CA1062237A - Power operated drill pipe tongs - Google Patents
Power operated drill pipe tongsInfo
- Publication number
- CA1062237A CA1062237A CA256,597A CA256597A CA1062237A CA 1062237 A CA1062237 A CA 1062237A CA 256597 A CA256597 A CA 256597A CA 1062237 A CA1062237 A CA 1062237A
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- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- tong
- tongs
- power operated
- door
- piston
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Abstract
ABSTRACT
Hydraulically or pneumatically powered drill pipe tongs of the scissors-type used in making up or breaking apart joints of drill pipe or drill collars including an upper tong and a lower tong each including tong die heads for biting into or gripping the upper and lower joints of drill pipe or drill collars with the upper and lower tongs being swivelly con-nected and being interconnected by a hydraulically or pneumatically powered torqueing piston and cylinder assembly for rotating the upper and lower tongs in relation to each other when making up or breaking apart the drill pipe joints. Each of the upper and lower tongs includes a sliding door having one of the tong die heads thereon that can be moved a substantial distance toward and away from the tong body by the use of a pair of hydrau-lically or pneumatically powered piston and cylinder assemblies to enable tool joints and drill pipe protectors to pass through the tongs while leav-ing the tongs on the pipe. Each of the tongs also includes a hinged mount-ing for one edge portion of the tong door and a latch and slide for the other edge portion to enable the tong door to be latched or unlatched and hinged outwardly in a manner to enable the tongs to be removed from the drill pipe when necessary.
Hydraulically or pneumatically powered drill pipe tongs of the scissors-type used in making up or breaking apart joints of drill pipe or drill collars including an upper tong and a lower tong each including tong die heads for biting into or gripping the upper and lower joints of drill pipe or drill collars with the upper and lower tongs being swivelly con-nected and being interconnected by a hydraulically or pneumatically powered torqueing piston and cylinder assembly for rotating the upper and lower tongs in relation to each other when making up or breaking apart the drill pipe joints. Each of the upper and lower tongs includes a sliding door having one of the tong die heads thereon that can be moved a substantial distance toward and away from the tong body by the use of a pair of hydrau-lically or pneumatically powered piston and cylinder assemblies to enable tool joints and drill pipe protectors to pass through the tongs while leav-ing the tongs on the pipe. Each of the tongs also includes a hinged mount-ing for one edge portion of the tong door and a latch and slide for the other edge portion to enable the tong door to be latched or unlatched and hinged outwardly in a manner to enable the tongs to be removed from the drill pipe when necessary.
Description
The present invention generally relates to drill pipe tong~ used in making up or breaking apart drill pipe ~oints and includes hydraulically or pneumatically powered upper and lower tongs which are swivelly connected for a ~cissoring action. Each of the tongs includes a door that is hingedly mounted at one edge and provided with a latch and slide assembly at the other edge to enable the doors to be swung to a completely open condition for lateral removal of the tongs from the drill pipe when desired.
Various types of tongs have been employed when making up or break-ing out drill pipe joints or drill collars in oil well drilling operation~
in which upper and lower tongs sequentially grip and release upper and lower drill pipe joints with the upper and lower tongs being moved in a swivelling or scissoring manner to thread or unthread the threaded connection between - the drill pipe joints. Power operated tongs have been provided for this purpose and the following U.S. patents disclose some of the developments . that have occurred in this fleld of endeavor:
-~ 2,668,689 Feb. 9, 1954
Various types of tongs have been employed when making up or break-ing out drill pipe joints or drill collars in oil well drilling operation~
in which upper and lower tongs sequentially grip and release upper and lower drill pipe joints with the upper and lower tongs being moved in a swivelling or scissoring manner to thread or unthread the threaded connection between - the drill pipe joints. Power operated tongs have been provided for this purpose and the following U.S. patents disclose some of the developments . that have occurred in this fleld of endeavor:
-~ 2,668,689 Feb. 9, 1954
2,737,839 Mar. 13, 1956 2,760,392 Aug. 28, 1956 2,871,743 Feb. 3, 1959
3,021,739 Feb. 20, 1962 3,316,783 May 2, 1967 3,629,927 Dec. 28, 1971 3,799,009 Nar. 26, 1974 ~ In addition to the above-listed patents, a hydraulically actuated ? drili pipe tong is being manufactured in which an upper and lower tong are -.' swivelled with respect to each other by a torqueing cylinder which can be extended or retracted to break out or make up the drill pipe as may be re-`~ quired. The pipe biting or gripping system utilizes a centrally-positioned single hydraulic ram which extends to move one of two opposed tong die heads into gripping or biting engagement with the pipe so as to grip the pipe for making up or breaking the joint. This tong includes a pivotally mounted latching door which can be released and piYoted to an open condition so that the tongs can be removed from the pipe. Since the opening or space provided -2~ ~
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by the gripping system of this prior tong through which the drill pipe passes when operating pipe stands is not sufficient to per-mit the tool joints and protectors to pass, it is necessary to continuously open the latching door. This opening of the door and subsequent closing and latching of the door is a relatively time-consuming operation when running stands of drill pipe. In other words, the limited movement of the tong die head between its biting or gripping position and its released position is of such small dimension that the pipe and protectors thereon are precluded from passing through the tongs unless the door is opened.
` An object of the present invention is to provide power actuated tongs for making up or breaking apart joints of drill pipe or drill collars in which the pipe gripping die heads in the tongs can be moved apart a sufficient distance to enable drill collar joints and rubber drill pipe protectors or the like thereon to pass through the tongs without requiring the tong door to be unlatched, swung to an open position, closed and then relatched thereby greatly reducing the time required to make up or break out dual pipe collars inasmuch as the tongs ride the pipe joints and 20 do not have to be removed therefrom.
