Automated apparatus for handling elongated well elements such as pipes

• US 4,604,724 A
• Filed: 10/04/1985
• Issued: 08/05/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gomelskoe Spetsialnoe Konstruktorsko-Tekhnologicheskoe Bjuro Seismicheskoi Tekhniki S Opytnym Proizvodstvom
• Original Assignee: Gomelskoe Spetsialnoe Konstruktorsko-Tekhnologicheskoe Bjuro Seismicheskoi Tekhniki S Opytnym Proizvodstvom
• Inventors: Shaginian, Albert S., Pevnev, Anatoly A., Androsenko, Alexandr P., Palkin, Leonid N., Asan-Dzhalalov, Alexei G., Davidenko, Nikolai I., Panteleev, Valery A., Tikhonenko, Alexandr S., Gnatchenko, Viktor V., Makarov, Nikolai P., Suvorov, Alexandr V., Romanovsky, Anatoly G., Shpilevsky, Stanislav K., Khalitov, Boris V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Atkinson, Charles E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lastova, John R.
• Application Number:
  US06/783,277
• Time in Patent Office: 305 Days
• Field of Search: 364/421, 364/422, 364/167, 364/478, 414/22, 175/24, 175/40, 175/52, 166/53, 166/77.5
• US Class Current: 700/213
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 19/20 Combined feeding from rack and connecting, e.g. automatically

Abstract

A derrick is provided with a vertically movable elevator for suspending a string of elongated well elements, such as pipes. An immovable lower support is provided for suspending the string, and an automatic tong is provided for screwing and unscrewing pipes to and from the string. A manipulator grips and delivers a pipe to an operating position in axial alignment with the well bore. A control system includes position sensors for sensing the positions of a well pipe, one of which sensors is mounted on the elevator, a second sensor is mounted on the automatic tong, and a third sensor is mounted on the manipulator. The control system also includes a programmed logical control unit, through which the sensors are connected to a drive system. The first sensor is connected to a drive for vertically moving the elevator, a drive for closing and opening grippers on the elevator, and a drive adapted to transversely move the automatic tong. The second sensor is connected through the control unit to a drive for vertically moving the elevator, and the third sensor is connected to a drive for longitudinally moving the grippers of the manipulator.

Claims

1. An automated apparatus for handling elongated well elements such as pipes, made up into a pipe string by means of screw joints, which comprises:

a first base;

a derrick mounted on said first base;

elevator means for suspending a pipe string mounted on said derrick and for vertical movement, said elevator means including gripping means and drive means for closing and opening said gripping means;

driving means to move said elevator means vertically for suspending a pipe string and mounted on said first base;

suspending means for suspending a pipe string immovably mounted above a well head and below said elevator means, said suspending means including gripping means and drive means for closing and opening said gripping means;

an automated tong for screwing and unscrewing a pipe string, said tong being mounted upon said first base between said elevator means and suspending means and for transverse movement relative to a pipe string and including drive means for rotating a pipe element;

a second base mounted adjacent but spaced from said first base;

manipulator means mounted on said second base for movement so that a pipe element clamped thereby can be aligned with a pipe string, said manipulator means including gripping means mounted for longitudinal movement relative to said manipulator means, drive means for closing and opening said gripping means, and drive means for longitudinal movement of said gripping means relative to said manipulator means;

a rack for storing string elements in a horizontal position and mounted on said second base, said rack including;

substantially vertical columns mounted on said second base;

shelves mounted on said columns and vertically spaced above one another;

drive means for moving said shelves;

transfer means for transferring a string element from said rack into said manipulator means and back, said transfer means mounted on said second base and comprising;

at least one boom mounted on said second base for pivoting movement in a vertical plane;

gripping means mounted on said boom for holding a string element;

drive means for closing said gripping means;

drive means to pivotally move said boom;

control means including;

a plurality of electronically controlled actuator means for actuating said transfer means, said drive means to pivotally move said boom, and said drive means for closing and opening said gripping means of said manipulator means, of said automatic tong, of said elevator means and suspending means for suspending a pipe string, and of said transfer means for transferring well elements;

position sensing means mounted on said transfer means for sensing the position of said boom and for providing one of two signals;

