EP3882398B1 - Drilling rod and method for retrofitting a kelly bar assembly - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a drill rod for transmitting torque, having an elongate rod base body, along which runs at least one main line for a fluid and/or electric power and/or data, an upper suspension device for suspending the drill rod from a support element, a rotary bearing which is located between the suspension device and the rod base body, with the rod base body being rotatably mounted about a rod longitudinal axis relative to the suspension device, and a rotary feedthrough, through which a line connection is formed between at least one supply line that is stationary relative to the support element and the at least one main line of the rotatably mounted rod base body, according to the Preamble of claim 1.

The invention further relates to a method for retrofitting a Kelly bar assembly with a boring bar according to claim 12.

The invention relates to a drill rod which is rotatably mounted on a support element and has a rotary bushing with which a line connection can be established between a fixed supply line and a main line running on the rotatable drill rod.

Such a boring bar is from the EP 2 821 585 A1 out. With this boring bar, a torque can be introduced directly on the outside of the bar body in the region of the rotary feedthrough. Irrespective of the introduction of torque, an axial force, for example to raise or lower the boring bar, can be absorbed via a carrying cable. The power flow runs directly through a Rod-shaped connecting element from a suspension device on the suspension cable through the rotary feedthrough. This requires a particularly stable design of the rotary feedthrough in order to ensure adequate functionality and tightness of the rotary feedthrough, for example when a hydraulic fluid is passed through, even in long-term, rough construction work.

Another generic boring bar is in the JP 2009 299 356 A disclosed. In this boring bar, the rotary union and the rotary bearing form a spatial and functional unit. Here it is difficult to replace the rotary union and/or the rotary bearing.

Finally, a boring bar of the generic type according to the preamble of claim 1 is disclosed EP 3 779 117 A1 out. Here, the functional separation of pivot bearing and rotary feedthrough can only be achieved by an actively driven rotary feedthrough. The media line to be fed through passes the swivel bearing designed as a cable swivel on the outside.

The invention is based on the object of specifying a drill rod and a method for retrofitting a Kelly rod arrangement with which gentle and reliable operation of a drill rod can be achieved in a particularly efficient manner.

The object is achieved on the one hand by a boring bar having the features of claim 1 and on the other hand by a method having the features of claim 12 . Preferred embodiments of the invention are given in the dependent claims.

• dass die Drehdurchführung ein hülsenförmiges Außenteil, welches drehfest mit dem Stangengrundkörper verbunden ist, und ein Innenteil aufweist, welches innerhalb des Außenteils angeordnet und drehfest mit der Aufhängeeinrichtung verbunden ist, und
• dass das Innenteil der Drehdurchführung an einem dornartigen Abschnitt der Aufhängeeinrichtung angeordnet ist, wobei sich der dornartige Abschnitt der Aufhängeeinrichtung nach unten durch das Drehlager hindurch erstreckt, welches ringförmig ausgebildet ist.

The boring bar according to the invention is characterized in that

• that the rotary feedthrough has a sleeve-shaped outer part which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the rod base body, and an inner part which is arranged inside the outer part and is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the suspension device, and
• that the inner part of the rotary feedthrough is arranged on a spike-like section of the suspension device, with the spike-like section of the suspension device extending downwards through the pivot bearing, which is ring-shaped.

A basic idea of the invention can be seen in the fact that a rotary feedthrough on the drill rod is largely relieved of an axial flow of force, so that the rotary feedthrough and in particular the seals provided therein can be protected.

According to one aspect of the invention, the rotary bearing has an axial bearing which is arranged above the rotary feedthrough. This axial bearing can thus be used to transmit the entire or at least a substantial part of the axial flow of force from the relatively stationary suspension device to the rod base body, which is rotatable relative thereto. Correspondingly, this relieves the underlying rotating union of this axial force flow. Thus, any load changes when raising or lowering the drill string have little or no effect on the components of the rotary feedthrough that can be rotated relative to one another with the seals installed therein.

This increases the service life of the seals, which are in particular elastomer seals with sealing lips.

