Abstract:
A deconstructable coiled tubing spool is disclosed and includes one or more flange segments, and a core comprising a flange portion that is adapted to couple and decouple from each of the one or more flange segments, wherein the core remains intact when the one or more flange segments are decoupled from the flange portion. One or more of the deconstructable coiled tubing spools can be deconstructed and stored in a standard shipping container for shipment.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/360,806, filed on Jul. 11, 2016, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/319,891, filed on Apr. 8, 2016, which are both herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Field 
       [0002]    Embodiments of the disclosure generally relate to a spool for coiled tubing, more specifically, to a spool that may be deconstructed for shipping after the coiled tubing is removed. 
       Description of the Related Art 
       [0003]    In the oil and gas industry, coned tubing, which is generally a very long metal pipe, is supplied and shipped around the world on a large spool consisting of a core surrounded by a flange on both sides of the core. The coned tubing, normally about 1 inch in diameter to about 3.25 inch in diameter, may be used for interventions in oil and gas wells, pipelines, and sometimes as production tubing. 
         [0004]    When the coiled tubing is removed from the spool, the empty spool is usually scrapped because shipping the empty spool back to the supplier for reuse is cost prohibitive. Most conventional spools are heavy and large, having a height between about 100 inches and about 204 inches based on the flange diameter. When supplied overseas, the size of the empty spools requires shipment on a deck of a ship, in which individual spools are loaded and unloaded using a crane, and the spools take up a large footprint on the deck of the ship, all of which increases the shipping cost of the empty spools. 
         [0005]    Therefore, there exists a need for a spool that can be reused and shipped more efficiently. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    In one embodiment, a deconstructable coiled tubing spool is disclosed and includes a core having a curved outer surface; and a plurality of flange segments each having a first structural member coupled to the curved outer surface of the core, wherein the core remains intact when the flange segments are decoupled from the core. 
         [0007]    In one embodiment, a deconstructable coiled tubing spool is disclosed and includes one or more flange segments, and a core comprising a flange portion that is adapted to couple and decouple from each of the one or more flange segments, wherein the core remains intact when the one or more flange segments are decoupled from the flange portion. 
         [0008]    In one embodiment, a standard intermodal shipping container is disclosed and includes an interior volume containing one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, or more deconstructable coiled tubing spools, each of the spools comprising an intact core and at least four flange segments. 
         [0009]    In one embodiment, a method for deconstructing a coiled tubing spool is disclosed and includes (a) detaching four flange segments from each side of a core by removing a plurality of fasteners disposed in a bolt interface at an intersection between a flange portion of the core and an end of each of the flange segments. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    Having generally described the various embodiments of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings. 
           [0011]      FIG. 1A  is a side elevation view of one embodiment of a deconstructable spool. 
           [0012]      FIG. 1B  is a front elevation view of the deconstructable spool of  FIG. 1A . 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a deconstructable spool. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged side view of the bolt interface of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view of a portion of the bolt interface of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0016]      FIGS. 5A-5C  are schematic cutaway top views of an exemplary standard intermodal shipping container showing various methods for shipping the deconstructable spool of  FIGS. 1A and 1B  or  FIG. 2 . 
           [0017]      FIGS. 6A-6D  illustrate a deconstructable spool according to one embodiment. 
       
    
    
       [0018]    To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one embodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments without specific recitation. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  are schematic views of a deconstructable spool  100  according to one embodiment.  FIG. 1A  is a side elevation view of the deconstructable spool  100  and  FIG. 1B  is a front elevation view of the deconstructable spool  100 . In  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the deconstructable spool  100  is shown intact but without any coiled tubing spooled onto the deconstructable spool  100 . 
         [0020]    The deconstructable spool  100  includes two flanges  105  that are coupled to opposite ends of a core  110 . The core  110  may be a hollow tubular member having an opening into an interior volume on at least one side of the core  110 . As shown in  FIG. 1B , a space  115  between an outer surface of the core  110  and interior surfaces of the flanges  105  would generally be occupied with coiled tubing (not shown) that is spooled around the core  110 , and subsequently reeled-off and used leaving the deconstructable spool  100  intact as shown. 
         [0021]    The deconstructable spool  100  may include a major dimension  120  (a height or width, depending on the perspective, or a diameter of the flanges  105 ) of about 100 inches to about 204 inches. A diameter  125  of the core  110  may be between about 50 inches and about 80 inches. In some embodiments, the diameter  125  of the core  110  is constant while the diameter of the flanges  105  (the major dimension  120 ) may vary to accommodate different capacities of the deconstructable spool  100 . 
