Automated Tubular Stabbing Guide with Actuated Funnel Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tubular stabbing guides require manual operation, which is undesirable in the oil and gas industry due to safety regulations and efficiency concerns, as they need to be manually located and manipulated on and off the drill floor during the assembly and disassembly of tubular strings.
Innovation Solution
A mechanized tubular stabbing guide with a mounting frame and pivotable, height-adjustable funnel-forming members that can be actuated to move between retracted and active positions, allowing for automated alignment and clamping of pin and box connections, utilizing sensors and actuators for precise positioning and fluid-actuated operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional manual stabbing guides are used, then ease of operation is maintained, but productivity decreases and safety concerns arise due to required manual manipulation on the drill floor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical manipulation with an automated mechanical system featuring motorized positioning mechanisms, automated funnel deployment, and programmable control systems that eliminate the need for workers to manually handle stabbing guides on the drill floor
Solution Approach 2:
The stabbing guide system performs self-positioning and self-alignment through automated sensors, motors, and control systems that detect tubular positions and automatically adjust the funnel and guide components without human intervention
2Productivity
If automated positioning mechanisms are added, then productivity improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated stabbing guide system is designed as a multi-functional integrated unit that combines positioning, alignment, funnel deployment, and safety monitoring capabilities in a single apparatus, reducing overall system complexity despite increased functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into modular functional segments including motorized positioning units, funnel deployment mechanisms, sensor arrays, and control systems that can be independently maintained and replaced, managing complexity through modularity
Data Source
AI summary
A tubular stabbing guide (10) used to assist in the location of a pin end connection of a tubular in a box end connection (14) of another tubular forming the upper end of a drill string held and supported from the drill floor (16) of a rig. The stabbing guide (10) has a mounting frame (22) for location on the drill floor (16) and funnel-forming members (32) mounted on the frame (22). In use, the funnel-forming members (32) are moved from a retracted location spaced from the box end connection (14) to an active location surrounding the box end connection (14), such that the funnel-forming members (32) form a funnel for guiding the pin end connection into the box end connection (14).