JPH0256473B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Claim 1: A tubular body handling device for transferring a tubular body P between a floor 22 of a drilling rig and a tubular rack R, in which an elongated main support frame 12 is disposed near the tubular rack R; A lift gutter 14 extending longitudinally of the frame 12 is pivotally coupled at one end 28 to the main support frame 12 and extends to the drilling rig 22 to a position inclined relative to the main support frame 12. A transport assembly 27 for the tubular body P is capable of pivoting upwardly towards the target and downwardly to a generally horizontal position to move the tubular body P along the length of the lift gutter 14. , its driving means 60,6
4, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74 movable along said lift gutter 44, said lift gutter 14 including a tiltable dump gutter 42;
When the dump gutter 42 is capable of tilting laterally from the lift gutter 14 towards the main support frame 12 and the dump gutter 42 is not tilted,
The conveying assembly 27 is connected to the removable connecting means 5.
6, 58, said drive means 60, 64, 6
6, 68, 70, 72, 74, when the dump trough 42 is in the inclined position, the transport assembly 27 and the drive means 60, 64, 66,
A device characterized in that 68, 70, 72, and 74 are disconnected.

2. In a tubular body handling device for transferring a tubular body P between the floor 22 of a drilling rig and a tubular rack R, an elongated main support frame 12 is disposed near the tubular rack R, and the main support frame 12 is A longitudinally extending lift gutter 14 is pivotally coupled at one end 28 to the main support frame 12 and extends upwardly toward the drilling rig 22 to a position inclined relative to the main support frame 12. A transport assembly 27 for the tubular body P can be pivoted upwardly and downwardly to a generally horizontal position to move the tubular body P along the length of the lift gutter 14. The transport assembly 27 is movable along the dump gutter 14 and has a holding apron 50 capable of accommodating and holding the tubular body P, the lifting gutter 14 includes a tiltable dump gutter 42, A dump gutter 42 is laterally tiltable from the lift gutter 14 toward the main support frame 12 to tilt the retention apron 50 with the dump gutter 42 between the dump gutter 42 and the retention apron 50. An apparatus characterized in that apron holding means 73, 75 are arranged for holding the apron.

3. In a tubular body handling device for moving a tubular body P between the floor 22 of a drilling rig and a tubular rack R, an elongated main support frame 12 is arranged near the tubular rack R, and the main support frame 12 is A longitudinally extending lift gutter 14 is pivotally coupled at one end 28 to the main support frame 12 and extends upwardly toward the drilling rig 22 to a position inclined relative to the main support frame 12. A transport assembly 27 for the tubular body P can be pivoted upwardly and downwardly to a generally horizontal position to move the tubular body P along the length of the lift gutter 14. At one end 13 is a transfer assembly 16, 18 movable along the trough 14 for laterally moving the tubular body P between the tube rack R and the main support frame 12.
at least two spaced apart arms 138, 140 pivotally coupled to the support frame 12 at 8a, 140a and movable up and down at other ends 138b, 140b;
and the arm 1 at the other ends 138b and 140b.
38,140, a tilting tray 144 for supporting the tubular body P; a tilting mechanism 172 for tilting the tilting tray 144 laterally in both directions; and a tilting mechanism 172 for tilting the tilting tray 144 laterally in both directions;
Arm movement means 14 for rotating and swinging 40
5.

4. In a tubular body handling device for transferring a tubular body P between a floor 22 of a drilling rig and a tubular rack R, an elongated main support frame 12 is disposed near the tubular rack R; A longitudinally extending lift gutter 14 is pivotally coupled at one end 28 to the main support frame 12 and extends upwardly toward the drilling rig 22 to a position inclined relative to the main support frame 12. A transport assembly 27 for the tubular body P can be pivoted upwardly and downwardly to a generally horizontal position to move the tubular body P along the length of the lift gutter 14. movable along the gutter 14 and from the floor 22 of the drilling rig;
A device characterized in that a fixed gutter 20 projects in a downwardly inclined manner and engages the upper end of said lifted gutter 14 in an inclined manner to form a continuous path.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION PRIOR ART This invention relates to apparatus for handling tubular articles such as pipes, casings, etc., and more particularly to apparatus for transferring tubular articles between a drilling rig and a tubing rack.

