INSERT AND METHOD, AND SYSTEM FOR HANDLING DIFFERENT DIAMETER TUBULARS IN TUBULAR HANDLING EQUIPMENT

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of an earlier filing date from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/718,048 filed Nov. 8, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

In the resource recovery and fluid sequestration industries the handling of tubulars such as pipe joints and the like is a requirement that entails health, safety, and environment issues, as well as efficiency issues. Managing tubulars entering and exiting a borehole with greater safety and reduced down time will benefit the art.

SUMMARY

An embodiment of an insert for tubular handling equipment, including an insert body, a radially outward surface of the insert body configured to interface with an insert displacement structure of the tubular handling equipment, a radially inward surface of the insert having a plurality of subsurfaces, the plurality of subsurfaces including at least one subsurface with a radius different than at least one other subsurface, the plurality subsurfaces each configured to substantially nest with a particular diameter tubular.

An embodiment of a tubular handling device, including a housing, an insert displacement structure disposed in the housing, and a number of inserts disposed about the insert displacement structure.

An embodiment of a method for running tubulars having differing diameters in a borehole, including engaging a tubular of a first diameter with one or more of an elevator and a spider having an insert, executing an operation with the one or more of the elevator and spider on the tubular, engaging another tubular of a second diameter different than the first diameter with the same one or more of the elevator and spider without changing insert.

An embodiment of a wellbore system, including a borehole in a subsurface formation, tubular handling equipment engaged with a tubular associated with the borehole, an insert, disposed in the tubular handling equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numbered alike:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a power slip or Spider including the insert as disclosed herein;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an elevator including the insert as disclosed herein disposed in a lift ring;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an insert displacement structure;

FIGS. 4A-D are schematic views of an insert having a plurality of radii spaced from and engaged with a tubular;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an insert as disclosed herein having radii for a 9⅝ inch curve and for a 10¾ inch curve;

FIG. 6 is another schematic illustration that is similar to that of FIG. 3 but having four different radii; and

FIG. 7 is a view of a borehole system including the insert as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures.

Referring to FIG. 1, tubular handling equipment 10, which can be used as a spider or can be disposed in a lift ring 12 and be used as an elevator (see FIG. 2). Regardless of type of tubular handling equipment, the equipment 10 includes an insert 14. The insert 14 comprises an insert body 16 having a radially outward surface 18 of the insert body 16 that is configured to interface with an insert displacement structure 20, colloquially known as a bowl, in the tubular handling equipment 10. In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 3, the structure 20 includes a frustoconical surface 22 that tends to drive inserts 14 radially inwardly as they are dragged longitudinally from a larger diameter end 24 of the structure 20 toward a smaller diameter end 26 of the structure 20 with tubular movement therethrough until sufficient engagement with the tubular to prevent further relative movement. In some embodiments, the inserts 14 may be initially driven mechanically, pneumatically, hydraulically, or electrically, for example by actuators 28.

Returning to the insert 14 specifically, the body 16, at a radially inward extent thereof, further includes a plurality of subsurfaces 30, the plurality of subsurfaces including at least one subsurface 30a with a radius different than at least one other subsurface 30b. In an exemplary embodiment, see FIG. 5, subsurface 30a has a radius for 9.625 inch diameter while subsurface 30 b (two of them) has a radius for a 10.750 inch diameter. Additional subsurfaces are also contemplated as, for example, in FIG. 6, where there are subsurfaces 30a-30d each with a different radius. It is to be understood that 30a will always need to be the tighter radius than 30b and that this relationship will continue to be the case with more than two radii, i.e. each next adjacent radius will be larger than the one before it, 30a<30b<30c<30d, etc. Each radius is configured to mate with a particular size of tubular segment that is to be supported by the tubular handling equipment 10. In various embodiments, two different sizes of tubular (FIG. 5) or four different sizes of tubular (FIG. 6) can be accommodated without a change in inserts. This dramatically improves efficiency and due to the elimination of a need to interact with the equipment 10 for a changeover, also improves safety. Each time a tool changeover is avoided, approximately 1.5 hours of rig time is saved. Additionally. the pipe crush calculation (Spiri-Reinhold equation) outlines friction in the tool as a very important factor alongside the mechanical properties of the tubular (the exact collapse pressure rating of the material used to construct the tubular). Due to the radiused subsurfaces 30, the inserts 14 provide a non-linear distribution of collapse forces to the tubular. Referring to FIGS. 4A-4D, examples of interaction between two examples of insert 14 and tubulars are illustrated. FIGS. 4A and 4B are of an insert 14 with two radii spaced from (FIG. 4A) and then engaged with (FIG. 4B) a 9.625 inch diameter tubular 34. For the engagement contemplated herein, the radii of the subsurface will substantially nest with tubular. By “nest” it is meant that the radii of the subsurface and the radius of the tubular are a complement to one another and lie against one another to within measurement specifications for tubulars in the downhole industry. The term “substantially nest” therefore means that the radii are within plus or minus 8% of being the same radii. FIGS. 4C and 4D illustrate the same insert 14 but now spaced from (FIG. 4C) and then engaged with (FIG. 4D) a 10.750 diameter inch tubular 36. An arc length for each different radius of curvature, multiplied by the number of subsurfaces exhibiting each different radius of curvature, is selected to present a collective arcuate line of contact that is at a selected minimum percentage of a circumference of a tubular that is nestable with each different radius of curvature. In an embodiment the selected minimum is about 25%. In another embodiment the selected minimum is about 6%. It is to be appreciated that although the arcuate line is described for ease of understanding relative to circumference of the tubular, it is to be understood that there is a contact patch that has an area, the area being a product of the arc line length and an axial measurement of the portion of the insert 14 that is in contact with the tubular. The area of that contact patch would then be multiplied by the number of such patches (4, 8, or other number of contact patches distributed about a circumference or other geometric perimeter of the tubular) distributed about the particular tubular being supported for total contact area that will support the tubular.

