Self-Erecting Launcher Assembly for Automated Wellhead Tool Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current drilling and completion operations for oil and gas wells are inefficient, time-consuming, costly, and hazardous due to the manual handling of downhole tools, requiring multiple steps and human interaction in a dangerous 'red zone' around the wellhead, with no practical means for simultaneous deployment of multiple tools.
Innovation Solution
A self-erecting launcher assembly utilizing a mobile unit with a magazine of drones, a rail system, and a platform to autonomously deliver wellbore tools to multiple wellheads, reducing manual intervention and enabling simultaneous tool deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual handling of downhole tools is used, then operational flexibility is maintained, but operational time and labor intensity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs autonomous drones that self-navigate to wellheads and self-deploy downhole tools without human intervention. The drones autonomously position themselves, release tools into wellbores, and return to the launcher, eliminating the need for manual tool handling while maintaining operational flexibility through programmable control sequences.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated robotic system. Drones use mechanical arms and release mechanisms to handle tools, substituting human operators who would manually carry and position heavy downhole equipment. This substitution dramatically reduces operational time while managing complexity through automated control systems.
2Productivity
If multiple tools are deployed sequentially using traditional methods, then deployment accuracy is maintained, but deployment time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the tool deployment process into independent drone units, each capable of autonomous operation. Multiple drones can simultaneously execute deployment tasks at different wellheads, with each drone maintaining precise control over its own tool release timing and positioning. This segmentation enables parallel operations while preserving individual deployment accuracy through dedicated navigation and release control for each drone.
Solution Approach 2:
Drones are pre-positioned at the launcher and tools are pre-loaded into drone carriers before deployment begins. Navigation paths and release sequences are pre-programmed, allowing drones to immediately execute deployment tasks upon receiving commands. This preliminary preparation eliminates setup time between deployments while maintaining accuracy through pre-calibrated release mechanisms and GPS-guided positioning.
3Reliability
If personnel operate in the red zone around wellheads, then real-time control is achieved, but safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces drones as intermediary robotic agents that physically isolate human operators from hazardous wellhead environments. Drones receive commands from remote operators and execute tool deployment tasks autonomously in the dangerous red zone, eliminating the need for personnel to physically presence near active wellheads while maintaining operational control through wireless communication and telemetry systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Human operators are replaced by automated drone systems in the hazardous red zone environment. The drones serve as robotic substitutes that can withstand extreme conditions near wellheads without exposing human life to risks from high-pressure fluids, moving equipment, and potential explosions, while maintaining reliable operational control through automated sensors and remote command systems.
4Device complexity
If traditional lubricators and blowout preventers are used, then tool deployment is controlled, but equipment complexity and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the tool deployment function from complex traditional equipment like lubricators and blowout preventers, concentrating it in simplified drone units. Instead of using large, complex surface equipment to handle tools, the patent removes the need for these bulky devices by deploying tools directly from autonomous drones into wellbores, dramatically reducing equipment complexity while maintaining controlled deployment through automated drone navigation and release mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A self-erecting launcher assembly includes a mobile unit, and a magazine positioned in a receptacle of the mobile unit. The magazine includes a plurality of drones. A rail unit is secured to the mobile unit and moves between a closed position and an elevated position. A platform may be secured to the rail unit and is movable in an upward direction and a downward direction along a length of the rail unit. The platform is movable when the rail unit is in its elevated position. The magazine or the plurality of drones may be positioned on the platform, such that the platform moves the magazine or the plurality of drones from the mobile unit to at least one wellhead. A manipulator arm is secured to the platform and selects a drone of the plurality of drones and delivers the selected drone into a lubricator positioned at the wellhead.