Gripper with spinning means
AssigneeNabors Lux 2 Sarl
InventorsSvein Søyland, Kjetil Næsgaar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gripping device for gripping and spinning a pipe body of various diameters includes a gripping assembly having a pair of gripping arms for gripping the outer surface of the pipe body, and a spinning device having a pair of rollers for spinning the pipe body as it is engaged by gripping arms. The gripping device also includes a rotatable input shaft and a coupler. The coupler connects the rotatable input shaft to the gripping assembly and to the spinning device and is employed to selectively engage the gripping arms and the spinning device. A brake is provided so as to selectively prevent at least one of the gripping assembly and the spinning device from being operated upon rotating the rotatable input shaft.
Claims19
Gripper for gripping and spinning a pipe body, the gripper comprising:
- gripping means for gripping said pipe body;
- spinning means for spinning said pipe body while said pipe body is being gripped by said gripping means;
- a rotatable input shaft;
- and
- a coupling means for connecting said rotatable input shaft to said gripping means and to said spinning means and for selectively engaging either one of said gripping means and said spinning means while disengaging the other one of said gripping means and said spinning means;
- wherein, the coupling means comprises a differential coupling means;
- and
- wherein said gripper further comprises braking means configured to engage said differential coupling means so as to selectively prevent at least one of said gripping means and said spinning means from being operated upon rotating said rotatable input shaft.
Method for gripping, moving and spinning a pipe body using a gripper, the gripper comprising:
- a gripping means for gripping said pipe body;
- a spinning means for spinning said pipe body while said pipe body is being gripped by said gripping means;
- a rotatable input shaft;
- and a coupling means for connecting said rotatable input shaft to said gripping means and to said spinning means and for selectively engaging either one of said gripping means and said spinning means while disengaging the other one of said gripping means and said spinning means;
- wherein, the coupling means comprises a differential coupling means, and wherein said gripper further comprises braking means configured to engage said differential coupling means so as to selectively prevent at least one of said gripping means and said spinning means from being operated upon rotating said rotatable input shaft and a gripper conveying means having a rotatable output shaft connectable to said rotatable input shaft of the gripper the method comprising the steps of:
- connecting said rotatable output shaft of the gripper conveying means to said rotatable input shaft on said gripper;
- selectively engaging said gripping means so as to grip a pipe body;
- and
- selectively engaging said spinning means so as to spin said pipe body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.