KR101526612B1 - Ram bop position sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for determining movement of a well head component includes sensing a relative position of a well head component using a magnetostrictive sensor over a selected period of time. The method includes transmitting a signal from the magnetostrictive sensor to a data acquisition device and recording the relative position of the wellhead component using a data acquisition device for a selected period of time. The method also includes comparing the operating data to the recorded position of the well head component to determine whether a relative position is desired.

Description

A method of monitoring a cylinder pressure on a ram, a method of testing a component of a spill prevention device, a method of determining movement of a well head component, a method of monitoring a relative position of a spill prevention device, a ram type spill prevention device, [0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for adding a measurement device to an ejection preventing device,

The embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to instrumentation of ram blowout preventers. More specifically, the embodiments disclosed herein are directed to a direct measurement of the position, velocity, and speed of movement of the ram in a ram ejection prevention device.

Well control is a major part of oil and gas exploration. When drilling a well, for example, a safety device must be in place to prevent injury to personnel or damage to equipment caused by unexpected accidents involving drilling.

The well drilling process involves the drilling of geological structures or "layers" underneath various indicators. Occasionally, a wellbore will penetrate a layer with a formation pressure that is significantly higher than the pressure maintained in the borehole. In this case, the well was known to "kick". The increase in pressure associated with the kick is usually caused by the inflow of formation fluids (which may be liquid, gas or a combination thereof) into the borehole. A relatively high pressure kick tends to propagate from the uphole (from the high pressure area to the low pressure area) from the entry point of the borehole. When this kick reaches the surface, drilling fluid, well tools, and other drilling structures may burst out of the borehole. These "blowouts" may cause severe destruction of drilling equipment (eg, including drilling rigs) and may result in personal injury to rig personnel.

Due to the risk of eruption, a device known as an ejection protection device is installed on a wellhead on the surface of the sea bed or in deep water drilling rigs to effectively take measures and control the kick until the kick can be controlled . The ejection protection device may be driven such that the kick is sufficiently controlled to be circulated and exhausted from the system. There are several types of ejection prevention devices, the most common of which are ram ejection prevention devices and annular ejection prevention devices (including spherical ejection prevention devices).

The ram ejection prevention device typically has a body and at least a pair of horizontally opposed bonnets. The bonnet is secured to the body by bolts, for example, around its periphery. Optionally, the bonnet may be secured to the body by hinges and bolts and rotated laterally for maintenance access. Inside each bonnet is a piston-driven ram. The ram is a pipe ram (which engages and seals the borehole by engaging and drilling the drill pipe and oil well tool when driving), shear ram (which, when driven, engages the drill pipe or well tool in the borehole and physically shears them) Or a blind ram (which, when actuated, seals the borehole like a gate valve). The rams are typically positioned opposite one another, and either the pipe ram, the shear ram, or the blind ram, the ram is typically sealed to each other near the center of the borehole to completely seal the borehole.

The ram is generally constructed of steel and is fitted with the elastomeric component on the sealing surface. The ram blocks can be used in a variety of shapes to allow sealing against boreholes. The pipe ram typically has a circular notch at the center which coincides with the diameter of the pipe in the hole to seal the well when the pipe is in the hole, but these pipe rams effectively seal only a limited range of pipe diameters. Variable-bore rams are designed to seal a wider range of pipe diameters. In addition, the various ram blocks may be replaced in the ejection protection device to allow the oil well operator to optimize the configuration of the ejection barrier device for a particular hole section or work in progress. Examples of ram type ejection protection devices are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 6,554,247, 6,244,560, 5,897,094, 5,655,745, and 4,647,002, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

It is very important to be aware of the state of the wells in order to maintain proper operation and prevent future problems in the well. From these variables, the wells may be monitored more effectively, thus maintaining a safe condition. Furthermore, if an unsafe condition is detected, the closure of the well can be started manually or automatically. For example, the pressure and temperature transducer spill-release device cavity may indicate or predict an unsafe condition. These signals and other signals may also be indicated as control signals on the control console used by the oil well operator. For example, the operator may influence the well condition by adjusting the rotational speed in the drill pipe, the downward pressure on the drill bit, and the circulation pump for the drilling fluid. Furthermore, it is useful for the operator to know precisely where the respective rams are positioned, if closure of the BOP ram is desired.

