Patent Publication Number: US-2022219756-A1

Title: Coiled tubing trailer

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     This patent application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/852,630, filed May 24, 2019, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This document pertains generally, but not by way of limitation, to coiled tubing trailers, and particularly but not by way of limitation to beam design for coiled tubing trailers. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Coiled tubing can be used for a wide range of oilfield services and operations. For example, coiled tubing can be used for drilling and, more frequently, after a well is drilled for logging, cleanouts, fracturing, cementing, fishing, completion, and production related operations. Coiled tubing refers to a string of steel pipe that is continuously milled and coiled onto a large take-up reel for transportation and handling. 
     The reel is often transported on a large trailer, which may need to satisfy several regulations for use on the road. Some conventional heavy-duty trailers utilize extra axles and a booster at the rear of the trailer to increase the trailer load capacity and reduce the individual axle loads to meet regulations. 
     However, this may require the trailer to be quite long, limiting maneuverability. The overall size and weight of the trailer may also be limited by regulations, so the extra weight from the large beam sizes and extra booster may limit the overall coiled tubing carrying capacity. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present inventors have recognized, among other things, that redesigning the main trailer beams to include a middle “bridge-type” section can reduce the length of a coiled tubing trailer while also increasing the load capacity of the trailer. The bridge-type sections of the main beams include vertically separated upper and lower beams connected to forward and rear beam sections to form a complete beam assembly on each side of the trailer that spans from the forward end of the trailer to the rear end. The bridge-type beam section shares load between the lower beam section and the upper beam section resultant from a bending force experienced by the lower beam section, significantly increasing the trailer beam bending capacity over conventional designs, allowing increased carrying capacity. Additionally, because of the increased carrying capacity of the bridge-type beam design, the inner main beams used by conventional trailers can be removed. By eliminating the inner main beams, transition areas between the outer and inner main beams can be eliminated, allowing the forward-most rear axle of the trailer to move forward, reducing the overall length of the trailer and in turn, the overall weight. 
     In an example, a trailer assembly for carrying coiled tubing includes a main beam assembly extending from a forward end of the trailer assembly to a rear end of the trailer assembly. The main beam assembly includes a forward portion that extends from the forward end of the trailer assembly, a rear portion that extends to the rear end of the trailer assembly, and a middle portion connected between the forward portion and the rear portion and configured to transfer load to the forward portion and the rear portion. The middle portion includes an upper beam section, and a lower beam section vertically separated from the upper beam section. The upper beam section is configured to share a load resultant from a bending force experienced by the lower beam section. 
     In another example, a coiled tubing unit includes a trailer. The trailer includes a main beam assembly and a reel configured to carry coiled tubing. 
     The main beam assembly extends from a forward end of the trailer to a rear end of the trailer, and includes a forward portion adjacent the forward end of the trailer, a rear portion adjacent the rear end of the trailer, and a middle portion connected between the forward portion and the rear portion. The middle portion includes an upper beam section and a lower beam section vertically separated from the upper beam section, and the upper beam section is configured to share a load resultant from a bending force experienced by the lower beam section. The reel is positioned adjacent the middle portion of the main beam assembly of the trailer. 
     Each of these non-limiting examples or aspects can stand on its own, or can be combined in various permutations or combinations with one or more other examples or aspects. This overview is intended to provide an overview of subject matter of the present patent application. It is not intended to provide an exclusive or exhaustive explanation of the invention. The detailed description is included to provide further information about the present patent application. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals may describe similar components in different views. Like numerals having different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1A  is a side view illustrating a coiled tubing unit that includes a coiled tubing trailer. 
         FIG. 1B  is a top view illustrating a coiled tubing unit that includes a coiled tubing trailer. 
         FIG. 1C  is a perspective view illustrating a coiled tubing unit that includes a coiled tubing trailer. 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  are free body diagrams illustrating beam assemblies of a coiled tubing trailer. 
         FIG. 3A  is a perspective view illustrating a frame of a conventional coiled tubing trailer. 