According to the invention, due to the spatial and functional separation between the rotary feedthrough and the axial bearing, conventional or simple rotary feedthroughs and axial bearings can be used. This reduces the manufacturing effort and the manufacturing costs. With such a rotary feedthrough, a reliable transmission of a fluid, which can be a liquid or a gas, and of electrical power or data between a stationary element and a rotating element can be ensured.

According to the invention, the rotary feedthrough comprises a sleeve-shaped outer part, which is connected to the rod body in a rotationally fixed manner, and an inner part, which is arranged inside the outer part and is connected to the suspension device in a rotationally fixed manner. In principle, however, the sleeve-shaped outer part of the rotary feedthrough could also be connected to a suspension device in a rotationally fixed manner, while the inner part is connected to the rod base body. The ground line and the supply line can be pipes, hoses, current-carrying cables or data-transmitting lines.

A particularly compact design is achieved according to the invention in that the inner part of the rotary feedthrough is arranged on a thorn-like section of the suspension device, with the thorn-like section of the suspension device extending downwards through the pivot bearing, which is ring-shaped. This ensures a particularly good decoupling of the power transmission through the axial bearing and a line connection through the rotary feedthrough underneath.

In principle, the at least one main line can run along an outside of the strand base body. A particularly protected arrangement is achieved according to one embodiment of the drill rod according to the invention in that the rod base is tubular with a central cavity and that the at least one main line is inside the tubular rod base runs. In particular during a drilling operation, the at least one main line is thus arranged in a particularly protected manner.

According to one embodiment of the invention, it is also particularly expedient for the at least one main line to open out at a connection plate which is arranged on an upper region of the rod base body. The connection plate represents a defined connection option on the rod base body. In a corresponding manner, a connection plate can also be provided at the lower end of the rod base body for the main line. A connection plate is particularly advantageous if several main lines are provided.

It is also expedient that a connecting device is provided by which the connection plate is connected to the sleeve-shaped outer part of the rotary feedthrough, with a line connection being formed between the main line in the rod base body and the feed line on the support element. The connecting plate and the connecting device can be designed in a modular fashion as plug-in components. The connecting plate has a predetermined pattern of line openings, with corresponding openings for connecting lines to the rotary feedthrough being provided on the connecting device.

It is a preferred variant of the drill rod according to the invention that the connecting device comprises a basket-like insert with at least one connecting line. The connecting lines can be designed to be flexible and thus ensure a connection to the rotary feedthrough in an efficient manner.

It can be advantageous here for the basket-like insert to have at least one form-fitting element, with which a non-rotatable connection is formed between the connection plate and/or the sleeve-shaped outer part of the rotary feedthrough. The connecting device thus not only establishes a line connection, but also serves as a mechanical connection between the connection plate and the rotary feedthrough. The connecting device can in particular also serve as a type of adapter between the connecting plate on a drill rod and a rotary feedthrough. When changing a rotating union, it can thus be sufficient to change and replace only the connection device accordingly.

A preferred embodiment of the invention also consists in the fact that axially directed stop strips for torque transmission run on an outside of the rod base body. The boring bar can be designed in particular as a Kelly bar, in particular as a single Kelly bar or as a Kelly bar for a telescoping Kelly bar arrangement. External torque can be transmitted to the boring bar via the outer stop bars.

In the case of a telescoping Kelly rod arrangement, it is advantageous according to a further development of the invention that a plurality of outer drill rod tubes are provided. In this way, a multiple Kelly bar arrangement, for example with three or four Kelly bar elements, can be formed. Greater drilling depths in particular can be achieved with such a multiple Kelly rod arrangement.

In principle, a rigid component, in particular a rod, can be used as the support element. According to one embodiment variant of the invention, it is advantageous that the support element is a torsionally rigid support cable. The suspension rope can still be wound up on a winch like a conventional suspension rope. The suspension cable is therefore flexible in the longitudinal direction. However, it is designed to be torsionally rigid in the circumferential direction, so that it can also be provided for absorbing torques.