There are various methods and devices in the prior art for lifting tubular bodies to and from the drilling rig floor. One such method involves attaching a simple wire cable to the tube and lifting the cable by a hydrodynamic device, usually mounted on a truck parked near the rig. A crane is also used to lift the pipe. Hydrodynamic drive chains have also been commonly used. Tubes transported in these ways can weigh thousands of pounds and can fall onto workers or equipment below, causing severe damage. Often the tube must be lifted to a height of 40 feet or more. These hazards are even more prevalent when equipment and rigs are located offshore and are exposed to waves, tides and wind forces. If the tube falls or hits another structure, the threaded end can easily become damaged or the tube can become bent.

Inclined troughs have also been used for transporting tubular bodies in which the tubular bodies slide by friction along the trough surface. This action often results in excessive wear of the tube, and in particular the threaded ends must be protected from such wear. Therefore, it has often been necessary to provide metal thread protectors when moving the tube along the trough for movement while the tube is on the drilling rig stand. This requires attention to the threads and the tube ends require extra steps in installing the tube or other tubular body within the bore, resulting in relatively long cycle times.

Prior art gutters have sometimes been designed to pivot from a generally horizontal position adjacent to the pipe rack to an inclined position closer to the drilling rig floor. However, no satisfactory means of supporting the uppermost end on the floor has been developed. The rotary gutter lift mechanism and the structural safety of the gutter also limit the gutter length, slope angle, and thus ultimate lifting height. When the prior art transfer device is used on an offshore rig, wind,
Tidal wave forces act and cause the gutter to be moved out of alignment with the support device or shaken.

Often 20 or more holes are drilled from a single hole rig. This requires moving the tubular body handling device around the platform and positioning it near the hole to be used. This is a time consuming process and usually requires the use of additional mobile equipment such as a crane.

Transferring pipe from the ground to prior art pipe handling equipment also requires at least two workers to manually move and transfer the pipe to the machine, and this method effectively stacks the pipes. limit. Spouses on any offshore rig are substantial and the inability to stack tubes effectively is a significant problem. Inclined conveyor systems have heretofore been used to handle tubular bodies, but they occupy a large amount of valuable floor space that is virtually unused today.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a principal object of this invention to provide an improved apparatus for transferring tubular articles between a tubing rack and the floor of a drilling rig.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved tubular handling device that can be used effectively and safely under varying weather conditions on offshore equipment with tubular bodies of varying diameters and lengths. be.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tube handling system with an automatic tube feeder that achieves shorter tube transfer cycle times than drilling crews.

Yet another object is to provide an improved tube handling device that can be easily moved to various positions on a drilling rig.

Yet another object is to provide a tube handling device that allows tubes to be transferred from racks on one side of the device to the other side without the need for additional equipment, such as a crane.

Another object is to provide a device which allows handling of tubes without damaging the tube ends and which does not require the attachment or attachment of protective caps to the tube ends.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the accompanying drawings.

DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of an apparatus implementing the invention at a drilling preparation site.

FIG. 2 is a partially cut-away side view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 showing the lift gutter in a fully inclined position;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the lift or pivot gutter of FIG. 1;

4 is a side view of the lift or pivot gutter of FIG. 3; FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6--6 of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7--7 of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8--8 of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a slidable apron or holding gutter that can be attached to the conveying device of the tubular object processing apparatus of the present invention as shown in FIG. 1.

10 is a partially sectional side view of the apron or holding trough and conveying device of FIG. 9; FIG.

FIG. 11 is an end view of a portion of the conveying device of FIGS. 9 and 10.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing the components of the apron and conveyance device shown in FIG. 9.

13 is a partially cut away perspective view of the length projection or adjustment device for the apron of FIG. 9; FIG.

FIG. 14 is a partially cutaway side view showing the operation of the device of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a partially cut away cross-sectional view taken along line 15--15 of FIG. 14.

16 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the connectable ends of the lift or pivoting and fixed gutter of FIG. 1; FIG.

Figure 17 is a partially cut away side view of the apparatus of Figure 16 showing the gutter and locking device partially in cross section.

