Top drive with mounted winch
AssigneeTesco Corporation
InventorJonathan Brian O'Blenes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system includes a top drive system equipped with a mounted winch configured to draw tubular or well equipment into alignment with a quill of the top drive system. The winch comprises a spool and a flexible line that extends from the spool and through channels in the top drive system, exiting through the quill. An attachment feature at the distal end of the flexible line couples the flexible line with the tubular or drilling equipment. Once this coupling has been established, the winch may rotate such that the flexible line retracts through the quill of the top drive system, drawing the tubular or well equipment into alignment with the quill.
Claims19
A top drive system, comprising:
- a housing;
- a motor at least partially disposed within the housing;
- a quill coupled with the motor and configured to be rotated by the motor about an axis of the quill;
- a channel through the quill;
- a coupling feature proximate a distal end of the quill configured to facilitate coupling the quill with tubular or equipment;
- a winch coupled with the housing, the winch comprising flexible line and a spool, wherein the winch is configured to rotate the spool in a first direction to wind the flexible line about the spool and rotate the spool in a second direction to release the flexible line from the spool;
- and
- an attachment feature of the flexible line coupled to a distal end of the flexible line, wherein the attachment feature comprises a plurality of prongs configured to expand radially outward from the attachment feature to couple the attachment feature to the tubular or equipment.
A method, comprising:
- maintaining a coupling between a tubular and a flexible line of a winch of a top drive system;
- rotating the winch of the top drive system such that the flexible line of the winch is gathered about a spool of the winch and such that the tubular is drawn towards the top drive system;
- pulling the flexible line through a channel of a quill of the top drive system as the flexible line is gathered about the spool;
- and
- aligning the tubular for engagement with a coupling feature of the quill as the flexible line is drawn into the channel of the quill.
A top drive system, comprising:
- a quill configured to be coupled with tubular proximate a distal end of the quill;
- a motor configured to rotate the quill about an axis of the quill;
- a winch comprising flexible line and a spool;
- an attachment feature coupled with the flexible line and configured to couple with the tubular;
- wherein the winch is positioned with respect to the quill such that, when the tubular is coupled with the attachment feature, retraction of the flexible line towards the winch draws the tubular into alignment with the quill for coupling the tubular with the quill.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.