Patent Application
20130145723
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of drilling and processing of wells, and, more particularly, to a torque track system and method for assembling the torque track system.
In conventional oil and gas operations, a well is typically drilled to a desired depth with a drill string, which includes drillpipe, drill collars and a bottom hole drilling assembly. The drill string may be turned by a rotary table and kelly assembly or by a top drive. A top drive typically includes a quill, which is a short length of pipe that couples with the upper end of the drill string, and one or more motors configured to turn the quill. The top drive is typically suspended from a traveling block above the rig floor so that it may be raised and lowered throughout drilling operations.
The top drive is attached to a torque track system that extends from a bottom portion to a top portion of the derrick. The torque track system guides the top drive as it moves between the bottom and the top of the derrick, restrains the top drive from lateral movement, and transfers torsional loads from a drilling operation to the derrick. Assembling and disassembling a torque track system may present various challenges. For example, elongate track sections are assembled to form the torque track system. During assembly multiple track sections are connected to form the torque track system. Conversely, during disassembly the multiple track sections are disconnected. In certain configurations, the elongate track sections may be held together using pins or bolts. In such configurations, two elongate track sections may be placed together and one or more pins may be driven through apertures in the track sections to hold the sections together. A technician that drives the pins into the track sections, or removes the pins from the track sections, may be suspended in the air along various vertical positions of the drilling rig to drive or remove the pins. Further, the technician may access equipment while assembling or disassembling the torque track system. For example, the technician may access pins for insertion into the track sections, and various tools for driving and removing the pins. As may be appreciated, assembling or disassembling a torque track system in such a manner may be time consuming and difficult to perform. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide a more efficient and easier way to assemble and disassemble a torque track system.
Present embodiments are designed to respond to such a need. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a top drive torque track system for a drilling rig includes a first elongate track including a male end. The male end includes a pin housing and a movable locking pin that is capable of being biased by a biasing member to extend out of the pin housing and to extend laterally from the male end. The top drive torque track system also includes a second elongate track having a female end configured to mate with the male end. The female end includes a locking socket extending laterally within the female end. The locking socket is configured to receive the movable locking pin. The movable locking pin is configured to engage the locking socket to attach the first elongate track to the second elongate track when the male end of the first elongate track is inserted into the female end of the second elongate track. The first and second elongate tracks are configured to engage with a top drive to facilitate transport of the top drive
Present embodiments also provide a method for coordinating a top drive torque track system for a drilling rig. In one embodiment, the method includes coupling a male end of a first elongate track to a female end of a second elongate track. The female end of the second elongate track includes a hook and the male end of the first elongate track includes a fixed pin extending laterally from a pin housing of the male end. Coupling the male end of the first elongate track to the female end of the second elongate track includes coupling the hook of the female end with the fixed pin of the male end. The method also includes lifting the first elongate track using the hook of the female end of the second elongate track. The method includes positioning a movable locking pin extending laterally from the pin housing of the male end of the first elongate track to engage with a locking socket within the female end of the second track and to lock the first elongate track and the second elongate track together. The movable locking pin is biased by a biasing member.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an elongate torque track for a top drive torque track system for a drilling rig includes a male end having a pin housing and a movable locking pin that is capable of being biased by a biasing member to extend out of the pin housing and to extend laterally from the male end. The elongate torque track also includes a female end having a locking socket extending laterally within the female end. The locking socket is configured to receive a locking pin of a second elongate torque track to attach the elongate torque track to the second elongate torque track when the locking pin of the second elongate torque track is engaged with the female end of the elongate torque track. The movable locking pin is configured to engage a socket of a second elongate torque track to attach the elongate torque track to the second elongate torque track when the movable locking pin of the elongate torque track is engaged with the socket of the second elongate torque track.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
The present disclosure provides a novel top drive torque track system and methods for coordinating the top drive torque track system. As used herein, the term “coordinating” may refer to assembling, disassembling, or both. The presently disclosed techniques allow for elongate torque tracks to be coupled together without using separate or external pins to hold the elongate torque tracks together. As such, in one embodiment, a movable locking pin extends laterally out of one elongate torque track and is secured into a locking socket of an adjacent elongate torque track. The movable locking pin is essentially integral with an elongate torque track and designed to engage the locking socket of another torque track such that it locks the elongate torque tracks together when the elongate torque tracks are properly aligned. Further, the movable locking pin may be disengaged from the locking socket solely by moving the elongate torque tracks to different positions, as will be discussed in more detail below.
Turning now to the drawings,
To attach the torque track system 20 to the derrick 14, an adjustable hanging cluster 36 is coupled to the elongate torque track 22. The hanging cluster 36 is attached to a crown beam 38 (e.g., using a pad eye welded to the crown beam 38). The elongate torque track 34 at the bottom of the derrick 14 (i.e., the deflector section) is secured to the derrick 14 by fastening the torque track 34 to a T-bar 40. The T-bar 40 is fastened directly to the derrick 14 (e.g., such as by fastening the T-bar 40 to a torque anchor beam located at the bottom portion of the derrick 14). As will be appreciated, in other embodiments, the torque track system 20 may be coupled to the derrick 14 in other ways.
A top drive 42 is coupled to the torque track system 20 by a carriage assembly 44, which may be considered a component of the top drive 42. The carriage assembly 44 guides the top drive 42 along the torque track system 20 as the top drive 42 moves between the bottom and the top of the derrick 14. As will be appreciated, the torque track system 20 restrains the top drive 42 from lateral movement. The top drive 42 is suspended by a cable arrangement 46 which may be looped around the crown beam 38, or otherwise attached to the crown beam 38. Further, a drill string 48 is coupled to the top drive 42. The top drive 42 is used to rotate, raise, and lower the drill string 48, among other things. The drill string 48 passes through the elevated rig floor 12 into the ground 16 (e.g., into a wellbore).
