Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B19/00—Handling rods, casings, tubes or the like outside the borehole, e.g. in the derrick; Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables
  • E21B19/14—Racks, ramps, troughs or bins, for holding the lengths of rod singly or connected; Handling between storage place and borehole
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B19/00—Handling rods, casings, tubes or the like outside the borehole, e.g. in the derrick; Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables
  • E21B19/16—Connecting or disconnecting pipe couplings or joints
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B17/00—Drilling rods or pipes; Flexible drill strings; Kellies; Drill collars; Sucker rods; Cables; Casings; Tubings
  • E21B17/10—Wear protectors; Centralising devices, e.g. stabilisers
  • E21B17/1078—Stabilisers or centralisers for casing, tubing or drill pipes
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B19/00—Handling rods, casings, tubes or the like outside the borehole, e.g. in the derrick; Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables
  • E21B19/16—Connecting or disconnecting pipe couplings or joints
  • E21B19/165—Control or monitoring arrangements therefor

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device and a system for positioning drill pipe making up and breaking out equipment.
• Drill pipe is run down the wellbore for the purposes of drilling and performing wellbore operations.
• Drill pipe is made up by connecting multiple threaded drill pipe sections together and feeding them into the wellbore.
• a variety of equipment may be used to make up drill pipe sections including power tongs and mechanical roughnecks. Power tongs are also used in making up casing strings or tubular sections, and mechanical roughnecks are most commonly used to make up drill pipe.
• Positioners are typically used for this purpose.
• a positioner must be able to move both vertically and horizontally, supporting the weight of the make up equipment, while being fully supported on the rig floor.
• positioners are made up of multiple pairs of parallel arms, numerous linking plates and segments and multiple actuators that work together in a complex manner to move the make up equipment into position around the drill string.
• further vertical positioning is required once the positioner is extended horizontally towards a piping string.
• a device for positioning drill pipe make up or break out equipment on a rig floor.
• the device comprises a forward arm connectable at a first end to the drill pipe make up or break out equipment, an upper rearward arm and a lower rearward arm, pivotably connectable between the forward arm and a column, said lower rearward arm further being axially movable along said column.
• the device further comprises means for maintaining the upper rearward arm in parallel relationship with the lower rearward arm and means for axially moving said lower rearward arm. Axial movement of said lower rearward arm acts to extend or retract said forward arm and said make up or break out equipment, while maintaining a constant axial position of the make up or break out equipment.
• a method for positioning drill pipe make up or break out equipment comprises the steps of connecting the make up or break out equipment to a first end of a forward arm of a positioning device and horizontally extending or retracting said forward arm while maintaining a constant vertical position of the equipment.
• Figure 1 is perspective view of one embodiment of the present positioning device in a retracted position
• Figure 2 is perspective view of one embodiment of the present positioning device in an extended position
• Figure 3 is a schematic diagram depicting the present positioner in a retracted position
• Figure 4 is a schematic diagram depicting the present positioner in an extended position
• Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of one method of the present invention.
• the present invention relates to a device and system for positioning drill pipe or tubular make up and break out equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to a positioner for a mechanical roughneck, power tong or similar equipment.
• the positioning device of present invention can be extended towards a pipe string or retracted therefrom without altering its axial position relative the pipe string. The present positioning device does not require axial position adjustment subsequent to being extended or retracted.
• FIG. 1 An example of a positioner of the present invention is shown in Figures 1 and 2.
• Figure 1 depicts the positioner in a retracted position
• Figure 2 depicts the positioner in an extended position.
• the positioner 2 comprises a column 4 that is directly or indirectly connected into the rig floor 6.
• a column guide 8 travels axially along the column 4 to set the vertical position of the positioner 2, as required to position the make up equipment for the make up or break up operation to be conducted.
• An optional lift cylinder 10 preferably actuates movement of the column guide 8.
• the column guide 8 may be axially moved by manual means or by use of a separate lifting device.
• the positioner preferably comprises a single forward arm 12 and a two-part reward arm 14. (I don't see #14 called out on any of your drawings?? OK 14 is 16 and 18 together)
• the reward arm 14 is preferably made up of an upper arm 16 and lower arm 18.
• the forward arm is connectable at a first end 20 to a make up and break out tool.
