FIELD OF INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to improvements in sensors used in conjunction with oil and gas well drilling operations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Oil and gas wells are first drilled using sections of drill pipe progressively threaded together forming a drill string with a drilling bit always at the bottom. During drilling, the top drive provides rotational torque to the drilling bit by way of the drill string. After the initial well is drilled, the drill string is removed and tubing or casing strings, are similarly threaded together and lowered down the wellbore for the purposes of performing operations or producing oil or gas from the well.

During the drilling phase, there is required a means to monitor the forces being applied to the drill string and the drilling bit to ensure that the well is being drilled as efficiently as possible. Forces are generated by the interaction of the pipe string and drilling bit with the surrounding formations can be measured using acceleration sensors. The sensor data can be electronically recorded for future analysis as well as presented graphically to the drilling crew for real-time adjustments.

These sensors are typically installed below the top drive and as a result, must fit in a very limited space that is also occupied by the manual and remote well control valves as well as the pipe handler.

The most commonly faced problem with previous sensor deployments is fitting it up to the existing top-drive. The most widely used top drive in the industry has a fixed distance from the drive shaft (referred to as the quill) to the pipe handler. The only way to previously fit a sensor in this distance is to increase the length of the torque arrestor that holds the pipe handler as can be seen inFIG.1. This increased length of the torque arrestor provides the additional space required to install the sensor. Increasing the torque arrestor length is costly, and further makes the arrestor difficult to install, as well as the fact that such extended torque arresters are not available for all top drive models.

A need therefore exists for providing sensors that are dimensioned such that it can be located within the existing configuration of the top drive such that further lengthening of the torque arrester is not required.

Sensors for measuring parameters such as torque, turns, vibration, revolutions per minute, flow rates, pressure and temperature are also often required in many other applications such as in completion of wellbores, pipeline related work and mining. In all cases locating sensors so as not to take up too much space, not to impede operation and still collect relevant sensor data is of high importance.

SUMMARY

A sensor-on-clamp device is provided for use in a drilling system, wherein said clamp is a tool joint clamp of the drilling system and wherein said device houses one or more sensors, a power source and sensor data transmitting means.

A sensor-on-clamp device is further provided for use in a drilling system, said device being powerable by one or more commercially available replaceable batteries.

A battery holder is also provided comprising a battery housing for housing batteries in a hazardous environment, wherein said batteries are replaceable within the battery holder the battery holder stays in the hazardous environment.

A method is further provided for replacing a battery in a hazardous environment. The method comprises the steps of providing a battery holder comprising battery housing having an electrical contact area, a removable end cap, and spring formed in the battery housing; placing a battery in the housing, wherein said spring is extended to prevent contact of the battery with the electrical contact area in the battery housing; engaging the end cap to the housing at least a minimum distance to seal off a flame path and isolate the battery from the hazardous environment; and engaging the end cap to the housing fully to cause compression of the spring to allow electrical connection of the battery to the electrical contact area only after the flame path is sealed off.

It is to be understood that other aspects of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein various embodiments of the invention are shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the invention is capable for other and different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