One device that has been used in the past to express a signal indicative of the relative position of component parts disposed within an enclosed housing (which is not necessarily inside the spark protector housing) is a potentiometric transducer. These devices use one or more sensors that are worn or faulty in the face of harsh environments. Furthermore, such a sensor will ascend from its surface whatever is being detected, which results in an error. Also, because these devices incrementally operate by adding or subtracting the values for specific turns or segments of wire to the previous value, a loss of power often results in distorted readings. Furthermore, devices such as these sensors are renowned for poor high speed devices. Thus, the potentiometer transducer may not be very useful in precisely determining the positional variable of the ram movement. Also, potentiometer transducers are not suitable for use in high-speed applications, which makes these displacement transducers nearly useless in the field of RAM monitoring.

In addition, an incremental measurement device that only measures intermediate movement, has an inherent drawback that not only has to be reset to a reference value during a power failure, but also fails to provide the precision associated with subsequent measurements.

In order to improve the accuracy of the position measurement of the ram, magnetostrictive sensors have been used to monitor and / or control the position of the ram. As described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,320,325 and 5,407,172, which are hereby incorporated by reference, the piston that drives the arm of the ram is parallel to a stationary magnetizable waveguide tube Respectively. The magnet assembly surrounds the waveguide tube and is attached to a carrier arm attached to the tail of the piston.

In U.S. Patent Nos. 7,023,199, 7,121,185 and 6,509,733, the magnetostrictive sensor is mounted in the inner opening of the sensor port. The sensor has a pressure pipe that extends into the interior cavity of the cylinder body and is telescopically received within the rod and in-rod passages of the piston and rod assemblies.

The positioning of the magnetostrictive sensors in each of the above-mentioned patents is not optimal. For example, in U.S. Patent No. 7,023,199, since the sensor extends into the cavity of the cylinder body, the ram must not be in operation when attempting to perform maintenance on the sensor unit. Although U.S. Patent No. 5,320,325 does not involve the cavity of the cylinder body, attachment of the sensor and magnet using the carrier arm may result in inaccurate measurement of the ram position and may increase the cost of manufacturing an ejection protection device (BOP) have.

It is therefore a feature of the present invention to provide an improved device for precisely measuring the position or placement of a ram or ram piston of an ejection protection device.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved invention for precisely measuring the position or placement of a ram or ram piston in an ejection barrier.

In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method of detecting a spill-proof device, comprising the steps of sensing a relative position of rams of an ejection-proof device using a magnetostrictive sensor, transmitting a signal from the magnetostrictive sensor to a data acquisition device, Sensing a cylinder pressure applied on the ram using a pressure sensor, transmitting a signal from the pressure sensing device to the data acquisition device, and sensing the cylinder pressure sensed using the data acquisition device as a function of the sensed relative position And a method of monitoring the cylinder pressure applied to the ram of the ejection preventing device including the step of recording.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for controlling an ejection preventing device, comprising: performing a cycle test on an ejection protection device; sensing and recording a cylinder pressure applied on a ram of the ejection barrier device at a selected location during the cyclic test; And detecting and recording the ram position using a magnetostrictive sensor during testing. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > [0002] < / RTI >

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method comprising: sensing a relative position of a well head component using a magnetostrictive sensor over a selected period of time; transmitting a signal from the magnetostrictive sensor to a data acquisition device; Recording the relative position of the well head component with respect to the time of the selected period using the acquisition device and comparing the operational data with the position of the recorded well head component to determine whether a relative position is desired Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > wellhead < / RTI >

