JPS5919237B2 - drilling rig - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a particularly advantageous type of underwater drilling rig as described in Japanese Patent No. 564743.

The underwater drilling equipment shown in that patent is particularly adapted to be placed above the water's bottom from equipment above the water's surface.

Underwater drilling equipment consists of a support platform that is connected to equipment on the water surface by a hanging cable and that supports a drilling tool, and an underwater drive motor that is connected to the drilling tool and that together with the tool constitutes a robust member of the drilling equipment. a flexible conduit extending from an end of the rigid member remote from the drilling tool; and a flexible conduit for supplying pressurized drilling fluid to the drilling tool and remote from the rigid member. The rigid member comprises a motor-pump unit fixed to the support with a discharge orifice connected to the end thereof, and the rigid member is for flowing pressurized drilling fluid from the flexible conduit to the drilling tool. It has a passageway.

The motor-pump unit is connected to the equipment above the water by means of a power supply cable, and the support has means for guiding the rigid member.

The drilling rig of Patent No. 564,743 further includes a storage reel for the flexible conduit supported by the support, and a storage reel for the flexible conduit that is remote from the rigid member and for discharging the motor/pump unit. means for connecting to the orifice; means for controlling the respective winding and unwinding operations of the flexible conduit wound on the storage reel; and a remote for operating the control means from surface equipment. It consists of a control system.

In one embodiment, described by way of non-limiting example in that patent, the means for controlling the winding and unwinding operations of a flexible conduit or tube wound on a reel comprises two electric motors and each It consists of an assembly of devices that allow the connection of the motor shaft to be adjusted.

Each motor and its connections are connected to surface equipment by power cables and remote control cables.

The means for controlling the winding and unwinding of a flexible conduit as described in that patent does not require operational efficiency without increasing the space occupied by the drilling rig and complicating the arrangement of the various members making up the means. Desired flexibility cannot be obtained.

When each means is activated, it is necessary to apply considerable force to the supply or storage reel for the flexible conduit.

For example, if a rigid member of the drilling rig becomes jammed in the formation plane being excavated, a high power electric motor must be used, which takes up more space.

Furthermore, with such motors it is difficult to vary the force applied to the supply reel and to vary the rate of displacement of solid members of the drilling rig in the formation.

This velocity variation is desirable for the purpose of carrying out the excavation operation under appropriate conditions, depending on the nature of the formation surface.

The underwater drilling equipment according to the present invention overcomes these drawbacks and
A device of the form shown in that patent, characterized in that the means for controlling the winding and unwinding of the flexible conduit on the supply reel consists of a remote hydraulic device. .

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are presented for the purpose of illustrating embodiments of the invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the drilling equipment of the present invention has 1
and 4 legs A, B connected at 2.

It consists of a support with C, D, which ends in a base connected on an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the corresponding foot, which base is placed on the bottom 3 of the water. It has become.

In order to prevent the support platform from deforming as a whole, the legs are connected in the vicinity of the base by connecting rods 4, 5.6 and 7.

The support platform communicates with the surface equipment by cables 24, which are used to lower and raise the equipment.

The excavation tool 8 is placed in an extension of the rigid part, which in the case of the example shown in the accompanying drawings is constituted by an assembly of the tool 8 and a submersible drive motor 9.

The drive motor 9 is an electric motor in the example of the accompanying drawings, but could also be a turbine driven by a pressurized water stream.

A submersible drive motor 9 driving the drilling tool 8 is placed at the end of a flexible conduit 10 which passes over a pulley 11 and winds onto a storage reel 12 placed below the pulley 11. It's dark.

The distance between the bottom of the support and the bottom of the pulley 11 is slightly longer than the length of the rigid parts 8-9.

This allows the rigid part to be placed inside the support before and after the excavation operation, ie when the entire device of the invention is raised and lowered between the water bottom and the surface equipment.

The upper parts of assemblies IJ-A and B are integrated with girders a and b supporting the shaft 13 of the pulley 11, and these girders can be removed, and the length and shape of the shaft 13 can be adjusted as required.
can be chosen to adjust the height of the rigid assembly 8 and 9 to the selected length from the bottom of the support.