It will be appreciated that the contact patch between the insert (likely four of them but other numbers contemplated) is smaller than a whole insert with a single radius for use with a single diameter tubular but the amount of contact patch is significantly greater than any other multisize tubular handling equipment known to the art. It also has a higher load carrying capacity because the crush resistance for any tubular will be higher with a larger contact patch with the inserts 14, the contact patch evenly distributing load over more of the surface area of the tubular. In an example, slip/crush limits are 67% to 90% of single tubular radius inserts which provides a favorable tradeoff for increased efficiency and safety.

Referring to FIG. 7, a wellbore system 40 is illustrated. The system 40 comprises a borehole 42 in a subsurface formation 44. A string 46 is disposed within the borehole 42. Tubular handling equipment 10 as disclosed herein is disposed to handle the string 46 during moving disposed to provide support.

Set forth below are some embodiments of the foregoing disclosure:

• • Embodiment 1: An insert for tubular handling equipment, including an insert body, a radially outward surface of the insert body configured to interface with an insert displacement structure of the tubular handling equipment, a radially inward surface of the insert having a plurality of subsurfaces, the plurality of subsurfaces including at least one subsurface with a radius different than at least one other subsurface, the plurality subsurfaces each configured to substantially nest with a particular diameter tubular.
  • Embodiment 2: The insert as in any prior embodiment, wherein the plurality of subsurfaces exhibit at least three differing radii.
  • Embodiment 3: The insert as in any prior embodiment, wherein the insert displacement structure is a part of an elevator.
  • Embodiment 4: The insert as in any prior embodiment, wherein the insert displacement structure is a part of a spider.
  • Embodiment 5: The insert as in any prior embodiment, wherein the radially inward surface includes gripping features.
  • Embodiment 6: The insert as in any prior embodiment, wherein each different radius is associated with an arc length of that radius.
  • Embodiment 7: The insert as in any prior embodiment, wherein the arc length for each different radius of curvature, multiplied by the number of subsurfaces exhibiting each different radius of curvature, is selected to present a collective arcuate line of contact that is at a selected minimum percentage of a circumference of a tubular that is nestable with each different radius of curvature.
  • Embodiment 8: The insert as in any prior embodiment, wherein the minimum percentage is 25 percent.
  • Embodiment 9: The insert as in any prior embodiment, wherein the minimum percentage is 6 percent.
  • Embodiment 10: The insert as in any prior embodiment, wherein each insert includes from 2 to 8 subsurfaces.
  • Embodiment 11: A tubular handling device, including a housing, an insert displacement structure disposed in the housing, and a number of inserts as in any prior embodiment disposed about the insert displacement structure.
  • Embodiment 12: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the number of inserts is even.
  • Embodiment 13: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the number of inserts is odd.
  • Embodiment 14: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the device is a spider.
  • Embodiment 15: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the device is an elevator.
  • Embodiment 16: A method for running tubulars having differing diameters in a borehole, including engaging a tubular of a first diameter with one or more of an elevator and a spider having an insert as in any prior embodiment, executing an operation with the one or more of the elevator and spider on the tubular, engaging another tubular of a second diameter different than the first diameter with the same one or more of the elevator and spider without changing insert.
  • Embodiment 17: The method as in any prior embodiment, further including gripping the tubular of a first diameter and gripping of the tubular of a second diameter with a minimum 25 percent of circumference of each diameter.
  • Embodiment 18: A wellbore system, including a borehole in a subsurface formation, tubular handling equipment engaged with a tubular associated with the borehole, an insert as in any prior embodiment, disposed in the tubular handling equipment.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Further, it should be noted that the terms “first,” “second,” and the like herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. The terms “about”, “substantially” and “generally” are intended to include the degree of error associated with measurement of the particular quantity based upon the equipment available at the time of filing the application. For example, “about” and/or “substantially” and/or “generally” can include a range of ±8% of a given value.

While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited.