The present disclosure relates to coiled tubing units. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to coiled tubing injector guides for directing tubing into coiled tubing injectors. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to devices, systems, and methods for aligning coiled tubing injector guides and doing so remotely to avoid otherwise dangerous and cumbersome adjustments.
The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Coiled tubing refers to a continuous string of pipe coiled on a take-up reel for transportation and handling. Coiled tubing is provided with outer diameters ranging from 0.75 inches to 4 inches and may be used in a wide range of oilfield services and operations throughout the life of a well. A coiled tubing unit may be a mobile or stationary vehicle or structure for performing coiled tubing operations at a well. A coiled tubing unit may often have a coiled tubing injector. The injector may drive or guide the tubing into a well for performing various oilfield services or operations. The coiled tubing unit may additionally have a coiled tubing guide, which may generally direct the tubing, as it is unspooled from a reel, into the injector. In general, the guide may help to mitigate bends or kinks in the continuous tubing before it is fed into the injector and may be used to control alignment of the tubing as it enters the injector.
From time to time, such as during set up or during operations, the alignment of the tubing guide may be adjusted. Current systems, as shown in
Adjusting the above-described mechanism may be done manually to align the tubing guide with the injector. This alignment may be helpful to properly align the entering tubing with the injector chains. This manual adjustment may be done on the ground (i.e., during set up) or in a man lift basket. In the latter case, the lift basket may be 20-100 ft above the ground and an operator may use an extremely large wrench or wrenches to turn the nuts. Due to the difficulty in making these adjustments and/or due to the time required, the adjustment is often not performed or may only be performed at initial set up. This can cause issues to the machine or the tubing because the guide may not be in proper alignment with the injector causing the tubing to enter the injector out of alignment. This can lead to incorrect injector load readings and/or excess wear on, or damage to, drive bearings, traction cylinders, bushings, chains, and/or other components of the injector. In some cases, this can lead to damage to the tubing itself directly or from continued operation of the injector with damaged or failed chain components, inserts, or other components. Damage to the tubing can shorten its life, in some cases can render the tubing inoperable, and may cause potentially unsafe operating conditions. If one or more components of a tubing injector fails, the tubing may need to be cut and/or removed from the well. In some cases, this can lead to relatively high costs in both time and money because of the costs to repair components, but also because well operations may be stalled while components are repaired or replaced.
The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of such embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all embodiments, nor delineate the scope of any or all embodiments.
In one or more embodiments, a coiled tubing injector system may include a coiled tubing injector guide configured for guiding coiled tubing into a coiled tubing injector and a remotely adjustable guide mechanism. The remotely adjustable guide mechanism may include a guide mount configured for adjustably securing the coiled tubing injector guide to a frame of the coiled tubing injector and a drive mechanism configured for remotely adjusting a position of the guide mount relative to the frame.
In one or more embodiments, a method of adjusting a guide mount of a coiled tubing injector guide on a coiled tubing injector may be provided. The method may include receiving a coiled tubing position from an operator. The method may also include sensing a position of at least one of the guide mount and coiled tubing passing through the injector. The method may also include adjusting the position of the guide mount to an aligned position to provide the coiled tubing position.
While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the invention. As will be realized, the various embodiments of the present disclosure are capable of modifications in various obvious aspects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter that is regarded as forming the various embodiments of the present disclosure, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying Figures, in which:
The present disclosure relates to novel and advantageous devices, systems, and methods for remotely adjusting a coiled tubing guide extending from a coiled tubing injector. In one or more embodiments, the tubing guide may be operably connected to a drive mechanism that may remotely and controllably cause the tubing guide mount to translate across the top of a coiled tubing injector frame. The drive mechanism may be configured for precise controlled movement of the tubing guide mount so as to allow for precise alignment of the coiled tubing with the tubing injector. The system may also be configured to maintain its position once aligned to avoid inadvertent movement leading to further misalignment. The system may be advantageous particularly due to its ability to be adjusted remotely thereby avoiding the need for manual adjustment and exposure of personnel to dangerous elevated conditions. The system may be further advantageous due to is high level of precision under significant loading as well as its ability to maintain its position once aligned.
