Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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GUIDED TELESCOPING SYSTEM FOR A SNUBBING OR DRILLING ASSEMBLY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a guided telescoping system for a snubbing or
drilling
assembly providing an integrated guiding and support structure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Snubbing is the act of putting drillpipe or other rigid tubing into a wellbore
when
pressure is contained in the well. Snubbing is necessary when tubing, with or
without
one or more tools on it, needs to be run into a live well which is at high
pressure.
There are two main forces that must be overcome in snubbing: the well pressure
and
the frictional resistance of the blow-out preventer (BOP) through which the
drillpipe or
tubing is being moved. These pressures can be extreme and will cause several
stresses
on the drillpipe or tubing as they are inserted into the well bore, including
axial stress
(compression or tensile), radial stress (burst and collapse), hoop (shear),
and torque
(rotational stress). For the safety of the site and workers, jackplate guides
or tubing
guides are used to help mitigate some of these extreme pressures experienced
by the
drillpipe or tubing. Current pipe guiding apparatuses in typical snubbing
units make use
of one or several telescoping tubes positioned between stationary and
traveling
snubbing slips.
In a typical snubbing operation, the drillstring or tubing string is made up
by connecting
multiple threaded drillpipe or tubing joints together and snubbing them into
the wellbore.
A typical snubbing assembly comprises a gin pole mast that is raised and
lowered to
pick up joints of tubing or drillpipe and position them for making up the
drillstring; a work
basket at the top of the snubbing assembly, supported on several work basket
support
beams that extend down to the rig floor; a rotary jackplate, travelling slips
and rotary
jackplate motor, a hydraulic assembly including hydraulic cylinders, guide
tubes, a set
of stationary slips near the rig floor, and a blowout preventer (BOP).
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A tong unit is typically also used with the snubbing unit, and is located in
the work
basket, either loose or mounted on a hinged arm that this clamped to a side of
the work
basket. In order to make up or break out a joint of tubing, the tong is
manually moved
and positioned around the tubing joint by an operator, then actuated to grip
and torque
the joint into or out of threading with a next joint. The moving, positioning
and operation
of the tong is a common problem area in snubbing operations, leading to either
injury of
operators or poor positioning leading to damage to the tubing joint during a
makeup or
break out attempt.
The rotary jackplate and travelling slips are typically supported and moved by
the
hydraulic cylinders. In this sense, in addition to extending and retracting to
lift and lower
the jackplate and travelling slips, the hydraulic cylinders must also provide
anti-rotation
resistance and support to the assembly. Hydraulic cylinders are limited to
certain load
limits that determine how much a cylinder can be extended or retracted in
operation,
depending on the loads needed to be supported and moved by the cylinders. As a
result of these additional rotational, torqueing and compressive forces on the
hydraulic
cylinders, hydraulic cylinders in snubbing units commonly reach their load
limits far
short of a full stroke length. Therefore multiple strokes are required to full
snub a length
of pipe into the well.
In some embodiments, to relieve some stress on the hydraulic cylinders,
additional
jackplate supports extending down to the rig floor are added to the assembly
to prevent
rotation of the jackplates and the snubbing assembly as the drillpipe is
threaded and
snubbed into the wellbore. The jackplate guide tubes reduce potential cylinder
damage
while rotational force is applied to the cylinder rods, but require additional
space and
assembly time.
Snubbing assemblies are traditionally assembled in a number of stages and
parts, due
to the number of components involved. Firstly the rotary jackplate and motor
are
connected to one another and then lifted and bolted onto the hydraulic
cylinders and/or
jackplate guiding tubes. The jackplate structure is next lifted and bolted
onto the
workbasket, which has been previously affixed to its working basket support
beams and
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to the gin pole mast. The tubing guide and hydraulic cylinders are affixed to
the work
basket as well.
Erecting snubbing assemblies is therefore time consuming and complex.
Transportation by truck requires at least two semi-trailers to carry all of
the equipment to
site and the number of steps needed for assembly requires multiple operators,
adding
cost and time to snubbing operations. Multiple components and multiple
assembly
personal also increase risks to workplace safety.
