US20210317707A1 - Control system and method for walking drilling rigs - Google Patents
Control system and method for walking drilling rigs Download PDFInfo
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- US20210317707A1 US20210317707A1 US16/843,430 US202016843430A US2021317707A1 US 20210317707 A1 US20210317707 A1 US 20210317707A1 US 202016843430 A US202016843430 A US 202016843430A US 2021317707 A1 US2021317707 A1 US 2021317707A1
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- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B15/00—Supports for the drilling machine, e.g. derricks or masts
- E21B15/003—Supports for the drilling machine, e.g. derricks or masts adapted to be moved on their substructure, e.g. with skidding means; adapted to drill a plurality of wells
Definitions
- Drilling rigs are machines that drill wells, e.g., oil and gas wells.
- a drilling rig may include a substructure that supports a floor and a mast over a well center.
- Drilling equipment is located on the floor and the mast, and is configured to run a drill string (including a drill bit, drill pipes, and potentially various other equipment) downward, thereby forming and extending the wellbore into the earth.
- Various equipment may be located below the rig floor, e.g., between bases boxes of the substructure.
- “pad drilling” is employed, in which several wells are drilled near to one another.
- some rigs are self-ambulatory. These rigs are often referred to as “walking” rigs, and generally include feet that press down onto the ground (e.g., onto a mat that is laid on the ground), which lifts the substructure of the rig up. The feet are then moved linearly with respect to the ground, e.g., via rollers, slides, etc., across a range of motion, generally provided by a stroke of a hydraulic piston. At the end of the range, the rig is lowered back onto the ground, the feet are raised and moved back to the beginning of the range of motion, and the next “step” of the walking process may commence by again pressing the feet down onto the ground.
- steerable walking rigs have been implemented. These rigs may allow the rig to walk in any direction in the horizontal plane.
- the walking rigs may be configured to walk forward, backward, and sideways, and/or to rotate.
- rotating the rig can be complicated, because the feet move linearly, but rotation is along a circular path.
- the rig is not perfectly rigid, but may deflect during such rotation.
- precise orientation of the feet may be called for, with accidental misalignment, e.g., by human error, presenting hazards for both the rig and personnel.
- Embodiments of the disclosure may provide A method for moving a drilling rig includes receiving a selection of a rig walking mode, wherein the rig walking mode corresponds to a direction of movement, determining an angle of orientation for feet of the drilling rig based on the selected rig walking mode, rotating the feet such that the feet are in the angle of orientation, lifting the rig by pushing the feet into a ground, and moving the rig relative to the ground in the direction of movement.
- Embodiments of the disclosure may also provide a drilling rig system including a substructure, a plurality of walking pods coupled to the substructure, each of the walking pods including a rotating mechanism, a lift mechanism, a travel mechanism, and a foot.
- the rotating mechanism is configured to rotate the foot relative to the substructure and a ground
- the lift mechanism is configured to raise and lower the foot relative to the substructure and the ground
- the travel mechanism is configured to move the foot relative to the substructure and the ground in a horizontal direction.
- the system also includes a control system in communication with the plurality of walking pods.
- the control system is configured to: receive a selection of a rig walking mode, the rig walking mode including a walking direction; cause the respective rotating mechanisms to rotate the respective feet, such that each foot of the walking pods is in a predetermined orientation; cause the respective lift mechanisms to lift the substructure by pushing the feet into the ground; and cause the travel mechanisms to move the substructure relative to the feet in the predetermined orientation.
- Embodiments of the disclosure may further provide a method for moving a drilling rig.
- the method includes receiving a selection of a rig walking mode.
- the rig walking mode corresponds to a direction of movement, and the rig walking mode is selected from a plurality of rig walking modes.
- Each of the plurality of rig walking modes is associated with at least one angle of orientation for feet of the drilling rig.
- the method further includes determining a respective angle of orientation for each of the feet of the drilling rig based on the selected rig walking mode, rotating the feet such that each of the feet are in the respective angle of orientation, lifting the rig by pushing the feet into a ground, and moving the rig relative to the ground in the direction of movement.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of a substructure for a drilling rig, including walking pods that provide at least a part of a rig relocation system, according to an embodiment.
- FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of a walking pod, according to an embodiment.
- FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of a drilling rig relocation system, according to an embodiment.
- FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method for controlling rig relocation operations, according to an embodiment
- FIG. 5 illustrates a top, plan view of the drilling rig relocation system configured for moving the drilling rig in a first linear direction (forward/aft), according to an embodiment.
- FIG. 6 illustrates a top, plan view of the drilling rig relocation system configured for moving the drilling rig in a second linear direction (side-to-side), according to an embodiment.
- FIG. 7 illustrates a top, plan view of the drilling rig relocation system configured for rotating the drilling rig in a first circumferential direction (counterclockwise), according to an embodiment.
