Oilfield platform guide arm assembly

Abstract

A guide arm assembly for incorporation into a derrick at an oilfield rig. The assembly includes a vertical support and an articulating arm which are conscious of the limited derrick floorspace available. The vertical support is secured at a frame of a V-door which defines a V-doorway. The V-doorway defines a point of entry or exit to the derrick floorspace and is also outside of the derrick floorspace. An articulating arm is coupled to the vertical support and is configured for physically manipulated guidance of an implement from one location at the derrick floorspace to another location of the derrick floorspace that includes a well center that is positioned over a wellsite below the rig.

Description

SLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WOOILFIELD PLATFORM GUIDE ARM ASSEMBLYCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 722,053, entitled “Column Mounted Guide Arm,” filed November 18, 2024, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] Exploring, drilling and completing hydrocarbon and other wells are generally complicated, time consuming and ultimately very expensive endeavors. As a result, over the years, certain points of emphasis have grown tremendously so as to better assure return on oilfield investment. So, for example, techniques for evaluating potential well sites have become more sophisticated. Well architecture has similarly become more sophisticated in order to help enhance access to underground hydrocarbon reserves. This may include the drilling and installation of multilateral wells and / or wells exceeding 30,000 feet in depth. Even the planning and cooperating of different wells at the same oilfield may be employed to help maximize hydrocarbon recovery. Of course, in addition to maximizing recovery, another point of emphasis which has grown is that of worker safety. That is, in addition to maximizing recovery and reducing labor and / or equipment costs, ensuring a return on oilfield investment also points to minimizing workplace hazards and liability from a human perspective.

[0003] One area where improvement in worker safety has improved is that of tubular handling operations, which are conducted at a drilling rig floor, particularly at the floorspace below a derrick of a rig. These operations include receiving tubulars such as drill pipe segments from a catwalk for moving into position to connect with a drill string at a well center at the derrick floor (“tripping in”). The well center may lead to a well head there below and the drill pipe and string may be used for drilling operations beyond the well head. Of course, tubulars such as drill pipe segments may also be pulled out of the well (“tripping out”) and also stored on a setback (“racking back”).SLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WO

[0004] Regardless of whether the situation might include tripping in, tripping out or racking back, conventionally, these operations were performed in a largely manual manner. More specifically, rope might be utilized to lift the upper end of a drill pipe segment above the well center. A worker located at the derrick floor might then manually guide the lower end of the drill pipe segment toward the drill string for coupling of the lower end to the drill string. When considering that a drill pipe segment might be 30 - 90 feet long weighing a ton or more, potential hazards to the worker are evident. The risk is further increased when the rate at which the tripping in or out or the racking back is required at a relatively quick rate of speed. For example, this is often the case for “tripping out” when there is a need to remove the entire drill string for sake of changing out a drill bit.

[0005] In recognition of the hazards posed to workers in such circumstances, newer rigs often incorporate a pipe handling system. That is, machinery with allocated footspace at the derrick floor below the derrick may be utilized that includes securing guide arms or other lifting and aligning features. These features may be employed for sake of mating new drill pipe segments to a drill string running through the well center and well below without the need for manual human intervention. Of course these pipe handling systems may be used in the same way for tripping out and racking back as well.

[0006] Unfortunately, incorporating a pipe handling system into an existing drilling rig that was not configured to accommodate such a system may not be a practical undertaking. This is because floor space below the derrick is generally very limited. Thus, without a particular accommodating layout, incorporating a pipe handling system might require sacrifice to other equipment. Further, even if such a changeout is possible, reconfiguring or moving equipment below the derrick would come with a cost and the cost might even be one that ultimately compromises worker safety. Thus, as a practical matter, such retrofitting of rig layouts to accommodate pipe handling systems is generally unavailable.SUMMARY

[0007] An embodiment of the present disclosure described herein is directed at a guide arm assembly for an oilfield platform at a wellsite. The platform includes a derrick floorspace below a derrick that accommodates a V-doorway which defines a point of entry to the derrickSLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WOfloorspace. The guide arm assembly itself includes a vertical support and an articulating arm coupled to the vertical support. The vertical support may be secured at a frame of a V-door which defines the V-doorway. The vertical support is further located in the V-doorway and outside of the derrick floorspace. The articulating arm is configured for manipulating an implement to a well center located at the derrick floorspace over the wellsite.