A number of attempts have been made to improve snubbing processes. US Patent
Application 20120006565 teaches pipe guide apparatus for guiding a pipe during
snubbing and includes a stationary pipe guide and a travelling pipe guide each
define a
pipe opening and has a flexibly resilient guide member having an opening with
a
diameter closely matching the outside diameter of the pipe being snubbed.
US Patent Application 20080053661 teaches a method of guiding tubing for
hydraulic
jacks that includes multiple guide plates attached to the hydraulic jack rods
and a lateral
support section to prevent buckling. US Patent 8,333,238 teaches a snubbing
unit
where the support frame comprises a work platform. The support frame consists
of top,
bottom and side plates with an opening for the tubing and is connected
directly to the
blow out preventer. US Patent 7,117,948 teaches a snubbing unit for running
and
retrieving a string of tubing into a well under pressure selectively operates
in a
standalone mode and a rig assist mode. The unit has a lower frame for mounting
during
the stand alone mode on a snubber blowout preventer. Stationary weight
supporting
slips and snubbing slips are carried by the lower frame during the stand alone
mode.
US Patent 5,115,861 describes a method to support tubing during snubbing where
there
are upper and lower horizontal beams which vertical support legs between the
beams.
US Patent Application 20130126186 teaches a method for a wellbore tubular
handling
system having support plates attached to the snubbing device.
However, there still remains a need for guided jackplate assemblies for
snubbing units
that are more fully supported and allow for longer snubbing stroke length.
There is also
a need to simplify assembly of snubbing systems to save time, labour and
costs, and to
make assembly safer.
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SUMMARY
A pipe guiding system is provided for use with a snubbing assembly. The system
comprises a work basket supported on one or more work basket supports; a
travelling
jackplate having travelling slips and supported on the one or more work basket
supports; one or more hydraulic cylinders and a tubing guide. The work basket
supports, travelling jackplate, travelling slips, one or more hydraulic
cylinders and tubing
guide form a singular, integral jackplate guiding unit.
A method is further provided for assembling a pipe guiding system. The method
comprises the steps of assembling a singular, jackplate guiding unit to a work
basket;
and assembling the work basket and the singular integral jackplate guiding
unit to a gin
pole mast, The jackplate guiding unit comprises one or more work basket
supports, a
travelling jackplate, one or more hydraulic cylinders and a tubing guide.
It is to be understood that other aspects of the present invention will become
readily
apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description,
wherein
various embodiments of the invention are shown and described by way of
illustration.
As will be realized, the invention is capable for other and different
embodiments and its
several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all
without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly the
drawings
and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not
as
restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A further, detailed, description of the invention, briefly described above,
will follow by
reference to the following drawings of specific embodiments of the invention.
The
drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore
not to be
considered limiting of its scope. In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of the present invention
in a
compact, transportation position;
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Figure 2 is a top perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention
in a
compact, transportation position;
Figure 3 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of the present with the
gin pole
extended and the jackplate at the workbasket;
Figure 4 is a top perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention
present
with the gin pole extended and the jackplate at the workbasket;
Figure 5 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of the present invention
with the
jackplate in a partially extended position;
Figure 6 is a top perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention,
with the
jackplate in a partially extended position;
Figure 7 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of the present invention
with the
jackplate in a fully extended position;
Figure 8 is a top perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention,
with the
jackplate in a fully extended position;
Figure 9 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of the present invention
with the
jackplate in a retracted position and the work basket in an extended position;
Figure 10 is a top perspective view of one embodiment of the present
invention, with the
jackplate in a retracted position and the work basket in an extended position;
Figure 11 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of the present invention
with the
jackplate in a partially extended position and the work basket in an extended
position;
Figure 12 is a top perspective view of one embodiment of the present
invention, with the
jackplate in a partially extended position and the work basket in an extended
position;
Figure 13 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of the present invention
with the
jackplate in a fully extended position to meet the work basket in an extended
position;
Figure 14 is a top perspective view of one embodiment of the present
invention, with the
jackplate in a fully extended position to meet the work basket in an extended
position;
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Figure 15 is a side elevation view of a second embodiment of the present
invention, with
the jack plate in a lower, position
Figure 16 is a front elevation view of Figure 15;
Figure 17 is a top perspective view of Figure 16;
.. Fgiure 18 is a cut-away, top perspective view of Figure 15, showing the
jackplate
support beams within the fixed riser; and
Figure 19 is a cut-away top perspective view of a second embodiment of the
present
invention, with the jack plate in an upper position.