- FIG. 8 illustrates a top, plan view of the drilling rig relocation system configured for rotating the drilling rig in a second circumferential direction (clockwise), according to an embodiment.
- FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic view of a computing system for performing one or more portions of the method disclosed herein, according to an embodiment.
- first”, “second”, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first object could be termed a second object, and, similarly, a second object could be termed a first object, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 1 illustrates an isometric view of a drilling rig substructure 10 , according to an embodiment.
- the substructure 10 may be integrated into a drilling rig for drilling a wellbore, e.g., including components such as a rig floor, mast, rotating equipment, pipe handling equipment, etc.
- the substructure 10 includes a driller's side base box 12 and a parallel, off-driller's side base box 14 .
- the base boxes 12 , 14 may be connected together and held separate by a base box spreader 16 , which may take the form of a K-brace, as shown.
- the wellbore that the fully-assembled drilling rig drills may be positioned between the offset base boxes 12 , 14 .
- the drill rig substructure 10 may also include one or more relocation systems or “walking pods” 100 located at each end of base boxes 12 , 14 , e.g., at the four corners of the generally rectangular substructure 10 .
- the walking pods 100 may each include a foot 102 , a lift mechanism 104 , and a rotation mechanism 106 .
- the lift mechanism 104 may be or include a hydraulic cylinder, which is configured to move the foot 102 up and down (e.g., away from and toward the ground).
- the rotation mechanism 106 may be a slew drive or another type of device that is configured to rotate the foot 102 , e.g., about an axis extending vertically therethrough.
- the walking pods 100 may each additionally include a travel mechanism 108 , such as one or more (e.g., a pair of) horizontally-oriented cylinders that are configured to move the foot 102 horizontally with respect to the ground, e.g., in a direction that depends on the rotational orientation set by the rotation mechanism 106 .
- the walking pods 100 may be movable independently of one another, as each may include an individual assembly of a foot 102 , lift mechanism 104 , rotation mechanism 106 , and travel mechanism 108 . Accordingly, the movement of the walking pods 100 may be coordinated to efficiently relocate the drilling rig.
- FIG. 2 illustrates an enlarged, perspective view of one of the walking pods 100 , according to an embodiment.
- FIG. 2 shows part of the foot 102 , the lift mechanism 104 , and the travel mechanism 108 .
- the travel mechanism 108 includes cylinders 201 , 202 and slides 206 that are received around cylindrical members 204 coupled to the foot 102 . Accordingly, when the cylinders 201 , 202 stroke, the foot 102 is moved relative to the remainder of the pod 100 .
- FIG. 2 shows the rotation mechanism 106 , which is illustrated as including a motor (e.g., a hydraulic motor) 205 , a slew drive 207 , and a rotary position sensor (e.g., an encoder 208 ).
- the motor 205 turns a shaft (e.g., a screw or helical shaft), which engages gears on the slew drive 207 that cause the slew drive 207 to rotate the foot 102 relative to the remainder of the pod 100 (and the ground), which is stationary with respect to the base boxes 12 , 14 ( FIG. 1 ).
- a motor e.g., a hydraulic motor
- slew drive 207 e.g., a slew drive 207
- a rotary position sensor e.g., an encoder 208
- the rotary encoder 208 measures the rotational displacement of the foot 102 by measuring the turning of the slew drive 207 , e.g., by counting turns of the shaft thereof that is connected to the motor 205 . In other embodiments, the rotary encoder 208 may directly measure the rotational displacement of the foot 102 , e.g., relative to the lift mechanism 104 , or in any other convenient manner.
- the rotary encoder 208 may be electrically coupled to a controller, and may be configured to provide signal thereto representative of the rotational orientation of the foot 102 relative to the base boxes 12 , 14 .
- FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of such a drilling rig system 300 , according to an embodiment.
- the drilling rig system 300 includes the pods 100 and a remote control device 302 (e.g., a mobile control module or “belly pack”), which may be in communication with one another.
- a rig controller 304 may be interposed between the remote control device 302 and the pods 100 and may enable, disable, and/or implement commands from the remote control device 302 by controlling the pods 100 .
- the rig controller 304 may receive signals from the encoders 208 ( FIG. 2 ) of the individual pods 100 and provide data representing an angular orientation of the associated foot 102 ( FIG. 2 ) to the remote control device 302 .
- the method 400 may begin by receiving a rig walking mode selection from the control device 302 , as at 402 .
- the rig walking mode may represent the “type” of walking of the rig 300 that may be desired, e.g., moving forward/aft, moving toward the driller-side or off-driller-side (e.g., left or right), rotate clockwise, or rotate counterclockwise.
- control device 302 may also be configured to individually control the lift, rotary position, and/or linear position of the feet 102 , which may give the operator the ability to position the feet 102 in any orientation desired.
