Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: PIVOTING PIPE HANDLER FOR TENDER ASSISTED DRILLING RIGS
INVENTOR: Andrew Virgil Gerber
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS:
[001] This application claims priority of U.S. provisional patent application
serial no.
61/328,425 filed April 27, 2010.
TECHNICAL FIELD:
[002] The present disclosure is related to the field of pipe handlers, in
particular, pipe
handlers for tender assisted drilling rigs.
BACKGROUND:
[003] It is known to use pipe handlers on land-based drilling rigs. The pipe
handler
described in US patent application 2006/0285941 is a land rig type handler and
shows
the use of a pipe carrier to extend over the drill rig floor to deliver and
receive tubulars
or sections of drill pipe to the well bore, however, the system in whole is
designed for a
land rig, and is not suitable for use on a tender assisted drilling rig
("TAD"); it is
designed to be loaded from horizontal pipe racks instead of from a high-line.
[004] There are other similar systems to US 2006/0285941 available
commercially,
which are also designed to be loaded in the same fashion. The pipe handler
described
in US Patent No. 7228919, and in US application no. 2007/0240884 has a
stationary
horizontal V-door with a pivotally mounted section designed to deliver single
tubulars
vertically to a stand building device. It is not adapted to deliver tubulars
horizontally
over the drill rig floor by mechanical means to the pick-up elevators. It also
does not
pivot to receive a bundle of multiple tubulars from the high-line at an
inclined angle.
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[005] US application no. 2009/0136326 describes a system that can move
tubulars
directly from the tender vessel to the vertical orientation in the mast of the
drilling rig
derrick directly in line with the well bore. This system bypasses the V-door
entirely in its
movement and operation, however, since by design it can only move a single
tubular at
a time between the tubular storage location on the tender vessel and the rig,
it directly
links the horizontal pipe handling to the critical path of rig operations when
running in or
pulling pipe out of the well bore. It does not have the tubular storage or
staging
capability of a V-door that allows rig operations to be not critically
dependent on the
horizontal tubular movement operations to or from the tender vessel.
[006] It is, therefore, desirable to provide a pipe handler that overcomes the
shortcomings in the prior art for use on tender assisted drilling rigs.
SUMMARY:
[007] A pivoting pipe handler for tender assisted drilling rigs is provided.
In one
embodiment, the pipe handler can comprise an entire V-door that is pivotally
mounted,
powered and controlled by electromechanical means whereby the V-door can be
inclined at a predetermined angle to receive bundles of tubulars from a high-
line
mechanism that transports the tubulars from a tender vessel to the pipe
handler. The
V-door can then rotate upwards to a substantially horizontal position to
facilitate a safer
orientation and position for the manual work in disconnecting and unbundled
the tubular
payload. The V-door angle can be adjusted for optimal delivery and retrieval
of tubulars
to the pick up elevators at the well bore. In another embodiment, the V-door
can
comprise a pipe carrier, which can be powered to cantilever over the drill rig
floor to the
optimal working position for latching or unlatching the pick up elevators on
the tubulars.
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In another embodiment, the V-door can comprise pipe handling devices that can
push
the tubulars off of the pipe carrier, or at one at a time onto the carrier to
facilitate pick up
and lay down operations. All of the devices can be electrically powered and
controlled
from a remote operator station at a safe vantage point. The V-door can also
comprise a
walkway along its length to provide an operator with a safe walking space when
performing the manual functions connecting or disconnecting the tubular
payload from
the high-line.
[008] In some embodiments, a pipe handler is provided for a tender assisted
drilling rig
comprising an elevated drilling rig floor and an adjacent lower platform, the
pipe handler
comprising: a main support structure having upper and lower ends, the upper
end
configured to operatively coupled to the drilling rig near the drilling rig
floor, the lower
end configured to operatively couple to the lower platform wherein the main
support
structure is disposed at an incline thereto; a V-door operatively coupled to
the main
support structure, the V-door comprising an upper end pivotally attached to
the upper
end of the main support structure; means for elevating the lower end of the V-
door
operatively disposed between the main support structure and the V-door; and a
pipe
carrier slidably disposed on the V-door, the pipe carrier configured to extend
from a
seated position to an extended position that places the pipe carrier nearer
the drilling rig
floor.
