Direct-Drive Connector Sleeve for Adapter-Free Impact Piling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing piling operations for oil and gas wells are hazardous due to the reliance on drive adapters, which are prone to failure and have unregulated operational lifespans, leading to potential accidents and equipment damage.
Innovation Solution
A direct drive connector sleeve (DDCS) apparatus is introduced, which eliminates the need for drive adapters by maintaining a larger inside diameter than the conductor pipe and using flexible or spring-loaded inserts to centralize and secure the impact piling hammer, allowing non-flush connector sections to pass through and contact the anvil directly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a drive adapter is used in piling operations, then the connector can be protected during driving, but the drive adapter becomes a weak point prone to failure and requires additional equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the drive adapter from the system entirely. The anvil is positioned to extend through the sleeve, allowing direct contact with the connector during piling operations. This eliminates the drive adapter as a separate component, reducing equipment complexity while maintaining connector protection through the anvil's integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The anvil and sleeve are merged into a single integrated structure where the anvil extends through the sleeve rather than being separate components. This integration eliminates the need for a drive adapter and reduces the number of parts that need to be assembled and managed during piling operations.
2Ease of operation
If the sleeve inside diameter is made larger than the conductor pipe outside diameter, then friction is reduced and the pipe can be guided easily, but energy transfer from the hammer to the pile is diminished
Solution Approach 1:
The anvil acts as an intermediary element that extends through the sleeve. It provides a direct contact surface for the connector while the sleeve maintains its larger diameter for easy guiding. The anvil mediates between the need for friction reduction and effective energy transfer by providing a focused contact point.
3Loss of energy
If the sleeve inside diameter is made closer to the conductor pipe outside diameter, then energy transfer is improved, but friction increases and the pipe may seize inside the sleeve
Solution Approach 1:
The anvil extending through the sleeve serves as a mediator that allows the connector to contact a smaller diameter surface for effective energy transfer, while the sleeve maintains its larger internal diameter to minimize friction during insertion and guiding operations.
4Reliability
If a drive adapter is used to protect the connector, then the connector can be protected, but the drive adapter has unregulated operational lifespan and may fail unexpectedly
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the drive adapter from the system and using the anvil's integrated design to directly contact the connector, the invention eliminates the component with unregulated lifespan. The anvil is a permanent, regulated component with known structural integrity, providing reliable connector protection without the uncertainties of a separate drive adapter.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The DDCS apparatus ensures maximum energy transfer and stability during piling operations while reducing the risk of accidents by eliminating the weak point of drive adapters and providing a safer, cost-effective, and simpler operation.
Implementation Method 1
spring-loaded inserts can be secured to the inner circumferential wall of the DDCS apparatus. Here, the spring-loaded inserts can allow the connector lip, upset, PDL load shoulder, or any other non-flush section or raised protrusion/bulge of the connector to pass through the inside diameter of the DDCS apparatus by constricting (or being compressed) temporarily and then returning to their original (non-compressed) position
Implementation Method 2
The flexible inserts or gussets allow the connector lip, upset, PDL load shoulder, or any other non-flush section or raised protrusion/bulge of the connector, to pass through the inside diameter of the DDCS apparatus by flexing temporarily and then returning to its original position once the non-flush section has passed the flexible inserts or gussets points of contact
Data Source
AI summary
An impact hammer sleeve for oil and gas conductor operations that eliminates the need for a drive adapter. The impact hammer sleeve can include interior and exterior wall regions and a plurality of biasing members disposed within the interior wall region of the tubular sleeve, wherein the tubular sleeve is configured to receive a conductor pipe and connector therein. Here, the tubular sleeve can help centralize and secure a hammer atop the conductor pipe and connector while maintaining an adequate sleeve gap via the plurality of biasing members, among other advantages.