Apparatus identification systems and methods

• US 7,159,654 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2005
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varco I/P Incorporated (NOV, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Varco I/P Incorporated (NOV, Inc.)
• Inventors: McClung, Guy L. III, Kammann, Reinhold, Worms, Manfred H., Lam, Clive C, Ellison, Leon P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gay; Jennifer H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOMAR, THOMAS S
• Application Number:
  US11/059,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20050230110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 166/64, 166/250.01, 166/255.1, 175/40, 340/853.1, 340/572.7, 340/572.8
• US Class Current: 166/250.01
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 17/006 Accessories for drilling pipes, e.g. cleaners wear protectors E21B17/10; handling drilling pipes E21B19/00; thread protectors B65D59/00
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 44/00 Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which function to carry out or modify a drilling operation without intervention of a human operator, e.g. computer-controlled drilling systems; Systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/017 Protecting measuring instruments

Abstract

A member having a body, the body having two spaced-apart ends, wave energizable identification apparatus which, in one aspect, is radio frequency identification apparatus with integrated circuit apparatus and antenna apparatus on the exterior of the body, and encasement structure encasing the identification apparatus, the encasement structure, in certain aspects, including one or a plurality of layers of heat resistant material and, in certain aspects, at least one layer of heat resistant material, and methods for producing such a member.

Claims

1. A member comprising

a body, the body having an exterior surface and two spaced-apart ends,

wave energizable identification apparatus on the exterior surface of the body,

the wave energizable identification apparatus wrapped in fabric material, the fabric material comprising heat-resistant non-conducting material, and

the wave energizable identification apparatus wrapped and positioned on the body so that the wave energizable identification apparatus does not contact the body.

2. The member of claim 1 further comprising

an amount of fabric material on the exterior surface of the body,

the wave energizable identification apparatus located adjacent said amount.

3. The member of claim 1 wherein

the fabric material comprising at least one layer of material wrapped around the wave energizable identification apparatus.

4. The member of claim 3 wherein

the at least one layer of material is a plurality of layers.

5. The member of claim 1 wherein

a layer of body fabric material is on the body, the body fabric material comprising heat-resistant non-conducting material,

the wave energizable identification apparatus located adjacent and exteriorly of the body fabric material, and

the fabric material in which the wave energizable identification apparatus is wrapped is a folded portion of the body fabric material folded over on the wave energizable identification apparatus.

6. The member of claim 5 wherein

the wave energizable identification apparatus and the fabric material in which the wave energizable identification apparatus is wrapped are wrapped in heat shrink material.

7. The member of claim 6 wherein

outside the heat shrink material, at least one outer layer of fabric material is placed over the heat shrink material.

8. The member of claim 7 wherein

the at least one outer layer of fabric material is a plurality of outer layers.

9. The member of claim 8 wherein

the heat shrink material has two spaced-apart edges, and

the at least one outer layer of fabric material covers the layer of heat shrink material and extends beyond each of the two spaced-apart edges of the heat shrink material.

10. The member of claim 1 wherein

the wave energizable identification apparatus and the fabric material in which the wave energizable identification apparatus is wrapped are wrapped in heat shrink material.

11. The member of claim 10 wherein

outside the heat shrink material, at least one outer layer of fabric material is placed over the heat shrink material.

12. The member of claim 1 including

an identification tag spaced-apart from the wave energizable identification apparatus and covered by part of the fabric material.

13. The member of claim 1 further comprising

an amount of adhesive on the wave energizable identification apparatus.

14. The member of claim 5 further comprising

an amount of adhesive on the wave energizable identification apparatus for facilitating securement of the folded portion over the wave energizable identification apparatus.

15. The member of claim 1 wherein the wave energizable identification apparatus is radio frequency identification apparatus with integrated circuit apparatus and antenna apparatus.

16. The member of claim 1 wherein

the body has a first end spaced-apart from a second end, and at least a portion comprising a generally cylindrical portion, the generally cylindrical portion having a circumference, and

the wave energizable identification apparatus positioned exteriorly on the circumference of the body.

17. The member of claim 1 wherein the body comprises a pipe.

18. The member of claim 17 wherein the pipe is a tool joint with an upset portion and the wave energizable identification apparatus is adjacent said upset portion.

19. The member of claim 16 wherein the body has a generally cylindrical portion which is part of an item from the group consisting of pipe, drill pipe, casing, drill bit, tubing, stabilizer, centralizer, cementing plug, buoyant tubular, thread protector, downhole motor, whipstock, mill, and torus.

