Three Dimensional Stress Analysis and Optimisation of Elevators for Drilling by Photoelasticity

Elevators designed to suspend tubing and drilling pipes in tripping operations are complex structures in petroleum drilling processes. Due to complexity of structure of elevators designed to suspend tubing in tripping operations used in oil well service, many stress geometrical concentration zones occur, and the three dimensional stresses can’t be calculated accurately with sufficient precision and easily by analytical and numerical procedures. To determine and optimise the real stresses occurring at these structures, the photoelasticity method is used reliably. Three dimensional models made from optically sensitive materials and freezing of strains technique are applied to analyse the stresses throughout in the present analysis. The obtained results can be applied to test the currently existing package programmes and to write new computer algorithmes for the related systems.