In another embodiment, the present invention provides an article of manufacture comprising a body, a vertical bore penetrating the body, a horizontal bore penetrating the body and intersecting the vertical bore, a pair of ram assemblies disposed in a horizontal bore on opposite sides of the body, Type ramp-out preventing device comprising a magnetostrictive waveguide tube extending into a bore of a piston tail of a ramp type (a piston tail), and a permanent magnet disposed on at least one piston tail, Each ram assembly comprising a hydraulic piston connected to the ram block at a first end and to a piston tail at a second end, the magnetostrictive waveguide tube being adapted to receive a question from a transducer Wherein the interrogation pulse comprises a conductive wire that receives an interrogation pulse, For in response to a position to generate a spiral return signal, the converter is configured to output the position of the ram block corresponding to at least one of the piston tail to accommodate the spiral return signal.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method of making a magnetostrictive waveguide tube, comprising reciprocally engaging a magnetostrictive waveguide tube in the bore of the piston tail, and applying at least one permanent magnet attached to the piston tail, Longitudinally magnetizing a portion of the tube; and pulsing conductive wires disposed in the waveguide tube to create a toroidal magnetic field, wherein the toroidal magnetic field is magnetized in the longitudinal direction of the waveguide tube And determining a relative position of the RAM from the return signal, wherein the return signal is generated when the return signal is received.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method comprising: removing a cylinder head enclosure; removing a piston tail from a hydraulic ram piston; installing a replacement piston tail with a bore; Comprising: installing a replacement cylinder head enclosure having an equipment port; attaching a magnet assembly to the piston tail; and configuring the magnetostrictive sensor to engage and disengage the piston tail bore as the hydraulic ram piston reciprocates The method comprising the steps of: disposing a magnetostrictive sensor in a cylinder head enclosure for replacement;

Other embodiments and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims.

1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a conventional ram ejection preventing device,

2 is a cross-sectional view of a bonnet assembly of a ram ejection prevention device according to an embodiment disclosed herein;

Fig. 3 is a detailed view of a part of the ram ejection preventing device of Fig. 2,

4 is a graph showing a cylinder pressure as a function of ram clearance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the embodiment disclosed herein relates to a ram ejection prevention device including metrology equipment for determining the position of a ram within an ejection protection device. In another embodiment, the embodiments disclosed herein relate to a method for determining the position, velocity, or closure rate of a ram in a ram ramming prevention device.

Fig. 1 shows a ram-type ejection preventing device 10. Fig. The well pipe 12, which may be part of a drill string disposed at the top of the well undergoing drilling, or may be part of the production string of oil or gas production wells, 16 through the central vertical bore 14. As shown in FIG. The body 16 may include an opposing horizontal passage 18 transverse to the bore 14. The horizontal passageway may extend outwardly into the bonnet 17 connected to the body 16. A ram 20 driven by a hydraulic piston 22 in each cylinder liners 23 disposed in a respective hydraulic cylinder 19 connected to the outside of the bonnet 17 is provided in the passage 18, It works. The piston 22 reciprocates the ram 20 within the passageway 18 so that packers or wear pads 24 within the face of the ram 20 are pushed against the surface of the pipe 12 . Hydraulic fluid connections (not shown) work together with the open chamber 25 and the closed chamber 26 to position the ram 20.

As shown, the ram ejection preventing device 10 may include a tee 28 connected to the piston 22. [ The tail 28 of the piston 22 reciprocates within the cylinder head 30 which may be bolted or otherwise connected to the cylinder 19.

It is preferable to recognize or set the position of the RAM 20 as described above. This may be accomplished by placing the components of the magnetostrictive sensor within the hydraulic cylinder head enclosure connected to the cylinder 19 shown in Fig. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the embodiments described herein can be applied broadly to any RAM-type ejection protection device, even to any device that uses ram will be.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate a cylinder head and sensor apparatus according to the embodiments described herein. The cylinder head 30 may be connected to the cylinder 19 by screws, welds, flanges or any other connection known in the art. The piston 22 shown as being in a fully open position may be connected to a piston tail 28 having a piston tail bore 32 that at least partially penetrates the piston tail 28. The magnet assembly 38 is located on the same axis as the piston tail 28 and is attached to the piston tail 28 by a screw 40 which in some embodiments is a non-magnetic thread. A spacer 42 such as an O-ring may be disposed between the magnet assembly 38 and the piston tail 28.