[009] In some embodiments, a method is provided for handling tubulars on a
tender
assisted drilling rig comprising an elevated drilling rig floor and an
adjacent lower
platform, the method comprising the steps of: providing the pipe handler of
claim 1
disposed between the drilling rig floor and the lower platform; delivering a
plurality of
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tubulars to the pipe handler from a tender vessel using a high-line mechanism
and
placing the tubulars in a storage area on a V-door disposed on the pipe
handler; moving
the V-door to a substantially horizontal position relative to the drilling rig
floor; indexing
one tubular onto a pipe carrier slidably disposed on the V-door; extending the
pipe
carrier towards the drilling rig floor; and pushing the tubular along the pipe
carrier further
towards the drilling rig floor with a skate slidably disposed on the pipe
carrier wherein
the tubular can be presented for connection with a drill string.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
[0010] Figure 1 is a side elevation view depicting a drilling rig with a pipe
handler and a
high-line mechanism for delivering tubulars to the pipe handler.
[0011] Figure 2 is a perspective view depicting the pipe handler of Figure 1
with its V-
door in a horizontal position.
[0012] Figure 3 is a side elevation view depicting the piper handler of Figure
1.
[0013] Figure 4 is a side elevation view depicting the piper handler of Figure
3 with its V-
door in a horizontal position.
[0014] Figure 5 is a side elevation view depicting the piper handler of Figure
4 with its V-
door in a horizontal position and its pipe carrier extended towards the
drilling rig floor.
[0015] Figure 6 is a top plan view depicting the piper handler of Figure 4.
[0016] Figure 7 is an end elevation view depicting the V-door of the pipe
handler of
Figure 6.
[0017] Figure 8 is an end elevation view depicting a tubular being ejected
from the pipe
carrier of the V-door of Figure 7.
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[0018] Figure 9 is an end elevation view depicting an indexer moving a tubular
onto the
pipe carrier of the V-door of Figure 7.
[0019] Figure 10 is a perspective view depicting alternate embodiments of the
kicker of
Figure 8 and the indexer of Figure 9.
[0020] Figure 11 is an end elevation cross-section view depicting the kicker
of Figure 10
ejecting a tubular from the trough of the pipe carrier.
[0021] Figure 12 is an end elevation cross-section view depicting the kicker
of Figure 10
retracted.
[0022] Figure 13 is an end elevation cross-section view depicting the indexer
of Figure
indexing a tubular into the trough of the pipe carrier.
[0023] Figure 14 is a perspective bottom view depicting the pipe carrier
mechanism of
the V-door of Figure 7.
[0024] Figure 15 is a perspective top cut-away view depicting the skate
mechanism of
the V-door of Figure 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0025] A pivoting pipe handler for tender assisted drilling rigs is provided.
Referring to
Figure 1, pivoting pipe handler 25 is shown disposed on drilling rig 30 at an
incline
between drilling rig floor 32 and lower platform 36. In this illustration,
tubulars 34 are
being delivered to pipe handler 25 from a tender (not shown) using high-line
mechanism
13, which is a well-known mechanism to those skilled in the art.
[0026] Referring to Figure 2, one embodiment of pipe handler 25 is shown with
V-door 2
in a horizontal position. In this embodiment, pipe handler 25 can comprise
main support
structure 1 further comprising V-door 2 pivotally attached to the upper end of
main
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support structure 1. Lower end 38 of V-door 2 can be raised with an elevating
mechanism or means for elevating lower end 38. In some embodiments, the
elevating
mechanism can comprise lift arm 7 pivotally attaching at an upper end thereof
to V-door
2, and a lower end thereof slidably disposed on main support structure 1, as
well known
to those skilled in the art. In some embodiments, the lower end of lift arm 7
can be
slidably disposed in roller channels 14 disposed on main support structure 1.
In this
embodiment, lift arm 7 can comprise horizontal crosshead 9 having rollers
disposed in
roller channels 14. Crosshead 9 can further comprise roller screw nut disposed
thereon
for receiving roller screw 6 that, in turn, is operatively coupled to motor 10
disposed at a
lower end of main support structure 1. When motor 10 operates, roller screw 6
can turn
clockwise or counter-clockwise, depending on whether lower end 38 of V-door 2
is to be
raised or lowered. When lower end 38 is to be raised, motor 10 is operated to
turn roller
screw 6 in the direction that causes the lower end of lift arm 7 to move
upwards in roller
channels 14. In so doing, the upper end of lift arm 7 raises causing lower end
38 of V-
door 2 to pivot upwards until V-door 2 is in a substantially horizontal
position. To lower
V-door 2, motor 10 is operated in the opposite direction to cause the lower
end of lift
arm 7 to move downwards along roller channels 14 until V-door 2 is seated
within main
support structure 1. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that other
suitable and
equivalent mechanism can be used to elevate and lower lower end 38 of V-door
2.
