WO2015003242A1

WO2015003242A1 - Apparatus for making or breaking tubulars

Info

Publication number: WO2015003242A1
Application number: PCT/CA2014/000372
Authority: WO
Inventors: William A. ZEPEDA; Philip Chase JOHNSON
Original assignee: Mccoy Corporation
Priority date: 2013-07-08
Filing date: 2014-04-24
Publication date: 2015-01-15
Also published as: EP2999844A1; WO2015003241A1; CA2917571A1; CA2917346A1; EP2999843A1

Abstract

An apparatus is taught for making up and breaking out well bore tubulars, comprising a tong assembly and a backup assembly operatively connected to the tong assembly, wherein the tong assembly and the backup assembly are operated in the absence of hydraulic power.

Description

Apparatus for Making or Breaking Tubulars

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for making and breaking tubular connections.

Background

Hydrocarbon wells are typically drilled to a selected depth in order to intersect a hydrocarbon bearing geological formation. While the depth of these formations is typically several thousands of feet, the practical manufactured length of pipe used for drilling and casing these wells is generally no more than forty feet. Therefore, it is necessary to construct the required long strings of pipe using short sections with threaded connections at each end.

As the hydrocarbons in deep formations can generate pressures over ten thousand pounds per square inch and the weights of pipe strings used in drilling and casing wells may weigh millions of pounds, it is essential that the threaded connections be able to reliably withstand these pressures and tensile loads. The threaded connections must also be able to be reliably disconnected and reconnected should problems occur in the drilling and casing of hydrocarbon wells. Subsequently, tubular manufacturing and threading operations continue to design and improve threads with these requirements in mind.

Thread design to seal high well pressures and mechanically withstand great tensile loads generally incorporate tapers, shoulders, interferences and other geometric features to create friction and sealing in their application. These geometric features are manufactured to exacting tolerances and require precise makeup torque at a specified surface speed to ensure reliable seal and mechanical bond without damage to the thread surface or geometry, permitting its reuse in drilling operations. It is common practice for tubular manufacturers and threaders to provide threaded tubular assemblies to end users. This is done to save time, to minimize the potential for thread damage and to ensure precise joint makeup.

Equipment used in the make up and breakout of drilling and casing tubulars include casing running tools, tongs and bucking units. Traditionally, the equipment is powered using hydraulics, as very high torques can be produced using a relatively small on board package and because this technology is well proven and cost effective. Most traditional apparatuses currently available in the market consist of a pair of wrenches, one stationary and one rotating, with hydraulic motors driving a transmission to achieve the necessary torque for proper makeup or breakout.

While commercially proven over decades, hydraulic power has certain inherent characteristics which make the required level of control very difficult, if not impossible. Hydraulic power also carries with it certain environmental and safety concerns that are ever growing with more stringent regulation.

For example, while for all intents and purposes hydraulic fluid is incompressible, due to heating effects and the elasticity of components in the system, there is always some compression. This makes starting and stopping at a particular position nearly impossible. Thus some means of predicting final position and torque within an acceptable range must be applied. Additionally, rotational speed control is sluggish at best, and generally done using gear ratio shifting or valve control. From an

environmental and safety perspective, hydraulic powered systems require a very large and noisy auxiliary hydraulic power unit, as well as plumbing to provide power to the tool. These hydraulic systems can be prone to oil leakage which is undesirable environmentally and can cause bodily injury if occurring under high pressure.

Additionally, power unit pumps generally run full time, consuming electrical power whether or not the tools are in use and emit high levels of heat and noise pollution in the process.

Therefore, there is a need for improved technology for reliably making and breaking these tubular connections to the stringent specifications of manufacturers and threading operations. Furthermore, there is a need for an apparatus that can make up or break out a connection more quickly, with greater precision, less energy consumption and less environmental impact than the currently available offerings. Summary

A first apparatus is taught for making up and breaking out well bore tubular, comprising a tong assembly that is operated in the absence of hydraulic power.

A second apparatus is taught for making up and breaking out well bore tubular, comprising a backup assembly that is operated in the absence of hydraulic power.

A third apparatus is taught for making up and breaking out well bore tubular, comprising a tong assembly and a backup assembly operatively connected to the tong assembly, wherein the tong assembly and the backup assembly are operated in the absence of hydraulic power.

