WO2023287356A2 - Équipement de forage - Google Patents

Équipement de forage Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2023287356A2
WO2023287356A2 PCT/SG2022/050488 SG2022050488W WO2023287356A2 WO 2023287356 A2 WO2023287356 A2 WO 2023287356A2 SG 2022050488 W SG2022050488 W SG 2022050488W WO 2023287356 A2 WO2023287356 A2 WO 2023287356A2
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
head
drill equipment
joint
soil
drilling
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/SG2022/050488
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
WO2023287356A3 (fr
Inventor
Fook Hou LEE
Siang Huat GOH
Zhiyong Zhang
Qingsheng CHEN
Yong Fu
Emon MITRA
Original Assignee
National University Of Singapore
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by National University Of Singapore filed Critical National University Of Singapore
Publication of WO2023287356A2 publication Critical patent/WO2023287356A2/fr
Publication of WO2023287356A3 publication Critical patent/WO2023287356A3/fr

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Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B7/00—Special methods or apparatus for drilling
    • E21B7/04—Directional drilling
    • E21B7/06—Deflecting the direction of boreholes
    • E21B7/064—Deflecting the direction of boreholes specially adapted drill bits therefor
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B7/00—Special methods or apparatus for drilling
    • E21B7/04—Directional drilling
    • E21B7/06—Deflecting the direction of boreholes
    • E21B7/067—Deflecting the direction of boreholes with means for locking sections of a pipe or of a guide for a shaft in angular relation, e.g. adjustable bent sub

Definitions

  • the present invention relates, in general terms, to a drill equipment, and also relates to a drill system comprising the drill equipment.
  • Directional drilling has been in use in the mining, oil and gas exploitation, geo logic exploration and site investigation industries.
  • the traditional approach in volves pushing an asymmetric pilot bit (i.e., drill face) into the soil, thereby generating uneven pressure on both sides of the pilot bit and forcing the semi rigid steel drill rods to bend and change direction.
  • MTBM tunnel boring machine
  • the radius of curvature of the turn remains substantial, typically of the order of a few hundred meters.
  • the minimum diameter of an MTBM is typically about 0.3m, owing to large amount of equipment which needs to be packed into a limited space.
  • MTBM sinking into soft soil deposits and losing steerability - soft soils cannot provide sufficient buoyancy and bearing capacity to prevent sinking of the MTBM. To date, there is still no method for changing direction in a controlled manner over smaller radius of curvature or in very soft soil.
  • a drill equipment comprising: a head configured to be swivelled to cut unevenly around the head; two or more rods connected in series by one or more articulated joints to form a stem for transmitting torque and rotary motion to the head, wherein one said rod (the last rod) is connected to the head, each articulated joint connects two of the rods and comprises one or more actuators, the one or more actuators being controllable to apply a force to change an angle between the respective two rods, and wherein a combination of an uneven soil pressure generated by the head and the force is sufficient to create flexure of the one or more articulate joints, to change a drilling direction of the drill equipment; and a control system for controlling the one or more actuators of each articulated joint.
  • neither the uneven soil pressure nor the force is sufficient on its own to control the drilling direction of the drill equipment through the medium.
  • each articulated joint comprises a universal joint.
  • each universal joint is a Cardan joint.
  • the last rod is connected to the head by an articulated joint.
  • each articulated joint comprises two supports with the one or more actuators extending therebetween, one support being attached to each rod of the respective two rods, the force being applied by one or both of extension and retraction of the one or more actuators.
  • each actuator is one of a linear actuator and a hydraulic actuator.
  • the head is controllable to swivel about a cutting axis.
  • the stem comprises a housing segment for each rod, the housing segment defining a volume in which the rod is protected from soil and water.
  • the stem further comprises a flexible section for each articulated joint.
  • the respective flexible section comprises opposed pairs of side plates.
  • One side plate of each pair is fixed in relation to each rod of the respective two rods.
  • the side plates in each pair are movable relative to one another to maintain lateral protection of the articulated joint during articulation thereof.
  • the side plates in each pair of side plates are rotatable relative to one another.
  • an axis of relative rotation between the side plates in each pair of sides plates aligns with an axis of rotation of the respective articu lated joint.
  • the flexible section comprises a flexible fabric sleeve supported by a structural skeleton.
  • the flexible fabric sleeve comprises a latex coated ara- mid fabric
  • the skeleton comprises a spring
  • the flexible section extends between respective housing segments.
  • the control system controls extension and retraction of the one or more actuators, thereby to control the force.
  • a method for drilling into soil comprising:
  • step (c) comprises applying a prescribed turning mo ment to the head via a nearest said articulated joint.
  • step (c) comprises applying a pushing force along the stem to, with the prescribed turning moment, induce uneven cutting around the head, thereby generating a differential soil pressure on the head.
  • step (d) before, after or concurrently with step (c), step (d) com prises actuating the one or more actuators to apply the force to one or more said articulated joints, to predisposed the one or more said articulated joints to turn in a direction corresponding to the turning moment.