Figure 18 shows line 1 in Figure 17 showing the detent device.
8-18 is a cross-sectional view along line 8-18.

FIG. 19A is a partially cutaway perspective view of the fixed gutter of FIG. 1 showing the length-adjustable components in an expanded state;

FIG. 19B is a perspective view of the fixed gutter support member of FIG. 19A with the components shown in an expanded state.

FIG. 20 is a side view, partially cut away, showing the tube stacker assembly of FIG. 1 in the lowered condition and showing the raised condition and other structures in phantom;

FIG. 21 is a partially cutaway plan view, partially shown in phantom, of the assembly of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a view similar to FIG. 20 showing a modification of the assembly of FIG. 20 and showing the raised condition in phantom.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged partially cutaway end view of the stacking tray tilting mechanism of FIGS. 20 and 22. FIG.

FIG. 24 is a side view of the tilting mechanism and stacking trays in FIG. 23 showing the arms in phantom.

Figure 25 shows parts 20 and 25 in an expanded state.
FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the stacking tray of FIG. 22;

Figure 26 shows the stacking trays in different sides and conditions and shows the tubes in the stacked condition.
FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view of the tube transfer device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram of a fluid power device for operating the tube stacker assembly of FIGS. 20-26.

FIG. 28 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 positioned in a first position on the drilling rig, with another position shown in phantom and the track device and surrounding drilling position shown in partial cutaway.

FIG. 29 is a partially cut away perspective view of the wheel assembly for the track system of FIGS. 1 and 28;

FIG. 30 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view taken along line 30--30 of FIG. 29.

FIG. 31 is a view similar to FIG. 30 showing the device in a raised position and the wheels in rotational relation to the track.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Referring to Figures 1-4, there is shown an apparatus of the present invention, generally designated 10, for treating pipes P and other tubular bodies. The apparatus includes a main support frame 12, which is shown normally positioned on land or, in preferred use, on an offshore rig.
This device also has left and right narrow passages 13, 13 for practical use, a lift or pivot gutter 14 pivotally connected to the main support frame 12, a tandem pipe rack R and adjacent to the lift gutter 14. Pipe transfer assemblies 1 positioned on either side of the main support frame 12 and approximately midway therebetween;
6, 18, fixed gutter 2 supported at one end by the drilling rig floor 22 and supported by the fixed gutter support 24 at the other end;
0, a locking device 26 that connects the liftable gutter 14 to the fixed gutter 20, and a pipe transport assembly 27 that moves the pipe up or down the gutter. Accordingly, apparatus 10 uses tube transfer assemblies 16, 18 to transfer apparatus 1 to
0, the pipe transfer assemblies 16, 18 lift the pipe P to and lower it from the lift gutter 14, the lift gutter 14 being a fixed type. It can be selectively raised and lowered with respect to the gutter 20 as necessary. The tube transport assembly 27 moves the tube along the trough to the deck 22 of the drilling rig.

[Detailed description of the invention]

As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a lift or pivot gutter 14 can be positioned between the narrow passages 13 and 13 and is pivotable by a pin assembly 28 at the rear end of the elongated main support frame 12. is connected to. At least one hydraulic cylinder assembly 30 is positioned at the rear of the intermediate section of the lift gutter 14 and is pivotally connected at one end to the lift gutter and at the other end to the main support frame. 20, 22, and 26 to an inclined position as shown in FIGS. 1-4 so that the lift gutter 14 can be connected to the fixed gutter 20.

As best shown in FIGS. 3-8, the lift gutter 14 consists of horizontally and vertically spaced elongate external frame members 32, 34, 36, 38;
These frame members support a V-shaped steel floor 40 along which the pipe P slides. The V-shaped steel floor 40 defines a central slot 41 along the length of the lift gutter 14. A dump gutter 42 is provided intermediate the ends of the lift gutter and can be tilted laterally in either direction when the lift gutter 14 is in a lowered or substantially horizontal position. , tubes can be lowered to or received from tube rack R via tube transfer assemblies 16, 18 on each side of the main support frame. Dump trough 42 can be tilted by hydraulic cylinders 44, 55 as best shown in FIG. The fluid force cylinders 44 and 45 are connected to the frame member 3
2, 34, 36, 38, their lower ends being pivotally connected at one end to a cross member 46 forming the base of the lift gutter 14 along the elongate outer frame members 36, 38; The other end is rotatably connected to the base support plate 48 of the dump gutter 42. As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 7, the dump gutter 42 is laterally inclined to the right due to the extension of the cylinder 44. Tilting in the opposite direction is effected by extension of the cylinder 45. As is clear from the above description, the cylinders 44, 45 move up and down with the lifting gutter 14 when it is raised or lowered.

