Ten Years of Experience With Stabberless Casing and Tubing Running Systems-A Safe Way To Save Time

摘要

Traditional casing or tubing running involves one crewmember working thirty feet above the rig floor, secured to therig only by a safety cable. The crew member performing thisjob is called the stabber and his work is the most physicallydemanding and potentially dangerous job in the casing crew.In 1996 a system was introduced that allows stabberlessrunning of casing and tubing strings. The system mainlyconsists of a hydraulically activated remote controlled arm,named the StabMaster that is mounted in the derrick and aremotely controlled set of a spider an elevator equipped withinterlock and sensor systems. This system not only eliminatesthe job function of the stabber but it also allows much moreprecise stabbing-in of the connection because once the wellcenter position has been found at the beginning of the job, it ismemorized by the electronic control system. This minimizesdelays due to cross-threading or damaged connections due toan out-of-center alignment of the joint to be stabbed-in.Although the primary function of the Stabberless System wasto enhance the safety, 10 years of running experience withover 100 installed StabMaster systems worldwide shows thatthis system is capable of reducing casing and tubing or riserrunning time considerably, without compromising safety.The paper describes the components of the Stabberless Systemand presents results of studies that were made in variouslocations in the world showing that running times can be reduced between 20% and 30%. The studies show also, thatthere is a direct correlation between using the StabberlessSystem and a decreasing number of recordable incidents.