  • rod may refer to part of a “shaft” between neighbouring articulated joints (i.e. without any intervening articulated joint), the terms “shaft”, “rod” and similar may be used interchangeably depending on context.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic view of the power-assisted direction drilling
  • Figure 2a and 2b show an example DSM equipment in straight and curved configuration, respectively;
  • Figure 3 shows the main components of an example articulated joint
  • Figure 4 shows an example method for drilling into soil
  • Figures 5a and 5b illustrate an example flexible DSM equipment mounted on a drilling rig, respectively;
  • Figure 6 is illustrates an example Casagrande C6 drilling rig with the proposed drill equipment
  • Figure 7 shows support plates and end stiffeners forming innermost layer of an example actuated joint housing
  • Figure 8 shows an example spring-bellow housing
  • Figure 9 shows an example hydraulic system which enables the operation of deep mixing equipment for directional soil mixing
  • Figure 10 is a block diagram showing an exemplary computer device, in which embodiments of the drilling method may be practiced
  • Figure 11 shows a single-joint implementation of a system for deep cement mixing
  • Figure 12 shows segmented stems with a series of actuated joints
  • Figures 13a and 13b show the schematic and finite element rendition of the stem, joints, cutter head and soil during differential cutting, respectively;
  • Figures 14a-14c show soil deformation and stem-cutter-head displacement at the initial state, when cutter head has bent through 20°, and after 0.3m vertical penetration, respectively;
  • Figure 15 shows the angle of tilt of the stem for different joint moment against vertical penetration at the top of an example stem
  • Figure 16 shows the rate of tilt of the stem for different joint moment
  • Figure 17 shows the interior construction of an example joint
  • Figure 18 shows an example Cardan joint comprising a staggered cross-pin arrangement.
  • This invention disclosure deals with a new method of directional drilling and geosteering which can be used to control and change direction over short dis tances underground in very soft soil conditions.
  • This invention disclosure also deals with a new drill equipment for conducting deep soil mixing underground on a curvilinear trajectory.
  • a new deep soil mixing (DSM) equip ment has been developed which can flex in a piecewise-straight fashion while transmitting torque, grout and rotatory motion. It will be appreciated that said DSM is a commonly used approach to introduce cement into soft clay beneath the ground surface so as to stabilize and strengthen the soft ground for foun dation, excavation and tunnelling.
  • This invention is developed specifically for conducting DSM operations around obstacles or in a curvilinear trajectory.
  • DSM operations are com monly conducted from the ground surface in a vertical or near-vertical straight alignment direction.
  • Such a method was developed for open ground (“green field") scenarios where there are no obstructions directly above the region of ground requiring improvement.
  • current equipment cannot be used in areas where the soft soil regions requiring improvement are overlain by existing infrastructure.
  • ground freezing and horizon tal jet grouting are available, as will be discussed in detail, both have their drawbacks and are not favoured for use in Singapore and other built-up envi ronments.
  • the drilling rig can be set up in a vertical or near-vertical alignment. This allows the proposed equip ment to be used in densely built-up environments where large lateral standoffs are unavailable.
  • the proposed drill equipment allows deep cement-soil mixing along curvilinear and non-vertical trajectories.
  • the present invention allows DSM op erations to be conducted around obstacles or in a curvilinear trajectory.
  • the proposed drill equipment comprises a segmented stem and linear actuated joints that allow mixing around tight corners in soft clay.
  • the new drill equipment also comprises a swivelable (i.e. capable of being swivelled) cutter (auger head) that permits differential cutting to generate differential soil pres sure on the stem.
  • swivelable i.e. capable of being swivelled
  • the equipment is a significant advancement compared to ex isting DSM equipment.
  • Directional drilling has been in use in the mining, oil and gas exploration, geological exploration and site inves tigation industries since 1920.
  • the traditional approach involves pushing an asymmetric pilot bit (i.e., drill face) into the soil, thereby generating uneven pressure on both sides of the pilot bit and forcing the semi-rigid (i.e. sufficiently rigid to conduct drilling but, clearly, sufficiently flexible that they can be bent to create a curve in a bore or drill hole) steel drill rods to bend and change direc tion.
  • This requires the geologic material around the drill hole to be stiff enough to generate sufficient uneven pressure to change the direction of the drill rods.
  • PDD passive directional drilling
  • An example of such a directional drilling system which has been used in Singapore is the Devico system.
  • Some variants of PDD systems also employ a cutter head which can be swiveled to cut more soil on one side to create the differential pressure. Nonetheless, the principle remains the same; that is the generation and use of differential soil/rock pressure to bend the steel drill rods.
  • PDD approach There are some limitations in this PDD approach. First, it can only be used in very stiff soil or rock conditions. The strength of the geologic material required depends on the stiffness of the drill rods. Stiff drill rods very often require ma terials with strength significantly exceeding IMPa, which is the typical strength of soft rock or weak concrete.
