Elevator Securing Apparatus for Tubular Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current single joint elevators in the oil and gas industry require manual securing of tubulars, which increases the risk of injury due to potential misalignment and inadequate safety measures during lifting, lowering, and transportation.
Innovation Solution
An elevator system with a securing apparatus featuring a first and second blocking apparatus biased to block the tubular's path, which can be manually actuated to non-blocking positions using an actuation apparatus, ensuring secure engagement and disengagement of the tubular within the elevator.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual securing of tubulars is used in single joint elevators, then the elevator can handle single tubular joints or small tubular strings, but the risk of injury increases due to potential misalignment and inadequate safety measures
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking apparatus is designed to automatically engage and secure the tubular within the elevator throat through its own biased movement, without requiring manual intervention to position securing components. The tubular itself triggers the securing action as it enters the elevator, eliminating the need for personnel to manually secure the load and reducing injury risk from misalignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking apparatus is pre-positioned in a blocked state within the throat, ready to engage the tubular before lifting begins. The biased mechanism ensures the blocking members are already in place to prevent misalignment and secure the tubular automatically as it enters the elevator, eliminating the need for last-minute manual securing operations.
2Reliability
If blocking apparatus is used to secure tubulars automatically, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking apparatus is integrated directly into the elevator throat structure, with the blocking members formed as part of the throat assembly rather than separate external components. This merging of the securing function into the existing elevator structure provides automatic safety without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking apparatus uses its own bias (spring-loaded or gravity-based) to automatically engage and secure the tubular without requiring separate actuation mechanisms, control systems, or additional power sources. The self-securing nature of the biased blocking members simplifies the overall system while maintaining safety.
Data Source
AI summary
An elevator for moving a tubular having a tubular body and a joint section comprises an elevator body, a securing apparatus having a first blocking apparatus and a second blocking apparatus biased in a blocking position where a throat of the elevator is blocked, and an actuation apparatus coupled to the first blocking apparatus and the second blocking apparatus and adapted to manually move both the first blocking apparatus and the second blocking apparatus from the blocking position to a non-blocking position.