A fourth apparatus is taught for making up and breaking out well bore tubular, comprising a tong assembly and a backup assembly operatively connected to the tong assembly. The backup assembly comprises one or more backup jaws and a singular actuation means for actuating both clockwise and counter clockwise gripping by said jaws to grip the tubular.

A fifth apparatus is taught for making up and breaking out well bore tubular, comprising a tong assembly comprising one or more tong jaws and releasable locking means for controlling direction and angular travel of the tong jaws; and a backup assembly operatively connected to the tong assembly.

A sixth apparatus is taught for making up and breaking out well bore tubular, comprising a tong assembly and a backup assembly operatively connected to the tong assembly. The backup assembly comprises one or more backup jaws and electrical means of actuating said jaws to grip the tubular.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention will now be described in greater detail, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

Figure la is a perspective view of one example of the pipe joining system of the present invention;

Figure lb is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a control system of the present invention;

Figure lc is a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of a control system of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevation view of one example of the backup assembly of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a rear elevation view of one example of the backup assembly of the present invention; Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of one example of the backup assembly of the present invention, showing the interior actuator mechanism;

Figure 5 is a front perspective view of one example of the tong assembly of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a detailed cross sectional end view of one example of the tong assembly of the present invention, showing details of the reversing pin return components;

Figure 7 is a detailed perspective view of one example of the tong assembly of the present invention, showing details of the slot feature and reversing pin;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of one example of the tong assembly of the present invention, showing details of the reversing pin return components; Figure 9 is a front cross sectional elevation view of one example of the tong assembly of the present invention, illustrating the cam surfaces of the tong cage plate assembly;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of one example of the pipe joining system of the present invention, with a tubular fed thereinto;

Figure 11 is a perspective view of a detail of one embodiment of the jaw assembly of the present invention;

Figure 12 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of the jaw of the present invention;

Figure 13a is a top perspective view of one embodiment of the jaw of the present invention;

Figure 13b is a bottom perspective view of one embodiment of the jaw of the present invention; and

Figure 14 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of the jaw of the present invention, showing the circular path of swivel movement of the die holder within the lever arm pocket.

Description of the Invention

The present invention provides apparatus and methods for making and breaking tubular connections in a manufacturing or field environment by utilizing a pipe joining system.

With reference to Figure la, the present pipe joining system 2 includes a base frame 4 which can be rigidly affixed to a foundation or a secondary base. Preferably, the base frame 4 is movable for supporting tools associated with making and breaking tubular connections. Tools utilized in the pipe joining system 2 include a tong assembly 6 and backup wrench assembly 8 with interchangeable grip inserts and jaws to grip varying sized tubulars and apply varying speeds and torques as required.

Advantageously, the present pipe joining system 2 is a completely non-hydraulic system. The present system thereby reduces and eliminates a number of the limitations and concerns related with hydraulically powered or actuated systems. In the present system 2 speed, positioning and torque of the tong assembly 6 and backup assembly 8 can be monitored and controlled during operation to ensure accurate makeup and breakout of well bore tubular assemblies.

Furthermore, the electrical power of the present system 2 allows desired torque and position values to be held precisely and allows the torque to be dropped

instantaneously, without the response lag seen in hydraulic systems. As well, electrical power consumption can be managed as required by operational demands and electrical power produces significantly lower noise levels than hydraulic systems.

The present tong assembly 6 is preferably electrically driven in rotation. More preferably, the present invention uses closed loop servo-mechanical control to precisely govern speed, position and torque transmitted to the tubular. The backup wrench assembly 8 is stationary with respect to the tong assembly 6. The backup wrench assembly 8 is preferably also actuated electrically to grip or clamp the tubular, and more preferably it has compliant features to accommodate tubular misalignment.

As shown in Figure lb, the tong assembly 6 and the backup wrench assembly 8 can further preferably be controlled manually or fully automatically using a control system 200 of sensors to verify tong assembly and backup wrench assembly operational data including position, torque, speed and condition of the connection. This data can then be compared to control parameters set in the control system 200. Further preferably the data can be displayed.

Preferably the control system 200 operates with any well known human- machine-interface (HMI) 202 in the art. In such cases the control system 200 may also include redundant controls for the purpose of continued operation in the event of HMI 202 failure. Alternatively, the control system 200 may include contingent manual control buttons, switches or knobs.