  • micro-tunnelling pipe jacking Another approach which has been used is employed in micro-tunnelling pipe jacking.
  • a miniature tunnel boring machine is steered by means of hydraulic steering cylinders jacking against installed pipe sections.
  • This approach permits active steering of the cutter head or micro tunnel boring machine (MTBM), but requires a jacking system to provide the reaction force.
  • MTBM micro tunnel boring machine
  • the radius of curvature of the turn remains substantial, typically of the order of a few hundred metres.
  • the minimum diameter of an MTBM is typically about 0.3m, owing to large amount of equipment which needs to be packed into a limited space. As such, it is unsuitable for drilling small openings.
  • MTBM sinking into soft soil deposits and losing steerability there have also been reports of MTBM sinking into soft soil deposits and losing steerability.
  • the present disclosure relates to a method/equipment which involves a combination of active and passive turning of drilling stems and mixing shafts inserted into the ground, which forms the basis of directional soil drilling and mixing.
  • the special feature of the proposed equipment is its ability to turn corners with relatively short radius of curvature (of several metres) in very soft soil conditions.
  • the main concept of this method is to employ a combination of passive and active steering.
  • Figure 1 illustrates the proposed power-assisted directional (PAD) drilling.
  • PID power-assisted directional
  • passive steering is achieved by differential cutting via a swivelable cutter or auger head 102, which differentially removes more soil from one side of the cutter head than the other.
  • the actuated and swivelable auger/cutter head 102 can be used to facilitate directional or uneven cutting, so as to generate the uneven soil pressure to change direction. This gives rise to differential pressure on the cutter head 102 and surrounding re gion, which induces the cutter head 102 to drift to the side from which more soil is removed. This follows an implementation of conventional passive direc tional cutting and drilling, PDD.
  • the proposed method/equipment is to use a drilling stem 104 which consists of several segments, each connected to the next by a joint (see 106 and 108) which is free to rotate, as shown in Figure 1.
  • the moment on joint 108 is used to swivel the auger/cutter head 102
  • the moment on joint 106 is used to assist the differential soil pressure.
  • the method may comprise actuating one or more joints to generate a differential soil pressure, and/or actuating one or more joints to swivel the head 102. Differential pressure on the auger/cutter head 102 will force the segment between actuated joints 106 and 108 to rotate, assisted by moments from actuated joints 106 and 108.
  • an assistive moment can be applied by an active actuation system, which will be described below.
  • an assistive moment By applying such an assistive, rather than resistive, moment, the (segmented) stem is able to flex under a much lower differential soil pressure, such as that which can be generated by directional cutting of soft soil.
  • the capability of the proposed deep mixing equipment/method for directional soil mixing has been demonstrated through a series of field tests, with a con clusion that the concept of the articulated deep mixing prototype for conducting directional ground improvement work is practically feasible.
  • the novelty of the proposed drill equipment lies in the fact that the mixing shaft is not only able to flex, but can also be adjusted to a prescribed angle of flexure. This allows mixing to be conducted around relative large obstacles such as tunnels and subways.
  • the mixing shaft consists of segmented stem and linear actuated joints allowing turning of tight corners in soft clay.
  • the proposed equipment also comprises a swivelable cutter or auger head that permits differential cutting to generate dif ferential soil pressure on stem.
  • the present invention will have important applications, especially for construc tion projects where ground improvement is needed under existing structure or complex site conditions.
  • the proposed invention can be used in areas where site investigation and drilling around underground obstacles in congested urban con ditions is needed.
  • the current state-of-the-practice in site investigation and drilling is to sink vertical boreholes.
  • Problems are often encountered in con gested urban conditions where many places are off-limits to drilling rigs, such as the interior of build-up areas, busy roads and highways which cannot be closed off, as well as areas ground areas having been underlain by underground obstacles e.g. subways, tunnels, power cables and water mains.
  • FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate an example drill equipment 500 (without housing) in straight and curved configuration, respectively.
  • the drill equipment 500 com prises: a head 502 configured to be swivelled to cut unevenly around the head
  • each articulated joint 506 connects two of the rods 504 and comprises one or more actuators 510 (see Figure 3), the one or more actuators 510 being controllable to apply a force to change an angle between the respective two rods 504 , and wherein a combination of an uneven soil pressure generated by the head 502 and the force is sufficient to create flexure of the one or more articulate joints 506, to change a drilling direction of the drill equipment 500; and a control system (not shown) for controlling the one or more actuators 510 of each articulated joint 506.
  • the drill equipment 500 comprises a segmented drilling-mixing shaft (i.e., the stem formed by connecting rods and head) connected together by hydraulically actuated joints 506 (hereafter termed "actuated joints").
  • actuated joints the three segments 504 are separated of stem by joints 506 which are able to exert flexural moments on the stem to facilitate bending or steering.
  • three actuated joints 506 were developed to connect the shaft segments together. Each actuated joint 506 allows the shaft to bend at any prescribed angle up to about 30°.
