Portable stand building winch
AssigneeFrank's International, LLC
InventorsMalcolm Graham Stedman Gray-Stephens, Dougal Brown
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A portable apparatus for vertically positioning tubulars in a mousehole of a drilling rig includes a main body housing a winch and an anchor point. The main body is configured to be radially aligned with the mousehole. The apparatus also includes a float assembly which is suspended within the mousehole below the main body and a cable wound onto the winch. The cable extends downward into the mousehole traversing the mousehole at the float assembly and then extends upward to and attached to the anchor point on the main body.
Claims30
A portable apparatus for vertically positioning tubulars in a mousehole of a drilling rig, comprising:
- a main body including a winch and a cable anchor point, wherein the main body is configured to be supported on a rig floor and extend into the mousehole;
- a float assembly configured to be suspended within the mousehole below the main body;
- and
- a cable wound onto the winch and configured to extend downward into the mousehole, traverse the mousehole at the float assembly and then extend upward to and attached to the cable anchor point on the main body.
A portable stand building winch apparatus for vertical positioning of tubular pipe joint in an opening on a rig floor, comprising:
- a main body supported on the rig floor adjacent to a wellbore, wherein a portion of the main body is received into the opening in the rig floor;
- a winch positioned in the main body above the rig floor;
- a float assembly received in the opening and positioned below the rig floor;
- and
- a cable connecting the winch and the float assembly, such that the winch is configured to raise and lower the float assembly with respect to the rig floor.
A method for vertically positioning a tubular pipe joint on a rig floor adjacent to a wellbore, comprising:
- installing a portable stand building winch apparatus at least partially in an opening on the rig floor without modifying the rig or the opening, wherein the portable stand building winch apparatus comprises a main body, a winch, and a float assembly, wherein the winch is positioned at least partially above the rig floor;
- introducing a tubular pipe joint or stand into the main body of the apparatus so that the lower end of the tubular pipe joint rests on the float assembly;
- and
- moving, using the winch, the float assembly to adjust a depth of the opening so that desired predetermined length of the pipe joint protrudes above the rig floor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.