EA014181B1 - Ram bop position sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

A method to determine movement of a wellhead component includes sensing a relative position of the wellhead component with a magnetostrictive sensor over a selected interval of time. The method includes sending a signal from the magnetostrictive sensor to a data acquisition device and recording the relative position of the wellhead component with the data acquisition device with respect to the selected interval of time. Further, the method includes comparing the recorded position of the wellhead component with operations data to determine if the relative position is desirable.

Description

Technical field

Embodiments of the invention disclosed in this document relate, in general, to the instrumentation devices of the spot blowout preventers. More specifically, embodiments of the invention disclosed in this document relate to direct measurement of the position of the velocity vector and the velocity of the die in the spot blowout preventer.

Prior art

Well management is an important aspect of oil and gas exploration. When drilling a well, protective devices must be installed to prevent injuries to personnel and equipment damage due to unexpected drilling events.

The technological process of drilling wells includes the sinking of various underground geological structures or layers. Sometimes a borehole must pass through a layer that has a reservoir pressure substantially higher than the pressure maintained in the borehole. When this happens, they say about the well that a manifestation occurs in it or OGVP (uncontrolled spouting). The increase in pressure associated with the development, in general, is produced by the influx of reservoir fluids (which can be a liquid, gas, or a combination of them) into the wellbore. The manifestation of relatively high pressure tends to spread from the point of entry into the wellbore to the wellhead (from the high pressure zone to the low pressure zone). If development is allowed to reach the surface, drilling fluid, downhole tools and other drilling equipment may be released from the wellbore. The result of such emissions may be the catastrophic destruction of drilling equipment (including, for example, a drilling rig) and serious injury or death of personnel on the rig.

Since there is a risk of emissions, devices known as blowout preventers are installed above the wellhead equipment on the ground or on the seabed in deep water drilling devices to effectively seal the wellbore before taking effective action to combat the NGWP. Blowout preventers can be activated to adequately combat HCVP and pump it out of the system. There are several types of blowout preventers, the most common are spot blowout preventers and universal blowout preventers (including blowout preventers with a spherical sealing element).

Spot blowout preventers typically have a body and at least one pair of horizontally opposed covers. Covers are generally attached to the body along its perimeter, for example with bolts. Alternatively, the covers can be fixed to the body with a hinge and bolts so that the cover can be rotated sideways for maintenance access. Inside each cover is a piston-actuated die. Dies can either be pipe dies (which, when actuated, move to engage with the drill pipe and downhole tools and cover them to seal the wellbore), cutting dies (which, when actuated, move to engage and physically cut any drill pipe and well tool in the wellbore), or deaf dies (which, when actuated, pressurize the barrel like a slide valve). Dies are usually located opposite to each other, and both pipe dies and cutting dies or blind dies are usually sealed to each other near the center of the wellbore to completely seal the well bore.

Dies, in General, perform steel, equipped with elastomeric components on the sealing surfaces. Blocks of dies are supplied in various configurations that provide sealing of the wellbore. Pipe dies usually have a circular notch in the center corresponding to the diameter of the pipe in the well bore to seal the well when the pipe is in the well bore, however, these pipe dies are effectively sealed only on pipes of limited diameters. Universal dies for several pipe diameters are designed for sealing on pipes with diameters of a wider range. The various dice blocks can be changed in the blowout preventers, which allows operators to optimize the configuration of the blowout preventer for a particular section of the wellbore or the work being done. Examples of ram blowout preventers are disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 6,554,247, 6,244,560, 5,897,094, 5,655,745, and 4,647,002, each of which is fully incorporated herein by reference.

Knowledge of well conditions is extremely important for proper operation and prediction of future well problems. According to these parameters, it is possible to more effectively monitor the well to maintain safe working conditions. In addition, when hazardous conditions are detected, well killing can be properly initiated manually or automatically. For example, temperature and pressure sensors in the blowout preventer cavities may indicate hazardous conditions or predict them. These and other signals can be thought of as control signals at the well operator’s control panel. The operator may, for example, affect well conditions by controlling the speed of rotation of the drill pipe, the axial load on the bit, and the operation of the mud pumps of the drilling fluid circulation system. Supplement

- 1 014181 to this, when it is necessary to close the plates of the blowout preventer, it is advisable for the operator to have accurate information about the position of each plate.