  • the developed prototype DSM equipment 500 has three actuated joints 506. The three joints 506 allow the shaft 504 to bend through an angle of about 90°.
  • the number of actuated joints 506 is not limited to three. Fewer, or more, actuated joints can be incorporated to reduce, or increase, the reach of the equipment. In principle, more joints can be added subject to availability of space for the hydraulic oil pipes.
  • the mixture conduit is used for conveying grout to the head 502.
  • the term "head" refers to an 'augur', 'drill head', 'cutter head' or other head for achieving the functions set out in the description.
  • the reach of the drill equipment 500 is limited by the length of the segmented stem and number of actuated joints. Each actuated joint can turn through an angle of approximately 30°. With three joints in cas cade arrangement, a full 90° turn is possible. The reach of the equipment can be increased by adding more actuated joints.
  • FIG 3 is a perspective view of an articulated joint 506.
  • the main components of each actuated joint 506 is a universal joint 602 and two hydraulic actuators 510 (hereafter termed "actuators").
  • actuators may be one of a linear actuator and a hydraulic actuator.
  • a linear actuator is an actuator that creates motion in a straight line, in contrast to the circular motion of a conventional electric motor.
  • an electric motor remains the prime mover but provides torque to operate a hy draulic accumulator that is then used to transmit actuation force in much the same way that diesel engine/hydraulics are typically used in heavy equipment.
  • the universal joint 602 (also called a universal coupling or U-joint) is a joint or coupling connecting rigid shafts whose axes are inclined to each other. It facilitates transmission of rotary motion. It consists of a pair of hinges located close together, oriented at 90° to each other, connected by a cross shaft.
  • the purpose of the actuated joints 506 is not to provide the full moment required to flex the segment of the stem against the soil resistance.
  • the resisting mo ment of even soft soil acting on a short segment of stem is quite considerable.
  • the moment required to rotate a stem segment with a diameter of 150mm and length lm against soft soil with an undrained shear strength of 20kPa The limiting soil resistance around the stem will be approxi mately 180 kPa, which is about 9 times the undrained shear strength of 20kPa.
  • To flex the stem against this soil resistance will require a moment of 13.5kN-m.
  • each actuator will have to develop a force of approximately 90kN (or 9 tonnes), which is beyond the capacity of most electrical linear actuators and will require much larger hydraulic actuators. Hence, such a fully active system of steering is not feasible.
  • the function of the actuated joint is to provide an ambient flexural moment, which is typically a fraction of the full active moment required so as to pre-dispose the flexing of the stem towards the required direction.
  • the universal joint 602 may be a Cardan joint, which is a type of universal joint in a shaft that enables it to rotate when out of alignment.
  • the Cardan joint was fabricated to withstand high torque and axial loading.
  • the Cardan joint can be used to enable the rotating shaft to bend at any prescribed angle while trans mitting torque and rotary motion.
  • a Curtis CJ655 uni versal joint can be used.
  • the Curtis CJ655 is a high-torque U-joint which uses a cross-pin arrangement.
  • the Curtis CJ655 joint reduces the steel cross-section on the larger pin owing to the necessity to drill a hole for the passage of the smaller pin.
  • An alternative Cardan joint 1800 is pro posed (see Figure 18), comprising a staggered cross-pin arrangement 1802 that does not require drilling of the hole.
  • the proposed designs increase the cross- sectional area of the two cross-pins, thereby increasing its axial loading capac ity.
  • the actuation moment is generated by the two coun teracting hydraulic cylinders. Feedback from each hydraulic cylinder is provided by a draw-wire sensor, which is used to generate feedback signal (e.g. voltage) related to the specific stroke length of the hydraulic actuators. The readings from the pair of draw-wire sensors allow the control software to determine the actual angle of bend.
  • each actuated joint 506 comprises a Cardan joint 602, two hydraulic actuators 510 computer-controlled by servo-valves, two draw-wire sensors for feedback (not shown), piping (e.g., mixture conduit 606) for hy draulic oil and cement grout, and a protective housing (shown in Figure 7).
  • Each articulated joint 506, which is used to drive the articulated joint to turn through a prescribed angle so as to enable the operation of the proposed deep mixing equipment for directional soil mixing further comprises two supports (i.e., two end plates 604 with bearings for the drilling stem) with the one or more actua tors 510 extending therebetween.
  • One support is attached to each rod of the respective two rods 504 (or attached to the last rod 508 and the head 502).
  • the rods 504 and mixture (e.g. grout, drilling fluid or drill ing mud) conduit 606 pass through respective supports 604, around the respec tive articulated joint.
  • the head 502 also passes through the support 604.
  • the force is applied by one or both of extension and retraction of the one or more actuators 510.
  • the last rod 508 may be con nected to the head 502 by the actuated joint 506.
  • the head 502 is controllable to swivel about a cutting axis.
  • the head 502 may be configured to cut unevenly around an axis of the head 502.
  • the joint 506 enables the shaft to flex at any prescribed angle up to approximately 30° while transmitting torque, grout and rotary mo tion.