20. A method for sensing a wave energizable identification apparatus of a member, the member comprising a body, the body having an exterior surface and two spaced-apart ends, wave energizable identification apparatus on the exterior surface of the body, the wave energizable identification apparatus wrapped in fabric material, the fabric material comprising heat-resistant non-conducting material, and the wave energizable identification apparatus wrapped and positioned on the body so that the wave energizable identification apparatus does not contact the body, the wave energizable identification apparatus having antenna apparatus, the method including

energizing the wave energizable identification apparatus by directing energizing energy to the antenna apparatus,

the wave energizable identification apparatus upon being energized producing a signal,

positioning the member adjacent sensing apparatus, and

sensing with the sensing apparatus the signal produced by the wave energizable identification apparatus.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the sensing apparatus is on an item from the group consisting of rig, elevator, spider, derrick, tubular handler, tubular manipulator, tubular rotator, top drive, mouse hole, powered mouse hole, or floor.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the signal is an identification signal identifying the member and the sensing apparatus produces and conveys a corresponding signal to computer apparatus, the computer apparatus controlling the sensing apparatus and including a programmable portion programmed to receive and analyze the corresponding signal, and the computer apparatus for producing an analysis signal indicative of accepting or rejecting the member based on said analysis, the method further comprising

the wave energizable identification apparatus producing an identification signal received by the sensing apparatus,

the sensing apparatus producing a corresponding signal indicative of identification of the member and conveying the corresponding signal to the computer apparatus,

the computer apparatus analyzing the corresponding signal and producing the analysis signal,

wherein the computer apparatus conveys the analysis signal to handling apparatus for handling the member, the handling apparatus operable to accept or reject the member based on the analysis signal, and

wherein the member is a tubular member for use in well operations and the handling apparatus is a tubular member handling apparatus.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the tubular member handling apparatus is from the group consisting of tubular manipulator, tubular rotator, top drive, tong, spinner, down hole motor, elevator, spider, powered mouse hole, and pipe handler.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the handling apparatus has handling sensing apparatus thereon for sensing a signal from the wave energizable identification apparatus, and wherein the handling apparatus includes communication apparatus in communication with computer apparatus, the method further comprising

sending a handling signal from the communication apparatus to the computer apparatus corresponding to the signal produced by the wave energizable identification apparatus.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the computer apparatus controls the handling apparatus.

26. The method of claim 22 wherein the member is a tubular member and wherein the sensing apparatus is connected to and in communication with a tubular inspection system, the method further comprising

conveying a secondary signal from the sensing apparatus to the tubular inspection system, the secondary signal corresponding to the signal produced by the wave energizable identification apparatus.

27. A method for handling drill pipe on a drilling rig, the drill pipe comprising a plurality of pieces of drill pipe, each piece of drill pipe comprising a body with an exterior surface and an externally threaded pin end spaced-apart from an internally threaded box end, the body having a flow channel therethrough from the pin end to the box end, radio frequency identification apparatus with integrated circuit apparatus and antenna apparatus on the body, wave energizable identification apparatus on the exterior surface of the body, the wave energizable identification apparatus wrapped in fabric material, the fabric material comprising heat-resistant non-conducting material, and the wave energizable identification apparatus wrapped and positioned on the body so that the wave energizable identification apparatus does not contact the body, the method including

energizing the radio frequency identification apparatus by directing energizing energy to the antenna apparatus,

the radio frequency identification apparatus upon being energized producing a signal,

positioning each piece of drill pipe adjacent sensing apparatus, and

sensing with the sensing apparatus a signal produced by each piece of drill pipe'"'"'s radio frequency identification apparatus.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the sensing apparatus is in communication and is controlled by computer apparatus and wherein the radio frequency identification apparatus produces an identification signal receivable by the sensing apparatus, and wherein the sensing apparatus produces a corresponding signal indicative of the identification of the particular piece of drill pipe, said corresponding signal conveyable from the sensing apparatus to the computer apparatus, the method further comprising

controlling the sensing apparatus with the computer apparatus,

wherein the energizing is effected by energizing apparatus in communication with and controlled by computer apparatus, the method further comprising controlling the energizing apparatus with the computer apparatus,

wherein the signal is an identification signal identifying the particular piece of drill pipe and the sensing apparatus conveys a corresponding signal to computer apparatus, the computer apparatus including a programmable portion programmed to receive and analyze the corresponding signal, the computer apparatus for producing an analysis signal indicative of accepting or rejecting the particular piece of drill pipe based on said analysis, the method further comprising

the computer apparatus analyzing the corresponding signal and producing the analysis signal, and

the computer apparatus conveying the analysis signal to handling apparatus for handling the member, the handling apparatus operable to accept or reject the member based on the analysis signal.

29. A tool joint comprising

a body having a pin end spaced-apart from a tube body, with an exterior surface, an upset portion, a tool joint portion between the upset portion and the pin end, and

wave energizable identification apparatus on the exterior surface of the tube body adjacent the upset portion,

the wave energizable identification apparatus wrapped in fabric material, the fabric material comprising heat-resistant non-conducting material, and the wave energizable identification apparatus wrapped and positioned so that the wave energizable identification apparatus does not contact the tube body.