The drawing is not necessarily to scale and in some instances proportions may
have
been exaggerated in order more clearly to depict certain features.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS
The description that follows and the embodiments described therein are
provided by
way of illustration of an example, or examples, of particular embodiments of
the
principles of various aspects of the present invention. These examples are
provided for
the purposes of explanation, and not of limitation, of those principles and of
the
invention in its various aspects.
With reference to the Figures, the present invention comprises a guided
telescoping
drilling system 2 for snubbing rigs. The system 2 is used with a telescopic
ginpole mast
4 with means (not shown) for picking up a drill pipe or tubing joint and
raising it into an
opening 6 within a work basket 8. The work basket 8 is supported by
telescoping work
basket supports 10.
In a unique and novel design of one embodiment of the present invention
illustrated in
Figures 1 to 14, the telescoping work basket supports 10 can also serve as the
jackplate supports10.
The present invention further uniquely comprises an all-in-one jackplate
guiding unit 14
consisting of the work basket 8, work basket support 10, jackplate supports10,
a
jackplate 12 and associated travelling slips 18, hydraulic cylinders 20 and an
extendable
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tubing guide 16 which are integrally built as a single jackplate guiding unit
14. The
jackplate guiding unit 14 is serves a number of purposes including preventing
the
jackplate 12 from torqueing or buckling under the extreme forces during
snubbing
processes.
By combining supporting the jackplate 12, motor and traveling slips 18 on the
work
basket supports 10 and by creating an all-in-one jackplate guiding unit 14,
assembling
the full snubbing assembly 2 is made simpler, safer and quicker.
The work basket supports/jackplate supports 10 are telescopic to allow travel
up and
down of the work basket 8 relative to the jack plate 12, as seen in the
differing position
of the work basket 8 relative the jackplate 12 between Figures 7 and 9, for
example.
The combination is a faster and more compact to rig-up. Furthermore, the
compact
design reduces the number of trucks needed to bring the equipment to the
wellbore site,
less personnel are required for assembly, and with fewer assembly steps, risks
are
reduced and the rigging process becomes safer.
The hydraulic cylinders 20 serve to raise and lower, the jackplate 12, with
the travelling
slips 18, as the drill pipe is fed into or raised out of the wellbore. The
drill pipe is
snubbed inside the extendable tubing guide 16, which prevents buckling or
bending of
the joint of tubing or drillpipe as it is moved axially downwardly in
snubbing.
As previously noted, the rotary jackplate 12, with travelling slips 18 and
motor (not
shown) provide rotational movement and torque forces during drill string
snubbing. The
jackplate guiding unit 14 and particularly the unitary work basket
supports/jackplate
supports 10 reduce torqueing strain on the hydraulic cylinders. The work
basket
supports/jackplate supports 10 also support axial loads of the jackplate 12 as
it carries
tubing sections and snubs them into the wellbore or pulls them out of a
wellbore.
The support provided by the work basket supports 10 not only provides for
stability to
the jackplate 12 but it also allows for more sustained snubbing action,
without needing
to relieve rotational forces for fear of the assembly twisting. Since axial
and rotational
loads in the present invention are supported by the work basket supports 10,
the
hydraulic cylinders 20 are under reduced load and stress, and in particular,
lessens
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torque stresses. This in turn allows the hydraulic cylinders 20 to extend and
retract
further before reaching their load limits. The longer stroke achievable by the
hydraulic
cylinders 20, while the jackplate applies rotational torque to the tubing
string, means
that a longer section of tubing can be snubbed in one stroke before stopping,
griping the
-- tubing in the stationary slips, raising the jackplate 12, reseting the
travelling slips 18 and
snubbing again, thus making snubbing operations faster. The same would be
true, in
reverse, for pulling tubing out of the ground.