The invention further includes a transport assembly 27 for moving the pipe P or other tubular body along the lift gutter 14 and over the fixed gutter 20. As best shown in FIGS. 6, 9-12, this assembly includes an apron or movable holding gutter supported for sliding movement along the floor 40 of the lift gutter 14. The apron 50 is preferably dimensioned to support the entire length of the pipe P so that neither end of the pipe P will slide along the gutter and thereby damage the pipe ends or the gutter. .

The transport assembly includes a transport 52 releasably secured to apron 50 for movement by a power transmission assembly, generally indicated at 54 in FIG.
The apron 50 has an opening 56 formed near the rear end 57 of the apron 50 , and a toothed fixing member 58 is fitted into the opening 56 , and the toothed fixing member 58 is located in front of the carrier 52 . It protrudes upward as an extended neck 60. The opening 56 does not extend to the rear end of the apron 50 and is spaced apart from the rear end of the apron 50 by a distance corresponding to the length of the neck 60. The protrusion of the tooth profile fixing member 58 slopes downwardly toward its front end or tip 59, so that the tooth profile fixing member 58 is inserted into the opening 56;
On the other hand, the apron 50 is held fixed. In order to fix the apron to the carrier rear end 57 of the apron 50 when moving forward, the carrier rides upward on the toothed fixing member 58 until it reaches the full length of the opening 56 and the apron descends and locks onto the carrier. It's on. Transport body 5
2 is connected to the apron 50 by the toothed locking member 58, both are moved forward by the endless chain 60 as shown in FIG.

The transport assembly 27 includes a main drive endless chain 60 which is attached to the tooth profile fixing member 58 by a mounting block 62 as best shown in FIG. The main drive endless chain 60 is driven by a sprocket 64,
The sprocket 64 is fixed to one end of a shaft 66 and connected to the lift gutter 14, as shown in FIG. The shaft 66 is rotated at its other end by a second sprocket 68 which is connected to a second endless drive chain 70.
rotated by. The endless drive chain 70 is driven by a motor sprocket 72 which is rotated by a suitable hydraulic motor 74 mounted at the base of the lift gutter 14.

Apron 50 is moved by transfer assembly 27 to stationary trough 20 to transfer tubes or other tubular bodies between the rig stand and the tube rack. A length of tube P rests on the apron 50 and comes into contact with the slightly elastic back plate 53 of the carrier 52. The apron, together with the tube and carrier, is moved downwardly by the action of chain 60 and motor 74.

Dump gutter 42 includes two elongated apron retaining strips 73, 75 along its outer edge, as best shown in FIGS. The strips 73, 75 slide on the underside, whereby the apron is fixed against lateral movements relative to the dump gutter 42. Thus, when the lift gutter 14 is lowered to a horizontal position and the dump gutter 42 is tilted sideways,
The apron 50 is also laterally inclined so that the pipes P are lowered onto the narrow passages 13, 13 for stacking them on the pipe rack R. In the unloading condition, the toothed locking element 58 and the carrier 52 have to move just beyond the dump trough 42 to the lower, non-sloping part of the lift trough. The apron 52 therefore simply rests on the dump trough and is held by the strips 73, 75.

When the apron 50 is laterally tilted during unloading, the opening 56 is moved onto the tooth profile locking member 58. However, when the apron is returned to its proper position by the dump gutter, the aperture 56 fits around the toothed locking member 58, thereby causing the carrier 52 to
The pipe P runs along the lift type gutter 14 to the fixed type gutter 20.
apron 50 and the tube P is hoisted by a conventional crane (not shown) onto the floor 22 of the drilling rig and placed onto the apron 50 again to begin another cycle for restacking the tubes.

