding the drill pipe stand.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A racking arm assembly that is adapted to be mounted on a drill floor of a drilling rig, the racking arm assembly comprising:
a lift arm assembly having a first arm that is movably coupled to a vertical support column, wherein said lift arm assembly is adapted to be raised and lowered along a vertical length of said vertical support column during a pipe handling operation; and
a lift jaw assembly pivotably coupled to a second arm of said lift arm assembly, said lift jaw assembly comprising a lift jaw gripping apparatus that is adapted to grip and fixedly hold a drill pipe stand proximate a pin end of said drill pipe stand during said pipe handling operation, wherein said lift jaw gripping apparatus is further adapted to be rotated relative to said lift arm assembly about a substantially horizontal axis while said lift jaw gripping apparatus is fixedly holding said drill pipe stand and when a box end of said drill pipe stand is vertically misaligned at a substantially non-zero misalignment angle relative to said pin end of said drill pipe stand.

2. The racking arm assembly of claim 1 , wherein said lift jaw gripping apparatus is adapted to be rotated relative to said lift arm assembly about said substantially horizontal axis at an angle of up to approximately 10°.

3. The racking arm assembly of claim 1 , wherein said vertical support column is adapted to be movably coupled to said drill floor.

4. The racking arm assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a pipe handling apparatus conveyance system that is adapted to be removably positioned on said drill floor, wherein said vertical support column is movably coupled to said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system.

5. The racking arm assembly of claim 4 , wherein said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system is adapted to be removably positioned in an alleyway of a setback area on said drill floor and said vertical column is adapted to move through said alleyway along said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system during said pipe handling operation.

6. The racking arm assembly of claim 4 , further comprising a column movement carriage movably coupling said vertical support column to said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system, wherein said column movement carriage is adapted to move said vertical column along said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system during said pipe handling operation.

7. The racking arm assembly of claim 6 , further comprising carriage movement means for moving said column movement carriage along said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system.

8. The racking arm assembly of claim 7 , wherein said carriage movement means is adapted to retract said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system from said drill floor.

9. A racking arm assembly that is adapted to be mounted on a drill floor of a drilling rig, the racking arm assembly comprising:
a lift arm assembly having a first arm that is movably coupled to a vertical support column, wherein said lift arm assembly is adapted to be raised and lowered along a vertical length of said vertical support column during a pipe handling operation; and
a lift jaw assembly pivotably coupled to a second arm of said lift arm assembly, said lift jaw assembly comprising a lift jaw gripping apparatus that is adapted to grip and fixedly hold a drill pipe stand proximate a pin end of said drill pipe stand during said pipe handling operation, wherein said lift jaw gripping apparatus is further adapted to be rotated relative to said lift arm assembly about a substantially horizontal axis while said lift jaw gripping apparatus is fixedly holding said drill pipe stand and when a box end of said drill pipe stand is vertically misaligned at a substantially non-zero misalignment angle relative to said pin end of said drill pipe stand, wherein said racking arm assembly is adapted to vertically lift and laterally move said pin end of said drill pipe stand while an upper pipe handling assembly that is mounted on a drilling mast of said drilling rig is independently maneuvering a box end of said drill pipe stand during said pipe handling operation.

10. The racking arm assembly of claim 9 , further comprising lift arm raising means for raising and lowering said lift arm assembly along said vertical length of said vertical support column during said pipe handling operation.

11. A floor mounted racking arm assembly, comprising:
a pipe handling apparatus conveyance system that is adapted to be removably mounted in a mounting position on a drill floor of a drilling rig;
a drill floor extension platform positioned adjacent to said mounting position, wherein said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system is adapted to extend from said mounting position across said drill floor extension platform;
a movable pipe handling apparatus movably coupled to said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system, said movable pipe handling apparatus comprising:
a vertical support column that is rotatably coupled to a column movement carriage, said column movement carriage movably coupling said vertical support column to said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system;
a lift arm assembly having a first arm that is movably coupled to said vertical support column, wherein said lift arm assembly is adapted to be raised and lowered along a vertical length of said vertical support column during a pipe handling operation;
a lift jaw assembly pivotably coupled to a second arm of said lift arm assembly, said lift jaw assembly comprising a lift jaw gripping apparatus that is adapted to grip and fixedly hold a drill pipe stand proximate a pin end of said drill pipe stand during said pipe handling operation, wherein said lift jaw gripping apparatus is further adapted to be rotated relative to said lift arm assembly about a substantially horizontal axis while said lift jaw gripping apparatus is fixedly holding said drill pipe stand; and
carriage movement means for moving said movable pipe handling apparatus along said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system during said pipe handling operation, wherein said carriage movement means is adapted to retract said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system from said mounting position when said movable pipe handling apparatus is positioned above said drill floor extension platform.

12. The floor mounted racking arm assembly of claim 11 , wherein said mounting position is in an alleyway of a setback area on said drill floor and said movable pipe handling apparatus is adapted to move through said alleyway along said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system during said pipe handling operation.

13. The floor mounted racking arm assembly of claim 11 , further comprising a movable platform carriage that is movably coupled to said drill floor extension platform, wherein said movable platform carriage is adapted to move said movable pipe handling apparatus and said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system laterally away from said mounting position of said drill floor after said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system has been retracted from said mounting position.

14. The floor mounted racking arm assembly of claim 13 , wherein said pipe handling apparatus conveyance system comprises a plurality of rails, a first end of each of said plurality of rails being adapted to be removably attached to said mounting position of said drill floor and a second end of each of said plurality of rails extending across said drill floor extension platform, said movable platform carriage comprising a plurality of roller guides that are adapted to guide each of said plurality of rails when said plurality of rails are retracted from said mounting positio

Assignees

• Nat Oilwell Varco Lp

Inventors

• Keogh Gregory
• Zahn Baldwin
• Yeldell Christopher
• Koether Albert

Classifications

• E21B19/24

  Guiding or centralising devices for drilling rods or pipes · CPC title

• E21B19/14 Primary

  Racks, ramps, troughs or bins, for holding the lengths of rod singly or connected; Handling between storage place and borehole (E21B19/20, E21B19/22 take precedence) · CPC title