Apparatus and method for securing tubulars on a drilling rig
AssigneeNabors Drilling Technologies USA, Inc.
InventorsChristopher MAGNUSON, Alex KUNEC, Eric DEUTSCH
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device and method for subterranean operations comprising a latch adapted to be coupled with a fingerboard of a drilling rig, the fingerboard including at least two fingers, wherein: the latch is selectively moveable between an open configuration and a closed configuration, the latch is adapted to selectively permit entrance of a first tubular into a tubular storage area between the at least two fingers when the latch is in the open configuration, and selectively maintain the first tubular in the tubular storage area when the latch is in the closed configuration, and the latch is spaced apart from the fingerboard.
Claims20
A fingerboard of a drilling rig for subterranean operations comprising:
- a first latch system adapted to be coupled with the fingerboard, the fingerboard including at least two fingers,
- wherein:
- the first latch system is selectively moveable between an open configuration and a closed configuration,
- the first latch system is adapted to selectively permit entrance of a first tubular into a tubular storage area between the at least two fingers when the first latch system is in the open configuration, and selectively maintain the first tubular in the tubular storage area when the first latch system is in the closed configuration, and
- at least a majority of the first latch system is spaced apart from the fingerboard.
A latch system adapted to be retrofit on an existing fingerboard comprising:
- an elongated member adapted to be coupled to the existing fingerboard;
- and
- a lever rotatably and translatably coupled to the elongated member, wherein the lever is adapted to selectively maintain tubulars in a tubular storage area of the existing fingerboard.
A method of securing tubulars on a drilling rig, the method comprising:
- positioning a first tubular in a tubular storage area of a fingerboard, the tubular storage area being disposed between two fingers of the fingerboard and defining an opening;
- moving a latch system from an open configuration, in which the first tubular can move into and out of the tubular storage area, to a closed configuration, in which the first tubular is maintained in the tubular storage area;
- translating a lever of the latch system in a direction away from the opening of the tubular storage area toward the first tubular;
- and
- with the latch system, maintaining a securing pressure against the first tubular within the tubular storage area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.