In the past, one device has already been used to generate a signal indicating the relative position of the parts of the components placed in a closed housing (not necessarily in the housing of the blowout preventer), which is a potentiometric sensor. Such a device uses one or more sensors that are subject to wear and errors in difficult working conditions. Moreover, such sensors are subject to rise from the monitored surface, which causes errors. Also, a power interruption often causes distorted readings, since these devices operate in steps, adding to or taking away values related to particular turns or wire segments to the previous value. Moreover, as is generally known, such devices are not high-speed devices enough. Thus, potentiometric measurements are impractical for accurately determining position parameters when moving the plate. In addition, potentiometric sensors are not suitable for high-speed practical use, which makes them of little usefulness or makes them useless for practical use in monitoring dice parameters.

In addition, step measurement devices that measure only intermediate displacement have the well-known disadvantage of having to reset them in the event of a power interruption, and also as not providing accuracy in continuous measurement.

To improve the accuracy of measuring the location of the dies, magnetostrictive sensors are used to monitor and / or control the position of the dies. As described in US Pat. Nos. 5,320,325 and 5,407,172, incorporated herein by reference, the piston driving the plate pusher is arranged parallel to a fixed magnetisable waveguide tube. A magnetic assembly surrounds the waveguide tube and is attached to a suspension attached to the tail of the piston.

In US patents No. 7023199, 7121185 and 6509733 magnetostrictive sensor is installed in the internal opening of the sensor port. The sensor has a piezometric tube that extends into the internal cavity of the cylinder body and is telescopically placed in a channel in the piston rod and stem assembly.

The installation of magnetostrictive sensors in each of the above patents is not optimal. For example, in US Pat. No. 7,023,199, since the sensor passes into the cavity of the cylinder body, the maintenance performed on the sensor unit necessarily requires the die to be inoperative. Attaching the sensor and magnets using the hanger in US Pat. No. 5,320,325, although not included in the cavity of the cylinder body, can lead to inaccurate measurements of the position of the ram and may increase the cost of manufacturing a ram-type blowout preventer.

The essence of the claimed invention

Accordingly, there is a need to create an improved device for accurately measuring the location or position of the die or piston of the die in the blowout preventer.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved device for accurately measuring the location or position of a die or piston of a die in a blowout preventer.

In one aspect, the disclosed invention relates to a method for monitoring cylinder pressure applied to rams of a blowout preventer, including measuring the relative position of rams of a blowout preventer by a magnetostrictive sensor, transmitting signals from a magnetostrictive sensor to a data acquisition device, measuring the pressure of a cylinder applied to the rams, measuring device pressure transmission from the pressure measurement device to the data acquisition device and recording the measured pressure eniya cylinder as a function of the measured relative position data acquisition device.

In another aspect, the disclosed invention relates to a method for testing the blowout preventer components, including testing for cyclic durability of the blowout preventer, measuring and recording cylinder pressure applied to the ram of the blowout preventer in selected positions during the cyclic durability test and measuring and recording the position of the dies magnetostrictive sensor during the cyclic durability test.

In another aspect, the disclosed invention relates to a method for determining the displacement of a wellhead equipment component, including measuring the relative position of a wellhead equipment component by a magnetostrictive sensor during a selected time interval, transmitting a signal from a magnetostrictive sensor to a data acquisition device, and registering the relative position of a wellhead equipment component data acquisition device for the selected time interval and comparing the register forward position the wellhead components wells operational data to determine whether the desired relative position.