"approached" corresponding to the position of said boom as it approaches the manipulator means or "withdrawn" corresponding to stopping said boom in a preset position for transferring a string element to said manipulator means and gripping a string element by said manipulator means;

position sensing means mounted on said shelves for sensing positions of said shelves of said rack and for providing one of two signals;

"approached" corresponding to the position of the shelves for loading string elements, or "withdrawn" corresponding to moving said shelves away from said loading position and to stopping said shelves in a preset position;

control means comprising at least one programmed logical control means connected with said actuating means of said plurality of electrically controlled actuating means and wherein said programmed logical control means further comprises;

an instruction coding means for specifying a sequence of instructions to be sent to respective control means in accordance with a preset sequence of operation;

a timer for generating a signal at the end of a time preset by a code of instructions produced by said instruction coding means;

a recycle counter electrically connected with said timer of said programmed logical control means to generate a signal upon receiving an output signal from said programmed logical control means indicative of the termination of a preset time from the moment of the generation of an instruction for switching on of said drive means for rotating said automatic tong;

a control signal conditioner electrically connected with said timer, with said instruction coding means of said programmed logical control means, and with said recycle counter to generate and send to said programmed logical control means, in an amount preset by said recycle counter, instructions for reversing and for restarting said instruction coding means in the original counting direction;

a string element counter electrically connected with said instruction coding means of said programmed logical control means for generating a signal at the moment when the number of string elements taken from a desired shelf of said rack or stored on said shelf reaches a preset amount defined by the capacity of said shelf; and

counting means for counting said shelves of said rack and electrically connected with said counter for string elements and for supplying to a respective corresponding drive means an instruction to move a required one of said shelves into the position for loading and to withdraw it from said position for loading, and for switching off said programmed logical control means at the moment when all said shelves of said rack are fully loaded and at the moment when all said shelves of said rack are empty.

2. An automated apparatus for handling elongated well elements, such as pipes, made up in a string by means of screw joints, comprising:

a derrick;

elevator means for suspending a string and mounted on said derrick for vertical movement, said elevator means including gripping means and drive means for closing and opening said gripping means;

drive means for vertically moving said elevator means;

suspending means for suspending a drill string and immovably mounted above a well head and below said elevator means and including gripping means and drive means for closing and opening said gripping means;

an automatic tong for screwing and unscrewing a drill string, mounted between said elevator means and said suspending means, and including drive means for transversely moving said automatic tong toward and away from the drill string;

a manipulator having an axis and mounted for movement so that a drill string clamped thereby can be axially aligned with a well bore, said manipulator comprising gripping means mounted for movement along the axis of said manipulator, drive means for closing and opening said gripping means, drive means for longitudinal movement of said gripping means, and drive means for moving said manipulator toward and away from said derrick;

control means comprising;

a plurality of electrically controlled actuating means for acting upon said drive means for vertically moving said elevator means, drive means for closing and opening said gripping means of said manipulator, of said automatic tong, of said elevator means and of said suspending means;

control means comprising at least one programmed logical control means connected with said actuating means;

a first well element position sensor mounted on said elevator means and electrically connected through said programmed logical control means to said actuating means which actuate said drive means for vertically moving said elevator means, said drive means for transversely moving said automatic tong, and said drive means for closing and opening said gripping means of said elevator means;

a second well element position sensor for sensing the position of a well element mounted on said automatic tong and electrically connected through said programmed logical control means to said actuating means which actuate said drive means for vertically moving said elevator means;

a third well element position sensor for sensing the position of a well element mounted on said manipulator and electrically connected through said programmed logical control means to said actuating means for actuating said drive means for longitudinally moving said gripping means of said manipulator; and

wherein all said drive means are hydraulically operated and form part of a hydraulic system including a source of pressurized fluid, a delivery line, and a drain line, and said actuating means of said plurality of electrically controlled actuating means are reversible spool valves for controlling the supply of pressurized fluid from said source of pressurized fluid to said hydraulically operated drive means, said hydraulic system comprising a normally closed stop valve installed in a delivery line connecting the source of pressurized fluid with a reversible spool valve acting upon said drive means for closing and opening said gripping means of said elevator means, while said drive means for closing and opening said gripping means of said means for suspending a drill string includes a stop mechanically interacting with said stop valve so that with the gripping means of said suspending means being open said stop valve shuts off the pressure line from a spool valve controlling said drive means for closing and opening said gripping means of said elevator means, thus preventing the gripping means thereof from being moved apart.