Watson Casing Systems elevators were developed for running casing with a power head. Their unique design not only allows the weight of the pipe to be supported on a shoulder, as conventional elevators, but also provides for torque by clamping the collar with tong dies. This allows the make-up and break-out of casing while running into or out of a borehole. Since casing is normally manufactured in rage 2 - 30' lengths or range 3 - 40' length, this system is designed for maximizing the length of casing you can run with any specific tower.
This casing running system is used in conjunction with a drilling rig having a traveling power head. This design enables the rig to accommodate a much longer joint of casing than is otherwise possible and avoids damage to the threads at both the box and pin ends of the casing.
An upper and lower elevator is used along with a clevis and wishbone adapter, by which one of the elevators can be attached to the traveling power head of the rig. When going in the hole one elevator is attached to the upper collar end of a joint and the clevis and wishbone adapter is attached to it and lifted by the traveling head and lowered until the elevator engages the rig floor. Thereafter, the head is removed from the elevator so that the elevator supports the box end of the joint at the rig floor. The other elevator is of similar construction and is attached to the upper end of another joint. The head lifts the joint into the derrick so that the pin end thereof can be mated to the box end of the first joint thereby providing a string located within the borehole. The lower elevator is removed from the string and placed on still another joint while the string is lowered into the hole. This operation is continued until the entire string has been made up and lowered into the hole. The string is removed from hole and broken out in a reverse manner.
Watson Casing Systems manufactures elevators in all sizes ranging from 2 3/8" through 13 3/8". Special sizes can be designed and built up request.