In a similar use to the use of apron 50 to transfer pipe from the rig floor 22 for loading into pipe rack R, the apron is clearly used to move the pipe in the reverse direction from the rack to the derrick floor to form a string. It should be understood that it can be used for The apron 50 also has the effect of protecting the lift gutter 14 and the fixed gutter 20 from wear, so the underside of the apron 50 may be coated with a grease or anti-friction agent.

When there is a sufficient height difference between the drilling rig floor 22 and the support frame 12 so that the tube slides down the troughs 14, 20 under the force of gravity, the apron 50 can be removed along with the tooth profile locking member 58. To allow for such removal, tooth profile locking member 58 may be removably secured to the forward extension of the neck of carrier 52 by bolts or similar devices.

Instead of retaining the apron 50 in the dump gutter 42 using the strips 73, 75, the apron has a narrow neck of similar length and depth to the neck 61 extending downward from the bottom and fixed to the bottom; The narrow neck is fitted with an enlarged removably fixed lug of greater width than the slot 41. The narrow neck extends through the slot 41 and the enlarged lug is located below the floor 40. This configuration allows the apron 50 to slide over the floor 40, and the apron 50 retains the dump gutter as it is tilted for unloading. In this embodiment, the apron 50 has an opening 56 at a neck portion 61.
opening 5 of apron 50 when on the front extension of
6 to the forward extension of the neck 61 of the carrier 52 by fixing the toothed locking member 58 to the forward extension of the neck 61 of the carrier 52. The apron can be removed by removing the toothed locking member 58 and sliding the apron forward when the lift gutter is in a slightly inclined position to disengage the lower narrow neck of the apron from the slot 41 at the forward end of the gutter. It can then be removed.

Apron 50 has a longer dimension than the longest tubular body, as previously discussed. If a short length of pipe is to be transferred, there is no need to slide the pipe as long as it is transferred from the rig floor to the apron, and the pipe is almost centered over the dump gutter when the carrier reaches its lowest position. The pipe is also effectively fixed so that it can still freely extend or protrude beyond the end of the fixed gutter into the drilling rig and be relatively easily grasped by a conventional crane on the rig platform. A short apron is recommended.

The invention includes a structure 77 that controls the length of the tube protruding from the end of the apron 50, as best shown in FIGS. 13-15. This longitudinally projecting or positionable carrier 77 comprises a body portion 78 , a tube stop or working surface 80 , a handle 82 fixed to the body portion 78 , a tubular open end projecting member 8
4, and a button 86 slidably received within a tubular projection member 84, shown as an engagement mechanism 87, and mounted in an aperture 85 in body portion 78.

Apron 50 has a series of spaced locating holes 88
through which the protruding member 84 can be received. Positionable carrier 77 is designed so that it can be held and moved by hand, as best shown in FIG. 14, and allows an operator to grasp handle 82 and press button 86. Pressing the button 86 actuates the engagement mechanism 87 to release the protruding member 84 so that the protruding member 84 is withdrawn from one hole and placed in the more desired hole. Upon placing the projecting member 84 in the desired hole 88 and releasing the button 86, a mechanism located on the underside of the apron is actuated thereby securing the positionable carrier to the apron in the desired position. FIG. 15 shows details of the engagement mechanism 87.

The protruding member 84 has a central hole 84a and a button 86.
The protruding member 84 is provided with a sliding hole 84b that slidably receives a rod 89 fixed to the protruding member 84, and extends over the entire length of the protruding member 84. The spring 90 has a protrusion 9 formed with a sliding hole 84b so as to surround the rod 89.
1 and bias button 86 upwardly. An enlarged head 92 is secured to the end of the rod remote from button 86, which includes an upper conical portion 92a, a cylindrical portion 92b for controlled sliding engagement within hole 84a, and a bottom portion. It includes an enlarged edge 92c that abuts the edge 84c and limits upward movement of the protruding member 84. As shown, a number of positioned ports 84 of ball stop member 93 are positioned and dimensioned to extend partially outwardly of projection member 84, but are retained within the bore of the projection member.

