US-12618306-B2 - Rotary multi tool

US12618306B2US 12618306 B2US12618306 B2US 12618306B2US-12618306-B2

Abstract

A device is provided for removing mud, fluid, and/or debris from a tubular tripping out of a wellbore. The device includes a housing configured to be secured within a well center opening. A plurality of flexible wipers are arranged around the central opening and are configured to: (a) move to an open-wiper position, a partially-closed-wiper position, or a closed-wiper position; and (b) cover at least a portion of the central opening when the plurality of wipers is in the partially-closed-wiper position or the closed-wiper position. A wiper actuator is configured to extend and retract at least two of the plurality of flexible wipers and to actuate a rotation of a drive plate. The drive plate is coupled to the plurality of flexible wipers for extending and retracting the plurality of flexible wipers.

Inventors

Tor Sigurd SLETTEBO
Gregory Emberley
MICHAEL CZARNOTA
Anders HOLGERSEN

Assignees

TRANSOCEAN SEDCO FOREX VENTURES LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20250326

Claims (20)

1 . A device for removing mud, fluid, and/or debris from a tubular tripping out of a wellbore, the device comprising: a housing having a central opening, the housing configured to be secured within a well center opening; a plurality of flexible wipers arranged around the central opening, the plurality of flexible wipers configured to: (a) move to an open-wiper position, a partially-closed-wiper position, or a closed-wiper position; and (b) cover at least a portion of the central opening when the plurality of flexible wipers is in the partially-closed-wiper position or the closed-wiper position; and a wiper actuator configured to extend and retract at least two of the plurality of flexible wipers, wherein the wiper actuator is configured to actuate a rotation of a drive plate, the drive plate being coupled to the plurality of flexible wipers, thereby extending and retracting the plurality of flexible wipers.
2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein: in the open-wiper position, the plurality of flexible wipers is retracted, thereby unblocking the central opening; in the partially-closed-wiper position the plurality of flexible wipers is partially extended, thereby partially blocking the central opening; and in the closed-wiper position, the plurality of flexible wipers is extended, thereby blocking the central opening.
3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein: at the partially-closed-wiper position, the plurality of flexible wipers is configured to: (a) follow a lateral movement of a tubular; and/or (b) bend when the tubular moves through the central opening.
4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein: at the partially-closed-wiper position, the plurality of flexible wipers is configured to close around a tubular with a predefined pressure.
5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the wiper actuator comprises a hydraulic cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder.
6 . The device of claim 5 , wherein: when the wiper actuator comprises the hydraulic cylinder, a failure in hydraulic supply causes the wiper actuator to move the plurality of flexible wipers to an open-wiper position; and when the wiper actuator comprises the pneumatic cylinder, a failure in pneumatic supply causes the wiper actuator to move the plurality of flexible wipers to an open-wiper position.
7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the wiper actuator is coupled to a driver plate via a driver shaft.
8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of flexible wipers is disposed at a cross-sectional level within the housing.
9 . The device of claim 8 , further comprising: a plurality of nozzles disposed above or below the cross-sectional level of the plurality of flexible wipers and arranged around the central opening, the plurality of nozzles configured to eject a fluid, wherein the plurality of nozzles is positioned and oriented such that the ejected fluid is configured to wash a surface of a tubular, when the tubular is placed in the central opening.
10 . The device of claim 9 , further comprising a controller configured to operate the plurality of nozzles or the plurality of flexible wipers based on feedback regarding at least one of a tripping speed of the tubular, a diameter of the tubular, whether the tubular is located at the well center opening, or whether the tubular is in a vertical position or has a tilt relative to the drill floor.
11 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the housing is secured in place within the well center opening via a plurality of spring elements, thereby allowing the central opening to move laterally.
12 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising: a controller configured to send signals to the wiper actuator to extend or retract the plurality of flexible wipers; a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader configured to detect one or more RFID tags on the tubular, the RFID reader providing information for use by the controller.
13 . The device of claim 1 , wherein: the wiper actuator comprises a cylinder, the cylinder being at least one of a hydraulic cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder; the device further comprises a sensor configured to provide feedback to a controller, the feedback including a pressure within the cylinder; and the controller is further configured to receive the feedback and to place the plurality of flexible wipers in the partially-closed-wiper position based on the pressure within the cylinder.
14 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of flexible wipers are configured to at least partially overlap.
15 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the drive plate is coupled to at least two of the plurality of flexible wipers, so that motion of the drive plate drives the extending and retracting of at least two of the plurality of flexible wipers.
16 . A multifunctional device for covering an opening of a wellbore and removing mud, fluid, and/or debris from a tubular tripping out of the wellbore, the multifunctional device comprising: a housing and a central opening, the housing configured to be secured within the opening of the wellbore; a plurality of covers disposed at a first cross-sectional level and arranged around the central opening, the plurality of covers configured to: (a) move to an open-cover position, a partially-closed-cover position, or a closed-cover position; and (b) cover at least a portion of the central opening when the plurality of covers is in the partially-closed-cover position or the closed-cover position; and a plurality of flexible wipers disposed at a second cross-sectional level located below the first cross-sectional level and arranged around the central opening, the plurality of flexible wipers configured to: (a) move to an open-wiper position, a partially-closed-wiper position, or a closed-wiper position; and (b) cover at least a portion of the central opening when the plurality of flexible wipers is in the partially-closed-wiper position or the closed-wiper position.