- the automated controls may take over control, and may lock or otherwise disable the control device 302 from controlling the individual pods 100 , as at 404 . It will be appreciated that various safety control interrupts and/or other mechanisms by which control may be returned to manual may be provided.
- the feet 102 may be precisely oriented, and may be positioned at two or more angular orientations.
- two of the feet 102 A, 102 B are oriented at a first angle, e.g., 60.6 degrees and two feet 102 C, 102 D are oriented at a second angle, e.g., 56.6 degrees.
- the first angle may be greater than the second angle by between about 1 degree and about 10 degrees.
- a “right hand” rule is implemented, in which the angle is positive, sweeping in the counterclockwise direction, but any consistent regime for measuring angles may be implemented so as to accurately compare angles.
- the method 400 may proceed to receiving a walk command from the control device 302 , as at 408 .
- the rig controller 304 may then proceed to automatically (without human intervention) rotating the feet 102 to the predetermined orientation, or substantially to the predetermined orientation (e.g., within a reasonable tolerance such as plus or minus 1 degree), according to the selected rig walking mode, as at 410 .
- the feet 102 may be rotated in unison, in sequence, or in any combination thereof.
- the rig control 304 may rotate the feet 102 upon receiving the walking mode selection at 402 (e.g., prior to receiving the walking command at 406 ). In other embodiments, as shown, the rig controller 304 may wait for the walk command before moving/rotating the feet 102 .
- the encoder 208 may provide feedback to the rig control 304 .
- the rig control 304 may determine when to stop the rotation of the feet 102 , e.g., by signaling to the rotation mechanism 104 .
- the rig controller 304 may also cause the remote control device 302 to display the individual orientations of the feet 102 to the operator, and thus the operator may serve as an additional safety check by reviewing the actual orientation of the feet 102 .
- the encoder 208 may thus provide a feedback loop.
- the method 400 may proceed to lowering the feet 102 and lifting the rig 300 , e.g., using the lifting mechanism 104 discussed above, as at 412 .
- the travel mechanism 108 may be employed to move the rig 300 horizontally relative to the feet 102 , as at 414 . The consequence of this movement may be to move the rig 300 in a linear direction or to rotate the rig 300 , as discussed above, depending on the rig walking mode implemented.
- the method 400 may then include lowering the rig 300 and raising the feet 102 , thereby setting the rig 300 back down on the ground, as at 416 .
- the feet 102 may be moved relative to the base boxes 12 , 14 , e.g., using the travel mechanism, such that the feet are prepared to travel walk the rig again in a subsequent step, as at 418 .
- the method 400 may then loop back to receiving a walk command at 408 .
- the processor(s) 904 is (or are) also connected to a network interface 907 to allow the computer system 901 A to communicate over a data network 909 with one or more additional computer systems and/or computing systems, such as 901 B, 901 C, and/or 901 D (note that computer systems 901 B, 901 C and/or 901 D may or may not share the same architecture as computer system 901 A, and may be located in different physical locations, e.g., computer systems 901 A and 901 B may be located in a processing facility, while in communication with one or more computer systems such as 901 C and/or 901 D that are located in one or more data centers, and/or located in varying countries on different continents).
- additional computer systems and/or computing systems such as 901 B, 901 C, and/or 901 D
- computer systems 901 B, 901 C and/or 901 D may or may not share the same architecture as computer system 901 A, and may be located in different physical locations, e.g., computer systems 901 A
- a processor can include a microprocessor, microcontroller, processor module or subsystem, programmable integrated circuit, programmable gate array, or another control or computing device.
- the storage media 906 can be implemented as one or more computer-readable or machine-readable storage media. Note that while in the example embodiment of FIG. 9 storage media 906 is depicted as within computer system 901 A, in some embodiments, storage media 906 may be distributed within and/or across multiple internal and/or external enclosures of computing system 901 A and/or additional computing systems.
- Storage media 906 may include one or more different forms of memory including semiconductor memory devices such as dynamic or static random access memories (DRAMs or SRAMs), erasable and programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable and programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs) and flash memories, magnetic disks such as fixed, floppy and removable disks, other magnetic media including tape, optical media such as compact disks (CDs) or digital video disks (DVDs), BLURAY® disks, or other types of optical storage, or other types of storage devices.
- semiconductor memory devices such as dynamic or static random access memories (DRAMs or SRAMs), erasable and programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable and programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs) and flash memories
- magnetic disks such as fixed, floppy and removable disks, other magnetic media including tape
- optical media such as compact disks (CDs) or digital video disks (DVDs)
- DVDs digital video disks
- Such computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium or media is (are) considered to be part of an article (or article of manufacture).
- An article or article of manufacture can refer to any manufactured single component or multiple components.
- the storage medium or media can be located either in the machine running the machine-readable instructions, or located at a remote site from which machine-readable instructions can be downloaded over a network for execution.
- computing system 900 contains one or more rig walking module(s) 908 .