The magnet assembly 38 may include two or more permanent magnets. In some embodiments, the magnet assembly 38 may include three magnets, in other embodiments, four magnets, and in another embodiment, four or more magnets.

A stationary waveguide tube 44 may be disposed within the cylinder head 30 and this stationary waveguide tube 44 may extend at least partially into the piston tail bore 32 of the piston tail 28. Preferably, the piston tail 28 is radially spaced from the waveguide tube 44 so as not to impede movement of the piston 22 or cause wear on the waveguide tube 44. Likewise, the magnet assembly 38 may also be disposed radially spaced from the waveguide tube 44. In a selected embodiment, the magnet of the magnet assembly 44 may traverse the waveguide tube 44 in a plane.

A conductive element or wire (not shown) may also be disposed through the center of the waveguide tube 44. Both the wire and waveguide tube 44 may be connected to the transducer 46 disposed outside the cylinder head 30 via the communication port 48. In addition, the transducer 46 may comprise suitable means for arranging the question current pulses on the conductive wire.

The O-ring 50 disposed between the cylinder head 30 and the hydraulic cylinder 19 may be sealed so as not to leak. An O-ring may also be used to seal the connection between the communication port 48 and the transducer 46.

As the ram 20 moves in the axial direction, the piston tail 28 and the magnet assembly 38 move axially by the same amount. Therefore, it is possible to continuously determine the position of the ram 20 by the operation of the magnetostrictive sensor disposed therein.

With respect to the operation of the magnetostrictive sensor, magnetostriction refers to the ability to expand or contract when a metal such as iron, nickel or iron-nickel alloy is placed in a magnetic field. The magnetostrictive waveguide tube 44 may have an area within the range of the outer magnet assembly 38 that is longitudinally magnetized as the magnet assembly 38 translates longitudinally about the waveguide tube 44 . As described above, the magnet assembly 38 includes permanent magnets that are disposed in planar spaced-apart positions relative to each other across the waveguide tube 44, and are disposed on the surface of the waveguide tube 44 May be equally spaced in the radial direction. An external magnetic field is formed by the magnet assembly 38, which may magnetize a certain region of the waveguide tube 44 in the longitudinal direction.

The waveguide tube 44 surrounds a conductive wire (not shown) disposed along its axis. The conductive wire may be periodically pulsed or signaled by current in a manner well known in the art, such as by a transducer 46 disposed external to the enclosure 30. This current forms a toroidal magnetic field around the conductive wire and waveguide tube 44. When the toroidal magnetic field intersects the magnetic field generated by the magnet assembly 38, a helical magnetic field is induced in the waveguide tube 44 to produce a sonic pulse traveling toward both ends of the waveguide tube 44 . Appropriate dampers (not shown) at the end of the waveguide tube 44 may prevent echo reverberations of the pulses from occurring. At the transducer end or head, however, the helical wavelength is deformed into a waveguide twist, which applies a lateral stress in the very thin magnetostrictive tape connected to the waveguide tube 44. Due to the phenomenon known as the Villari effect, flux linkages from the magnet extending through the detection coil are disturbed by the movement of the stress wave in the tape, creating a voltage across the coil . In addition, the converter 46 amplifies this voltage for metering or control.

Since the current pulse travels almost at the speed of light and the acoustic wave pulse travels at about the speed of sound, there is a time interval between the moment when the head-end transducer receives each pulse as compared to the timing of the electric pulse generated by the head- Lt; / RTI > This time interval is a function of the distance that the outer magnet assembly 38 is spaced from the transducer end of the tube. By carefully measuring this time interval and dividing by the delivery speed of the tube, the absolute distance of the magnet assembly from the head end of the tube can be determined.

There is no loss of information even in the presence of a loss of signal, and there is no need to re-zeroing or re-homing for any reading. The reading is determined by the position of the magnet assembly 38 relative to the transducer 46 absolutely.

Using an understanding of the absolute position of the ram, it is possible to determine whether the ram is fully closed, whether the ram is dangling, at which temperature the packer or wear pad in front of the ram wears, and at which temperature the piston mechanism is subjected to backlash, Or whether wear has occurred. It is also possible to measure the closing speed or speed of the piston from the continuous interrogation pulse and the moving speed or acceleration and deceleration of the piston.

