Tubular joining apparatus

1. An apparatus for making and/or breaking a threaded connection between a first tubular and a second tubular comprising:

a spinner operable to spin the first tubular relative to the second tubular;

a zero-side-load (“ZSL”) device operable to relieve the transverse force induced on the threaded connection in response to the spinner spinning the first tubular;

a torque wrench operable to rotate the first tubular greater than about 180 degrees relative to the second tubular without releasing the grip of the torque wrench on the first tubular; and

a back-up wrench operable to grip the second tubular.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the back-up wrench is operable to grip the second tubular with a first grip pressure when the spinner is spinning the first tubular and operable to grip the second tubular at a second grip pressure when the torque wrench is rotating the first tubular.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a torsion device connected to the torque wrench and the back-up wrench, the torsion device operable to relieve a transverse force induced on the threaded connection in response to rotating the torque wrench relative to the back-up wrench.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ZSL device pivotedly connects the spinner to an external frame.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the external frame is a cassette.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ZSL device comprises a parallelogram structure having bell cranks positioned at four corners.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the ZSL device connects the spinner to an external frame.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ZSL device comprises:

a parallelogram structure having bell cranks position at each corner, each bell crank of the ZSL device comprising a first pivot point, a second pivot point and a third pivot point, wherein the first pivot point is pivotedly connected to the spinner and the second pivot point is pivotedly connected to an external frame;

a link connected to the third pivot point of the respective vertically spaced apart bell cranks; and

an elongated member connected to the respective laterally spaced apart bell cranks.

9. An apparatus for making and/or breaking threaded connections between a first and a second tubular comprising:

a spinner operable to spin the first tubular relative to the second tubular;

a torque wrench operable to rotate the first tubular greater than about 180 degrees relative to the second tubular without releasing the grip of the torque wrench on the first tubular;

a back-up wrench; and

a torsion device connected with the torque wrench and the back-up wrench, wherein the torsion device is operable to relieve a transverse force induced in response to rotating the torque wrench relative to the back-up wrench.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the torsion device comprises a pair of struts pivotedly connected to the torque wrench and the back-up wrench by a pair of bell cranks.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the back-up wrench is operable to grip the second tubular with a first grip pressure when the spinner is spinning the first tubular and operable to grip the second tubular at a second grip pressure when the torque wrench is rotating the first tubular.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the torsion device comprises a pair of struts pivotedly connected to the torque wrench and the back-up wrench by a pair of bell cranks.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising a zero-side-load (“ZSL”) device connected to the spinner.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the ZSL device comprises a parallelogram structure having bell cranks positioned at the corners.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the ZSL device is pivotedly connected to the spinner and an external frame.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the back-up wrench is operable to grip the second tubular with a first grip pressure when the spinner is spinning the first tubular and operable to grip the second tubular at a second grip pressure when the torque wrench is rotating the first tubular.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the ZSL device comprises:

a parallelogram structure having bell cranks positioned at each corner, each bell crank comprising a first pivot point, a second pivot point and a third pivot point, wherein the first pivot point is pivotedly connected to the spinner and the second pivot point is pivotedly connected to an external frame;

a link connected to the third pivot point of the respective vertically spaced apart bell cranks; and

an elongated member connected to the respective laterally spaced apart bell cranks.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the back-up wrench is operable to grip the second tubular with a first grip pressure when the spinner is spinning the first tubular and operable to grip the second tubular at a second grip pressure when the torque wrench is rotating the first tubular.

19. A method for making-up a threaded connection between a first tubular and a second tubular, comprising:

gripping the second tubular with a back-up wrench of a tubular joiner device comprising a spinner, a torque wrench and the back-up wrench;

spinning the first tubular via the spinner to advance a pin of the first tubular relative to a box of the second tubular;

gripping the first tubular with the torque wrench;

rotating the first tubular greater than about 180 degrees without releasing the grip of the torque wrench on the first tubular to complete the threaded connection; and

relieving a transverse force induced on the threaded connection in response to spinning the first tubular.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the relieving a transverse force comprises a zero-side-load (“ZSL”) device connected to the spinner.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the relieving a transverse force comprises a zero-side-load (“ZSL”) device connected to the spinner and a cassette, the ZSL device comprising:

a parallelogram structure comprising bell cranks positioned at each corner, each bell crank comprising a first pivot point, a second pivot point and a third pivot point, wherein the first pivot point is pivotedly connected to the spinner and the second pivot point is pivotedly connected to the cassette;

a link connected to the third pivot point of the respective vertically spaced apart bell cranks; and

an elongated member connected to the respective laterally spaced apart bell cranks.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the rotating the first tubular with the torque wrench comprises relieving a transverse force induced on the threaded connection in response to rotating the torque wrench relative to the back-up wrench.

23. The method of claim 19 , wherein the gripping the second tubular with the back-up wrench comprises:

gripping the box end of the second tubular with a first gripping pressure when spinning the first tubular with the spinner; and

gripping the box end of the second tubular with a second gripping pressure when rotating the first tubular with the torque wrench.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the relieving a transverse force comprises a zero-side-load (“ZSL”) device connected to the spinner and a cassette, the ZSL device comprising:

a parallelogram structure comprising bell cranks positioned at each corner, each bell crank comprising a first pivot point, a second pivot point and a third pivot point, wherein the first pivot point is pivotedly connected to the spinner and the second pivot point is pivotedly connected to the cassette;

a link connected to the third pivot point of the respective vertically spaced apart bell cranks; and

an elongated member connected to the respective laterally spaced apart bell cranks.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the rotating the first tubular with the torque wrench comprises relieving a transverse force from being induced on the threaded connection in response to rotating the torque wrench relative to the back-up wrench.

26. An apparatus for making and/or breaking a threaded connection between a first tubular and a second tubular, comprising:

a spinner operable to spin the first tubular relative to the second tubular;

a zero-side-load (“ZSL”) device operable to relieve the transverse force induced on the threaded connection in response to the spinner spinning the first tubular;

a torque wrench rotate the first tubular relative to the second tubular; and

a back-up wrench grip the second tubular:

wherein the ZSL device comprises:

a parallelogram structure having bell cranks positioned at each corner, each bell crank comprising a first pivot point, a second pivot point and a third pivot point, wherein the first pivot point is pivotedly connected to the spinner and the second pivot point is pivotedly connected to an external frame;

a link connected to the third pivot point of the respective vertically spaced apart bell cranks; and

an elongated member connected to the respective laterally spaced apart bell cranks.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 , further comprising a torsion device comprising a pair struts pivotedly connected to the torque wrench and the back-up wrench by a pair of bell cranks.

28. An apparatus for making and/or breaking threaded connections between a first and a second tubular comprising:

a spinner operable to spin the first tubular relative to the second tubular;

a torque wrench;

a back-up wrench; and

a torsion device connected to the torque wrench and the back-up wrench to relieve a transverse force induced in response to rotating the torque wrench relative to the back-up wrench, wherein the torsion device comprises:

a span member pivotedly connected at a first end to a first bell crank and pivotedly connected at a second end to a second bell crank;

a first lateral strut pivotedly connected to the first bell crank and pivotedly connected to the back-up wrench;

a second lateral strut pivotedly connected to the second bell crank and pivotedly connected to the back-up wrench; and

a post extending vertically from the torque wrench, the post connected to the span member between the pair of bell cranks.