This length is determined by considering only the stability and working characteristics of the entire device.

The pulley 11 and storage reel 12 are rotatable about horizontal, parallel axes 13 and 14 supported by a support, through which an axial tube 21 passes.

The device according to the invention comprises guide devices 15 and 16 for the rigid parts 8-9.
and a motor-pump assembly (motor 17, pump 18) for supplying water under pressure to the drilling tool 8 via a flexible conduit 10 and an axial conduit to the stator of the motor 9; The rigid part is guided in the direction of the vertical force.

The motor-pump assembly is conveniently fixed to the foot A of the support, the compression orifice of the pump being connected to the shaft 1 via a pipe 19 and a rotating connecting member 20.
4, into which the end 22 of the flexible conduit 10 is open.

Electrical current is supplied to the motor 17 from above the water via conductors in a cable 23 which connects to a power source at the equipment above the water.

The cable 23 can also be the same as the cable support 24.

The submersible drive motor 9 driving the drilling tool 8, if it is a hydraulic motor, is driven by a pressurized water stream provided at the outlet of the motor pump assembly 17,18.

The power must be such that sufficient pressure is applied to the drilling fluid to drive the drilling rig.

In the example of the accompanying drawings, the submersible drive motor 9 is an electric motor, which is supplied with three-phase alternating current by means of conductors embedded in the wall of the flexible conduit 10.

This conductor is connected from the end 22 of the conduit 10 through an axial tube 21 to three current collection rings C1, C2, C3, which are insulated from each other and rotate the shaft 14 of the storage reel. let

On this ring there are three brushes b1. b2. b3 are in frictional contact, the conductors of a cable 23 are connected to these three brushes, and the brushes are supported on the corresponding current collecting rings by means of springs.

The current collecting ring and the auxiliary brush, for example brush b4, are connected to the cable 23
Electrical contact is prevented between the conditioning conductor contained within the flexible conduit and the corresponding conductor embedded in the wall of the flexible conduit.

The brush and conductive ring assembly is enclosed in a waterproof box closed by a lid 25.

This is clearly shown in FIG.

Winding and unwinding of flexible conduit 10 on supply reel 12 is controlled by device 26.

The device 26 is connected to a shaft 27 terminating in a portion that engages a toothed wheel mounted on the shaft 14 of the reel 12 .

FIG. 3 schematically shows a first type of hydraulic system for controlling the winding and unwinding of flexible conduit 10 on supply reel 12. FIG.

This device makes a connection with a shaft 101 which drives a gear 102 which is coaxial with the shaft of the reel 12 and meshes with a gear 103 which is rigidly fixed thereto.

Connection for rotation of reel 12 and shaft 101 may be made by other well known means such as endless screws, gears associated with drive chains, etc.

Shaft 101 is connected by a conventional clutch device 104 to an output shaft 105 of a reduction gear 106 driven by a main hydraulic motor 107 .

The shaft 108 of the motor rotates at a high speed greater than the speed of the shaft 101.

The reversible hydraulic motor 107 mainly performs the following functions during excavation work.

1) Winding up the flexible conduit to the supply reel after drilling operations 2) Pulling out a rigid member of the drilling rig when it becomes jammed in the formation plane 3) Removing the rigidity of the drilling rig during the drilling operation The hydraulic motor 107 is connected to the flexible conduit 10 for the reduction ratio of the reduction gear 106 and the meshing of the gears 102, 103.
can be wound onto the reel 12, and a considerable rim force can be generated on the reel 12 by means of a motor 107 of appropriate capacity.

The motor 107 thus moves the flexible conduit 10 at the completion of the excavation operation or at any other time this operation is required.
It has the effect of winding up.

When the motor 107 is powered in the manner described above, the motor can provide very strong pulling forces that can pull out solid members of the drilling rig when it becomes jammed in the formation plane. can.

During the drilling operation, the motor 107 is able to control the speed of advance of the rigid member of the drilling rig, although its direction of rotation is reversed.