In use, by pressing the button 86 the ball stop member 93 is retracted onto the conical surface 92a and the positionable carrier can be inserted into the hole 85. Upon release of the button, the ball stop is forced outwardly under the action of the conical surface 92a. The ball thus extended releasably locks the positionable carrier 77 in the apron 50 in a selected hole 88 having a larger diameter than the hole 80 in the apron 50.

As best shown in FIG. 1, fixed gutter 20 is sloped toward lift gutter 14 and is supported at one end by drilling rig floor 22 and at the other end by fixed gutter support 24. Ru. When the lift type gutter 14 is in a sufficiently inclined state, the locking mechanism 26 locks the lift type gutter 1 as shown in FIG.
4 is connected to the fixed gutter 20. In this condition, the apron 50 can slide over the fixed trough and the tube can be loaded and unloaded from the apron onto the drilling rig. The gutter dimensions of a fixed gutter must therefore be such that the apron is sufficiently supported by it and can slide freely over it.

The locking mechanism 26 includes a pair of downwardly extending stop members in the form of hooks 98, 100 at the end of the fixed gutter 20 and a pair of upwardly disposed retaining slots 102, 10 at the outer end of the lift gutter 14.
It is equipped with 4. Therefore, when the lift gutter is lifted, the hooks 98, 100 are inserted into the slots 102,
104. These hooks prevent the lift gutter from moving sideways or upwards relative to the fixed gutter.

The fixed trough extends above the drilling rig floor and allows the tubular body to be lifted onto the platform. With different tubular lengths and/or positioning of the drilling device on the platform, it is often desirable to extend the fixed trough an additional distance above the platform. Preferably, this adjustment should be made without having to lift or reposition the fixed gutter or replacing the fixed gutter with a new fixed gutter of a different length. This invention meets these criteria.

As best shown in FIG. 19A, additional gutter sections 108, 110 may be provided at the uppermost end of the fixed gutter 20. A pair of plates 112, 114 are secured to the sides of fixed gutter 20 and gutter section 108 by bolts or other equivalent means. These plates need to be of such length and strength that they counteract any moments created when the tube P and apron 56 rest on the end portions. As shown in FIG. 19, as many gutter sections as needed may be added, limited solely by the generated moments described above. Pre-drilled holes 115 can be provided at the ends of the fixed gutter, the gutter section, and corresponding holes 115a are provided in these plates, so that the fastener and therefore the gutter section can be moved at relatively high speeds. Can be installed and removed.

The fixed gutter support 24 is telescoping and adjustable to any desired length and includes an upper leg 116 and a lower leg 118 that are retractable as shown best in FIG. 19B. be suitably sized to be placed in the Upper leg 116 has hole 12
0, and the lower leg 118 is provided with a hole 122. With leg 116 positioned inside lower leg 118 and fixed gutter support 24 selected to the desired length, holes 120, 122 are aligned and pin 124,
126 is inserted to fix the support 24 at its length. Cotter pins 128 and 130 are then threaded through holes in the ends of pins 124 and 126 to hold them in place.

Fixed gutter support 24 is pivotally connected to the lower end of fixed gutter 20 by pins 132 inserted in suitably spaced holes 135. Kotter pin 134
holds the fixing pin 132 in place. It will thus be seen that the length of the fixed gutter support is adjusted so that the angle of inclination of the fixed gutter is adjusted so that the fixed gutter is properly aligned with the liftable gutter 14. The bottom portions of legs 118 are attached to main frame 12 as shown in FIG.

The tube transfer apparatus of the present invention includes tube transfer assemblies 16, 18 located on the sides of the narrow passageways 13, 13 and between the tube racks R. As shown in FIGS. 1, 20-24, the tube transfer assembly includes a pair of aligned arms 138, 140, each of which is disposed on the side of the tube handling device and then connected to one of the tube racks R. will be placed in Arm end 138a, 1
40a is rotatably coupled to the frame at 142 and 143. Opposing arm ends 138b, 140b
Each pair is connected to a tilting tray 144 that holds the tubes and is movable to an upper position above the narrow passageway and a lower position below the narrow passageway as shown in FIGS. In FIGS. 20 and 22, arms 138, 140 are shown in phantom form in their upper positions.

