Tubular joining apparatus

• US 8,601,910 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2010
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Frank's International LLC (Frank's International N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Frank's Casing Crew and Rental Tools Incorporated (Frank's International N.V.)
• Inventors: Begnaud, Brian D
• Primary Examiner(s): TORRES, ALICIA M
• Application Number:
  US12/852,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20110030512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: 81 5715- 3735, 173/164, 175/162, 166/77.51, 166/85.1, 166/77.53
• US Class Current: 81/57.16
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 19/164 motor actuated E21B19/162 and E21B19/163 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 19/168 using a spinner with rollers or a belt adapted to engage a well pipe

Abstract

An apparatus for making and/or breaking a threaded connection between a first tubular and a second tubular includes a spinner operable to spin the first tubular relative to the second tubular; a zero-side-load (“ZSL”) device operable to relieve the transverse force induced on the threaded connection in response to the spinner spinning the first tubular; a torque wrench operable to rotate the first tubular relative to the second tubular; and a back-up wrench operable to grip the second tubular.

Claims

1. An apparatus for making and/or breaking a threaded connection between a first tubular and a second tubular comprising:

a spinner operable to spin the first tubular relative to the second tubular;

a zero-side-load (“

ZSL”

) device operable to relieve the transverse force induced on the threaded connection in response to the spinner spinning the first tubular;

a torque wrench operable to rotate the first tubular greater than about 180 degrees relative to the second tubular without releasing the grip of the torque wrench on the first tubular; and

a back-up wrench operable to grip the second tubular.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the back-up wrench is operable to grip the second tubular with a first grip pressure when the spinner is spinning the first tubular and operable to grip the second tubular at a second grip pressure when the torque wrench is rotating the first tubular.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a torsion device connected to the torque wrench and the back-up wrench, the torsion device operable to relieve a transverse force induced on the threaded connection in response to rotating the torque wrench relative to the back-up wrench.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ZSL device pivotedly connects the spinner to an external frame.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the external frame is a cassette.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ZSL device comprises a parallelogram structure having bell cranks positioned at four corners.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the ZSL device connects the spinner to an external frame.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ZSL device comprises:

a parallelogram structure having bell cranks position at each corner, each bell crank of the ZSL device comprising a first pivot point, a second pivot point and a third pivot point, wherein the first pivot point is pivotedly connected to the spinner and the second pivot point is pivotedly connected to an external frame;

a link connected to the third pivot point of the respective vertically spaced apart bell cranks; and

an elongated member connected to the respective laterally spaced apart bell cranks.

9. An apparatus for making and/or breaking threaded connections between a first and a second tubular comprising:

a spinner operable to spin the first tubular relative to the second tubular;

a torque wrench operable to rotate the first tubular greater than about 180 degrees relative to the second tubular without releasing the grip of the torque wrench on the first tubular;

a back-up wrench; and

a torsion device connected with the torque wrench and the back-up wrench, wherein the torsion device is operable to relieve a transverse force induced in response to rotating the torque wrench relative to the back-up wrench.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the torsion device comprises a pair of struts pivotedly connected to the torque wrench and the back-up wrench by a pair of bell cranks.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the back-up wrench is operable to grip the second tubular with a first grip pressure when the spinner is spinning the first tubular and operable to grip the second tubular at a second grip pressure when the torque wrench is rotating the first tubular.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the torsion device comprises a pair of struts pivotedly connected to the torque wrench and the back-up wrench by a pair of bell cranks.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a zero-side-load (“

ZSL”

) device connected to the spinner.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the ZSL device comprises a parallelogram structure having bell cranks positioned at the corners.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the ZSL device is pivotedly connected to the spinner and an external frame.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the back-up wrench is operable to grip the second tubular with a first grip pressure when the spinner is spinning the first tubular and operable to grip the second tubular at a second grip pressure when the torque wrench is rotating the first tubular.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the ZSL device comprises:

a parallelogram structure having bell cranks positioned at each corner, each bell crank comprising a first pivot point, a second pivot point and a third pivot point, wherein the first pivot point is pivotedly connected to the spinner and the second pivot point is pivotedly connected to an external frame;

a link connected to the third pivot point of the respective vertically spaced apart bell cranks; and

an elongated member connected to the respective laterally spaced apart bell cranks.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the back-up wrench is operable to grip the second tubular with a first grip pressure when the spinner is spinning the first tubular and operable to grip the second tubular at a second grip pressure when the torque wrench is rotating the first tubular.