In another aspect, the disclosed invention relates to a blowout preventer for a spot

- 201414181 type, comprising a housing, a vertical passage channel in the housing, a horizontal channel passing through the housing and crossing the vertical passage channel, a couple of blocks of dies located in a horizontal channel on opposite sides of the case, while the blocks of dies are made with the possibility of controlled transverse movement to the vertical channel and from it, with each block of dies contains a hydraulic piston connected by a first end with a block of a plate and a second end with a tail part of the piston, magnetostra a waveguide tube passing into the channel of at least one piston tail, a permanent magnet located on at least one piston tail, and a magnetostrictive waveguide tube containing an electrical wire for receiving the requesting pulse from the transducer, while the requesting pulse generates a spiral signal feedback, reacting to the relative position of the permanent magnet with respect to the waveguide tube, while the converter is configured to receive spiral the feedback signal and outputting the block position output signal dies, corresponding to the at least one tail of the piston.

In another aspect, the disclosed invention relates to a method for determining the relative position of a plate, which includes installing a magnetostrictive waveguide tube in the channel of the piston tail for reciprocating movement in it, longitudinal magnetization of a portion of the waveguide pipe with at least one permanent magnet bonded to the piston tail , the transmission of pulses into an electrical wire placed inside a waveguide tube to create a toroidal magnetic field in which it is produced the feedback signal, when the developed toroidal magnetic field is encountered with the longitudinal magnetized section of the waveguide tube, determining the relative position of the plate according to the feedback signal.

In another aspect, the disclosed invention relates to a method of adding test instruments to a spot blowout preventer, including removing a cylinder head cover, removing a piston tail from a hydraulic piston of a die, installing a replaceable piston tail, containing a channel, installing a replaceable cylinder head cover, a replaceable head cylinder containing port instrumentation, attachment of the magnetic node to the tail of the piston and the location of the magnetostrictive sensor ka replacement cylinder head so that the magnetostrictive sensor was made in and out of the channel of the tail of the piston during the reciprocating movement of the hydraulic piston dies.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention should be apparent from the following description and appended claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is a general view with a partial section of a spot blowout preventer of the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of a cover for a blowout preventer according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a part of the assembly of a cover for a spot blowout preventer in FIG. 2 according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a cylinder pressure diagram as a function of the die clearance, according to embodiments of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In one aspect, embodiments of the invention relate to a ram blowout preventer, including instrumentation for determining the position of the ram in the blowout preventer. In another aspect, embodiments of the invention relate to methods for determining the position, velocity, or rate of closure of a die in a spot blowout preventer.

FIG. 1 shows a spot-type blowout preventer 10. The pipe 12 of the downhole tool, which may be part of the drill string placed on top of the well being drilled, or part of the production string of the well producing oil or gas, is shown passing through the central vertical passage 14 in the body 16 of the blowout preventer 10. The case 16 may include opposite horizontal passageways 18, perpendicular to passageway 14. Horizontal passageways may extend outward into covers 17 connected to housing 16. In passageways x channels 18 work dies 20 driven by hydraulic pistons 22 in their respective sleeves 23 cylinders placed in corresponding hydraulic cylinders 19 attached externally to caps 17. Pistons 22 can reciprocally move dies 20 back and forth in passage channels 18 for opening and closing seals or wear pads 24 in the ends of dies 20 relative to the surface of the pipe 12. Hydraulic fluid connections (not shown) work in conjunction with the opening chamber 25 and the chamber 26 closed Tium to install the dies 20 in the desired position.

As shown, the spot blowout preventer 10 may include a tail 28 connected to the piston 22. The tail 28 of the piston 22 moves back.

- 3 014181 progressively in the cylinder head 30, which can be bolted or have a different connection to the cylinder 19.

You must know or set the position of the dies 20, as described above. This can be done by placing the components of the magnetostrictive sensor in the casing of the hydraulic cylinder head, which is connected to the cylinder 19 shown in FIG. 1. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are of widespread use for any type of ram-type blowout preventer, but even more generally, for any device using dies.

FIG. 2 and 3 show a cylinder head and a sensor device according to embodiments of the invention disclosed herein. The cylinder head 30 can be connected to the cylinder 19 by means of screw, welded, flange or any other connections known in the art. The piston 22, shown in the fully open position, may be connected to the piston tail section 28, having a channel 32 of the piston tail section, passing at least partially through the piston tail section 28. Magnetic assembly 38 may be concentric with the piston tail section 28 and screws 40 attached thereto, with non-magnetic screws in some embodiments of the invention. A separator 42, such as an annular seal, may be placed between the magnet assembly 38 and the piston tail 28.