According to the present invention there is provided a power operated tong for use in making up or breaking apart a threaded joint, comprising a tong body having a gripping means on , one edge thereof; a tong door having a gripping means on one edge thereof; power operated means interconnecting the tong body and t tong door, with said gripping means spaced apart from one another in closed position of the tong door, for effecting translation of the tong door toward and away from the tong body for engaging and disengaginq said gripping means on a threaded joint disposed 30 therebetween; and further means for permittina movement of the tong door between the closed position C ~ -3-.. , .: . ..: -, . . . . .
and an open position in which a threaded joint can be placed bet-ween said gripping means or removed therefrom.
The invention further provides power operated tongs for use in making up or breaking apart threaded joints, comprising an upper tong and a lower tong each as recited above, means swivelly interconnecting the tongs for relative angular movement, and further power operated means interconnecting the tongs for swivelling the tongs in relation to one another through a limited angle.
Preferably, in respect of each tong, the power operated means comprises two power operated piston and cylinder assemblies provided one on each side of the tong relative to the gripping means and the further means comprises a hinge slide pivotally con-necting one edge of the tong door to one piston and cylinder assembly and a latch slide releasably connecting the opposite edge, relative to the gripping means, of the tong door to the other piston ~- and cylinder assembly, the latch slide including a pivotal latch ` member attached to the tong door and a hook-shaped latch member ' attached to the piston and cylinder assembly, the pivotal latch mem-ber being engageable by and disengageable from the hook-shaped latch member.
The power operated means can be hydraulically or ^ pneumatically operated.
The invention facilitates the provision of power operated tongs for effectively gripping and releasing drill pipe joints and providing a large dimensioned passage through the tongs so that the drill pipe joints and protectors may pass freely through the tongs without removing the tongs from the drill pipe. The power operated cylinders, one on each side of the line of movement of the gripping means such as die heads produce a better balanced and better supported power mechanism for the tongs to grip the pipe.
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l06æ37 The tongs are simple and uncomplicated in their structural detail but effective for gripping drill pipe joints and transmitting tor-que thereto when the upper and lower tongs are swivelled or scis-sored in relation to each other so that the tongs will effectively operate for extended periods of time without excessive maintenance or repair.
These and other advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals 10 refer to like parts throughout and in which:- -Figure 1 is a schematic elevational view of the power actuated drill pipe tongs of the present invention illustrating their association with a spinner, supporting pedestal, turntable and drill rig floor.
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the tongs in their gripping or biting position with the broken line position of the tong door illustrating the pivotal movement of the door when -opened.
Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the construction 20 of Figure 2 illustrating the association of the upper and lower tongs.
Figure 4 is an end view of the construction of Figure 2 illustrating the association of the torqueing piston and cylinder assembly with the upper and lower tongs.
Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the tongs illustrating the upper and lower tongs in their torqueing position.
J Figure 6, which appears on the same sheet as Figure 1, is a fragmental enlarged sectional view of the swivel connection ' between the upper and lower tongs.
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1~62Z37 Referring now specifically to Figure 1 of the drawings, the pre-ferred power actuated drill pipe tongs of the present invention are generally designated by numeral 10 and illustrated in association with a drill rig floor 12, a supporting turntable 14 and pedestal 16 which includes a laterally extending support member 18 for the tongs whereby the tongs may be vertically ad~usted along the pedestal in a manner which is conventional and well known and does not form any particular part of the present invention, nor does the turntable structure and the association thereof with the drill rig floor.
The tongs also are associated with a spinner generally designated by numeral 20 and which is located above the tongs for performing in a usual manner with the details of the spinner also forming no particular part of the present invention. While the invention is hereafter described utilizing hydraulically actuated power cylinders and hydraulic circuit therefor, it will be readily appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art that any one or all of the power cylinders of this invention can be pneumatic, as well as hydrau-lic, and a conventional pneumatic circuit used in conjunction therewith.
The hydraulically operated drill pipe tongs 10 include an upper tong 22 and a lower tong 24, each of which is substantially identical and which includes a horizontally disposed body 26 which is provided with a generally U-shaped recess or notch 28 in an edge thereof to receive joints of drill pipe or drill collars 30. Mounted on the body 26 in a recess 32 in the central portion of the notch 28 is a die head 34 having gripping ele-ments or biting elements 36 mounted thereon with the die head 34 being removably secured in place by a removable pin 38. The die head 34 has an angulated surface on which the biting elements 36 are mounted so that the biting elements are oriented on the circumference of the drill pipe joint 30 with the spaced, angular relation enabling the elements 36 to engage spaced points on the circumference of the drill pipe or tool joint.
Disposed in opposed relation and generally in alignment with the tong body 26 is a horizontally disposed door 40 which includes a shallow notch or recess 42 in the edge thereof facing the edge of the tong body 26 having the notch or recess 28 therein. A die head 44 is mounted on the door 40 in the recess 42 in opposed relation to the die head 34 for gripping ~ 's' ~
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1062;~37 and bitlng engsgement wlth the drill pipe ~oint 30 as illuatrated in Figure 2 with the die head 44 being substantially ldentical to the die head 34.
