Serialization and database methods for tubulars and oilfield equipment

• US 8,463,664 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2006
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC (Weatherford International PLC)
• Original Assignee: Weatherford/Lamb Incorporated (Weatherford International PLC)
• Inventors: Sarradet, Stephen, Williams, Larry, Harrall, Simon John, Le, Tuong Thanh, Griggs, Paul Steven, Ljungdahl, Patrick M., Miller, Matthew G.
• Primary Examiner(s): ALMATRAHI, FARIS S
• Application Number:
  US11/564,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20070124220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,387 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/28
• 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: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

Methods and apparatus identify downhole equipment and correlate input data with the equipment to improve planning and/or inventory operations. For some embodiments, oilfield equipment or tubular goods such as drill pipe include a shaped recess along an outer circumference for receiving a tag cartridge by shrink fitting. Once tagged, detector system configurations at pipe yards may facilitate logging the presence and location of each drill pipe and correlating specific data, such as inspection data, to each drill pipe. Further, this correlation populates a database utilized to achieve other business functions such as forecasting number of additional drill pipe needed to purchase, invoicing customers according to actual tracked wear/use of the drill pipe being returned, and providing well or job specific drill string population using known history pipe joints.

Claims

1. A system for managing oil field tubular goods, comprising:

a tubular member having a remotely machine readable identification tag;

multiple detectors configured to read the identification tag to determine a location of the tubular member in an inventory location in relation to adjacent tubular members, the detectors are located at an entry point for shipping and receiving at the inventory location, the detectors connected by circuitry that distinguishes different directional movements of the identification tag to automatically track movement of the tubular member into and out of the inventory location; and

a computer that is configured to display a graphic representation of the tubular member and the adjacent tubular members, the graphic representation forming a user interface that provides selective display of data in response to selecting a specific tubular member, wherein the location of the tubular member is identified on a screen of the computer in relation to the other tubular members.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the detectors are connected to the computer that is configured to determine the location of the tubular member by signal triangulation.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a hand-held detector extendable in length.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the tubular member includes a groove with sides that converge toward an opening that opens perpendicular to a longitudinal center axis of the tubular member, the groove retaining the identification tag therein.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the identification tag is shrink fit into the groove.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification tag is threaded with a misfit engagement within a cavity disposed on the tubular member.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein a snap ring retains the identification tag within a cavity disposed on the tubular member.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the tubular member includes an undercut cavity with sides that converge toward an opening having a smaller diameter than a deformed portion of the identification tag disposed in the cavity.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein unidirectional angled teeth disposed on the identification tag secure the tag within a cavity disposed on the tubular member.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the identification tag comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is configured to automatically generate shipping and receiving tickets.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification tag is disposed within a carrier that is configured to be placed in a cavity formed in the tubular.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the carrier includes threads that mate with corresponding threads in the cavity.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the carrier is configured to deform when placed in the cavity of the tubular to lock the carrier within the cavity.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification tag includes a relief port.

3. A system for managing oil field tubular goods, comprising:

a tubular member having a remotely machine readable identification tag;

a detector positioned within an inventory location to read the identification tag to identify the placement of the tubular member in the inventory location in relation to other tubular members and automatically track movement of the tubular member into and out of the inventory location; and

a computer having a screen, the computer configured to perform operations, comprising;

correlating input data associated with the tubular member and an identification code of the identification tag;

planning a string of tubulars for a customer order based on the correlating applied to the tubular member and a plurality of other tubular members;

displaying on the screen of the computer a graphic representation of the tubular member, and the other tubular members in the inventory location for use in the string of tubulars, wherein the location of the tubular members are identified on the screen in relation to the other tubular members; and

identifying the tubular member on the graphic representation displayed on the screen of the computer in response to a search criteria inputted into the computer.

18. The system of claim 3, wherein the computer is configured to perform operations, comprising:

designing a string of tubulars based upon input information from a customer.

13. A system for managing oil field tubular goods, comprising:

a tubular member having a remotely machine readable identification tag;

a detector positioned within an inventory location to read the identification tag to determine the position of the tubular member relative to other tubular members, wherein the detector is positioned and configured to automatically track movement of the tubular member into and out of the inventory location; and

a computer having a screen, the computer configured to perform operations, comprising;

displaying on the screen of the computer a graphic representation of the location of the tubular member relative to other tubular members in the inventory location, the graphic representation forming a user interface that provides selective display of data in response to selecting a specific tubular member;

correlating input data associated with the tubular member and an identification code of the identification tag; and

forecasting a number of additional tubular members to buy as determined based on the correlating used to assess remaining life expectancy of the tubular member beyond a next use of the tubular member.

14. A system for managing oil field tubular goods, comprising:

a plurality of tubular members, each tubular member having a remotely machine readable identification tag;

a detector positioned within an inventory location to read the identification tag to identify the location of each tubular member in the inventory location, wherein the detector is positioned and configured to automatically track movement of each tubular member into and out of the inventory location; and

a computer having a screen, the computer configured to perform operations, comprising;

displaying on the screen of the computer a graphic representation of the location of each tubular member in the inventory location, the graphic representation forming a user interface that provides selective display of data in response to selecting a specific tubular member;

correlating input data associated with each tubular member and an identification code of the identification tag; and

invoicing for actual wear to each tubular member as determined based on the correlating.

15. A method of managing oil field tubular goods, comprising:

providing a tubular member having a unique identification tag;

determining a location of the tubular member in an inventory location in relation to adjacent tubular members and displaying on a computer a graphic representation of the location of the tubular member and the adjacent tubular members, the graphic representation forming a user interface that provides selective display of data in response to selecting a specific tubular member; and

tracking movement of the tubular member into and out of the inventory location by reading the identification tag with multiple detectors at an entry point for shipping and receiving at the inventory location, the detectors enabling detection of the direction of movement of the tubular member.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising automatically generating reports showing inventory status of the tubular goods.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the locating comprises signal triangulation.