In a further embodiment illustrated in Figure lc, the tong assembly 6 and backup wrench assembly 8 can be remotely controlled; using an external PC or PLC based control system 206 via networking capability for dialog with external networks 204 using, for example Ethernet, Profibus™, PROFINET™, Modbus TCP/IP, DeviceNet™ or CANopen™. Torque, turns count and speed data can also be transmitted to auxiliary data acquisition systems 208 using networking capability for quality assurance purposes.

In one embodiment of the invention, the pipe joining system 2 is located in a tubular threading plant where precision threads are machined onto the ends of tubulars. In such cases the pipe joining system 2 can be connected to a system of conveyors and auxiliary processing machinery to feed and receive the threaded tubulars to and from the pipe joining system 2.

With reference to Figures 2, 3 and 4 one embodiment of the backup wrench assembly 8 of the present invention is illustrated. Unlike typical back up units that use a slip arrangement to grip tubulars, the present backup assembly advantageously incorporates a number of elements often used in tong units to provide dynamic gripping of the tubular in either clockwise or counter clockwise directions. The backup wrench assembly 8 comprises a central bore 14 through which a tubular 12 is fed. The clamping action of the backup wrench assembly 8 is preferably created by the relative rotation of a backup cage plate assembly 10 with respect to a stationary cam ring assembly 20. More preferably, the backup cage plate assembly 10 moves on bearings 18. The stationary cam ring assembly 20 is preferably constrained both clockwise and counter clockwise by a compression loadcell 22. The backup assembly 8 of the present invention comprises mechanically driven backup jaws 24. More preferably, the backup jaws 24 are equipped with rollers 26 and driven by the backup cage plate assembly 10, along a cam surface 28 to open or close the backup jaws 24 of the backup wrench 8 diametrically around the tubular 12.

The backup wrench assembly 8 is preferably equipped with a single electrical actuation means, more preferably in the form of a linear actuator 30 for actuating the backup jaws 24. As mentioned previously, electrical components eliminate the need for hydraulics and the limitations and issues arising therefrom.

Clockwise or counter clockwise rotation of the backup jaws 24 to grip the tubular can be advantageously controlled by bi-directional movement of the singular linear actuator 30 from its neutral central position, shown in Figure 4. This eliminates the need for multiple actuators, one for each direction of jaw movement.

Position of the linear actuator 30 can preferably be determined using jaw position sensors 38, more preferably in a configuration comprising one jaw position sensor 28 on each jaw 24, as shown in Figure 3. It would be understood by a person of skill in the art that other means of position sensing known in the art are also suitable and are included in the scope of the present invention. The linear actuator 30 has a first end attached to the cam ring assembly 20 via a clevis mount 32. A linear actuator motor 34 is and connected to the linear actuator 30 for actuation thereof. A second end of the linear actuator 30 connects to the backup cage plate assembly 10 via a linkage 36. Movement of the linear actuator 30 in extension or retraction moves linkage 36 and creates a corresponding, relative clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the backup cage plate assembly 10 to thereby grip the tubular 12 for make up or break out applications. This relative rotation drives the backup jaws 24 in the proper direction against the cam ring's profile surface 28 to clamp onto a tubular 12.

More preferably, the linear actuator 30 is restricted from movement in any direction other than in the linear direction, to ensure that any actuating force is translated into rotation of the backup cage plate assembly 10. Side loads on the linear actuator 30 are more preferably mitigated by means of one more cam followers 76 that travel within a linear slot 74 and are thus restricted to movement in a linear direction.

More preferably, the linear actuator motor 34 is powered and controlled by means of closed loop servo-mechanical control. While the jaw position sensors 38 confirm position of the linear actuator 30, further sensors within the linear actuator 30 preferably also track information on actuator position, which in turn provides information on cam position, actuation speed and load on the linear actuator 30, the latter of which provides information on the torque being applied by the tong assembly 6, or if there has been a jam or blockage in the backup assembly 8. This information can then be used by the closed loop servo-mechanical control to independently control actuator speed, load and displacement. More preferably the linear actuator 30 can be programmed to stop linear movement at a certain predetermined load which may be indicative of a blockage or jam.