It should be noted that the illustration of
According to the techniques described below, the torque track system 20 may be assembled and disassembled in an efficient manner, and in certain embodiments, without insertion of a separate or external pin by a technician, or the like. For example,
In certain embodiments, the elongate torque track 24 may be attached to the elongate torque track 26 as follows. The hook 76 of the female end 60 of the torque track 24 captures the fixed pin 78 of the male end 62 of the torque track 26. The torque track 24 is raised and, when sufficiently raised, the captured torque track 26 will be in a generally vertical position and aligned with the torque track 24. After the torque track 26 is in the vertical position, a technician applies a force through the opening 68 to the top internal pin 64 (e.g., using an external drive bar) to move the pin 64 out of the vertical channel 69. In certain embodiments, the technician may need to maintain a force on the top internal pin 64 to keep the pin 64 out of the vertical channel 69. In other embodiments, the internal pin 64 may include a locking feature to keep the pin 64 out of the vertical channel 69 without maintaining force against the internal pin 64. The female end 60 of the torque track 24 is lowered around the male end 62 of the torque track 26. This causes the fixed pin 78 of the male end 62 to move through the vertical channel 69. After the fixed pin 78 passes the bottom internal pin 70, the technician applies a force through the opening 72 to the bottom internal pin 70 to cause the bottom internal pin 70 to move into the vertical channel 69 toward the opening 74. This causes the bottom internal pin 70 to block the vertical channel 69 and to keep the fixed pin 78 from exiting the vertical channel 69. The fixed pin 78 is then lowered to rest on the bottom internal pin 70. The technician releases the force from the top internal pin 64 to allow the spring 66 to force the top internal pin 64 toward the opening 68 and capture the fixed pin 78 between the top internal pin 64 and the bottom internal pin 70, as shown in
As described in relation to
To attach the elongate torque track 24 to the elongate torque track 26, the male end 88 of the torque track 26 is inserted into the recess 92 of the female end 86 of the torque track 24. Specifically, the male end 88 may be inserted into the recess 92 at an angle so that the rounded edge 96 is inserted into the recess 92 while the movable locking pins 100 are not yet inserted into the recess 92. The openings 90 and 94 are aligned and a technician drives the pin 98 through the openings 90 and 94 to hold one side of the male end 88 and the female end 86 together.
As will be discussed in more detail below, in relation to
To attach the elongate torque track 24 to the elongate torque track 26, the hook of the female end 106 of the torque track 24 captures the fixed pin 114 of the male end 108 of the torque track 26, as illustrated in
To disconnect the torque track 24 from the torque track 26, the side of the male end 108 with the movable locking pins 100 is rotated toward the female end 106. This rotation causes the movable locking pins 100 to press against the edges of the locking sockets 112 and forces the movable locking pins 100 inward toward the pin housing 116 where the movable locking pins 100 stay retracted within the pin housing 116 when external force is no longer applied. Thus, the male end 108 may thereafter be rotated away from the female end 106 to return the torque tracks 24 and 26 to the position illustrated in
In such a configuration, the torque track system 20 may be efficiently assembled and disassembled. Further, a technician does not need to be physically located near the junctions of the torque tracks because the assembly and disassembly does not require a technician to insert, remove, or activate pins at the male and female ends of the torque tracks. Thus, time and money may be conserved by using such a torque track system 20.
To facilitate alternations between re-extending and remaining refracted, the slider 122 includes a number of peaks and valleys. For example, the slider 122 includes peak 134 and valley 136 on the side of the slider 122 adjacent to the extension 130. When force is applied to press the body portion 118 toward the spring, the extension 130 applies a force on the slider 122 as it moves between the peak 134 and the valley 136. On the other end of the slider 122, the extension 132 moves toward the peak 138 and crosses the peak 138 as the extension 130 reaches the valley 136. Thus, when force is released from the exposed end 124, the spring 120 exerts a force on the body portion 118 to press the body portion 118 out from the pin housing 116. As this occurs, the extension 132 does not resist the spring 120 force, but instead moves along the peak 138 until it reaches a valley 140, thereby rotating the slider 122 to a new position.
When a force is again applied to the exposed end 124 of the body portion 118, the extension 130 is moved along the slider 122 toward a valley 142. Conversely, the extension 132 moves from the valley 140 to an elongated peak 144. When the extension 132 reaches the elongated peak 144, the extension 132 will lock the body portion 118 against the spring 120, even when force is removed from the exposed end 124 of the body portion 118 and the extension 132 rests against the elongated peak 144. Thus, the movable locking pin 100 will remain in this retracted position until it is reset. After being reset, the movable locking pin 100 will repeat the same sequence. In certain embodiments, the movable locking pin 100 may be reset by pressing the exposed end 124 further within the pin housing 116 until the locking pin 100 is reset. As will be appreciated, in certain embodiments, the slider 122 may include the same pattern of peaks and valley on the side not shown.
With such a movable locking pin 100, the locking pin 100 may be pressed a first time and re-extend when released. However, when pressed a second time, the movable locking pin 100 will remain retracted within the pin housing 116. Therefore, such a movable locking pin 100 may be used in the torque track sections to facilitate assembly and disassembly without a technician accessing the junctions of the torque track sections. As such, the torque track system 20 may be assembled and disassembled efficiently.
While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.
