Apparatus for supplying drill pipes to and removing them from a drilling device

Abstract

An apparatus for supplying drill pipe to and removing them from a drilling device, comprising an energy recovery system (40) which has a support cylinder (34) fluidically connected to a storage vessel (38, 61), wherein the support cylinder (34) and the storage vessel (38, 61) form a self-contained system.

Description

[0001] Device for feeding and removing drill rods to a drilling device

[0002] The invention relates to a device for feeding and removing tubular bodies to a drilling device in a drilling rig, which device has a base on which a boom is rotatably arranged so that the boom can be pivoted about a pivot point, which device has a receiving unit which is designed such that a tubular body can be received at a receiving position and can be released at a release position, and which device is rotatably arranged relative to the boom, and which device has at least one lifting cylinder which is rotatably arranged at one end on the base and which is rotatably arranged at its other end on the boom.

[0003] When drilling boreholes, particularly deep boreholes, for example for the extraction of crude oil and natural gas or for the generation of energy from geothermal energy, a drilling tool is used that is driven by a drill string consisting of drill rods. During the drilling of the borehole, it is necessary to change the drilling tool, either because it is worn out or because the geological conditions have changed and a different type of tool is required. To change the drilling tool, the entire drill string must be removed from the borehole and, after a new drilling tool has been provided, reinstalled. For this purpose, the drill rods of the drill string are removed and installed two or three at a time, for example in large rigs, and then stored upright in the tower of the drilling rig.If this storage area in the tower is full, the drill rods that still need to be removed or installed must be removed from the drilling rig. During the drilling process itself, once a certain amount of drilling progress has been achieved, more drill rods must be added to the drill string. The same applies if a stationary pipe storage area in the drilling rig tower is not possible or not planned. These drill rods are fed in from the outside. For this purpose, a pipe storage area is provided next to the drilling rig. This pipe storage area is connected to the drilling rig via an inclined plane, for example. The drill rods are transported over this inclined plane into the drilling rig using a lifting device, and are then fed to the drilling rig using the lifting device and installed. This process involves a lot of manual labor and carries the risk of injury.Furthermore, the storage space for the drill rods outside the drilling rig requires a large drilling area, which is not necessarily advantageous for certain applications.

[0004] For such cases, so-called pipe handlers have been developed which pick up tubular bodies such as drill rods or casings horizontally in the pipe storage and lift them with a lifting / swivelling movement and rotate them by 90 degrees in order to position the tubular bodies vertically above the borehole or in the area of ​​the borehole in the drilling rig and transfer them to the lifting mechanism of the drilling rig.

[0005] The disadvantage of the known pipe handlers is that the energy required for lifting via the lifting cylinders in the pipe handler is lost during the return movement and has to be completely added again.

[0006] CN103277058A discloses a hydraulic, energy-saving conveying device for conveying drill pipes. This device comprises a hydraulic drive system with a movable weight for energy storage and a transport mechanism. During the return of the transport mechanism, the weight is moved to an upper position. During lifting, the potential energy of the weight is fed back into the system. The drive system uses hydraulic energy to move the drill pipes. The transport mechanism includes a special mechanism for gripping and moving the drill pipes. During the return of the transport mechanism, the weight is moved to an upper position. During lifting, the potential energy of the weight is fed back into the system. The system is mechanically complex and requires maintenance.

[0007] The object of the invention is to provide a device for supplying and removing tubular bodies to a drilling device in a drilling rig, in which energy consumption is reduced. According to the invention, the disclosure provides that at least one energy recovery system is provided, which has at least one support cylinder that is fluidically connected to at least one first storage vessel, that the at least one support cylinder has at least one first chamber and at least one first active surface movable therein, that the volume of the at least one first chamber can be changed by moving the at least one first active surface, that the at least one first chamber is fluidically connected to the at least one first storage vessel via at least one first line, that the at least one first chamber in the support cylinder is filled with a first fluid,that the first fluid flows via the at least one line between the at least one first space and the at least one first storage vessel upon movement of the at least one first active surface of the support cylinder, and that the at least one support cylinder and the at least one first storage vessel form a closed system.