In order to move the door 40 toward and away from the tong body 26 for releasing the drill pipe ~oint 30 and enlarging the opening or passage ; defined by the notches 28 and 42, the tong body is provided with apalr of guides 46 and 48 whlch are parallel to each other and oriented along oppo-site side edges of the tong body 26 with the guide 46 slidably receiving and guiding an extension 50 on a hinge slide 52. The sllde 52 has a bifurcated end 54 receiving a rounded corner portion 56 of the door 40 therebetween with a hinge p~n 58 extending through the bifurcated end of the slide and through the rounded corner and reduced thickness portion of the door 40 thus hlngedly securing the door 40 to the slide 52. The other end of the slide 52 i8 pro-vided with a piston rod 60 rigid with the extension 50 and extending into a double acting hydraulically operated piston and cylinder assembly 62 which ` i8 anchored to the tong body 26 by a pin 66 extending through a bifurcated end portion 68 on the piston and cylinder assembly 62 and the corner portion 64 of the tong body 26. Thus, by extending and retracting the piston and cylinder assembly 62, the slide 52, the pin 58, and the corresponding end - of the door 40 may be moved toward and away from the tong body 26.
The other guide 48 receives a latch slide 70 therein which includes an outwardly facing hook-shaped member 72 on one end thereof and a piston rod 74 extending from the other end thereof which extends lnto a plston and cylinder assembly 76 which is double acting hydraulically actuated and pinned to a corner extension 78 on the tong body 26 by a pln 80 extending through a bifurcated end portion 82 on the plston and cyllnder assembly 76 -~whlch structure is substantially the same as that on the opposite edge of the tong body 26. Pivotally attached to a rounded corner extension on the door . 40, indicated by numeral 84 is a door latch 86 in the form of a bifurcated -member that receives the extension 84 therebetween. A pivot pin 88 pivotal-ly interconnects the door latch 86 with the door 40, and the end of the door latch 86 opposite from the hinge pin 88 is provided with a latch member 90 associated with a recess 92 defined between the plates which form the door latch 86. Thus, the hook-shaped member 72 mounted on the latch slide 70 is .: . . -~ - .' : . .
normally engaged with the latch memfier 90 on the door latch 86 to maintain the door 40 in closed poaition with the piston and cylinder assemblies 62 and 76 being operative simultianeously to move the door 40 away from the tong body 26 or toward the tong body 26. When the door 40 i8 moved away from the tong body 26, the drill pipe joint 30 and any protectors thereon may move through the enlarged passageway defined by the notches 28 and 42 and the distance between the opposed edges of the door 40 and tong body 26. It has been found that by moving the door 40 away from the tong body 26 approximately four inches, the drill pipe joint, drill collars and protectors thereon may be moved through the tongs 10 without opening door latch 86 or removing the tongs 10 from the drill pipe during make-up or breaking apart. ~owever, when it is desired to remove the tongs from the drill pipe, the door latch 86 may be pivoted outwardly by pulling outwardly on lug 94 thereon thereby disengaging the latch member 90 from the hook-shaped latch member 72, and the door 40 then can be swung away from the tong body 26 about the pivot pin 58 as illustrated in broken line in Figure 2.
All of the structure defined above with respect to the upper tong 22 also applies to the lower tong 24 which grips or releases a lower drill pipe joint 31 while the upper tong 22 grips or releases an upper drill pipe joint 30. In order to swivel or rotate the upper tong 22 in relation to the lower tong 24 or move the tongs 10 to a torqueing position as illustrated in Figure 5, double acting hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly 96 is provided adjacent the end of the tong bodies 26 remote from the die heads 34 which interconnects the upper and lower tongs 22 and 24 so that by extending and retracting the torqueing piston and cylinder assembly 96 in timed relation to extension and retraction of the piston and cylinder assemblies 62 and 76, the upper and lower drill pipe joints 30 and 31 may be torqued in a manner to make-up or break apart a drill pipe.
The piston and cylinder assembly 96 is secured to the tong body 26 on the lower tong 24 by an upstanding bracket 98 having a horizontally ex-tending plate 100 at the upper end thereof and a flange 102 a~ the lower end bolted to the lower tong body 24 as illustrated in Figures 2-4. The plate 100 and a corresponding portion of the tong body 26 on the lower tong 24 support the inner end of the plston and cylinder assembly by a bearing and pin assembly 104 in which the projecting plns are rigid with the cylinder and are received in bearings provided in the plate 100 and the lower tong body 24 as illustrated in Figure 4. Also as illustrated in Figure 4, the portion of the lower tong body 26 which receives the piston and cylinder assembly 96 is provided with a recess 106 in that area for partially receiving ths piston and cylinder assembly so that the upper and lower tongs 22 and 24 can be oriented as close as possible.
The piston and cylinder assembly 96 includes a piston rod 108 ex-tending therefrom provided with an adapter 110 on the end thereof which receives a depending pin 112 which extends through the projecting corner 64 on the upper tong body 26 as illustrated in Figure 4. The portion of the upper tong body 26 which receives the pin 112 is provided with a depending rigid pin receiving sleeve 114 which is welded to the tong body 26 as lllus-trated in Figure 4. Thus, with this construction, extension and retraction ; of the piston and cylinder assembly 96 will cause the upper and lower tongs 22 and 24 to move toward an d away from the torqueing position illustrated in Figure 5. That is, with the upper tong 22 either in alignment with the lower tong 24 or the upper tong 22 moved into angular position with respect to the lower tong 24 which is the torqueing position illustrated in Figure -~
5, the tongs 22 and 24 are moved in a swivelling manner and rotate one tool joint in relation to the other. All of the pin connections may be provided with suitable retaining plates and lubrication facilities and the structural details thereof varied as desired. In addition, the pins 38 holding the die heads 34 and 44 may be readily removable pins to enable easy removal and insertion of die heads for ready interchange thereof.
