Patent Publication Number: US-2023151701-A1

Title: Casing roller apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application having U.S. Ser. No. 16/947,285, filed Jul. 27, 2020, which is a conversion of U.S. Provisional Application having U.S. Ser. No. 62/879,092, filed Jul. 26, 2019, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e), the disclosures of which are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present disclosure relates to a casing roller apparatus for engaging oil and gas well casing to roll the casing to a desired location. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Casing is large-diameter pipe lowered into an openhole and cemented into place. The casing is designed to withstand a variety of forces, such as collapse, burst and tensile failure, as well as chemically aggressive brines. Casing is typically forty ( 40 ) feet lengths of metal piping that are extremely heavy and supplied to an oil and gas well on a trailer where they can be rolled from one position to another. Historically, oilfield workers have rolled the casing to desired locations by hand, which is a serious safety issue due to the potential of hands getting crushed between the units of casing. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus that oilfield workers can use to roll the casing on the trailers while keeping their hands free from being crushed between units of casing. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure is directed to a casing roller apparatus. The casing roller including an actuation apparatus for facilitating operation of the casing roller apparatus and an engagement apparatus for securely engaging a unit of casing to permit an oilfield worker to roll the unit of casing. 
     The present disclosure is also directed toward a method of using the casing roller apparatus. The method includes the step of engaging a unit of casing with the casing roller apparatus and rolling the unit of casing from a first location to a second location. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a casing roller apparatus constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of a portion of the casing roller apparatus constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  3    is a perspective view of another portion of the casing roller apparatus in a retracted position constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  4    is a perspective view of the portion of the casing roller apparatus shown in  FIG.  3    in an expanded configuration constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  5    is perspective view of another embodiment of the casing roller apparatus constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure relates to a casing roller apparatus  10  for engaging a unit of casing  12  and rolling it from one location to another, typically, on a trailer or truck that holds the casing  12  prior to installing the casing  12  in the well. The casing roller apparatus includes an actuation apparatus  14  for facilitating operation of the casing roller apparatus  10  and an engagement apparatus  16  for securely engaging the casing to permit an oilfield worker to roll each unit of casing  12 . 
     The actuation apparatus  14  transitions the casing roller apparatus  10  from an engaged position with the casing  12  to a disengaged position from the casing  12 . Conversely, the actuation apparatus  14  also transitions the casing roller apparatus  10  from the disengaged position from the casing  12  to the engaged position with the casing  12 . The engagement apparatus  16  securely contacts the inside of the casing  12  when the casing roller apparatus  10  is in the engaged position and the engagement apparatus  16  is free to move inside the casing  12  (i.e. not securely contacting the inside of the casing  12 ) when the casing roller apparatus  10  is in the disengaged position. 
     The actuation apparatus  14  includes a threaded shaft  18  with a separator element  20  disposed on one end to interact with the engagement apparatus  16  and a turn handle  22  on the other end to facilitate movement of the casing  12  when the casing roller apparatus  10  is in the engaged position with the casing  12 . The actuation apparatus  14  can also include an unthreaded sleeve  24  disposed around the threaded shaft  18  to contribute to the operation of the casing roller apparatus  10  and an operational nut  26  that is threaded on the threaded shaft  18  between the unthreaded sleeve  24  and the separation element  20 . The actuation apparatus  14  can also include an abutment element  28  securely disposed around the threaded shaft  18  to keep the unthreaded sleeve  24  a certain distance away from the turn handle  22  to make operation of the casing roller apparatus  10  more efficient. The separator element  20  of the actuation apparatus  14  can have extension portions  30  that extend out and prevent the engagement apparatus  16  from rotating independently of the actuation apparatus  14  during certain operations of the casing roller apparatus  10 . 
     The unthreaded sleeve  24  of the actuation apparatus  14  can include a U-shaped flange  32  disposed on one end that can engage at least one flange  34  that extends outwardly from the operational nut  26  of the actuation apparatus  14 . The U-shaped flange  32  includes a first leg  36  and a second leg  38  that engage the flange  34  on the operational nut  26 . In one embodiment, the operational nut  26  can include at least two flanges  34  that extend outwardly. In another embodiment, the U-shaped flange  32  can include additional flange portions and leg portions to provide additional places where the unthreaded sleeve  24  can engage and manipulate the operational nut  26 . 