[0008] It has been shown that in this way, energy storage and the re-release of stored energy can be achieved in a simple manner.

[0009] A further teaching of the invention provides that the first fluid is a compressible gaseous medium. This allows the energy introduced into the energy recovery system via the support cylinder to be easily stored and made available for release. In this case, the support cylinder is preferably a gas cylinder.

[0010] An alternative teaching of the invention provides that the at least one first storage vessel is a hydraulic accumulator, that the first fluid is a substantially incompressible liquid medium, that at least one second compressible fluid is provided in the at least one first hydraulic accumulator, and that a pressure of the second compressible fluid changes depending on the flow of the first fluid into or out of the at least one first hydraulic accumulator. By using the incompressible fluid as the transmission medium and the second compressible fluid as the storage medium, the energy can be precisely introduced and released again in a simple manner.

[0011] A further teaching of the invention provides that the second compressible fluid is a gaseous medium, preferably nitrogen. This makes it easy to build up sufficient pressure in the storage vessel. A further teaching of the invention provides that the at least one support cylinder is a hydraulic cylinder. It is advantageous for the hydraulic cylinder to be a differential cylinder or a plunger cylinder.

[0012] It is advantageous for the plunger cylinder to have at least one first chamber and at least one second chamber, which are preferably connected by a fluid. The second chamber can preferably be filled with ambient air or filled with the first fluid via a fluid connection to the first chamber. The fluid connection can be, for example, a line or at least one bore in a piston separating the chambers.

[0013] It is further advantageous that the at least one first active surface is provided on a piston of the hydraulic cylinder. It is also advantageous that the hydraulic cylinder has a piston rod.

[0014] A further teaching of the invention provides that the support cylinder has an extending and retracting component, for example, a piston rod, and that the extending and retracting component is mechanically connected to a piston rod of the at least one lifting cylinder. This allows for a simple, controlled movement of the support cylinder by the lifting cylinder.

[0015] A further teaching of the invention provides that the support cylinder is connected to the boom via a swivel joint. This provides a simple connection to the boom, allowing the support cylinder to follow the pivoting movement of the boom.

[0016] Due to the combined lifting / swivel movement that the device performs by extending the lifting cylinder, the force required to further lift / swivel the device decreases beyond a certain angle / stroke. This means that, from a certain point onwards, the force applied by the support cylinder may be greater than is necessary for further lifting / swivelling of the device. This can lead to uncontrolled acceleration in the lifting movement. This is referred to below as overcompensation. A further object of the invention is to avoid overcompensation. This is achieved according to a further preferred embodiment of the invention in that the boom has a receiving element in which the swivel joint is provided for displacement. The receiving element is advantageously an elongated hole.At a certain stroke / swivel angle, the swivel joint releases from a stop in the slotted hole, for example, because the piston rod of the support cylinder is fully extended. The lifting / swivel movement of the device according to the invention is then continued exclusively by the lifting cylinder. The swivel joint moves along the slotted hole toward the opposite stop of the slotted hole, without the support cylinder being able to overcompensate for the stroke.

[0017] A further teaching of the invention, set out in the following features, provides an alternative solution to avoid overcompensation.It is provided that the at least one support cylinder has at least one second active surface which is movable therein, that the at least one second active surface is arranged as at least one wall of at least one second chamber, and that the at least one second chamber is filled with a third fluid, that the at least one second chamber can be changed in its volume by a movement of the at least one second active surface, that the at least one second chamber is connected to at least one second storage vessel via at least one second line in a fluid-conducting manner, and that the third fluid flows via the at least one second line between the at least one second chamber and the at least one second storage vessel upon a movement of the at least one second active surface of the support cylinder, and that the at least one support cylinder and the at least one second storage vessel form a closed system.It is advantageous that the at least one second storage vessel is a hydraulic accumulator, that the third fluid is an incompressible liquid medium, that at least one fourth compressible fluid is provided in the at least one second hydraulic accumulator, and that a pressure of the fourth compressible fluid changes as a function of the flow of the third fluid into or out of the at least one second hydraulic accumulator.