As used herein, the term "ram gap" refers to a translation gap in the direction of translational movement between horizontally opposed rams in the ejection barrier. In a selected embodiment, the ram clearance may be calculated and recorded by determining the absolute position of each ram to calculate the relative distance between the rams. In a selected embodiment, the position of the ram of the ejection barrier may be determined using cylinder and sensor devices similar to those shown in Figures 2 and 3, or using any other instrumentation mechanism known in the art have. The relative position of the ram may also be transmitted to a data acquisition device that may be used to calculate and record the ram clearance of the ejection protection device. In a selected embodiment, the ram clearance may be quantified (e.g., inches, centimeters, etc.) between the two rams, whether measured or calculated.

Further, "cylinder pressure" as used herein refers to the amount of hydraulic pressure applied on the piston configured to close the ram of the ejection preventing device. Thus, the cylinder pressure value may be measured and recorded at various locations (i.e., other ram gaps). Thus, the ejection protection device according to the embodiments disclosed herein may include a pressure transducer or any other device configured to sense cylinder pressure. The pressure sensing device may also send a signal to the data acquisition device to record the cylinder pressure at the selected location.

Optionally, a force transducer may be used to report and record the actual ram force, where the ram force is a function of the cylinder pressure. For this disclosure, the ram force may be defined as the cylinder pressure multiplied by the cross-sectional area of the ram piston, so that the cylinder pressure and ram force may be used interchangeably.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a graph illustrating cylinder pressure as a function of ram clearance, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The data shown in FIG. 4 was observed during shearing of cables and tubulars of various shapes and sizes using rams of an anti-spill device. Such data may be measured and recorded using any of the devices or methods described above. The graph includes data points and curves that make it easy to understand the environment surrounding the closure of the ram around the object.

The curves consist of data points observed during shearing of various cables and tubular bodies using rams of the ejection barrier. Curve 100 shows the data observed during shearing a shearing sub using new "ram blocks " where the ram block is used to move an object extending through the ejection- Lt; / RTI > Similarly, the curve 200 shows the data observed while shearing the shear sub using an expert ram block. Curve 300 represents data observed during shearing of a 5.5 inch (13.97 cm) heavy wall pipe and curve 500 illustrates 3.5 inch (8.382 cm) pipes and cables using an ejection- Shows the data observed during shearing. Finally, curve 600 shows the data observed while shearing only the cable using an ejection protection device.

The graph also reflects data points that may indicate measurement events that occur while the ram of the ejection barrier device closes around the object. In particular, the data point 401 indicates the position at which the cylinder pressure begins to exceed the operator closure pressure after contact with the object. Further, as shown, the data points 402 on the graph may indicate the cylinder pressure required to shear the pipe and / or cable extending through the ejection protection device. Further, the data point 402 may indicate the position of the ram when the pipe and / or cable is sheared. As used herein, "shear pressure" is the amount of cylinder pressure required to begin shearing a pipe and / or cable. The data point 403 may indicate when the ram is in contact with a flexible element, e.g., a seal. The data points 404 may indicate the position and cylinder pressure when the rams come into contact with each other. The data point 405 may indicate that the ram is fully closed by indicating an increase in the cylinder pressure from the point of contact of the ram and the seal.

In one embodiment, the ejection protection device may include a cylinder, a ram, and a sensor device similar to those shown in Figs. The ejection prevention device may be periodically tested by opening and closing the ram several times. One cycle may involve completely opening and closing the ram once. Periodic testing is a method known in the art that may be used to evaluate the reliability of components under test. During periodic testing of the ejection protection device, data including the cylinder pressure at the selected position (i.e., the ram gap) may be measured and recorded for each period. And such data may be collected to show how the components of the ejection barrier device (e.g., seals, packers, wear plates, and locking mechanisms) react or move during one cycle. Such data may be useful in determining when a component needs to be replaced or changed. Reasons for replacing the components of the ejection protection device include, but are not limited to, excessive backlash and wear.

