Power tongs are generally classified into four types:
Casing, Tubing, Drill Pipe, and Riser.
- Casing Tongs: Casing power tongs are used to make or break casing tubulars placed in the drill hole in order to maintain the opening of the well. They come in a variety of sizes that measure anywhere from 5 ½ feet to 36 feet, and are designed to deal with lightweight, or high torque casing. Casing tongs are also available in a variety of models, with torques ranging from 15,000 to 200,000 foot-pounds. Consistent operations among the different models minimize the need for employee training.
- Tubing Tongs: The main purpose of tubing power tongs is to run tubulars in order to extract oil and gas from reservoirs. Ruggedly designed, they provide steady, and reliable performance, even at higher torques. Like casing tongs, they also come in a variety of models depending on your torque specifications.
- Drill Pipe Tongs: Drill pipe power tongs form drill strings by screwing together drill pipe, and industrial tubular used for drilling into the ground. These tongs are effective at lowering drill time, and reducing costs. Designed for safe, and quick make-up, they come in sizes 2.36 to 10 inches, and include a variety of models.
- Riser Tongs: Risers are similar to pipelines in that they are conduits that move materials from the blowout preventer, located on the seafloor, to a drilling rig or floating production structure. Like flowlines, drilling risers transfer mud during the drilling stages while production risers carry over production materials, and hydrocarbons. Manufacturers of premium pipes have created threaded risers that are sealable, fatigue-resistant, and high-pressure– ideal for deep-water drilling.
Power Tongs for Special Applications
Flush joint connections are used in numerous cases when running gravel pack screens. This makes it possible to shorten the length of the tong gripping portions between the screens. This change causes an increase in the productive area of the screens across the production zones in which long screen sections are run.
Expandable casing presents several issues for its make-up and running. Due to the deformity of the pipe from its original size, cautious and careful handling is required. Special tongs with jaws that can grip nonconventional diameters should be used for expandable casing. These tongs include false rotary tables and bowls, and slips for managing the inner strings.
Getting the Most Out of Power Tongs
Since power tongs are subject to heavy-duty use, and the maintenance requires a specialized workshop, your maintenance and repair provider should be able to assist you wherever, and whenever you need. Regular and consistent routines for maintenance, and spare parts are a must, and should be available as soon as possible to avoid downtime. Modern power tongs are high-end, sophisticated pieces of equipment that require a high level of expertise to operate, and repair. If you’re ever in need of patented Premiere casing, tubing, or cementing tools, contact the professionals at Premiere Inc. They have the services and products you’re looking for, as well as the expertise you need.
