Sequencing for pipe handling

• US 10,597,954 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2018
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Alvaer, Jan, Nilssen, Christian Doennestad, Berry, Joe Rodney
• Primary Examiner(s): Sayre, James G
• Application Number:
  US16/016,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20190106950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 19/155 Handling between horizontal and vertical position
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 19/16 Connecting or disconnecting pipe couplings or joints E21B19/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 19/20 Combined feeding from rack and connecting, e.g. automatically
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 3/022 Top drives
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 3/025 with a to-and-fro rotation of the tool
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 3/06 Adaptation of rotary draw works to drive rotary tables

Abstract

A method sequence for handling tubulars into or out of a wellbore, the method comprising: moving a tubular string into or out of a wellbore via a top drive; moving tubular stands to and from a setback position and a stand handoff position via a transfer bridge racker and a setback guide arm; moving tubular stands to and from the stand handoff position and a well center position via a tubular delivery arm and a lower stabilizing arm; building stands and breaking down stands offline via a mousehole and operating a roughneck on joints between the tubular stands and the tubular string.

Claims

1. A method for performing operations via a drill rig, the method comprising:

conducting a drilling operation at a well center;

conducting a standing operation simultaneously with the drilling operation, wherein the standing operation comprises;

moving a first tubular single between a feeding table position and a drill floor pickup position via a catwalk;

moving the first tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a mousehole stickup position via a tubular delivery arm and a lower stabilizing arm;

holding the first tubular single in the mousehole stickup position via at least one stand constraint;

moving a second tubular single between the feeding table position and the drill floor pickup position via the catwalk;

moving the second tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a mousehole make/brake position via the tubular delivery arm and the lower stabilizing arm;

operating a roughneck on a joint between the first and second tubular singles;

moving a tubular stand comprising the first and second tubular singles between a mousehole position and a stand handoff position; and

moving the tubular stand between a stand handoff position and a setback position via a transfer bridge racker and a setback guide arm;

wherein the standing operation comprises a stand building operation,

wherein moving the first and second tubular singles between a feeding table position and a drill floor pickup position comprises moving the first and second tubular singles from the feeding table position to the drill floor pickup position,

wherein moving the first tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a mousehole stickup position comprises moving the first tubular single from the drill floor pickup position to the mousehole stickup position,

wherein moving the second tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a mousehole make/brake position,

wherein operating a roughneck on a joint between the first and second tubular singles comprises making up the joint,

wherein moving a tubular stand between a mousehole position and a stand handoff position comprises moving the tubular stand from the mousehole position to the standoff position; and

wherein moving the tubular stand between a stand handoff position and a setback position comprises moving the tubular from the stand handoff position to the setback position.

2. A method for performing a wellbore operation via a drill rig as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second tubular singles comprise drill pipe.

3. A method for performing a wellbore operation via a drill rig as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second tubular singles comprise casing.

4. A method for performing operations via a drill rig, the method comprising:

moving a tubular string relative to the wellbore via a top drive;

moving a tubular single between a feeding table position and a drill floor pickup position via a catwalk;

moving the tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a well center position via a top drive and a lower stabilizing arm; and

operating a roughneck on a joint between the tubular single and the tubular string in the wellbore;

wherein the moving a tubular single between a feeding table position and a drill floor pickup position comprises moving the tubular from the feeding table position to the drill floor pickup position,

wherein the moving the tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a well center position comprises moving the tubular single from the drill floor pickup position to the well center position; and

wherein the operating a roughneck on a joint between the tubular single and a tubular string in a wellbore comprises making up the joint.

5. A method for performing a wellbore operation via a drill rig as claimed in claim 4, wherein the tubular singles and tubular string comprise drill pipe.

6. A method for performing a wellbore operation via a drill rig as claimed in claim 4, wherein the tubular single and tubular string comprise casing, and wherein the roughneck comprises a casing tong.

7. A method for performing operations via a drill rig, the method comprising:

moving a casing string relative to the wellbore via a top drive;

moving a casing single between a feeding table position and a drill floor pickup position via a catwalk;

moving the tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a well center position;

operating a casing running tool between the casing single and the top drive; and

operating the top drive on a joint between the casing single and the casing string in the wellbore;

wherein the moving a casing string relative to the wellbore via a top drive comprises running the casing string into the wellbore;

wherein the moving a casing single between a feeding table position and a drill floor pickup position comprises moving the casing single from the feeding table position to the drill floor position;

wherein the moving the tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a well center position via a pickup elevator of a top drive and a lower stabilizing arm;

wherein operating a casing running tool between the casing single and the top drive comprises making up the casing running tool to the casing single; and

wherein operating the top drive via the casing running tool on a joint between the casing single and the casing string in the wellbore comprises making up the joint via the top drive.