Other wellhead components within the industry range may be affected by movement over time. The well head component may be any type of well head component such as, for example, a wellhead connector, failsafe valves, pod wedges, diverter lock down dogs, stacked accumulator bottles, mounted accumulator bottles) and any other components known in the art. In one embodiment, a sensor device comprising a magnetostrictive sensor may be used to determine the position of at least one well head component. The magnetostrictive sensor may transmit a signal to a data acquisition device that may record the position of the at least one well head component. The magnetostrictive sensor may transmit a plurality of signals to the data acquisition device over a selected period of time to cause any movement of the well head component to be displayed for a selected period of time.

It may also be desirable to add measurement equipment to existing ram ejection prevention devices. It may be possible to simply replace or change some of the ram ejection prevention devices to add the instrumentation to existing ram ejection prevention devices, which reduces the cost of upgrading existing equipment to include the instrumentation. For example, it may be possible to add measurement equipment to an existing ram ejection prevention device simply by replacing or changing the cylinder head enclosure and the piston tail.

Existing cylinder head enclosures and piston tails may be removed. The removed piston tail may be modified to have a central bore for the metering device and attached to the hydraulic piston, or a new piston tail having a central bore may be attached to the hydraulic piston tail. Similarly, the cylinder head enclosure may be modified to have a metering device port, or a new cylinder head enclosure with a metering device port may be connected to the ram ejector prevention device body. The magnet assembly may be attached to a piston tail having a central bore and the magnetostrictive sensor as described above may be disposed at least partially within the central bore of the piston tail.

Following the addition of the measuring instrument, it may be necessary to calibrate the magnetostrictive sensor to the fully open and fully closed positions of the ram. In addition, the instrumentation for determining the position of the ram may be operatively connected to the digital control system. The digital control system may also be used to monitor, display and / or control the position of the RAM based on the electronic signals from the magnetostrictive sensors.

Advantageously, the embodiments described herein may be provided for ease of installation of a metering device for a RAM ramp-out preventing device that precisely measures the position, velocity, and acceleration of the ram. In addition, the embodiments described herein do not infringe hydraulic cylinder cavities, which may provide additional advantages.

Further, the embodiments described herein may provide a consistent configuration for the ram ejection prevention device while allowing flexibility in the components of the ram ejection prevention device. For example, the consumer may want a ram ejection prevention device with or without instrumentation. The integrity of the rod connecting the ram and the piston is not compromised by the presence of an internal bore for disposing the sensor, which means that when the sensor is placed in the rod, Or the like. Also, the cylinder head and tail providing the metrology equipment can be easily exchanged with the cylinder head and tail that do not provide a metering device port. In this way, the parts may be interchangeable, and the existing ram ejection prevention device may be easily modified to include the measuring equipment, and the consumer will be given flexibility in product selection without concern for inconsistent manufacture .

It may be desirable for embodiments disclosed herein to provide a method of testing and monitoring the components of an ejection protection device to detect and / or prevent potential problems or spills during operation of the ejection barrier. For example, the embodiments disclosed herein may provide a method of detecting backlash in the locking mechanism of the ram. The embodiments disclosed herein may also provide a method for testing and measuring the life cycle and maintenance interval of certain components (e.g., seals, packers, locking mechanisms) included in an ejection barrier have. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed herein may provide a method of detecting wear and / or interference problems before or during operation of the ejection barrier.

Additionally, it may be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for recording a closed position over time to graphically set an estimated remaining life for a rubber component. In addition, the embodiments disclosed herein can be used to monitor the position of the ejection barrier device components during the development of the seal and during testing to determine how the elastomeric seal acts and reacts to improve the design of the elastomer Apparatus and method. Further, the embodiments disclosed herein may provide a method and apparatus for determining when a pipe is sheared by a ram ejection prevention device, thereby affecting the pressure cooker requirements.

In addition, the embodiments disclosed herein may be applicable to piston movement within an annular ejection blocking device. This embodiment may include the use of a position indicator to determine the replacement cycle for the wear plate and packing units for the annular release prevention device. Further, the embodiments disclosed herein may be applicable to laminating components, including, but not limited to, wellhead connectors, emergency safety valves, pod wedges, diverter lockdown dogs, and pressure assemble bottles.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure will recognize that other embodiments may be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention disclosed herein. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be limited only by the appended claims.

