SERIALIZATION AND DATABASE METHODS FOR TUBULARS AND OILFIELD EQUIPMENT

• US 20070124220A1
• Filed: 11/28/2006
• Published: 05/31/2007
• 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: Harrall, Simon, Le, Tuong, Miller, Matthew, Williams, Larry, Sarradet, Stephen, Ljungdahl, Patrick, Griggs, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,463,664 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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; and

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

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

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the detector includes multiple detectors 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.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computer configured to perform operations, comprising:

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

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

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

6. 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.

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

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

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

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the identification tag comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computer configured to automatically generate shipping and receiving tickets.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computer configured to perform operations, comprising:

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.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computer configured to perform operations, comprising:

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

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

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

providing a tubular member having a unique identification tag; and

tracking movement of the tubular member into and out of an inventory location by reading the identification tag with a detector.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising automatically generating shipping and receiving tickets.

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

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

gathering data associated with the tubular member;

correlating the data and an identification code of the identification tag in a signal bearing medium;

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

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

gathering data associated with the tubular member;

correlating the data and an identification code of the identification tag in a signal bearing medium;

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.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the forecasting accounts for customer future orders.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

gathering data associated with the tubular member;

correlating the data and an identification code of the identification tag in a signal bearing medium; and

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

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising locating the tubular member using an identification tag reading system.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the locating comprises signal triangulation.

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

providing a tubular member having a remotely readable identification tag;

gathering data associated with the tubular member;

correlating the data and an identification code of the identification tag in a signal bearing medium; and

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

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the data includes at least one of rotating hours, wall thickness and outer diameter.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the invoicing is initiated automatically.

28. A method of managing items of oilfield equipment, comprising:

providing each item of oilfield equipment with a remotely readable identification tag;

gathering data associated with the items of oilfield equipment;

correlating the data with an identification code of the identification tag of each item of oilfield equipment in a signal bearing medium;

storing the data cross-referenced to the identification code in a computer system;

interrogating the computer system to locate items of oilfield equipment according to one or more criterion based upon the stored data; and

identifying the location of each item of oilfield equipment which satisfies the given one or more criterion.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein identifying the location of each item of oilfield equipment is achieved via triangulation using RFID detectors.