Electric Pipe Handler - Drilling Equipment
Pipe handling equipment is fairly common in the drilling industry. Nearly all equipment designed provides essentially the same function. Namely to move a single tubular between the drill floor and pipe racks elevated 4-5 feet off the ground. Most commonly this is accomplished with PLC over hydraulic automation and there is a broad depth of manufacturers for this type of equipment in the market.
This project was different. The objectives provided were;
No hydraulics.
Pick up tubulars from tiered stacks that may be on the ground or as high as 8ft.
Range of tubulars size 2.375” - 30”
Range of tubular weight 300 LB - 10,000 LB
Move multiple tubulars at a time.
Operate from pipe stacks on either side.
The drill floor moves laterally between holes while the pipe storage location does not. So the pipe handler must also traverse this lateral distance.
Space is very much a premium.
Though the functional requirements and physical constraints of this project were extreme, it was eventually solved, a prototype was manufactured and proved functionally successful.
Numerous innovations were required in order to provide the required functions and adaptability within a tight physical space.
Several patented devices were developed and proved out.
