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US 12,043,514 B2Granted
Expandable drum assembly for deploying coiled pipe and method of using same
AssigneeTrinity Bay Equipment Holdings, LLC
InventorsAlexander Ryan Barnett, Matthew Allen Hegler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A drum assembly includes a support bar, expandable spokes extending away from the support bar, drum segments mounted to the expandable spokes, support brackets disposed on the support bar, a primary mechanical actuator extending between the support brackets, and secondary mechanical actuators extending from the support brackets.
Claims20
A pipe drum assembly, comprising:
- a support bar;
- a plurality of expandable spokes secured to the support bar such that each of the plurality of expandable spokes extends radially outward from the support bar, wherein the support bar comprises:
- a first hub that extends axially beyond the plurality of expandable spokes in a first direction;
- and
- a second hub that extends axially beyond the plurality of expandable spokes in a second direction;
- a plurality of drum segments secured to the plurality of expandable spokes circumferentially around the support bar;
- and
- a plurality of mechanical actuators secured between the support bar and the plurality of drum segments, wherein the plurality of mechanical actuators is configured to selectively:
- extend to facilitate moving the plurality of drum segments away from the support bar and, thus, engaging the plurality of drum segments with a coil of flexible pipe;
- and
- retract to facilitate moving the plurality of drum segments toward the support bar and, thus, disengaging the plurality of drum segments from the coil of flexible pipe.
8 more elements
A method of using a pipe drum assembly, comprising:
- inserting the pipe drum assembly into an interior channel of a coil of flexible pipe while a plurality of drum segments of the pipe drum assembly is retracted toward a support bar of the pipe drum assembly, wherein the plurality of drum segments is secured circumferentially around the support bar via a plurality of expandable spokes of the pipe drum assembly;
- extending the plurality of drum segments away from the support bar such that the plurality of drum segments engages the coil of flexible pipe to facilitate tying rotation of the pipe drum assembly with rotation of the coil of flexible pipe at least in part by extending one or more mechanical actuators of the pipe drum assembly;
- loading the pipe drum assembly on a pipe deployment device such that a first hub at a first axial end of the support bar is disposed within a first hub opening on the pipe deployment device and a second hub at a second axial end of the support bar is disposed within a second hub opening on the pipe deployment device;
- and
- rotating the pipe drum assembly on the pipe deployment device to facilitate deploying flexible pipe from the coil of flexible pipe.
2 more elements
A pipe drum assembly, comprising:
- a support bar;
- a plurality of expandable spokes secured to the support bar such that each of the plurality of expandable spokes extends radially outward from the support bar, wherein the support bar comprises:
- a first hub that extends axially beyond the plurality of expandable spokes in a first direction;
- and
- a second hub that extends axially beyond the plurality of expandable spokes in a second direction;
- a plurality of drum segments secured to the plurality of expandable spokes circumferentially around the support bar;
- a support bracket slidably disposed around the support bar and pivotably secured to the plurality of drum segments;
- and
- a mechanical actuator secured to the support bracket, wherein the mechanical actuators is configured to selectively:
- extend to facilitate moving the plurality of drum segments away from the support bar and, thus, engaging the plurality of drum segments with a coil of flexible pipe;
- and
- retract to facilitate moving the plurality of drum segments toward the support bar and, thus, disengaging the plurality of drum segments from the coil of flexible pipe.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.