[0008] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of moving an implement from a first derrick floorspace location below a derrick at an oilfield to a second derrick floorspace location below the derrick is disclosed. The method includes securing a vertical support at a V-doorframe of the derrick. The V-doorframe defines a V-doorway which provides access to the derrick floorspace below the derrick. An articulating arm coupled to the vertical support may be utilized to engage the implement for the moving thereof from the first derrick floorspace location to the second derrick floorspace location.

[0009] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a derrick of a rig located at an oilfield is disclosed. The derrick includes a V-doorframe over derrick floorspace defining a V-doorway. A vertical support is secured to the V-doorframe and an articulating arm is coupled to the vertical support configured to manipulate an implement from a setback location of the derrick floorspace to a well center location at the derrick floorspace.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Certain embodiments of the disclosure will hereafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements. It should be understood, however, that the accompanying figures illustrate the various implementations described herein and are not meant to limit the scope of various technologies described herein, and:

[0011] Fig. 1 is an overview depiction of an offshore oilfield accommodating a rig with an embodiment of a guide arm assembly installed at a V-door of a derrick of the rig.

[0012] Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the guide arm assembly of Fig. 1 operating from a V-doorway defined by the V-door of Fig. 1.SLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WO

[0013] Fig. 3A is an enlarged perspective view of the guide arm assembly of Fig. 2 operating to move an implement from one derrick floorspace location to another.

[0014] Fig. 3B is an enlarged perspective view of the guide arm assembly of Fig. 3A operating to couple the implement to another implement at a well center location of the derrick floorspace.

[0015] Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the guide arm assembly of Fig. 1 moved to a location outside of the V-doorway.

[0016] Fig. 5 is a flow-chart summarizing an embodiment of employing a guide arm assembly installed at a V-door of a derrick.

[0017] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitationDETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present disclosure. This includes description of the surrounding environment in which embodiments detailed herein may be utilized. Additionally, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described may be practiced without these and other particular details. Further, numerous variations or modifications may be employed which remain contemplated by the embodiments as specifically described

[0019] In the specification and appended claims, the terms “connect,” “connection,” “connected,” “in connection with,” and “connecting,” are used to mean “in direct connection with,” in connection with via one or more elements.” The terms “couple,” “coupled,” “coupled with,” “coupled together,” and “coupling” are used to mean “directly coupled together,” or “coupled together via one or more elements.” The term “set” is used to mean setting “one element” or “more than one element.” As used herein, the terms “up” and “down,” “upper” and “lower,” “upwardly” and “downwardly,” “upstream” and “downstream,” “uphole” and “downhole,” “above” and “below,” “top” and “bottom,” andSLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WOother like terms indicating relative positions above or below a given point or element are used in this description to more clearly describe some embodiments of the disclosure. Commonly, these terms relate to a reference point at the surface from which drilling operations are initiated as being the top point and the total depth being the lowest point, wherein the well (e.g., wellbore, borehole) is vertical, horizontal, or slanted relative to the surface.

[0020] The present disclosure generally relates to a pipe handling system used on various drilling rigs, such as jack-up rigs, semisubmersible rigs, drill ships, or land rigs. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an automated pipe handling system.

[0021] There are at least two major challenges with installing pipe handling systems in existing drilling rigs with manual pipe handling. First, the drill floor space is very limited and will normally not allow for installation of new large machines without sacrificing storage capacity. Second, the derrick is not designed to support large machines that can reach the whole setback area. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure offers a high performance pipe handling system with an automated lower guide arm in older existing derricks with a minimum of impact on the existing drill floor layout and with a minimum of impact on the derrick strength.

