Kicker and Transfer Assembly for Tubular Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tubular handling systems, such as catwalks, are limited in the amount of pipe that can be transferred in one cycle due to their single-channel trough design, restricting the efficiency of pipe conveyance between the drill floor and the pipe deck in drilling operations.
Innovation Solution
A tubular handling system with a trough featuring two exterior channels and an interior channel, along with a kicker and transfer assembly that includes independently movable exterior and interior kickers, allowing for the transfer of pipe between channels and out of the trough, enhancing the capacity of each transfer cycle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single-channel trough design is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the productivity is limited due to restricted pipe transfer capacity per cycle
Solution Approach 1:
The trough is segmented into multiple channels (first exterior channel, interior channel, second exterior channel) instead of using a single channel. This segmentation allows multiple pipes to be transferred simultaneously or in sequence within one transfer cycle, directly increasing productivity while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular channel design
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single-channel (one-dimensional) trough to a multi-channel (two-dimensional) trough configuration. By adding the interior channel between two exterior channels, the system creates additional transfer paths in the cross-sectional dimension, enabling increased pipe transfer capacity without proportionally increasing the longitudinal length of the trough
2Productivity
If multiple channels are added to the trough, then the productivity increases, but the device complexity increases due to additional kickers and transfer mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The kickers are designed with multi-functionality to handle pipe transfer between multiple channels. Each kicker can transfer pipes between different channel combinations (exterior to interior, interior to exterior), reducing the need for dedicated transfer mechanisms for each channel pair and thereby managing complexity while maintaining high productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The kickers are designed as movable components that can be positioned dynamically to facilitate pipe transfer between different channels. This dynamic positioning capability allows a single set of kickers to serve multiple transfer functions, increasing productivity without proportionally increasing the number of fixed transfer structures
Data Source
AI summary
A tubular handling system has a trough with two exterior channels and an interior channel disposed between the two exterior channels. The two exterior channels and the interior channel are disposed along a longitudinal length of the trough and are configured to support at least one tubular. The tubular handling system also has a set of exterior kickers configured to move the tubular from one of the exterior channels to the interior channel and from one of the exterior channels to a position out of the trough. The tubular handling system has an interior kicker configured to move the tubular from the interior channel to one of the exterior channels.