As shown in
Turning now to
As shown in
Turning back to
The interface bracket 118 may be configured for establishing an interface between the drive mechanism 114 and the guide mount 112. The interface bracket 118 may be configured for securing to the drive mechanism 114 at one end and for securing to the guide mount 112 at an opposite end. As shown in
In one or more embodiments, the guide mount 112 may be modified from a conventional guide mount by including attachment features for securing the interfacing bracket to the guide mount 112. As shown in
In one or more embodiments, the drive mechanism 114 may include wired or wireless communications systems in communication with a controller 132 for controlling the position of the guide mount 112. These systems may allow the drive mechanism to be actuated and controlled from a remote location. In addition, sensors 134 may be provided for sensing the position of the tubing guide mount relative to the frame and/or for sensing the position of the tubing entering the injector 106. The sensor or sensors 134 may be in wired or wireless communication with a display which may depict the position of the tubing 104, the relative position of the guide mount 112 and the frame or other absolute or relative positions. The user may rely on the absolute or relative positions of the elements to drive the drive mechanism and adjust the position of the guide mount so as to cause alignment of the coiled tubing with the tubing injector.
The controller 132 may include a computer readable storage medium, a processor, and one or more input and output features. The controller 132 may include software, drivers, or other software stored on the computer readable storage medium for controlling the drive mechanism. The controller may also include control software adapted to select the position of the guide mount and/or the coiled tubing and instruct the drive mechanism to move the guide mount and the coiled tubing to a selected location. In one or more embodiments, the selected location may be an aligned location where the coiled tubing is substantially center between traction units within the injector. The controller may, for example, include an input for an absolute or relative position of the coiled tubing and may have or include a stored relative dimension relating the position of the tubing to the position of the guide mount. As such, the controller may be able to adjust the guide mount to a position in order to locate the tubing at a desired location.
The sensors 134 may include visual sensors, position sensors, load sensors, motor feedback devices, or other sensors. The sensors may be adapted to sense the position of the coiled tubing passing through the injector and may be adapted to sense the position of the guide mount on the frame of the injector. It is to be appreciate that the positive mechanical connection between the drive mechanism and the guide mount may allow for reliance on motor feedback sensors to adjust the positions based on the assumption that a particular travel of the motor may cause a corresponding travel of the guide mount. Accordingly, the sensors may provide feedback to the user allowing for the system to be constantly calibrated to verify and control the stored relative position of the tubing and the guide mount. Still further, the sensors may provide continual, periodic, or selected feedback of the position of the coiled tubing passing through the injector.
In operation and use, and as shown in
Referring now to
While a motorized worm gear has been shown as a drive mechanism and while the remotely controlled drive mechanism has been shown to be arranged on a front side of the guide mount, alternative approaches may be used. For example, the drive mechanism may be arranged on a rear side of the guide mount similar to the manual system and alterative drive mechanisms may be used.
One example of an alternative drive mechanism may include a hydraulic cylinder system to control the position of the guide mount. As shown in
Another example of an alternative drive mechanism 1114 is shown in
In still another embodiment, as shown in
Still another embodiment is shown in
Still other types of drive mechanisms may be used and may be arranged on the front or rear of the guide mount.
As used herein, the terms “substantially” or “generally” refer to the complete or nearly complete extent or degree of an action, characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or result. For example, an object that is “substantially” or “generally” enclosed would mean that the object is either completely enclosed or nearly completely enclosed. The exact allowable degree of deviation from absolute completeness may in some cases depend on the specific context. However, generally speaking, the nearness of completion will be so as to have generally the same overall result as if absolute and total completion were obtained. The use of “substantially” or “generally” is equally applicable when used in a negative connotation to refer to the complete or near complete lack of an action, characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or result. For example, an element, combination, embodiment, or composition that is “substantially free of” or “generally free of” an element may still actually contain such element as long as there is generally no significant effect thereof.
In the foregoing description various embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented for the purpose of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The various embodiments were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principals of the disclosure and their practical application, and to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the present disclosure as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.
The present application is a U.S. National Stage Filing under 35 U.S.C. 371 from International Application No. PCT/US2019/051443, filed Sep. 17, 2019, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 62/732,292 filed on Sep. 17, 2018 and entitled Injector Remote Tubing Guide Alignment Device, the content of each for which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US2019/051443 | 9/17/2019 | WO |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2020/060998 | 3/26/2020 | WO | A |
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