Lifting Plug With Handling Bore For Oil Well Tubulars
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for assembling drill strings on oil platforms require excessive manual manipulation and labor, leading to increased risk and cost due to the heavy weight and size of lifting plugs, which exceed safe handling limits, especially when dealing with larger diameter tubular elements.
Innovation Solution
A lifting plug designed to be assembled and disassembled while engaged in the jaw of an elevator, featuring a hollow body with external collars and a handling bore that allows for insertion of a bar at two separate points, reducing the number of manipulations needed and facilitating easier handling and screwing operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the lifting plug is made larger to accommodate larger diameter tubular elements, then it can handle bigger pipes, but the weight increases beyond safe handling limits
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting plug is divided into multiple functional segments: a body portion that engages with the tubular element, external collars for structural support, and a handling bore for insertion points. This segmentation allows the design to accommodate larger diameters without proportionally increasing overall weight, as each segment serves a specific function optimized for its purpose.
Solution Approach 2:
The lifting plug is designed with multi-functionality to handle various diameters of tubular elements through the same basic structure. The body and collar configuration can accommodate different sizes without requiring completely different lifting plugs, reducing the need for multiple heavy specialized tools while maintaining adaptability across size ranges.
2Reliability
If traditional lifting plug handling methods are used, then safety standards are met, but the number of manipulations and assembly time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting plug incorporates a handling bore with insertion points that enable the tool to be manipulated and positioned more easily by operators. The design allows operators to grip and maneuver the lifting plug through the bar insertion mechanism, reducing the number of separate manipulation steps required while maintaining control and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
A bar is introduced as an intermediary tool that inserts through the handling bore to facilitate manipulation of the lifting plug. This intermediary mechanism allows operators to control the lifting plug with less direct handling of the heavy component itself, reducing manipulation complexity while maintaining safety.
3Ease of repair
If the lifting plug requires detachment and reattachment operations, then it can be reused, but the number of manipulations and risk of incidents increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting plug is designed with pre-positioned external collars and a handling bore that facilitate easier attachment and detachment operations. The collars provide predetermined engagement points that guide the attachment process, reducing the complexity and risk of manual manipulation during reattachment operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The handling bore provides multiple insertion points around the circumference, allowing operators to grip and control the lifting plug at various positions. This excessive number of available grip points (beyond what is strictly minimum) allows for more flexible and safer manipulation during attachment and detachment operations, reducing incident risk.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
AI summary
Disclosed is a lifting plug (10) for lifting a tubular column in a gas and/or oil well, the lifting plug being a one-piece component capable of being manipulated by a jaw of an oil platform elevator, the plug comprising a body (12) to be screwed (13) onto the tubular column, this body comprising two outer flanges (14, 15), an upper flange (14) and an intermediate flange (15), the flanges being such that the jaw of the elevator can be arranged between these two flanges, the upper flange forming a bearing shoulder (19) for the jaw to bear on and the intermediate flange comprising a bore (24) for manipulating the plug allowing the insertion through the body of a pin emerging at two different points of the intermediate collar, the plug thus being capable of being rotated by the pin while remaining engaged in the jaw.