Method and device for joining well tubulars
AssigneeShell Research Limited
InventorWilhelmus H. P. M. Heijnen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention relates to a method and device for joining well tubulars by a friction welding technique. The device includes apparatus for fixing tubular elements in a substantially vertical and aligned position near the wellhead and apparatus for rotating a welding ring relative to the tubular elements. According to the method a first tubular element is lowered partly into the well, positioning a welding ring positioned on top of this element hoisted to a substantially vertical position above the welding ring and the welding ring rotated relative to the tubular elements while the welding ring is deformed in a radial direction such that sufficient frictional heat is generated to create a friction weld between the welding ring and the tubular elements.
Claims23
A method for joining well tubulars, the method comprising the steps of:
- lowering a first tubular element into a well until the upper end of the element is located in a substantially vertical orientation near the entrance of the well,
- positioning a welding ring on top of said tubular element,
- hoisting a second tubular element to a substantially vertical position above the welding ring,
- fixing the tubular elements in axial alignment with each other by means of clamps of a friction welding device,
- rotating the welding ring by means of the friction welding device relative to the tubular elements while deforming the welding ring in the radial direction such that the ring is in contact with the tubular elements thereby generating sufficient frictional heat to create a friction weld between the welding ring and the tubular elements, and
- lowering the interconnected tubular elements into the well.
A device for joining well tubulars comprising:
- a welding ring,
- means for maintaining a first tubular element in a substantially vertical position suspended in a well while the upper end of the element is located near the entrance of the well,
- means for hoisting a second tubular element to a substantially vertical position above the suspended tubular element and the welding ring positioned on top of said suspended tubular element,
- clamps for fixing the tubular elements in axial alignment with each other, and
- a rotatable sleeve mounted between said clamps for rotating the welding ring relative to said tubular elements while deforming the welding ring in a radial sense such that the welding ring is in contact with the tubular elements, thereby generating sufficient frictional heat to create a friction weld between the welding ring the tubular elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.