  • the actuators 510 can be actuated to extend or retract independently.
  • hydraulic pressure to the actuators 510 e.g. hydraulic pistons or cyl inders
  • a background moment is generated in the joints 506.
  • the essential concept of the flexing process is to use the actuator-applied moment to assist the differ ential soil pressure to flex the shaft. This differs from fully passive directional drilling and cutting wherein the differential soil/rock pressure has to overcome the bending resistance of the shaft in order to flex it.
  • Figure 4 illustrates an example method for drilling into soil, comprising:
  • FIG. 4 illustrates an example sequence of the flexing process.
  • An ambient (in this case, anti-clockwise) moment 401 is first applied to joint 404 just behind the cutter head 402 as well as joint 406 further up the drilling stem 408 between joints 404 and 406.
  • the moment on the joint 404 will swivel the head 402.
  • the moment on joint 406 will assist the differential soil pressure.
  • a downward loading or displacement is applied to the stem 408 to cause cutting and penetration into the ground.
  • step (c) comprises applying a prescribed turning moment to the head via a nearest said articulated joint (i.e. the articulated joint nearest the head).
  • step (c) comprises applying a pushing force along the stem to, with the pre scribed turning moment, induce uneven cutting around the head, thereby gen erating a differential soil pressure on the head.
  • step (d) may be performed comprising ac tuating the one or more actuators to apply the force to one or more said artic ulated joints, to predisposed the one or more said articulated joints to turn in a direction corresponding to the turning moment.
  • differential pres sure on the cutter head 402 forces it to rotate, assisted by moment from the joint 404.
  • differential soil pressure on stem segment 408 will increase further, forcing this stem 408 segment to flex, assisted by the moment in joint 406.
  • Differential pressure on the cutter head 402 will force the segment 408 to ro tate, assisted by moments from actuated joints 404 and 406.
  • the drill equipment 500 is designed to operate from a drilling rig 700 as illustrated in Figures 5a and 5b, which show the drill equip ment 500 (which is protected from soil and water by a housing 706) mounted on the drilling rig 700.
  • a drilling rig is an integrated system that drills wells, such as oil or water wells, in the Earth's subsurface.
  • the drilling rig 700 can be a massive structure housing equipment used to drill water wells, oil wells, or natural gas extraction wells, or they can be small enough to be moved manually by one person and such are called augers.
  • the drilling rig 700 can sample sub surface mineral deposits, test rock, soil and groundwater physical properties, and also can be used to install sub-surface fabrications, such as underground utilities, instrumentation, tunnels or wells.
  • the drilling rig 700 can be mobile equipment mounted on trucks (see 702 shown in Figures 5a and 5b), tracks or trailers, or more permanent land or marine-based structures.
  • Figure 6 shows another example Casagrande C6 drilling rig 800 with the drill equipment 500.
  • the equipment 500 requires modifi cations to existing drilling rig 800.
  • the mount ing for the drilling head should be modified to move the drilling head forward (i.e. away from the rig 800) by a distance of approximately 200mm.
  • the invention may comprise a drill rig comprising the drill equipment described above which, in some embodiments, requires the drill head to be moved forward by a predetermined distance. This is to position the drilling stem away from the rig 800 and provide sufficient clearance for the mounting of the equipment 500, so that it can be raised above the level of the clamp 802.
  • the clamp 802 should be enlarged and a set of rollers should be incorporated to enable the flexible DSM equipment 500 to slide over it. It will be appreciated that the first and second modifications are to enable the DSM equipment 500 to be raised and lowered through the clamp 802.
  • the existing Casagrande C6 rig is a fully manual rig without any sensor output which can be fed into computers. Depth of penetration into the ground is measured manually through the lengths of the stem. To provide sensor feedback on the depth of penetration to the DSM equipment, a long-stroke draw-wire sensor should be incorporated into the rig 800. It will be appreciated that for other models of drilling rig, specific adapta tions can also be made as necessary.
  • the stem comprises a housing segment for each rod, the housing segment defines a volume in which the rod and mixture conduit are protected from soil and water.
  • the stem further com prises a flexible section for each articulated joint.
  • a housing 706 is fabri cated.
  • the housing 706 comprises sliding supporting walls and spring skeleton (i.e. a flexible resilient member for supporting fabric of the housing or joint during deformation and use) for each rod.
  • the stem also comprises a flexible section 704 for each articulated joint.
  • the flexible section may comprise Twaron or other water-resistant aramid fabric.
  • the fabric may be coated (one or more times) with a waterproof or water-resistant coating such as latex for added pro tection against water.
  • the flexible section 704 extends between respective housing segments 706 - i.e. the housing segments at neigh bouring joints of the stem.
  • the respective flexible section 704 comprises opposed pairs of side plates.
  • One side plate of each pair is fixed in relation to each rod of the respective two rods.
  • the side plates in each pair are movable relative to one another to maintain lateral protection of the articulated joint during articu lation thereof.
