U.S. patent application number 09/730203 was filed with the patent office on 2001-04-05 for snubbing unit tong apparatus.
Invention is credited to Rogers, Tommie L..
Application Number | 20010000099 09/730203 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23000182 |
Filed Date | 2001-04-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010000099 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rogers, Tommie L. |
April 5, 2001 |
Snubbing unit tong apparatus
Abstract
A power tong set, with lead and back-up tongs, is mounted on the
slip bowl of the traveling jack head of a snubbing unit and rotates
with the slip bowl. Service lines (or umbelicals) for the tong set
are not connected during string rotation. In an alternate version
of the apparatus a fluid feed through swivel is mounted on the tong
set, secured to the necessary tong operating and control service
fluid line, or lines, such that the tong set can rotate with tong
service lines between the tong set and the snubbing unit attached
during rotation. In an alternate form, the tong set is mounted on
the jack head, independently of the rotary table, and the tong set
does not rotate when the rotary table rotates.
Inventors: |
Rogers, Tommie L.;
(Lafayette, LA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Jesse D. Lambert
P. O. Box 3507
Lafayette
LA
70502
US
|
Family ID: |
23000182 |
Appl. No.: |
09/730203 |
Filed: |
December 5, 2000 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09730203 |
Dec 5, 2000 |
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09263053 |
Mar 5, 1999 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
166/77.51 ;
175/203 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B 3/04 20130101; E21B
19/16 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
166/77.51 ;
175/203 |
International
Class: |
E21B 019/18; E21B
019/06 |
Claims
The invention having been described, I claim:
1. An improved snubbing unit tong mounting apparatus for working
tubular strings in wells, comprising: a) a snubbing unit having a
rotary slip bowl; b) a power tong set mounted on, for rotation
with, said slip bowl; c) self-closing quick couplers for at least
one service line for said tong set.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said power tong set includes at
least one lead tong and at least one back-up tong.
3. An improved snubbing unit tong mounting apparatus for working
tubular strings in wells, comprising: a) a snubbing unit having a
rotary slip bowl; b) a power tong set mounted on, for rotation
with, said slip bowl; c) Swivels for at least one hydraulic line to
said tong set to allow said tong set to rotate relative to said
snubbing unit without disconnecting said line.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said power tong set includes at
least one lead tong and at least one back-up tong.
5. An improved snubbing unit tong mounting apparatus for working
tubular strings in wells, comprising: a) a snubbing unit having a
vertically movable jack head; b) a power tong set mounted on said
jack head and situated to position said tong set to service tubular
strings generally concentric with an extended well centerline.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said power tong set includes at
least one lead tong and at least one back-up tong.
Description
1. This invention pertains to operations using snubbing units on
wells and mounting power tongs atop the traveling jack head of the
snubbing unit for purpose of making and breaking connections on
tubular strings suspended in wells.
BACKGROUND
2. Petroleum related wells, and the like, usually have a tubular
string suspended inside a cemented-in casing string that requires
special handling during rework, and some other operations.
Producing wells often have casing pressures. If the suspended
tubular string is pressure sealed to the casing, it behaves as a
long piston and the casing pressure can blow the tubular string
from the well. To conduct work on such wells a snubbing unit is
used. The snubbing unit can secure the tubular string from slipping
in either axial direction and can move it in either axial
direction. Usually, the snubbing unit is also capable of rotating
the string in the well while moving the string in either axial
direction.
3. The bore of the tubular string is closed to the casing pressure
before work starts by valves or plugs in the string so that the
string can be safely opened during connections.
4. Before work on the tubular string can begin the casing is sealed
from atmosphere by a series of blowout preventers that can each
close on and seal a particular size pipe. The greater the number of
distinct tubular sizes in the string, the greater the number of
blowout preventers required.
5. The snubbing unit is usually secured to the well head and may be
supported solely by the well head or at least partly by a
separately prepared structure resting on the earth around the well.
The snubbing unit has a base platform fitted with at least one slip
bowl and slips to support the string against force in either axial
direction. In many cases the stationary slip bowl is a dual bowl
arrangement with the dual bowls oppositely oriented with slips to
hold in both axial directions. The slips may differ from those
usually on rotary rigs in that they can be forced closed without
the need for string weight to provide the slip closing force.
6. The following descriptive material will be directed to adding
length to the string, and conducting related activity. Removing
string from the well requires alteration of the process but that
alteration is well known to those skilled in the art. It will be
understood that the same apparatus and basic procedures will work
string in either direction as required.
7. The snubbing unit has a jack mechanism that moves a jack head,
situated above the basic platform, axially along the extended well
axis. The jack head serves the function of a rig traveling block
with the exception that the jack head can push up or pull down on
the string. The jack head carries a powered rotary table. The
rotary table has a slip bowl with slips that can act in either
axial direction or it has two slip bowls, one oriented in each
axial direction.