The upper andlower tongs 22 and 24 are swivelly interconnected by a swivel ring assembly 116 as illustrated in detail in Figure 6 and which includes a partial inner annual ring 118 that has an inner surface 120 which forms the internal periphery of the swivel ring assembly 116 with the inter-nal surface 120 being spaced outwardly of the die head 34 so that there will be no interference with movement of the drill pipe joints through the tongs. -The inner partial ring 118 is secured to the upper tong body 26 by suitable ~062Z37 cap screws, bolt~ or the like received in apertures 121 and is provided with an external shoulder 122 defined by a peripheral projection 124 at the bottom portion of the partial ring 118. An outer partial ring 126 is secured to the lower tong body 26 by suitable cap screws, bolts or the like received in apertures 127 and includes an inwardly facing channel-shaped groove or recess 128 which closely receives the projection 124 on the inner partial ring 118 insofar as vertical dimension is concerned to swivelly orient the upper and lower tongs 22 and 24 so that they will pivot about a central portion of the drill pipe joints 30 and 31 during their relative pivotal movement.
The hydraulically operated tongs 10 may be controlled remotely with a suitable power unit supplying hydraulic pressure at a desired pres-sure with a control console including valves for operating the several pis-ton and cylinder assemblies. The tongs and spinner may be vertically ele-vated by a suitable mechanism such as a hydraulic lift cylinder or the like in order to orient the lower tong 24 on the lower drill pipe or tool joint 31. When proper location is attained, a valve is actuated for simultaneous-ly retracting the two bottom piston and cylinder assemblies 62 and 76 for moving the lower door 40 inwardly toward the lower tong body 26 thereby gripping the lower drill pipe joint 31. Then, depending upon whether the drill pipe is being made up or broken apart, the torque piston and cylinder assembly 96 is extended or retracted. During the extension or retraction of the torque cylinder, the piston and cylinder assemblies 62 and 76 on the upper tong 22 will be in their extended positions so that the upper door 40 is remote from the upper tong body 26 and the upper tong 22 can rotate in relation to the upper drill pipe joint 40. Thus, with the upper tong 22 released and the torque piston and cylinder assembly 96 either ex-i tended or retracted to an initial position depending upon whether the drill - pipe is being made up or broken out, the upper tong 22 may then be brought into gripping engagement with the upper drill pipe joint 30 by retracting the two upper piston and cylinder assemblies 62 and 76. After this has occurred, both the upper drill pipe joint 30 and the lower drill pipe joint 31 are securely gripped by the respective tongs. Then, the piston and ~ ~ ' ~ :
cylinder a~sembly ~6 is actuated for moving the upper and lower tongs 22 and 24 pivotally or swivelly in relation to each other thus torqueing the drill pipe joints 30 and 31 either in a cloc~wise manner or a counterclock-wise manner depending upon whether the drill pipe is being made up or broken out. In either instance, the spinner is utili~ed to initially rotate the upper drill pipe Joint 30 when making up the drill pipe with the spinner rotating the pipe rather rapidly but at a relatively low torque with the tongs 10 serving to finally tighten the drill pipe joints wh~n making up a drill pipe. Conversely, when breaking out a drill pipe, the tongs 10 ini-tially break apart the joints with the spi~ner subsequently unthreading the upper joint 30 from the lower joint 31 at a relatively high speed and low torque.
As compared with present devices which employ a centrally-positioned single hydraulic ram to change the relative position of the grip-;, , ping die heads and to grip the drill pipe joints when the hydraulic ram is in its most expanded position, the present invention includes one piston and cylinder assembly attached to the hinge slide and another attached to the latch slide, with the two cylinders being timed to work together both hy-draulically and mechanically to grip the pipe when the cylinders are in their most retracted position. The spaced apart cylinder pair provides for a more controlled and better supported gripping of the pipe than with a single centrally positioned cylinder not only because of the use of two spaced apart cylinders rather than one centrally positioned, but also because the cylinders are retracted during the power or gripping position. In addition, with the movable die head on the door, the door may be allowed to slide away from the body a desired distance, such as approximately four inches, which will provide ample room to permit the tool joints and protectors to pass through the tongs while leaving the tongs on the pipe. Thus, by pro- ~ ~ ~
viding a pair of power cylinders, one on each side of the line of relative -movement of the gripping die heads, which cylinders are in their most con-tracted position for gripping the pipe, the tongs can be made so that the door with the cylinders extended ~in the non-power position) allows the drill pipe jointæ and protectors to be moved through the tongs without ~ln-... , . .. ~ . . ~ .. .. .. .. .. . .
-.- - ,. . . .. -106ZZ3~7 removing the tongs from the pipe. Accordingly, the maklng up or breaklng out of a drill pipe can ~e more expediently conducted with less expenditure of time and labor and with less torqueing damage to the drill pipe joints.
The latch and hinge arrangement also enables the tongs to be removed from the pipe when necessary.
As stated previously, the spinner will spin the stand of pipe in or out while the tong provides the make or break torque and the pedestal and turntable provide for the lateral and vertical position of the tong and spinner unit. The specific structure of the spinner unit and the specific structure of the pedestal and control oonsole form no particular part of the present invention with the control for the tongs including commercially available components arranged in a manner to obtain the desired performance from the tongs 10.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will ` readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the J invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
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by the gripping system of this prior tong through which the drill pipe passes when operating pipe stands is not sufficient to per-mit the tool joints and protectors to pass, it is necessary to continuously open the latching door. This opening of the door and subsequent closing and latching of the door is a relatively time-consuming operation when running stands of drill pipe. In other words, the limited movement of the tong die head between its biting or gripping position and its released position is of such small dimension that the pipe and protectors thereon are precluded from passing through the tongs unless the door is opened.
