Stackable Iron Baskets for Stable Tubular and Fitting Storage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The transportation and storage of heavy oilfield tubulars and fittings pose challenges due to their large size and shape variability, leading to inefficient stacking and potential hazards during unloading, such as crushing injuries from shifting materials.
Innovation Solution
A modular stack system comprising baskets with posts and guides that allow for vertical stacking and independent lifting of tubulars and fittings, ensuring secure storage and easy handling through a forklift-compatible design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If fittings are stacked loose in the skid, then they can be easily loaded, but they may shift during unloading creating safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The skid is divided into multiple compartments or racks with vertical posts and horizontal guides that segment the space for different fitting types. This segmentation allows fittings to be organized in designated areas rather than stacked loosely, preventing shifting while maintaining ease of loading through structured placement zones.
Solution Approach 2:
Vertical posts and horizontal guides act as intermediary structures between the fittings and the skid body. These intermediaries provide physical constraints that prevent fittings from shifting during transport while still allowing for easy loading and unloading operations.
2Quantity of substance
If fittings are arranged in multiple layers loosely, then storage capacity increases, but packing efficiency decreases and shifting risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system utilizes vertical stacking with multiple tiers of racks, transitioning from horizontal to vertical space utilization. This dimensional change allows efficient use of vertical space for multi-layer storage while maintaining organization through vertical posts and horizontal guides that prevent shifting in each layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical posts and horizontal guides serve multiple functions: they provide structural support for multi-layer stacking, define storage zones for different fitting types, and prevent shifting across all layers. This multi-functionality achieves both high storage capacity and packing efficiency simultaneously.
3Ease of operation
If heavy fittings are transported in loose piles, then loading is simple, but personnel safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The skid is pre-configured with vertical posts, horizontal guides, and designated rack positions before loading. This preliminary arrangement of structural elements ensures that fittings have predetermined safe zones for placement, maintaining simple loading procedures while inherently preventing unsafe shifting conditions that could harm personnel.
4Adaptability or versatility
If various shapes and sizes of couplings are stored together, then versatility is maintained, but stacking and organization become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections or compartments of the skid are designed with specific post spacing, guide dimensions, and rack configurations tailored to accommodate particular fitting types, shapes, and sizes. This localized customization in each storage zone allows versatile accommodation of various fittings while maintaining simple, organized stacking within each dedicated area.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular stack includes a plurality of baskets including at least a first basket and a second basket. The second basket is configured to be stacked on the first basket such that the first and second baskets occupy a same footprint. The first and second baskets each include a base frame that is substantially rectangular. The first and second baskets also each include a bottom extending across a lower portion of the base frame. The first and second baskets also each include one or more cross-members extending over the bottom from a first side of the base frame to a second side of the base frame. The first and second baskets also each include a side plate extending upward from the first side. The side plate is connected to the base frame and the one or more cross-members.