# US 2016/0356102 A1 · Drill pipe guide system and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0356102 A1 - Document ID: US20160356102A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/170,757 - Filed: 2016-06-01 - Published: 2016-12-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-06-04 - Assignees: Tesco Corporation - Applicants: Tesco Corporation - Inventors: Nicholas Paul Meeks - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160356102A1 ## CPC - E21B 19/087: by means of a swinging arm - E21B 19/084: with flexible drawing means, e.g. cables - E21B 19/09: specially adapted for drilling underwater formations from a floating support using heave compensators supporting the drill string - E21B 19/16: Connecting or disconnecting pipe couplings or joints (E21B19/20 takes precedence) - E21B 19/165: {Control or monitoring arrangements therefor} - E21B 19/24: Guiding or centralising devices for drilling rods or pipes - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS ## Abstract Embodiments of the present disclosure include a drill pipe guide system having a support structure configured to be positioned on a rig floor or drillship floor, an articulating arm coupled to the support structure, wherein the articulating arm is configured to pivot relative to the support structure, and a clamp coupled to the articulating arm, wherein the clamp is configured to encircle a drill string and limit radial movement of the drill string as the drill string is lowered beneath the rig floor or drillship floor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A drill pipe guide system, comprising: a support structure configured to be positioned on a rig floor; an articulating arm coupled to the support structure, wherein the articulating arm is configured to pivot relative to the support structure; and a clamp coupled to the articulating arm, wherein the clamp is configured to encircle a drill string and limit radial movement of the drill string as the drill string is lowered beneath the rig floor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The drill pipe guide system of claim 1, wherein the support structure comprises a base and a plurality of support arms extending from the base. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The drill pipe system of claim 2, wherein the articulating arm is pivotably coupled to the support arms. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The drill pipe system of claim 1, wherein the support structure comprises a base, a plurality of lateral sides extending from the base, and a top coupled to the plurality of lateral sides. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The drill pipe system of claim 4, wherein the articulating arm is pivotably coupled one of the plurality of lateral sides. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The drill pipe system of claim 4, wherein one of the plurality of lateral sides comprises an opening, and wherein the articulating arm and the clamp are configured to extend through the opening when the articulating arm is in a deployed position. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The drill pipe system of claim 1, wherein the clamp comprises an outer housing and an inner arc, wherein the inner arc is configured to rotate relative to the outer housing to encircle the drill string. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The drill pipe system of claim 7, wherein the outer housing and inner arc cooperatively define an inner diameter when the inner arc is in a deployed position, wherein the inner diameter of the outer housing and inner arc is greater than an outer diameter of the drill string. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The drill pipe system of claim 8, wherein the inner diameter of the outer housing and inner arc is less than an inner diameter of slips through which the drill string is lowered. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The drill pipe system of claim 1, comprising an umbilical guide system configured to guide an umbilical cable against the drill string, wherein the umbilical guide system comprises a base, an extension arm extending from the base, and a guide bracket disposed at a distal end of the extension arm, wherein the guide arm comprises a plurality of side flanges configured to capture the umbilical cable and guide the umbilical cable against the drill string. ### Claim 11 A method, comprising: coupling a tubular to a drill string to be run into a wellbore with a tubular rotation system; positioning an umbilical cable against the drill string with an umbilical guide system; encircling the drill string with a clamp of a drill pipe guide system; and running the drill string through slips in a drilling rig floor, wherein the clamp of the drill pipe guide system comprises an inner diameter that is less than an inner dimeter of the slips in the drilling rig floor. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, comprising extending an articulating arm of the drill pipe guide system from a retracted position to an extended position before encircling the drill string with the clamp of the drill pipe guide system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein encircling the drill string with the clamp of the drill pipe guide system comprises rotating an inner arc of the clamp relative to an outer housing of the clamp after extending the articulating arm of the drill pipe guide system from the retracted position to the extended position. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, comprising clamping the umbilical cable to the drill string with a cable clamp, wherein an outer dimeter of the cable clamp is greater than the inner diameter of the clamp of the drill pipe guide system and less than the inner dimeter of the slips in the drilling rig floor. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, comprising facilitating passage of the drill string through the clamp of the drill pipe guide system with a plurality of rollers disposed on the inner diameter of the clamp. ### Claim 16 A system, comprising: a support structure configured to be positioned on a drillship floor, wherein the support structure comprises a base, a plurality of lateral sides extending from the base; an articulating arm coupled to the support structure, wherein the articulating arm is configured to pivot relative to the support structure; and a clamp disposed at a distal end of the articulating arm, wherein the clamp is configured to be disposed about a drill string and limit radial movement of the drill string as the drill string is lowered beneath the drillship floor. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the clamp comprises a plurality of rollers disposed on an inner diameter of the clamp, wherein the plurality of rollers is configured to enable axial translation of the drill string through the clamp. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the clamp comprises an outer housing and at least one inner arc disposed within the outer housing, wherein the at least one inner arc is configured to rotate relative to the outer housing to at least partially encircle the drill string. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the articulating arm is coupled to one of the plurality of lateral sides of the support structure. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, comprising the drillship floor, wherein the drillship floor comprises flush mounted slips through which the drill string is lowered, wherein the flush mounted slips comprise an inner diameter, wherein an inner diameter of the clamp is less than the inner diameter of the flush mounted slips.