Rotating Lifting Elevator for Conductor Pipe Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation and removal of lifting and handling eyes on large-diameter conductor pipes are time-consuming, costly, and prone to damage, and they can disrupt the sediment around the wellbore, causing resistance and potential failure during the installation process.
Innovation Solution
A lifting elevator system with rotatable segments and slips that can grip the external surface of the pipe, allowing for the lifting and positioning of non-vertical pipe joints without the need for pre-installed lifting eyes, enabling the direct assembly and installation of conductor pipe joints atop existing strings without welding or bolting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If lifting eyes are pre-installed on conductor pipes, then the pipes can be lifted and positioned, but the installation and removal process is time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the lifting function from permanent eye installations and implements it through a removable elevator device that can be attached and detached as needed, eliminating the time-consuming installation and removal of lifting eyes while maintaining lifting capability
Solution Approach 2:
The elevator acts as an intermediary device between the conductor pipe and the lifting mechanism, providing the necessary lifting function without requiring permanent modifications to the pipe, thus avoiding time loss from installing and removing lifting eyes
2Ease of operation
If lifting eyes are pre-installed on conductor pipes, then the pipes can be handled during installation, but the pipes are prone to damage during the process
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting function is extracted from the pipe structure itself (by removing the need for lifting eyes) and transferred to a separate elevator device, eliminating the risk of damage to the pipe during lifting eye installation and removal while maintaining full handling capability
3Ease of operation
If lifting eyes are pre-installed on conductor pipes, then the pipes can be lifted, but the sediment around the wellbore is disrupted causing resistance and potential failure
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful effect of sediment disruption is eliminated by removing the lifting eyes installation process entirely, while the lifting capability is maintained through the elevator device that can be applied without disturbing the wellbore sediment
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
This method simplifies the assembly and installation of conductor pipes by eliminating the need for pre-installed lifting eyes, reducing the risk of damage and resistance, and allowing for efficient placement without disrupting the sediment, thereby saving time and resources.
Implementation Method 1
each of the first plurality of slips and the second plurality of slips has a die configured to grip an external surface of a pipe
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A lifting elevator includes a first elevator segment having a first plurality of slips, a second elevator segment having a second plurality of slips, and a hinge. The first elevator segment and the second elevator segment each have a swept angle of about 180°, and each of the first plurality of slips and the second plurality of slips includes a die configured to grip an external surface of a pipe.