8. A method for performing a wellbore operation via a drill rig as claimed in claim 7,

wherein the moving the tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a well center position comprises moving the tubular single via a pickup elevator of a top drive and a lower stabilizing arm.

9. A method for performing a wellbore operation via a drill rig as claimed in claim 7,

wherein the moving the tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a well center position comprises moving the tubular single via a tubular delivery arm and a lower stabilizing arm.

10. A method for performing operations via a drill rig, the method comprising:

conducting a drilling operation at a well center;

conducting a standing operation simultaneously with the drilling operation, wherein the standing operation comprises;

moving a first tubular single between a feeding table position and a drill floor pickup position via a catwalk;

moving the first tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a mousehole stickup position via a tubular delivery arm and a lower stabilizing arm;

holding the first tubular single in the mousehole stickup position via at least one stand constraint;

moving a second tubular single between the feeding table position and the drill floor pickup position via the catwalk;

moving the second tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a mousehole make/brake position via the tubular delivery arm and the lower stabilizing arm;

operating a roughneck on a joint between the first and second tubular singles;

moving a tubular stand comprising the first and second tubular singles between a mousehole position and a stand handoff position; and

moving the tubular stand between a stand handoff position and a setback position via a transfer bridge racker and a setback guide arm;

wherein the standing operation comprises a stand laydown operation,

wherein moving the first and second tubular singles between a feeding table position and a drill floor pickup position comprises moving the first and second tubular singles from the drill floor pickup position to the feeding table position,

wherein moving the first tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a mousehole stickup position comprises moving the first tubular single from the mousehole stickup position to the drill floor pickup position,

wherein moving the second tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a mousehole make/brake position comprises moving the second tubular single from the mousehole make/brake position to the drill floor pickup position,

wherein operating a roughneck on a joint between the first and second tubular singles comprises breaking out the joint,

wherein moving a tubular stand between a mousehole position and a stand handoff position comprises moving the tubular stand from the standoff position to the mousehole position; and

wherein moving the tubular stand between a stand handoff position and a setback position comprises moving the tubular from the setback position to the stand handoff position.

11. A method for performing a wellbore operation via a drill rig as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first and second tubular singles comprise drill pipe.

12. A method for performing a wellbore operation via a drill rig as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first and second tubular singles comprise casing.

13. A method for performing operations via a drill rig, the method comprising:

moving a tubular string relative to the wellbore via a top drive;

moving a tubular single between a feeding table position and a drill floor pickup position via a catwalk;

moving the tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a well center position via a top drive and a lower stabilizing arm; and

operating a roughneck on a joint between the tubular single and the tubular string in the wellbore;

wherein the moving a tubular single between a feeding table position and a drill floor pickup position comprises moving the tubular from the drill floor pickup position to the feeding table position,

wherein the moving the tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a well center position comprises moving the tubular single from the well center position to the drill floor pickup position; and

wherein the operating a roughneck on a joint between the tubular single and a tubular string in a wellbore comprises breaking out the joint.

14. A method for performing a wellbore operation via a drill rig as claimed in claim 13, wherein the tubular singles and tubular string comprise drill pipe.

15. A method for performing a wellbore operation via a drill rig as claimed in claim 13, wherein the tubular single and tubular string comprise casing, and wherein the roughneck comprises a casing tong.

16. A method for performing operations via a drill rig, the method comprising:

moving a casing string relative to the wellbore via a top drive;

moving a casing single between a feeding table position and a drill floor pickup position via a catwalk;

moving the tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a well center position;

operating a casing running tool between the casing single and the top drive; and

operating the top drive on a joint between the casing single and the casing string in the wellbore;

wherein the moving a casing string relative to the wellbore via a top drive comprises pulling the casing string out of the wellbore;

wherein the moving a casing single between a feeding table position and a drill floor pickup position comprises moving the casing single from the drill floor position to the feeding table position;

wherein the moving the tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a well center position comprises moving the casing single from the well center position to the drill floor pickup position;

wherein operating a casing running tool between the casing single and the top drive comprises breaking out the casing running to from the casing single; and

wherein operating the top drive via the casing running tool on a joint between the casing single and the casing string in the wellbore comprises breaking out the joint via the top drive.

17. A method for performing a wellbore operation via a drill rig as claimed in claim 16, wherein the moving the tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a well center position comprises moving the tubular single via a pickup elevator of a top drive and a lower stabilizing arm.

18. A method for performing a wellbore operation via a drill rig as claimed in claim 16, wherein the moving the tubular single between the drill floor pickup position and a well center position comprises moving the tubular single via a tubular delivery arm and a lower stabilizing arm.