17 . The multifunctional device of claim 16 , wherein: in the open-cover position, the plurality of covers is retracted, thereby unblocking the central opening; in the partially-closed-cover position the plurality of covers is partially extended, thereby partially covering the central opening; and in the closed-cover position, the plurality of covers is extended, thereby covering the central opening.
18 . The multifunctional device of claim 16 , wherein: in the open-wiper position, the plurality of flexible wipers is retracted, thereby unblocking the central opening; in the partially-closed-wiper position the plurality of flexible wipers is partially extended, thereby partially blocking the central opening; and in the closed-wiper position, the plurality of flexible wipers is extended thereby blocking the central opening.
19 . The multifunctional device of claim 16 , further comprising: a plurality of nozzles disposed between the first cross-sectional level and the second cross-sectional level, the plurality of nozzles arranged around the central opening and configured to eject a fluid.
20 . The multifunctional device of claim 16 , further comprising: a plurality of nozzles disposed below the second cross-sectional level, the plurality of nozzles arranged around the central opening and configured to eject a fluid.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/369,653 filed Sep. 18, 2023, which is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2022/057248 filed Mar. 18, 2022, which was published Sep. 22, 2022 under International Publication No. WO2022/195116 and which claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/163,189 filed on Mar. 19, 2021. The entire disclosure of each application identified in this paragraph is incorporated by reference in the present application. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure generally relates to wellbores (e.g., oil wells or any drilled holes or boreholes that are drilled to aid in the exploration and recovery of natural resources, including oil, gas, or water) and, in particular, to a system for preventing objects form falling into a wellbore and for cleaning tubulars used during drilling operations. BACKGROUND During a drilling operation, objects can sometimes accidentally fall into a wellbore from the rig floor. These objects can prevent downhole equipment from functioning properly and can often impede the drilling and completion process. Some large objects can be retrieved from a wellbore using specially designed tools. By contrast, relatively small objects, such as small metal objects, dropped in a wellbore can often cause significant disruption to downhole equipment and related operations. For example, during completion operations, small pieces of metal present in a wellbore can prevent packers and other completion tools from sealing against a casing wall. During open hole drilling operations, such small metal objects can destroy very expensive downhole equipment such as Polycrystalline Diamond Compact (PDC) bits. Such small objects can also be very difficult to retrieve from a wellbore, as they are often too small to be grasped using conventional tools. This is especially true for small metal objects, and particularly small metal objects that have an irregular shape or small pieces that can be broken up during the retrieval process. Unfortunately, many drilling rigs typically have many small metal objects (such as, for example, wrenches, chain, bolts, tong dies and nuts) at or near the rig floor. Such objects, which are in relatively close proximity to the upper opening of a well, are at risk of falling into a wellbore. Further, retrieving small metal objects can be very time consuming and, as a result, very costly. Accordingly, the best way to prevent such disruptions and to avoid long and expensive retrieval of the objects is to keep such objects from entering a wellbore in the first place. Current approaches of preventing the contamination of a well include manually covering the well with a cover when there is no tubular in a wellbore. However, when there is a tubular in the well, there can be a gap between the tubular or a drill string and the well. The existing method for covering the gap is to manually close the gap with a C-plate. Such manual work delays operations and poses danger to the personnel who engage in the manual work. Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for protecting the well from objects falling into the well. SUMMARY The present disclosure relates to a system for preventing objects from falling into a well and for cleaning tubulars used during drilling operations. The wells and associated wellbores may include holes or boreholes that are drilled to aid in the exploration and recovery of natural resources, including oil, gas, or water. Further, the wells can also be used for mineral extraction, environmental assessment, and temperature measurements. Consistent with a disclosed embodiment, a device for covering an opening of a wellbore is provided. The device includes a housing having a central opening, the housing configured to be secured within a well center opening, and a plurality of covers arranged around the central opening. The plurality of covers is configured to: (a) move into an open-cover position, a partially-closed-cover position, or a closed-cover position, and (b) cover at least a portion of the central opening when the plurality of covers is in the partially-closed-cover position or the closed-cover position. Consistent with another disclosed embodiment, a device for removing mud, fluid, and/or debris from a tubular tripping out of a wellbore is provided. The device includes a housing having a central opening, the housing configured to be secured within a well center opening, and a plurality of flexible wipers arranged around the central opening. The plurality of flexible wipers is configured to: (a) move to an open-wiper position, a partially-closed-wiper position, or a closed-wiper position; and (b) cover the central opening when the plurality of wipers is in the partially-closed-wiper position or the closed-wiper position. Consistent with another disclosed embodiment, a multifunctional device for covering an op