Electronic limit barrier for hydraulic power tongs
AssigneeWeatherford Technology Holdings, LLC
InventorEdinson G. HERNANDEZ
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system includes hydraulic power tongs mounted to a rig floor and including a primary tong and one or more controls for operating the primary tong, an electronic limit barrier device including one or more sensors operable to determine a distance between the hydraulic power tongs and an operator on the rig floor, and a hydraulic control valve in communication with the electronic limit barrier device and fluidly coupled to the hydraulic power tongs. The electronic limit barrier device is programmed to compare the distance to a pre-defined cutoff distance, and release hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic power tongs upon determining that the distance is less than or equal to the pre-defined cutoff distance.
Claims20
A system, comprising:
- hydraulic power tongs mounted to a rig floor and including a primary tong and one or more controls for operating the primary tong;
- an electronic limit barrier device including one or more sensors operable to determine a distance between the hydraulic power tongs and an operator on the rig floor;
- and
- a hydraulic control valve in communication with the electronic limit barrier device and fluidly coupled to the hydraulic power tongs,
- wherein the electronic limit barrier device is programmed to:
- compare the distance to a pre-defined cutoff distance, and
- release hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic power tongs upon determining that the distance is less than or equal to the pre-defined cutoff distance.
A method, comprising:
- activating an electronic limit barrier device on a rig floor including hydraulic power tongs;
- monitoring a distance between an operator on the rig floor and the hydraulic power tongs using one or more sensors included in the electronic limit barrier device;
- determining with a controller of the electronic limit barrier device if the distance is less than or equal to a pre-defined cutoff distance;
- sending a cut-off signal to a hydraulic control valve with the controller when the distance is less than or equal to the pre-defined cutoff distance;
- and
- releasing hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic power tongs upon receipt of the cut-off signal, and thereby disabling the hydraulic power tongs.
An electronic limit barrier device, comprising:
- one or more sensors configured to determine a distance between the electronic limit barrier device and an operator present on a rig floor that includes hydraulic power tongs;
- and
- a controller communicably coupled to the one or more sensors and a hydraulic control valve,
- wherein the controller is programmed to generate a cut-off signal to the hydraulic control valve based upon the distance determined by the one or more sensors, and
- wherein the cut-off signal triggers release of hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic power tongs via the hydraulic control valve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.