Integrated pipe handling system for well completion and production

Abstract

A novel integrated pipe handling system and method is provided wherein one or more pipe tubs having lift arms can be loaded with pipe and transported to a drill site where it may be deployed next to a pipe handling trailer. The pipe tubs and pipe handling trailer are arranged such that when the lift arms are raised, pipes may roll from a tub to the trailer, where a pipe is transferred to an angularly adjustable trough on the trailer. An inclinable transfer rack may be positioned adjacent the pipe handling trailer either with or without a tub located adjacent the inclinable transfer rack on the opposite side. The trough may be raised to a preselected position and the pipe moved along the trough by a skate such that the pipe is available to be transferred from the pipe handling trailer to a drilling rig. The process may be reversed to remove pipe from the drilling rig. A control system, which may be operated in a manual or automated mode, is used to operate the integrated system using information about each pipe joint recorded during the loading process. The length of each pipe transferred to the pipe handling trailer may be measured and tally information including the number and total length of pipe transferred may be displayed to an operator and downloaded to a memory.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.