         [0022]    For example, the major dimension  120  may be changed to accommodate coiled tubing having a larger diameter and/or coiled tubing of different lengths without modifying the core  110 . Other dimensions of the deconstructable spool  100  include a flange width  130  and a flange-to-flange outside dimension  135  as well as a flange-to-flange inside dimension  140 . In one embodiment, the flange-to-flange inside dimension  140  is about 78 inches and the flange width  130  is about 5 inches which makes the flange-to-flange outside dimension  135  about 88 inches. 
         [0023]    In one embodiment, the deconstructable spool  100  may be dismantled along the dashed lines shown in  FIG. 1A  to fit within a standard intermodal shipping container (shown in  FIGS. 4A-4C ). The deconstructable spool  100 , once dismantled according to the embodiments described herein, may fit easily within the shipping container with the core  110  intact. Upon delivery of the dismantled deconstructable spool  100 , the deconstructable spool  100  may be reconstructed for another use. 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 1A , each of the flanges  105  (only one is shown in  FIG. 1A  but the other may be configured similarly) include four flange segments  145 A- 145 D that are detachable and separable from a flange portion  150  of the core  110  using fasteners. Although four flange segments  145 A- 145 D are shown, one or both of the flanges  105  may be formed out of two or more flange segments. The flange portions  150  of the core  110  may be coupled, such as by welding or fasteners, to the opposite ends of the hollow tubular member forming the core  110 . In one embodiment, the flange portions  150  of the core  110  may be rectangular plates. The core  110  may remain intact when the flange segments  145 A- 145 D are coupled to and decoupled from the flange portions  150  of the core  110 . 
         [0025]    Each of the flange segments  145 A- 145 D, as well as the flange portion  150 , include dimensions that easily fit within the volume of a shipping container when dismantled. For example, when the major dimension  120  is about 170 inches, the flange segments  145 A- 145 D include a depth dimension  155  of about 43 inches, and a first length dimension  160  or a second length dimension  165 . The first length dimension  160  may be about 140 inches and the second length dimension  165  may be about 84 inches, which is less than the first length dimension  160 . The second length dimension  165  may be equal to the dimensions of sides  170  of the flange portion  150 . In some embodiments, intersections of the dashed lines in the flange segments  145 A- 145 D may form corner sections  175  that may not be included in some embodiments, thus making the second length dimension  165  substantially equal for all flange segments  145 A- 145 D. 
         [0026]      FIG. 2  is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a deconstructable spool  200 . In this embodiment, the flange segments  145 A- 145 D do not include corner sections as shown in  FIG. 1A . A first dimension  205  (e.g. a length dimension) of each of the flange segments  145 A- 145 D may be substantially the same. Likewise, a second dimension  210  (e.g. a width dimension) of each of the flange segments  145 A- 145 D may be substantially the same. The first dimension  205  may also be the same on each side of the flange portion  150 . The second dimension  210  and the first dimension  205  are sized to allow the deconstructable spool  200  to fit within a standard intermodal shipping container. 
         [0027]    The deconstructable spool  200  may also include support members  215  that extend across the flange portion  150  and to a periphery of the flange segments  145 A- 145 D. The support members  215  may be tubing, channel iron, or other supports that provide structural rigidity to the deconstructable spool  200 . A bolt interface  220  may be used to remove or attach the flange segments  145 A- 145 D from or to the flange portion  150 . The bolt interface  220  may be fixed to the flange portion  150 , the flange segments  145 A- 145 D, and/or the support members  215 , such as by welding or fasteners. 
         [0028]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged side view of the bolt interface  220  of  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 4  is a sectional view of a portion of the bolt interface  220  of  FIG. 3 . Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the bolt interface  220  may include a first structural member  300  coupled to the flange portion  150 , such as by welding or fasteners, and a second structural member  305  coupled to the flange segment  145 D, such as by welding or fasteners. The first structural member  300  and the second structural member  305  may be flat bar, legs of angle iron, or other structural supporting shapes. 
         [0029]    When the deconstructable spool  200  is intact, the first structural member  300  abuts the second structural member  305 . Fasteners  310 , such as nuts and bolts, may be utilized to fix the first structural member  300  to the second structural member  305 , and thereby attach the flange segment  145 D to the flange portion  145 D. Likewise, the fasteners  310  may be removed to detach the flange segment  145 D from the flange portion  150 . The remaining flange segments  145 A- 145 C may be attached and detached from the flange portion  150  in a similar manner such that the deconstructable spool  200  can be repeatedly constructed for reuse, and repeatedly deconstructed for ease of shipping. 
