PROTECTIVE COVERING FOR BOTTOM HOLE ASSEMBLY OF DRILLING RIG

Abstract

A protective covering for use with a bottom hole assembly of a drilling rig to protect users from exposure to drilling fluid disposed within the assembly includes a sheet with a top face and a bottom face, a first set of fasteners affixed to the top face of the sheet along a longitudinal axis of the sheet and oriented substantially parallel to one another, and a second set of fasteners affixed to the bottom face of the sheet, the second set of fasteners being oriented substantially parallel to one another and perpendicular to the first set of fasteners. The user may dispose the bottom face of the sheet on the bottom hole assembly and wrap the sheet around the assembly such that the first set of fasteners engage the second set of fasteners, thereby securing the protective covering to the bottom hole assembly.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

The application claims priority to provisional patent application U.S. Ser. No. 61/723,589 filed on Nov. 7, 2012, the entire contents of which is herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The embodiments herein relate generally to oil and gas drilling rigs. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to a protective covering for drill collars and the bottom hole assembly (“BHA”) of a drilling rig.

Workers face many dangers when working on drilling rigs. In particular, there exist many safety concerns when workers remove drill collars and/or the bottom hole assembly from a drilling hole. As the drill collars and bottom hole assembly are loosened and removed from the hole, pressure builds up within the components, which can cause drilling fluid and/or mud to burst and project onto the workers. Workers exposed to the drilling fluid may experience serious bodily harm and/or death.

Current devices for capturing drilling fluid from a drilling rig include mud buckets. However, mud buckets are bulky steel devices that are secured to drill pipes, and are not designed to fit drill collars or the bottom hole assembly. Instead, workers currently wrap scrap plastic around the drill collars and bottle hole assembly. However, the scrap plastic is inefficient and impractical because several workers are required to hold the plastic so that it is secured to the collar or bottom hole assembly. Further, the scrap plastic is limited because increases in pressure from within the collars and bottom hole assembly often cause the plastic to burst, which exposes the workers to the drilling fluid.

As such, there is a need in the industry for a protective covering that overcomes the limitations in the prior art. More specifically, there is a need for a protective covering that is designed for use with drill collars and the bottom hole assembly, which protects users from being exposed to drilling fluid.

SUMMARY

A protective covering for use with a bottom hole assembly of a drilling rig to protect users from exposure to drilling fluid disposed within the bottom hole assembly during removal of the assembly from a drilled hole is provided. The protective covering is configured to be secured to the assembly such that the covering conforms to contours of the bottom hole assembly. The protective covering comprises a sheet comprising a top face and a bottom face, a first set of fasteners affixed to the top face of the sheet along a longitudinal axis of the sheet and oriented substantially parallel to one another, and a second set of fasteners affixed to the bottom face of the sheet, the second set of fasteners being oriented substantially parallel to one another and perpendicular to the first set of fasteners, wherein a user may dispose the bottom face of the sheet on the bottom hole assembly and wrap the sheet around the assembly such that the first set of fasteners engage the second set of fasteners, thereby securing the protective covering to the bottom hole assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The detailed description of some embodiments of the invention will be made below with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein the figures disclose one or more embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of certain embodiments of the protective covering in use;

FIG. 2 depicts a sectional view of certain embodiments of the protective covering along line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts a top perspective view of certain embodiments of the protective covering;

FIG. 4 depicts a bottom perspective view of certain embodiments of the protective covering;

FIG. 5 depicts a perspective view of certain embodiments of the protective covering in use; and

FIG. 6 depicts a perspective view of certain embodiments of the protective covering in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

As depicted in FIGS. 1-4, protective covering 10 is shown in use with pipe 22. It shall be appreciated that pipe 22 may refer to any drill collar or any portion of the bottom hole assembly of a drilling rig such as a reamer, monel, pipe sections, or the like. Protective covering 10 comprises tarp 12, horizontal fasteners 14, logo patch 16, logo patch 18, vertical fasteners 20, pipe securement strap 24, upper tarp securement strap 26, lower tarp securement strap 28, slit 30 and extended engagement strap 32.

Tarp 12 is made from polyester and has dimensions of 48″×48″. It shall be appreciated that tarp 12 may be made from any alternative waterproof material such as canvas. As depicted in FIG. 3, a set of horizontal fasteners 14 are affixed to the top face of tarp 12 and are oriented substantially parallel to one another. Fasteners 14 comprise strips of loops affixed to corresponding strips of webbing beneath. Fasteners 14 have a width of 2 inches and a length that may vary. Pipe securement strap 24 comprises a 36″×2″ strip of webbing having loops affixed to one side and hooks affixed to the opposing side. Pipe securement strap 24 is sewn to tarp 12 proximate to slit 30. In a preferred embodiment, 6 inches of pipe securement strap 24 are sewn to tarp 12. Upper tarp securement strap 26 comprises a 28″×2″ strip of webbing having loops affixed to one side and hooks affixed to the opposing side. In a preferred embodiment, 8 inches of upper tarp securement strap 26 are sewn to tarp 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the portion of strap 26 affixed to tarp 12 is connected to a strip of loops affixed to a layer of webbing such as fastener 14 to make a continuous strip that extends along the length of tarp 12. Lower tarp securement strap 28 comprises a 34″×2″ strip of webbing having loops affixed to one side and hooks affixed to the opposing side. In a preferred embodiment, 8 inches of lower tarp securement strap 26 are sewn to tarp 12. Upper tarp securement strap 26 and lower tarp securement strap 28 are separated by a distance of 15 inches. Extended engagement strap 32 comprises a top layer of loops affixed to a 2″ wide strip of webbing beneath. Extended engagement strap 32 is sewn to tarp 12.

