Reeled tubing counter assembly and measuring method
AssigneeHalliburton Geophysical Services, Inc.
InventorMichael L. Connell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present apparatus describes a mechanism used with a lubricatior used for straightening tubing inserted into a well during service operations. The injector incorporates multiple drive chains which carry gripping blocks or mechanisms for engaging the tubing and which provide direct measurement of the travel of the tubing as it is inserted. As tubing is inserted, a sprocket is rotated on engagement with the drive chain and it in turn rotates a shaft supporting a smaller sprocket engaged by a link chain with another sprocket. The various sprockets have selected teeth ratios to provide the requisite proportionate scaling of the system. The last sprocket drives a pulse generator which forms pulses proportionate to tubing insertion into the well.
Claims10
A method of measuring the tubing inserted into a well which comprises the steps of:
- (a) providing an elongate tubing coiled on a supply reel wherein the tubing is unspooled from the reel and is subject to curvature upon unreeling;
- (b) guiding the tubing through a set of gripping blocks for straightening wherein the tubing is directed for entry axially of the well in which the tubing is inserted;
- (c) moving the tubing into the well by motion applied to the tubing through positive engagement of a drive chain in a tubing injector;
- (d) engaging the drive chain of the tubing injector positively with a sprocket which is rotated in proportion to movement of the drive chain;
- and
- (e) forming a string of output pulses from a pulse generator which is rotated in a fixed ratio to the sprocket engaging the drive chain so that the pulses occur in proportion to length of tubing traversing with the drive chain.
An apparatus for inserting a tubing into a well borehole in conjunction with a tubing injector, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a sprocket engaged with a drive chain of the injector to rotate in proportion to movement of the drive chain;
- (b) a pulse generator;
- (c) means connected between said pulse generator and said drive chain sprocket providing a fixed ratio so that chain motion is converted into a pulse train proportionate to chain motion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.