• the first end 20 may connect to the make up and break out tool in any number of ways and it is also possible for the second end 20 to be fitted with different connectors to allow a single positioning device to connect to a variety of tools by a variety of means.
• a second end 22 of the forward arm is pivotably connected to a first upper arm end 24.
• a first lower arm end 26 further pivotably connects to the forward arm 12 at a point spaced in from the second end 22.
• the upper arm 16 is pivotably connected at a second upper arm end 28 to the column guide 8.
• the lower arm 18 is further connected at a second lower arm end 30 to the column guide 8 in an arrangement that allows both pivotal and axial movement of the second lower arm end 30 relative to the column guide 8.
• Axial movement of the second lower arm end 30 is preferably actuated by an extend cylinder 32, although it may also be manually moved or moved by means of an external tool or equipment.
• the pivotable connection of the second lower arm end is received in an elongated slot 36 formed on the column guide 8, and moves axial within said slot 36.
• a rigid link 34 pivotably connects the second upper arm end 28 to the lower arm 18 at a point spaced inward to the second lower arm end 30.
• the length of the rigid link 34 is similar to the spacing between the second upper arm end 28 connection and the second lower arm end 30 connection to thereby form a parallelogram between the upper arm 16, the lower arm 18, the rigid link 34 and the rearward arm connections to the forward arm 12.
• the second lower arm end 30 is at its lowest axial position. This is preferably effected by retracting the extend cylinder 32. Rigid link 34 is in turn pulled down into a nearly vertical position and in parallel, pivotal connections of the upper arm 16 and lower arm 18 to the forward arm 12 are approximately axially aligned, thereby retracting the forward arm in towards the column 4.
• the second lower arm end 30 is moved axially upwardly along the column guide.
• the movement is preferably actuated by the extend cylinder 32.
• Axial movement of the second lower arm end 30 pushes rigid link 34 outwardly away from the column 4 thereby widening the space between parallel upper arm 16 and lower arm 18.
• the pivotal connection point of the first lower arm end 26 is axially extended beyond the pivotal connection point of the first upper arm end 24, to thereby extend the forward arm 12 axially away from the column 4.
• forward arm 12 extends from a retracted position to an extended position, it maintains a constant axial height. This advantageously allows for axial positioning of the positioning device 2 to be set only once, preferably by means of the lift cylinder 10, without requiring further height adjustment to compensate for axial movement during extension.
• the lift cylinder 10 and extend cylinder 32 can be actuated hydraulically or pneumatically.
• the lift cylinder 10 and extend cylinder 32 may be controlled by a local control system located at the rig floor 6, or by a remote control system. Alternatively, the control system may be mounted to a movable console that can be moved around the rig floor 6.
• the column 4 may be directly mounted into the rig floor 6, or via a flange at the base of the column 4 and thereby bolted directly to the rig floor 6, or alternatively on a movable device to position the column 4 in numerous locations on the rig floor 6.
• the column 4 is depicted in the figures as preferably having a rectilinear shape and column guide 8 is shown as a rectilinear frame around said column4.
• column guide 8 is shown as a rectilinear frame around said column4.
• a number of other shapes for the column 4 such as for example cylindrical, angular or conical and corresponding shapes for the column guide 8 are all possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.
• the rigid link 34 is depicted as a rigid strip, although it could also take the form of a rigid rod with pivot points at either end, or a rigid plate of any shape having pivot points spaced equidistant to the spacing of first upper arm end 24 and first lower arm end 26 connections.
• the present invention allows for horizontal extension of a positioning device to position a make up or break out tool, while maintaining the tool's vertical position relative to a drill pipe or casing string to be engaged.
• the present invention also provides a positioning device with minimal arms, linkages and without the need for gears to synchronize movement between the arms. This simplifies operation of the positioning device, as well as on-site maintenance.
• the present device is also less expensive to manufacture and less weight to transport.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Geology (AREA)
• Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
• Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
• General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
• Earth Drilling (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (4)

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Citations (4)

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• 2013
  • 2013-04-18 WO PCT/CA2013/000377 patent/WO2013159187A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2013-04-18 US US14/391,070 patent/US20150075814A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2013-04-18 EP EP13780789.7A patent/EP2841682A1/fr not_active Withdrawn
  • 2013-04-18 CA CA2869570A patent/CA2869570A1/fr not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (4)

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