AUTOMATIC DRILL PIPE ADD AND REMOVE SYSTEM
A drilling rig carousel assembly includes a drilling rig carousel comprising a plurality of slots for holding drill components, a first actuator coupled to the drilling rig carousel and configured to axially rotate the drilling rig carousel, a second actuator coupled to the drilling rig carousel and configured to move the drilling rig carousel between a first position and a second position, and a sensor assembly. The sensor assembly includes a rotation sensor configured to monitor an axial rotation of the drilling rig carousel, and a position sensor configured to provide a signal representative of whether the drilling rig carousel is in the first position or the second position.
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The present disclosure relates generally to drilling systems, and more particularly to an automated system for adding and removing drill pipe segments to modify the length of a drill string.
BACKGROUNDThis section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Drilling systems are generally known to include a vertical drill tower (e.g. mast, etc.) constructed from structural members such as steel beams and reinforcing supports. The drill tower is often coupled to a mobile platform (e.g. which along with other components typically form a drilling rig) for positioning the drill tower in a desired location to conduct a drilling operation. The drill tower is often equipped with a drill carousel which is structured and adapted to support a drill string formed from a combination of pipe segments (e.g., drill pipes, drill rods, drill extenders, etc.). The drill carousel is used to selectively add the pipe segments to the drill string for drilling a hole having a desired depth. The drill carousel is intended to allow a drilling operation to progress into the drill hole by making readily available a continuous string of pipe segments as needed for advancing a drilling tool into a drill hole.
Throughout the drilling operation, it is often desirable or necessary to add or remove a pipe segment from the drill string in order to meet a desired drilling depth, such as a depth that is greater or deeper than the depth restricted by the length of the drill tower. To minimize downtime in the drilling operation due to adding or removing a pipe segment, systems and mechanisms may be provided to facilitate moving the drill carousel to a change-out position and adding or removing pipe segments from the drill string.
One example of such a mechanism can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,592, issued May 22, 1984, for “Automatic Drill String Section Changer,” which discloses a mobile rock drill unit having a control system which automates the task of adding and removing drill string sections from the drill string. However, the disclosed mechanism requires an operator command for adding or removing a drill string section, rather than automatically adding or removing drill string segments based on the conditions of the drilling operation.
SUMMARYAn embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a drilling rig carousel assembly. The drilling rig carousel assembly includes a drilling rig carousel comprising a plurality of slots for holding drill components, a first actuator coupled to the drilling rig carousel and configured to axially rotate the drilling rig carousel, a second actuator coupled to the drilling rig carousel and configured to move the drilling rig carousel between a first position and a second position, and a sensor assembly. The sensor assembly includes a rotation sensor configured to monitor an axial rotation of the drilling rig carousel, and a position sensor configured to provide a signal representative of whether the drilling rig carousel is in the first position or the second position.
Another embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a drilling rig for drilling at a desired drill depth. The drilling rig includes a drill string having a drill tool and comprising one or more drill pipe segments, a drill pipe storage rack configured to store the one or more drill pipe segments, a sensor assembly configured to monitor a position of the drill string and a position of the drill pipe storage rack, an operator interface configured to receive one or more operator inputs, and a control module. The control module is configured to receive signals from the sensor assembly and the operator interface, and control a movement of the drill pipe storage rack and the drill string in order to add the one or more drill pipe segments from the drill pipe storage rack to the drill string, extending the drill string to reach the desired drill depth.
Another embodiment of the present disclosure relates to an automatic drill pipe add and remove system for a drilling rig having a drill string. The automatic drill pipe add and remove system includes a sensor assembly configured to monitor a position of the drill string and a position of a drill pipe storage rack, an operator interface configured to receive one or more operator inputs, and a control module. The control module is configured to receive signals from the sensor assembly, receive a desired drill depth from the operator interface, determine a desired drill string length for reaching the desired drill depth, and automatically add drill pipe segments to the drill string until the drill string reaches the desired drill string length.
The disclosure will become more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, in which:
Before turning to the figures, which illustrate the exemplary embodiments in detail, it should be understood that the present application is not limited to the details or methodology set forth in the description or illustrated in the figures. It should also be understood that the terminology is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting.
Referring to the Figures, an automatic drill pipe add and remove system for use with a rotary drilling machine such as a drilling rig 10 (or other suitable mobile or stationary drilling system) is shown according to an exemplary embodiment for use in mining, excavation, wells, blast hole drilling or other drilling or boring operations. Although the automatic drill pipe add and remove system is shown and described by way of example as being used with a mobile drilling rig 10, the automatic drill pipe add and remove system of the present disclosure is suitable for use with any of a wide variety of other mobile or stationary drilling systems, all of which are intended to be within the scope of this disclosure.