This motor is powered in a manner described below.

The range of propulsion speeds obtained by the action of the motor 107 is not always sufficient, especially when the excavation tool operates in hard geological formations.

This is because the propulsion speed has to be reduced, for example to a value of 1 crfL per minute.

To obtain these low speeds, a low horsepower (eg, 3 horsepower) auxiliary hydraulic motor 109 is utilized to control the travel speed.

This motor has a reduction gear 1 having an output shaft 112.
11 shaft 115 and clutch 120 are connected to shaft 1
Rotate through 10.

Shaft 115 is rotated with shaft 108 by a conventional transmission consisting of a sprocket wheel 117 rigidly mounted on shaft 115 and a chain 116 engaging a sprocket wheel 118 mounted on shaft 108.

Clutch 120 may be of any conventional type, either hydraulically or electrically operated.

This clutch connects shafts 112 and 115 when no actuation signal is sent from equipment on the water surface.

In this way, the coupling between shaft 110 and shaft 101 is non-reversible, so that as long as this motor is not energized and clutch 120 is engaged, motor 1
09 prevents the reel 12 from rotating.

This allows the support of the device to be operated without unwinding the flexible conduit when raising and lowering the device between the underwater surface and surface equipment, such as a vessel in which the excavation means is operated.

FIG. 3 shows an electromagnetic clutch comprised of a plate 113 that is rigidly fixed to a shaft 112 and rotates a plate 114 that is rigidly fixed to a shaft 115.

These two plates are connected via a device 119 that is activated by the current applied to the coil terminals.

Although not shown, the device 119 includes, for example, a cable 2
Electrical current is supplied from the surface equipment via a remotely controlled electrical conductor that can be housed within 3.

Motor 109, which is used for the purpose of adjusting the forward speed of the drilling tool as described above, can rotate in the same direction as motor 107 as motor 107 winds the conduit onto a reel.

In this case, the plates 113 and 114 are also connected by a device 119.

FIG. 4 shows a simple form of means for winding and unwinding the flexible conduit on the supply reel 12.

Identical reference numerals are used to indicate similar elements to those associated with FIG.

The flexible conduit supply reel 12 is attached to the shaft 101 for rotation with the shaft 101, for example by means of a device consisting of a pinion 102 rigidly connected to the shaft 101 and a chain 103 fixed to one of the cheeks of the reel 12.
01.

The shaft 101 is rotated via a reduction gear 106 by a reversible fluid motor 107 .

Operation of the motor 107 causes the conduit to be wound onto the supply reel and unwound during controlled excavation.

By controlling the pressure and flow of the pressurized fluid supplied to the motor 107, the tangential force acting on the rim of the reel 12 can be varied and the rotational speed of the reel can be increased or decreased.

In this arrangement, the drive chain connecting shafts 108 and 101 is totally non-reversible, for example due to leakage of fluid motor 107, so that drilling rigs operating between surface equipment and the bottom surface are Supply reel 1 during moving work
For the purpose of preventing any rotation of 2, brake means, not shown in the drawings, are provided.

The braking means may be of known type.

For example, it may consist of two opposed piston-cylinder units consisting of electric or hydraulic means for deactivating the shaft 101 or jaws for gripping a flexible conduit or a rigid member of the drilling rig. Good too.

This simplified arrangement of means for controlling the winding and unwinding of the flexible conduit on the reel 12 is particularly suitable for drilling operations in soft formation surfaces where it is necessary to have considerable flexibility in the forward speed of the drilling tool. It is advantageous if you do this.

FIG. 5 shows one supply reel for the purpose of feeding the motor and flexible conduit shown in FIG.
A hydraulic power source used for driving purposes is schematically shown.

This hydraulic power source consists of a liquid-tight tank or reservoir 121 containing pressurized fluid.

All members constituting this hydraulic power source are contained within the tank 121.

The pressurized fluid is pressurized by two pumps 122 and 123 driven by motors not shown in the drawings.

The motor may be a fluid motor supplied with pressurized fluid via a suitable piping system from above-water equipment.