A fluid force device is used to move arm ends 138b, 140b together to an upper or lower position or any level therebetween. This fluid power device consists of a pair of horizontally positioned cylinders 14.
5,145, and the ends of these cylinders are pivotally connected to the frame 10 at one end at 146,148. At the other end 150, 152 the cylinder is in position 161 with arms 138, 140, respectively.
15 using ears 158, 160 coupled to
4,156 to the arms 138,140, which are engaged to form the arm 1.
Cylinder 145,1 at the lowest position of 38,140
45 is horizontal, thus allowing the inclined tray 144 to reach downwards without interference with the arms and cylinders.

FIG. 22 shows a slightly different embodiment of the invention of FIG. 20, primarily with the hydrodynamic cylinder attachment and arm configuration shown.

Referring to FIG. 27, cylinders 145, 14
5 is an oil reservoir 162,
It includes a pump 164, a circuit directional control valve 166, and appropriate flow passages.

An inclined tray or trough 144 for conveying the tube P between the rack R and the tube handling device 10 is rotatably coupled to the arm ends 138b, 140b. The trough 144 can be tilted laterally in either direction to allow tubes P to be loaded or unloaded.

Referring to FIGS. 20-27, the inclined tray 14
4 to the arm ends 138b, 140b and a mechanism for tilting the tray 144 is shown. The tilting mechanisms shown at 170 and 172 are identical and are connected to arm 13 for actuating each tray 144.
8,140 at each end. Arm ends 138b, 140b each have a stub shaft 174, 176 rotatably fixed at one end, such that arms 138, 140 move up and down together to transport the length of tray 144 in a substantially horizontal position. do.

As shown in FIG. 23, the stub shaft 174 is rotatably mounted at its other end in a suitable hole 178 formed through a pivot block 180, said pivot block being perpendicular to the shaft 174. It is pivotally mounted on an axle 182 positioned at and extends partially through pivot block 180. A dummy shaft 183 on pivot block 180 is rotatably received by plate 184. Plates 184 and 186 are attached to shaft 182 and plate 18
4 is rotated by a rotary actuator 190 attached to the rotary actuator 190. Appropriate bearing 19
2,194 are provided to allow free rotation of the block 180. As best shown in FIG. 23, plate 186 has a V-shaped cradle 196 at its top. Inclined tray 14
4 is attached to the cradle formed by the V-shaped portion 196 by bolts 200 or equivalent devices. Therefore, the rotary actuator 190
rotates plate 186 via axis 182,
The tilting tray 144 tilts from one side to the other. The tilting mechanisms 170, 172 are provided in parallel so that they operate vertically side by side.

The rotary actuator 190 is a commercially available device, and as shown in FIG.
6 and a rack 208
is connected between those pistons. Rack 208 engages pinion 210. axis 1
88 is an extension of the pinion 210. When pressure is applied to one side of cylinder 202, cylinder 2
02 pushes the piston and rack in one direction to rotate pinion 210 and thus shaft 182. Pressure is released on the other side of the cylinder. In FIG. 27, member 212 is the cylinder of the same rotary actuator 214 used in tilt mechanism 172. The cylinder 140 has two pistons 216,2
18 and a rack 220 connected between the pistons to rotate a pinion 220 from which extends a shaft similar to shaft 188. Both actuators of mechanisms 170, 172 are actuated simultaneously by fluid from reservoir 162 and pump 164 to drive their axes in the same direction to tilt tray 144. Four-way valve 1
66 is used to control the direction in which the two actuators 190, 214 rotate their axes and therefore the direction in which the sloping trough 144 tilts.