         FIG. 3B  is a perspective view illustrating a frame of a coiled tubing trailer. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A coiled tubing trailer is disclosed herein that includes main beam assemblies that extend from a forward end to a rear end of the trailer. The main beam assemblies can include forward, middle, and rear portions. The middle portion is a “bridge-like” assembly that includes an upper beam portion and a lower beam portion vertically separated from one another. Conventional beam assemblies may include one long continuous beam that extends from the forward end of the trailer to the rear end. These long continuous beams may experience significant bending and shear forces and thus, may need to be quite thick and bulky toward the middle of the beam assembly. By incorporating the bridge-type beam section, the middle portion shares load between the lower beam section and the upper beam section resultant from a bending force experienced by the lower beam section, significantly increasing the trailer beam bending capacity over conventional designs. This facilitates increased carrying capacity, which allows the trailer to carry larger loads without increasing the weight of the beam assemblies. 
     In conventional trailers, in addition to the main outer beams, inners beams may be included that run parallel to the main outer beams. The main inner beams may be used for supporting the suspension of the conventional trailer and may include bulky transition areas that utilize transition beams to transfer load from the main outer beams to the main inner beams. Because of the size and location of these transition areas, the position of the forward-most rear axle of the trailer may be limited. Thus, in order to satisfy weight-per-axle regulations, the length of the conventional trailer may be increased due to the transition areas.  100181  In contrast to the conventional beam designs, use of bridge-type assembly facilitates elimination of inner main beams, which eliminates the bulky beams used in the transition area of many conventional trailers. By eliminating the transition area, the forward-most rear axle is able to be positioned further forward than in conventional designs, allowing the trailer to be shorter while still capable of handling similar loads. The shorter trailer reduces the overall weight and cost of the trailer, allowing more coiled tubing to be carried by the trailer while still satisfying road regulations. 
       FIGS. 1A-1C  are a side view, top view, and perspective view, respectively, illustrating a coiled tubing unit  100  that includes a coiled tubing trailer  102 . In the example illustrated in  FIGS. 1A-1C , the coiled tubing unit  100  includes the coiled tubing trailer  102 , a tractor  104 , and a trailer jeep  106 . The coiled tubing unit  100  is designed to transport a reel  108  of coiled tubing for use in oilfield applications, for example. 
     The coiled tubing trailer  102  includes two main beam assemblies  110  and  112  that run along the outer edges of the trailer  102  from a forward end  114  to a rear end  116  of the trailer  102 . The main beam assemblies  110  and  112  can be formed of any desirable material, such as steel, for example, and are configured to handle a majority of the trailer load. The main beam assemblies may have an “I-beam” shape (i.e., include flanges and a web) or any other desirable beam shape. The main beam assembly  110  includes forward portion  118 , middle portion  120 , and rear portion  122 , and the main beam assembly  112  includes forward portion  124 , middle portion  126 , and rear portion  128 . The trailer  102  also includes several wheels  130  carried by respective axles (shown in  FIG. 3B ). While illustrated as seven axles, any number of axles can be included as may be needed to satisfy regulations, such as load-per-axle regulations, for example. 
     The trailer  102  can be pulled by a tractor  104  that includes a tractor cabin  132  used by an operator to drive the tractor  104 . The tractor  104  may be used to pull the trailer  102  to a well site, for example, close to a wellhead. The trailer jeep  106  may be connected between the trailer  102  and the tractor  104  and include additional axles to further support the load carried by the trailer  102 . The trailer jeep  106  may also be pivotably connected to both the tractor  104  and the trailer  102  to provide increased maneuverability for the trailer unit  100 . 
     The trailer  102  may be configured for carrying and deploying coiled tubing for oilfield applications, for example. Coiled tubing may be used for drilling and, more frequently, after a well is drilled for logging, cleanouts, fracturing, cementing, fishing, completion, and production related operations. To facilitate these operations, in addition to the coiled tubing reel  108 , the trailer  102  may include an operator cabin  134  and an injector assembly  136 . The operator cabin  134  may be provided for a person operating the injector assembly  136 , for example, and may include input controls, status displays, and any other components. The injector assembly  136  may be used to deploy the coiled tubing carried by the reel  108  for the oilfield applications. The trailer  102  may include various beds or other structures supported by the main beam assemblies  110  and  112  that are used to carry or otherwise support the reel  108 , the cabin  134 , the injector assembly  136 , and any other coiled tubing components transported by the trailer  102 .  100231  Conventional coiled tubing trailers may include long continuous split beams that run through the trailer body to handle the load of the coiled tubing. However, due to bending and shear loads experienced by these beams, especially in the middle portion of the beams, the beams may have a large and bulky design in order to sufficiently carry the load. In contrast, the beam assemblies  110  and  112  include bridge-type middle portions  120  and  126 , which provide a large moment of inertia, significantly increasing the beam bending capacity of the beam assemblies  110  and  112  over the conventional beam designs. Middle portion  120  of the beam assembly  110  includes a lower beam portion  138 , an upper beam portion  140 , and vertical beam portions  142  and  144 , and middle portion  126  includes a lower beam portion, an upper beam portion  146 , and vertical beam portions  148  and  150 . 
