EQUIPMENT ADAPTABLE TO TELESCOPING SERVICE LINE

Abstract: A telescoping boom assembly supported articulated well service pipeline (10) for the transfer of pressurized fluids from service vehicles to petroleum wellheads for the treatment and stimulation of production oil wells. The boom assembly (12) is mounted on a truck, trailer or other suitable mobile transport, and the articulated pipeline (11) comprises a plurality of straight pipe sec­ tions interconnected by swivel joints (18) to provide the required rotational freedom and flexibility. The pipe sections are supported by a plurality of pipe carriers (16) each having a pair of rollers rotatably fastened to the carrier frame for moving the pipe carriers along the length of the boom assembly. The outermost pipe carries an outboard pipe and a cradle along the boom assembly until the carrier reaches the outer end of the boom assembly. The outboard pipe section is then lifted from the carrier cradle and the pipe section slides over a rounded support device to extend the out­ board pipe section beyond the outer end of the boom assembly.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention This invention relates to well servicing equipment, and more particularly, to apparatus for conducting pressurized fluids from a service vehicle to a wellhead. Description of the Prior Art During the course of producing fluids from a petroleum well it is often desirable or necessary to subject the well to a treatment procedure in order to stimulate its fluid production. This procedure usually involves the injection of fluid under high pressure, such as 20,000 psi, to fracture the producing earth formations, or the injection of an acid solution to dissolve or otherwise remove obstructing material, thereby increasing the flow of petroleum from the formation into the well. In order to carry out these well stimulation procedures, it is commonplace to employ an articulated pipe assembly, called a service line, to conduct the fluid from the pump system to the wellhead. Such a service line usually comprises a plurality of straight lengths of rigid pipe interconnected end-to-end by pipe swivel joints, and sufficient pipe unions to facilitate this assembly into sections that can be handled manually. Where a pipe of larger than normal diameter and thus of greater weight is used in order to increase the volume of fluid injected into the well at a given time period, or to reduce the time for injecting a given fluid volume, additional personnel and/or time are required to unload the service line sections from their transport, assemble them and connect the line to the wellhead and then disassemble the line and reload the sections upon completion of fluid injection. Another disadvantage of a conventional service line is that it rests unrestrained on the ground between the transport and the wellhead and thus is free to whip about and possibly injure personnel or equipment if it breaks under pressure. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the foregoing disadvantages by providing an articulated well service pipe line mounted on and supported at all times by a mobile telescoping boom assembly that can be extended from its transport base to carry the service line to a wellhead for connection-thereto, all in a relatively easy, quick, efficient and safe manner. The service line pipe sections are pivotally connected on the boom sections ifl completely assembled condition so that they extend from and retract into their rest or stowed position in an accordion-like manner, and thus are compactly stowable yet readily extendable without need for any manual effort as required by conventional service equipment. The service line can be mounted alongside the boom so that the pipe sections reside in generally vertical planes or the pipe sections can be mounted in other functional attitudes. The telescoping boom assembly is mounted on a turret for pivotal movement thereon about a horizontal axis, and the turret can revolve upon the pedestal main frame about a vertical axis. The entire apparatus can be mounted on a subframe platform with extendable stabilizing outriggers and installed on a suitable truck chassis or trailer for transportation to various job sites. The pipe sections are supported by a plurality of pipe carriers which roll along the upper edge of the generally horizontal boom assembly. Each of the pipe carriers includes a cradle which supports one of the pipe sections. An outer portion of the service line rests on the cradle of an outboard pipe carrier until the outboard carrier moves to the outer end of the boom assembly. The outer portion of the service line can be lifted from the cradle and moved further away from the outer end of the boom assembly and other means used to support the outer portion of the service line. Clamping means can be used to secure the pipe sections to the cradles of the pipe carriers. A breaking means is used to secure the pipe carriers in fixed positions along the boom assembly while the service line is in use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a telescoping boom supported articulated service line according to the present invention, showing the boom extended from a support and resting on a jack stand near a wellhead, and the service line extended along the boom. Figure 2 is a plan view of the boom and service line shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view of a pipe carrier which moves along the top of the boom assembly. Figure 4 is a sectional view taken alonq the line 4-4 of Figure 3. Figure 5 is a side elevation of the pipe carrier of Figures 3 and 4. Figure 6 is another embodiment of a brake mechanism shown in Figures 4 and 5. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a telescoping boom supported articulated service line 10 according to the present invention comprises an articulated service line assembly 11 pivotally mounted on a telescoping boom assembly 12 by a plurality of pipe carriers 16a-16d. The service line assembly 11 comprises a plurality of straight rigid pipe sections 17a-17h of generally equal length, and a plurality of pipe swivel joints 18a-18h that pivotally interconnect the pipe sections 17a-17h in an end-to-end manner. At the outer end of the service line assembly 11 is a connector pipe 22 pivotally connected to the service line assembly by the pip#e swivel joint 18a for rotation in a vertical plane by a hydraulic elevating cylinder 23 (Fig. 2). A skid 24 mounted on the outer end of the connector pipe 22 supports the outer end of the pipe 22 for sliding movement over the surface of the ground. The telescoping boom assembly 12 (Figs. 1, 2) comprises three boom sections 12a, 12b and 12c. The inner section 12a, which is not extendable, is pivotally mounted on a transport vehicle 28 for rotation in a vertical plane about a horizontal axis A and in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis B. The details of the telescoping boom assembly 12, and of the means for operating it, are not critical to the present invention, and in fact various types of telescoping boom assemblies such as described in Chalupsky et al, U.S. Patent No. 3,841,494, issued October 15, 1974, and Tiffin et al, U.S. Patent No. 4,016,688, issued April 12, 1977, both of which are herein incorporated by reference, are suitable for use with the present invention. An adjustable jack stand 29 can be positioned at the tip of the boom assembly 12 to provide an additional end support to relieve the boom of cantilever loading during the fluid transfer operation. The jack stand can be pivotally connected, in a removable manner or otherwise to the tip of the boom assembly on the outer end of the boom section 12c. Thus, the jack stand can be a separate portable apparatus, or can be carried by the boom to lessen the manual effort required to install and remove it. The articulated service line is shown in Figure 2 as having a single service line assembly, but a dual line assembly could be provided with a service line assembly on each side of the boom assembly 12. A pipe support bracket 27 (Figs. 1, 2) provides support for the outer pipe section 17a to allow the service line assembly 11 to be extended beyond the outer end of the boom assembly 12. With the boom assembly in the fully extended position, the outer pipe carrier 16a transports the pipe section 17a along the boom sections 12a, 12b to the outer end of the section 12c, where the pipe carrier stops. If the adjacent pipe carrier 16b and the pipe section 17b continue to move to the right (Figs. 1, 2) the outer pipe section 17a slides over the support bracket 27 and the weight of the connector pipe 22 causes the pipe section 17a to tilt about the support 27 with the pipe swivel joint 18b moving upward (Fig. 1) causing the pipe section 17a to be lifted out of the cradle 47 (Fig. 4) of the carrier 16a. The skid 24 rests on the ground G to support the outer end of the connector pipe 22 and the bracket 27 supports the pipe section 17a as the service line assembly 11 continues to move beyond the outer end of the boom assembly 12. Details of the pipe carrier 16a are shown in Figures 3-6 where the carrier includes a pair of elongated side plates 30a, 30b and a pair of rollers 34a, 34b rotatably mounted on a pair of shafts 35a, 35b extending through the side plates. A pair of backing plates 36a, 36b mounted adjacent the side plates 30a, 30b each have a low friction material 40a, 40b, such as nylon mounted between the plates 36a, 36b and the boom sections 12a-12c (Figs. 4, 6) to keep the pipe carriers centered over the boom sections 12a-12c while moving freely along the length of the boom assembly 12. The backing plates 36a, 36b are biased toward the side plates 30a, 30b by a plurality of compression springs 41a-41d (Fig. 3) each mounted between a pair of washers 42a-42h. The washers are retained on the shafts by a plurality of cotter pins 46 each mounted through an end portion of the shafts 35a, 35b. A cradle 47 for holding one of the pipe sections 17a-17h is connected to the side plates 30a, 30b of the pipe carrier (Figs. 3-6) by a shaft 48 mounted in a sleeve 52. The sleeve 52 is welded or otherwise connected to the side plates 30a, 30b and the shaft 48 is welded to the cradle 47. Another sleeve 53, made of low friction material such as nylon, is mounted between the shaft 48 and the sleeve 52. A pair of annular collars 54a, 54b are secured to the shaft 48 by a pair of screws 58 to limit the axial movement of the shaft 48 inside the sleeves 52, 53. The pipe section 17a can rest in the cradle 47 for easy