US 2010/0163247 A1Published application

Horizontal offline stand building system

AssigneeWeatherford Canada Partnership

InventorsMonte Neil Wright, Roman Vakulin

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Abstract

A horizontal offline stand building system includes a substantially horizontal, elongate catwalk having a frame and a stand lifting arm. The catwalk has a top surface adapted to receive at least two tubluars aligned coaxially along a linear path in a make-up channel on said top surface. The tubulars are threaded together to form preferably at least a triple pipe stand in the make-up channel. The completed stand is then transferred laterally to a delivery channel containing the stand lifting arm. The stand lifting arm is selectively actuable lifting arm for selectively elevating a rig end of a pipe stand from said top surface of the catwalk to the deck of a drilling rig, and then for supporting the mid and rear sections as the stand is hoisted from the delivery channel up the derrick of the drilling rig.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus for forming a pipe stand from tubulars comprising:

a substantially horizontal, elongate catwalk having a frame, said catwalk having a top surface adapted to receive at least two tubulars aligned coaxially manner along a linear path on said top surface, said frame having a front end, a rear end, and a mid section;
a selectively actuable lifting arm for selectively elevating a rig end of a pipe stand from said surface;
a selectively actuable means for urging the tubulars along said surface between said front and rear ends so as to urge ends of successive tubulars together into an end-to-end mating position;
a rotating means for relative rotation of tubulars in said end-to-end position about corresponding longitudinal axes of the tubulars so as to threadably engage end-to-end positioned tubulars together to form at least one section of a completed pipe stand;
means for translating the completed pipe stand towards said front end and over said lifting arm;
means for selectively actuating said lifting arm to lift and translate the completed pipe stand so as to position the rig end of the pipe stand into a hoisting position adjacent a drilling rig derrick.

3 more elements

A method of forming a pipe stand from a plurality of tubulars comprising:

(a) providing a supply of tubulars;
(b) providing an elongate stand forming frame having a top surface front end, rear end and mid section, wherein said top surface is adapted to receive at least two tubulars aligned coaxially along a linear path on said top surface;
(c) providing an actuable lifting arm adjacent said front end for selective raising and translation of a pipe stand of tubulars along said linear path and over said front end and providing selectively actuable means for urging tubulars along said linear path;
(d) loading a first tubular onto said linear path between said front and rear ends;
(e) urging the first tubular towards said rear end;
(f) loading at least a second tubular onto said linear path between the first tubular and said front end, wherein the second tubular and successive tubulars are positioned in succession along said path;
(g) rotating the first and second tubulars relative to one another while urging them together so as to threadably couple the first and second tubulars, and then rotating any subsequent tubulars relative to the first and second tubulars about their longitudinal axes while urging together the subsequent tubulars with the first and second tubulars so as to form the pipe stand;
(h) urging the pipe stand towards the front end and over the lifting arm;
(i) elevating the lifting arm;
(j) translating the pipe stand while elevating the pipe stand on the lifting arm to position a rig end of the pipe stand adjacent a derrick for hoisting of the pipe stand up a the derrick.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.