Method of landing items at a well location

A method of well casing placement comprising the steps of:

• a) positioning a drilling rig above a well location, the drilling rig having a landing string that is comprised of a number of joints of drill pipe that generate a huge tensile load, and a holder that holds a joint of drill pipe in the landing string for supporting the landing string;
• b) lowering a plurality of connected joints of casing to the well, said plurality of connected joints of casing defining a casing string, the casing string being supported by the landing string;
• c) configuring the combination of landing string and casing string so that the overall combined length of the landing string and casing string spans the distance between the drilling rig and the well location, and wherein the combined weight of landing string and casing string is between about 950,000 and 2,300,000 pounds;
• d) wherein the holder, and the joint of drill pipe that is held by the holder, are configured to support the tensile load of step “c” with correspondingly shaped frustoconical shoulders that engage when the holder holds the joint of drill pipe.

A method of landing casing string for use in water depths of at least 300 hundred feet, comprising the steps of:

• a) positioning a drilling rig above an undersea well location, the drilling rig having a landing string that is comprised of a number of joints of drill pipe that generate a huge tensile load, and a holder for supporting the landing string when one or more pipe joints is to be added to or removed from the landing string;
• b) lowering a plurality of connected joints of casing to the undersea well, said plurality of connected joints of casing defining a casing string, wherein the landing string in step “a” has upper and lower end portions, the casing string being supported by the lower end portion of the landing string;
• c) configuring the combination of landing string and casing string so that the overall, combined length of the landing string and casing string spans at least a majority of the distance between the drilling rig and the undersea well location at the seabed, and wherein the combined weight of landing string and casing string is between about 950,000 and 2,300,000 pounds;
• d) wherein the holder and an uppermost joint of drill pipe that is supported by the holder, are configured to support the load of step “c” at a load transfer interface that includes correspondingly shaped respective shoulders of the drill pipe and holder that are surfaces each defined by rotating a line 360° about a central axis.

A method of deep sea well casing placement for use in water depths of at least 300 hundred feet, comprising the steps of:

• a) positioning a drilling rig above an undersea well location, the drilling rig having a landing string that is comprised of a number of joints of drill pipe that general a huge tensile load, and a holder for supporting the landing string when one or more pipe joints is to be added to or removed from the landing string, each joint of drill pipe having a central longitudinal axis;
• b) lowering a plurality of connected joints of casing to the undersea well, said plurality of connected joints of casing defining a casing string, wherein the landing string in step “a” has upper and lower end portions, the casing string being supported by the lower end portion of the landing string;
• c) configuring the combination of landing string and casing string so that the overall, combined length of the landing string and casing string spans the distance between the drilling rig and the undersea well location at the seabed, and wherein the combined weight of landing string and casing string is between about 950,000 and 2,300,000 pounds;
• d) wherein the holder, and an uppermost joint of drill pipe that is supported by the holder, are configured to support the tensile load of step “c” with correspondingly shaped tapered shoulders that engage when the holder supports the uppermost joint of drill pipe, said shoulders being surfaces defined by rotating a line 360° about the drill pipe central longitudinal axis.

A method of well casing placement comprising the steps of:

• a) positioning a drilling rig above an undersea well location, the drilling rig having a lifting device, a landing string that is comprised of a number of joints of drill pipe that generate a huge tensile load, and a holder for supporting the landing string when one or more pipe joints is to be added to or removed from the landing string, each joint of drill pipe having a central longitudinal axis;
• b) supporting the landing string with the lifting device;
• c) lowering a plurality of connected joints of casing to the undersea well, said plurality of connected joints of casing defining a casing string, wherein the landing string in step “a” has upper and lower end portions, the casing string being supported by the lower end portion of the landing string;
• d) configuring the combination of landing string and casing string so that the overall, combined length of the landing string and casing string spans at least a majority of the distance between the drilling rig and the undersea well location at the seabed, and wherein the combined weight of landing string and casing string is between about 950,000 and 2,300,000 pounds;
• e) wherein the holder, and an uppermost joint of drill pipe that is supported by the holder, are configured to support the tensile load of step “d” with a first shoulder on the holder and a second shoulder on the uppermost joint of drill pipe, each shoulder being configured to enable loading of one shoulder upon the other in positions that do not require alignment of the holder and uppermost joint of drill pipe just prior to loading.

A drilling rig, pipe and pipe handling apparatus, comprising:

• a) a drilling rig with a floor;
• b) a landing string comprised of a number of joints of pipe connected end to end and that generates a huge tensile load at the floor, at least a plurality of the joints of pipe having an enlarged diameter section with a shoulder that is spaced apart from either end of the pipe;
• c) first and second holders that provide support for the tensile loaded landing string;
• d) wherein the first holder is a lower holder positioned near the rig floor that holds a joint of pipe of the landing string and supports the landing string during the addition or removal of a joint of pipe to or from the landing string, and the second holder is an upper holder that holds a joint of pipe in the landing string and supports the landing string after a joint of pipe has been added to or removed from the landing string;
• e) each of the holders including a main body and a plurality of wedge members, the wedge members forming an interface between the body and the joint of pipe being held by the holder, each wedge member having a shoulder that corresponds in shape to and engages with the shoulder at the enlarged diameter section of the joint of pipe being held by one of the holders;
• and
• f) wherein the shoulders are rotatable with respect to each other, regardless of the distance between said shoulders.