[0027] In other embodiments, motor 10 can be operated with reducer 12 to lower
the
rotational speed of motor 10, which can also have the effect of increasing the
torque
applied to roller screw 6 by motor 10. Couplers 11 can also be used to couple
motor 10
to reducer 12, and to couple reducer 12 to roller screw 6.
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[0028] In this illustrated embodiment, the lower end of main support structure
1 can be
coupled to lower platform 36 with coupling tabs 21. In other embodiments, pipe
handler
25 can comprise stairwell 16 to allow personnel to move between drilling rig
floor 32 and
lower platform 36. Pipe handler 25 can also comprise walkway 15 disposed on V-
door
to allow personnel to move along V-door 2 when it is in a substantially
horizontal
position.
[0029] In this illustrated embodiment, V-door 2 can further comprise pipe
carrier 3 that
can be slidably disposed on V-door 2 such that it can slidably extend from V-
door 2
towards drilling rig floor 32. In other embodiments pipe carrier 3 can also
comprise
skate 4 slidably disposed thereon. Skate 4 can further slide along pipe
carrier 3. V-
door 2 can also comprise pipe indexers 5 that can move or "index" tubulars
from
storage area 40 on V-door 2 onto pipe carrier 3. In some embodiments, V-door 2
can
comprise two or more pipe indexers 5 disposed on the off-driller side of V-
door 2. In
some embodiments, V-door 2 can further comprise two or more kicker mechanisms
44
disposed on the on-driller side of V-door 2.
[0030] Referring to Figure 3, V-door 2 of pipe handler 25 is shown in an
inclined
position. Referring to Figure 4, V-door 2 has been elevated by lift arm 7 so
that V-door
2 is now in a substantially horizontal position. Referring to Figure 5, pipe
carrier 3 has
been extended from V-door 2 towards drilling rig floor 32.
[0031] Referring to Figure 6, a top view of pipe handler 25 is shown. In this
figure, V-
door 2 is in a substantially horizontal position with tubular 34 positioned on
pipe carrier
3, which is shown in a retracted position on V-door 2. A plurality of tubulars
34 are also
shown in storage area 40.
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[0032] Referring to Figure 7, a tubular 34 is shown sifting on elongate
indentation 20
disposed on the top surface of pipe carrier 3. A plurality of tubulars 34 are
also shown
sitting on inclined surface 19 of storage area 40 of V-door 2.
[0033] In one embodiment, a tubular can be ejected from the pipe carrier.
Referring to
Figure 8, a tubular 34 is shown being ejected from pipe carrier 3 onto
inclined surface
19 by pipe kicker arm 17 that can be extended from kicker mechanism 44. Kicker
arm
17 can further comprise kicker roller 22 that can roll on top of pipe carrier
3. In another
embodiment, kicker arm 17 can pivot about pivot point 23.
[0034] In another embodiment, a tubular can be indexed onto the pipe carrier.
Referring
to Figure 9, a tubular 34 is pushed, or "indexed", onto trough 20 disposed on
pipe
carrier 3 by pipe indexer 5 pushing tubulars 34 up inclined surface 19 until a
tubular 34
is seated in trough 20 on pipe carrier 3.
[0035] In operation, and referring to Figures 1 to 9, tubulars 34 can be
delivered to pipe
handler 25 from a tender vessel (not shown) using high-line mechanism 13.
Tubulars
34 delivered to pipe handler 25 can be placed in storage area 40 of V-door 2.
Tubulars
34 can then be presented to drilling rig floor 32 by raising V-door 2 to a
substantially
horizontal position, indexing a tubular 34 onto pipe carrier 3 with pipe
indexer 5,
extending pipe carrier 3 towards drilling rig floor 32 and pushing tubular 34
along pipe
carrier 3 with skate 4 further towards drilling rig floor 32 so that the
tubular 34 can be
tripped into the drill string as well known to those skilled in the art. This
operation can
be reversed to trip tubulars 34 out of the drill string by placing tubulars 34
on extended
pipe carrier 3, retracting pipe carrier 3 into V-door 2 and ejecting tubulars
34 off of pipe
carrier 3 with kicker 17 towards storage area 40. Lower end 38 of V-door 2 can
then be
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lowered to the inclined position so that tubulars 38 can be delivered to the
tender vessel
using high-line mechanism 13.
