Drilling apparatus

• US 8,562,269 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2010
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tracto-Tecknik GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Tracto-Tecknik GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Hermes, Stefan, Grobbel, Raimund
• Primary Examiner(s): ADAMS, GREGORY W
• Application Number:
  US12/846,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20110200413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 166/77.51, 175/85, 212/224, 212/319, 294/116, 294/119.1, 294/198, 294/207, 294/34, 294/67.33, 294/87.22, 294/94, 294/97, 414 2251- 2259, 414/22.61, 414/22.62, 414/226.02, 414/23, 414/621, 414/626, 414/732, 414/741, 414/745.7, 414/745.8, 414/745.9, 414/746.1, 414/746.3, 414/746.4, 414/753.1, 414/909, 414/910, 414/22.54, 414/561, 414/735, 414/745.1, 414/745.3, 414/745.4, 414/745.5, 414/745.6, 414/749.4, 414/751.1
• US Class Current: 414/22.62
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 19/15 Racking of rods in horizontal position; Handling between horizontal and vertical position
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 19/20 Combined feeding from rack and connecting, e.g. automatically

Abstract

A drilling apparatus includes a drill rig which defines a drilling rod axis, a rod magazine for a plurality of rod sections, and a transfer device for transfer of a rod section from the rod magazine and for transfer of the rod section in the drilling rod axis. The transfer device is hereby constructed to travel in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the rod section in relation to the rod magazine.

Claims

1. A drilling apparatus, comprising:

a drill rig which defines a drilling rod axis;

a rod magazine storing a plurality of rod sections; and

a transfer device comprising first and second members movable in relation to one another in a direction of the drilling rod axis, said transfer device being constructed for transfer of a rod section from the rod magazine and for transfer of the rod section in the drilling rod axis of the drill rig, wherein the transfer device includes a gripping unit, said gripping unit including the first and second members, and a hydraulic drive to move the first and second members in the direction of the drilling rod axis, wherein the first member is configured as a guide and the second member is configured as a tube and is movable in the first member in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the hydraulic drive is arranged within the tube and includes a piston and a cylinder, with one member selected from the group consisting of the piston and the cylinder of the hydraulic drive being connected with the guide and with another member of the group being connected with the tube, wherein the gripping unit of the transfer device includes two gripping devices provided on the tube in spaced-apart relationship to one another for gripping a rod section in the rod magazine, wherein each of the gripping devices has gripping elements which are swingable about a pivot axis and acted upon by a wedge to move the gripping elements in a direction of their closed position, wherein the transfer device includes a spring to bias the gripping elements as to seek their open position.

2. The drilling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second members are movable in relation to one another by means of a fluid cylinder.

3. The drilling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hydraulic drive includes a fluid cylinder integrated in the gripping unit.

4. The drilling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gripping devices are arranged on opposite ends of the tube.

5. The drilling apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein

the transfer device includes further drives to move the gripping unit in a direction of two further axes in relation to the rod magazine.

6. The drilling apparatus of claim 5, wherein the three axes extend in perpendicular relationship to one another.

7. The drilling apparatus of claim 5, wherein the drives are rack-and-pinion drives for movement along the two further axes.

8. A drilling apparatus, comprising:

a drill rig which defines a drilling rod axis;

a rod magazine storing a plurality of rod sections; and

a transfer device comprising first and second members movable in relation to one another in a direction of the drilling rod axis, said transfer device being constructed for transfer of a rod section from the rod magazine and for transfer of the rod section in the drilling rod axis of the drill rig, wherein the transfer device includes a gripping unit, said gripping unit including the first and second members, and a hydraulic drive to move the first and second members in the direction of the drilling rod axis, wherein the transfer device includes further drives to move the gripping unit in a direction of two further axes in relation to the rod magazine, wherein the drives are rack-and-pinion drives for movement along the two further axes, and wherein the rack-and-pinion drives include a fluid motor.