Sequencing for pipe handling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11346164-B2
Application number	US-202016826886-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2020
Priority date	Oct 10, 2017
Publication date	May 31, 2022
Grant date	May 31, 2022

Abstract

A method sequence for handling tubulars into or out of a wellbore, the method comprising: moving a tubular string into or out of a wellbore via a top drive; moving tubular stands to and from a setback position and a stand handoff position via a transfer bridge racker and a setback guide arm; moving tubular stands to and from the stand handoff position and a well center position via a tubular delivery arm and a lower stabilizing arm; building stands and breaking down stands offline via a mousehole and operating a roughneck on joints between the tubular stands and the tubular string.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for performing a wellbore operation via a drill rig, the method comprising:
moving a tubular string relative to the wellbore via a top drive;
moving a tubular stand between a setback position and a stand handoff position via a transfer bridge racker and a setback guide arm;
moving the tubular stand between the stand handoff position and a well center position via the top drive and a lower stabilizing arm; and
operating a roughneck on a joint between the tubular stand and the tubular string.

2. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein moving the tubular string relative to the wellbore via the top drive comprises tripping the tubular string into the wellbore,
wherein moving the tubular stand between the setback position and the stand handoff position comprises moving the tubular stand from the setback position to the stand handoff position,
wherein moving the tubular stand between the stand handoff position and the well center position comprises moving the tubular stand from the stand handoff position to the well center position, and
wherein operating the roughneck on the joint between the tubular stand and the tubular string comprises making up the joint.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
moving a first tubular single and a second tubular single from a feeding table position to a drill floor pickup position;
moving the first tubular single from the drill floor pickup position to a mousehole stickup position;
moving the second tubular single from the drill floor pickup position to a mousehole make/brake position;
operating the roughneck on a respective joint between the first tubular single and the second tubular single to form the tubular stand;
moving the tubular stand from a mousehole position to the stand handoff position; and
moving the tubular stand from the stand handoff position to the setback position.

4. The method of claim 2 , comprising adjusting an extendable constraint engaged with the tubular stand to tilt a top of the tubular stand toward the top drive to enable the top drive to close on the tubular stand to facilitate moving the tubular stand from the stand handoff position to the well center position.

5. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein moving the tubular string relative to the wellbore via the top drive comprises tripping the tubular string out of the wellbore,
wherein moving the tubular stand between the setback position and the stand handoff position comprises moving the tubular stand from the stand handoff position to the setback position,
wherein moving the tubular stand between the stand handoff position and the well center position comprises moving the tubular stand from the well center position to the stand handoff position, and
wherein operating the roughneck on the joint between the tubular stand and the tubular string comprises breaking out the joint.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tubular string and the tubular stand comprise drill pipe.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tubular string and the tubular stand comprise casing.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising draining fluid from the tubular stand via a mud bucket.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tubular string and the tubular stand comprise drill collar tubulars, and wherein moving the tubular stand between the stand handoff position and the well center position comprises tilting a top of a first drill collar stand to enable the top drive to close on the first drill collar stand, lifting the first drill collar stand with the top drive, and guiding a bottom of the first drill collar stand with the lower stabilizing arm.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
moving a tubular single from a feeding table position to a drill floor pickup position;
moving the tubular single from the drill floor pickup position to the well center position; and
operating the roughneck on a respective joint between the tubular single and the tubular string in the wellbore to make up the respective joint.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
moving the tubular single from the drill floor pickup position to the feeding table position;
moving the tubular single from the well center position to the drill floor pickup position; and
operating the roughneck on the respective joint between the tubular single and the tubular string in the wellbore to break out the respective joint.

12. The method of claim 10 , comprising moving the tubular single from the drill floor pickup position to the well center position via the top drive and the lower stabilizing arm.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
moving a casing single from a feeding table position to a drill floor pickup position;
moving the casing single from the drill floor pickup position to the well center position via the top drive and the lower stabilizing arm;
operating a casing running tool between the casing single and the top drive to make up the casing running tool to the casing single; and
operating the top drive via the casing running tool on a respective joint between the casing single and a casing string in the wellbore to make up a respective joint via the top drive.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
moving the casing single from the drill floor position to the feeding table position;
moving the casing single from the well center position to the drill floor pickup position via the top drive and the lower stabilizing arm;
operating the casing running tool between the casing single and the top drive to break out the casing running tool from the casing single; and
operating the top drive via the casing running tool on the respective joint between the casing single and a casing string in the wellbore to break out the respective joint via the top drive.

15. A method for performing operations via a drill rig, the method comprising:
drilling a wellbore by rotating a drill string via a top drive;
setting slips at a floor of the drill rig so that the drill string is at a stickup height relative to the floor of the drill rig;
breaking out a respective connection between the top drive and the drill string;
moving a drill string stand from a setback position to a stand handoff position;
moving a drill string stand from the stand handoff position to a well center position via a lower stabilizing arm;
making up a joint between the drill string stand and the drill string to form an extended drill string;
making up a respective connection between the extended drill string stand and the top drive;
opening the slips at the floor of the drill rig;
continuing drilling the wellbore by rotating the extended drill string via the top drive;
breaking out a respective connection between the top drive and the extended drill string;
moving a tubular single from a catwalk machine to the well center position via the lower stabilizing arm; and
making up a respective joint between the tubular single and the extended drill string.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein moving the drill string stand from the setback position to the stand handoff position comprises moving the drill string stand via a transfer bridge racker and a setback guide arm.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein making up the joint between the drill string stand and the drill string comprises operating a roughneck to make up the joint.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein making up the joint between the drill string stand and the drill string comprises operating the top drive to make up the joint.

19. The method of

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Alvaer Jan
• Nilssen Christian Doennestad
• Berry Joe Rodney

Classifications

• E21B3/025

  with a to-and-fro rotation of the tool · CPC title

• E21B19/20

  Combined feeding from rack and connecting, e.g. automatically · CPC title

• E21B19/155 Primary

  Handling between horizontal and vertical position · CPC title

• E21B3/06

  Adaptation of rotary draw works to drive rotary tables · CPC title

• E21B19/16 Primary

  Connecting or disconnecting pipe couplings or joints (E21B19/20 takes precedence) · CPC title