As the backup jaws 24 engage the tubular 12, torque transmitted from the tong assembly 6 of the pipe joining system 2 through the tubular 12, drives the rollers 26 of the backup jaws 24 further along cam surface 28, thereby providing a gripping force that is proportionate to the transmitted torque. This arrangement ensures that the backup jaws 24 do not back off of the tubular 12 or lose gripped engagement of the tubular 12 during large torque loads experienced during make up and break out operations.

As the tong assembly 6 transmits torque to the tubular 12, reactive torque caused by the backup jaws 24 increases, further driving the jaw rollers 26 against the cam surface 28, thus increasing grip force of the backup assembly 8 proportionally to the input torque supplied by the tong assembly 6.

As the backup cage plate assembly 10 rotates with the backup jaws 24 to grip the tubular 12, over-travel of the backup cage plate assembly 10 relative to the cam ring assembly 20 is accommodated by providing extra stroke length on the linear actuator 30 to provide a limited degree of travel of the jaw rollers 26 along cam surfaces 28 in either clockwise or counterclockwise directions, while still preventing the rollers 26 from travelling so far along the cam surfaces 28 as to loosen or back the jaws 24 off of the tubular 12. This controlled amount of extra stroke length ensures that the torque transmitted through the tubular 12 by the tong 4 results in a reactive, full engagement of the tubular 12 by the backup jaws 24.

Since the cam ring assembly 20 is advantageously constrained from rotational movement by the loadcell 22, torque loads experienced at the backup assembly 8 can be measured and registered by the loadcell 22. The loadcell 22 is preferably nested in the cam ring assembly 20 to ensure that compression loads are measured regardless of travel direction.

When not in operation, a loadcell locking cam 42 can be engaged to take loads off of the loadcell 22. The locking cam 42 is then disengaged during operation to allow the loadcell 22 to measure and register loads. The locking cam 42 can also be used to remove loads from the loadcell 22 for transport and maintenance.

The tong assembly 6 of the present invention is shown in one embodiment in

Figures 5 to 9. The tong assembly 6 comprises a tong ring gear 48, a tong cage plate assembly 50, and one or more tong jaws 46 driven by the tong cage plate assembly 50. Clamping action of the tong assembly 6 is created by relative rotation of the tong cage plate assembly 50 with respect to the stationary tong ring gear 48. The rotational motion of the tong assembly 6 drives tong jaw rollers 72 in each tong jaw 46 along a cam surface 70 that translates the rotational motion to radial motion until the tong jaws 46 contact the tubular surface. The cam surface 70 preferably has a constant slope. As contact is made between the tubular surface and tong jaws 46, the friction between the jaws 46 and the tubular surface acts to transmit torque to the tubular 12, thereby tightening the clamping force from tong jaws 46 to a desired level.

Torque of the tong jaws 46 is measured as a factor of the current used to drive the tong assembly 6. These torque measurements can be compared to those collected by the load cell 22 of the backup assembly to redundantly measure the torque applied to the tubular 12 and to determine if there are discrepancies in torque to identify possible problems in the make up or break out operation.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a remotely actuated locking system, preferably in the form of a reversing pin 44 is used to control over-travel between the tong ring gear 48 and tong cage plate assembly 50 which could otherwise result in improper tong function. The reversing pin 44 provides a hard stop that limits relative rotation between the tong ring gear 48 and the tong cage plate assembly 50.

In a most preferred embodiment the present pipe joining system 2 and the operation of the reversing pin 44 is fully automated. In this embodiment, the reversing pin 44 is preferably actuated via one or more reversing pin actuators 64, which are more preferably controlled using a solenoid valve and pneumatics. The reversing pin actuators may alternatively be electrically actuated.

With reference to Figures 6 to 8, the reversing pin 44 rides with a reversing pin drive ring 52 which is mounted to the tong cage plate 50. The reversing pin drive ring 52 is more preferably spring loaded by one or more, and most preferably by six reversing pin return components 54. Each reversing pin return component 54 preferably comprises a shoulder bolt 56, spring 58; washer 60 and bushing 62.

