Apparatus and methods of handling a tubular

1. A tubular gripping tool for gripping a tubular, comprising:

a housing;

a mandrel disposed in the housing;

a plurality of slips movable along the mandrel;

an actuation sleeve disposed around an exterior of the mandrel and configured to move the plurality of slips along an inclined surface of the mandrel;

a gripping actuator for moving the actuation sleeve, the gripping actuator having a rod extending through a bore of the mandrel and coupled to a lower portion of the actuation sleeve;

an engagement member disposed in the housing and movable relative to the mandrel and the plurality of slips, wherein the engagement member is configured to apply a force against the tubular; and

an engagement actuator for moving the engagement member relative to the mandrel and the plurality of slips and applying the force against the tubular.

2. The tool of claim 1 , wherein the gripping actuator is adapted to move the plurality of slips into gripping engagement with the tubular.

3. The tool of claim 1 , wherein the engagement actuator comprises a piston and cylinder assembly configured to cause the engagement member to apply an axial force against the tubular.

4. The tool of claim 3 , further comprising a sensor for detecting movement of a piston of the piston and cylinder assembly beyond a predetermined distance.

5. The tool of claim 1 , wherein the gripping actuator is configured to actuate before the engagement actuator.

6. The tool of claim 1 , wherein the engagement member comprises an annular plate disposed about the mandrel.

7. The tool of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor for determining a position of the engagement member.

8. A method of gripping a tubular, comprising:

moving a slip to grip the tubular with sufficient gripping force to lift the tubular;

moving an engagement member into contact with an end of the tubular;

after gripping the tubular, causing the engagement member to apply an axial force against the end of the tubular, wherein application of the axial force exerts a pulling force on the slip toward the end of the tubular; and

detecting whether the engagement member has moved beyond a predetermined distance relative to the slip after applying the axial force.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein a piston and cylinder assembly is used to move the engagement member.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein detecting whether the engagement member has moved beyond a predetermined distance comprises detecting a position of a piston of the piston and cylinder assembly.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein detecting the position of the piston comprises detecting the piston has moved past a sensing port.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the force is applied axially to an upper end of the tubular.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising sending a signal to an interlock system indicating the slip is gripping the tubular if the engagement member has not moved beyond the predetermined distance.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the slip is actuated by a first pressure and the engagement member is actuated by a second, higher pressure.

15. A method of connecting a first tubular to a second tubular, comprising:

gripping the first tubular using a slip with sufficient gripping force to lift the tubular;

after gripping the first tubular, moving an engagement member into contact with the first tubular and applying an axial force against an end of the first tubular by the engagement member, wherein application of the axial force exerts a pulling force on the slip toward the end of the tubular;

detecting whether the engagement member has moved beyond a predetermined distance relative to the slip after applying the axial force; and

connecting the first tubular to the second tubular.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising lifting the first tubular while maintaining the force against the first tubular.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising actuating a thread compensator to participate in connecting the first tubular to the second tubular.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein actuating the thread compensator causes the engagement member to remove the force applied to the first tubular.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the slip is actuated by a first pressure and the engagement member is actuated by a second, higher pressure.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising sending an engaged signal to an interlock system indicating the slip is gripping the tubular if the engagement member has not moved beyond the predetermined distance.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising maintaining the engaged signal to the interlock system after removing the force applied against the first tubular by the engagement member.