[0022] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure allow for the installation of a large guide arm in a derrick. Advantageously, the guide arm is supported on the drill floor while it takes up a minimum amount of deck space, and gives a minimum of reaction forces to the derrick. When drilling rigs have an automated pipe handling installed, this automated pipe handling allows for higher safety as well as higher consistent performance compared with manual systems. Further, these systems enable upgrades with digital drilling solutions, such as SLB’s DrillPilot ™, for example.

[0023] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure includes a column mounted guide arm, which can, depending on the layout, even be installed in the V-door area. Further, the column mounted guide arm facilitates guiding of stands in the whole setback area, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. When the machine worksSLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WOtogether with a column racker or a setback guide arm, pipe handling, such as tripping and racking of stands, for example, may take place without manual intervention.

[0024] Drill floor guide arms are offered by many different suppliers and in many different configurations. These drill floor guide arms may be supported in the derrick wall or run on rails on the drill floor. Examples of drill floor guide arms are provided in U.S. Patent No. 11,846,141, entitled “Guide Arm,” and International Patent Application Publication No. WO2023 / 027923, entitled “Drill Floor Guide Arm,” which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

[0025] Common for both solutions with a derrick mounted guide arm or a drill floor mounted arm, is that it is very challenging to retrofit these solutions to a drilling package that is not prepared for this equipment in advance. The challenge with the V-door mounted arm of prior solutions, for example, is that the derrick V-door will normally not have the strength to support such a guide arm without significant modifications. In many drill floor layouts, the setback is not positioned in the V-door area. But also in these layouts, the derrick wall is not designed to support a large guide arm. Also in previous solutions, a guide arm mounted on rails on the drill floor will take up valuable space on the limited drill floor area, which could have been used for other purposes.

[0026] Advantageously, the column mounted guide arm according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be supported on a single column on the drill floor, without taking up too much valuable space on the drill floor area and without imposing large forces on the derrick or mast. Both drill floor and derrick / mast interfaces can be made simply. Because of the configuration of the pipe handling system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a rather large guide arm may be installed without taking up too much valuable space on the drill floor area and without imposing large forces on the derrick or mast.

[0027] According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a column mounted guide arm will, together with a bridge racker or racking board guide arm, allow for a fast and efficient fully automatic vertical pipe handling and tripping in and out of the well.SLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WOAdvantageously, this can be done without taking up too much space on the drill floor or imposing large forces on the derrick or mast.

[0028] As noted above, embodiments are described with reference to certain rigs that accommodate a derrick and include a well center to which drill pipe is to be directed. More specifically, the illustrated embodiments show such operations taking place in an offshore environment. However, it is worth noting that onshore environments may take advantage of the systems and techniques taught herein. Further, the handling system may be for directing any different number or types of implements. For example, production tubing, hardware and other implement types may benefit from the types of system assemblies described herein where a rig employs a derrick having a well center and limited floorspace therebelow. Indeed, so long as the system includes a V-door mounted guide arm assembly at the derrick and outside of the derrick floorspace, appreciable benefit may be realized.

[0029] Referring specifically now to Fig. 1, an overview depiction of an offshore oilfield 195 is shown accommodating a rig 150 with a derrick 120. The derrick 120 is positioned over a well center 160 to provide structural support, for example, when directing various implements such as drill pipe 200 toward a well 180 (see also Fig. 2). In the embodiment shown, the offshore nature of the rig 150 leads to the use of a riser 187 to reach a wellhead 165 of the well 180. In the example, shown, the well 180 includes casing 185 traversing a formation 190. So, for example, the operations may involve extending the depth of the well 180 by additional drilling that may initially involve the advancement of a drill string through the well center 160. With added reference to Fig. 2, the drill string may be made up of the drill pipe 200 of Fig. 2. Thus, the system may include the guide arm assembly 100, instead of manual labor, to move such potentially hazardous and heavy implements from one location of the derrick floorspace 135 to another (e.g., the well center 160).

