Pipe spooling deployment equipment systems and methods

A method of operating pipe deployment equipment in a pipe deployment system comprising:

• determining, using a control sub-system of the pipe deployment system, a target operation to be performed by the pipe deployment equipment, wherein a pipe drum and a pipe segment spooled on the pipe drum are loaded on the pipe deployment equipment;
• instructing, using the control sub-system, a braking assembly of the pipe deployment equipment to actuate a brake pad against a brake disc that is matingly interlocked with the pipe drum to facilitate slowing deployment of the pipe segment from the pipe deployment equipment in response to determining that the target operation to be performed by the pipe deployment equipment is a braking operation;
• and
• in response to determining that the target operation to be performed by the pipe deployment equipment is a pipe spooling operation:
• instructing, using the control sub-system, a power sub-system in the pipe deployment system to supply power to a spooling assembly of the pipe deployment equipment to enable the pipe deployment equipment to actively rotate the brake disc of the braking assembly in a first direction to facilitate spooling the pipe segment off of the pipe drum that is matingly interlocked with the brake disc or to actively rotate the brake disc of the braking assembly in a second direction to facilitate spooling the pipe segment onto the pipe drum that is matingly interlocked with the brake disc;
• determining, using the control sub-system, tension exerted on the pipe segment due to the pipe segment being actively spooled by the pipe deployment equipment;
• instructing, using the control sub-system, the pipe deployment equipment to connect a first intermediate gear that has a larger diameter between an input wheel and an output wheel of a gear box in the spooling assembly of the pipe deployment equipment in response to determining that the tension being exerted on the pipe segment due to spooling by the pipe deployment equipment is greater than an upper tension threshold;
• instructing, using the control sub-system, the pipe deployment equipment to connect a second intermediate gear that has a smaller diameter between the input wheel and the output wheel of the gear box in the spooling assembly of the pipe deployment equipment in response to determining that the tension being exerted on the pipe segment due to spooling by the pipe deployment equipment is not greater than a lower tension threshold;
• and
• instructing, using the control sub-system, the pipe deployment equipment to maintain a current intermediate gear connected between the input wheel and the output wheel of the gear box in the spooling assembly of the pipe deployment equipment in response to determining that the tension being exerted on the pipe segment due to spooling by the pipe deployment equipment is greater than the lower tension threshold and not greater than the upper tension threshold.

A pipe deployment system comprising a pipe deployment trailer, wherein the pipe deployment trailer comprises:

• an equipment frame;
• one or more wheels secured to the equipment frame to enable the pipe deployment trailer to be moved by a vehicle in the pipe deployment system;
• a braking assembly secured to the equipment frame, wherein the braking assembly comprises a brake disc configured to matingly interlock with a pipe drum that is to be loaded on the pipe deployment trailer to facilitate tying rotation of the brake disc with rotation of the pipe drum;
• and
• a spooling assembly comprising a motor, wherein the spooling assembly is configured to tie rotation of a motor shaft of the motor to the rotation of the brake disc in the braking assembly to enable the pipe deployment trailer to:
• actively rotate the brake disc in a first direction to facilitate spooling a pipe segment off of the pipe drum that is matingly interlocked with the brake disc;
• actively rotate the brake disc in a second direction to facilitate spooling the pipe segment onto the pipe drum that is matingly interlocked with the brake disc;
• or
• both;
• a lifting assembly secured to the equipment frame, wherein the lifting assembly is configured to lift the pipe drum to facilitate matingly interlocking a drum shaft of the pipe drum with a shaft socket of the brake disc, lower the pipe drum to facilitate disengaging the drum shaft of the pipe drum from the shaft socket of the brake disc, or both;
• and
• a tongue assembly secured to the equipment frame, wherein the tongue assembly is configured to interlock with a hitch assembly of the vehicle in the pipe deployment system to enable the vehicle to tow the pipe deployment trailer.