Magnetic assembly 38 may include two or more permanent magnets. In some embodiments, the magnetic node 38 may include three magnets; four magnets in other embodiments of the invention and more than four magnets in other embodiments of the invention.

A fixed fixed waveguide tube 44 may be located in the cylinder head 30 and may at least partially pass into the channel 32 of the piston tail 28. Preferably, the piston tail 28 is radially spaced with the waveguide tube 44 so as not to interfere with the movement of the piston 22 and not cause wear to the waveguide tube 44. Similarly, the magnetic node 38 can be radially spaced with the waveguide pipe 44. In selected embodiments of the invention, the magnets of the magnetic node 38 can located on a plane perpendicular to the waveguide tube 44.

In addition, the conductive element or the electric wire (not shown) can pass along the axis of the waveguide tube 44. Both the electrical wire and the waveguide tube 44 can be connected to the transceiver 46 located outside the cylinder head 30 by means of a communication port 48. The transceiver 46 may also include appropriate means for introducing the requesting pulse of electrical current into the electrical wire.

O-rings 50, located between cylinder head 30 and hydraulic cylinder 19, can create a seal that prevents leakage. O-rings can also be used to seal the connection between communication port 48 and transceiver 46.

When the plate 20 moves along the axis, the piston tail section 28 and the magnet assembly 38 move the same distance along the axis. Thus, when operating a magnetostrictive sensor located in a plate, it is possible to determine on a constant basis the position of the plate 20.

As for the operation of a magnetostrictive sensor, magnetostriction refers to the ability of some metals, such as iron or nickel, or iron-nickel alloys, to expand or contract when placed in a magnetic field. The magnetostrictive waveguide tube 44 may have a region inside the external magnetic assembly 38 that is longitudinally magnetized when the magnetic assembly 38 moves progressively in the longitudinal direction around the waveguide tube 44. The magnetic assembly 38, as described above, includes a permanent magnet that can occupy positions equally spaced apart, on a plane perpendicular to the waveguide tube 44, and radially equally spaced apart relative to the surface of the waveguide tube 44. The external magnetic field is established I am a magnetic node 38, which can magnetize the region of the waveguide tube 44 longitudinally.

Waveguide tube 44 surrounds an electrical wire (not shown) placed along its axis. An inquiring impulse of electric current can be periodically introduced into an electrical wire in a manner well known in the art, for example, by means of a transducer 46 located outside the housing 30. This current produces a toroidal magnetic field around the electrical wire and the waveguide pipe 44. When the toroidal magnetic field intersects the magnetic field formed by a magnetic node 38, a spiral magnetic field is induced in the waveguide tube 44 to generate a sound pulse passing to both ends of the waveguide th pipe 44. Appropriate dampers (not shown) at the ends of the waveguide tube 44 can prevent the occurrence of the pulse echo reverberations. However, at the end of the transceiver or head, the spiral wave transforms into a twisted section of the waveguide, applying lateral stress in very thin magnetostrictive ribbons connected to the waveguide tube 44. A phenomenon known as the Villari magnetoelastic effect causes the flux coupling from the magnets to pass through the sensitive coils , the disturbance on which is subject to transmission by passing waves of tension in the tapes, to generate voltage in the coils. Converter 46 can also amplify this voltage for control and measurement.

- 4 014181

Since the pulse of electric current moves at a speed close to the light, and the pulse of the sound wave moves at a speed approximately equal to the speed of sound, there is a time interval between the time of reception by the transceiver at the head end of each pulse compared to the time stamps of the electric pulse generated by the electronic circuit the end. This time interval is a function of the distance from the external magnetic assembly 38 to the end of the pipe with the transceiver. By accurately measuring the time interval and multiplying by the velocity of propagation in the pipe, you can determine the distance from the magnet assembly to the head end of the pipe.

