Torque wrench
AssigneeNabors Drilling Technologies USA, Inc.
InventorChristopher Magnuson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system with a wrench coupled to a rig floor, and the wrench can include a plurality of grippers, a linkage mechanism that couples the plurality of grippers together, and a plurality of actuators coupled to the linkage mechanism, with the plurality of actuators used to apply a force to the linkage mechanism in opposite directions, and with the linkage mechanism configured to evenly distribute the force between the plurality of grippers. The wrench can support a torque wrench or a backup tong of an iron roughneck.
Claims20
A system for conducting a subterranean operation, the system comprising:
- a wrench coupled to a rig floor, the wrench comprising:
- a plurality of grippers;
- a linkage mechanism that couples the plurality of grippers together;
- a first actuator coupled to the linkage mechanism, wherein the first actuator applies a first force to the linkage mechanism in a first direction;
- and
- a second actuator coupled to the linkage mechanism, wherein the second actuator applies a second force to the linkage mechanism in a second direction that is opposite the first direction, and wherein the linkage mechanism is configured to distribute the first force and the second force between the plurality of grippers.
A system comprising:
- an iron roughneck that comprises a torque wrench and a backup tong, with at least one of the torque wrench and the backup tong comprising:
- a body;
- a plurality of grippers;
- a linkage mechanism that couples the plurality of grippers together;
- and
- a plurality of actuators coupled to the linkage mechanism, with one of the plurality of grippers removably attached to a piston assembly, with the piston assembly comprising:
- a piston slidably coupled to a bore of a support attached to the body,
- a coupling that couples the piston assembly to the linkage mechanism, the coupling being slidably coupled to the piston, and
- a biasing device that urges the piston toward the coupling,
- wherein the bore is configured to allow the piston to extend toward a center axis of an opening in the iron roughneck and prevent the piston from retracting more than a predetermined distance away from the center axis.
A method for making or breaking a joint in a tubular string, the method comprising:
- receiving a joint of the tubular string into an opening of a roughneck, the opening having a center axis and the roughneck comprising a torque wrench and a backup tong, each comprising:
- a plurality of grippers,
- a linkage mechanism that couples the plurality of grippers together, and
- left and right actuators coupled to the linkage mechanism;
- extending the left and right actuators of the backup tong in opposite directions;
- thereby extending the plurality of grippers of the backup tong toward the center axis;
- engaging the joint with the plurality of grippers of the backup tong;
- and
- equalizing, via the linkage mechanism, a gripping force supplied by each of the plurality of grippers of the backup tong to the joint.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.