Gripper assembly for continuous rod

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11280140-B2
Application number	US-201916551043-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2019
Priority date	Sep 30, 2016
Publication date	Mar 22, 2022
Grant date	Mar 22, 2022

Abstract

A gripper assembly for handling continuous rod. The gripper assembly may include a gripper face with a gripper profile forming a surface in the gripper face and a texture on a portion of the surface. The texture has a plurality of ridges having a yield strength sufficient to transfer a shear force to the gripper assembly at least as large as a weight of a continuous rod.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gripper assembly for handling continuous rod, comprising:
a housing; and
a plurality of gripper bars rotatably disposed in the housing, each gripper bar having a gripper face defining a gripper bar profile, the gripper bar profiles collectively defining a gripper profile, wherein:
rotation of at least one of the plurality of gripper bars about an axis perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the gripper assembly changes the collectively defined gripper profile.

2. The gripper assembly of claim 1 , wherein each gripper bar is rotatable independently of the other gripper bars.

3. The gripper assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of gripper bars comprises two gripper bars; and
each gripper bar includes a gripper bar face having a gripper bar face width that is between about 40% and about 60% of a diameter of the respective gripper bar.

4. The gripper assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of a surface of the gripper profile includes a plurality of ridges, each of the plurality of ridges having a curvature of between about 0.5 and 1.5.

5. The gripper assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of a surface of the gripper profile includes a texture having a depth of between about 0.010 inch and about 0.020 inch.

6. The gripper assembly of claim 5 , wherein ridges of the texture have a yield strength sufficient to transfer a shear force to the gripper assembly at least as large as a weight of the continuous rod.

7. The gripper assembly of claim 6 , wherein the yield strength of the ridges is between about 60 kilopound per square inch and about 85 kilopound per square inch.

8. The gripper assembly of claim 5 , wherein the texture is a repeating pattern.

9. The gripper assembly of claim 1 , wherein a length of each of the gripper faces is the same as a length of its respective gripper bar.

10. The gripper assembly of claim 1 , wherein each gripper bar profile is a flat surface.

11. The gripper assembly of claim 1 , wherein each gripper bar profile is a concave surface.

12. The gripper assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a fastener engaging with a bore in the housing and the gripper bars to secure the gripper bars in the housing.

13. A method of handling a rod string, the method comprising:
rotating at least one gripper bar of a gripper assembly about an axis perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the gripper assembly to change a gripper profile for engaging an outer surface of a rod of the rod string;
engaging the outer surface of the rod with the gripper profile; and
supporting at least a portion of a weight of the rod string using the gripper assembly while the gripper profile engages the outer surface of the rod.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one gripper bar is disposed in a housing.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the at least one gripper bar out of a plurality of gripper bars is passively rotated relative to the housing.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein at least two gripper bars are rotated.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein each gripper bar rotates independently of the other gripper bars.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein each gripper bar includes a gripper bar face and a length of each of the gripper faces is the same as a length of its respective gripper bar.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein each gripper bar profile is a flat surface.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein each gripper bar profile is a concave surface.

Assignees

• Weatherford Tech Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Basler Hermann

Classifications

• E21B43/126

  Adaptations of down-hole pump systems powered by drives outside the borehole, e.g. by a rotary or oscillating drive (powered by fluid E21B43/129) · CPC title

• E21B19/22 Primary

  Handling reeled pipe or rod units, e.g. flexible drilling pipes {(lifting or hauling appliances using two or more cooperating endless chains B66D3/003)} · CPC title

• E21B19/06 Primary

  Elevators, i.e. rod- or tube-gripping devices · CPC title

• E21B19/08

  Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables (E21B19/22 takes precedence; automatic feed E21B44/02); Apparatus for increasing or decreasing the pressure on the drilling tool; Apparatus for counterbalancing the weight of the rods · CPC title