Furthermore, by modifying known snubbing elements and arrangements into a
unified
guiding system 14 rather than separate tubing guide module and jackplate guide
module, there is less chance of error in assembly.
While the above description focuses primarily on snubbing a drillstring into a
wellbore by
gripping and then making up and lowering a joint of tubing or drill pipe down
into the
wellbore, it would be well understood by a person of skill in the art that the
present
systems and methods are equally applicable to pulling a drillstring or tubing
string out of
-- a wellbore. In such cases, the jackplate 12 with motor and travelling slips
18 is
telescopically lowered on the unified jackplate guiding unit 14 to grip an
upper end of a
drill pipe or joint of tubing and raised to raise the string out of the
ground, where it is
broken out from the drill string or tubing string by rotation, picked up by
the gin pole
mast 4 and lowered to the rig floor.
In both snubbing a drillstring into the ground and pulling a drillstring out
of the ground,
the snubbing assembly 2 must always control the forces acting on the
drillstring. When
the drillstring is not long and the weight of the drill string is less than
the wellbore
pressure, axial downwards force is required to force the drill string into the
wellbore
during snubbing and also to ensure that the drill pipe or joint of tubing does
not spring
-- up and out of the wellbore when being broken out. In such cases, the work
basket
supports 10 serve to support the jackplate guiding unit 14 and allow the
hydraulic
cylinder to retract and snub into the well with the necessary axial force and
torque.
When the drillstring is long enough and the weight of the drill string is
greater than the
wellbore pressure then sufficient assembly strength and gripping is required
to hold the
-- drill string at the mouth of the wellbore and not allow the string to fall
down the well.
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In a preferred embodiment, the present work basket 8 is also laterally
extendable to
enlarge the working surface of the work basket and provide more floor space
for
operators. In this embodiment, the work basket 8 can be laterally reduced to
meet load
and sizing requirements for shipment via truck as part of the unified
jackplate guiding
unit 14, and can then be laterally extended once mounted at the wellbore. More
preferably, the work basket 8 is extended by hydraulic means.
In a further preferred embodiment, the present work basket is built with a
lower riser for
housing and holding the jackplate when the hydraulic cylinders are extended.
This
lower riser ensure that the jackplate, travelling slips and auxiliary
equipment are
positioned at such a height that an operator can easily reach to makeup or
breakout the
tubing sections, without the need to work at a height above the operator's
head.
In a second embodiment of the present invention, illustrated in Figures 15 to
19, a
snubbing unit is presented that provides a single work basket
support/jackplate support
that is fixed, preferably in the form of a fixed riser 10A, and does not
telescope.
.. In the second embodiment, the work basket 8A is provided with an
integrated, fixed
tong unit 24 that is more preferably located just below a floor of the work
basket 8A and
is fixed in position to the fixed riser 10A. By providing an integrated tong
24 that is
already fixed into positon for making up and breaking out operations, the
operation of
making up and breaking out becomes more automated. There are less moving parts
in
the work basket 8A, leading to less chance for operator injury. Furthermore,
by fixing
the position of the tong 24, the drillpipe or tubing joint need only be
lowered into place
by the ginpole 4A, leading to more precise positioning of the joints for
makeup and
breakout. In the present invention, the tong unit 24 may move somewhat
vertically
within the riser 10A, said movement being controlled by the hydraulic
cylinders 20.
