Trapdoor-Style Drilling Mud Screen for In-Line Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drilling mud screen systems face issues with installation and replacement inefficiencies and safety hazards, particularly with double-shoulder high-strength connections, leading to drilling mud leaks and equipment damage.
Innovation Solution
A drilling mud screen system with a drilling mud screen puller/installer tool and a design that allows for in-line installation and replacement, featuring a body with offset inlets and outlets, a drilling mud screen access port, and a transducer subassembly for monitoring, along with a puller/installer tool for safe and efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the drilling mud screen is installed on the drill floor, then the drilling mud screen can be easily accessed for installation, but the drilling mud screen must be reinstalled or replaced every time a section of stand pipe is added to the drill string, which is dangerous and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The drilling mud screen is pre-installed on the drill pipe connection before the drill string is lowered into the hole. This preliminary action ensures the screen is in place before drilling begins, eliminating the need for repeated installations when adding stand pipes.
Solution Approach 2:
The drilling mud screen is integrated within the drill pipe connection structure itself, nested inside the double-shoulder pin connection. This allows the screen to travel with the drill string and remain in position automatically when stand pipes are added.
2Reliability
If the drilling mud screen is installed at the bottom of the drill string, then the drilling mud screen remains in position when stand pipe sections are added, but the drilling mud screen must be brought to the surface to be replaced, which is inefficient and causes lost drilling time
Solution Approach 1:
The drill string is segmented into modular stand pipe sections that can be added independently. The drilling mud screen is installed on one specific connection, allowing other sections to be replaced without disturbing the screen's position or requiring the entire drill string to be brought to surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The drilling mud screen is installed on an intermediary connection point within the drill string rather than at the very bottom. This allows the screen to remain in position while enabling selective replacement of drill pipe sections above it without affecting the screen.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the nose of the double-shoulder pin connection is decreased to fit the drilling mud screen flange, then the drilling mud screen can be installed, but the mating pin and/or box is damaged when dimensions are outside acceptable tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The double-shoulder pin connection is modified locally at specific regions to accommodate the drilling mud screen flange. The nose dimensions and shoulder positions are locally adjusted only where needed for screen compatibility, while maintaining standard connection dimensions elsewhere to ensure proper mating and avoid damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The dimensions of the double-shoulder pin connection parameters (nose width, shoulder position) are specifically changed to match the drilling mud screen flange dimensions. These parameter adjustments are made within acceptable tolerances to ensure both screen compatibility and connection integrity.
4Ease of operation
If the drilling mud screen is installed on the drill floor, then installation is straightforward, but drilling mud leaks onto the drilling rig floor creating a slip hazard when the connection fails
Solution Approach 1:
The drilling mud screen is positioned within the enclosed drill string rather than on the open drill floor. Any drilling mud leakage is contained within the drill string and does not reach the rig floor, converting a potentially harmful situation into a controlled one.
Solution Approach 2:
The drilling mud screen acts as an intermediary barrier within the drill string connection. It prevents drilling mud from escaping the enclosed drill string environment and reaching the external rig floor, eliminating the slip hazard while maintaining installation simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A trapdoor-style drilling mud screen system, comprising a first body having a first portion, a second portion and a third portion, a first drilling mud inlet at a first end of the first portion of the first body, a first drilling mud outlet at a second end of the third portion of the first body, a rotating trapdoor subassembly, wherein the rotating trapdoor subassembly is disposed within the second portion of the first body, wherein the first portion of the first body is fluidly connected to a first end of the rotating subassembly, and wherein a second end of the rotating subassembly is fluidly connected to the third portion of the first body, a pivot subassembly, wherein the pivot subassembly is disposed through the rotating trapdoor subassembly and through the second portion of the first body; and a drilling mud screen, wherein the drilling mud screen is disposed within the rotating trapdoor subassembly between the first drilling mud inlet and the first drilling mud outlet. Methods of installing and using the drilling mud screen system are also disclosed.