` An object of the present invention is to provide power actuated tongs for making up or breaking apart joints of drill pipe or drill collars in which the pipe gripping die heads in the tongs can be moved apart a sufficient distance to enable drill collar joints and rubber drill pipe protectors or the like thereon to pass through the tongs without requiring the tong door to be unlatched, swung to an open position, closed and then relatched thereby greatly reducing the time required to make up or break out dual pipe collars inasmuch as the tongs ride the pipe joints and 20 do not have to be removed therefrom.
According to the present invention there is provided a power operated tong for use in making up or breaking apart a threaded joint, comprising a tong body having a gripping means on , one edge thereof; a tong door having a gripping means on one edge thereof; power operated means interconnecting the tong body and t tong door, with said gripping means spaced apart from one another in closed position of the tong door, for effecting translation of the tong door toward and away from the tong body for engaging and disengaginq said gripping means on a threaded joint disposed 30 therebetween; and further means for permittina movement of the tong door between the closed position C ~ -3-.. , .: . ..: -, . . . . .
and an open position in which a threaded joint can be placed bet-ween said gripping means or removed therefrom.
The invention further provides power operated tongs for use in making up or breaking apart threaded joints, comprising an upper tong and a lower tong each as recited above, means swivelly interconnecting the tongs for relative angular movement, and further power operated means interconnecting the tongs for swivelling the tongs in relation to one another through a limited angle.
Preferably, in respect of each tong, the power operated means comprises two power operated piston and cylinder assemblies provided one on each side of the tong relative to the gripping means and the further means comprises a hinge slide pivotally con-necting one edge of the tong door to one piston and cylinder assembly and a latch slide releasably connecting the opposite edge, relative to the gripping means, of the tong door to the other piston ~- and cylinder assembly, the latch slide including a pivotal latch ` member attached to the tong door and a hook-shaped latch member ' attached to the piston and cylinder assembly, the pivotal latch mem-ber being engageable by and disengageable from the hook-shaped latch member.
The power operated means can be hydraulically or ^ pneumatically operated.
The invention facilitates the provision of power operated tongs for effectively gripping and releasing drill pipe joints and providing a large dimensioned passage through the tongs so that the drill pipe joints and protectors may pass freely through the tongs without removing the tongs from the drill pipe. The power operated cylinders, one on each side of the line of movement of the gripping means such as die heads produce a better balanced and better supported power mechanism for the tongs to grip the pipe.
-3a~
`.~-, . .
l06æ37 The tongs are simple and uncomplicated in their structural detail but effective for gripping drill pipe joints and transmitting tor-que thereto when the upper and lower tongs are swivelled or scis-sored in relation to each other so that the tongs will effectively operate for extended periods of time without excessive maintenance or repair.
These and other advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals 10 refer to like parts throughout and in which:- -Figure 1 is a schematic elevational view of the power actuated drill pipe tongs of the present invention illustrating their association with a spinner, supporting pedestal, turntable and drill rig floor.
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the tongs in their gripping or biting position with the broken line position of the tong door illustrating the pivotal movement of the door when -opened.
Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the construction 20 of Figure 2 illustrating the association of the upper and lower tongs.
Figure 4 is an end view of the construction of Figure 2 illustrating the association of the torqueing piston and cylinder assembly with the upper and lower tongs.
Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the tongs illustrating the upper and lower tongs in their torqueing position.
J Figure 6, which appears on the same sheet as Figure 1, is a fragmental enlarged sectional view of the swivel connection ' between the upper and lower tongs.
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1~62Z37 Referring now specifically to Figure 1 of the drawings, the pre-ferred power actuated drill pipe tongs of the present invention are generally designated by numeral 10 and illustrated in association with a drill rig floor 12, a supporting turntable 14 and pedestal 16 which includes a laterally extending support member 18 for the tongs whereby the tongs may be vertically ad~usted along the pedestal in a manner which is conventional and well known and does not form any particular part of the present invention, nor does the turntable structure and the association thereof with the drill rig floor.
The tongs also are associated with a spinner generally designated by numeral 20 and which is located above the tongs for performing in a usual manner with the details of the spinner also forming no particular part of the present invention. While the invention is hereafter described utilizing hydraulically actuated power cylinders and hydraulic circuit therefor, it will be readily appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art that any one or all of the power cylinders of this invention can be pneumatic, as well as hydrau-lic, and a conventional pneumatic circuit used in conjunction therewith.
The hydraulically operated drill pipe tongs 10 include an upper tong 22 and a lower tong 24, each of which is substantially identical and which includes a horizontally disposed body 26 which is provided with a generally U-shaped recess or notch 28 in an edge thereof to receive joints of drill pipe or drill collars 30. Mounted on the body 26 in a recess 32 in the central portion of the notch 28 is a die head 34 having gripping ele-ments or biting elements 36 mounted thereon with the die head 34 being removably secured in place by a removable pin 38. The die head 34 has an angulated surface on which the biting elements 36 are mounted so that the biting elements are oriented on the circumference of the drill pipe joint 30 with the spaced, angular relation enabling the elements 36 to engage spaced points on the circumference of the drill pipe or tool joint.
Disposed in opposed relation and generally in alignment with the tong body 26 is a horizontally disposed door 40 which includes a shallow notch or recess 42 in the edge thereof facing the edge of the tong body 26 having the notch or recess 28 therein. A die head 44 is mounted on the door 40 in the recess 42 in opposed relation to the die head 34 for gripping ~ 's' ~
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1062;~37 and bitlng engsgement wlth the drill pipe ~oint 30 as illuatrated in Figure 2 with the die head 44 being substantially ldentical to the die head 34.