8. At the present time it is commonplace to move a power tong
assembly, usually containing both back-up and lead tongs, into work
position around the string and away from the string to clear the
work area. In some cases the same power tong assembly is used near
the base platform and then hoisted up to operate above the jack
head. Around the most dangerous of industrial activity such
movements are undesirable.
9. When practical, hoisting work around a snubbing activity is done
with mobile cranes. In some cases, however, the hoist rig comprises
a spar mounted on the well head, directly or indirectly, and fitted
with a winch and line for lifting. Such arrangements urge
minimization of the lifting and load handling demands.
10. There is a need to reduce or eliminate human activity on the
jack head. An immediate step is to secure the tong set to an
adapter plate on the slip bowl. The tong set has to rotate if the
slip bowl is rotated. The tong set is never in use while the string
is rotated in the well and the tongs can be disconnected from
umbelicals and allowed to rotate. Hydraulic and electrical quick
couplers remove the challenge from rapid connection and
disconnection of the umbelicals to the tong set. That mounting
feature is an objective and at least one point of novelty in this
invention.
11. Allowing the tong set to rotate is not a desirable feature in
itself but it is expedient with present snubbing unit designs.
Further, that overcomes known problems with mounting tongs on the
jack head.
12. An optional feature, an objective and a point of novelty, for
the tong arrangement is a mounting structure that permits mounting
of the tong set on the jack head structure. The tong set then does
not rotate with the slip bowl and the tong umbelicals can remain
connected. With that arrangement it is possible to remove the
operating personnel from the jack head during routine pipe string
working activity. That is a safety feature of substance.
13. These and other objects, advantages, and features of this
invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a
consideration of this specification, including the attached claims
and appended drawings.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
14. A power tong set, with lead and back-up tongs, is mounted on
the slip bowl of the traveling jack head of a snubbing unit and
rotates with the slip bowl. Service lines (or umbelicals) for the
tong set are not connected during string rotation.
15. In an alternate version of the apparatus a fluid feed through
swivel is mounted on the tong set, secured to the necessary tong
operating and control service fluid line, or lines, such that the
tong set can rotate with tong service lines between the tong set
and the snubbing unit attached during rotation.
16. In an alternate form, the tong set is mounted on the jack head,
independently of the rotary table, and the tong set does not rotate
when the rotary table rotates.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
17. In the drawings wherein like features have similar captions,
FIG. 1 is a side view of the overall assembly of a snubbing unit on
a well head.
18. FIG. 2 is a side view, rather enlarged, of a portion of FIG. 1
with an alternate configuration of the invention.
19. FIG. 3 is a side view rather enlarged showing the tong service
swivel device related to FIG. 1 as an option.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
20. In the drawings, features that are well established in the art
and do not bear upon points of novelty are omitted in the interest
of descriptive clarity. Such omitted features may include threaded
junctures, weld lines, sealing elements, pins and brazed junctures,
hydraulic lines and couplers, slips and dies.
21. In the drawings FIG. 1, shows a snubbing unit minus plumbing
and electrical lines, and personnel safety features such as guard
rails and the like, mounted on a well head. Well head 1 supports
snubbing unit 2 which has platform 4 above the stationary slip bowl
set up 3. Jack cylinders 5, normally hydraulic, support jack head 6
which moves up and down to axially manipulate pipe string PS. The
jack head carries traveling slip bowl set 7. Tong set 9 is mounted
on the rotating upper structure of the slip bowl set. An optional
mounting convenience is the adapter plate 8 which can be drilled to
fit a variety of slip bowl types.
22. The tong set 9, by current practice, is moved in and out of
position to do the usual tong work on the string PS. That requires
people on the jack head and activities that adds danger to a
hazardous work area.
23. With the arrangement of FIG. 1, people are still occasionally
required on the jack head to connect and disconnect hydraulic lines
to the tong set when connections are to be made on string PS but
the activities related to hoisting and tong transfer to and from
the jack head area are avoided.
24. In FIG. 2, further novel features include a structure 10 to
mount the tong set on the jack head traveling base structure 6.
This allows the slip bowls to rotate without rotating the tong set.
Tong sets are often controlled by remote hydraulic control boxes.
In this arrangement, the control box for this tong set can be
positioned and operated from platform 4. People are not required on
the jack head to operate the tongs. The tongs are not hoisted or
moved into and out of the work area for routine work on the
string.
25. In FIG. 3 a swivel unit is shown that allows the tongs to
rotate without disconnecting the service, or umbelical, lines.
Swivel 11 is shown with only one line but it is representative of
the total lines subject to the need for a swivel. Swivel bore 11a
accepts the tubular products being used in the string. The swivel
structure is ruggedized to accept the occasional bash of tubular
sections being handled.
26. From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one
well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set
forth, together with other advantages which are obvious and which
are inherent to the tool.
27. It will be understood that certain features and
sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed without
reference to other features and sub-combinations. This is
contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.
28. As many possible embodiments may be made of the apparatus of
this invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to
be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the
accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not
in a limiting sense.
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