[0018] Because the third fluid flows into the second storage vessel / second hydraulic accumulator via the at least one second line between the second space and the at least one second storage vessel / hydraulic accumulator upon movement of the active surface, the fourth fluid in the at least one second storage vessel / hydraulic accumulator is compressed and the pressure of the fourth fluid in the second storage vessel / hydraulic accumulator is increased. In this way, a braking counterforce is generated on the support cylinder, which can cause overcompensation when the support cylinder is extended. Furthermore, the counterforce increases with a further increase in pressure in the second storage vessel / hydraulic accumulator, which has an increased braking effect against the overcompensation. In addition, the system also stores energy, which is released again when the device moves in the opposite direction.

[0019] Above a certain stroke / degree of swivel, the system acts as a brake to prevent overcompensation of the support cylinder. At the same time, the system also functions as a supplementary energy storage device.

[0020] A further teaching of the invention provides that the third fluid is the first fluid.

[0021] It is also advantageous that the third fluid is a compressible gaseous medium.

[0022] It is advantageous that the fourth compressible fluid is a gaseous medium, preferably nitrogen.

[0023] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing. The drawings show:

[0024] Fig. 1 is a side view of a supply and discharge device according to the invention at the receiving location without drill pipe,

[0025] Fig. 2 is a side view of the device according to the invention according to Fig. 1 at the discharge location without drill pipe,

[0026] Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the device according to the invention with a first embodiment of an energy recovery system according to the invention,

[0027] Fig. 4a to 4d are schematic representations of the hydraulic system of Fig. 3 and 5 with different embodiments of the support cylinder,

[0028] Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of the device according to the invention with a second embodiment of an energy recovery system according to the invention with a first embodiment of an overcompensation protection according to the invention,

[0029] Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of the device according to the invention with a third embodiment of an energy recovery system according to the invention with a second embodiment of an overcompensation protection according to the invention, Fig. 7 is a schematic representation of the hydraulic system of Fig. 6,

[0030] Fig. 8 is a schematic curve representation of the stroke / force curve of the first embodiment of the energy recovery system according to the invention,

[0031] Fig. 9 is a schematic curve representation of the stroke / force curve of the second embodiment of the energy recovery system according to the invention, and

[0032] Fig. 10 is a schematic curve representation of the stroke / force curve of the third embodiment of the energy recovery system according to the invention.

[0033] The device 10 according to the invention for feeding and removing tubular bodies, such as drill rods or casings, (see Fig. 1, 2) has a base 11 on which a boom 12 is arranged as a pivot point, rotatable via swivel joints 13. The boom 12 has a parallelogram-like structure. It consists of the base 11, two longitudinal struts 14 arranged parallel to one another, which here preferably have at least partially a triangular structure consisting of a long side 14a, and two short sides 14b, 14c, which here are preferably constructed and reinforced in a truss-like manner with diagonal struts 16a, 16b arranged in the formed triangle. The longitudinal struts 14 are connected to one another via cross struts 15 at the upper end.

[0034] Guide struts 18 are provided on the longitudinal struts 14, which can rotate via swivel joints 17 at the upper end of the boom 12, and which have a swivel joint 19 at their opposite ends, on each of which a rod 20 is provided, which is connected to the base 11 via a swivel joint 21.

[0035] The rods 20 are also connected to a cross brace 22 at their ends facing away from the base 11.

[0036] The longitudinal struts 14 are connected to each other by a cross strut 16 at the end facing away from the base.

[0037] A support 23 is provided on the cross strut 15 and can pivot about it. A gripper 25, for example having a base body 30 with claws 29 movably arranged thereon for gripping tubular bodies (not shown), is pivotally connected to the support 23 via a pivot joint 24. A rotary cylinder 27 is preferably connected, rotatably about a pivot joint 26, to the cross struts 22 on the piston side (27a) and to the support 23 on the rod side (27b). When the rotary cylinders 27 are extended and retracted, the support 23 and thus the gripper 25 are pivoted in the direction of arrow A between the loading and unloading position in the pipe storage (not shown) (Fig. 1) to the loading and unloading position in the drilling rig (not shown) above the borehole (not shown) (Fig. 2). For stabilization, a diagonal strut 28 is preferably provided between the gripper 25 and the support 23.

[0038] To transport a tubular body separated at the receiving location, for example, by a separating device, the distance between the claws 29 and the base body 30 is adjusted to match the corresponding length of the tubular body to be transported. The claws 29 then grip the tubular body.

[0039] At least one lifting cylinder 31 is provided between the base 11 and the boom 12, preferably one lifting cylinder 31 per longitudinal strut 14. This cylinder is connected to the base 11 via a pivot joint 32 and to the longitudinal strut 14, preferably the lower short side 14b, via a pivot joint 33.

[0040] The lifting cylinder 31 is preferably a hydraulic cylinder, which is particularly preferably connected to the hydraulic system (not shown) of the drilling rig and its control system.

[0041] By actuating the lifting cylinder 31, the boom 12 is pivoted about the pivot joint 13 on the base 11 in the direction of arrow B between the loading and unloading position in the pipe storage, not shown (Fig. 1), and the loading and unloading position in the drilling rig, not shown, above the borehole, not shown (Fig. 2). The direction of arrow B is additionally shown divided into the direction of arrow D as a movement from the loading and unloading position in the pipe storage to the loading and unloading position in the drilling rig above the borehole, and the direction of arrow C as the reverse movement to the direction of arrow D. The coordination of the pivoting movements in the direction of arrow A and the direction of arrow B is preferably carried out via a control system, particularly preferably the control system of the drilling rig.

[0042] During the movement of the device 10 in the direction of arrow C, energy is lost accordingly. It has therefore proven advantageous to recover at least some of this energy according to the invention and to reuse it during the next movement in the direction of arrow D. For this purpose, an energy recovery system 40 is provided according to the invention. A first embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 3, 4a-4d, and 8.

[0043] A component of the energy recovery system 40 according to the invention is at least one support cylinder 34 in the form of a hydraulic cylinder (for example a differential cylinder (Fig. 7) or a plunger cylinder (Figs. 4a to 4d), which is arranged, for example, in parallel operation with the at least one lifting cylinder 31. Furthermore, the at least one support cylinder 34 is likewise arranged between the base 11 and the boom 12. The support cylinder 34 is connected via a swivel joint 35 to the base 11 and via a swivel joint 36 to a receiving element 36a arranged on the longitudinal strut 14, here preferably the lower short side 14b. Preferably, one support cylinder 34 is provided per longitudinal strut 14.

[0044] The support cylinder has at least one first chamber 39 into which a piston rod 44 with an active surface 47 moves in or out depending on the movement of the pipe handler 10. The first chamber 39 is connected to at least one line 37, which fluidically connects the chamber 39 to at least one first storage vessel 38. The first fluid 41 can be a gaseous and accordingly compressible medium or a liquid and accordingly essentially incompressible medium.

[0045] Fig. 4a-4d show four alternative embodiments of a support cylinder in the form of a plunger cylinder.

[0046] When the piston rod 44 is moved inward, the active surface 47 displaces the first fluid 42 located in the chamber 39 from the chamber 39 into the line 37 and, via it, into the first storage vessel 38. When the piston rod 44 is moved outward, the first fluid 42 flows back into the first chamber 39. This embodiment is shown in Fig. 4d. Here, the first active surface 47 is the underside of the piston rod 44.

[0047] The embodiments according to Fig. 4a to Fig. 4c each have a second chamber 45, which is separated from the first chamber 39, for example, by a piston 41 arranged on the piston rod 44. The piston 41 has an upper side 41b in the form of an annular surface around the piston rod 44 and a lower side 41a as a circular surface.

[0048] In the embodiments according to Fig. 4a and Fig. 4b, the second chamber 45 is fluidically connected to the first chamber 39. For this purpose, an opening 39a is provided in the piston 41a in Fig. 4a. In Fig. 4b, a line 39b is provided that connects the second chamber 45 to the first chamber 39. In these embodiments, the effective area 47 results from the difference between the lower circular area 41a of the piston 41 and the upper annular area 41b of the piston 41.

[0049] When the piston rod 44 is moved inward, the active surface 47 displaces the first fluid 42 located in the chamber 39 from the chamber 39 into the line 37 and via it into the first storage vessel 38. At the same time, the first fluid 42 flows into the second chamber 45 via the opening 39a or the line 39b. When the piston rod 44 is moved outward, the first fluid 42 flows from both the second chamber 45 and the first storage vessel 38 back into the first chamber 39.

[0050] Furthermore, in the embodiment of the support cylinder according to Fig. 4c, the second chamber 45, for example on the piston side 34b of the support cylinder 34, is designed as a system open to the environment by means of an opening 39c. For this disclosure, this means that the second chamber 45, here bounded, for example, by the top side 41b of the piston 41, is filled with ambient air, and that the ambient air can flow into and out of the second chamber 45 via at least one opening 39c, depending on the direction of movement of the piston 41. The active surface 47 in this embodiment is the underside 41a of the piston 41.

[0051] When the piston rod 44 and thus the piston 41 are moved in, the active surface 47 displaces the first fluid 42 located in the space 39 from the space 39 into the line 37 and via it into the first storage vessel 38. When the piston rod 44 is moved out, the first fluid 42 flows back into the first space 39. At the same time, ambient air flows into and out of the second space 45 as previously described.

[0052] In the first embodiment of the energy recovery system 40 according to the invention, the rotary joint 36 is preferably fixedly arranged on the receiving element 36a, on the boom 12, here preferably on the longitudinal strut or on the short side 14b.

[0053] The lifting cylinder 31 and the support cylinder 34 are mechanically connected to each other, here preferably by the short side 14b of the boom 12.

[0054] The support cylinder 34 is fluidly connected, for example on the piston side 34a, to at least one first storage vessel 38, preferably a first hydraulic accumulator 38, via at least one line 37. The first chamber 39 is filled with a first fluid 42, here preferably a substantially incompressible liquid medium. The first hydraulic accumulator 38 is at least partially filled with a second compressible fluid 43, here preferably a compressible gaseous medium, preferably nitrogen.

[0055] The previously described part of the energy recovery system 40 according to the invention comprising at least one support cylinder 34, which is fluidly connected to the at least one first hydraulic accumulator 38 via at least one line 37, is designed as a closed system during operation of the device 10.

[0056] The return movement of the device 10 according to the invention in the direction of arrow C is effected by retracting the lifting cylinder 31. Since the lifting cylinder 31 is mechanically coupled to the support cylinder 34, the extended support cylinder 34 is also retracted. In the process, its piston rod 44, optionally with the active surface 47 located directly thereon, or optionally together with the piston 41 connected to the piston rod 44 and its first active surface 47, is moved into the chamber 39. If a second chamber 45 is provided, ambient air flows in via the opening 39c, as described for the embodiment in Fig. 4c, or, as described in the embodiments according to Figs. 4a and 4b, the first fluid 42 flows from the first chamber 39 into the second chamber 45 via the opening 39a or the line 39b. This is omitted in the embodiment according to Fig.4d, since there is only a first chamber 39 in the support cylinder 43, into which the piston rod 44 with the effective surface 41 enters.