  • the side plates in each pair of side plates are rotatable relative to one another. An axis of relative rotation between the side plates in each pair of side plates may align with an axis of rotation of the respective articulated joint.
  • the inter-joint housing 706 may also provide rigidity and water- proofing to the pipes and electrical cables running between successive actuated joint 506.
  • the main elements of the inter-joint housing 706 are a double clam-shell aluminium housing and internal aluminium frames for mount ing of pipes and cables.
  • the pipes and frame system may be replaced by a rigid pipework manifold, which will enhance the rigidity further.
  • FIG. 7 shows another example protective housing 900.
  • the protective housing 900 is a feature of the joint 506 (covered by the housing 900).
  • the stem further comprises a flexible section for each articulated joint.
  • the housing 900 may be flexible enough to bend but must also be able to withstand water and soil pressure and prevent water ingress, while providing some torsional rigidity and withstanding impacts from debris and pieces of rock.
  • the innermost layer of the housing 900 comprises one or more, and preferable a series of, steel support plates 902 and stiffeners 904 to with stand the inward-acting soil and water pressure.
  • the support plates 902 are assembled in pairs, each pair connected together by a hinge 906 which allows individual plates of the pair to slide and rotate relative to each other. Such de sign allows flexibility for bending. Additional reinforcement can be provided by the end stiffeners 902.
  • the flexible section 704 comprises a flexible fabric sleeve supported by a structural skeleton.
  • Figure 8 shows another example flexible section 1000 (which is a spring-bellow housing) covering the housing 900.
  • the composite spring-bellow housing 1000 which comprises a flexible fabric sleeve 1002 and a skeleton (or skeleton spring) 1004.
  • the flexible fabric sleeve 1002 comprises a latex coated aramid fabric
  • the skeleton 1004 comprises a spring.
  • the skeleton of the spring-bellow housing 1000 is a coil of hand-wound rectangular-section spring 1004, onto which is sewn two layers of Twaron fabric 1002.
  • the spring-skeleton 1004 is manually bent from 4mm di ameter steel wire. It is recommended that the diameter of the steel wire can be increased slightly to 5mm or 6mm to increase its capacity to withstand soil and water pressure.
  • the Twaron is water-resistant. However, to enhance water proofing quality, multiple layers of latex are coated on the outside of the Twaron. In the prototype shown in Figure 8, the latex is not vulcanized owing to lack of vulcanizing facility for large items. Vulcanization is recommended and would enhance the wearability of the rubber exterior.
  • the spring 1004 provides stiffness across the open gaps left by the end stiffeners and support plates and also some degree of torsional rigidity, while maintaining flexibility.
  • the proposed DSM equipment 500 can be controlled through a control system manually or automatically.
  • manual operation is feasi ble using a software developed on the LabVIEW platform, which allows angle of bend of each actuated joint to be separately controlled.
  • the LabVIEW-based control software is used to output the signal (e.g. voltage) related to the correct amount of extension or retraction of actuators, based on calculations in terms of inputs of the prescribed angle of bend and feedback from Linear Variable Differential Transformer (LVDT).
  • LVDT Linear Variable Differential Transformer
  • DAC Digital to Analog Convertor
  • the user input consists of a series of angular set tings for each joint corresponding to each increment in depth of penetration, via a software user interface.
  • control cards 1102 may be used to read and input signal (e.g. volt age) from the DAC to a proportional oil control valve 1104, which is used to control the retraction or extension of each hydraulic actuator independently.
  • the LabVIEW-based software then calculates the required amount of extension or retraction of the hydraulic actuators.
  • the LabVIEW-based software then mon itors the articulated joint to ensure that it is homing towards the target angle by feedbacks from a pair of draw-wire sensors installed within the joint.
  • a high-level optimization software is developed using Python to calculate a sequence of angular increments to minimize the deviation of equipment trajectory from a target trajectory.
  • the input into this software is a prescribed trajectory of the equipment.
  • These sequence of angular increments are then fed automatically into the LabVIEW-based software to automate the extension and retraction of the hydraulic actuators.
  • the control system can control extension and retraction of the one or more ac tuators, thereby to control the force.
  • FIG 10 is a block diagram showing an exemplary computer device 1200, in which embodiments of the proposed method may be practiced.
  • the computer device 1200 may be a mobile computer device such as a smart phone, a wearable device, a palm-top computer, and multimedia Internet enabled cellular telephones, an on-board computing system or any other computing system, a mobile device such as an iPhone TM manufactured by AppleTM, Inc or one manufactured by LGTM, HTCTM and SamsungTM, for example, or other device.
  • the mobile computer device 1200 includes the following components in electronic communication via a bus 1206:
  • RAM random access memory
  • N processing components 1210 N processing components 1210;
  • a transceiver component 1212 that includes N transceivers;
  • Figure 10 Although the components depicted in Figure 10 represent physical components, Figure 10 is not intended to be a hardware diagram. Thus, many of the components depicted in Figure 10 may be realized by common constructs or distributed among additional physical components. Moreover, it is certainly contemplated that other existing and yet-to-be developed physical components and architectures may be utilized to implement the functional components described with reference to Figure 10.
