Subsea Drilling System and Method for Operating the Drilling System
A subsea drilling system includes a drilling module having a tool carousel being removable and replaceable in or out of water, a skid module and an ROV to be connected to and disconnected from the skid module in or out of water, for operating the subsea drilling system with the ROV. A method for operating a subsea drilling system includes removing a tool carousel from a drilling module and replacing the tool carousel with another tool carousel, in or out of water. An ROV is connected to a skid module and disconnected from the skid module in or out of water. The subsea drilling system is operated with the ROV.
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1. Field of the Invention:
The invention relates to a subsea drilling system, and more particularly to such a system having an ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle). The invention also relates to a method for operating a subsea drilling system.
2. Description of Related Art: p One existing device, built for the Monterey Research Institute, has a horizontal drill installed and operated on two ROVs. Another device, again built for the Monterey Bay Research Institute, uses a skid. However, in that device, a carousel is fixed and mounted horizontally. The subsea drilling system has a removable carousel that is mounted vertically.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a subsea drilling system and a method for operating the subsea drilling system, which overcome the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type, in which a carousel is removable on the surface or subsea, is guided into place by pins and guide receptacles and can be removed or replaced under water using another ROV, in which the system is capable of mating under water with an ROV, so that the ROV can connect to and operate the subsea drilling system and in which the ROV can also disconnect from a subsea drilling system skid package under water and the ROV can be quickly removed or installed on the subsea drilling system while on the deck of a support vessel.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a subsea drilling system. The system comprises a drilling module having a tool carousel being removable and replaceable in or out of water, a skid module, and an ROV to be connected to and disconnected from the skid module in or out of water for operating the subsea drilling system with the ROV.
With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided a method for operating a subsea drilling system. The method comprises removing a tool carousel from a drilling module and replacing the tool carousel with another tool carousel, in or out of water, connecting an ROV to a skid module and disconnecting the ROV from the skid module in or out of water, and operating the subsea drilling system with the ROV.
The subsea drilling system according to the invention is constructed for taking geological core samples by using conventional diamond drilling techniques in water depths of 3000 meters or 9840 feet. The system is configured in conjunction with a heavy duty work class ROV of opportunity and utilizes terrestrial drilling and coring technology. A conventional coring tool and drilling system is used along with a reverse circulation drilling system.
Two major assemblies or packages are provided within the subsea drilling system, that is a subsea drilling package and a surface controls package. The subsea drilling system according to the invention may interface with an ROV of opportunity, such as a Triton ST 200 class ROV. The subsea drilling system operates by employing the ROV of opportunity to supply a communications link for hydraulic and electrical power. The subsea drilling system uses the ST 200 class ROV, or any work class ROV, to define supplies, services and operations.
The functional system performance requirements for a baseline subsea drilling system are a coring depth of 12 meters or 39.4 feet and a core density assumed to be at a specific gravity of 3.5. The core diameter and length have a nominal size of 51.8 millimeters or 2.04 inches by 1.5 meters or 59 inches, per barrel. The drilling feed force will be 0 to 40 kilonewtons, which is 9,000 pounds per foot, and the retraction force is the same.
The pipe rod handling capability accommodates rods of 2.0 meters or 79 inches in length plus one joint make or break per minute. The rod running speed for feed and retraction is 0 to 0.2 meters or 0.66 feet per second with no load and 0 to 0.025 meters or 1 inch per second under a load of 40 kilonewton or 9,000 pounds per foot. The drilling head travels down at a speed of 15.2 meters or 50 feet per minute and up at a speed of 10.7 meters or 35 feet per minute. The drill torque range is 15 Newton-meters to 250 Newton-meters or 11 foot pounds to 185 foot pounds. The drill speed range is 0 to 900 rpm, continuously variable, using a two-speed motor and the maximum drill spindle speed is 1200 rpm.
The subsea drilling system structure is configured in accordance with Det Norske Veritas or DNV Rules for Certification of Lifting Appliances and the load test was witnessed by the DNV.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a subsea drilling system and a method for operating the subsea drilling system, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly, to
The ROV shown in
The subsea drilling system is a drilling and coring system. The general requirements of the system call for the ROV to supply hydraulic and electric power, telemetry and spare fiber. The system is capable of drilling and recovering cores of 20 meters with the illustrated configuration and diamond drilling tools. A specialized core barrel system referred to as the ROV 275 Core Barrel and Rod Assembly is used. The XLS 125 ROV is used for a baseline system, although many other types of heavy work class ROVs can be used with the subsea drilling system according to the invention. The system uses two packages, namely a surface controls package and a subsea skid package having the drilling module 1, as is seen in
Even greater detail concerning the drilling head 10 is provided by the cross-sectional view of
A further enlarged view of the spindle assembly 18 shown in
A fail-safe feature causes the jaws to open with the hydraulics off. The jaws are constructed for a tool size grip range between 25 and 70 mm, with another set of jaws being required for larger sizes up to 89 mm. A maximum pass through opening is set at 108 mm. The torque capability is up to 1,000 foot pounds.