Claims (35)

A method of monitoring a cylinder pressure applied on rams of an ejection- Sensing a relative position of the ram of the ejection protection device using a magnetostrictive sensor, Transmitting a signal from the magnetostrictive sensor to a data acquisition device; Sensing a cylinder pressure applied to the ram using a pressure sensing device, Transmitting a signal from the pressure sensing device to the data acquisition device; And recording the sensed cylinder pressure as a function of the sensed relative position using the data acquisition device Method of monitoring cylinder pressure on rams. The method according to claim 1, And graphically displaying the sensed cylinder pressure for the position of the ram using the data acquisition device Method of monitoring cylinder pressure on rams. The method according to claim 1, Reviewing data recorded by the data collection device; Further comprising determining that the ram is to be closed if the cylinder pressure reaches a certain value Method of monitoring cylinder pressure on rams. The method of claim 3, The closed position includes a ram gap of 0 inches Method of monitoring cylinder pressure on rams. The method according to claim 1, Further comprising determining from the recorded cylinder pressure as a function of the relative position of the ram the remaining average life of the packer element of the ram of the ejection protection device Method of monitoring cylinder pressure on rams. The method according to claim 1, Further comprising determining from the recorded cylinder pressure as a function of the relative position of the ram when the pipe disposed between the rams shears Method of monitoring cylinder pressure on rams. The method according to claim 1, Further comprising the step of determining a maintenance interval for the components of the ejection protection device from the cylinder pressure recorded as a function of the relative position of the ram over a period of time of the selected period Method of monitoring cylinder pressure on rams. A method for testing components of an ejection- Executing a cycle test on the ejection preventing device; Sensing and recording the cylinder pressure applied on the ram of the ejection protection device at a selected position during the cyclic test; And sensing and recording the ram position using the magnetostrictive sensor during the periodic test How to test the components of the spill prevention device. 9. The method of claim 8, Further comprising comparing the cylinder pressure recorded at the selected location with operating data to determine if the component requires servicing How to test the components of the spill prevention device. 9. The method of claim 8, Further comprising comparing the recorded ram position with the operational data at the selected location to determine if the component requires service How to test the components of the spill prevention device. A method for determining movement of a well head component, Sensing a relative position of the well head component over a selected period of time using a magnetostrictive sensor; Transmitting a signal from the magnetostrictive sensor to a data acquisition device; Recording the relative position of the well head component using the data collection device for a time of the selected period; And comparing the operating data to the recorded location of the well head component to determine whether the relative location is desirable A method for determining movement of a well head component. 12. The method of claim 11, The well head component may be an ejection- A method for determining movement of a well head component. 13. The method of claim 12, Further comprising detecting a backlash within the ejection inhibitor ram using a relative position sensed by the magnetostrictive sensor A method for determining movement of a well head component. 12. The method of claim 11, The well head component is an annular ejection preventing device piston A method for determining movement of a well head component. 15. The method of claim 14, Further comprising determining a wear plate replacement period from a relative position recorded by the data acquisition device over a time of the selected period A method for determining movement of a well head component. 12. The method of claim 11, The well head components may include well head connectors, failsafe valves, pod wedges, diverter lock down dogs, and stack mounted accumulator bottles. Selected from the group consisting of A method for determining movement of a well head component. 12. The method of claim 11, Further comprising determining a remaining average life span of the wellhead component from the relative position recorded by the data acquisition device over a time of the selected period of time A method for determining movement of a well head component. 