In order to move the door 40 toward and away from the tong body 26 for releasing the drill pipe ~oint 30 and enlarging the opening or passage ; defined by the notches 28 and 42, the tong body is provided with apalr of guides 46 and 48 whlch are parallel to each other and oriented along oppo-site side edges of the tong body 26 with the guide 46 slidably receiving and guiding an extension 50 on a hinge slide 52. The sllde 52 has a bifurcated end 54 receiving a rounded corner portion 56 of the door 40 therebetween with a hinge p~n 58 extending through the bifurcated end of the slide and through the rounded corner and reduced thickness portion of the door 40 thus hlngedly securing the door 40 to the slide 52. The other end of the slide 52 i8 pro-vided with a piston rod 60 rigid with the extension 50 and extending into a double acting hydraulically operated piston and cylinder assembly 62 which ` i8 anchored to the tong body 26 by a pin 66 extending through a bifurcated end portion 68 on the piston and cylinder assembly 62 and the corner portion 64 of the tong body 26. Thus, by extending and retracting the piston and cylinder assembly 62, the slide 52, the pin 58, and the corresponding end - of the door 40 may be moved toward and away from the tong body 26.
The other guide 48 receives a latch slide 70 therein which includes an outwardly facing hook-shaped member 72 on one end thereof and a piston rod 74 extending from the other end thereof which extends lnto a plston and cylinder assembly 76 which is double acting hydraulically actuated and pinned to a corner extension 78 on the tong body 26 by a pln 80 extending through a bifurcated end portion 82 on the plston and cyllnder assembly 76 -~whlch structure is substantially the same as that on the opposite edge of the tong body 26. Pivotally attached to a rounded corner extension on the door . 40, indicated by numeral 84 is a door latch 86 in the form of a bifurcated -member that receives the extension 84 therebetween. A pivot pin 88 pivotal-ly interconnects the door latch 86 with the door 40, and the end of the door latch 86 opposite from the hinge pin 88 is provided with a latch member 90 associated with a recess 92 defined between the plates which form the door latch 86. Thus, the hook-shaped member 72 mounted on the latch slide 70 is .: . . -~ - .' : . .
normally engaged with the latch memfier 90 on the door latch 86 to maintain the door 40 in closed poaition with the piston and cylinder assemblies 62 and 76 being operative simultianeously to move the door 40 away from the tong body 26 or toward the tong body 26. When the door 40 i8 moved away from the tong body 26, the drill pipe joint 30 and any protectors thereon may move through the enlarged passageway defined by the notches 28 and 42 and the distance between the opposed edges of the door 40 and tong body 26. It has been found that by moving the door 40 away from the tong body 26 approximately four inches, the drill pipe joint, drill collars and protectors thereon may be moved through the tongs 10 without opening door latch 86 or removing the tongs 10 from the drill pipe during make-up or breaking apart. ~owever, when it is desired to remove the tongs from the drill pipe, the door latch 86 may be pivoted outwardly by pulling outwardly on lug 94 thereon thereby disengaging the latch member 90 from the hook-shaped latch member 72, and the door 40 then can be swung away from the tong body 26 about the pivot pin 58 as illustrated in broken line in Figure 2.
All of the structure defined above with respect to the upper tong 22 also applies to the lower tong 24 which grips or releases a lower drill pipe joint 31 while the upper tong 22 grips or releases an upper drill pipe joint 30. In order to swivel or rotate the upper tong 22 in relation to the lower tong 24 or move the tongs 10 to a torqueing position as illustrated in Figure 5, double acting hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly 96 is provided adjacent the end of the tong bodies 26 remote from the die heads 34 which interconnects the upper and lower tongs 22 and 24 so that by extending and retracting the torqueing piston and cylinder assembly 96 in timed relation to extension and retraction of the piston and cylinder assemblies 62 and 76, the upper and lower drill pipe joints 30 and 31 may be torqued in a manner to make-up or break apart a drill pipe.
The piston and cylinder assembly 96 is secured to the tong body 26 on the lower tong 24 by an upstanding bracket 98 having a horizontally ex-tending plate 100 at the upper end thereof and a flange 102 a~ the lower end bolted to the lower tong body 24 as illustrated in Figures 2-4. The plate 100 and a corresponding portion of the tong body 26 on the lower tong 24 support the inner end of the plston and cylinder assembly by a bearing and pin assembly 104 in which the projecting plns are rigid with the cylinder and are received in bearings provided in the plate 100 and the lower tong body 24 as illustrated in Figure 4. Also as illustrated in Figure 4, the portion of the lower tong body 26 which receives the piston and cylinder assembly 96 is provided with a recess 106 in that area for partially receiving ths piston and cylinder assembly so that the upper and lower tongs 22 and 24 can be oriented as close as possible.
The piston and cylinder assembly 96 includes a piston rod 108 ex-tending therefrom provided with an adapter 110 on the end thereof which receives a depending pin 112 which extends through the projecting corner 64 on the upper tong body 26 as illustrated in Figure 4. The portion of the upper tong body 26 which receives the pin 112 is provided with a depending rigid pin receiving sleeve 114 which is welded to the tong body 26 as lllus-trated in Figure 4. Thus, with this construction, extension and retraction ; of the piston and cylinder assembly 96 will cause the upper and lower tongs 22 and 24 to move toward an d away from the torqueing position illustrated in Figure 5. That is, with the upper tong 22 either in alignment with the lower tong 24 or the upper tong 22 moved into angular position with respect to the lower tong 24 which is the torqueing position illustrated in Figure -~
5, the tongs 22 and 24 are moved in a swivelling manner and rotate one tool joint in relation to the other. All of the pin connections may be provided with suitable retaining plates and lubrication facilities and the structural details thereof varied as desired. In addition, the pins 38 holding the die heads 34 and 44 may be readily removable pins to enable easy removal and insertion of die heads for ready interchange thereof.
