US 11,988,059 B2
Dual activity top drive
Andrew Ian McKenzie, Cypress, TX (US)
Assigned to NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO, L.P., Houston, TX (US)
Appl. No. 17/310,672
Filed by NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO, L.P., Houston, TX (US)
PCT Filed Feb. 20, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/019039
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 17, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/172407, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 27, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/809,093, filed on Feb. 22, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0145704 A1, May 12, 2022
Int. Cl. E21B 3/02 (2006.01); E21B 19/16 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 3/022 (2020.05) [E21B 19/16 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A dual activity top drive, comprising:
a mechanized system configured for suspension from a traveling block of a drill rig and for engaging and rotating a drill string from the top of the drill string;
a primary pipe handling system suspended from the mechanized system, configured for handling a pipe string, comprising a first pair of bails pivotally secured to the mechanized system, and including a first pipe elevator configured for laterally receiving the pipe string through a lateral opening in the first pipe elevator and securing the laterally received pipe string; and
an auxiliary pipe handling system suspended from the mechanized system, configured for handling a segment of pipe to be added or removed from the pipe string, comprising a second pair of bails pivotally secured to the mechanized system, and including a second pipe elevator for securing a segment of pipe to be added or removed from the pipe string, wherein the auxiliary pipe handling system is configured so that a first center axis of the first pipe elevator can be aligned with a second center axis of the second pipe elevator over the top of the drill string.