The invention further relates to a drilling device with at least one previously described drill rod or a previously described drill rod assembly, wherein a drilling tool with a line connection is detachably attached to the drill rod. The drilling tool can have at least one actuating component that is actuated with a fluid, such as hydraulic fluid or compressed air. This also includes actively driven tools, such as rotary hammers with axially driven lifting rams. Compressed air can also be provided for an air-lift method for removing drill cuttings from the drilling tool. As an alternative or in addition, sensors or electrically actuated control elements can also be provided, which have a line connection for the transmission of electrical power and/or data exhibit. In particular, the drilling tool can be a drill bucket or a drill auger with corresponding adjustment elements and/or sensors.

Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for retrofitting a Kelly bar arrangement, an inner Kelly bar of an existing Kelly bar arrangement being replaced by the boring bar described above. In this way, existing Kelly bar arrangements, which are usually not provided and designed for the transmission of fluids, electrical power and/or data, can be retrofitted in this regard in a simple and efficient manner. This results in the advantages described above with the boring bar according to the invention.

A preferred method variant of the invention is that in a multiple kelly rod arrangement with an inner kelly rod, at least one intermediate kelly tube and an outer kelly tube, the inner kelly rod and possibly at least one intermediate kelly rod are replaced by the drill rod. For example, in the case of a triple kelly bar, only the inner kelly bar can be replaced, so that a triple kelly bar arrangement with three bar elements is still provided. Depending on the sizes, however, the intermediate kelly tube and the existing inner kelly rod could also be replaced by an inner kelly rod according to the invention in a triple kelly rod arrangement. Thus, a dual kelly rod arrangement would be formed, which would consist only of the existing outer kelly tube and the newly inserted drill rod according to the invention as the inner kelly rod.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Ansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Bohrstange;

Fig. 2

eine Querschnittsansicht der Bohrstange zu Fig. 1;

Fig. 3

eine perspektivische Ansicht einer herkömmlichen Innenkellystange;

Fig. 4

eine Querschnittsansicht der herkömmlichen Innenkellystange von Fig. 3;

Fig. 5

eine teilgeschnittene und verkürzte Darstellung einer Mehrfach-Kellystangenanordnung mit einer erfindungsgemäßen Bohrstange;

Fig. 6

eine Querschnittsansicht eines oberen Bereichs einer erfindungsgemäßen Bohrstange;

Fig. 7

eine perspektivische Detailansicht von Teilen des oberen Bereichs einer erfindungsgemäßen Bohrstange;

Fig. 8

eine Querschnittsansicht eines unteren Bereichs der Mehrfach-Kellystangenanordnung von Fig. 5; und

Fig. 9

eine perspektivische Ansicht eines erfindungsgemäßen Bohrgerätes.

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to preferred exemplary embodiments which are illustrated in the drawings. In the drawings show:

1

a perspective view of a boring bar according to the invention;

2

Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the boring bar 1 ;

3

a perspective view of a conventional inner kelly bar;

4

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the conventional inner kelly bar of FIG 3 ;

figure 5

a partially cut and abbreviated representation of a multiple Kelly rod assembly with a drill rod according to the invention;

6

a cross-sectional view of an upper portion of a boring bar according to the invention;

7

a perspective detailed view of parts of the upper area of a boring bar according to the invention;

8

12 is a cross-sectional view of a lower portion of the multiple Kelly bar assembly of FIG figure 5 ; and

9

a perspective view of a drilling device according to the invention.

An embodiment of a boring bar 10 according to the invention is shown in FIGS Figures 1 and 2 shown. The drill rod 10 comprises an elongate rod-shaped base body 12 which is tubular with a central cavity 13 . On the outside of the rod body 12, stop strips 14 running in the longitudinal direction for torque transmission are attached, corresponding to a function of an inner kelly rod.

A suspension device 20 (only partially shown) is provided at an upper end section of the boring bar 10, while a tool connection device 25 is provided at a lower end section. The workpiece connection device 25 is provided with a square for a so-called Kelly box on a tool. A connection device 60 for a main line 30 is arranged in the area of the suspension device 20 within a tubular housing 27 , which runs longitudinally along the central cavity 13 from the suspension device 20 to the tool connection device 25 and is supported by brackets 15 . The connecting device 60 is described in more detail below.