In certain embodiments, first logo patch 16 and second logo patch 18 are affixed to the top face of tarp 12 by using any adhesive known in the field such as stitching or glue. First logo patch 16 and second logo patch 18 may comprise any combination of letters, words, symbols, designs, or the like.

As depicted in FIG. 4, a set of vertical fasteners 20 are affixed to the bottom face of tarp 12 and oriented substantially parallel to one another. In this configuration, vertical fasteners 20 are oriented substantially perpendicular to the set of horizontal fasteners 14 affixed to the opposing top face of tarp 12. Vertical fasteners 20 comprise 2 inch wide strips of hooks affixed to corresponding strips of webbing beneath. Vertical fasteners 20 are configured to engage with horizontal fasteners 14 when protective covering 10 is wrapped around pipe 22.

In operation, a user(s) orients protective covering 10 such that the bottom face of tarp 12 is in contact with pipe 22. As depicted in FIG. 5, the user wraps pipe securement strap 24 around pipe 22 and inserts strap 24 through slit 30 on tarp 12. As depicted in FIG. 6, the user pulls pipe securement strap 24 until it is taut and wraps strap 24 onto itself such that the loops and hooks of strap 24 engage with one another. The user continues to wrap protective covering 10 tightly around pipe 22. During this process, the loops of horizontal fasteners 14 engage with the hooks of vertical fasteners 20. The user wraps upper tarp securement strap 26 tightly around tarp 12 until the loops and hooks of strap 26 engage with each other as shown in FIG. 1. The user wraps lower tarp securement strap 28 tightly around tarp 12 until the hooks of strap 28 engage with the loops of strap 28 and/or the loops of extended engagement strap 32 as shown in FIG. 1. In this configuration, protective covering 10 is tightly secured to pipe 22. The strength of protective covering 10 withstands the pressure within drill collars and/or the bottom hole assembly, and protects the user from being exposed to drilling fluid.

While the fasteners described in embodiments of the invention refer to loop and hook fasteners (Velcro), it shall be appreciated that any other fasteners known in the field may be used including, but not limited to, snaps, buttons, screws, or the like.

It shall be appreciated that the components of the protective covering described in several embodiments herein may comprise any alternative known materials in the field and be of any color, size and/or dimensions. This allows the protective covering to accommodate any variety of drill collars or portions of the bottom hole assembly. It shall be appreciated that the components of the protective covering described herein may be manufactured and assembled using any known techniques in the field.

Persons of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that numerous design configurations may be possible to enjoy the functional benefits of the inventive systems. Thus, given the wide variety of configurations and arrangements of embodiments of the present invention the scope of the invention is reflected by the breadth of the claims below rather than narrowed by the embodiments described above.

Claims

1. A protective covering for use with a bottom hole assembly of a drilling rig to protect users from exposure to drilling fluid disposed within the bottom hole assembly during removal of the assembly from a drilled hole, the protective covering being configured to be secured to the assembly such that the covering conforms to contours of the bottom hole assembly, the protective covering comprising:

a sheet comprising a top face and a bottom face;

a first set of fasteners affixed to the top face of the sheet along a longitudinal axis of the sheet and oriented substantially parallel to one another; and

a second set of fasteners affixed to the bottom face of the sheet, the second set of fasteners being oriented substantially parallel to one another and perpendicular to the first set of fasteners;

wherein a user may dispose the bottom face of the sheet on the bottom hole assembly and wrap the sheet around the assembly such that the first set of fasteners engage the second set of fasteners, thereby securing the protective covering to the bottom hole assembly.

2. The protective covering of claim 1 further comprising a pipe securement strap affixed to the top face of the sheet proximate a slit disposed on the sheet, wherein the pipe securement strap is substantially parallel to the first set of fasteners and extends beyond a first edge of the sheet perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sheet.

3. The protective covering of claim 2, further comprising an upper sheet securement strap affixed to the top face of the sheet and oriented substantially parallel to the first set of fasteners, wherein the upper sheet securement strap extends beyond a second edge of the sheet opposite the first edge of the sheet.

4. The protective covering of claim 3, further comprising a lower sheet securement strap affixed to the top face of the sheet and oriented substantially parallel to the first set of fasteners, wherein the lower sheet securement strap extends beyond the second edge of the sheet.

5. The protective covering of claim 4, wherein the first set of fasteners comprise loops and the second set of fasteners comprise hooks.

6. The protective covering of claim 5, wherein the pipe securement strap, the upper sheet securement strap and the lower sheet securement strap comprise loop and hook fasteners.

7. The protective covering of claim 6 further comprising a first logo patch affixed to the top face of the sheet.

8. The protective covering of claim 7 further comprising a second logo patch affixed to the top face of the sheet.

9. The protective covering of claim 8, wherein the sheet is polyester.

10. The protective covering of claim 9, wherein the first set of fasteners and the second set of fasteners further comprise a webbing strip affixed to the first set of fasteners and the second set of fasteners.