- computer system 901 A includes the rig walking module 908 .
- a single rig walking module may be used to perform some or all aspects of one or more embodiments of the methods.
- a plurality of rig walking modules may be used to perform some or all aspects of methods.
- computing system 900 is only one example of a computing system, and that computing system 900 may have more or fewer components than shown, may combine additional components not depicted in the example embodiment of FIG. 9 , and/or computing system 900 may have a different configuration or arrangement of the components depicted in FIG. 9 .
- the various components shown in FIG. 9 may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both hardware and software, including one or more signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits.
- steps in the processing methods described herein may be implemented by running one or more functional modules in information processing apparatus such as general purpose processors or application specific chips, such as ASICs, FPGAs, PLDs, or other appropriate devices.
- information processing apparatus such as general purpose processors or application specific chips, such as ASICs, FPGAs, PLDs, or other appropriate devices.
Abstract
A method for moving a drilling rig includes receiving a selection of a rig walking mode, wherein the rig walking mode corresponds to a direction of movement, determining an angle of orientation for feet of the drilling rig based on the selected rig walking mode, rotating the feet such that the feet are in the angle of orientation, lifting the rig by pushing the feet into a ground, and moving the rig relative to the ground in the direction of movement.
Description
- Drilling rigs are machines that drill wells, e.g., oil and gas wells. A drilling rig may include a substructure that supports a floor and a mast over a well center. Drilling equipment is located on the floor and the mast, and is configured to run a drill string (including a drill bit, drill pipes, and potentially various other equipment) downward, thereby forming and extending the wellbore into the earth. Various equipment may be located below the rig floor, e.g., between bases boxes of the substructure.
- In some situations, “pad drilling” is employed, in which several wells are drilled near to one another. Rather than using multiple drilling rigs, or assembling and disassembling the rig to move between wellsites, some rigs are self-ambulatory. These rigs are often referred to as “walking” rigs, and generally include feet that press down onto the ground (e.g., onto a mat that is laid on the ground), which lifts the substructure of the rig up. The feet are then moved linearly with respect to the ground, e.g., via rollers, slides, etc., across a range of motion, generally provided by a stroke of a hydraulic piston. At the end of the range, the rig is lowered back onto the ground, the feet are raised and moved back to the beginning of the range of motion, and the next “step” of the walking process may commence by again pressing the feet down onto the ground.
- More recently, steerable walking rigs have been implemented. These rigs may allow the rig to walk in any direction in the horizontal plane. For example, the walking rigs may be configured to walk forward, backward, and sideways, and/or to rotate. However, rotating the rig can be complicated, because the feet move linearly, but rotation is along a circular path. Moreover, the rig is not perfectly rigid, but may deflect during such rotation. Thus, precise orientation of the feet may be called for, with accidental misalignment, e.g., by human error, presenting hazards for both the rig and personnel.
- This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.
- Embodiments of the disclosure may provide A method for moving a drilling rig includes receiving a selection of a rig walking mode, wherein the rig walking mode corresponds to a direction of movement, determining an angle of orientation for feet of the drilling rig based on the selected rig walking mode, rotating the feet such that the feet are in the angle of orientation, lifting the rig by pushing the feet into a ground, and moving the rig relative to the ground in the direction of movement.
- Embodiments of the disclosure may also provide a drilling rig system including a substructure, a plurality of walking pods coupled to the substructure, each of the walking pods including a rotating mechanism, a lift mechanism, a travel mechanism, and a foot. The rotating mechanism is configured to rotate the foot relative to the substructure and a ground, the lift mechanism is configured to raise and lower the foot relative to the substructure and the ground, and the travel mechanism is configured to move the foot relative to the substructure and the ground in a horizontal direction. The system also includes a control system in communication with the plurality of walking pods. The control system is configured to: receive a selection of a rig walking mode, the rig walking mode including a walking direction; cause the respective rotating mechanisms to rotate the respective feet, such that each foot of the walking pods is in a predetermined orientation; cause the respective lift mechanisms to lift the substructure by pushing the feet into the ground; and cause the travel mechanisms to move the substructure relative to the feet in the predetermined orientation.
- Embodiments of the disclosure may further provide a method for moving a drilling rig. The method includes receiving a selection of a rig walking mode. The rig walking mode corresponds to a direction of movement, and the rig walking mode is selected from a plurality of rig walking modes. Each of the plurality of rig walking modes is associated with at least one angle of orientation for feet of the drilling rig. The method further includes determining a respective angle of orientation for each of the feet of the drilling rig based on the selected rig walking mode, rotating the feet such that each of the feet are in the respective angle of orientation, lifting the rig by pushing the feet into a ground, and moving the rig relative to the ground in the direction of movement.