  • the display 1202 generally operates to provide a presentation of content to a user, and may be realized by any of a variety of displays (e.g., CRT, LCD, HDMI, micro- projector and OLED displays).
  • displays e.g., CRT, LCD, HDMI, micro- projector and OLED displays.
  • non-volatile data storage 1204 functions to store (e.g., persistently store) data and executable code.
  • the system architecture may be implemented in memory 1204, or by instructions stored in memory 1204.
  • the non-volatile memory 1204 includes bootloader code, modem software, operating system code, file system code, and code to facilitate the implementation components, well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, which are not depicted nor described for simplicity.
  • the non-volatile memory 1204 is realized by flash memory (e.g., NAND or ONENAND memory), but it is certainly contemplated that other memory types may be utilized as well. Although it may be possible to execute the code from the non-volatile memory 1204, the executable code in the non-volatile memory 1204 is typically loaded into RAM 1208 and executed by one or more of the N processing components 1210.
  • the N processing components 1210 in connection with RAM 1208 generally operate to execute the instructions stored in non-volatile memory 1204.
  • the N processing components 1210 may include a video processor, modem processor, DSP, graphics processing unit (GPU), and other processing components.
  • the transceiver component 1212 includes N transceiver chains, which may be used for communicating with external devices via wireless networks.
  • Each of the N transceiver chains may represent a transceiver associated with a particular communication scheme.
  • each transceiver may correspond to protocols that are specific to local area networks, cellular networks (e.g., a CDMA network, a GPRS network, a UMTS networks), and other types of communication networks.
  • the system 1200 of Figure 10 may be connected to any appliance 1218, such as systems for controlling drilling or cutting head rotation rate, drill mud, grout pressure and flow rate, and other systems.
  • Non-transitory computer-readable medium 1204 includes both computer storage medium and communication medium including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another.
  • a storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer.
  • FIG 11 shows an example single-joint implementation of the proposed drill equipment 1300 for deep cement-soil mixing around a corner being tested in a test pit.
  • the articulated joint 1302 (covered by a housing) is quite large as the equipment 1300 is designed for soil mixing purposes and it has to generate a moment sufficient to turn a one metre diameter auger blade. It will be appreciated that for directional drilling and sampling purposes, the cutter head will be much smaller, typically 150mm in diameter, and the joint 1302 will be correspondingly smaller.
  • the field tests on the drill element 1300 are conducted in a cylindrical test pit, 3 meter in diameter and 5 meter in depth to assess the capability of equipment to turn through prescribed angles during deep mixing process in field ground conditions and to assess the feasibility of waterproofing and ruggedizing such a flexible joint.
  • the pit was filled with residual soil.
  • the field tests show that the concept of the invented deep mixing equipment for directional soil mixing is practical and feasible.
  • the main findings from the results of field tests can be listed as follows.
  • the hydraulic actuators are capable of providing sufficient force to achieve the desired extension/ retraction independently.
  • the LabVIEW-based control program is capable of correctly controlling the amount of extension or retraction of actuators, so as to enable the shaft to bend at any prescribed angle.
  • the invented prototype can perform deep mixing work, while the shaft is rotating and the turning angle is gradually increasing from 0° to 30° continuously and concurrently with jack- in and withdrawal of the shaft.
  • the current version of invented prototype can vary the turning angle from ⁇ 30° off-axis beneath the soil surface.
  • stiffening of the joint against out-of- plane bending can be achieved by using a rubber bellow casted over a Twaron member and a non-circular spring, together with support plates. Ruggedizing of the joint against rock fragments and other sharp objects was achieved by means of the Twaron membrane.
  • FIG. 12 shows three actuated joints 1402 and the segmented stems 1404 housed within aluminium housings and the 1-metre diameter auger blade 1406 (i.e., the header) below.
  • the active moment which each joint 1402 can deliver is sufficient to flex the lowest joint 1408 and the auger blade 1406 below it. This allows the auger blade 1406 to change direction and conduct differential cutting.
  • the moment delivered by the middle joint 1410 and top joint 1412 is not expected to be sufficient to flex the joint against the soil resistance.
  • differential soil pressure was required to flex the middle joint 1410 and top joint 1412.
  • the joints 1402 are placed into the test pit at an initial incline of ⁇ 20° to the vertical. Flex angles of ⁇ 20°, ⁇ 10° and ⁇ 5° were applied to the lowest, middle and uppermost joints (1408, 1410, 1412). The middle and uppermost joints (1410 and 1412) did not flex owing to the initial soil resistance. Drilling and mixing was then initiated and the equipment was gradually penetrated into the ground. As the penetration progresses, the middle and uppermost joints (1410 and 1412) commenced flexing until they reached their target flex angles of 10° and 5° within a penetration distance of less than 2m. This indicates that the differential soil pressure created by the combination of differential cutting and penetration, and assisted by the actuation moments on the joints, is able to steer the joints 1402 to the required direction within a relatively short distance.