[0030] Continuing with reference to Fig. 1, the overall rig floor 110 accommodates various rig equipment 170 such as a control unit 175, a pump 177 and a host of other sizable items. However, the portion of the rig floor 110 below the derrick 120, referred to herein as the derrick floorspace 135 is much more limited with a focus on supporting delivery of various implements to the well center 160 as noted above. Thus, the guide arm assembly 100SLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WOis configured for unique installation and operation with the limitations on this particular floorspace 135 in mind.

[0031] As with most derricks, the illustrated derrick 120 includes a V-door 125 which is an upside down V-shaped entryway to the derrick floorspace 135. Indeed, embodiments of the guide arm assembly 100 described herein may be particularly beneficial for installation in a retrofit manner at V-doors 125 of conventional derricks 120 such as that illustrated. However, these embodiments may also be employed for new builds. Regardless, continuing with the illustrated embodiment, implements such as the noted segments of drill pipe 200 shown in Fig. 2 may be delivered in bulk to the derrick floorspace 135. Of course, various other implements or equipment may also be provided through the V-door 125 in this manner, perhaps via a catwalk leading from a V-doorway 130. The V-door 125 includes the noted V-doorway 130 as defined by a door frame 127 of the V-door 125.

[0032] With the above in mind and the limited derrick floorspace 135, it is here that the guide arm assembly 100 is uniquely installed. More specifically, the assembly 100 includes a vertical support 140 that is secured to the door frame 127 at an upper end and to the derrick floorspace 135 at a lower end of the support 140. This is how the primary load of the articulating arm 145 is accommodated although some degree of load sharing to the frame 127 may take place. Perhaps more notably though, the location of the vertical support 140 is such that it occupies space that is uniquely in the V-doorway 130 and outside of the derrick floorspace 135. This is not to infer that no portion of the support 140 is able to reach the derrick floorspace 135, such as a mounting bracket or pin-related securing hardware at the bottom of the support 140. Regardless, the vertical support 140 is uniquely positioned in the V-doorway 130, which is outside of the derrick floorspace 135 and, to the extent that any mounting hardware or other assembly feature might reach the derrick floorspace 135, such would be of negligible significance.

[0033] Continuing with reference to Fig. 1, the guide arm assembly 100 also includes an articulating arm 145. This arm 145 is coupled to the vertical support 140 and configured for direct manipulation and maneuvering of implements such as the drill pipe 200 of Fig. 2 as described above. However, the articulating arm 145 is also configured and operated in a manner that recognizes the tight environment of the space below the derrick 120, includingSLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WOthe noted derrick floorspace 135. For example, the arm 145 is secured to the vertical support 140, which means that it emerges from a location that is also in the V-doorway 130 and outside of the derrick floorspace 135. Further, to the extent that operation of the arm 145 as described traverses over the derrick floorspace 135, it does so at a location of substantial vertical height above ground level and over the floorspace 135. For example, in one embodiment, the articulating arm 145 is configured to avoid reaching any elevation that is within about two meters of the derrick floorspace 135 (e.g. give or take half a meter). This means that any other equipment, tools, implements, personnel and so forth at the floorspace 135 below this elevation would not be impacted by the presence of the articulating arm 145 in operation thereover.

[0034] Referring now to Fig. 2, an enlarged perspective view of the guide arm assembly 100 of Fig. 1 is shown operating within the V-doorway 130 defined by the door frame 127 of Fig. 1. In contrast to the illustration of Fig. 1 from outside of the doorway 130 looking in, Fig. 2 shows the perspective of within the area of the derrick floorspace 135 below the derrick 120 if Fig. 1. So, for example, the vertical support 140 is to the right of the articulating arm 145 as opposed to the left as in the illustration of Fig. 1. Regardless, the support is mounted to doorway floorspace that is within the V-doorway 130. As noted above, this doorway floorspace is differentiated from the derrick floorspace 135, which is available to accommodate the well center 160 of Fig. 1, a roughneck 325, a rack of drill pipe 200 at a rack in a setback area or a host of other tools and equipment (see also Figs. 3A and 3B). Further, in the embodiment illustrated, this mounting of the vertical support 140 at this bottom location is semi-permanent in the form of a floor mount 267. Alternatively, a hinge coupling 265 may be employed at the top of the vertical support 140 where the vertical support 140 is secured to the door frame 127. As described further below, this may allow for unpinning of the floor mount 267 and a pivot at the hinge coupling 265 such that the vertical support 140 is moved into alignment with the door frame 127. Thus, a frame mount 260 may be used to pin the floor mount 267 to secure the vertical support 140 securely out of the V-doorway 130 as described further below.

