A pipe handler trailer assists with the handling of very large and heavy pipes that are regularly raised to and lowered from an elevated surfaces. A height adjustment assembly sets the maximum height that a skidway will reach when a lift cylinder is fully extended and lift arms are thereby rotated. Located within lift arms are toothed racks. An adjustment block couples the skidway to lift arms through the racks and also supports locking blocks that have teeth complementary to the teeth on the racks. A lock will vary from firm contact with the inner wall of lift arms to having a gap there between. When the lock engages the inner wall of the lift arm this drives the complementary teeth into secure engagement with the rack teeth, which can then rigidly support heavy load without motion.

A trolley for transferring pipe stands (8) between the tower (1) and pipe rack (4) of a plant for the insertion and extraction of strings of drill pipes in production wells of hydrocarbons in general, wherein said trolley comprises a movable slide (21), relating to the same trolley (10), between a boost direction (F2) of said pipe stands (8) towards the tower (1) and a pulling direction (F1) of the same pipe stands (8) from the tower (1) towards the pipe rack (4) of said plant.

With respect to known trolleys used in plants for the insertion and extraction of pipes in production wells of hydrocarbons in general, that according to the present invention offers the advantage of operating exclusively by gravity in transporting pipe stands, whose weight serves for maintaining their correct transfer position.

A trolley for transferring pipe stands (8) between the tower (1) and pipe rack (4) of a plant for the insertion and extraction of strings of drill pipes in production wells of hydrocarbons in general, wherein said trolley comprises a movable slide (21), relating to the same trolley (10), between a boost direction (F2) of said pipe stands (8) towards the tower (1) and a pulling direction (F1) of the same pipe stands (8) from the tower (1) towards the pipe rack (4) of said plant.

With respect to known trolleys used in plants for the insertion and extraction of pipes in production wells of hydrocarbons in general, that according to the present invention offers the advantage of operating exclusively by gravity in transporting pipe stands, whose weight serves for maintaining their correct transfer position.

A tubular handling system for conducting subterranean operations is disclosed and can include a first tubular handling system and a second tubular handling system. The first tubular handling system can include a bridge disposed within a tubular storage area, an arm pivotally coupled to the bridge, and a gripper coupled to the arm and adapted to engage with a tubular in the tubular storage area. The second tubular handling system can include a support structure, a first tubular handler coupled to the support structure, and a second tubular handler coupled to the support structure and distinct from the first tubular handling system.

A stand-building system and method for a drilling rig, of which the system includes a casing preparation skid configured to prepare a casing joint for connection to another casing joint, and a casing stand assembly skid configured to receive the prepared casing joint and to connect together the prepared casing joint with one or more other joints so as to form a casing stand. The casing preparing skid and the casing stand assembly skid are horizontally aligned with and extend parallel to one another and to a catwalk of the drilling rig, and the casing stand assembly skid is configured to deliver the casing stand to the catwalk.

A stand-building system and method for a drilling rig, of which the system includes a casing preparation skid configured to prepare a casing joint for connection to another casing joint, and a casing stand assembly skid configured to receive the prepared casing joint and to connect together the prepared casing joint with one or more other joints so as to form a casing stand. The casing preparing skid and the casing stand assembly skid are horizontally aligned with and extend parallel to one another and to a catwalk of the drilling rig, and the casing stand assembly skid is configured to deliver the casing stand to the catwalk.

A skate drive and tubular clamping system for a catwalk. The system includes first and second actuators configured to move a skate and a clamp. The system includes a biasing device coupled to the skate and configured to bias the clamp between and open and clamped position based on a tension force between forces applied by the first and second actuators and a clamping threshold force. The first and second actuators may be flexibly coupled to the skate drive and tubular clamping system, such as by cables, and remotely mounted on a trough of the catwalk.

A skate drive and tubular clamping system for a catwalk. The system includes first and second actuators configured to move a skate and a clamp. The system includes a biasing device coupled to the skate and configured to bias the clamp between and open and clamped position based on a tension force between forces applied by the first and second actuators and a clamping threshold force. The first and second actuators may be flexibly coupled to the skate drive and tubular clamping system, such as by cables, and remotely mounted on a trough of the catwalk.

A kicker assembly for a tubular handling system has a moving member of a linear actuator that moves between a first position on a fixed member of the linear actuator and a second position on the fixed member. The moving member of the linear actuator is connected to a kicker shoe by one or more connecting members to move the kicker shoe from a retracted to an extended position to move a tubular out of the tubular handling system. The axis of the fixed member of the linear actuator runs substantially perpendicular to the motion of the kicker shoe.

A method of unthreading an up-hole drill rod from a down-hole drill rod includes breaking a joint using a first vise and a second vise, the second vise being in a first axial position, rotating the up-hole drill rod to fully unthread the up-hole drill rod from the down-hole drill rod, moving the second vise to a second axial position and moving the unthreaded up-hole drill rod away from the down-hole drill rod and into alignment with a rod loading region of the rod storage structure, after the up-hole drill rod is aligned with the rod loading region of the rod storage structure, extending the rod handling device to receive the up-hole drill rod in rod receivers, moving the second vise axially to the first axial position, and retracting the rod handling device to move the up-hole drill rod to the rod storage structure.