A comparison with a conventional inner Kelly bar 1, which in the Figures 3 and 4 1 shows similarities and differences between this prior art and the boring bar 10 of the present invention as shown in FIGS Figures 1 and 2 . In a known inner Kelly rod 1, a rod-shaped base body 2 with outer strip-shaped stops 7 is also provided for torque transmission. The inner Kelly bar 1 is also provided with a hanging section 4 at an upper end and a tool connecting portion 5 at a lower end. Furthermore, the base body 2 of the inner kelly bar 1 can also be tubular with a cavity 3, which is used in a conventional inner kelly bar 1 to reduce the weight and otherwise has no function. Consequently, an existing inner kelly 1 can be retrofitted to a drill rod 10 according to the invention relatively easily by replacing the end sections and threading one or more conduits 30 in the body 2 .

A Kelly bar assembly 100 in accordance with the present invention having an inner boring bar 10 in accordance with the present invention such as those previously described in connection with FIGS Figures 1 and 2 was described is in figure 5 shown. Beside the drill rod 10 as an inner kelly, there are provided a first drill pipe 112 forming an intermediate kelly and an outer second drill pipe 114 serving as an outer kelly. As is usual with Kelly bars, the inner drill rod 10 and the second drill pipe 114 and the first drill pipe 112 lying between them can be moved axially relative to one another, so that a telescoping Kelly bar arrangement 100 is formed overall. Torque can be transmitted between the individual Kelly bar elements in a basically known manner via inner and outer stop strips, with locking pockets also being able to be provided for axial locking.

A collar-shaped stop ring 116 is attached to the outer second drill pipe 114 and is used to place the Kelly bar arrangement 100 on an upper side of a rotary drive of a drill. Furthermore, in a basically known manner, damping elements 28 made of a rubber material can be provided in a lower area in order to buffer axial shocks between the inner drill rod 10 and the outer drill rod tubes 112 and 114 .

Several main lines 30 run within the central cavity 13 of the tubular rod base body 12 of the boring rod 10. In their lower region, these open into radially directed line connections 2& on the lower tool connection device 25. A soil cultivation tool, in particular a boring tool, can be attached here in a rotationally fixed manner via a fundamentally known Kelly connection . Since the connected tool is connected in a rotationally fixed manner, can a corresponding line connection to the line connection 26 which is fixed relative thereto can be effected in a relatively simple manner.

In their upper area, the main lines 30 open into a connecting device 60 with connecting lines 68 running therein 7 described in more detail.

At the upper end area of the connecting device 60 there is a rotary feedthrough 40 which has a cup-shaped or sleeve-shaped outer part 42 . The outer part 42 is non-rotatably connected to the connecting device 60 and the rod base body 12 . Furthermore, the rotary feedthrough 40 includes an inner part 44 which protrudes upwards from the outer part 42 and is rotatable relative thereto. Intermediate lines 36 are connected to the inner part 44 and run upwards through the annular pivot bearing 50 to a pin-shaped connection element 21 on which radially directed feed connections 22 for at least one feed line 82 are provided. The structure of the suspension device 20 with the suspension element 21 and the pivot bearing 50 is described below in connection with FIG Fig.6 explained further.

According to 6 an upper area of the suspension device 20 is shown in cross section. The peg-shaped suspension element 21 has a transversely directed latch receptacle 23 for a latch bolt, with which the suspension element 21 can be connected to a rope eyelet, not shown, of a suspension rope. The peg-shaped suspension element 21 is thus arranged on a support element so as to be stationary about a longitudinal axis in the direction of rotation. In the exemplary embodiment shown, a fluid can also be supplied via the supply connection 22 via supply lines that are also fixed and can thus be routed downwards via the intermediate lines 36 in the direction of the rotary feedthrough 40 .

At a lower end of the peg-shaped suspension element 21 a diameter-enlarged area is formed, which forms a sleeve-like bearing housing 54 of the rotary bearing 50 . An axial bearing 52 is arranged within the bearing housing 54 and is formed by three roller bearings in the exemplary embodiment shown. A tubular inner part 56 is rotatably mounted in the bearing housing 54 via the axial bearing 52 . The inner bearing part 56 is thus relatively rotatable with respect to each other the bearing housing 54 mounted on the mandrel-like suspension element 21 and the internal intermediate lines 36.