[0057] The first liquid fluid 42 is displaced by the active surface 47 from the space 39 into the line 37 and into the first hydraulic accumulator 38. The second gaseous fluid 43 is compressed in the first hydraulic accumulator 38, and the pressure of the second gaseous fluid 43 in the first hydraulic accumulator 38 is increased. In this way, the energy is stored in the energy recovery system 40 according to the invention when the device 10 moves in the direction of arrow D.

[0058] If the lifting cylinder 31 is extended and the device 10 is raised and simultaneously pivoted about the pivot joints 13 and 35, a lifting force curve results for the first embodiment, as shown schematically in the diagram in Fig. 8.

[0059] The energy stored in the first hydraulic accumulator 38 by the compression of the second gaseous fluid 43 acts via the first fluid 42 on the first active surface 47 and the connected piston rod 44. If the piston rod 46 of the lifting cylinder 31 is extended with the controlled extension movement of the lifting cylinder 31, the piston rod of the support cylinder 34 is also extended due to the mechanical coupling. The force acting on the active surface 47 supports the lifting movement of the device 10, so that correspondingly less force needs to be introduced into the system by the lifting cylinder 31.

[0060] Two variants of the energy recovery system 40 according to the invention, each with an embodiment of a system 50, 60 for avoiding overcompensation, are described below with Figs. 5 to 7.

[0061] Due to the combined lifting / pivoting movement performed by the device 10 by extending the lifting cylinder 31, the force required to further lift / pivot the device 10 decreases beyond a certain angle / stroke. This means that, from a certain point (marked with an X in Fig. 8), the force applied by the support cylinder 34 may become greater than is necessary for further lifting / pivoting the device 10. This can lead to excessive acceleration in the movement in the direction of arrow D, even pushing beyond the actual end point. This is referred to below as overcompensation and must be avoided.

[0062] To solve the problem of overcompensation, variants 2 (Fig. 5 and Fig. 9 in conjunction with Fig. 4) and 3 (Fig. 6 in conjunction with Fig. 7 and Fig. 10) of the energy recovery system according to the invention each provide a system 50, 60 for avoiding overcompensation.

[0063] For this purpose, the second variant (Fig. 5) provides that, in addition to the energy recovery system 40 according to the invention, a system 50 for preventing overcompensation is provided. For this purpose, a receiving element 36a is provided on the boom 12, preferably on the short side 14b, in which the swivel joint is movably provided. In the second variant according to the invention, the receiving element 36a is a receptacle for the swivel joint 36, provided as an elongated hole 51, here preferably a metal plate 52 arranged on the short side 14b, in which the elongated hole 51 is provided. The swivel joint 36 can move in the elongated hole 51 in the direction of arrow E.

[0064] The energy recovery system 40 is designed similarly to the schematic diagram shown in Figs. 4a to 4d. If the lifting cylinder 31 is extended and the device 10 is raised and simultaneously pivoted about the pivot joints 13 and 35, a lifting force curve results for the second embodiment as schematically shown in the diagram in Fig. 9.

[0065] From a certain stroke / swivel degree (marked as Y in Fig. 9), the swivel joint 36 releases from the upper stop 51a in the elongated hole 51, for example because the piston rod 44 of the support cylinder 34 is fully extended. Subsequently, the lifting / swivel movement of the device 10 is continued exclusively by the lifting cylinder 31, as shown in Fig. 9. The swivel joint 36 moves along the elongated hole 51 in the direction of arrow E toward the lower stop 51b of the elongated hole 51, without the support cylinder 34 being able to overcompensate for the stroke.

[0066] The energy recovery via the energy recovery system 40 according to the invention takes place during the reverse movement from the moment in which the rotary joint 36 has moved into the upper stop 51a after the return movement in the opposite direction of arrow E in the elongated hole 51.

[0067] The third variant (Fig. 6) provides a system which, in addition to the energy recovery system 40 according to the invention, has a system 60.