     The vertical beam portions  142  and  144  can be rigidly connected to the lower beam portion  138  and the upper beam portion  140  through pins, welding, or any other method of rigidly connecting the beam portions. Likewise, the lower beam portion  138  can be rigidly connected to the forward beam portion  118  and the rear beam portion  122  through pins, welding, or any other method of rigidly connecting the beam portions. The upper beam portion  140  is vertically separated from the lower beam portion  138  using the vertical beam portions  142  and  144 . The vertical separation of the beam portions  142  and  144  can be any distance used to achieve a desired moment of inertia for the beam assembly  110 . For example, the upper beam portion  140  may be vertically separated from the lower beam portion  138  by the greatest distance that still allows the trailer  102  to satisfy any height requirements imposed by a jurisdiction within which the trailer  102  may be used. By using this configuration, the middle portion  112  of the beam has a much higher moment of inertia than the conventional beam assemblies, and also allows easy access to the coiled tubing reel  108 . This significantly increases the carrying capacity of the trailer  102 , allowing more coiled tubing to be carried by the trailer  102 . 
     The middle portion  126  of the beam assembly  112  may be configured similarly to the middle portion  120  of the beam assembly  110 . The middle portions  120  and  126  are positioned adjacent to the reel  108  so as to handle the majority of the load carried by the beam assemblies  110  and  112 . Tie rods  152  and  154  may be connected between upper beam portions  140  and  146  to provide stability for the middle portions  110  and  112 . The tie rods  152  and  154  may be box tubing or any other type of connector configured to provide stability between the middle portions  120  and  126  of the beam assemblies  110  and  112 . 
     The forward beam portions  118  and  124  may be upwardly tapered toward the respective middle portions  120  and  126 , and the rear beam portions  122  and  128  may be downwardly tapered toward the rear end  116  of the trailer  102 . In other examples, the forward beam portions  118  and  124  and the rear beam portions  122  and  128  may include any shape to provide the desirable weight and carrying capacity for the trailer  102 . The beam assemblies  110  and  112  may also include numerous “lightening” holes  156  as illustrated, which can provide decreased weight as well as aesthetic appeal for the beam assemblies  110  and  112 . 
       FIG. 2A  is a free body diagram illustrating the forces experienced by the beam assembly  110 , and  FIG. 2B  is a free body diagram illustrating the forces experienced by each portion of the beam assembly  110 . While illustrated for the beam assembly  110 , similar forces may be experienced by the beam assembly  112 . The majority of the load carried by the beam assembly  110  may be a result of the reel  108  of coiled tubing, illustrated by the force applied to lower beam portion  138 . This force is experienced as a bending load by the lower beam portion  138 . 
     The bending load experienced by the lower beam portion  138  is transferred to the front beam portion  118 , the rear beam portion  122 , and the vertical beam portions  142  and  144  through rigid connections. The vertical beam portions  142  and  144  transfer the bending load from  138  to the upper beam portion  140 . The upper beam portion  140  receives this load as a compression force from the vertical beam portions  142  and  144 , allowing the upper beam portion to share the load resultant from the bending force experienced by the lower beam section. The upper beam portion  140 , in conjunction with the lower beam portion  138 , establishes a much greater moment of inertia and section modulus as compared to a lower beam alone, which greatly increases the bending capacity of the beam assembly  110  as a whole when compared to prior art systems. While illustrated as a bridge-type assembly, any other rigid beam assembly may be used for the middle beam portion  120  that allows an upper beam portion to share a load resultant from a bending force experienced by a lower beam portion, such as a truss-type assembly, for example. 
