Oilfield tubular spin-in and spin-out detection for making-up and breaking-out tubular strings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016290075-A1
Application number	US-201615186272-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 17, 2016
Priority date	Sep 8, 2006
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods for making a threaded connection between an upper tubular and a lower tubular using an oilfield tubular spinner and a torque wrench, including holding the lower tubular with the torque wrench, frictionally engaging the upper tubular with the tubular spinner, operating a motor of the tubular spinner to spin-in and shoulder-up a tubular connection between the upper tubular and the lower tubular, establishing a threshold hydraulic system pressure that indicates a shouldered-up condition, monitoring, with a detection system, a hydraulic system pressure of the motor during spin-in and shoulder-up, and maintaining the threshold hydraulic system pressure to operate the motor for a selected period of time after the threshold hydraulic system pressure is reached. An oilfield tubular spinner for an oilfield tubular wrench is also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for making up a threaded connection between an upper tubular and a lower tubular using an oilfield tubular spinner and a torque wrench, the method comprising:
holding the lower tubular with the torque wrench; frictionally engaging the upper tubular with the tubular spinner; operating a motor of the tubular spinner to spin-in and shoulder-up a tubular connection between the upper tubular and the lower tubular; establishing a threshold hydraulic system pressure that indicates a shouldered-up condition; monitoring, with a detection system, a hydraulic system pressure of the motor during spin-in and shoulder-up; and
maintaining the threshold hydraulic system pressure to operate the motor for a selected period of time after the threshold hydraulic system pressure is reached.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the motor comprises a hydraulic system driving motor.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein monitoring comprises comparing a measured hydraulic system pressure to the threshold hydraulic system pressure.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the hydraulic system pressure is monitored to detect a slip condition prior to shouldering-up.

5 . The method of claim 4 , which further comprises shutting down the motor after the detection system determines that a hydraulic system pressure below the threshold hydraulic system pressure has been maintained for a selected period of time, indicating that a slip condition has occurred.

6 . The method of claim 1 , which further comprises monitoring a period of time for operation of the motor suitable for substantially establishing a shouldered-up condition.

7 . The method of claim 1 , which further comprises tightening the tubular connection with the torque wrench after spin-in and shoulder-up.

8 . The method of claim 5 , which further comprises shutting down the motor after the detection system determines that a hydraulic system pressure below the threshold hydraulic system pressure has been maintained for a selected period of time, indicating that a slip condition has occurred.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the torque wrench is selected to comprise tongs and the tubular spinner is selected to comprise a plurality of rollers.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the torque wrench is adapted to grip and rotate the lower tubular and the tubular spinner is selected to frictionally engage and rotate the upper tubular.

11 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the motor comprises a plurality of spin motors associated with the rollers to reduce a load on each of the spin motors.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic system pressure jumps to an initial operating pressure when the tubular spinner is engaged, and then gradually increases as the upper and lower tubulars are threaded together.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold hydraulic system pressure comprises a plateau in the hydraulic system pressure.

14 . An oilfield tubular spinner for an oilfield tubular wrench, the oilfield tubular spinner comprising:
a powered spin roller including an axis of rotation; a hydraulic system spin motor operatively connected to, and configured to drive, the powered spin roller to rotate about its axis of rotation; and a make-up detection system configured to detect a make-up condition of an upper tubular being driven by the powered spin roller to threadedly connect the upper tubular to a lower tubular and to initiate spin motor shutdown in response to a make-up condition, wherein the make-up detection system includes:
a pressure transducer and controller to monitor operational hydraulic system pressure of the motor, wherein the controller stores a value for a threshold hydraulic system pressure that indicates a shouldered-up condition and the controller maintains the threshold hydraulic system pressure to operate the motor for a selected period of time after the threshold hydraulic system pressure is reached; and
a timer to monitor the operational time that the powered spin roller is driven by the motor.

15 . The oilfield tubular spinner of claim 14 , which further comprises tongs operationally associated with the spinner, wherein the tongs are configured to rotate a tubular at a relatively lower speed and higher torque to begin a tightening operation.

16 . The oilfield tubular spinner of claim 14 , wherein the powered spin roller is configured to accommodate a plurality of oilfield tubulars collectively having a range of diameters.

17 . The oilfield tubular spinner of claim 14 , wherein the torque wrench is adapted to grip and rotate the lower tubular and the tubular spinner is selected to frictionally engage and rotate the upper tubular.

18 . The oilfield tubular spinner of claim 14 , wherein the motor comprises a plurality of spin motors associated with each of a plurality of rollers to reduce a load on each of the spin motors.

19 . The oilfield tubular spinner of claim 14 , wherein the threshold hydraulic system pressure comprises a plateau in the hydraulic system pressure.

Assignees

• Canrig Drilling Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Hunter Douglas A

Classifications

• E21B19/168 Primary

  using a spinner with rollers or a belt adapted to engage a well pipe · CPC title

• E21B19/165

  Control or monitoring arrangements therefor · CPC title

• F16L1/26

  Repairing or joining pipes on or under water · CPC title

• E21B19/164

  motor actuated (E21B19/162 and E21B19/163 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16L15/006

  with straight threads · CPC title