The reversing pin drive ring 52 moves axially when depressed by the pneumatic reversing pin actuators 64 and acts to slide the reversing pin 44 through a bushing 66 in the tong cage plate 50. This axial movement in turn positions the reversing pin 44 at a desired elevation in a stepped slot 68 formed in the tong ring gear 48. The position of the reversing pin 44 in the tong ring gear slot 68 advantageously limits the amount of relative, angular travel between the tong cage plate assembly 50 and the tong ring gear 48, thus controlling the direction and limiting the amount of angular travel of the tong jaws 46 for left or right hand make up or break out operations. The reversing pin 44 is normally set in the spring loaded position, which corresponds with a right handed thread make up configuration which is a common set up in tubular threading operations. Advantageously, the reversing pin actuators 64 can be automatically and remotely set to allow for the less common left hand make up or right hand break out operations.

When the system is set for a break out or a left handed thread make up operation, the reversing pin drive ring 52 is depressed by the reversing pin actuators 64, which are equipped with cam followers, to allow the depressed tong cage plate 50 to rotate, while depressed, with the tong ring gear 48 to complete the operation. Once complete, the reversing pin actuators 64 retract and the reversing pin 44 is returned to the normal position.

With reference to Figure 11, the backup jaws 24 and backup jaw rollers 26 of the backup assembly 8 and the tong jaws 46 and tong jaw rollers 72 each form a jaw assembly. The jaw assemblies of the present invention are advantageously designed to make up or break out tubulars 12 and couplings 10 of a large range of outside diameters (OD). A self-aligning jaw mechanism is preferably provided on each jaw assembly to compensate for irregularities in pipe size, shape and surface and also provide sufficient clearance when the jaws are retracted to accommodate larger tubulars 12 and couplings 10 than otherwise handled in a single backup 8 or tong 6 size.

With reference to Figure 12, 13a and 13b, the present jaw assembly comprises a jaw roller 26, 72 rotatably received in a lever arm 80. More preferably the jaw roller 26, 72 is rotatably affixed to the lever arm 80 by means of a jaw pin 100 preferably retained by a retaining ring 110. An O-ring 112 is preferably further included to prevent ingress of debris between the jaw roller 26, 72 and the lever arm 80. The lever arm further comprises a channel 82 that travels over cam surfaces 28, 70. A lever arm pocket 84 is formed on the lever arm 80 as well.

A die holder 86 is removably positioned within the lever arm pocket 84, and is preferably pivotably held in place by a retaining clip 98 or other suitable means known in the art. The die holder 86 can be fitted with different sizes of dies 88 for contact with and gripping of tubulars 12 of different sizes to be made up or broken out. In an unengaged and neutral position, the die holder 86 preferably defaults to rest in a position in which both first end 90 and second end 92 of the die 88 protrude equally from the lever arm 80 into the central bore 14, 16.

Preferably, one or more spring plungers 96, and more preferably four spring plungers 96, one in each corner of a bottom face 102 of the lever arm pocket 84 serve to bias the die holder 86 in this neutral position.

When the jaw assembly is retracted by movement of the jaw assembly along the cam surface 28, 70 for insertion of a tubular 12 or coupling 10, a biasing means 94 is provided to urge one of either the first end 90 or the second end 92 of the die 88 towards the central bore 14, 16, thereby causing a swivel movement of die holder 86 in the lever arm pocket 84. The unique relationship between the slope of the cam surfaces 28,70 and the protrusion of one end of the die 88 maximizes clearance in the bore 14,16 to accommodate tubulars 12 and couplings 10 into the bore 14, 16. The present orientation of the die 88 when the jaw assembly is in the retracted position provides maximum clearance between the die 88 and the tubular 12 to be inserted. This clearance allows for loading and unloading tubulars 12 in an automated process. For illustrative purposes only, an example of a jaw assembly in a retracted position in the embodiment of a backup wrench assembly is depicted in Figure 4.

