Horizontal boring pipe connecting and disconnecting device

Abstract

Apparatus and methods, for making and breaking connections in a horizontal boring drillstring, comprising a skid-mounted torque wrench and a spinning unit hydraulically operated from a remote control station, therefore allowing a coupling to be made or broken without manual intervention. One embodiment of a preferred torque wrench and spinning unit is horizontally mounted on a structural frame that is adapted to allow movement relative to a horizontal drill string. A preferred torque wrench comprises a gripping mechanism that serves to hold stationary one half of a coupling and a torquing mechanism that arcuately translates the adjoining half of the coupling to either make-up or break-out the coupling. A preferred spinning unit comprises a plurality of drive rollers that impart rotational motion into the pipe to engage or disengage the threads of a coupling.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An apparatus for handling a horizontal boring drill string formed by a plurality of pipe joints joined by couplings, the apparatus comprising; 
 a skid oriented along the axis of the horizontal boring drill string;    a torque unit mounted to said skid; and    a spinning unit mounted to said skid, wherein said torque unit and said spinning unit are adapted to make or break couplings in the horizontal boring drilling string.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said torque unit and spinning unit are adapted to move relative to said skid in a direction parallel to the horizontal boring drilling string.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a remote control station adapted to control said torque unit and said spinning unit from a remote location.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said torque unit further comprises: 
 a stationary gripping mechanism adapted to grip and hold stationary a first portion of a coupling; and  
 a rotating torquing mechanism adapted to grip and rotate a second portion of the coupling.  
 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said spinning unit further comprises a plurality of drive rollers adapted to impart rotational motion onto a pipe joint.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said torque unit and said spinning unit are adapted to receive individual pipe joints in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the drilling string.  
     
     
         7 . A method of removing sections of pipe from a horizontal drill string at the pipe end of a horizontal borehole, said method comprising: 
 gripping the horizontal drill string with a hydraulically actuated torquing mechanism mounted to a skid;    applying a torque to a coupling in the drill string with the torquing mechanism;    activating a hydraulic spinning unit to disengage the coupling such that a section of pipe is separated from the drill string.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising releasing the torquing mechanism before activating the hydraulic spinning mechanism.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising: 
 opening the torquing mechanism and the spinning unit; and  
 removing the separated section of pipe from the torquing mechanism and the spinning unit in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the drill string.  
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7  wherein hydraulic force is used to apply torque to the coupling.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the torquing mechanism and the spinning unit are operated from a remote control station.  
     
     
         12 . A pipe handling apparatus comprising: 
 a skid aligned with the axis of a horizontal drill string including a series of pipe joints connected by threaded couplings;    means for applying torque to a coupling to make or break the threaded connection; and    means for rotating a pipe joint that is separate from the drill string so as to engage or disengage the threaded coupling.    
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 13  wherein said means for applying torque comprises: 
 means for gripping and holding stationary a first end of a coupling; and  
 means for applying torque to a second end of the coupling.  
 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 12  further comprising means for controlling the apparatus from a remote location.  
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 12  further comprising means for allowing pipe joints that are separate from the drill string to be moved in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the drill string.  
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein said means for applying torque is hydraulically actuated.  
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein said means for rotating is hydraulically actuated.  
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein said means for applying torque and said means for rotating are adapted to move along said skid in a direction parallel to the axis of the drill string.