       FIG. 3A  is a perspective view illustrating a frame  300  of an example conventional coiled tubing trailer. The frame  300  includes outer main beams  302  and  304 , inner main beams  306  and  308 , transition beams  310 ,  312 , and  314 , and forward-most rear axle  316 . The inner main beams  306  and  308 , which may be I-beams, for example, may be used for carrying both the suspension as well as the main load carried by the trailer. The inner main beams  306  and  308  run parallel to the outer main beams  302  and  304  and extend from the middle of the outer main beams  302  and  304  to the rear end of the trailer. Bulky transition beams  310 ,  312 , and  314  may be utilized to transition the load from the outer main beams  302  and  304  to the inner main beams  306  and  308 . These transition beams  310 ,  312 , and  314  are located near the middle portion of the frame  300 , close to a carried reel of coiled tubing. Because the transition beams  310 ,  312 , and  314  are used to transfer load, the transition beams  310 ,  312 , and  314  may be quite large, preventing a forward-most rear axle  316  from being located as far forward as may be desired. 
       FIG. 3B  is a perspective view illustrating a frame  350  of the trailer  102  illustrated in  FIGS. 1A-1C . The frame  350  includes the main beam assemblies  110  and  112 , suspension beams  352   a  and  352   b , cross beams  354 , axles  356 , and further support structure  358 . The suspension beams  352   a  and  352   b  and the cross beams  354  are positioned and configured to carry the axles  356 , which attach to the wheels  130  illustrated in  FIGS. 1A-1C . The suspension beams  352   a  and  352   b , the cross beams  354 , and the support structure  358  are also configured to support a bed or other structure used to carry the injector assembly  136 , the trailer cabin  134 , and/or other coiled tubing components. 
     Unlike the conventional trailer frame  300 , the frame  350  does not include any additional main I-beams beyond the main beam assemblies  110  and  112  for carrying the main load. The suspension beams  3522   a  and  352   b , which can be implemented as box tubing or any other structures, are used to carry the suspension of the trailer  102 , and not to provide substantial support for the main load. Because of this, there is no need for transition beams  310 ,  312 , and  314  to transition load from the main beam assemblies  110  and  112  to the suspension beams  352   a  and  352   b , allowing the axles  356  to be moved forward as compared to the axle  316  of the conventional trailer design. Thus, the forward-most axle  356  can be located very close to the reel  108  ( FIGS. 1A-1C ). 
     Many jurisdictions and/or roadways include regulations that limit the load-per-axle as well as the overall weight of a trailer. Thus, the number of axles required for a trailer depends on the total load carried by the trailer. In conventional trailers, because the axle had to be pushed back from the reel due to the transition area, the length of the trailer was increased to accommodate the required number of axles to handle the load. Additionally, some conventional trailers required boosters attached to the rear end of the trailer that included further axles to handle the load. These boosters are bulky and increase the overall weight of the coiled tubing unit, limiting the amount of coiled tubing that can be carried (due to overall weight restrictions). 
     By allowing the forward-most axle  356  to move closer to the reel  108 , the total length of the trailer  102  can be reduced while including the same number of axles  356  to handle the load. This allows the overall material weight of the trailer to be reduced, which allows more coiled tubing and other supplies to be carried by the trailer without exceeding overall road weight restrictions. 
     The above description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. These embodiments are also referred to herein as “examples.” Such examples can include elements in addition to those shown or described. However, the present inventors also contemplate examples in which only those elements shown or described are provided. Moreover, the present inventors also contemplate examples using any combination or permutation of those elements shown or described (or one or more aspects thereof), either with respect to a particular example (or one or more aspects thereof), or with respect to other examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein. 
     In this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more than one, independent of any other instances or usages of “at least one” or “one or more.” In this document, the term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive or, such that “A or B” includes “A but not B,” “B but not A,” and “A and B,” unless otherwise indicated. In this document, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” Also, in the following claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are open-ended, that is, a system, device, article, composition, formulation, or process that includes elements in addition to those listed after such a term in a claim are still deemed to fall within the scope of that claim. Moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. 
     The above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments can be used, such as by one of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. 
     The Abstract is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Also, in the above Detailed Description, various features may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This should not be interpreted as intending that an unclaimed disclosed feature is essential to any claim. Rather, inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a particular disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description as examples or embodiments, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment, and it is contemplated that such embodiments can be combined with each other in various combinations or permutations. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.