Hydraulic Spider Guide Plate Centering for Misaligned Tubulars
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydraulic spiders in the oil and gas industry risk damage due to misalignment of tubulars during make-up or break-out operations, leading to potential damage to the spider when gripping the drill string.
Innovation Solution
A tubular centering system comprising a hydraulic spider and centralizers with adjustable guide plates, controlled by a pin and hydraulic actuation, ensures precise centering of tubulars within the spider's bore, minimizing misalignment and protecting the spider.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the hydraulic spider grips the tubular directly without centering, then the gripping force is sufficient, but the tubular may be misaligned causing damage to the spider
Solution Approach 1:
The guide plate performs preliminary centering action on the tubular before the hydraulic spider slips engage to grip the tubular. This preliminary alignment ensures the tubular is properly positioned, preventing misalignment damage while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide plate acts as an intermediary component between the tubular and the hydraulic spider slips. It mediates the alignment process by engaging the tubular's outer surface and guiding it to the correct position before the slips grip, thus protecting the spider without requiring complex centering mechanisms.
2Manufacturing precision
If the guide plate is made adjustable with multiple pin holes and slots, then the centering precision for different tubular sizes is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism is segmented into discrete pin holes in the housing and pin slots in the guide plate. This segmentation allows for easy configuration of different centering positions by simply moving the pin to different holes and slots, achieving high precision for various tubular sizes without requiring a complex continuous adjustment mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the geometric parameters of the guide plate position relative to the housing by selecting different pin holes and pin slots. This allows the centering precision to be adapted for different tubular outer diameters, transforming a potential complexity into a simple parameter selection process.
3Manufacturing precision
If the guide plate extends fully to center small tubulars, then centering accuracy is improved, but the risk of damage to the guide plate increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide plate is designed to be dynamically adjustable in its extension distance through the pin and slot mechanism. For small tubulars, the pin can be positioned to allow full extension for maximum centering accuracy. For larger tubulars, the pin position limits extension to appropriate levels, preventing over-extension damage while maintaining sufficient centering accuracy.
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 system effectively centers tubulars, reducing the risk of spider damage by evenly gripping the circumference, allowing for safe and efficient threading and unthreading operations.
Implementation Method 1
Each centralizer of the plurality of centralizers may further comprise a piston assembly, wherein the piston assembly is configured to move the guide plate between the extended position and the retracted position.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A
AI summary
A tubular centralizer including a housing, a guide plate, and a pin. The housing has a plurality of adjustment pin holes. The guide plate is at least partially disposed within the housing and movable between a retracted position and an extended position. The guide plate includes a plurality of adjustment pin slots. The pin is positioned in a first adjustment pin hole of the plurality of adjustment pin holes, and in a first adjustment pin slot of the guide plate. A length of the first adjustment pin slot within which the pin is positioned sets a limit of the extended position and the retracted position of the guide plate.