In the event of a loss of signal, there is no loss of information and there is no need to zero or return any reference. The countdown is absolutely determined by the location of the magnetic node 38 relative to the transducer 46.

Knowing the absolute position of the plate, it is possible to determine whether the plate is completely closed, whether the plate is stuck, to what extent the sealant or the wear pad on the end of the die are worn and what degree of wear or play of the piston mechanism is. For repeated requesting pulses, it is also possible to measure the speed or velocity vector and the speed of movement or acceleration or deceleration of the piston.

As used herein, the term die clearance refers to the clearance when moving progressively between horizontally opposed rams of the blowout preventer. In selected embodiments of the invention, the gap of the plates can be calculated and recorded by determining the absolute position of each plate, which ensures the calculation of the relative distance between the plates. In selected embodiments of the invention, the position of the ram of the blowout preventer can be determined using a cylinder and sensor arrangement similar to that shown in FIG. 2 and 3, or using any other instrumentation device known in the art. Additionally, the relative position of the plate can be sent to a data acquisition device that can be used to calculate and record the data of the plate clearance of the blowout preventer. In selected embodiments of the invention, the gap of the plates can be quantified by the distance of the gap (for example, in inches, centimeters, etc.) between two plates, both measured and calculated.

In addition to this, when used in this document, the term “cylinder pressure” refers to the amount of hydraulic pressure exerted on pistons made with the possibility of closing the ram of a blowout preventer. Therefore, the pressure values of the cylinder can be measured in different positions (i.e. with a different die gap) and recorded. For this reason, a blowout preventer according to embodiments of the invention may include a pressure sensor or any other device capable of measuring cylinder pressure. Additionally, the pressure measurement device may send a signal to the data acquisition device to record the pressure of the cylinder at selected positions.

Alternatively, the force sensor can be used to report and record the actual force on the plate, where the force on the plate is a function of cylinder pressure. In this description, the pressure of the cylinder and the force on the plate can be used interchangeably, since the force on the plate can be defined as the pressure of the cylinder multiplied by the cross-sectional area of the die piston.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing cylinder pressure as a function of die clearance in accordance with embodiments of the invention. The data shown in FIG. 4, obtained by cutting cable and pipe products of various shapes and sizes with dies of a blowout preventer. The specified data can be measured and recorded using any of the devices and methods described earlier. The graph contains experimental points and curves and facilitates understanding of the circumstances of the closure of the dies around the object.

The curves are drawn from experimental points obtained by cutting cable and pipe products of various shapes and sizes with dies of a blowout preventer. Curve 100 shows the data obtained when cutting a drill string element with new dice blocks, where the dice block is a component attached to a dice made with the possibility of cutting an object passing through a blowout preventer. Similarly, curve 200 shows the data obtained by cutting a drill string element with used dice blocks. Curve 300 displays the data obtained when cutting a thick-walled drill pipe by 5.5 inches, and curve 500 shows the data obtained when cutting the pipe by 3.5 inches and the blowout preventer cable. Finally, curve 600 shows the data obtained by cutting only the cable with the blowout preventer.

In addition, the graph reflects the experimental points that may indicate some events occurring during the closing of the blowout preventer rams around the object. In particular, the experimental points 401 indicate the positions where the pressure of the cylinder begins to exceed the working closing pressure after contact with the object. Additionally, as shown, experimental points 402 in the graph may indicate the cylinder pressure needed to cut pipes and / or cables passing through the blowout preventer. In addition to this, the experiment

- 5 014181 points 402 may indicate the location of the plates when the pipes and / or cables were cut. In this document, shear pressure is the magnitude of the cylinder pressure required to begin cutting the pipe and / or cable. Experimental points 403 may indicate where the plates are in contact with flexible elements, such as seals. Experimental points 404 may indicate the position and pressure of the cylinder when the dies make contact with each other. Experimental points 405 may indicate an increase in cylinder pressure from the contact of the dies and seals, meaning complete closure of the dies.

