Pipeline descaling tool
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsFahmi Aulia, Abdulrahman F. Almuaibid, Surajit Haldar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pipeline descaling tool includes a milling tool, a roller assembly and a motor. The milling tool can rotate about a longitudinal axis of the assembly and is sized to fit within an inner volume defined by a pipeline. The milling tool can mill, by rotating, solid obstructions protruding from an inner surface of the pipeline into the inner volume. The roller assembly includes multiple rollers. The roller assembly is axially coupled to the milling tool. The roller assembly can transport the pipeline tool assembly including the milling tool within the inner volume. The motor is connected to the roller assembly and to the milling tool. The motor can rotate the milling tool and power the roller assembly.
Claims7
A method to descale a pipeline, the method comprising:
- in a pipeline in which a pipeline tool assembly is disposed, the pipeline tool assembly comprising:
- a milling tool configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the pipeline tool assembly, the milling tool sized to fit within an inner volume defined by a pipeline and to mill, by rotating, solid obstructions protruding from an inner surface of the pipeline into the inner volume;
- a roller assembly comprising a plurality of rollers, the roller assembly axially coupled to the milling tool, the roller assembly configured to transport the pipeline tool assembly including the milling tool within the inner volume, and
- a motor connected to the roller assembly and to the milling tool, the motor configured to rotate the milling tool and to power the roller assembly:
- transmitting, by the motor, a current to the roller assembly to transport the pipeline tool assembly toward the solid obstructions and to the milling tool to mill the solid obstructions;
- receiving a signal representing a weight on bit on the milling tool;
- and
- based on the received signal, adjusting the current to the roller assembly and to the milling tool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.