The lower area of the tubular inner bearing part 56 is provided with a fastening section 58 to which the rod base body 12 is attached in a rotationally fixed manner either directly or via an intermediate element. In this way, a flow of force can take place from the locking bolt via the suspension element 21 via the axial bearing 52 to the inner bearing part 56 rotatable for this purpose with the rod base body 12 firmly attached thereto.

Fluid can flow from the feed connection 22 through the intermediate line 36 to the rod base body 12 . It should be pointed out here that the intermediate lines 36 and the feed connections 22 are not only used for feeding a fluid from top to bottom to a tool, but in a corresponding manner also for feeding or returning fluid from the tool back up to a carrier device can serve, for example, when a hydraulic fluid is used as the fluid.

In the rod body 12, the connecting device 60 is arranged, which is shown below according to 7 is explained in more detail. The connecting device 60 has, in particular, a basket-like insert 62 with a base 63 and longitudinal struts 64 extending therefrom in the longitudinal direction, which are stabilized with a ring 65 at their upper end. The main lines 30 in the rod-shaped base body 12 open into a connection plate 18 which is also fixedly arranged in the rod base body 12 and has an annular plug-in socket 19 . A lower area of the base 63 of the basket-like insert 62 with the lower connections 67 can be inserted axially into this, with a line connection being produced between the main lines 30 and the intermediate lines 68 in the connecting device 60 . The upper ends of the connecting lines 68 are firmly attached to the underside of the sleeve-shaped or pot-shaped outer part 42 of the rotary feedthrough 40 . A line connection to the inner part 44 , which is rotatable relative to the sleeve-shaped outer part 42 , is established within the rotary feedthrough 40 . The rotary feedthrough 40 can be designed to establish a line connection for a fluid, electrical current and/or data. The outer part 42 of the rotary union 40 is over a locking ring 69 is housed securely in the basket-like insert 62 with the smaller-diameter inner part 44 protruding through the larger-diameter passage in the locking ring 69 . The previously described intermediate lines 36 can be connected to the suspension element 21 on the upper side of the inner part 44 .

The connecting device 60 is introduced into the rod-shaped base body 12 by being pushed axially into the latter, a non-rotatable connection with the rod base body 12 being established via form-fitting elements 66 on the base 63, which are designed as radial recesses. For this purpose, corresponding radial projections are provided on the rod body 12, which, however, are not shown in the drawings.

In the cross-sectional view according to 8 A lower end of a boring bar 10 according to the invention having a longitudinal axis 16 is shown in a Kelly bar arrangement 100 . The main lines 30 run within the rod base body 12 and in particular in the central cavity 13 until they open into radially directed line connections 26 in the area of the tool connection device 25 . A line connection 26a on the left-hand side is shown as a fluid connection, while the line connection 26b on the right-hand side is designed as a connection for electrical current or a data line. A fluid flow is shown schematically by a dashed line, while a power flow is indicated by an arrow line.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, ring-shaped damping elements 28 made of rubber are arranged on the lower end area of the boring bar 10 , which are supported on the one hand at the bottom against the tool connection device 25 and at the top against an attachment ring 29 . A lower end of the first drill pipe 112 and the second drill pipe 114 of the Kelly bar arrangement 100 lie on the attachment ring 29 .

According to 9 a drilling device 70 according to the invention is shown with a carrier device 71 . The carrier device 71 comprises an upper carriage 72 which is rotatably mounted on an undercarriage 73 which has a crawler chassis.

A substantially vertically directed mast 74 is mounted on the superstructure 72, along which a drilling device carriage 75 with a rotary drive 76 is mounted so as to be displaceable. A Kelly bar arrangement 100 according to the invention is suspended via a support element 80 designed as a support cable, which protrudes downwards through the annular rotary drive 76 . A drilling tool (not shown), for example a box drill, can be attached to a tool connection device 25 at a lower end of the Kelly bar arrangement 100 . At least one supply line 82 can be used, for example, to supply hydraulic fluid from the carrier device 71 via the suspension device 20 to the Kelly bar arrangement 100 and thus to an attached drilling tool.