The upper andlower tongs 22 and 24 are swivelly interconnected by a swivel ring assembly 116 as illustrated in detail in Figure 6 and which includes a partial inner annual ring 118 that has an inner surface 120 which forms the internal periphery of the swivel ring assembly 116 with the inter-nal surface 120 being spaced outwardly of the die head 34 so that there will be no interference with movement of the drill pipe joints through the tongs. -The inner partial ring 118 is secured to the upper tong body 26 by suitable ~062Z37 cap screws, bolt~ or the like received in apertures 121 and is provided with an external shoulder 122 defined by a peripheral projection 124 at the bottom portion of the partial ring 118. An outer partial ring 126 is secured to the lower tong body 26 by suitable cap screws, bolts or the like received in apertures 127 and includes an inwardly facing channel-shaped groove or recess 128 which closely receives the projection 124 on the inner partial ring 118 insofar as vertical dimension is concerned to swivelly orient the upper and lower tongs 22 and 24 so that they will pivot about a central portion of the drill pipe joints 30 and 31 during their relative pivotal movement.
The hydraulically operated tongs 10 may be controlled remotely with a suitable power unit supplying hydraulic pressure at a desired pres-sure with a control console including valves for operating the several pis-ton and cylinder assemblies. The tongs and spinner may be vertically ele-vated by a suitable mechanism such as a hydraulic lift cylinder or the like in order to orient the lower tong 24 on the lower drill pipe or tool joint 31. When proper location is attained, a valve is actuated for simultaneous-ly retracting the two bottom piston and cylinder assemblies 62 and 76 for moving the lower door 40 inwardly toward the lower tong body 26 thereby gripping the lower drill pipe joint 31. Then, depending upon whether the drill pipe is being made up or broken apart, the torque piston and cylinder assembly 96 is extended or retracted. During the extension or retraction of the torque cylinder, the piston and cylinder assemblies 62 and 76 on the upper tong 22 will be in their extended positions so that the upper door 40 is remote from the upper tong body 26 and the upper tong 22 can rotate in relation to the upper drill pipe joint 40. Thus, with the upper tong 22 released and the torque piston and cylinder assembly 96 either ex-i tended or retracted to an initial position depending upon whether the drill - pipe is being made up or broken out, the upper tong 22 may then be brought into gripping engagement with the upper drill pipe joint 30 by retracting the two upper piston and cylinder assemblies 62 and 76. After this has occurred, both the upper drill pipe joint 30 and the lower drill pipe joint 31 are securely gripped by the respective tongs. Then, the piston and ~ ~ ' ~ :
cylinder a~sembly ~6 is actuated for moving the upper and lower tongs 22 and 24 pivotally or swivelly in relation to each other thus torqueing the drill pipe joints 30 and 31 either in a cloc~wise manner or a counterclock-wise manner depending upon whether the drill pipe is being made up or broken out. In either instance, the spinner is utili~ed to initially rotate the upper drill pipe Joint 30 when making up the drill pipe with the spinner rotating the pipe rather rapidly but at a relatively low torque with the tongs 10 serving to finally tighten the drill pipe joints wh~n making up a drill pipe. Conversely, when breaking out a drill pipe, the tongs 10 ini-tially break apart the joints with the spi~ner subsequently unthreading the upper joint 30 from the lower joint 31 at a relatively high speed and low torque.
As compared with present devices which employ a centrally-positioned single hydraulic ram to change the relative position of the grip-;, , ping die heads and to grip the drill pipe joints when the hydraulic ram is in its most expanded position, the present invention includes one piston and cylinder assembly attached to the hinge slide and another attached to the latch slide, with the two cylinders being timed to work together both hy-draulically and mechanically to grip the pipe when the cylinders are in their most retracted position. The spaced apart cylinder pair provides for a more controlled and better supported gripping of the pipe than with a single centrally positioned cylinder not only because of the use of two spaced apart cylinders rather than one centrally positioned, but also because the cylinders are retracted during the power or gripping position. In addition, with the movable die head on the door, the door may be allowed to slide away from the body a desired distance, such as approximately four inches, which will provide ample room to permit the tool joints and protectors to pass through the tongs while leaving the tongs on the pipe. Thus, by pro- ~ ~ ~
viding a pair of power cylinders, one on each side of the line of relative -movement of the gripping die heads, which cylinders are in their most con-tracted position for gripping the pipe, the tongs can be made so that the door with the cylinders extended ~in the non-power position) allows the drill pipe jointæ and protectors to be moved through the tongs without ~ln-... , . .. ~ . . ~ .. .. .. .. .. . .
-.- - ,. . . .. -106ZZ3~7 removing the tongs from the pipe. Accordingly, the maklng up or breaklng out of a drill pipe can ~e more expediently conducted with less expenditure of time and labor and with less torqueing damage to the drill pipe joints.
The latch and hinge arrangement also enables the tongs to be removed from the pipe when necessary.
As stated previously, the spinner will spin the stand of pipe in or out while the tong provides the make or break torque and the pedestal and turntable provide for the lateral and vertical position of the tong and spinner unit. The specific structure of the spinner unit and the specific structure of the pedestal and control oonsole form no particular part of the present invention with the control for the tongs including commercially available components arranged in a manner to obtain the desired performance from the tongs 10.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will ` readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the J invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
:' :
, ~, . . .