In one embodiment of the invention, the blowout preventer may include a cylinder, dies, and a sensor arrangement similar to that shown in FIG. 2 and 3. The blowout preventer can be tested for cyclic durability by repeatedly opening and closing the dies. The cycle may include a one-time full opening and closing of the dies. The cyclic durability test is a technique known in the art that can be used to assess the reliability of the test components. When testing a blowout preventer for cyclic durability, data including cylinder pressure at selected positions (i.e. die clearance) can be measured and recorded for each cycle. This data can then be compiled to show how the components of the blowout preventer (i.e. seals, seals, wear pads and locking mechanisms) react or move during cyclic operation. Such data can be useful for determining the time when replacement or modification of components is necessary. Reasons for replacing the components of the blowout preventer may include, without limitation, excessive play and wear.

Other components of the wellhead equipment of the industry range may be affected over time by movement. Wellhead components may include, for example, wellhead couplings, fault-tolerant valves, junction box wedges, diverter dies, a set of accumulator cylinders and any other components known in the art. In one embodiment of the invention, a sensor device comprising a magnetostriction sensor may be used to determine the position of at least one component of the wellhead equipment. The magnetostriction sensor can send a signal to a data acquisition device, which can then be used to record the position of at least one component of the wellhead equipment. The magnetostriction sensor can send several signals to a data acquisition device during a selected time interval, thereby indicating any movement of a component of the wellhead equipment during a selected time interval.

It may also be necessary to add instrumentation to existing spot blowout preventers. To add instrumentation to an existing ram blowout preventer, it is possible to replace or modify a portion of the ram blowout preventer, reducing the costs required to upgrade existing equipment to include instrumentation. For example, you can add instrumentation to an existing spot blowout preventer by replacing or modifying only the cylinder head cover and the tail end of the piston.

The existing cylinder head cover and the tail section of the piston can be removed. The remote tail of the piston can be modified with the implementation in it of the central channel for instrumentation and reattached to the hydraulic piston, or a new tail of the piston having a central channel can be attached to the hydraulic piston. Similarly, the cylinder head cover can be modified to include the instrumentation port, or the new cylinder head cover, which has a test instrument port, can be connected to the housing of a ram-type blowout preventer. The magnet assembly can be attached to the tail of the piston having a central channel, and the magnetostrictive sensor, as described above, can at least partially be located in the central channel of the tail of the piston.

After adding instrumentation, it may be necessary to calibrate the magnetostrictive sensor for the fully open and fully closed positions of the dies. In addition, instrumentation to determine the position of the dies can be functionally connected to a digital control system. The digital control system can then be used to monitor, display and / or control the position of the dies based on the electronic signal from the magnetostrictive sensor.

Preferably, embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may provide easy-to-install test equipment for spot-type blowout preventers that accurately measure position, velocity vector and acceleration of the ram. In addition, embodiments of the invention disclosed in this document are non-penetrating into the cavity of the hydraulic cylinder, which can create additional benefits.

Additionally, embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may provide the flexibility of the components of the blowout blowout preventers, while creating

- 6 014181 unified design of ram blowout preventers. For example, consumers may need spot blowout preventers equipped with or not equipped with instrumentation. The integrity of the rod connecting the plate and the piston is not impaired by the presence of an internal channel to accommodate the sensor, since, if the sensor is located in the rod, no reinforcement or modification of the rods is required for use with or without test instruments. In addition, cylinder heads and tails, providing for the placement of instrumentation, can be easily interchanged with cylinder heads and tails, which do not provide for the placement of ports for test instruments. With this method, parts can be interchangeable, existing spot-type blowout preventers can be easily modified to include instrumentation and consumers will be offered the flexibility to choose products without fear of non-standardized manufacturing.

Embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may preferably provide methods for testing and monitoring the operation of components of a blowout preventer that detect and / or prevent potential problems or issues during their operation. For example, embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may provide for a method for detecting backlash in a dies locking mechanism. Additionally, embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may provide a method for testing and measuring the service life of intervals between maintenance of certain components (for example, seals, seals, locking mechanism) included in the blowout preventer.