Claims (13)

1. A drill rod for transferring a torque comprising

   - an elongate rod base body (12), along which runs at least one base line (30) for a fluid and/or electric current and/or data,

   - an upper suspension device (20) for suspending the drill rod (10) from a support element (80),

   - a rotary bearing (50), which is arranged between the suspension device (20) and the rod base body (12), wherein the rod base body (12) is mounted rotatably relative to the suspension device (20) about a rod longitudinal axis, and

   - a rotary feedthrough (40), through which a line connection is formed between at least one feed line (82), which is fixed relative to the support element (80), and the at least one base line (30) of the rotatably-mounted rod base body (12),

   - wherein the rotary bearing (50) comprises an axial bearing (52) which is arranged above or below the rotary feedthrough (40),

   - wherein the rotary feedthrough (40) and the rotary bearing (50), which comprises the axial bearing (52), are spatially and functionally separate, and

   - whereinthe rotary bearing (50) is arranged axially distanced from the rotary feedthrough (40),

   - wherein the rotary feedthrough (40) comprises a sleeve-shaped outer part (42), which is connected to the rod base body (12) torque proof, and an inner part (40), which is arranged within the outer part (42) and is connected to the suspension device (20) torque proof, and

   - wherein the inner part (44) of the rotary feedthrough (40) is arranged on a spike-like portion of the suspension device (20), wherein the spike-like portion of the suspension device (20) extends downwardly through the rotary bearing (50), which is configured in annular shape.
2. The drill rod according to claim 1,
   characterized in that

   the rod base body (12) is tubular with a center cavity (13), and

   in that the at least one base line (30) runs within the tubular rod base body (12).
3. The drill rod according to claim 2,
   characterized in that
   the at least one base line (30) opens out into a connection plate (18), which is arranged on an upper region of the rod base body (12).
4. The drill rod according to claim 3,
   characterized in that
   a connection device (60) is provided, by means of which the connection plate (18) is connected to the sleeve-shaped outer part (42) of the rotary feedthrough (40), wherein a line connection between the base line (30) in the rod base body (12) and the feed line (82) is formed on the support element (80).
5. The drill rod according to claim 4,
   characterized in that
   the connection device (60) comprises a basket-like insert (62) with at least one connection line (68).
6. The drill rod according to claim 5,
   characterized in that
   the basket-like insert (62) comprises at least one form-fit element (66), by means of which a torque proof connection is formed between the connection plate (18) and/or the sleeve-shaped outer part (42) of the rotary feedthrough (40).
7. The drill rod according to one of claims 1 to 6,
   characterized in that
   axially directed stop strips (14) for torque transfer run on an outer side of the rod base body (12).
8. A drill rod arrangement having a drill rod (10) according to one of claims 1 to 7,
   characterized in that
   at least one radially outer drill rod pipe (112, 114) is also provided, wherein, to form a telescopic Kelly bar arrangement (100), the drill rod (10) is mounted torque proof, but axially displaceably in the at least one outer drill rod pipe (112, 114).
9. The drill rod arrangement according to claim 8,
   characterized in that
   a plurality of outer drill rod pipes (112, 114) is provided.
10. The drill rod arrangement according to claim 8 or 9,
    characterized in that
    the support element (80) is a torsionally rigid support rope.
11. A drilling apparatus having at least one drill rod (10) according to one of claims 1 to 7 or a drill rod arrangement according to one of claims 8 to 10,
    characterized in that
    a drilling tool with a line connection is attached releasably on the drill rod (10).
12. A method for retrofitting a Kelly bar arrangement (100),
    wherein an inner Kelly bar of an existing Kelly bar arrangement (100) is replaced by a drill rod (10) according to one of claims 1 to 9.
13. The method according to claim 12,
    characterized in that
    with a multiple Kelly bar arrangement (100) with an inner Kelly bar, at least one intermediate Kelly pipe and an outer Kelly pipe, the inner Kelly bar or the inner Kelly bar and at least one intermediate Kelly pipe is replaced by the drill rod (10).

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