     The engagement apparatus  16  of the casing roller apparatus  10  includes a base portion  40  with an opening  42  disposed therein. The threaded shaft  18  of the actuation apparatus  14  extends through the opening  42  in the base portion  40  of the engagement apparatus  16 . The base portion  40  of the engagement apparatus  16  is positioned on the threaded shaft  18  of the actuation apparatus  14  between the separator element  20  and the operational nut  26  of the actuation apparatus  14 . The engagement apparatus  16  further includes at least two arms  44  that are rotationally attached to the base portion  40  at first ends  46  of the arms  44 . The engagement apparatus  16  can also include contact elements  48  rotatably disposed on second ends  50  of the arms  44  to be forced into contact with the inside  52  of the casing  12 . In one embodiment, the contact elements  48  can have a gripping layer  54  disposed thereon to optimize the frictional engagement between the contact elements  48  and the inside  52  of the casing  12 . The gripping layer  54  can be any type of material that can more efficiently cause the contact element  48  to engage the inside  52  of the casing  12 , such as a polymeric material. 
     In use, an oil field worker will place the engagement apparatus  16  inside an end of the casing  12  and turn the operational nut  26  toward the base portion  40  of the engagement apparatus  16 . Continuing to turn the operational nut  26  will force the base portion  40  towards the separator element  20  disposed on the end of the threaded shaft  18 . The operational nut  26  can be turned with the U-shaped flange  32  of the unthreaded sleeve  24  engaging the flanges  34  of the operational nut  26 . As the base portion  40  is forced towards the separator element  29 , the separator element  20  will force the arms  44  of the engagement apparatus  16  outward towards an inner wall  52  of the casing  12 . Eventually, the contact elements  48  on the second ends  50  of the arms  44  will be securely forced into the inner wall  52  of the casing  12 . The oilfield worker can then apply rotational force to the turn handle  22  of the actuation apparatus  14  to roll the casing  12 . The oilfield worker can keep one hand on the unthreaded sleeve  24  (or a handle  56  on the unthreaded sleeve), which allows all other portions of the casing roller apparatus  10  to rotate as the turn handle  22  is rotated. 
     To disengage the casing roller apparatus  10  from the casing  12 , the oilfield worker would unlock the operational nut  26  from forcing the base portion  40  of the engagement apparatus  16  against the separator element  20  to permit the arms  44  of the engagement apparatus  16  to rotate away and disengage the contact elements  48  from the inner wall  52  of the casing  12 . The operational nut  26  can be unlocked by rotating the operational nut  26  away from the base portion  40  of the engagement apparatus  16 . The U-shaped flange  32  on the unthreaded sleeve  24  can engage the flanges  34  on the operational nut  26  to rotate the operational nut  26  in a desired direction. 
     It should be understood and appreciated that the casing roller apparatus  10  can be any type of handheld device that can engage the inner portion  52  of the casing  12  and allow an oilfield worker to roll the casing  12 . The casing roller apparatus  10  can also have ratchet joints that permit the engagement in certain directions and allow free movement in the opposite direction. The ratchet joints could also be reversible depending on the desired function of the casing roller apparatus  12 . The threads on the threaded shaft  18  can also be reversed to accomplish different workings of the casing roller apparatus  10 . 
     The casing roller apparatus can also comprise motors to accomplish some of the rotational movement required for the casing roller apparatus to work properly. 
     The present disclosure is also directed to a method rolling units of casing  12  by a handheld and hand operated mechanical tool. A user will engage the unit of casing  12  with the handheld tool. The user will secure the handheld tool to the unit of casing  12 . The user can apply rotational force to the tool that is transferred to the unit of casing  12 . In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a portion of the handheld tool engages the inner part  52  of the casing  12  to facilitate the rolling of the unit of casing  12 . In another embodiment, the handheld tool engages more than one place on the inner portion  52  of the unit of casing  12 . 