[0035] Continuing with reference to Fig. 2, the articulating arm 145 is secured to the vertical support 140 at a vertical hinge 269 that allows for a range of pivoting movementSLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WOabout the support 140. So, for example, as described further below, the articulating arm 145 may be pivoted outside of the V-doorway 130 to a location that is not below the derrick 120 when not in use (see Fig. 4). However, when positioned for use, the articulating arm 145 is secured in a location over the derrick floorspace 135 and equipped with an elevation hinge 247 to govern a height of an upper arm 275 of the articulating arm 145. A lower arm 277 which directly engages with implements to be moved such as the illustrated drill pipe 200 is coupled to the upper arm 275 at an elbow joint 245. In one embodiment, this joint 245 is considered an xy joint because it allows for rotation about multiple axes. So, for example, upward movement of the upper arm 275 to a higher elevation may result in dangling of the lower arm 277 (e.g., movement about an x-axis). Of course, dangling is not a required responsive movement of the lower arm 277. Furthermore, irrespective of the particular height, the lower arm 277 may rotate about a y-axis, for example, in moving a segment of drill pipe 200 from the location shown at the left of the illustration to a location at the right of the illustration. For example, in one embodiment, about 90° of rotation is supported in this manner. However, other varying degrees of y-axis rotation may also be accommodated. Regardless, this y-axis rotation is facilitated by the configuration of the elbow joint 245 constituting an “xy joint”.

[0036] Referring now to Figs. 3A and 3B, enlarged perspective top views of the derrick floorspace 135 are shown, similar to the interior vantage point of Fig. 2. More specifically, Fig. 3A illustrates the guide arm assembly 100 operating below the derrick 120 of Fig. 1 to grab an implement (e.g., one of the segments of drill pipe 200). Without taking up space at the derrick floorspace 135, the assembly 100 may move the implement from a setback location and toward a well center 160. The configuration of the guide arm assembly 100 and its installation leaves the floorspace 135 free to accommodate the well center 160, a roughneck 325 and other equipment without having to sacrifice ground level space for the assembly 100 itself.

[0037] Continuing with reference to Fig. 3 A, the guide arm assembly 100 includes a gripper 350 with the capability of securing an implement 200 and may securely move the implement 200 toward a prior placed implement 300 at the well center 160. Continuing with the particular example where the implement is a segment of drill pipe 200, a drill string forSLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WOreaching the well 180 of Fig. 1 may be assembled and directed downhole in this manner. Further, this assembly may be aided by the illustrated roughneck 325, which is equipment adept at joining one segment of drill pipe 200 to another 300 over the well center 160.

[0038] Continuing with this example, recall that each segment of drill pipe may be 30 feet or more long and quite heavy. In fact, industry standard often works with three joined drill pipe segments together known as a “pipe stand” which may be 90 feet long and weigh a ton or more. Of course, rope guided manual maneuvering of such an implement 200 would present notable hazards to a worker at the derrick floorspace 135. However, embodiments of the guide arm assembly 100 herein not only remove the need for such hazards but also enhance safety in a manner that does not require additional floorspace 135 to accommodate the assembly 100 in the first place.

[0039] Referring specifically to Fig. 3B, an enlarged perspective view of the guide arm assembly 100 of Fig. 2 is shown delivering the implement 200, whether a single segment of drill pipe, a pipe stand or otherwise to the well center 160 location. As suggested above, the roughneck 325 may be employed to join the implement 200 to the prior placed implement 300, perhaps in a stabbing manner. The implement string may then be advanced (i.e., “tripping in”). However, recall that the assembly 100 may be employed for the same type of maneuvering for the sake of “tripping out” and even “racking back” as described above.