, - ,
Claims (14)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A power operated tong for use in making up or breaking apart a threaded joint, comprising a tong body having a gripping means on one edge thereof; a tong door having a gripping means on one edge thereof; power operated means interconnecting the tong body and tong door, with said gripping means spaced apart from one another in a closed position of the tong door, for effecting translation of the tong door toward and away from the tong body for engaging and disengaging said gripping means on a threaded joint disposed therebetween; and further means for permitting movement of the tong door between the closed position and an open position in which a threaded joint can be placed between said gripping means or removed therefrom.
2. A power operated tong as claimed in claim 1 wherein said power operated means comprises two hydraulically operated piston and cylinder assemblies provided one on each side of the tong relative to the gripping means, each piston and cylinder assembly including a cylinder attached to the tong body and a piston rod extending therefrom and received in a guide rigid with the tong body.
3. A power operated tong as claimed in claim 1 wherein said further means comprises means pivotally connecting one edge of the tong door to the power operated means and means releasably connecting the opposite edge, relative to the gripping means, of the tong door to the power operated means.
4. A power operated tong as claimed in claim 3 wherein said means releasably connecting the opposite edge of the tong door to the power operated means includes a hook-shaped latch member attached to the power operated means and a pivotal latch member attached to said opposite edge of the tong door and engageable by the hook-shaped latch member whereby the pivotal latch member can be disengaged and pivoted away from the hook-shaped latch member for releasing said opposite edge of the tong door.
5. Power operated tong as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tong body and tong door are of plate-like construction with recesses formed in said one edge thereof for receiving said gripping means and said threaded joint.
6. Power operated tong as claimed in claim 1, wherein said power operated means are hydraulically operated.
7. Power operated tong as claimed in claim 1, wherein said power operated means are pneumatically operated.
8. Power operated tongs for use in making up or breaking apart threaded joints, comprising an upper tong and a lower tong each as claimed in claim 1, means swivelly inter-connecting the tongs for relative angular movement, and further power operated means interconnecting the tongs for swivelling the tongs in relation to one another through a limited angle.
9. Power operated tongs as claimed in claim 8, wherein, in respect of each tong, the power operated means comprises two power operated piston and cylinger assemblies provided one on each side of the tong relative to the gripping means and the further means comprises a hinge slide pivotally connecting one edge of the tong door to one piston and cylinder assembly and a latch slide releasably connecting the opposite edge, relative to the gripping means, of the tong door to the other piston and cylinder assembly, the latch slide including a pivotal latch member attached to the tong door and a hook-shaped latch member attached to the piston and cylinder assembly, the pivotal latch member being engageable by and disengageable from the hook-shaped latch member.
10. Power operated tongs as claimed in claim 8 or 9 wherein said means swivelly interconnecting the upper and lower tongs includes a partial ring secured to and depending from the upper tong body and a partial ring secured to and extending up-wardly from the lower tong body with interengaging flange means on each of the partial rings for enabling rotational movement and preventing vertical movement of the tongs relative to one another.
11. Power operated tongs as claimed in claim 8 or 9 wherein said further power operated means interconnecting the tongs includes a power operated piston and cylinder assembly including a cylinder pivotally attached to one tong body and a piston rod pivotally connected to the other tong body for exerting rotational torque on the tongs for relative swivelling movement thereof during extension and retraction of the piston and cylinder assembly.
12. Power operated tongs as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein each tong body and tong door is of plate-like construc-tion with recesses formed in said one edge thereof for receiving said gripping means and said thread joints.
13. Power operated tongs as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein said power operated means are hydraulically operated.
14. Power operated tongs as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein said power operated means are pneumatically operated.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA256,597A CA1062237A (en) | 1976-07-08 | 1976-07-08 | Power operated drill pipe tongs |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA256,597A CA1062237A (en) | 1976-07-08 | 1976-07-08 | Power operated drill pipe tongs |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1062237A true CA1062237A (en) | 1979-09-11 |
Family
ID=4106393
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA256,597A Expired CA1062237A (en) | 1976-07-08 | 1976-07-08 | Power operated drill pipe tongs |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1062237A (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2008022424A1 (en) * | 2006-08-24 | 2008-02-28 | Canrig Drilling Technology Ltd. | Oilfield tubular torque wrench |
| US7958787B2 (en) | 2006-08-24 | 2011-06-14 | Canrig Drilling Technology Ltd. | Oilfield tubular torque wrench |
| US10329857B2 (en) | 2006-09-08 | 2019-06-25 | Nabors Drilling Technologies Usa, Inc. | Oilfield tubular spin-in and spin-out detection for making-up and breaking-out tubular strings |
-
1976
- 1976-07-08 CA CA256,597A patent/CA1062237A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2008022424A1 (en) * | 2006-08-24 | 2008-02-28 | Canrig Drilling Technology Ltd. | Oilfield tubular torque wrench |
| US7958787B2 (en) | 2006-08-24 | 2011-06-14 | Canrig Drilling Technology Ltd. | Oilfield tubular torque wrench |
| US8042432B2 (en) | 2006-08-24 | 2011-10-25 | Canrig Drilling Technology Ltd. | Oilfield tubular torque wrench |
| US10329857B2 (en) | 2006-09-08 | 2019-06-25 | Nabors Drilling Technologies Usa, Inc. | Oilfield tubular spin-in and spin-out detection for making-up and breaking-out tubular strings |
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