- The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present teachings and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present teachings. In the figures:
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FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of a substructure for a drilling rig, including walking pods that provide at least a part of a rig relocation system, according to an embodiment. -
FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of a walking pod, according to an embodiment. -
FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of a drilling rig relocation system, according to an embodiment. -
FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method for controlling rig relocation operations, according to an embodiment -
FIG. 5 illustrates a top, plan view of the drilling rig relocation system configured for moving the drilling rig in a first linear direction (forward/aft), according to an embodiment. -
FIG. 6 illustrates a top, plan view of the drilling rig relocation system configured for moving the drilling rig in a second linear direction (side-to-side), according to an embodiment. -
FIG. 7 illustrates a top, plan view of the drilling rig relocation system configured for rotating the drilling rig in a first circumferential direction (counterclockwise), according to an embodiment. -
FIG. 8 illustrates a top, plan view of the drilling rig relocation system configured for rotating the drilling rig in a second circumferential direction (clockwise), according to an embodiment. -
FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic view of a computing system for performing one or more portions of the method disclosed herein, according to an embodiment. - Reference will now be made in detail to specific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings and figures. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, circuits, and networks have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments.
- It will also be understood that, although the terms “first”, “second”, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first object could be termed a second object, and, similarly, a second object could be termed a first object, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
- The terminology used in the description of the techniques herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of the techniques herein and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Further, as used herein, the term “if” may be construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting,” depending on the context.
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FIG. 1 illustrates an isometric view of adrilling rig substructure 10, according to an embodiment. Thesubstructure 10 may be integrated into a drilling rig for drilling a wellbore, e.g., including components such as a rig floor, mast, rotating equipment, pipe handling equipment, etc. In the illustrated embodiment, thesubstructure 10 includes a driller'sside base box 12 and a parallel, off-driller'sside base box 14. Thebase boxes base box spreader 16, which may take the form of a K-brace, as shown. The wellbore that the fully-assembled drilling rig drills may be positioned between theoffset base boxes - The
drill rig substructure 10 may also include one or more relocation systems or “walking pods” 100 located at each end ofbase boxes rectangular substructure 10. Thewalking pods 100 may each include afoot 102, alift mechanism 104, and arotation mechanism 106. For example, thelift mechanism 104 may be or include a hydraulic cylinder, which is configured to move thefoot 102 up and down (e.g., away from and toward the ground). Therotation mechanism 106 may be a slew drive or another type of device that is configured to rotate thefoot 102, e.g., about an axis extending vertically therethrough. Thewalking pods 100 may each additionally include atravel mechanism 108, such as one or more (e.g., a pair of) horizontally-oriented cylinders that are configured to move thefoot 102 horizontally with respect to the ground, e.g., in a direction that depends on the rotational orientation set by therotation mechanism 106. In some embodiments, thewalking pods 100 may be movable independently of one another, as each may include an individual assembly of afoot 102,lift mechanism 104,rotation mechanism 106, andtravel mechanism 108. Accordingly, the movement of the walkingpods 100 may be coordinated to efficiently relocate the drilling rig. -
FIG. 2 illustrates an enlarged, perspective view of one of the walkingpods 100, according to an embodiment. In particular,FIG. 2 shows part of thefoot 102, thelift mechanism 104, and thetravel mechanism 108. By way of example, thetravel mechanism 108 includescylinders cylindrical members 204 coupled to thefoot 102. Accordingly, when thecylinders foot 102 is moved relative to the remainder of thepod 100. - Additionally,
FIG. 2 shows therotation mechanism 106, which is illustrated as including a motor (e.g., a hydraulic motor) 205, aslew drive 207, and a rotary position sensor (e.g., an encoder 208). Themotor 205 turns a shaft (e.g., a screw or helical shaft), which engages gears on the slew drive 207 that cause the slew drive 207 to rotate thefoot 102 relative to the remainder of the pod 100 (and the ground), which is stationary with respect to thebase boxes 12, 14 (FIG. 1 ). Therotary encoder 208 measures the rotational displacement of thefoot 102 by measuring the turning of theslew drive 207, e.g., by counting turns of the shaft thereof that is connected to themotor 205. In other embodiments, therotary encoder 208 may directly measure the rotational displacement of thefoot 102, e.g., relative to thelift mechanism 104, or in any other convenient manner. - The
rotary encoder 208 may be electrically coupled to a controller, and may be configured to provide signal thereto representative of the rotational orientation of thefoot 102 relative to thebase boxes FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of such adrilling rig system 300, according to an embodiment. As shown, thedrilling rig system 300 includes thepods 100 and a remote control device 302 (e.g., a mobile control module or “belly pack”), which may be in communication with one another. In some embodiments, as shown, arig controller 304 may be interposed between theremote control device 302 and thepods 100 and may enable, disable, and/or implement commands from theremote control device 302 by controlling thepods 100. For example, therig controller 304 may receive signals from the encoders 208 (FIG. 2 ) of theindividual pods 100 and provide data representing an angular orientation of the associated foot 102 (FIG. 2 ) to theremote control device 302. -
FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method 400 for controlling rig relocation operations, according to an embodiment. The method 400 may be implemented, e.g., using an embodiment of thedrilling rig system 300 as discussed above; thus, for purposes of illustration, is described with reference thereto. However, it will be appreciated that various embodiments of the method 400 may be executed using other systems and/or structures. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the following worksteps may be combined, separated into two, conducted in parallel, or conducted in a different order, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. - The method 400 may begin by receiving a rig walking mode selection from the
control device 302, as at 402. The rig walking mode may represent the “type” of walking of therig 300 that may be desired, e.g., moving forward/aft, moving toward the driller-side or off-driller-side (e.g., left or right), rotate clockwise, or rotate counterclockwise. - In various embodiments, the
control device 302 may also be configured to individually control the lift, rotary position, and/or linear position of thefeet 102, which may give the operator the ability to position thefeet 102 in any orientation desired. However, once a rig walking mode is selected at 402, the automated controls may take over control, and may lock or otherwise disable thecontrol device 302 from controlling theindividual pods 100, as at 404. It will be appreciated that various safety control interrupts and/or other mechanisms by which control may be returned to manual may be provided. - The method 400 may then include determining an angular orientation for the
feet 102 based on the selected rig walking mode, as at 406. Referring now toFIG. 5 , there is shown a first walking mode, in which, as indicated, thefeet 102 are oriented to move parallel to arig centerline 500, which extends forward and aft. As such, thefeet 102 are oriented at 0 degrees from thebase boxes -
FIG. 6 illustrates a second rig walking mode, in which thefeet 102 are oriented to move perpendicular to thebase boxes base boxes feet 102 are oriented to 90 degrees from thecenterline 500. -
FIG. 7 illustrates a third walking mode, in which therig 300 is rotated clockwise, as viewed from above. As described above, thepods 100 move therig 300 by moving therig 300 andfeet 102 in a linear relationship, e.g., by stroking a horizontally-oriented piston. However, it may be desired to rotate therig 300, which may call for thefeet 102 to move along an arcuate path, which may not be available, because the rig/feet move along a linear path. One way to address is this referred as the “chord method,” in which, rather than moving tangent to the illustratedcircle 700, the ends of thebase boxes feet 102 may be precisely oriented, and may be positioned at two or more angular orientations. For example, as shown, two of thefeet feet - Similarly,
FIG. 8 shows a fourth walking mode, in which therig 300 is rotated counterclockwise. Again, the angles of thefeet 102 are set so that thepods 100 move the ends of thebase boxes circle 700, this time in the reverse circumferential direction. - Returning to
FIG. 4 , once the desired rig walking mode has been selected at 402, individual control of thepods 100 disabled (in some embodiments), and the angular orientation has been determined at 406, the method 400 may proceed to receiving a walk command from thecontrol device 302, as at 408. - In response, the
rig controller 304 may then proceed to automatically (without human intervention) rotating thefeet 102 to the predetermined orientation, or substantially to the predetermined orientation (e.g., within a reasonable tolerance such as plus or minus 1 degree), according to the selected rig walking mode, as at 410. Thefeet 102 may be rotated in unison, in sequence, or in any combination thereof. In some embodiments, therig control 304 may rotate thefeet 102 upon receiving the walking mode selection at 402 (e.g., prior to receiving the walking command at 406). In other embodiments, as shown, therig controller 304 may wait for the walk command before moving/rotating thefeet 102. - Further, the
encoder 208 may provide feedback to therig control 304. In turn, therig control 304 may determine when to stop the rotation of thefeet 102, e.g., by signaling to therotation mechanism 104. Therig controller 304 may also cause theremote control device 302 to display the individual orientations of thefeet 102 to the operator, and thus the operator may serve as an additional safety check by reviewing the actual orientation of thefeet 102. Theencoder 208 may thus provide a feedback loop. - In some embodiments, the rotation of the
feet 102 may implement a ramp function. For example, therotation mechanism 106 may be hydraulically-operated, and the rotating portion of the pods 100 (including the feet 102) may carry a large amount of inertia; thus, precisely stopping at a predefined angle may be a challenge. To handle this challenge, the speed of therotation mechanism 104 may be modulated depending on how much rotation is called for. Thus, in a situation where the direction changes a large amount (e.g., going from forward/aft walking to driller's side/off-driller's side walking), therotation mechanism 106 may ramp up to moving quickly, and then slow down as thefoot 102 approaches the end of the desired rotation. Further, in at least one embodiment, therig controller 304 may use the feedback from theencoder 208 to display the current angular position of thefeet 102 on thecontrol device 302. - Once setting the
feet 102 to the predetermined orientation, the method 400 may proceed to lowering thefeet 102 and lifting therig 300, e.g., using thelifting mechanism 104 discussed above, as at 412. Once therig 300 is lifted, thetravel mechanism 108 may be employed to move therig 300 horizontally relative to thefeet 102, as at 414. The consequence of this movement may be to move therig 300 in a linear direction or to rotate therig 300, as discussed above, depending on the rig walking mode implemented. - The method 400 may then include lowering the
rig 300 and raising thefeet 102, thereby setting therig 300 back down on the ground, as at 416. With the weight removed from thefeet 102, thefeet 102 may be moved relative to thebase boxes - In some embodiments, any of the methods of the present disclosure may be executed by a computing system.