[0068] It has at least one support cylinder 34 and at least one first storage vessel

[0069] 38. The support cylinder 34 is preferably designed as a differential cylinder and has at least a first chamber 39 and a second chamber 45, which are separated by a piston 41 having an upper side 41b and a lower side 41a. In the differential cylinder, the lower side 41a represents a first active surface 47, and the upper side 41b represents a second active surface 48.

[0070] Depending on the movement of the pipe handler 10, the piston rod 44 with the piston 41 moves into the chamber 39, thereby reducing the size of the chamber and simultaneously enlarging the second chamber 45, or vice versa, when the piston rod 44 with the piston 41 is moved out of the chamber 39.

[0071] The first chamber 39 is connected to at least one line 37, which fluidically connects the first chamber 39 to at least one first storage vessel / hydraulic accumulator 38. The first fluid 41 can be a gaseous and accordingly compressible medium or a liquid and accordingly essentially incompressible medium.

[0072] When the piston 41 is moved into the first chamber 39 or out of the first chamber

[0073] 39, the first effective surface 47 is the underside 41a of the piston 41. The energy storage and energy release described for Fig. 4a to 4d also takes place accordingly for the third embodiment.

[0074] To prevent overcompensation, the system 60 has at least one second storage vessel 61, for example a hydraulic accumulator 61, which is fluidly connected to the second chamber 45, for example on the rod side 34b, of the support cylinder 34, preferably by providing at least one line 62 that connects the at least one second hydraulic accumulator 61 to the second chamber 45, preferably above a second active surface 48 of the piston 41. In this embodiment, the support cylinder 34 is preferably a differential cylinder.

[0075] The second chamber 45 above the second active surface 48 of the piston 41 of the support cylinder 34 is filled with a third fluid 42a, here preferably a substantially incompressible liquid medium, particularly preferably the first fluid 42. The second hydraulic accumulator 61 is at least partially filled with a fourth compressible fluid 43a, here preferably a compressible gaseous medium, particularly preferably the second compressible fluid 43, for example nitrogen.

[0076] The system 60 is designed as a closed system during operation of the device 10.

[0077] The energy recovery system 40 of the third embodiment is schematically illustrated in Fig. 7 and Fig. 10.

[0078] If the lifting cylinder 31 is extended and the device 10 is lifted and simultaneously pivoted about the pivot joints 13 and 35, a lifting force curve results for the third embodiment, as is schematically shown in the diagram in Fig. 10.

[0079] The movement of the device 10 according to the invention in the direction of arrow D is brought about by extending the lifting cylinder 31. Since the lifting cylinder 31 is mechanically coupled to the support cylinder 34, the support cylinder 34 is also extended. In this case, its piston rod 44, together with the second active surface 48 connected to the piston rod 44, preferably as a component of the piston 41, is moved into the second chamber 45, for example above the piston 41. The second chamber 45 contains at least part of the fluid 42a, which is displaced by the second active surface 48 from the second chamber 45 into the second line 62 and into the at least one second hydraulic accumulator 61. In this case, the compressible fluid 43a is compressed in the at least one second hydraulic accumulator 61 and the pressure of the fluid 43a in the second hydraulic accumulator 61 is increased.In this way, a braking counterforce is generated, which prevents overcompensation, since the counterforce increases with further pressure increase in the fluid 43a in the second hydraulic accumulator 61. In addition, the system 60 also stores energy, which can be released again when the device is moved in the direction of arrow C.

[0080] From a certain stroke / swivel degree (marked as Z in Fig. 10), the system 60 has a braking effect and prevents overcompensation of the support cylinder 34. At the same time, the system 60 also functions as a supplementary energy storage device, the energy of which is released in the opposite direction onto the active surface 48 when the pipe handler 10 is moved in the direction of arrow C by retracting the lifting cylinder 31.