[0040] Referring now to Fig. 4, an enlarged perspective view of the guide arm assembly 100 of Fig. 1 is shown when not in use over the derrick floorspace 135 as described above. More specifically, the vertical support 140 may be unpinned or otherwise released at the floor mount 267 as shown in Fig. 2 and pivoted about the hinge coupling 265 to come into alignment with the door frame 127 as shown. Indeed, the same floor mount 267 shown in Fig. 2 may be coupled to a frame mount 260 as shown in Fig. 4, for example, by pinning thereto. Regardless of the manner of securing, this opens up the substantial entirety of the V-doorway 130 when combined with the displacement of the articulating arm 145 as described below. Thus, access to the derrick floorspace 135 may be maximized, for example, to aid in delivering more equipment, drill pipe 200, personnel or other items when the guide arm assembly 100 is not in use.SLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WO

[0041] Of course, in keeping with the idea of maximizing access, the articulating arm 145 of the assembly 100 may also be moved out of the V-doorway 130 to a location that is not over the derrick floorspace 135 (i.e., “outdoors”). This is the position for the articulating arm 145 as illustrated in Fig. 4. With added reference to Fig. 2, this is achieved through use of a vertical hinge 269, which allows the arm 145 to rotate around the y-axis of the vertical support 140 as shown in Fig. 2 in order to reach the position shown in Fig. 4. As a matter of practicality, this may be a maneuver that is taken in advance of moving the vertical support 140 to the position shown in Fig. 4. Further, given the user-friendly manner of parking or moving the arm 145 to the “outdoors”, this positioning may often be taken in absence of any moving of the vertical support 140 to the position shown in Fig. 4. For example, where more complete opening of the V-doorway 130 is not necessitated, the articulating arm 145 may be parked as shown without further repositioning of the vertical support 140.

[0042] Referring now to Fig. 5, a flow-chart summarizing an embodiment of employing a guide arm assembly installed at a V-door of a derrick is shown. As indicated at 510, the guide arm assembly is uniquely installed at a V-doorway of a derrick at an oilfield. So, for example, a pipe handling system is provided that is uniquely positioned in a manner that occupies doorway space that is outside of the derrick floorspace. The guide arm assembly may be utilized to move an implement such as drill pipe from one location of derrick floorspace to another as indicated at 530, even though the assembly itself occupies other space at a doorway.

[0043] For tripping in embodiments, such as running a drill string into a well, the guide arm assembly may be used to aid in coupling drill pipe implements to one another (see 550) and advancing the implements through a well center as noted at 570. In other words, the assembly may be repeatedly used to move implements from one location to another at the derrick floorspace. Of course, as indicated at 590, the guide arm assembly may be moved out of the doorway when not in use. For example, an articulating arm of the assembly may be parked entirely outside of the doorway and / or a vertical support may additionally be moved into alignment with a door frame defining the doorway.

[0044] Embodiments of a guide arm assembly are detailed herein, which may be incorporated into an existing rig at a derrick as a retrofit. The assembly may also be utilizedSLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WOwith new builds. In either case, the assembly notably operates as a pipe handling system in that it does not compromise derrick floorspace. Once more, the assembly does not achieve this through the sacrifice of equipment changeout at the derrick floorspace, which might compromise operations or operator safety. Thus, a practical manner of improving efficiency and worker safety may be achieved for operations generally referred to as pipe handling operations at a derrick.Additional Considerations

[0045] The preceding description has been presented with reference to presently preferred embodiments. Persons skilled in the art and technology to which these embodiments pertain will appreciate that alterations and changes in the described structures and methods of operation may be practiced without meaningfully departing from the principle, and scope of these embodiments. Regardless, the foregoing description should not be read as pertaining only to the precise structures described and shown in the accompanying drawings but rather should be read as consistent with and as support for the following claims, which are to have their fullest and fairest scope.