[0036] Referring to Figures 10 to 13, alternate embodiments of indexer 5 and
kicker
mechanism 44 are shown. In some embodiments, kicker mechanism 44 can comprise
kicker arm 17 operatively coupled to attachment plate 60 that can extend
through slot
61 and attach or clamp to drive belt 54. In some embodiments, kicker arm 17
can
comprise two rollers 22: one rotatably disposed on kicker arm 17 itself and
one rotatably
disposed on pivoting arm 74 pivotally attached to kicker arm 17. Kicker arm 17
can
further comprise guide block 70 slidably disposed on guide shaft or rail 66
wherein
kicker arm 17 can extend from and retract into kicker mechanism 44 as guide
block 70
moves along guide shaft or rail 66. Kicker drive belt 54 can pass over idler
pulleys 58
and be driven by drive pulley 56. Drive pulley 56 can be operated by kicker
drive motor
62, as shown in Figures 11 to 13. As kicker drive belt 54 is moved clockwise
or counter
clockwise by motor 62 operating drive pulley 56, kicker arm 17 can be extended
from or
retracted into kicker mechanism 44, respectively. Referring to Figure 11,
kicker arm 17
is shown being extended from kicker mechanism 44 to push tubular 34 from
trough 20
onto inclined surface 19. Referring to Figure 12, kicker arm 17 has been
retracted into
kicker mechanism 44 and tubular 34 is disposed on inclined surface 19.
[0037] In some embodiments, indexer 5 can comprise push block 46 operatively
coupled to attachment plate 51 that can extend through slot 49 and attach or
clamp to
drive belt 48. In some embodiments, push block 46 can extend through slot 45.
Push
block 46 can further comprise guide block 72 slidably disposed on guide shaft
or rail 68
wherein push block 46 can move along inclined surface 19 as guide block 72
moves
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along guide shaft or rail 68. Indexer drive belt 48 can pass over idler
pulleys 52 and be
driven by drive pulley 50. Drive pulley 50 can be operated by indexer drive
motor 64, as
shown in Figures 11 to 13. As indexer drive belt 48 is moved counter clockwise
or
clockwise by motor 64 operating drive pulley 50, push block 46 can be moved
towards
or from trough 20, respectively. Referring to Figure 13, push block 46 is
illustrated
pushing tubular 34 up inclined surface 19 towards trough 20 wherein tubular 34
can be
pushed or "indexed" into trough 20. In some embodiments, indexer 5 and kicker
mechanism 44 can comprise some or all of the elements of the indexer/kicker
disclosed
in International Patent Application No. PCT/CA2010/001186 having International
Publication Number WO 2011/011887 Al, which was published on 3 February 2011.
[0038] Referring to Figure 14, an embodiment of the mechanism that can be used
for
operating pipe carrier 3 is illustrated. In some embodiments, pipe carrier 3
can
comprise a chain or belt and pulley system to extend and retract pipe carrier
3 within V-
door 2. In some embodiments, pipe carrier 3 can comprise guide rails 78 that
can travel
along guide slots 80. In further embodiments, pipe carrier 3 can comprise
slider pads
82 disposed underneath thereunder that can slide along the frame of V-door 2.
Slider
pads 82 can be comprised of a low-friction material as well known to those
skilled in the
art, such as Teflon, high-density polyethylene plastic or any other functional
equivalent
material. To move pipe carrier 3 within V-door 2, pipe carrier 3 can comprise
chain 94
anchored at front anchor point 88 and rear anchor point 96. Chain 94 can pass
over
idler sprockets 84 and drive sprocket 86. Gear motor 92, operatively attached
to gear
motor mount 90 disposed underneath V-door 2 can rotate drive sprocket 86 to
move
pipe carrier 3 in and out of V-door 2. In other embodiments, a belt or wire
rope or other
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functionally equivalent mechanism as well known to those skilled in the art
can be
substituted for chain 94. In some embodiments, pipe carrier 3 can further
comprise pipe
roller 76 rotatably attached thereto to allow pipe or tubulars to move on and
off of pipe
carrier 3.
[0039] Referring to Figure 15, one embodiment of the mechanism that can be
used for
operating skate 4 on pipe carrier 3 is illustrated. In some embodiments, the
operating
mechanism for skate 4 can comprise gear motor 108 operatively disposed within
pipe
carrier 3. Gear motor 108 can rotate drive sprocket 106 that can, in turn,
rotate drum
sprocket 102 and capstan drum 100 via chain 104. Capstan drum 100 can reel in
and
out wire rope 110 that can pass over idler sheave 98 disposed near pipe roller
76, and
can further pass over idler sheave and tensioner 112 and attach to skate
rudder 116 via
open spelter sockets 114 disposed thereon. Upon operation of gear motor 108,
wire
rope 110 can pull skate 4 along skate slot 118 disposed on trough 20 to push
pipe or
tubulars along pipe carrier 3.
[0040] While the illustrated embodiments of kicker mechanism 44 and indexer 5
can
comprise belts and pulleys, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that
belts 48 and 54,
and pulleys 50, 52, 56 and 58, can be replaced with functional equivalents.
These
equivalents can comprise chains and sprockets, cables and pulleys,
intermeshing
gears, rack and pinion gears or any combinations thereof. The operating
mechanisms
of pipe carrier 3 and skate 4 can also be suitably substituted with such
functionally
equivalent mechanisms as listed above. It is also obvious to those skilled in
the art that
motors 62, 64, 92 and 108 can be electric motors of any applicable variant,
such as AC
fixed frequency motors, AC variable frequency motors, DC motors, stepper
motors or
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any other functionally equivalent motor including, but not limited to,
hydraulic motors or
pneumatic motors. In some embodiments, one or more of motors 62, 64, 92 and
108
can comprise a transmission or gear reducer to reduce or step down the
rotation speed
of the motors, respectively. In some embodiments, motors 62, 64, 92 and 108
can
comprise internal or external transmissions or gear reducers that can comprise
worm
gear mechanisms, planetary gear mechanisms, intermeshing gear mechanisms, ring
and pinion gear mechanisms, any combinations thereof or any other functionally
equivalent mechanisms as known to those skilled in the art.
[0041] In some embodiments, the control and operation of one or more of kicker
mechanism 44, indexer 5 and the operating mechanisms of pipe carrier 3 and
skate 4
can further comprise operational controls (not shown) that can permit the
manual
operation of one or more kicker mechanisms 44 and/or indexers 5 in tandem to
move
kicker arm 17 in and out of kicker mechanism 44, to move push block 46 along
inclined
surface 19, to move pipe carrier 3 in and out of V-door 2 and to move skate 4
along
trough 20. If one or more of motors 62, 64, 92 and 108 comprise electric
motors, then
the controls can comprise an electrical control panel to control the operation
of the
motors as known to those skilled in the art. If one or more of motors 62, 64,
92 and 108
comprise hydraulic or pneumatic motors, then the controls can comprise
hydraulic or
pneumatic control systems as known to those skilled in the art. In some
embodiments,
one or more of kicker mechanism 44, indexer 5 and the operating mechanisms of
pipe
carrier 3 and skate 4 can further comprise at least one automated control
mechanism
(not shown), such as general purpose computers, programmable logic
controllers,
microprocessors, microcontrollers, hydraulic fluid control systems, pneumatic
control
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systems or other functionally equivalents systems as known to those skilled in
the art to
monitor, control and operate one or more of kicker mechanism 44, indexer 5 and
the
operating mechanisms of pipe carrier 3 and skate 4, singly or in tandem,
manually or as
part of an automated system.
[0042] In some embodiments, one or more of kicker mechanism 44, indexer 5 and
the
operating mechanisms of pipe carrier 3 and skate 4 can comprise one or more
position
sensors disposed thereon that can be operatively connected to a control
system, as
known to those skilled in the art (not shown), the sensors can be configured
to monitor
the position and movement of kicker arm 17, push block 46, pipe carrier 3 or
skate 4,
respectively, for use in the control and operation of kicker mechanism 44,
indexer 5,
pipe carrier 3 or skate 4. Suitable examples can include motion detectors or
rotary
encoders disposed thereon that can be monitored by a control system, or
disposed
within one or more of motors 62, 64, 92 and 108. Other examples can include
one or
more of electro-optical and magnetic components, as known to those skilled in
the art,
operatively connected to a control system.
[0043] Although a few embodiments have been shown and described, it will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications
might be
made without departing from the scope of the invention. The terms and
expressions
used in the preceding specification have been used herein as terms of
description and
not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and
expressions of
excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof,
it being
recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the
claims that
follow.
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