It would be well understood by a person of skill in the art that while first and second ends 90, 92 are assigned as left and right ends respectively in the Figures, that the assignment of these ends is completely random and that in a different cam surface slope design, the second end 92 can just easily be the end to protrude without departing from the scope of the present invention. More preferably the biasing means 94 takes the form of a free moving push rod that may protrude from the bottom surface 102 of the lever arm pocket 84 and into channel 82. As the jaw assembly moves into a retracted position, said push rod comes into contact with the cam surface 28, 70 and as a result the push rod is pushed against a base 104 of the die holder 86 to actuate the swivel movement. In a most preferred embodiment, movement of the push rod serves to provide approximately 2" of diametric clearance for tubulars 12 and couplings 10 entering the machine. As the jaw assembly then moves along the cam surface 28, 70 to grip the tubular 12, the biasing means 94 loses contact with the cam surface 28, 70, thereby removing any push against the second end 92 of the die 88 and allowing the die holder 86 to swivel back to its neutral position, aided by the bias of the spring plungers 96.

As the jaw assembly moves along the cam surfaces 28, 70, to grip the tubular, contact of the tubular 12 with the die holder 86 preferably overcomes the biasing action of the one or more spring plungers 96, to swivel and position the die holder 86 as needed to ensure full contact with and gripping of the tubular 12. The swiveling movement of the die holder 86 in the lever arm pocket 84 is advantageous as it allows for better contact with the tubular or coupling in the presence of irregularities on the surface of the tubular 12 or coupling 10 to be gripped.

In a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 14, the base 104 of the die holders 86 that contacts the bottom face 102 of the lever arm pocket 84 are each shaped to allow the die holder 86 to swivel within the lever arm pocket 84 to adjust to fit around the tubular or coupling to be gripped. More preferably, the circular arc of swivel movement of the base 104 of the die holder 86 in the bottom face 102 of the lever arm pocket 84 is concentric to the circular arc of swivel movement of the sides of the die holder 86 within the sides of the lever arm pocket 84. The concentric relationship of these swivel arcs is illustrated in Figure 14.

This concentric relationship of the swivel arcs provides the desired movement in a compact jaw assembly size. Furthermore, the present design of die holder 86 and lever arm pocket 84 provides several load bearing surfaces to accommodate the high gripping loads, as well as the torque.

The sides and base 104 of the die holder 86 are always in contact with corresponding sides and bottom face 102 of the lever arm pocket 84, allowing for load from gripping and rotating the tubular 12 to be transmitted directly from the die face 88 to the lever arm 80 and the jaw assembly. More specifically, the sides of the die holder 86 transmit torque forces to the jaw assembly while the base 104 transmits gripping force.

In operation, the threads of the tubulars 12 are inspected and then doped or lubricated and a coupling 10 is hand started or machine started onto a threaded end of a tubular 12 and fed into the pipe joining system 2 using a conveyor. The coupling end of the tubular 12 is fed into the pipe joining system 2 from the backup assembly 8 end through a central bore 14 of the backup wrench assembly 8 and a central bore 16 of the tong assembly 6 until a sensor (not shown) acknowledges that the coupling 10 is properly located longitudinally, in line with the tong jaws 46 of the tong assembly 6.

To accommodate tubulars 12 or couplings 10 of different diameters, the jaws 18,

24 of the tong assembly 6 and backup wrench assembly 8 are rotated along cam surfaces 28, 70 to move of the jaws 18, 24 out of central bores 14, 16. At the same time biasing means 94 makes contact with the cam surfaces 28, 70 and causes end 90 of the dies 88 to protrude into a position where the largest clearance is created in bores 14, 16, as described above with reference to the home position of the jaw assemblies.

In automatic or semi-automatic operation, the desired torque and speed parameters for the given tubular and coupling combination are programmed into the system. In manual operation, the operator can optionally set parameters as operation proceeds using a remote system. Alternately, in case of a failure of the remote automatic control system, a redundant manual control system can be provided locally at the pipe joining system 2.

The backup wrench assembly 8 actuates and grips an outside surface of the tubular 12, followed by the tong assembly 6 rotating and gripping the coupling 10. As the jaws 18, 24 of the tong assembly 6 and backup wrench assembly 8 rotate, biasing means 94 loses contact with the cam surfaces 28, 70 and the die 88 and die holder 86 are allowed to swivel back to their neutral position. As the jaws 18, 24 are further rotated along cam surfaces 28, 70 the die 88 comes into gripping contact with the tubular 12 or coupling 10. Any irregularities in the surface of the tubular 12 or coupling 10 are advantageously accommodated by swivel movement of the die holder 86 within the lever arm pocket 84 to bring the full surface of die 88 into contact with the tubular 12 or coupling 10.