     In another embodiment of the present disclosure shown in more detail in  FIG.  5   , another variation of an engagement apparatus  62  is shown. The engagement apparatus  62  includes an end portion  64  disposed on the end of the threaded shaft  18 . The end portion  64  has a first arm  66  hingedly or rotatably supported, connected or attached to one side of the end portion  64  at a first end  68  of the first arm  66  and a second arm  70  hingedly or rotatably supported, connected or attached to the other side of the end portion  64  at a first end  72  of the second arm  70 . The engagement apparatus  62  can also include a second unthreaded sleeve  74  disposed around the threaded shaft  18  on the opposite side of the operational nut  26  from the unthreaded sleeve  24 . The second unthreaded sleeve  74  has a third arm  76  hingedly or rotatably supported, connected or attached to one side of the second unthreaded sleeve  74  at a first end  78  of the third arm  76  and a fourth arm  80  hingedly or rotatably supported, connected or attached to the other side of the second unthreaded sleeve  74  at a first end  82  of the fourth arm  80 . 
     The first, second, third and fourth arms  66 ,  70 ,  76  and  80  have second ends  84 ,  86 ,  88  and  90 , respectively. The second end  84  of the first arm  66  is hingedly connected to the second end  88  of the third arm  76  to create a first hinged portion  92 . Similarly, the second end  86  of the second arm  70  is hingedly connected to the second end  90  of the fourth arm  80  to create a second hinged portion  94 . The contact elements  48  can be hingedly supported or connected to the first and second hinged portions  92  and  94  of the engagement apparatus  62 . The first ends  68 ,  72 ,  78  and  82  of the first, second, third and fourth arms  66 ,  70 ,  76  and  80 , respectively, can be supported by or attached to flange elements  96  that extend from the end portion  64  or the second unthreaded sleeve  74 . 
     In use and similar to the embodiments disclosed in  FIGS.  1 - 7   , an oil field worker will place the engagement apparatus  62  inside an end of the casing  12  and turn the operational nut  26  toward the second unthreaded sleeve  74  or the end portion of the threaded shaft  18  of the engagement apparatus  62 . Continuing to turn the operational nut  26  will force the second unthreaded sleeve  74  towards the end portion  64  disposed on the end of the threaded shaft  18 . The operational nut  26  can be turned with the U-shaped flange  32  of the unthreaded sleeve  24  engaging the flanges  34  of the operational nut  26  or by hand. As the second unthreaded sleeve  74  is forced towards the end portion  64  of the threaded shaft  18 , the second ends  84 ,  86 ,  88  and  90  of the first, second, third and fourth arms  66 ,  70 ,  76  and  80 , respectively, of the engagement apparatus  16  are forced outward from the threaded shaft  18  and towards the inner wall  52  of the casing  12 . Eventually, the contact elements  48  disposed on the first and second hinged portions  92  and  94  will be securely forced into the inner wall  52  of the casing  12 . The oilfield worker can then apply rotational force to the turn handle  22  of the actuation apparatus  14  to roll the casing  12 . The oilfield worker can keep one hand on the unthreaded sleeve  24  (or a handle  56  on the unthreaded sleeve), which allows all other portions of the casing roller apparatus  10  to rotate as the turn handle  22  is rotated. 
     To disengage the casing roller apparatus  10  from the casing  12 , the oilfield worker would unlock the operational nut  26  from forcing the second unthreaded sleeve  74  towards the end portion  64  to permit the second ends  84 ,  86 ,  88  and  90  of the first, second, third and fourth arms  66 ,  70 ,  76  and  80 , respectively, the engagement apparatus  62  to move away from the inner wall  52  of the casing  12  and disengage the contact elements  48  from the inner wall  52  of the casing  12 . The operational nut  26  can be unlocked by rotating the operational nut  26  away from the second unthreaded sleeve  74  of the engagement apparatus  62 . The U-shaped flange  32  on the unthreaded sleeve  24  can engage the flanges  34  on the operational nut  26  to rotate the operational nut  26  in a desired direction. 
     From the above description, it is clear that the present disclosure is well-adapted to carry out the objectives and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the disclosure. While presently preferred embodiments have been described herein, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the disclosure and claims.