[0046] Herein, the term “about” when applied to a value generally means within the tolerance range of the equipment used to produce the value, or in some examples, means plus or minus 10%, or plus or minus 5%, or plus or minus 1%, unless otherwise expressly specified. Further, herein the term “substantial” or “substantially” as used herein means a majority, or almost all, or all, or an amount with a range of about 51% to about 100%, for example. Moreover, examples herein are intended to be illustrative only and are presented for discussion purposes and not by way of limitation.

[0047] As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of’ a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination with multiples of the same element (e.g., a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a-a-c, a-b-b, a-c-c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0048] The methods disclosed herein comprise one or more actions for achieving the methods. The method actions may be interchanged with one another without departing fromSLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WOthe scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of actions is specified, the order and / or use of specific actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims. Further, the various operations of methods described above may be performed by any suitable means capable of performing the corresponding functions. The means may include various hardware and / or software component(s) and / or module(s), including, but not limited to a circuit, an ASIC, or processor.

[0049] The following claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims. Within a claim, reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for”. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims.

Claims

SLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WOWHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A guide arm assembly for an oilfield platform at a wellsite, the platform having a derrick floorspace below a derrick and accommodating a V-doorway of the derrick defining a point of entry to the derrick floorspace, the guide arm assembly comprising:a vertical support for securing at a frame of a V-door defining the V-doorway, the secured vertical support located in the V-doorway and outside of the derrick floorspace; andan articulating arm coupled to the vertical support configured for manipulating an implement to a well center located at the derrick floorspace over the wellsite.

2. The guide arm assembly of claim 1 wherein the implement is selected from a group consisting of a production tubular, drill pipe, a drill string and a pipe stand.

3. The guide arm assembly of claim 1 wherein the securing of the vertical support at the frame is with a hinge at an upper end of the vertical support, the vertical support further coupled to doorway floor space at a lower end thereof.

4. The guide arm assembly of claim 1 wherein the articulating arm is at least about 2 meters over the derrick floorspace.

5. The guide arm assembly of claim 1 wherein the articulating arm comprises:an upper arm; anda lower arm coupled to the upper arm with an elbow joint.

6. The guide arm assembly of claim 5 wherein the elbow joint is an xy joint.

7. The guide arm assembly of claim 5 wherein the lower arm includes a gripper for the manipulating of an implement.SLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WO8. A method of moving an implement from a first derrick floorspace location below a derrick at an oilfield to a second derrick floorspace location below the derrick, the method comprising:securing a vertical support at a V-doorframe of the derrick defining a V-doorway providing access to the derrick floorspace below the derrick; andmaneuvering an articulating arm coupled to the vertical support to engage the implement for the moving thereof.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising moving the articulating arm from a location over the derrick floorspace during the maneuvering to a parked location outside of the derrick after the maneuvering.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the securing of the vertical support to the V-doorframe employs a hinge, the method further comprising pivoting the vertical support about the hinge and into alignment with the V-doorframe after the maneuvering.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the implement is a first implement, the method further comprising coupling the first implement to a second implement after the maneuvering.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the second location includes a well center, the method further comprising advancing the coupled implements through the well center.

13. A derrick of a rig positioned at an oilfield, the derrick comprising:a V-doorframe over derrick floorspace defining a V-doorway;a vertical support secured to the V-doorframe; andan articulating arm coupling to the vertical support configured for manipulating an implement from a setback location of the derrick floorspace to a well center location at the derrick floorspace.SLB Ref. No.: IS24.1835-WO14. The derrick of claim 13 further comprising a vertical hinge to support the coupling of the articulating arm to the vertical support, the vertical hinge to facilitate parking of the articulating arm at an outside location absent the derrick floorspace there below.

15. The derrick of claim 13 further comprising a hinge at an upper end of the vertical support for the securing thereof to the V-doorframe and to facilitate a pivoting of the vertical support into alignment with the V-doorframe.

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