Rod stacking and handling apparatus

Claim 2

Stacking and handling apparatus for drilling rods or tubular elements, comprising: a. a derrick including movable rod holding arms, rigid vertically extending guide means, a rigid support vertically movable on said guide means, a pulley block slidably mounted on said support for lateral movement, an elevator secured to said pulley block and having a collar, means for laterally moving said pulley block to an offset position outside of the drilling axis, and means for moving said support and said pulley block vertically when said pulley block is in said offset position; and b. a girder pivotable about a horizontal axis between vertical and horizontal positions and including retractable means for supporting a rod so as to take it from a horizontal position to a vertical position and vice versa, said supporting means having means for grasping the rod and moving it from a retracted position to an extended position and vice versa perpendicularly to the axis of the girder.

Claim 3

Apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising a station for the horizontal alignment of drilling rods, said station having means for moving each rod over a precise distance from the axis of said girder when the latter is in the horizontal position, and means for moving the end of each rod perpendicularly with respect to a precise point on the axis of the girder, said girder being pivoted on said derrick in such a position that the tipping of the girder to a vertical position, bearing a rod picked up by said grasping means, in the retracted position, moves said rod into a position spaced from said pulley block when it is in said offset position, said grasping means serving to move the rod to the extended position in alignment with the drilling axis.

Claim 4

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said grasping means is movable in a direction parallel to said girder axis, and means are provided for moving said grasping means in said direction.

Claim 5

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said pulley block moving means comprises a slide bar rigidly mounted on said support along which the pulley block can move, and a jack, said jack moving said pulley block between said offset position and a second position in which the axis of said pulley block coincides with the drilling axis.

Claim 6

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said girder further comprises a means for hooking onto its upper portion cooperating with a locking device attached to said derrick, and a lower stop for supporting heavy tubular elements, the position of said stop on said girder being such that, when the girder is pivoted to the vertical position, said stop is at a small vertical distance from a drilling joint adapted to receive said elements.

Claim 7

Apparatus as in claim 5 wherein each of said pulley block, said supporting means, said grasping means and said girder is assoCiated with two members, each of which transmits a control signal in response to the movement of said pulley block, supporting means, grasping means and girder to their extreme positions, and wherein similar transmitter members are provided on said derrick arms and said elevator collar and are responsive to the movement of said arms and said collar to their extreme positions.

Claim 8

Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein: a. the control signal transmission member, associated with the opening of said elevator collar, is connected to control means for movement of said pulley block to said offset position; b. the control signal transmission member, associated with the control means for the movement of the pulley block to said second position is connected to the means for the control of the closing of said elevator collar; c. the control signal transmission member, associated with the extension of said arms of the derrick, is connected to the means for the control of the closing of nippers on the arms of the derrick; d. the control signal transmission member associated with the opening of said nippers on said derrick arms, is connected to the means for the control of the withdrawal of the derrick arms; and e. a triggering member, maneuvered by the operator, is provided for the individual control of opening and closing of said collar of the elevator, the movement of said pulley block between said offset and second positions, the pivotal movement of said girder, the movement of said girder supporting and grasping means, the extension and return of said arms of the derrick, the opening and closing of said nippers on the derrick arms, and the locking and unlocking of said girder in the vertical position.

Claim 9

Apparatus as in claim 7 further comprising a general switch and a series of switching members connected to said general switch and to four lines inserted in control connections for the movable components of said apparatus, said general switch providing for the control of each group of associated components independent of each other when it is switched into a first position, said general switch connecting the component controls and the associated component groups with each other, so as to assure the cyclic and automatic performance of the operations of raising the rods or lowering the rods, depending on whether it is switched to a second or a third position, and said general switch rendering each component control of one and the same group of components independent when it is switched to a fourth position.

Claim 10

Apparatus as in claim 8 wherein a portion of said grasping means, mounted on said girder, is used exclusively for holding pipes and drill collars, and another portion thereof is used for holding drilling rods, control means are provided for said portions of said grasping means, and switching means is connected to said control means to provide for the independent operation of said portions of said grasping means.