A pipe and pipe handling apparatus comprising:

• a) a landing string comprised of a number of joints of pipe connected end to end that generate a huge tensile load, each joint of pipe having generally cylindrically shaped pin and box end portions, a generally cylindrically shaped smaller diameter portion that extends over a majority of the length of each joint, and an enlarged diameter generally cylindrically shaped section spaced in between the pin and box end portions;
• b) a pair of vertically spaced apart pipe holders that each enable the landing string to be supported;
• c) wherein the holders and each joint of pipe of the landing string are configured to support the tensile load of the landing string with correspondingly shaped frustoconical shoulders that engage when one of the holders holds a joint of pipe of the landing string;
• and
• d) each holder including a main body and a plurality of wedge members, the wedge members forming an interface between the body and the joint of pipe being held by the holder.

A pipe and pipe handling apparatus comprising:

• a) a landing string comprised of a number of joints of pipe connected end to end that generate a huge tensile load, each joint of pipe having generally cylindrically shaped pin and box end portions, a generally cylindrically shaped smaller diameter portion that extends over a majority of the length of each joint, a generally cylindrically shaped enlarged diameter section spaced in between the pin and box end portions, and a central longitudinal axis;
• b) a pair of vertically spaced apart pipe holders that each enable the landing string to be supported;
• c) wherein each holder and a joint of pipe of the landing string that is held by the holder are configured to support the tensile load of the landing string with correspondingly shaped shoulders that engage when the holder holds the joint of pipe, said shoulders being surfaces defined by rotating a line 360° about the drill pipe central longitudinal axis;
• and
• d) each holder including a main body, a plurality of wedges that are movable between engaged and disengaged positions, said wedges defining an interface between the body and the joint of pipe being held by the holder, and wherein one of the holders has a body that is movable in a vertical direction during use.

A drilling rig, pipe, and pipe support apparatus, comprising:

• a) a drilling rig having a floor;
• b) a landing string comprised of a number of joints of drill pipe connected end to end, extending from the rig, that generate a huge tensile load at the floor;
• c) a drill pipe holder, located at the rig floor, that holds a joint of drill pipe of the landing string and supports the landing string during the addition or removal of a joint of drill pipe to or from the landing string;
• d) wherein the holder and the joint of drill pipe that is held by the holder are configured to support the tensile load of the landing string with correspondingly shaped shoulders that engage when the holder holds the joint of drill pipe;
• e) the holder including a main body and a plurality of wedge members, the wedge members forming an interface between the body and the joint of drill pipe being held by the holder;
• and
• f) wherein the shoulders are rotatable with respect to each other, regardless of the distance between said shoulders.

A pipe and pipe support apparatus comprising:

• a) a landing string comprised of a number of joints of pipe connected end to end that generate a huge tensile load, each joint of pipe having pin and box end portions and an enlarged diameter section spaced in between the pin and box end, but closer to the box end portion;
• b) a pipe holder that holds a joint of pipe of the landing string and supports the landing string at the enlarged diameter section during the addition or removal of a joint of pipe to or from the landing string;
• c) wherein the holder and the joint of pipe that is held by the holder are configured to support the tensile load of the landing string with correspondingly shaped frustoconical shoulders that engage when the holder holds the joint of pipe;
• and
• d) the holder including a main body and a plurality of wedge members, the wedge members forming an interface between the body and the joint of pipe being held by the holder.

A pipe and pipe support apparatus comprising:

• a) a landing string comprised of a number of joints of pipe connected end to end that generate a huge tensile load, each joint of pipe having enlarged diameter pin and box end portions and an enlarged diameter section spaced in between the pin and box end portions, but closer to the box end portion, each joint of pipe also having a central longitudinal axis;
• b) a pipe holder that supports the landing string at the enlarged diameter section during the addition or removal of a joint of pipe to or from the landing string;
• c) wherein the holder and an uppermost joint of pipe that is supported by the holder are configured to support the tensile load of the landing string with correspondingly shaped shoulders that engage when the holder supports the uppermost joint of pipe, said shoulders being surfaces defined by rotating a line 360° about the drill pipe central longitudinal axis;
• and
• d) the holder including a main body, and a plurality of wedge members that form an interface between the body and the uppermost joint of pipe.

A pipe and pipe support apparatus comprising:

• a) a landing string comprised of a number of joints of pipe connected end to end that generate a huge tensile load, wherein a number of joints of the pipe in the landing string have an enlarged diameter section and wherein the enlarged diameter section is spaced apart from the ends of the pipe, but closer to one end than the other;
• b) a pipe holder that supports the enlarged diameter section of pipe in the landing string during the addition or removal of a joint of pipe to or from the landing string;
• c) wherein the holder and the joint of pipe that is held by the holder are configured to support the tensile load of the landing string with corresponding shoulders that engage when the holder holds the joint of pipe;
• d) the holder including a main body and a plurality of wedge members, the wedge member forming an interface between the body and the joint of pipe being held by the holder;
• and
• e) wherein no specific radial alignment of the corresponding shoulders is necessary prior to or during their engagement.