Vetco Gray Inc.

Hughes Tool Company LLC

Varco International, Inc.

John K Moses

Igor Krasnov

A device for transmitting torque from a power unit to a drill string or other rotary pipe, and which is constructed upon reverse rotation to preferentially break a threaded connection between the device and a stand of the pipe without disconnecting a plurality of lengths of pipe in the stand from one another. The torque transmitting device includes a tubular structure having a thread adapted to be advanced into engagement with a thread at an end of the pipe, and a shoulder ring carried by and rotatable with the tubular structure and having a shoulder engageable against a shoulder of the pipe to limit advancement of the threads together, with axial forces being transmitted from the tubular structure to the ring by interengageable bearing surfaces which permit limited rotary movement of the structure and its thread relative to the shoulder ring. The bearing surfaces are constructed to retain the ring in a predetermined fixed axial position relative to the tubular member, preventing axial movement of the ring relative to the structure as the structure turns about its axis relative to the ring. A C-spring disposed about the tubular structure acts to yieldingly urge the ring rotatively relative to the structure in a joint breaking direction. Two elements connected to flanges formed on the tubular structure and ring respectively are received between opposite ends of the C-spring and act to apply the force of the spring to the ring to urge it rotatively relative to the structure in the joint breaking direction. Pins received radially between the tubular structure and the ring limit their relative rotation to an angle constituting a small portion of a turn.

Detachable torque transmitting tool joint

A torque reactor for a top drive drilling rig converts reactive torque on the top drive housing into a rotational torque on a torque shaft. The torque shaft extends vertically in the derrick parallel with the drive stem. A torque case carries two bushings, one of the bushings receiving the drive stem of the top drive and the other slidingly receiving the torque shaft. The drive unit bushing is rigidly connected to the housing of the top drive. The torque shaft bushing will transmit rotational force to the torque shaft. Linkages interconnect the bushings. Rotational torque imposed on the drive unit bushing creates a rotational torque in the torque shaft bushing. That torque is transmitted to the torque shaft which is held stationary to absorb the torque.

Top drive torque reactor

A device for reducing the break-out torque in a drill pipe tool joint selectively can be disabled so that break-out is at standard torque. The torque reducing device includes a collar located on the pin. The collar has a makeup shoulder that makes up against the makeup shoulder of the box of the drill pipe. The collar has a pair of ramp rings that will slide relative to each other during break-out torque. When they slide, they reduce the overall vertical height, allowing the collar to move vertically from the makeup shoulder a slight distance to reduce the torque. A split ring encircles the ramp rings for urging the ramp rings back to the initial position. A pin engages a slot in the split ring. The pin can be rotated between locked and unlocked positions to prevent the split ring from expanding. This prevents the ramp rings from operating.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

John K Moses