Additionally, embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may create a method for detecting wear and / or interference factors prior to and during operation of the blowout preventer.

In addition, embodiments of the invention disclosed in this document may preferably create a method and apparatus for registering a closed position over time to graphically establish and calculate the remaining service life of rubber components. Additionally, embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may create a device and methods for monitoring the position of the components of a blowout preventer during design and seal testing to determine how elastomer seals work and how they react to impacts to improve elastomer designs. Additionally, embodiments of the invention disclosed in this document can create methods and devices for determining the moment when the pipe is cut by a ram-type blowout preventer, which affects the requirements for pressure accumulators.

Additionally, embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may be practicable for moving pistons in a universal blowout preventer. Such embodiments of the invention may include the use of position indicators to determine replacement intervals for wear plates and sealing blocks of universal blowout preventers. In addition, embodiments of the invention disclosed in this document can be practically applied to components, including, without limitation, wellhead coupling, fault-tolerant valves, junction box wedges, diverter clamping plates, accumulator accumulators.

Although the invention has been described for a limited number of embodiments, it will be clear to those skilled in the art using the advantages of the present invention that other embodiments of the invention can be developed without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed in this document. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims.

Claims (35)

CLAIM 1. A method for monitoring cylinder pressure exerted on blowout preventer dies, the method comprising measuring the relative position of the blowout preventer dies with a magnetostrictive sensor; transmit signals from the magnetostrictive sensor to the data acquisition device; measure the pressure of the cylinder exerted on the dies, a pressure measuring device; transmit signals from the pressure measuring device to the data acquisition device and register the measured cylinder pressure as a function of the measured relative position of the data acquisition device. 2. The method according to claim 1, in which graphically display the measured pressure of the cylinder depending on the position of the dies using a data acquisition device. 3. The method according to claim 1, in which additionally carry out a review of the data recorded by the data acquisition device, and - 7 014181 determine that the dies are closed when the cylinder pressure reaches a predetermined value. 4. The method according to claim 3, in which the closed position contains a clearance of dies of about zero inches. 5. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises determining the remaining expected life of the sealing elements of the rams of the blowout preventer by cylinder pressure recorded as a function of the relative position of the rams. 6. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises determining when the pipe placed between the dies is cut off under the pressure of the cylinder, recorded as a function of the relative position of the dies. 7. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises determining a maintenance frequency for blowout preventer components by cylinder pressure recorded as a function of the relative position of the dies over a selected period of time. 8. A method for testing blowout preventer components, which consists in testing the cyclic durability of a blowout preventer; measuring and recording the pressure of the cylinder exerted on the rams of the blowout preventer in selected positions during the cyclic durability test; and measure and record the position of the dies with a magnetostrictive sensor during a cyclic durability test. 9. The method of claim 8, which further comprises comparing the recorded cylinder pressure at selected positions with operating data to determine if maintenance components are required. 10. The method according to claim 8, which further comprises comparing the recorded position of the dies in the selected positions with the operating data to determine if the maintenance components are required. 11. A method for determining the movement of a component of a wellhead equipment of a well, the method comprising measuring the relative position of a component of a wellhead equipment with a magnetostrictive sensor for a selected time interval; transmit a signal from the magnetostrictive sensor to the data acquisition device; registering the relative position of the wellhead component of the well equipment with a data acquisition device for the selected time interval; and comparing the recorded position of the wellhead component of the well with operating data to determine if the relative position is the desired position. 12. The method according to claim 11, in which the wellhead component of the well is a blowout preventer ram. 13. The method according to item 12, which further comprises detecting play in the ram of the blowout preventer by measuring the relative position of the magnetostrictive sensor. 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the wellhead component of the well is a universal blowout preventer piston. 15. The method according to 14, which further comprises determining replacement intervals of the wear plate according to the relative position registered by the data acquisition device for the selected time interval. 