| Apparatus and method for forming stands -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
  Apparatus and method for forming standsRelated Patent Categories: Wells, Processes, Assembling Well Part, Above Ground PartsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070221385. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority from Canadian application number 2,540,820, filed on Mar. 21, 2006, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to pipe handling apparatuses and, more specifically, to apparatuses and methods for drilling operations wherein stands are formed from tubulars. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART [0003] Various ground drilling operations are known such as exploring and/or extracting oil from subterranean deposits. The drilling operation is conducted on a drill rig comprising a raised drilling platform located above the drilling location. A denick is provided on the platform to raise, support and rotate a drill string. A drill string includes a drill bit for boring into the ground. As the drilling operation continues, tubular members, commonly referred to as "tubulars" are connected in an end to end manner to form a drill string. Tubulars are commonly about 30 feet in length and have opposing female and male ends. The ends are threaded in a complementary manner so that opposing male and female ends can be joined together. [0004] The addition of a tubular to an existing drill string is a relatively time consuming and dangerous procedure. Tubulars are provided on a rack from which they are individually rolled onto a horizontal support, such as a catwalk. Both the rack and catwalk are generally located adjacent to the drilling platform with the catwalk being generally positioned perpendicular to the platform. Once on the catwalk, one end of the tubular is attached to a hoist connected either directly of indirectly to the derrick and raised to a vertical position on the drilling platform. The lower end of the tubular is then oriented over the existing drill string and connected to the terminal, surface end of thereof. Following connection of the tubular to the drill string and "torquing" to establish a tight connection, the drilling operation is continued. As indicated above, tubulars are generally about 30 feet (10 m) in length. As such, the frequency of adding tubulars to the drill string is high and, therefore, the efficiency of the drilling operation is hampered. In addition, the above described manipulation of the tubulars often requires manual handling and, therefore, increases the risks to the drill rig personnel. [0005] Various apparatuses and methods have been proposed for handling tubulars such as those provided in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,547,110; 4,486,137; 6,220,807; 6,705,414; 6,854,520; 6,969,223; 6,976,540; and 6,997,265. The entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. [0006] In order to increase the efficiency of the drilling operation, various methods have been proposed to pre-connect at least two tubulars, to form a "stand", prior to connection to the drill string. Such a process is often referred to as "standbuilding". As will be appreciated, such pre-connection step involving two tubulars will reduce by half the number of connections required to be made to the drill string and, therefore, allows the drilling process to continue with fewer interruptions. An example of such a standbuilding procedure is provided in related U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,976,540 and 6,997,265. In these references, a tubular is rolled from a rack onto a ramp positioned adjacent the drilling platform. One end of the tubular is raised by a hoist to a vertical orientation above the drilling platform. The tubular is then inserted into an opening in the drilling platform adjacent to the existing drill string. A further tubular is then vertically hoisted and aligned above the first tubular. The opposing ends are of the two tubulars are then connected together to form a vertical, dual tubular stand. The stand is then raised and secured to the drill string. During formation of the stand, the drilling operation is continued without interruption. [0007] Another example of a standbuilding operation is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,414. In this reference, a stand is formed on a horizontal catwalk associated with a drilling platform. According to the disclosed method, two pairs of tubulars are positioned end to end on the catwalk. A "bucking machine" is then used to join the two tubulars. The bucking machine includes jaws that grasp and axially rotate the tubulars in opposite directions so as to engage the threads on the respective ends and to torque the connection to the desired value. Two stands are formed in this manner, which are then loaded onto a "trolley". The trolley, carrying the two stands, is hoisted onto the drill rig platform and oriented vertically. The stands are then removed from the trolley and either connected to the drill string or stored in the vertical position for later connection to the drill string. [0008] Thus, there exists a need for a simple and efficient means for forming stands. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] In one aspect, the present invention provides a method of forming a stand from tubulars comprising: [0010] providing a supply of tubulars; [0011] providing an elongate stand forming apparatus comprising a front end, rear end and mid section; [0012] loading a first tubular on the stand forming apparatus, wherein the first tubular is positioned generally parallel therewith; [0013] pulling the first tubular towards the rear end of the apparatus; [0014] loading a second tubular on the stand forming apparatus, wherein the second tubular is positioned generally parallel therewith and wherein the second tubular is positioned in general coaxial alignment with the first tubular; [0015] rotating the first and second tubulars about their longitudinal axes and in opposite directions; and, [0016] advancing the first tubular against the second tubular during the rotation whereby cooperating threads on each opposing end of the first and second tubulars are engaged to form a stand. [0017] In another aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for forming a stand from tubulars comprising: [0018] a generally horizontal, elongate catwalk having a frame with a top surface adapted to receive at least two of the tubulars aligned in a coaxial manner, the frame having a front end, a rear end, and a mid section; [0019] a pulling means adapted to grip and pull a first of the tubulars towards the rear end of the catwalk; [0020] a pushing means adapted to advance the first tubular to the front end of the frame; and, [0021] a rotating means for rotating the tubulars about their longitudinal axes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0022] These and other features of the invention will become more apparent in the following detailed description in which reference is made to the appended drawings wherein: [0023] FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a stand forming apparatus according to an aspect of the invention with a first tubular loaded thereon. [0024] FIG. 1a is a front elevation along the line A-A of FIG. 1. [0025] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1. [0026] FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with a second tubular loaded thereon. [0027] FIG. 3a is a front elevation along the line B-B of FIG. 3. [0028] FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1 wherein the formed stand is elevated towards a drilling rig. [0029] FIG. 4a is a front elevation along the line C-C of FIG. 4. [0030] FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1 shown in a folded state without tubulars. Continue reading... Full patent description for Apparatus and method for forming stands Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Apparatus and method for forming stands patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Apparatus and method for forming stands or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Frac system without intervention Next Patent Application: Coiled tubing rig Industry Class: Wells ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Apparatus and method for forming stands patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.67613 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Canon USA , Celera Genomics , Cephalon, Inc. , Cingular Wireless , Clorox , Colgate-Palmolive , Corning , Cymer , |
||