         [0030]      FIGS. 5A-5C  are schematic cutaway top views of an exemplary standard intermodal shipping container  400  showing various methods for shipping the deconstructable spool  100  or the deconstructable spool  200 . A “standard intermodal shipping container” as described herein includes a container with an inside width of about 92 inches, and an outside length of between about 20 feet and about 53 feet with a maximum cargo capacity of between about 30,000 pounds and about 60,000 pounds, or greater. While the length and the height dimension may vary between containers, the inside width may be common with all containers. 
         [0031]    The shipping container  400  includes a body  405  having major sides  410 A adjacent to minor sides  410 B, and at least one of the minor sides  410 B includes a door for access to an internal volume  415 . The internal volume  415  may include a length dimension  420  of between about 19.5 feet and about 52.5 feet, a width dimension  425  of about 7 feet, 8 inches (92 inches), and a height dimension (not shown) of between about 7 feet, 9 inches (93 inches) and about 9 feet, 1.5 inches (109.5 inches). The width dimension  425  and the height dimension are greater than the dimensions of the flange portion  150  (84 inches×88 inches, which relate to dimensions  165  and  135 , respectively, of  FIGS. 1A and 1B ). The width dimension  425  and the height dimension are also greater than the dimensions of the flange segments  145 A- 145 D (84 inches×5 inches×43 inches, which relate to dimensions  165 ,  130 , and  155 , respectively, of  FIGS. 1A and 1B ). 
         [0032]    In the shipping method shown in  FIG. 4A , the internal volume  415  may be divided into one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, or more large volumes, although five large volumes  430 A- 430 E and four smaller volumes  435  in between the large volumes  430 A- 430 E are shown. According to the length dimension  420 , each of the large volumes  430 A- 430 D may contain one core  110 , with the flange portions  150 , of the deconstructable spools  100  or  200 . Each of the large volumes  430 A- 430 E may include a length dimension  426  of about 88 inches while a length dimension  428  of each of the smaller volumes  435  may be about 12 inches. 
         [0033]    The large volumes  430 A- 430 E provide enough space to store the core  110 , and the smaller volumes provide enough space to store the corresponding flange segments  145 A- 145 D. Thus, the shipping container  400  according to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4A  may provide shipping of four deconstructable spools  100  or  200  (i.e., four cores and thirty-two flange segments) with a large volume  430 E having a length  440  of about 82 inches that is not occupied. The large volume  430 E may also be utilized to ship cargo other than spools, or left empty. The weight of each of the deconstructable spools  100  or  200  within the internal volume  415  of the shipping container  400  according to the embodiment of  FIG. 4A  may be about 10,000 pounds that is multiplied by four to about 40,000 pounds, which is well within the capacity of the shipping container  400 . 
         [0034]    In the shipping method shown in  FIG. 4B , the internal volume  415  may be divided into one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, or more large volumes, although five large volumes  430 A- 430 E and a single smaller volume  435  is shown. The single smaller volume  435  may be at one end of the shipping container  400  as shown, or in between two of the large volumes  430 A- 430 E. According to the length dimension  420 , each of the large volumes  430 A- 430 E may contain one core  110 , including the flange portions  150 , of the deconstructable spools  100  or  200  while the single smaller volume  435  may contain flange segments  145 A- 145 D corresponding to the core  110  in the large volumes  430 A- 430 E. 
         [0035]    The single smaller volume  435  may include a length dimension  440  of about 32 inches which has space for 5 sets of flange segments  145 A- 145 D that are stacked according to this embodiment. Thus, the shipping container  400  according to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4B  may provide shipping of five deconstructable spools  100  or  200  (i.e., five cores and forty flange segments). The weight of the five deconstructable spools  100  or  200  within the internal volume  415  of the shipping container  400  according to the embodiment of  FIG. 4B  may be about 50,000 pounds, which is well within the capacity of the shipping container  400 . 
         [0036]    In the shipping method shown in  FIG. 4C , the internal volume  415  may be divided into one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, or more large volumes, although five large volumes  430 A- 430 E and a single smaller volume  435  similar to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4B  is shown. According to the length dimension  420 , each of the large volumes  430 A- 430 E may contain one core  110 , including the flange portions  150 , of the deconstructable spools  100  or  200 . However, the flange segments  145 A- 145 D may be placed within the internal volume of the core  110  (i.e., inside the hollow tubular member) which leaves the single smaller volume  435  empty or free for shipment of other products. Thus, the shipping container  400  according to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4C  may provide shipping of five deconstructable spools  100  or  200  (i.e., five cores and forty flange segments). The weight of the five deconstructable spools  100  or  200  within the internal volume  415  of the shipping container  400  according to the embodiment of  FIG. 4C  may be about 50,000 pounds, which is well within the capacity of the shipping container  400 . 