FIG. 9 illustrates an example of such acomputing system 900, in accordance with some embodiments. Thecomputing system 900 may include a computer orcomputer system 901A, which may be anindividual computer system 901A or an arrangement of distributed computer systems. Thecomputer system 901A includes one or more analysis module(s) 902 configured to perform various tasks according to some embodiments, such as one or more methods disclosed herein. To perform these various tasks, theanalysis module 902 executes independently, or in coordination with, one ormore processors 904, which is (or are) connected to one ormore storage media 906. The processor(s) 904 is (or are) also connected to anetwork interface 907 to allow thecomputer system 901A to communicate over adata network 909 with one or more additional computer systems and/or computing systems, such as 901B, 901C, and/or 901D (note thatcomputer systems computer system 901A, and may be located in different physical locations, e.g.,computer systems - A processor can include a microprocessor, microcontroller, processor module or subsystem, programmable integrated circuit, programmable gate array, or another control or computing device.
- The
storage media 906 can be implemented as one or more computer-readable or machine-readable storage media. Note that while in the example embodiment ofFIG. 9 storage media 906 is depicted as withincomputer system 901A, in some embodiments,storage media 906 may be distributed within and/or across multiple internal and/or external enclosures ofcomputing system 901A and/or additional computing systems.Storage media 906 may include one or more different forms of memory including semiconductor memory devices such as dynamic or static random access memories (DRAMs or SRAMs), erasable and programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable and programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs) and flash memories, magnetic disks such as fixed, floppy and removable disks, other magnetic media including tape, optical media such as compact disks (CDs) or digital video disks (DVDs), BLURAY® disks, or other types of optical storage, or other types of storage devices. Note that the instructions discussed above can be provided on one computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium, or alternatively, can be provided on multiple computer-readable or machine-readable storage media distributed in a large system having possibly plural nodes. Such computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium or media is (are) considered to be part of an article (or article of manufacture). An article or article of manufacture can refer to any manufactured single component or multiple components. The storage medium or media can be located either in the machine running the machine-readable instructions, or located at a remote site from which machine-readable instructions can be downloaded over a network for execution. - In some embodiments,
computing system 900 contains one or more rig walking module(s) 908. In the example ofcomputing system 900,computer system 901A includes therig walking module 908. In some embodiments, a single rig walking module may be used to perform some or all aspects of one or more embodiments of the methods. In alternate embodiments, a plurality of rig walking modules may be used to perform some or all aspects of methods. - It should be appreciated that
computing system 900 is only one example of a computing system, and thatcomputing system 900 may have more or fewer components than shown, may combine additional components not depicted in the example embodiment ofFIG. 9 , and/orcomputing system 900 may have a different configuration or arrangement of the components depicted inFIG. 9 . The various components shown inFIG. 9 may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both hardware and software, including one or more signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits. - Further, the steps in the processing methods described herein may be implemented by running one or more functional modules in information processing apparatus such as general purpose processors or application specific chips, such as ASICs, FPGAs, PLDs, or other appropriate devices. These modules, combinations of these modules, and/or their combination with general hardware are all included within the scope of protection of the invention.
- The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. Moreover, the order in which the elements of the methods described herein are illustrate and described may be re-arranged, and/or two or more elements may occur simultaneously. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain at least some of the principals of the disclosure and their practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to utilize the disclosed methods and systems and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
Claims (20)
1. A method for moving a drilling rig, comprising:
receiving, at a control system, a selection of a rig walking mode from a user via a control device, wherein the rig walking mode corresponds to a direction of movement;
determining, using the control system, an angle of orientation for each foot of a plurality of feet of the drilling rig based on the selected rig walking mode, wherein the angles of orientation are coordinated so as to result in the rig moving in the direction of movement corresponding to the rig walking mode that was selected;
rotating the feet by sending signals from the control system, such that the feet are in the angle of orientation;
lifting the rig by pushing the feet into a ground; and
moving the rig relative to the ground in the direction of movement.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving a walk command after receiving the selection of the rig walking mode, wherein rotating the feet occurs in response to receiving the walk command.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein rotating the feet comprises:
receiving a feedback signal from a rotary position sensor coupled to a rotation mechanism configured to rotate one of the feet; and
adjusting a rotation of the one of the feet in response to the feedback signal.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein rotating the feet comprises reducing a rotation speed of the feet prior to reaching the angle of orientation.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rig walking mode comprises rotating the drilling rig, and wherein rotating the feet comprises rotating at least one of the feet to a first angle and rotating at least another one of the feet to a second angle, the first and second angles being different by between about 1 degree and about 10 degrees.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising disabling individual control of the feet by the control device after receiving the selection therefrom, such that the feet are rotated to the angle of orientation without intervention from the user.