Preferably, the grip force of the backup wrench assembly 8 automatically and reactively adjusts in proportion to the torque transmitted by the tong jaws 18 of the tong assembly 6. The tong assembly transmits torque to the tubular 12 by the tong jaw rollers 72 engaging against tong cam surface 70. This causes a reactive torque in the backup jaws 24 to increase, further driving the jaw rollers 26 against the cam surface 28, thus increasing grip force of the backup assembly 8 proportionally to the input torque supplied by the tong assembly 6.

With torque preferably being monitored, the coupling 10 is rotated onto the threaded end of the tubular 12 at a maximum allowable speed of the given connection and preferably at a low set torque, until a predetermined initial target torque is reached. At the initial target torque, the voltage and current supplied to the tong assembly motor are adjusted to increase torque at a set low speed until a target makeup torque is achieved. Determination that the makeup torque level has been achieved triggers the system 2 to release torque or hold the torque in position for a set amount of time, as specified by the user. The tubular can then be released from the pipe engaging system by reversing rotation of the tong assembly 6 and then the backup assembly 8 to open jaws 18, 24. The completed tubular can then be conveyed to the next step of manufacture and all pertinent quality data transmitted as necessary.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with a specific embodiment thereof; however, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An apparatus for making up and breaking out well bore tubular, comprising a tong assembly that is operated in the absence of hydraulic power.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tong assembly is electrically operated and controlled.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein rotation of the tong assembly is powered by a

closed loop servo-mechanical electric motor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising cam actuated tong jaws on the tong assembly.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a remotely actuatable locking system to control direction and angular travel of the tong jaws.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the remotely actuable locking system comprise one or more reversing pins positioned to limit relative rotation between a tong ring gear and a tong cage plate assembly.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the one or more reversing pins are actuated by one or more reversing pin actuators.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the remotely actuatable locking system further comprises:

a. a reversing pin drive ring for carrying said one or more reversing pins and mounted to the tong cage plate;

b. one or more reversing pin return components, to return the one or more reversing pins to an unengaged position when not in use.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the reversing pin drive ring moves axially when depressed by the reversing pin actuators and acts to position the one or more reversing pins at a predetermined elevation in the tong ring gear to control relative, angular travel between the tong cage plate assembly and the tong ring gear.

10. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the cam actuated tong jaws comprises one or more jaw assemblies, each jaw assembly comprising:

a. a lever arm defining a lever arm pocket on a top surface thereof, said lever arm pocket having sides and a bottom face;

b. a cam roller moveable along a cam surface; and

c. a die holder removably and pivotably received in the lever arm pocket and having a gripping surface for gripping the tubular, said die holder having sides and a base,

wherein movement of the cam roller along the cam surface serves to pivot the die holder within the lever arm pocket.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the lever arm pocket further comprises one or more spring plungers biasing a first end and a second end of the die holder to protrude equally from the lever arm and into a central bore of the tong assembly.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the lever arm further comprises a biasing means to pivot the die holder within the lever arm pocket and urge the second end of the die holder at least partially into the central bore when the jaw assembly is retracted.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the biasing means comprises a push rod

protruding through the bottom surface of the lever arm pocket and forcible against the base of the die holder to urge the second end of the die holder towards the central bore and pivot the first end of the die holder out of the central bore.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the push rod is actuated by contact of the push rod with the cam surface when the jaw assembly is retracted.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein movement of the jaw assembly from a retracted position to a tubular contacting position releases the biasing means and returns the die holder to a central position in which the first end and the second end of the die protrude equally from the lever arm.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein pivoting of the base of the die holder in the bottom face of the lever arm pocket forms a first circular arc and pivoting of the sides of the die holder within the sides of the lever arm pocket form a second circular arc, wherein the first circular arc is concentric with the second circular arc.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein contact between the sides of the die holder and the sides of the lever arm pocket is maintained during gripping and rotation of the tubular to absorb torque loads from the gripping surface through the die holder and to the lever arm.

The apparatus of claim 17, wherein contact between the base of the die holder and bottom face of the lever arm pocket is maintained during gripping of the tubular to transfer gripping load from the gripping surface through the die holder and to the lever arm.