Claims

Patent claims 1. A device for feeding and removing tubular bodies to a drilling device in a drilling rig, comprising a base (11) on which a boom (12) is rotatably mounted such that the boom (12) can be pivoted about a pivot point (13), a receiving unit (25) designed such that a tubular body can be received at a receiving position and released at a release position, and which is rotatably arranged relative to the boom (12), and which has at least one lifting cylinder (31) which is rotatably arranged at one end on the base (11) and which is rotatably arranged at its other end on the boom (12), characterized in that at least one energy recovery system (40) is provided, which has at least one support cylinder (34) which is fluid-conductingly connected to at least one first storage vessel (38, 61).that the at least one support cylinder (34) has at least one first chamber (39, 45) and at least one first active surface (47) movable therein, that the at least one first chamber (39, 45) can be changed in its volume by a movement of the at least one first active surface (47), that the at least one first chamber (39, 45) is connected to the at least one first storage vessel (38, 61) in a fluid-conducting manner via at least one first line (37, 62), that the at least one first chamber (39, 45) in the support cylinder (34) is filled with a first fluid (42), that the first fluid (42) flows via the at least one line (37, 62) between the at least one first chamber (39, 45) and the at least one first storage vessel (38, 61) upon a movement of the at least one first active surface (47) of the support cylinder (34), and that the at least one Support cylinder (34) and the at least one first storage vessel (38,61) form a closed system., 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first fluid is a compressible gaseous medium.

3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one first storage vessel (38, 61) is a hydraulic accumulator (38, 61), that the first fluid is a substantially incompressible liquid medium, that at least one second compressible fluid (43) is provided in the at least one first hydraulic accumulator (38, 61), and that a pressure of the second compressible fluid (43) changes as a function of the flow of the first fluid (42) into or out of the at least one first hydraulic accumulator (38, 61).

4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the second compressible fluid (43) is a gaseous medium (43), preferably nitrogen.

5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the support cylinder (34) is connected to the boom (12) via a rotary joint (36).

6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the boom (12) has a receiving element (36a) in which the rotary joint (36) is provided displaceably.

7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the receiving element (36a) is an elongated hole (51).

8. Device according to one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that the at least one support cylinder (34) is a hydraulic cylinder.

9. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the hydraulic cylinder is a differential cylinder or a plunger cylinder.

10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the plunger cylinder has at least one first chamber (39, 45) and at least one second chamber (45, 39) which are connected in a fluid-conducting manner.

11. Device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the support cylinder (34) has an extending and retracting component, for example a piston rod (44), and that the extending and retracting component is mechanically connected to a piston rod (46) of the at least one lifting cylinder (31).

12. Device according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the at least one support cylinder (34) has at least one second chamber (45, 39) and at least one second active surface (48) movable therein, that the at least one second chamber (45, 39) is filled with a third fluid (42a), that the at least one second chamber (45, 39) can be changed in its volume by a movement of the at least one second active surface (48), that the at least one second chamber (45, 39) is connected to at least one second storage vessel (61, 38) via at least one second line (62, 37) in a fluid-conducting manner, and that the third fluid (42a) is conveyed via the at least one line (37) between the at least one second chamber (45, 39) and the at least one second storage vessel (61, 38) upon a movement of the at least one second active surface (48) of the support cylinder (34) flows,and that the at least one support cylinder (34) and the at least one second storage vessel (61, 38) form a closed system., 13. Device according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the third fluid (42a) is the first fluid (42).

14. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that the third fluid (42a) is a compressible gaseous medium.

15. Device according to claim 14, characterized in that the at least one second storage vessel (38, 61) is a hydraulic accumulator (61, 38), that the third fluid (42a) is a substantially incompressible liquid medium, that at least one fourth compressible fluid (43a) is provided in the at least one second hydraulic accumulator (61, 38), and that a pressure of the fourth compressible fluid (43) changes as a function of the flow of the third fluid (42) into or out of the at least one second hydraulic accumulator (38, 61).

16. Device according to claim 15, characterized in that the fourth compressible fluid (43) is a gaseous medium (43), preferably nitrogen.

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