An electric motor installed inside the tank 121 can also be used to drive the two pumps.

The rotor of the motor is submerged in pressurized fluid and the motor is powered from above the water via a cable.

In this case, it may be particularly advantageous to use motors with impregnated squirrel cage coils.

In addition, this electric motor does not have blades, so
The shape of the rotor is such that energy losses due to eddying of the pressurized fluid in the tank are kept to a minimum.

A pump 122 with a variable output, e.g. in the range of 0 to 181 light per minute, supplies pressurized fluid, e.g. 210 bar, to the high pressure line 124 via line 125 and flow regulator 126.

This pump, called a power cut-off pump, is equipped with an overpressure safety device.

The output of the pressurized fluid delivered by the pump 122 is adjusted by a regulator 126.

The regulating device of the regulator 126 is connected to the cable 1 from the equipment on the water surface.
26a to a reduction gear driven by a small electric motor that is remotely controlled.

The device for adjusting the fluctuations is associated with a graduated potentiometer, the position of which is communicated by telemetry to the equipment above the water surface, the output level of the pump 122 being known.

Pump 123 is of a high output type and its output level is substantially constant, for example 1521 pumps per minute.

Pressurized fluid is supplied to line 124 via line 127 and check valve 128 at the maximum discharge pressure of pump 123, which is for example at a pressure of 35 bar.

This pressure is maintained at a maximum pressure level by means of a pressure limiting means 129 which is connected parallel to the pump 123 and driven via a tube 129a connected to the tube 124.

This pressure limiting means allows the discharge port of pump 123 to communicate with tank 121 when the pressure exceeds a predetermined maximum value.

Valve 130, driven by electromagnetic sliding valve 131 and connected in parallel with pump 123, allows the discharge port of pump 123 to communicate with the tank via low pressure line 132.

High pressure line 124 and low pressure line 132 are connected to fluid motors 107, 109, respectively, for the purpose of operating supply reels for the flexible conduit.
supply fluid to.

This supply action is performed by electromagnetic three-way sliding valves 133, 134.
It is done through.

The level of high pressure supplied to the motor 109 is controlled by a valve 136 arranged in series in the high pressure circuit, e.g.
limited to a predetermined value of ar.

This value corresponds to the maximum allowable pressure level for motor 109.

Electromagnetic sliding valves 133, 134, energized by electrical signals sent from above-water equipment, are in their first positions to enable fluid to be supplied to motors 107, 109, so that each motor moves in a first direction. Rotate.

When the joint valve is in the second position, the fluid supply to each motor is cut off.

motors 107, 109 when the joint venture is in the third position;
to rotate each motor in a direction opposite to the first rotational force direction.

The electromagnetic two-position sliding valve 137 connected in parallel with the motor 107 can short-circuit the fluid supply circuit to the motor 107 for the reasons listed below when the entire device system is operated.

Valve 136, which is connected to the discharge port of pump 122, is connected to the "attached" circuits 138 and 139 of pumps 107 and 109.
supply fluid to.

This additional circuit, familiar to those skilled in the art, protects the fluid motor from abnormal overpressure and also prevents cavitation phenomena.

The operation of the central hydraulic power plant is as follows.

During excavation work, power is supplied to the coil of the electromagnetic sliding valve 131 from equipment on the water surface to drive the valve 130, and in this way the pump 1
The discharge port 127 of No. 23 is communicated with the tank.

High pressure line 124 then receives pressurized fluid from pump 122.

Therefore, control of the traveling speed is performed by the motor 107.

In this case, an electric remote control is used to place the electromagnetic slide valve 133 into a fluid supply position to the motor 107 and to rotate the shaft 108 of the motor in a direction such that the flexible conduit is unwound. 133 is excited.

The speed is adjusted by remotely controlling flow regulator 126.

When the advancing speed is controlled by the motor 109, the electromagnetic sliding valve 134 is energized, and the motor 109 is used to rotate the shirt H10 (FIG. 3) of the motor in a direction such that the flexible conduit is unwound. At the same time as the fluid is placed in the position to supply fluid, the electromagnetic sliding valve 137 is excited.