16. The method according to claim 11, in which the wellhead component of the well is selected from the group consisting of wellhead couplings, fail-safe valves, junction box wedges, diverter clamping dies, a set of pressure accumulator cylinders. 17. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises determining the remaining expected service life of the wellhead component of the well by the relative position recorded by the data acquisition device for the selected time interval. 18. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises determining the frequency of maintenance of the wellhead component of the well by the relative position recorded by the data acquisition device for the selected time interval. 19. A method for monitoring the relative position of blowout preventer dies, which measure the relative position of blowout preventer dies with a magnetostrictive sensor; transmit signals from the magnetostrictive sensor to the data acquisition device and record the measured relative position as a function of time by the data acquisition device. 20. The method according to claim 19, which further comprises detecting plate play with a relative position of the plates measured by a magnetostrictive sensor. 21. The method according to claim 20, which further comprises increasing the pressure of the cylinder in response to a detected play backlash. 22. The method according to claim 20, which further comprises determining the remaining expected period - 8 014181 service of sealing elements of blowout preventer dies on detected play. 23. The method according to claim 19, in which the relative position of the dies relative to each other is recorded as the gap of the dies. 24. Blowout preventer of the die type, comprising a housing; vertical passage in the housing; a horizontal channel passing through the housing and intersecting the vertical passage channel; a pair of blocks of dies located in a horizontal channel on opposite sides of the housing, while the blocks of dies are made with the possibility of controlled transverse movement to and from the vertical channel, while each block of dies contains a hydraulic piston connected by the first end to the die block and the second end to the tail part of the piston; a magnetostrictive waveguide tube extending into the channel of at least one tail end of the piston; a permanent magnet located on at least one tail end of the piston; and a magnetostrictive waveguide tube containing an electric wire for receiving a requesting pulse from the transducer, wherein the requesting pulse generates a spiral feedback signal in response to the relative position of the permanent magnet with respect to the waveguide pipe; the converter is configured to receive a spiral feedback signal and provide an output signal of the position of the block block corresponding to at least one tail end of the piston. 25. The blowout preventer according to claim 24, wherein the magnetostrictive waveguide tube is longitudinally magnetized. 26. The blowout preventer according to claim 24, wherein the requesting impulse generates a toroidal magnetic field around the electrical wire. 27. The blowout preventer according to claim 26, wherein the spiral feedback signal is generated by the interaction of a toroidal magnetic field with a longitudinal magnetized region of the waveguide tube. 28. The method of determining the relative position of the plate, which consists in the fact that establish a magnetostrictive waveguide tube in the channel of the rear of the piston for contact and reciprocating movement in it; magnetize in the longitudinal direction a portion of the waveguide tube with at least one permanent magnet bonded to the tail of the piston; transmitting pulses to an electric wire located inside the waveguide tube to create a toroidal magnetic field in which a feedback signal is generated when the generated toroidal magnetic field meets the longitudinal magnetized portion of the waveguide tube; determine the relative position of the plate by the feedback signal. 29. The method according to p. 28, which further comprises measuring the feedback signal over a period of time to determine the die velocity vector. 30. The method according to clause 29, which further comprises determining the rate of closure of the die. 31. A method of adding control and measuring devices to a ram blowout preventer, which consists in removing the cylinder head cover; remove the tail of the piston from the hydraulic piston of the ram; install a replaceable tail end of the piston, which contains a channel; install a replaceable casing of the cylinder head, and the replaceable cylinder head contains a port of instrumentation; attach the magnet assembly to the piston tail portion and position the magnetostrictive sensor of the replaceable cylinder head cover so that the magnetostrictive probe enters and leaves the channel of the piston tail portion during reciprocating movement of the ram hydraulic piston. 32. The method according to p, which further comprises calibrating the magnetostrictive sensor to indicate the fully open position of the plate and the fully closed position of the plate. 33. The method according to p. 31, which further comprises a functional connection of the magnetostrictive sensor with a digital control system and determining the position of the plate using a magnetostrictive sensor. 34. The method according to clause 33, which further comprises displaying the position of the plate based on an electronic signal from a magnetostrictive sensor. 35. The method according to clause 33, which further comprises controlling the position of the plate based on an electronic signal from a magnetostrictive sensor.