The tool arm 70 is made out of aluminum and is operated by a hydraulic cylinder, so that it can be pushed and slid in and out. The gripping function, which is accomplished by opening and closing the jaws 76, is also hydraulic. There is additionally a bump function, which can move the arm sideways up to an inch in either direction to aid in fine alignment.
The stabilization and leveling legs 80, which are shown in
More specifically,
A comparison of
Claims
1. A subsea drilling system, comprising:
- a drilling module having a tool carousel being removable and replaceable in or out of water;
- a skid module; and
- an ROV to be connected to and disconnected from said skid module in or out of water for operating the subsea drilling system with said ROV.
2. The subsea drilling system according to claim 1, wherein said drilling module has a structural frame, and said tool carousel is guided into place on said structural frame by pins and guide receptacles.
3. The subsea drilling system according to claim 2, wherein said tool carousel is removable and replaceable under water by another ROV.
4. The subsea drilling system according to claim 2, wherein one of said pins drives said tool carousel.
5. The subsea drilling system according to claim 1, wherein said tool carousel has slots for receiving drilling tools.
6. The subsea drilling system according to claim 1, wherein said drilling module has a drilling head with a spindle assembly and a drive motor for driving drill rods, and said drilling head is moveable up and down on hydraulic elevator cylinders.
7. The subsea drilling system according to claim 1, wherein said drilling module has foot clamps for grasping pipes and making and breaking joints.
8. The subsea drilling system according to claim 5, wherein said drilling module has tool arms for inserting said drilling tools into and removing said drilling tools from said slots.
9. The subsea drilling system according to claim 1, wherein said drilling module has a structural frame, said skid module has a structural frame, and stabilization and leveling legs are attached to said frames to compensate for uneven terrain under water.
10. The subsea drilling system according to claim 1, wherein said skid module has a water pump for running water along a drill pipe to drill bits for flushing out drill shavings.
11. The subsea drilling system according to claim 1, wherein said skid module has a structural frame with for receiving said ROV.
12. The subsea drilling system according to claim 11, wherein said structural frame has pins and a connector for said ROV.
13. The subsea drilling system according to claim 1, which further comprises a surface controls package having a display, a monitor, a computer and interfaces for remotely controlling the subsea drilling system.
14. The subsea drilling system according to claim 6, wherein said drill rods are reverse circulation drill rods, and a swiveling hose is connected to said spindle assembly and leads to a catchment bag, for reverse circulation drilling.
15. A method for operating a subsea drilling system, the method comprising the following steps:
- removing a tool carousel from a drilling module and replacing the tool carousel with another tool carousel, in or out of water;
- connecting an ROV to a skid module and disconnecting the ROV from the skid module in or out of water; and
- operating the subsea drilling system with the ROV.
16. The method according to claim 15, which further comprises guiding the tool carousel into place on a structural frame of the drilling module with pins and guide receptacles.
17. The method according to claim 15, which further comprises carrying out the step of removing and replacing the tool carousel under water with another ROV.
18. The method according to claim 15, which further comprises driving the tool carousel with one of the pins.
19. The method according to claim 15, which further comprises placing drilling tools into and removing the drilling tools from, slots in the tool carousel.
20. The method according to claim 15, which further comprises driving drill rods with a spindle assembly and a drive motor on a drilling head of the drilling module, and moving the drilling head up and down on hydraulic elevator cylinders.
21. The method according to claim 15, which further comprises grasping pipes and making and breaking joints with foot clamps of the drilling module.
22. The method according to claim 19, which further comprises inserting the drilling tools into and removing the drilling tools from the slots with tool arms of the drilling module.
23. The method according to claim 15, which further comprises compensating for uneven terrain under water with stabilization and leveling legs attached to structural frames of the drilling module and the skid module.
24. The method according to claim 15, which further comprises running water along a drill pipe to drill bits for flushing out drill shavings with a water pump of the skid module.
25. The method according to claim 15, which further comprises mating the ROV to pins and a connector on a structural frame of the skid module.
26. The method according to claim 15, which further comprises remotely controlling the subsea drilling system with a surface controls package having a display, a monitor, a computer and interfaces.
27. The method according to claim 15, which further comprises guiding drilling cuttings from reverse circulation drill rods, through a spindle assembly and a swiveling hose into a catchment bag, for reverse circulation drilling.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 10, 2008
Publication Date: Jul 16, 2009
Applicant: PERRY SLINGSBY SYSTEMS, INC. (Jupiter, FL)
Inventors: Peter Nellessen, JR. (Palm Beach Gardens, FL), Jonathan Bruce Machin (Singapore), Harold Marshall Pardey (Salt Lake City, UT)
Application Number: 11/972,080
International Classification: E21B 7/128 (20060101);