Wellbore Elevator Pivotable Door Latch Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing elevator systems for wellbore operations are cumbersome and pose safety hazards due to heavy, slow-operating doors that require significant clearance and manual effort, especially when handling large tubulars, which can lead to accidents during vertical orientation and lifting.
Innovation Solution
The design features an elevator with a pivotable door and a latch mechanism that includes a lockbar and compression springs to securely latch and lock the door, along with a handle for easier operation, allowing for safer and more efficient handling of tubulars by reducing the need for extensive clearance and manual effort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heavy hinged doors are used to close around the tubular, then the elevator can securely hold and lift the tubular, but the doors become slow to operate, difficult to handle, and present safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly is segmented into multiple components: the door itself, a latch mechanism with movable member, a lockbar, and a locking mechanism. This segmentation allows the heavy door to be operated through a sequence of controlled actions rather than requiring direct manual movement of the entire heavy structure, improving ease of operation while maintaining secure holding capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch mechanism acts as an intermediary between the operator and the heavy door. The movable member of the latch engages with the lockbar to secure the door, while the locking mechanism provides an additional layer of security. This intermediary system allows operators to control the heavy door through mechanical advantage rather than direct force, resolving the contradiction between secure holding and ease of operation.
2Reliability
If heavy hinged doors are used to close around the tubular, then the elevator can securely hold and lift the tubular, but the doors require significant clearance to swing in an arc
Solution Approach 1:
The door system transitions from a static heavy structure requiring arc clearance to a dynamic system where the door can be positioned and secured with minimal clearance. The latch mechanism with movable member and lockbar allows the door to be held in position without requiring the space needed for swinging motion, thus reducing the clearance space requirement while maintaining secure holding capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism adds a dimensional aspect to door securing. Instead of relying solely on the arc-shaped swing path of traditional hinged doors, the invention introduces a latch mechanism that engages in a different dimensional space, allowing the door to be secured with minimal clearance requirements while maintaining the same secure holding function.
3Reliability
If the door is made heavy to securely hold large tubulars, then the holding capability is sufficient, but the door becomes slow in operation and difficult to handle
Solution Approach 1:
The heavy door operation is replaced by a mechanical advantage system consisting of the latch mechanism with movable member and the locking mechanism. Instead of manually moving the entire heavy door structure, operators manipulate the latch and locking mechanisms which provide mechanical advantage, significantly increasing the speed of door operation while maintaining the heavy door's secure holding capability for large tubulars.
4Reliability
If traditional hinged doors are used, then the elevator can close around the tubular, but extensive clearance is required for the doors to swing and the tubular end must be above the derrick floor
Solution Approach 1:
The door system is transformed from a static structure requiring fixed clearance to a dynamic system where the latch mechanism with movable member and locking mechanism allows the door to be positioned and secured in various configurations. This dynamic capability enables the elevator to close around tubulars with reduced clearance requirements and eliminates the requirement for the tubular end to be above the derrick floor, while maintaining reliable closure capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enhances safety and operational efficiency by allowing for secure latching and locking of the door, facilitating easier handling and orientation of large tubulars without the need for extensive clearance, thereby reducing the risk of accidents and improving handling capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
In certain aspects, such an elevator has a locking mechanism which locks the door shut following latching of the door. Optionally, one or more compression springs urges part of the locking mechanism into a locking configuration to hold the latch apparatus in a latched position and to selectively lock the door in position.
Data Source
AI summary
An elevator having, in at least certain aspects, an elevator body with two opposed ends and an elevator opening in the body, a door pivotably mounted to the body for selectively closing off the elevator opening, a lock bar on the elevator body, door latch apparatus on the door including a movable member to selectively and releasably hold the lockbar, and locking apparatus for selectively locking the door in position; and, in certain aspects, verification apparatus for maintaining the locking apparatus in position.