         [0037]    While the exemplary shipping container  400  is described having a length of about 40 feet, the shipping container  400  may have a shorter length, such as a length of about 20 feet, with a capacity to ship one of the deconstructable spools  100  or  200 . Additionally, a shipping container with a length of about 45 feet, or a shipping container with a length of about 53 feet, may have the capacity to store and ship up to two, three, four, five, six, seven, or more of the deconstructable spools  100  or  200 , respectively. 
         [0038]      FIG. 6A  is a side elevation view of a deconstructable spool  600  according to one embodiment. The front elevation view of the deconstructable spool may be similar to the deconstructable spool  100  as shown in  FIG. 1B .  FIG. 6B  and  FIG. 6C  are isometric views of flange segments  605  of the deconstructable spool  600  shown in  FIG. 6A .  FIG. 6D  is an isometric view of a core  110  of the deconstructable spool  600  of  FIG. 6A . 
         [0039]    Referring to  FIGS. 6A-6D , the deconstructable spool  600  includes a plurality of flange segments  605  that are removably coupled to the core  110 . Each flange segment  605  may be coupled to the core  110  by fasteners  310 , which may be nuts and bolts as described above. The fasteners  310  may be disposed through openings  625  formed in the flange segments  605  that align with opening formed in the core  110 . The openings  625  in the flange segments  605  are disposed through a first structural member  615  of the flange segments  605 . The openings  625  in the core  100  are disposed through a plurality of structural members  610  that are attached to the ends of the core  110  and/or an outer surface  660  of the core  110  that is coupled to the structural members  610 . 
         [0040]    Similarly, the flange segments  605  may be coupled to each other to form the two flanges  105  of the deconstructable spool  600 , only one of which is shown in  FIG. 6A . In particular, the flange segments  605  include a pair of second structural members  620  coupled to the ends of the first structural member  615  to form the sides of the flange segments  605 . The fasteners  310  may be disposed through openings  625  formed in the second structural members  620  to couple adjacent flange segments  605  together. 
         [0041]    The flange segments  605  include a third structural member  675  coupled to the ends of the second structural members  620  opposite from the first structural member  615  to form the top of the flange segments  605 . The flange segments  605  may further include one or more fourth structural members  640  coupled between and/or to the first, second, and/or third structural members  615 ,  620 ,  675  as shown in  FIG. 6B  and  FIG. 6C . The first, second, third, and fourth structural members may be flat bar, rectangular tubing, angle iron, and/or other structural supporting members of different shapes. 
         [0042]    The first structural member  615  of each the flange segment  605  includes an arcuate surface  655  that corresponds to the curvature of the outer surface  660  of the core  110 . Each flange segment  605  includes an arc length  665  that is about 45 degrees. However, the arc length  665  is not limited to 45 degrees and may be 22.5 degrees, 90 degrees, and/or 120 degrees depending on the major dimension  120  as shown in  FIG. 1B  or other factors. 
         [0043]    The flange segment  605  shown in  FIG. 6C  may be a load bearing flange segment  630 . The deconstructable spool  600  may include one or more load bearing flange segments  630  although only one is shown in  FIG. 6A  and  FIG. 6C . Each load bearing flange segment  630  may include at least three fourth structural members  640  coupled to each of the other structural members, as well as a lifting lug  635  coupled to the fourth structural members  640 . The load bearing flange segments  630  may be used to suspend the deconstructable spool  600  by a crane when assembled. 
         [0044]    The deconstructable spool  600  may include one or more support plates  645  coupled on each end of the core  110 . Two support plates  645  are shown in  FIG. 6D . The support plate  645  includes a flat portion  650  configured to stabilize and prevent the core  110  from rolling when the flange segments  605  are removed and the core  110  is placed on a flat surface. Also shown in  FIG. 6D , is an opening  670  formed in the outer surface  660  of the core  110  where a tubing may be inserted to begin coiling of the tubing onto the core  110  of the deconstructable spool  600 . 
         [0045]    Embodiments of the deconstructable spools  100 ,  200 , or  600  as described herein provide a coiled tubing spool that may be re-used. The deconstructable spools  100 ,  200 , or  600  may be easily dismantled and shipped after use, and the spool may be re-constructed and re-spooled with another coiled tubing string. 
         [0046]    While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the disclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.