Master control system with remote monitoring for handling tubulars

• US 9,441,428 B1
• Filed: 12/17/2014
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canyon Oak Energy LLC, Loadmaster Universal Rigs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Canyon Oak Energy LLC, Loadmaster Universal Rigs, Inc.
• Inventors: Barnes, R. Michael, Zapico, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): KASENGE, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US14/574,248
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 700/83.275
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 19/155 Handling between horizontal and vertical position
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 19/20 Combined feeding from rack and connecting, e.g. automatically
• 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: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17306 Intercommunication techniques

Abstract

A master control system with remote monitoring that can perform, monitor, and control operations of a portable rig with a pipe handler as the pipe handler installs tubulars into a drill string or breaks out tubulars from a drill string for a wellbore. The master control system can include a processing device communicatively coupled to a data storage. The processing device receives a communication associated with a component of a portable rig. The processing device determines a position of the component of the portable rig based on the received communication. The processing device further provides an executive dashboard that includes at least one drilling rig function associated with the component of the portable rig. The processing device also initiates the portable rig to perform the at least one drilling rig function associated with the component of the portable rig.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a data storage; and

a processing device communicatively coupled to the data storage, the processing device to;

receive a communication associated with a component of a remote drilling rig, wherein the component of the remote drilling rig comprises a vertical tubular handler and the communication associated with the component of the remote drilling rig comprises an indication that a tubular is disposed on the vertical tubular handler;

determine a position of the component of the remote drilling rig based on the received communication;

provide an executive dashboard that includes at least one drilling rig function associated with the component of the remote drilling rig;

initiate the remote drilling rig to perform the at least one drilling rig function associated with the component of the remote drilling rig, wherein the at least one drilling rig function comprises using the remote drilling rig to grab the tubular by the vertical tubular handler or raise the tubular to a vertical position from an initial horizontal position; and

responsive to the remote drilling rig being initiated to grab the tubular, send a signal to the vertical tubular handler to extend at least one pivoting arm to grab the tubular from the initial horizontal position.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the component of the remote drilling rig comprises a hoist system, wherein the communication associated with the component of the remote drilling rig comprises a sensed position and rotational speed of the hoist system, wherein the processing device is to determine a depth of a tubular in a well bore based on the sensed position and rotational speed of the hoist system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one drilling rig function comprises actuating the vertical tubular handler based on the determined depth of the tubular in the well bore.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the component of the remote drilling rig comprises a top drive, wherein the processing device is to determine a location of the top drive based on the sensed position and rotational speed of the hoist system.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one drilling rig function comprises actuating the vertical tubular handler based on the location of the top drive.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication associated with the component of the remote drilling rig comprises at least one of:

installing, moving or removing a tubular.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein when determining the position of the component, the processing device is to identify a sensed location of a top drive based on the communication, wherein when initiating the remote drilling rig to perform the at least one drilling rig function, the processing device is to actuate the vertical tubular handler based on the sensed location of the top drive.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the executive dashboard further includes tubular handler operation information for at least one of a vertical tubular handler or a horizontal tubular handler.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein when initiating the remote drilling rig to perform the at least one drilling rig function associated with the component of the remote drilling rig, the processing device is to:

receive input pertaining to at least one drilling rig function via the executive dashboard; and

transmit an instruction to the drilling rig to perform the at least one drilling rig function that pertains to the received input.

10. A system comprising:

a server communicatively coupled to a remote drilling rig, the server comprising;

a data storage; and

a processing device communicatively coupled to the data storage, the processing device to;

receive a communication associated with a component of the drilling rig, wherein the component of the remote drilling rig comprises a vertical tubular handler and the communication associated with the component of the remote drilling rig comprises an indication that a tubular is disposed on the vertical tubular handler;

determine a position of the component of the remote drilling rig based on the received communication;

provide an executive dashboard to a client device that includes at least one drilling rig function associated with the component of the remote drilling rig;

receiving an instruction from the client device to perform the at least one drilling rig function;

initiate the remote drilling rig to perform the at least one drilling rig function associated with the component of the remote drilling rig, wherein the at least one drilling rig function comprises using the remote drilling rig to grab the tubular by the vertical tubular handler or raise the tubular to a vertical position from an initial horizontal position; and

responsive to the remote drilling rig being initiated to grab the tubular, send a signal to the vertical tubular handler to extend at least one pivoting arm to grab the tubular from the initial horizontal position.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the component of the remote drilling rig comprises a hoist system, wherein the communication associated with the component of the remote drilling rig comprises a sensed position and rotational speed of the hoist system, wherein the processing device is to determine a depth of a tubular in a well bore based on the sensed position and rotational speed of the hoist system.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the communication associated with the component of the remote drilling rig comprises at least one of:

installing, moving or removing a tubular.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a communication associated with a component of a remote drilling rig, wherein the component of the remote drilling rig comprises a vertical tubular handler and the communication associated with the component of the remote drilling rig comprising an indication that a tubular is disposed on the vertical tubular handler;

determining, by the processing device, a position of the component of the remote drilling rig based on the received communication;

providing an executive dashboard that includes at least one drilling rig function associated with the component of the remote drilling rig;

initiating, by the processing device, the remote drilling rig to perform the at least one drilling rig function associated with the component of the remote drilling rig, wherein the at least one drilling rig function comprises grabbing the tubular by the vertical tubular handler or raising the tubular to a vertical position from an initial horizontal position; and

responsive to the remote drilling rig being initiated to grab the tubular, sending a signal to the vertical tubular handler to extend at least one pivoting arm to grab the tubular from the initial horizontal position.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the component of the remote drilling rig comprises a hoist system, wherein the communication associated with the component of the remote drilling rig comprises a sensed position and rotational speed of the hoist system, wherein the processing device is to determine a depth of a tubular in a well bore based on the sensed position and rotational speed of the hoist system.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the executive dashboard further includes tubular handler operation information for at least one of a vertical tubular handler or a horizontal tubular handler.