Knuckle-jointed lance for internal cleaning and inspection of tubulars
AssigneeExtreme Hydro Solutions, L.L.C.
InventorsWilliam C. Thomas, William J. Thomas, III, Perry J. DeCuir, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A knuckle jointed lance (KJL) including a plurality of KJL segments concatenated into a string thereof. A tool head is connected to one end of the lance. Each KJL segment has a hollow body, open at both ends, with a generally trapezoidal profile. The string further comprises a plurality of articulated joints connecting neighboring KJL segments together at about a mid-point between the top side and base side of their respective trapezoidal profiles. Embodiments of the articulated joints include lug pins on the end of one of a neighboring pair of KJL segments connected to corresponding lug holes on the end of the other of the neighboring pair.
Claims12
A knuckle jointed lance (KJL), comprising:
- a lance, the lance including a plurality of KJL segments concatenated into a string thereof, each KJL segment further comprising:
- a hollow body having a generally trapezoidal profile when viewed in elevation, the trapezoidal profile having a top side and a base side separated by first and second leg sides, the base side longer than the top side, the first and second leg sides corresponding to first and second ends of the body;
- and
- the body open at both of first and second ends;
- the string further comprising a plurality of articulated joints, each articulated joint connecting a second end of a first neighboring KJL segment to a first end of a second KJL segment;
- and
- a tool head connected to a distal end of the lance.
A knuckle jointed lance (KJL) segment, comprising:
- an elongated hollow body having a generally trapezoidal profile when viewed in elevation;
- the trapezoidal profile having a top side and a base side separated by first and second leg sides, the base side longer than the top side, the first and second leg sides corresponding to first and second ends of the body;
- the body open at both of first and second ends;
- and
- at least one lug pin on one of the first and second ends of the body, at least one lug hole on the other of the first and second ends of the body;
- wherein, when a plurality of bodies are concatenated together to form a string thereof, each lug pin on a first neighboring body is configured to mate with a corresponding lug hole on a second neighboring body.
A knuckle jointed lance (KJL), comprising:
- a lance, the lance including a plurality of KJL segments concatenated into a string thereof, each KJL segment further comprising:
- an elongated hollow body having a generally trapezoidal profile when viewed in elevation;
- the trapezoidal profile having a top side and a base side separated by first and second leg sides, the base side longer than the top side, the first and second leg sides corresponding to first and second ends of the body;
- the body open at both of first and second ends;
- a tool head connected to a distal end of the lance;
- and
- the string further comprising a plurality of articulated joints, each articulated joint further comprising at least one mating pair of lug pins and lug holes, each mating lug pin provided on a first end of one of a neighboring pair of first and second neighboring KJL segments and received into a corresponding mating lug hole provided on the second end of the other of the neighboring pair of first and second neighboring KJL segments, each articulated joint further located proximate to a mid-point between the top side and the base side of the trapezoidal profiles corresponding to the first and second neighboring KJL segments.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.