Casing Stabbing Guide
AssigneeTesco Corporation
InventorsDavid Sweeney, Allen Littlewood
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for running a string of casing into a well utilizes a casing gripping assembly. The casing gripping assembly connects to a top drive and has radially movable gripping elements. A pair of links have upper ends pivotally connected to the casing gripping assembly. A casing elevator is mounted below the casing gripping assembly to lower ends of the links. A guide is mounted to the links between the elevator and the casing gripping assembly. The guide has a vertically extending central opening that has a lower portion that defines a flared entrance to the opening.
Claims20
An apparatus for running a string of casing into a well, comprising:
- a casing gripping assembly having movable casing gripping elements;
- a pair of links having upper ends carried by the casing gripping assembly;
- a casing elevator mounted below the casing gripping assembly to lower ends of the links;
- and
- a guide mounted to the links between the elevator and the casing gripping assembly, the guide having a central opening sized for receiving an upper end of a joint of casing to be connected to the string of casing.
An apparatus for running a string of casing into a well, comprising:
- a casing gripping assembly having radially movable casing gripping elements;
- a pair of links having upper ends pivotally carried by the casing gripping assembly;
- a casing elevator mounted below the casing gripping assembly to the links;
- and
- a guide mounted between the links at a position between the elevator and the casing gripping assembly, the guide having a central opening that has a lower portion defining a flared entrance to the opening.
A method of connecting a joint of casing to a string of casing extending into a well and supported by at a spider of a drilling rig, comprising:
- mounting a pair of links with a casing elevator to a casing gripper, and mounting a guide to the links between the elevator and the casing gripper, the guide having a central opening, and securing the casing gripper to a top drive of the drilling rig;
- clamping the elevator around a joint of casing, raising the top drive, and suspending the joint of casing above the string of casing supported by the spider;
- lowering the top drive to land the joint of casing on the string of casing, and continuing to lower the top drive along with the casing gripper and the elevator while the joint of casing is stationarily supported on the string of casing, causing the opening of the guide to move over an upper end of the joint of casing and the casing gripper to engage the upper end of the joint of casing;
- then
- moving grippers of the casing gripper into frictional engagement with the joint of casing and rotating the grippers to cause a lower end of the joint of casing to screw into string of casing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.