12. The method of claim 11, Further comprising determining a maintenance period of the wellhead component from a relative position recorded by the data acquisition device over a time of the selected period of time A method for determining movement of a well head component. A method of monitoring a relative position of a blowout preventer ram, Sensing a relative position of the ram to the ejection blocking device using a magnetostrictive sensor, Transmitting a signal from the magnetostrictive sensor to a data acquisition device; Recording the sensed relative position as a function of time using the data acquisition device; And detecting a ram backlash using the relative position of the ram as sensed by the magnetostrictive sensor A method for monitoring the relative position of a ram inhibitor ram. delete 20. The method of claim 19, Further comprising increasing the cylinder pressure in response to the detected ram backlash A method for monitoring the relative position of a ram inhibitor ram. 20. The method of claim 19, Further comprising determining a remaining life expectancy of the packer element of the ejector inhibitor ram from the detected ram backlash A method for monitoring the relative position of a ram inhibitor ram. 20. The method of claim 19, The relative position of the ram to each other is recorded as a ram clearance A method for monitoring the relative position of a ram inhibitor ram. In the ram-type ejection preventing device, A main body, A vertical bore extending through the body, A horizontal bore passing through the body and intersecting the vertical bore, A pair of ram assemblies disposed in the horizontal bore on opposite sides of the body, A pair of cylinder heads attached to the body, the cylinder head being configured to receive a corresponding piston tail, A magnetostrictive waveguide tube in which a first end is attached to one of the pair of cylinder heads, the second end of the magnetostrictive waveguide tube being free standing and extending into the bore of at least one piston tail, The tube, A permanent magnet disposed on said at least one piston tail, Wherein the ram assembly is configured to effect controlled lateral movement from the vertical bore and to the vertical bore, each ram assembly having a first end connected to the ram block and a second end connected to the piston tail, Comprising a piston, Wherein the magnetostrictive waveguide tube includes a conductive wire that receives an interrogation pulse from a transducer that is responsive to the relative position of the permanent magnet to the waveguide tube to generate a helical return signal, Wherein the transducer is configured to receive the helical return signal and output a position of the ram block corresponding to the at least one piston tail Ram-type ejection preventing device. 25. The method of claim 24, The magnetostrictive waveguide tube is longitudinally magnetized Ram-type ejection preventing device. 25. The method of claim 24, The question pulse generating a toroidal magnetic field around the wire Ram-type ejection preventing device. 27. The method of claim 26, The helical return signal is generated in response to interaction between the toroidal magnetic field and the longitudinal magnetization region of the waveguide tube Ram-type ejection preventing device. A method for determining a relative position of a ram, Engaging the magnetostrictive waveguide tube reciprocally within the bore of the piston tail, Longitudinally magnetizing a portion of the waveguide tube using at least one permanent magnet attached to the piston tail; Pulsing a conductive wire disposed in the waveguide tube to create a toroidal magnetic field, wherein a return signal is generated when the toroidal magnetic field meets a longitudinally magnetized portion of the waveguide tube, Pulsing step, Determining a relative position of the ram from the return signal Relative positioning method of RAM. 29. The method of claim 28, Further comprising sensing the return signal over a period of time to determine the speed of the ram Relative positioning method of RAM. 30. The method of claim 29, Further comprising determining a rate of closure of the ram Relative positioning method of RAM. A method of adding an instrumentation to a ram ejection prevention device, Removing the cylinder head enclosure, Removing the piston tail from the hydraulic ram piston, Providing a replacement piston tail having a bore, Installing a replacement cylinder head enclosure having a metering device port, Attaching a magnet assembly to the piston tail, Disposing a magnetostrictive sensor spaced from the replacement cylinder head enclosure such that the magnetostrictive sensor is configured to engage and disengage the piston tail bore as the hydraulic ram piston reciprocates A method of adding a measuring instrument to a ram ejection prevention device. 32. The method of claim 31, Further comprising adjusting the magnetostrictive sensor to indicate a fully open position of the ram and a fully closed position of the ram A method of adding a measuring instrument to a ram ejection prevention device. 32. The method of claim 31, Operatively connecting the magnetostrictive sensor to a digital control system, Further comprising determining the position of the ram using the magnetostrictive sensor A method of adding a measuring instrument to a ram ejection prevention device. 34. The method of claim 33, And displaying the position of the RAM based on an electronic signal from the magnetostrictive sensor A method of adding a measuring instrument to a ram ejection prevention device. 34. The method of claim 33, And controlling the position of the ram based on an electronic signal from the magnetostrictive sensor A method of adding a measuring instrument to a ram ejection prevention device.

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