The integrated tong 24 can be any standard tong well known in the art for
makeup and
breakout purposes and can particularly include any standard tongs known for
use on
snubbing rigs. Alternatively, the tong may be specially design to fit and
operate on the
riser 10A. Since the integrated tong 24 controls and manages all of the
torqueing load
for makeup and breakout operations, there is no need to especially design the
fixed
riser 10A to carry or handle any additional loads. However, customizations to
the fixed
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riser 10A for optimal operation within the present arrangement would be
understood by
a person of skill in the art as being encompassed by the scope of the present
invention.
In this embodiment of the present invention, the work basket 8A is fixed to
the fixed riser
10A and does not raise or lower. More preferably, the height of the fixed
riser 10A is
selected such that the work basket 8A, with the integrated tong 24 positioned
just below
it, are at a fixed height that is higher than the full extension of the
jackplate 12A. This
ensures that the workbasket 8A and tong 24 extending thereblow are always
clear of
the travelling jackplate 12A as it is raised and lowered for snubbing
operations. Most
preferably, the fixed riser 10A is supported on a lower work floor 28, said
lower work
floor 28 corresponding to a lowest-most height of the jackplate 12A when it is
lowered.
The lower work floor 28, may optionally further provide a platform from which
operators
can inspect and maneuver parts of the snubbing unit at the level of the lower
work floor
28. The hydraulic cylinders 20A support the jackplate 12A to the rig floor.
The fixed riser 10A of the present invention, while serving as the fixed
support for the
work basket 8A, still also serves as a support for the jackplate 12A. With
reference to
Figures 18 and 19, an inner surface of the fixed riser 10A provides jack plate
supports in
the form of support beams 30 along which the jackplate 12A can travel as it is
lifted and
lowered by the hydraulic cylinders 20A. In this way, torqueing and other
stresses are
again borne by the jack plate supports, in the form of the support beams 30,
reducing
the rotational and torque stress experienced by the hydraulic cylinders 20A.
Again, with
stresses taken off of the hydraulic cylinders 20A, the hydraulic cylinders 20A
are able to
stroke to a fuller stroke length. This in turn increases the length by which
the drillpipe or
tubing can be snubbed downhole before stopping, griping the tubing in the
stationary
slips, raising the jackplate 12, reseting the travelling slips 18 and snubbing
again, thus
making snubbing operations faster. The same would be true, in reverse, for
pulling
tubing out of the ground.
The fixed riser 10A further preferably provides, on an outer surface thereof,
means for
moving equipment, controls, instrumentation and/or one or more operators
vertically
along the snubbing unit 2. There is often a desire to inspect the drillpipe or
parts of the
snubbing unit below the workbasket 8A, or a need to get measurements or images
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these areas. In the present invention, in a preferred embodiment,
Alternatively, the
elevator unit 32 may take the form of a smaller sized work basket in which an
operator
may stand, together with controls or instrumentation.
In a further preferred
embodiment, the smaller work basket format of the elevator unit 32 may
comprise a
control console from which the operator may take measurements, take images,
and
control operations of the snubbing unit and parts thereof, in addition to
making a visual
inspection. Operation of the elevator unit 32 in its small work basket form
may be
controlled by the operator within the small work basket, optionally via the
control
console or by other elevator operating means, to raise and lower the elevator
unit 32
along the rails 26.
As an alternatively arrangement to a fixed riser 10A to keep the jackplate 12A
from
hitting the integral tong 24, it is also possible to mount the integral tong
24 on a raisable
and lowerable platform (not shown) that is vertically moveably connected to
the work
basket 8A such that the raisable and lowerable platform can be raised up in to
the work
basket 8A to avoid contact with jackplate 12A and lowerable to a tong
operating position
The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable
any
person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various
modifications to
those embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and
the generic
principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without
departing from
the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not
intended to be
limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope
consistent
with the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular, such as by
use of the
article "a" or "an" is not intended to mean "one and only one" unless
specifically so
stated, but rather "one or more". All structural and functional equivalents to
the
elements of the various embodiments described throughout the disclosure that
are
known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are
intended to be
encompassed by the elements of the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein
is
intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure
is explicitly
recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the
provisions of 35
USC 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the
phrase
"means for" or "step for".
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