7. A drilling rig system, comprising:
a substructure;
a plurality of walking pods coupled to the substructure, each of the walking pods comprising a rotating mechanism, a lift mechanism, a travel mechanism, and a foot, wherein the rotating mechanism is configured to rotate the foot relative to the substructure and a ground, the lift mechanism is configured to raise and lower the foot relative to the substructure and the ground, and the travel mechanism is configured to move the foot relative to the substructure and the ground in a horizontal direction; and
a control system in communication with the plurality of walking pods, wherein the control system is configured to:
receive a selection of a rig walking mode from a user via a control device, wherein the rig walking mode comprises a walking direction;
automatically determine an angle of orientation for each foot based on the selected rig walking mode, wherein the angles of orientation are coordinated so as to result in the substructure moving in the walking direction of the rig walking mode that was selected;
cause the respective rotating mechanisms to rotate the respective feet, such that each foot of the walking pods is in the angle of orientation that was determined for the respective foot;
cause the respective lift mechanisms to lift the substructure by pushing the feet into the ground; and
cause the travel mechanisms to move the substructure relative to the feet in the angle of orientation.
8. The drilling system of claim 7 , wherein the control system comprises a rig controller and a mobile control module, the mobile control module being in communication with the plurality of walking pods via the rig controller.
9. The drilling system of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of walking pods each comprise a rotary position sensor configured to provide a feedback signal to the control system representing a rotational position of the foot relative to the substructure.
10. The drilling system of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the rotation mechanisms comprises a slew drive, and wherein the rotary position sensor comprises an encoder coupled to the slew drive.
11. The drilling system of claim 7 , wherein the control system is configured to decrease a rotation speed of the feet prior to stopping rotation of the feet when the feet are in the orientation.
12. The drilling system of claim 11 , wherein the control system is configured to ramp the rotation speed down prior to stopping rotation.
13. The drilling system of claim 7 , wherein the travel mechanism comprises a horizontally-positioned hydraulic cylinder that is configured to slide the foot relative to the substructure.
14. The drilling system of claim 7 , wherein in at least one rig walking mode, the feet are all positioned at a first angle relative to a centerline of the substructure.
15. The drilling system of claim 14 , wherein in at least another rig walking mode, the predetermined orientation for at least one of the feet is a first angle, and the predetermined orientation for at least another one of the feet is a second angle, the first angle being different than the second angle, and wherein the walking direction in the at least one rig walking mode comprises a rotational direction.
16. The drilling system of claim 15 , wherein the first angle is between 1 degree and 10 degrees greater than the second angle.
17. A method for moving a drilling rig, comprising:
receiving a selection of a rig walking mode, wherein the rig walking mode corresponds to a direction of movement, and wherein the rig walking mode is selected from a plurality of rig walking modes, wherein each of the plurality of rig walking modes is associated with at least one angle of orientation for feet of the drilling rig;
automatically determining, using the control system, a respective angle of orientation for each of the feet of the drilling rig based on the selected rig walking mode, wherein the angles of orientation are coordinated so as to result in the rig moving in the direction of movement corresponding to the rig walking mode that was selected;
rotating the feet such that each of the feet are in the respective angle of orientation;
lifting the rig by pushing the feet into a ground; and
moving the rig relative to the ground in the direction of movement.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein rotating the feet comprises:
receiving a feedback signal from a rotary position sensor coupled to a rotation mechanism configured to rotate one of the feet; and
adjusting a rotation of the one of the feet in response to the feedback signal.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of rig walking modes comprise:
a first rig walking mode in which the angles of orientation are the same, such that the direction of movement is linear; and
a second rig walking mode in which two of the angles of orientation are different from two others of the angles of orientation, such that the direction of movement is rotary.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein, in the second rig walking mode, the two angles of orientation differ from the two other angles of orientation by between about 1 degree and about 10 degrees.
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US16/843,430 US20210317707A1 (en) | 2020-04-08 | 2020-04-08 | Control system and method for walking drilling rigs |
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US16/843,430 US20210317707A1 (en) | 2020-04-08 | 2020-04-08 | Control system and method for walking drilling rigs |
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US20210317707A1 true US20210317707A1 (en) | 2021-10-14 |
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US16/843,430 Abandoned US20210317707A1 (en) | 2020-04-08 | 2020-04-08 | Control system and method for walking drilling rigs |
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