초록 ▼

A system is provided to facilitate the substitution of power tools for manual manipulation of thread protectors on threaded tubulars. Male-thread protectors are manipulated using a driven cup with a flexible inner liner to engage the protector, the cup having expansion and gripper features. Female-t

A system is provided to facilitate the substitution of power tools for manual manipulation of thread protectors on threaded tubulars. Male-thread protectors are manipulated using a driven cup with a flexible inner liner to engage the protector, the cup having expansion and gripper features. Female-thread protectors are manipulated using a driven elastic body fittably engaged with the inner surface of the protector. The manipulators are fitted with tool adapters to fit power tools such as an impact wrench.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A tool to manipulate a thread protector for the female threads of a threaded tubular, comprising: a. A torque adapter attached to a flexible body;b. The body being cylindrical or frusta-conical;c. The body's outer diameter designed to frictionally engage an inner surface of the thread protector b

1. A tool to manipulate a thread protector for the female threads of a threaded tubular, comprising: a. A torque adapter attached to a flexible body;b. The body being cylindrical or frusta-conical;c. The body's outer diameter designed to frictionally engage an inner surface of the thread protector by application of linear force alone, pushing the body into the thread protector;d. The torque adapter to transmit rotational forces to the protector via the body in order to spin the protector to screw or unscrew it from the threaded tubular. 2. A tool to manipulate a thread protector for the male threads of a threaded tubular, comprising: a. A torque adapter attached to a solid cup;b. A flexible cup-liner removably attached to the solid cup;c. The flexible cup-liner shaped to temporarily receive and frictionally engage with the outer surface of the thread protector by application of linear force alone, pushing the flexible cup-liner against the outer surface of the thread protector;d. The solid cup having voids in its outer walls;e. The torque adapter to transmit rotational forces to the protector via the cup and flexible cup-liner in order to spin the protector to screw or unscrew it from the threaded tubular. 3. The tool of claim 2 where the cup's outer walls are cylindrical. 4. The tool of claim 2 where the cup's outer walls are frustoconical. 5. The tool of claim 2 where the cup-liner's internal void for receiving the protector is frusto-conical. 6. A method of screwing or unscrewing a thread protector from a threaded tubular, comprising the steps of: a. Engaging a source of powered rotational motion to one end of a protector manipulator;b. Frictionally engaging, by application of linear force alone, a protector-engagement means of the protector manipulator to the protector;c. Invoking powered rotational movement to be supplied from the source to the protector manipulator to turn the protector in a direction. 7. The method of claim 6 with the added steps of: d. Stopping the rotational movement imparted to the protector just before the protector is either fully engaged with or disengaged from the threaded tubular;e. Disengaging the protector-engagement means of the protector manipulator from the protector.