A plurality of vertically spaced rows of longitudinally inclined fingers spaced laterally in each row are pivotally supported on transverse horizontal axes near one end. The fingers slope upwardly from the supporting means and also project in the opposite direction from said axes. Vertically movable cam members at the lower ends of the fingers are provided with vertical surfaces that overlie the lower ends of the fingers when the cam members are in their uppermost position. The cam members are movable downwardly step by step by reversible means to cause them to depress the lower ends of the fingers and thereby raise their upper ends. The upper ends of the fingers in the row immediately below the lowest row of raised fingers are positioned to receive a horizontal pipestand lowered onto them. Inclined conveyor screws spaced laterally from the fingers and sloping to the same extent are movable vertically with the cam members. The screws are driven from their lower ends intermittently to convey each successive pipestand step by step downwardly along the fingers supporting it. When a row of fingers has been covered by a row of pipestands, the cam members are moved upwardly far enough to permit the lowest row of raised fingers to swing down over the pipes directly below ready to receive and support the next row of pipes.
A pipe handling method to move the tubulars used from a horizontal position on a piperack adjacent the well bore to a vertical position over the wall centre or a mousehole which utilizes bicep and forearm assemblies and a gripper head for attachment to a tubular. The path of the tubular being moved is close to the conventional path of the tubular utilizing known cable transfer techniques so as to allow access to the drill floor through the V-door of the drill rig.
Pipe handling apparatus to move tubulars from a horizontal position on a piperack adjacent a well bore to a vertical position over the wall center or mousehole. A bicep arm assembly is pivotally connected to a base plate. A forearm assembly is pivotally attached to the distant end of the bicep arm assembly and a gripper head is pivotally connected to the distant end of the forearm assembly. The bicep arm assembly is mounted to the structure of the drill rig.
Machine for moving casing or pipe from a horizontal position adjacent a well to a vertical position over the well bore. The machine includes a boom movable between a lowered position and a raised position by a hydraulic ram. A strongback grips the pipe and holds the same until the pipe is vertically positioned. Thereafter, an hydraulic ram on the strongback is actuated thereby lowering the pipe or casing onto the string suspended in the well bore and the additional pipe or casing joint is threaded thereto.
An automatic pipe handling device (10) is disclosed which includes a support frame (12) mounted on a boring device (14). Removable pipe racks (16, 80, 130, 140) can be placed in position on the support frame (12) to deliver pipe to the spindle axis or to remove pipe therefrom as required. The pipe sections are removed from the pipe rack and positioned on the spindle axis by pipe grippers (32) mounted on hydraulic cylinders (28, 30) mounted on a rotating longitudinal shaft (20). The grippers and shaft similarly return the used pipe sections for storage to the pipe rack. In one pipe rack (16) an S-shaped guide path (72) is used. In another pipe rack (80) a plurality of rows (88, 90, 92) of pipe sections are used. In another embodiment, pipe is stored in an arcuate path. Pipe grippers (32) may be pivoted to any selected position along the arc extending from a first position (178) for connecting to or receiving pipe from the boring device, to a final position (180) where the pipe grippers (32) are positioned to pick up the last pipe in the arc. In another embodiment, pipe is stored in a self-leveling arrangement beneath a pipe loader (256). The pipe loader is mounted on a rotation member (236) which, in combination with extension cylinders (244), rotates and extends pipe grippers (256) to access any selected pipe section stored in the self-leveling arrangement. In another embodiment, pipe sections (18) are stored horizontally in columns (430) above a pipe handling assembly (416) which shuttles pipe sections between the boring device and the storage area. The pipe handling assembly (416) has arms which extend and retract between the spindle line of the boring device and the columns of pipe sections.