19. A method for making-up a threaded connection between a first tubular and a second tubular, comprising:

gripping the second tubular with a back-up wrench of a tubular joiner device comprising a spinner, a torque wrench and the back-up wrench;

spinning the first tubular via the spinner to advance a pin of the first tubular relative to a box of the second tubular;

gripping the first tubular with the torque wrench;

rotating the first tubular greater than about 180 degrees without releasing the grip of the torque wrench on the first tubular to complete the threaded connection; and

relieving a transverse force induced on the threaded connection in response to spinning the first tubular.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the relieving a transverse force comprises a zero-side-load (“

ZSL”

) device connected to the spinner.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the relieving a transverse force comprises a zero-side-load (“

ZSL”

) device connected to the spinner and a cassette, the ZSL device comprising;

a parallelogram structure comprising bell cranks positioned at each corner, each bell crank comprising a first pivot point, a second pivot point and a third pivot point, wherein the first pivot point is pivotedly connected to the spinner and the second pivot point is pivotedly connected to the cassette;

a link connected to the third pivot point of the respective vertically spaced apart bell cranks; and

an elongated member connected to the respective laterally spaced apart bell cranks.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the rotating the first tubular with the torque wrench comprises relieving a transverse force induced on the threaded connection in response to rotating the torque wrench relative to the back-up wrench.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the gripping the second tubular with the back-up wrench comprises:

gripping the box end of the second tubular with a first gripping pressure when spinning the first tubular with the spinner; and

gripping the box end of the second tubular with a second gripping pressure when rotating the first tubular with the torque wrench.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the relieving a transverse force comprises a zero-side-load (“

ZSL”

) device connected to the spinner and a cassette, the ZSL device comprising;

a parallelogram structure comprising bell cranks positioned at each corner, each bell crank comprising a first pivot point, a second pivot point and a third pivot point, wherein the first pivot point is pivotedly connected to the spinner and the second pivot point is pivotedly connected to the cassette;

a link connected to the third pivot point of the respective vertically spaced apart bell cranks; and

an elongated member connected to the respective laterally spaced apart bell cranks.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the rotating the first tubular with the torque wrench comprises relieving a transverse force from being induced on the threaded connection in response to rotating the torque wrench relative to the back-up wrench.

26. An apparatus for making and/or breaking a threaded connection between a first tubular and a second tubular, comprising:

a spinner operable to spin the first tubular relative to the second tubular;

a zero-side-load (“

ZSL”

) device operable to relieve the transverse force induced on the threaded connection in response to the spinner spinning the first tubular;

a torque wrench rotate the first tubular relative to the second tubular; and

a back-up wrench grip the second tubular;

wherein the ZSL device comprises;

a parallelogram structure having bell cranks positioned at each corner, each bell crank comprising a first pivot point, a second pivot point and a third pivot point, wherein the first pivot point is pivotedly connected to the spinner and the second pivot point is pivotedly connected to an external frame;

a link connected to the third pivot point of the respective vertically spaced apart bell cranks; and

an elongated member connected to the respective laterally spaced apart bell cranks.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising a torsion device comprising a pair struts pivotedly connected to the torque wrench and the back-up wrench by a pair of bell cranks.

28. An apparatus for making and/or breaking threaded connections between a first and a second tubular comprising:

a spinner operable to spin the first tubular relative to the second tubular;

a torque wrench;

a back-up wrench; and

a torsion device connected to the torque wrench and the back-up wrench to relieve a transverse force induced in response to rotating the torque wrench relative to the back-up wrench, wherein the torsion device comprises;

a span member pivotedly connected at a first end to a first bell crank and pivotedly connected at a second end to a second bell crank;

a first lateral strut pivotedly connected to the first bell crank and pivotedly connected to the back-up wrench;

a second lateral strut pivotedly connected to the second bell crank and pivotedly connected to the back-up wrench; and

a post extending vertically from the torque wrench, the post connected to the span member between the pair of bell cranks.