The valve 137 interconnects the supply pipes of the motor 107 corresponding to the two rotational force directions of the motor 107, so that the motor 107 driven by the unwinding of the pipe is in a closed circuit and the pump fulfills the functions of

The shafts 112 and 115 are connected by a clutch 120.

The output of the pump 122 is shut off by the regulator 126 during the operation in which the flexible conduit is rewound on the supply reel.

Therefore, fluid is supplied to the high pressure pipe 124 from the pump 123.

The electromagnetic slide valve 133 is energized into a position to supply fluid to the motor 107, and the output shaft of the motor 107 rotates in the direction in which the flexible conduit is wound onto the supply reel.

If the drilling tool becomes jammed during operation, a force of, for example, 151 degrees can be applied by the motor 107 to the flexible conduit in the direction that it is rolled up.

For this purpose, the electromagnetic sliding valve 131 is activated.

This is interposed by a valve 130, which connects the pump's discharge port tank via a pipe 127.

The motor 107 is therefore supplied with high pressure (eg 210 bar) fluid by means of a pump 122.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative arrangement of fluid motors 107, 109 that provide fluid energy from above-water equipment.

In this arrangement, similar elements used in the previous arrangement have the same reference characters as in FIG. 5.

The mode of operation is the same as described in connection with FIG.

The pump unit that provides fluid energy to the motors 107 and 109 is installed in equipment above the water surface.

Connected to the equipment are high-pressure pipes 124, 123 and pipes 140 to 143 for remote control of hydraulically operated sliding valves, 133, 134, 135.

In this arrangement, clutch 120 between shafts 112 and 115 is driven from above the water via tube 144.

FIG. 7 shows another fluid system for driving supply reel 12. FIG.

This device has particular advantages due to its simple mechanical design.

In particular, it is lightweight, uncomplicated and easy to operate and maintain.

Drive units are used to control the winding or unwinding of flexible conduit on the supply reel to raise or lower rigid members of the drilling rig, and other rigid covers are used to control the winding or unwinding of flexible conduits on the supply reel. Adapted to pull the flexible conduit in the event of a blockage.

The drive consists of a gear wheel 145 rigidly connected to the side of the supply reel 12, two main bodies whose one end is pivoted on the foundation of the digging means and whose other end is pivoted on the radial arms 148, 149. It consists of cylinders 146° and 147°.

The arms are rigidly connected to sleeves 150, 151 which are adapted to rotate about the shaft 14 of the reel 12.

Each arm supports movable claws 152, 153.

The winter melons are each driven by fluid cylinders 154 and 155.

The teeth 156 of the gear 145 are formed of rectangular blocks fixed to the side surface of the wheel 12 by, for example, welding or the like and spaced at equal intervals.

In this arrangement, the fluid cylinders 146°, 147.
154 and 155 are double-acting types.

The operating mode of this drive is as follows.

The positions of the cylinders 146 and 147 are shown in solid lines in FIG.
is retracted as far as possible, while the piston 147a of the cylinder 147 occupies a position in which it protrudes to the maximum extent.

Pawl 152 driven by piston 154 and tooth 1 of gear 145
56 is released, and the claw 153 is released from the cylinder 1.
55 to engage between adjacent teeth.

Cylinder 147 is driven via pawl 153 to rotate the reel in the direction indicated by the arrow.

During this drive, pressurized fluid is introduced into the cylinder 146,
This causes a displacement of the piston 146a of this cylinder and a rotation of the arm 148 about the shaft 14 until the position shown in broken lines in FIG. 7 is obtained.

When the rond of cylinder 147 reaches the dashed position shown, a control device, not shown, drives cylinder 154 to engage pawl 152 between two teeth 156, while engaging pawl 153 and gear 145. cylinder 155
to drive.

Therefore, if the pressurized fluid supplies of the two main cylinders are simultaneously reversed, the piston 146a of cylinder 146 will retract and the piston 147a of cylinder 147 will advance.