removal as shown in Figures 4 and 6 or a clamp (not shown) can be used to secure the pipe in the cradle 47. A plurality of rollers 59a-59d (Fig. 5) rotatably connected to the side plates 30a, 30b by a plurality of brackets 60 and shafts 61 provide means for guiding a cable 65 along the lengths of the boom assembly 12. A pair of clamps 66a, 66b lock the cables 65 to the pipe carrier 16a so the pipe carrier can be pulled back and forth along the boom assembly 12. The pipe carriers can be clamped to prevent movement along the boom sections 12a-12c by a brake assembly 67 (Fig. 4). The brake assembly includes a shaft 71 extending upward through a lower end portion 72 of the backing plate 36b. A pipe bar clamp 73 welded or otherwise connected to the end portion 72 secures the shaft 71 in position so the brake assembly can be clamped to any one of the boom sections 12a-12c and can be adjusted to accommodate different size boom sections. When a release lever 77 (Fig. 5) is depressed the shaft 71 is free to slide inside the bar clamp 73 to a desired position and the shaft 71 is locked to the bar clamp 73 when the lever 77 is released. A screw anchor bracket 78 and a head plate 79 are free to slide up and down the shafts 71 in response to the vertical movement of a screw 83. A clamp base 84 is welded or otherwise secured to the lower end of the shaft 71 and the screw 83 is threaded through the base 84 to move the screw 83 up or down as the handle 85 rotates the screw. The upper end of the screw 83 is rotatably connected to the anchor bracket 78 to move the bracket 78 and the plate 79 up or down when the screw 83 is turned. A brace 89 (Figs. 4, 5) connected to the backing plate 35h ##ir'forces the lower portion 72. Another embodiment of a brake assembly 67a (Fig. 6) includes a bracket 72a secured to the shaft 48 of the pipe carrier 16a by a collar 90 and a bar 91. The pipe bar clamp 73 is welded or otherwise secured to the bracket 72a. The present invention includes a telescoping boom supported articulated service line having means for supportively extending the service line beyond the outer end of the boom. The service line is carried along the boom by a plurality of pipe carriers having means for locking the pipe carriers to booms of different sizes and the carriers each include a cradle for supporting the pipe and for removing the pipe quickly from the carrier when desired. Although the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention has been herein shown and described, it will be apparent that modification and variation may be made without departing from what is regarded to be the subject matter of the invention.

Claims: What is claimed is: 1. A telescoping boom supported articulated service line for use in well service operations to interconnect a supply of pressurized fluid to a wellhead, comprising: a telescoping boom assembly; an articulated pipe service line; a plurality of pipe carriers mounted for movement along the length of said boom assembly; and means for connecting said service line to said pipe carriers for moving said service line between an extended position and a retracted position as said pipe carriers move along the length of said boom assembly. 2. A boom supported service line as defined in claim 1 including an outboard pipe carrier, said outboard pipe carrier having: means for supporting an outer portion of said service line as said outer portion is along said boom assembly, and means for releasing said outer portion of said service line when said outboard pipe carrier reaches the outer end of said boom assembly. 3. A boom supported service line as defined in claim 2 including means for supporting said outer portion of said service line when said service line is released from said pipe carrier and for extending said outer portion beyond the outer end of said boom assembly. 4. A boom supported service line as defined in claim 1 including braking means for selectively locking said pipe carriers to said boom assembly. 5. A boom supported service line as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said pipe carriers includes a pair of rollers for supporting said carrier for rolling movement along the length of said boom assembly. 6. A boom supported service line as defined in claim 1 including braking means for selectively locking said pipe carriers to boom assemblies having a variety of cross-sectional sizes. 7. A boom supported service line as defined in claim 6 wherein said braking means includes a coarse adjustment means for adapting said braking means to different size boom assemblies and a fine adjustment means for locking said pipe carriers to said boom assemblies. 8. A boom supported service line as defined in claim 1 including a support bracket mounted at the outer end of said boom assembly, a skid mounted at the outer end of said service line to support the outer end of said service line and a support bracket mounted at the outer end of said boom assembly for lifting said service line from an outer pipe carrier and for supporting an outer portion of said service line as said service line is extended beyond said outer end of said boom assembly.

Inventors: JAMESON, NEAL ELLIS
Applicants: FMC CORPORATION
Application year: 1982
Main classification: F16L27
IPC codes: E21B43, E21B7, F16L27