Patent Application
20100080670
This invention pertains to apparatus for handling pipe and pipe strings in well drilling and servicing processes, including connection of pipe sections to pipe strings suspended in wells.
During drilling and casing of wells, a pipe string is assembled by adding stands of pipe, consisting of one or a plurality of pipe sections, to pipe strings. The pipe strings extend through the drilling floor rotary opening and continue downward into existing well bores. The pipe string being assembled may be drill strings or casing strings, and occasionally other tubular strings.
The rate of the pipe string assembly is part of the well drilling time involvement and can amount to many hours of total well producing time involved. Cost reduction, involves time reduction in pipe string assembly.
Well production time, in terms of drilling rate, has been addressed with great earnest for many years. Pipe string assembly rate has about the same cost effectiveness as drilling rate. This invention addresses the reduction of costs, and does so within the safety concerns common to well bore production and production expected of completed wells.
For safety reasons, the use of personnel in contact with tubulars during pipe string assembly on the derrick floor is being minimized. Full mechanization of such activities on the derrick floor is not always possible but every effort to limit the contact between the more dangerous activities and people is worthwhile.
Offshore drilling rigs are usually massively complex and costly and the addition of machinery approaching automatic functions is not an expense that is a large percentage of the overall costs. On smaller on-shore rigs, the complex machinery is not readily adaptable and the reduction of contact between men and machinery is approached with simpler apparatus such as the present invention.
An elevator is modified to accept swing arms and related manipulating gear. The preferred elevator has a mounting ring on the lower face to accept a pipe guide. The pipe guide is replaced by a mounting base which is secured to the mounting ring. The mounting base has a lower mounting ring to which the pipe guide can be attached.
To prevent destructive loads on the elevator mounting ring, the mounting base is provided with security structure that engages the elevator elsewhere on its structure.
In the preferred configuration, the mounting base has a pivot axle extending horizontally from opposite sides of the elevator to support a swing arm assembly to support a single section elevator. Optionally, the pivot axle may comprise the rotor of a motor.
In one configuration, an actuator mounting bracket is attached to each pivot axle and extends upward to support tilt cylinders. An upper swing arm is attached to the pivot axle to pivot about a horizontal axis and is situated to be tilted by the tilt cylinders. The upper swing arm carries a lower swing arm which is arranged to carry a single section elevator. The lower swing arm is attached to the upper swing arm by extension riders which allow limited swing arm extension and may compensate for thread make-up. Extension of the swing arm is controlled by a linear motor, or cylinder, that is, preferably, fluid powered.
The swing arm arrangement allows the single section elevator to be swung from the well axis to pick up a pipe section that extends toward the well axis. When the single section is lifted, it can swing to be aligned with the well axis to position it for make-up on the pipe string standing in a spider.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of this specification, including the attached claims and appended drawings.
In the formal drawings, wherein like features have like captions,
In the presented formal drawings, some features having no bearing upon points of novelty and are well known to those skilled in the art of machine construction are omitted in the interest of descriptive clarity. Some omitted features may be such as weld lines, threads, fasteners, and the like.
The overall drilling rig assembly, being well established in the art, is not shown. A traveling block and spider is considered to be generally essential to pipe handling, is in the art, and is not shown.
No fluid power circuitry for management of the cylinders 7, 11, and 27 is shown. Such features are well established in the art, and may vary in accordance with available gear normally on rigs, or are devised to suit the intended rig requirements.
Fluid powered cylinders are described for convenience but may be replaced by any suitable form of motors, linear or rotary. Such arrangements are anticipated by and are within the scope of the claims. Fluid power may be liquid or gas, and may include gas for power and liquid for damping and control functions.
During the make-up of the pipe threads, the compensator cylinders 7 allow the single string elevator 9 to move downward to accept the changing vertical position of the upper pipe section during the run of the threads.
An elevator normally has slips and dies situated for actuation to grip pipe that extends through the central opening of the elevator. Elevator 1, or an equivalent, may be used without slips, dies, or actuating gear to serve a purpose that requires no such features. The elevator 1 should be construed in that light.
A single section elevator is a common definition of an elevator usually used to manipulate single sections. A plurality of sections comprising a stand may be manipulated by that elevator.
Features of the apparatus of this invention are powered. The type of power, and its control, will be governed by the equipment already on the users rig. Hydraulic power is usually present and preferred. The control of the power used by the present invention will likely be combined with controls to related apparatus such as spiders. Such controls are usually off-the-shelf but their arrangement is usually unique on any particular rig. Such control rigging is well within the capability of those skilled in the related art. To avoid complicating the descriptive matter, the circuitry is not shown.
Linear motors shown in the drawings are not limiting factors. Linear motors may be rotary motors with associated screws, electric or fluid powered, for instance, and are well known in the art of machine design and construction. The tilt and extension needs, likewise, can be met with common spur gears and mating gears or racks. Such arrangements, and other equivalents, are well known in the art and, herein, are considered equivalent to linear motors.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth, together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the apparatus.
It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.
As many possible embodiments may be made of the apparatus of this invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