19. An apparatus for making up and breaking out well bore tubular, comprising a backup assembly that is operated in the absence of hydraulic power.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising cam actuated backup jaws on the backup assembly.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising electrical actuation means of actuating said backup jaws to grip the tubular.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein a singular electrical actuation means actuates both clockwise and counter clockwise gripping by said backup jaws to grip the tubular.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said singular electrical actuation means

comprises a linear actuator that is bi-directionally moveable from a central position to actuate clockwise or counterclockwise gripping by the backup jaws.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the linear actuator is powered by a closed loop servo-mechanical electric motor.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising one or more jaw position sensors to determine position of the singular linear actuator.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the linear actuator further comprises means for sensing linear actuator position, speed and load on the linear actuator.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the linear actuator is programmable to

automatically stop at the sensing of a predetermined load on the linear actuator.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein a first end of the linear actuator is linked to a cam ring assembly and a second end of the linear actuator is connected to a backup cage plate assembly and wherein movement of the linear actuator in extension or retraction creates a corresponding, relative clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the backup cage plate assembly to drive backup jaws clockwise or

counterclockwise against the cam ring assembly to grip the tubular for make up or break out applications.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the linear actuator further comprises a one or more cam followers linearly moveable within a linear slot to restrict nonlinear movement of the linear actuator.

30. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the cam actuated tong jaws comprises one or more jaw assemblies, each jaw assembly comprising:

b. a cam roller moveable along a cam surface; and

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the lever arm pocket further comprises one or more spring plungers biasing a first end and a second end of the die holder to protrude equally from the lever arm and into a central bore of the tong assembly.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the lever arm further comprises a biasing means to pivot the die holder within the lever arm pocket and urge the second end of the die holder at least partially into the central bore when the jaw assembly is retracted.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the biasing means comprises a push rod

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the push rod is actuated by contact of the push rod with the cam surface when the jaw assembly is retracted.

35. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein movement of the jaw assembly from a retracted position to a tubular contacting position releases the biasing means and returns the die holder to a central position in which the first end and the second end of the die protrude equally from the lever arm.

36. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein pivoting of the base of the die holder in the bottom face of the lever arm pocket forms a first circular arc and pivoting of the sides of the die holder within the sides of the lever arm pocket form a second circular arc, wherein the first circular arc is concentric with the second circular arc.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein contact between the sides of the die holder and the sides of the lever arm pocket is maintained during gripping and rotation of the tubular to absorb torque loads from the gripping surface through the die holder and to the lever arm.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein contact between the base of the die holder and bottom face of the lever arm pocket is maintained during gripping of the tubular to transfer gripping load from the gripping surface through the die holder and to the lever arm.

39. An apparatus for making up and breaking out well bore tubular, comprising:

a. a tong assembly; and

b. a backup assembly operatively connected to the tong assembly,

wherein the tong assembly and the backup assembly are operated in the absence of hydraulic power.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, further comprising a control system connectable to the tong assembly and backup assembly to program and operate functions of the tong assembly and the backup assembly.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the control system is fully automated.

42. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the control system receives ton assembly and backup wrench assembly operating data and compares said data with control parameters set in the control system.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the control system further displays said tong assembly and backup wrench assembly operating data.

44. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein said control system further transmits said data to an auxiliary data acquisition system.

45. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein a human-machine-interface (HMI) is

incorporated into the control system.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the control system further comprises a

redundant control system to maintain continued operation in the event of HMI failure.

47. An apparatus for making up and breaking out well bore tubulars, comprising:

a. a tong assembly; and

b. a backup assembly operatively connected to the tong assembly, said backup assembly comprising:

i. one or more backup jaws; and a singular actuation means for actuating both clockwise and counter clockwise gripping by said jaws to grip the tubular.

48. An apparatus for making up and breaking out well bore tubular, comprising:

a. a tong assembly comprising:

i. one or more tong jaws; and

ii. releasable locking means for controlling direction and angular travel of the tong jaws; and

b. a backup assembly operatively connected to the tong assembly.

49. An apparatus for making up and breaking out well bore tubular, comprising:

a. a tong assembly; and

b. a backup assembly operatively connected to the tong assembly,

wherein, the backup assembly comprises one or more backup jaws and electrical means of actuating said jaws to grip the tubular.