  • Figures 13a and 13b show the schematic and finite element rendition of the stem 1502, joints 1504 and 1508, cutter head 1506 and soil during differential cutting.
  • the soil is modelled as an undrained Mohr-Coulomb material with angle of friction of 0° and undrained shear strength of 20kPa.
  • the interface adhesion between the stem 1502 and soil and between cutter head 1506 and soil is set at lOkPa, corresponding to an adhesion ratio of 0.5.
  • the cutter head 1506 is idealized as a short cylindrical stub.
  • An inclined void is simulated on one side of the cutter head 1506 to represent the effect of differential cutting, see Figure 13b.
  • Joints 1504 and 1508 are simulated by a hinge joint with applied moment.
  • a small ambient moment of 0.3kN-m is applied onto the Joint 1 to initiate the turning of the cutter head.
  • Joint 1504 was given an initial bent angle of ⁇ 5° to initiate the computation.
  • a target angle of bent of 20° was also specified for Joint 1504. When this angle is reached, the joint will be locked.
  • the moment at Joint 1508 was varied between 0.3kN-m and 6kN-m in the parametric study. The downward displacement on the top of the stem segment 1502 is then gradually increased.
  • Figure 14a to 14c show the displacement and inclination of the stem 1502 and cutter head 1506 as well as soil movement during penetration.
  • Figure 6a shows soil deformation and stem-cutter-head displacement at the initial state.
  • Figure 6b shows soil deformation and stem-cutter-head displacement when cutter head has bent through 20°.
  • Figure 6c shows soil deformation and stem-cutter-head displacement after 0.3m vertical penetration. Initial penetration leads to the 1504 bending to the target angle of 20°. Once this angle is reached, Joint 1504 locks up and further penetration causes the entire stem to tilt.
  • Figure 15 shows the angle of tilt of the stem 1502 for different joint 1508 moment against vertical penetration at the top of the stem 1502.
  • line 1602 refers to the case when join 1508 moment equals to 0.3 kN-m
  • line 1608 refers to the case when join 1508 moment equals to 1 kN-m
  • line 1606 refers to the case when join 1508 moment equals to 3 kN-m
  • line 1604 refers to the case when join 1508 moment equals to 6 kN-m.
  • the stem 1502 and cutter head 1506 show increasing inclination in the direction of the void 1510 as penetration takes place, even for relatively low applied moment of 0.3kN-m on joints 1504 and 1508, which is much lower than that required to overcome the soil resistance, i.e. ⁇ 13.5kN-m (see calculations above).
  • Figure 16 shows the rate of tilt of the stem for different joint 1508 moments.
  • the rate of turning is correspondingly increased. Nonetheless, turning can still be initiated even with an applied joint moment which is much lower than that required to overcome the soil resistance.
  • the y-intercept indicates that, even if joint 1508 moment is reduced to 0, the stem will tilt at a rate of approximately 6.3°/m-penetration by the differential soil pressure alone. This indicates that much of the turning effect is supplied by the differential soil pressure created by the differential cutting.
  • the applied moment in joints 1504 and 1508 helps predispose the joint to bend in one direction.
  • Figure 17 shows the interior construction of the joint 1700.
  • the active moment is generated by two hydraulic actuators 1710 and 1712 connected to the top and bottom steel plates 1714 and 1716 to flex the joint 1700 into a prescribed angle by extension or retraction.
  • the bending of the segmented stem is facilitated by a universal or Cardan joint 1718 which permits angle of flexure of up to 30°.
  • the software for controlling the operation of this deep mixing system in a continuous manner has also been developed though a user friendly LabVIEW platform, where the formulation relating the amount of extension or retraction to direction and angle of flexure have been incorporated.
  • the LabVIEW-based control software is used to output the signal (e.g. voltage) related to the correct amount of extension or retraction of actuators, based on calculations in terms of inputs of the prescribed angle of bend and feedback from LVDT 1720.

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Earth Drilling (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un équipement de forage comprenant une tête conçue pour être pivotée pour être découpée de manière irrégulière autour de la tête ; au moins deux barres reliées l'une à la suite de l'autre par un ou plusieurs joints articulés pour former une tige pour transmettre un couple et un mouvement rotatif à la tête, ladite barre (la dernière barre) étant reliée à la tête, chaque joint articulé reliant deux des barres et comprenant un ou plusieurs actionneurs, le ou les actionneurs pouvant être commandés pour appliquer une force pour modifier un angle entre les deux barres respectives, et une combinaison d'une pression de sol irrégulière générée par la tête et de la force étant suffisante pour créer une flexion du ou des joints articulés, pour changer une direction de forage de l'équipement de forage ; et un système de commande pour commander le ou les actionneurs de chaque joint articulé.
PCT/SG2022/050488 2021-07-12 2022-07-12 Équipement de forage WO2023287356A2 (fr)

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