Reel 12 moves in the direction of the arrow through the action of cylinder 146 and pawl 152.

This movement continues with each cylinder occupying the position indicated by the solid line.

The cycle just described is then repeated. Similarly,
By reversing the direction of supply of pressurized fluid to the various cylinders, the supply reel can easily be rotated in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrows.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, for example means for controlling and adjusting the weight on the excavation tool could be used.

Pressure sensing means could be included in the pump discharge circuit to control the pressure and flow of pressurized liquid during excavation operations.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially illustrative elevational view of the drilling rig of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the device shown in FIG. 1, seen from the left side. FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a first type of hydraulic control device for winding or unwinding a flexible conduit on a storage reel; FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a second type of hydraulic control device for winding or unwinding a flexible conduit on a storage reel; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a common hydraulic system for supplying hydraulic pressure to the motor shown in FIG. 3, located on surface equipment; FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the hydraulic power source used to supply hydraulic pressure to the motor of the system shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 7 shows another type of hydraulic system for supplying hydraulic pressure to the motor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An underwater drilling rig adapted to be installed on the water bottom from equipment on the water surface, a wide foundation structure, and handling for connecting the foundation structure and the equipment on the water surface. cable and
a drilling tool; a submersible drive motor having a first end operatively connected to the drilling tool and forming a rigid member of the drilling equipment; and a second end of the drive motor extending from the rigid member. a flexible conduit connected to a pump and a motor set for supplying water under pressure to the excavation tool;
The pump motor set has a discharge opening connected to the end of the flexible conduit opposite the rigid member, and the rigid member has a discharge opening connected to the end of the flexible conduit, the rigid member being configured to allow water under pressure to flow to the drilling tool. The pump motor set is fixed to the substructure and connected to the surface equipment by power supply wires, and the substructure has an internal hole for passage. guiding means are provided for the members, the underwater drilling equipment comprising a storage reel on which the flexible conduit is wound, the storage reel being supported on the substructure, and the reel being a shaft with an axial hole communicating with the end of the flexible conduit opposite the member, and a rotary joint communicating the axial hole with the discharge opening of the motor pump set;
The underwater drilling equipment is provided with a control device that controls the unbending and winding operations of the flexible conduit wound on the storage reel from the equipment above the water surface, and the control device includes a power wire and a winding operation. 1. A drilling rig connected to said above-water equipment by control wires, said control device comprising a reversible remotely controlled fluid system. 2. The reversible remotely controlled fluid device is formed in an assembly rigidly fixed to the substructure and is adapted to be coupled to a reel drive shaft to rotate the reel. and means for supplying pressurized fluid to the motor through a distribution device remotely controlled from the surface equipment, the distribution device being connected to the motor in the direction of winding the conduit. a first position in which the motor drives a reel; a second position in which the motor drives a reel in a direction to unwind the conduit; and a third position in which the motor deactivates a storage reel for the flexible conduit. 2. The excavating device according to claim 1, wherein the supply means is comprised of a variable discharge pump that changes the rotational speed of the motor. 3. The reversible remotely controlled fluid device is rigidly connected to the substructure and connected to a shaft driving the reel and adapted to rotate the reel for the purpose of rotating the conduit in the winding direction or vice versa. an assembly comprising a reversible main fluid motor having a reversible position, a reversible auxiliary fluid motor connected to a shaft for regulating the rotation of the reel, and coupling means between the drive shaft and the adjustment shaft; and the coupling means is remotely controlled from equipment on the water surface and is connected to the motor via a distribution device operated by remote control from the equipment on the water surface and means for supplying pressurized fluid to the motor. 2. The drilling equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: 4. The reversible and remotely controlled fluid device is a gear wheel rigidly connected to the storage reel, which is mounted on a support for the storage reel in the case of a force and freely rotates about the axis of the reel in the case of a force. at least one double-acting fluid cylinder pivotally mounted on a drive arm, the arm being positioned between two adjacent teeth of the gear; and a remote controlled ratchet member adapted to engage a retractable member adapted to provide a rigid connection between the reel and the reel.