Arms 138, 140 and tilt tray 144
operates as follows to transfer the tubes from the tube handling device 10 to the rack R. Assume that the tube is transported upwardly from the apparatus to rack R. Pipe transfer assembly 18
The arms 138, 140 of
44 is positioned directly below the narrow passageway 13 in the non-inclined position. In this position, the upper edge of the tray 144 is placed in close proximity to the narrow passageway 13 with very little space between the edge of the tray and the narrow passageway 13, thereby allowing it to roll outwardly over the narrow passageway. The moving tube P is made to roll towards the tray. The dump gutter of the lift gutter 14 slopes laterally to lower the tube onto the narrow passageway 13. From the narrow passageway the tube rolls towards tray 144. Cylinders 145, 145 operate to raise arms 138, 140 and tray 144, so that the tray is held in a non-tilted horizontal position. The tray thus rocks the tubes and carries them upwards, but the tubes do not move vertically. This prevents the tube from rolling off the tray or sliding vertically off the tray. When the tray 144 reaches the top of the rack R,
The upward movement of the arms 138, 140 is completed and the tray 144 tilts laterally in the direction of lowering a length of tubing onto the top of the rack R. Tray 144 is moved to the non-tilted position, arms 138, 140 and tray 144 are moved downward, and the process is repeated.

Arms 138, 140 and tray 144 are used to transfer tubes from rack R to tube transfer device 10.
works as follows. Assume that pipe P is being transferred from the upper row of pipes on rack R to the pipe processing equipment. The cylinders 145, 145 are the arms 138,
140, thereby moving the tray 1.
44 is located just below the upper row of tubes on rack R in a non-slanted position so that the V-shaped cross-section trough is essentially straight. A length of tube P is extruded onto tray 144. Then arm 13
8,140 descends, and at the same time the tray 144
supports a length of tube downward in a horizontal position. When the tray 144 reaches the height of the narrow passage 13, the downward movement of the arms 138, 140 ends and the tray 144 tilts laterally in the direction of lowering a length of tubing onto the narrow passage 13, and the tube It rolled toward the dump gutter, which was sloping to catch the water. Tray 144 moves to the non-tilted position and arms 138, 140 and tray 144 move upward and repeat the process. A pair of arms 138, 140 and the aforementioned laterally tiltable tray 144 are located on either side of the apparatus in the form of a tube transfer assembly between the rack and the apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 28, drilling rig platform D, rig floor 22, pipe transfer system 10 and drilling location 226 are shown. It is often necessary to restore the apparatus 10 as shown so that it can be used at other drilling locations, and the present invention provides a novel track and wheel assembly that can do this.

This truck and wheel assembly is
It is shown in Figure 31. This includes two identical tracks 228, 230 and wheel assemblies 232, 234, 236, 23 extending from the main frame.
It has four identical anti-friction devices in the form of 8. Track 228 has structural dimensions and supports device 10.
It has an I-beam 240 made of sufficient material to movably support an I-beam 240 and a guide piece 242 centrally attached to the top of the beam 240.

Wheel assembly 232 includes a pair of L-shaped brackets 244, 246, wheels 248, stabilizing platform 250, leveling pads or bosses 252, fluid cylinder 254, and cylinder mounting frame 256.

Brackets 244 and 246 are main support frame 1
The two vertical members 258 are positioned parallel to each other on opposite sides of the two vertical members 258 and are pivotally connected thereto by an axis 259 . wheel 24
8 is positioned between brackets 244 and 246 and is rotatably connected by shaft 260 at a location offset from shaft 259. Wheel 248 rolls over the top of the upper flange of I-beam 240 and its guide piece 242 . A stabilizing platform 250 is mounted on top of the two brackets. As best shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, the recess 262 is connected to the stabilizing platform 250.
is formed on the top surface of. Leveling Pad 25
2 is connected to the bottom of the housing 263 for the cylinder 254. Cylinder retainer 256 is attached to the top surface of horizontal member 270 of main support frame 12 . Cylinder 254 is held vertically by retainer 256. As fluid flows through tube 272, fluid cylinder 254 is supported by horizontal member 270 of the main support frame and by leveling pad 252 to stabilize platform 250 to move wheel 248 downwardly. Thus, as seen in FIG. 31, the support frame 10 is lifted above the track 228 and the wheels 248 are then rotated on the track. Leveling pads 264 rock within recess 262 as the bracket rotates, ensuring that the fluid cylinder remains vertical. The tube handler 10 can then be moved manually or by a power device to the desired position.

Many variations, adaptations, and modifications of the present invention are possible as will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description, and will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the foregoing invention pertains. However, all such modifications that do not depart from the spirit of the invention are deemed to be within the scope of the invention, which is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.