Referring to
The drilling rig 10 includes a drill string 12 coupled to a drill tower 32. The drill string 12 includes one or more pipe segments 14 (i.e., drill pipe segments) for extending the length of the drill string 12 in order to meet the desired drilling depth. The pipe segments 14 may be coupled on a first end to a drill head 18 and on a second end to a drill tool 54 (e.g., hammer, etc.) by one or more adapters, such as adapters 20 and 24 shown in
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From the add/remove position, the drill pipe carousel 16 is configured to “index” (i.e., rotate about its central axis) in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. While the swing motion pivots the drill pipe carousel 16 away from and toward the drill string 12, this indexing motion rotates the drill pipe carousel 16 around its center axis, with the center axis remaining stationary relative to the drill string 12. As the drill pipe carousel 16 is indexed, the slots 26 are rotated through a loading position (i.e., a position in line with the drill string 12 for removing or adding a pipe segment 14) for interacting with the drill string 12 (the loading position is shown in
The automatic drill pipe add and remove system includes a sensor assembly configured to monitor one or more relevant conditions of the drilling rig 10, including the position and/or movement of one or more components of the drilling rig 10 (e.g., drill pipe carousel 16, drill string 12, etc.). The control module 30 is configured to receive one or more signals from the sensor assembly that represent the relevant conditions of the drilling rig 10. For instance, the sensor assembly may be configured to monitor the relative position of the drill pipe carousel 16, the presence of pipe segments 14 in the slots 26 of the drill pipe carousel 16, or any other relevant conditions of the drilling rig 10 or the automatic drill pipe add and remove system. The control module 30 may also be configured to receive one or more operator inputs from an operator interface 80 (shown in
In an exemplary embodiment, the control module 30 receives a desired drilling depth as an operator input through the operator interface 80. In this embodiment, the control module 30 is configured to use the signals from the sensor assembly to control one or more components of the drilling rig 10 in order to add or remove pipe segments 14 and/or other drill components, as necessary. Pipe segments 14 may be automatically added to the drill string 12 by the automatic drill pipe add and remove system until the drill string 12 has a desired drill string length configured to reach the desired drilling depth. Once the desired drilling depth is reached, the control module 30 may be configured to remove pipe segments 14 and/or other drill components from the drill string 12, as necessary. An algorithm 900 for an exemplary embodiment of the automatic drill pipe add and remove system is shown in
Referring now to
In an exemplary embodiment, the drilling rig 10 includes an actuator configured to move or swing the drill pipe carousel 16 between a first position and a second position, which is shown as hydraulic cylinder 52 in the illustrated embodiment of
In other embodiments, the swing sensor 44 may be coupled to the drill pipe carousel 16, coupled to the drill tower 32, or mounted or positioned in another location suitable for monitoring the swing position of the drill pipe carousel 16. The automatic drill pipe add and remove system is also shown to include detection sensors (e.g., proximity sensors, motion sensors, position sensors, etc.) shown as slot sensors 58 and 60. The slot sensors 58 and 60 are configured to detect the presence of drill components (e.g., pipe segments 14, drill tools 54, etc.) within the drill pipe carousel 16 in the illustrated embodiment of
Referring further to
When the locking device 36 is in the locked position, the drill pipe carousel 16 rotates axially in relation to the movement of the hydraulic cylinder 34. According to the illustrated embodiment of
In order to rotate the drill pipe carousel 16 in a counter-clockwise direction, the locking device 36 is moved to the unlocked position, de-coupling the hydraulic cylinder 34 from the drill pipe carousel 16. The hydraulic cylinder 34 may then be moved to the substantially extended position without rotating the drill pipe carousel 16. Once the hydraulic cylinder 34 is in the substantially extended position, the locking device 36 may be moved to the locked position, re-coupling the hydraulic cylinder 34 to the drill pipe carousel 16. In this configuration, as the hydraulic cylinder 34 is moved from the substantially extended position to the substantially retracted position, the coupled drill pipe carousel 16 is rotated in the counter-clockwise direction. In an exemplary embodiment and in this configuration, an adjacent slot 26 is moved counter-clockwise to the loading position when the hydraulic cylinder 34 is moved from the substantially extended position to the substantially retracted position.
Referring further to
In an exemplary embodiment, the automatic drill pipe add and remove system may also include one or more proximity sensors 40 (e.g., electromagnetic sensors, photoelectric sensors, etc.) configured to detect when the drill pipe carousel 16 has indexed to move the next slot 26 to the loading position. In some embodiments, the position of the hydraulic cylinder 34 may be used to determine whether an adjacent slot 26 of the drill pipe carousel 16 is sufficiently within the loading position. In these embodiments, the proximity sensors 40 may be positioned on either end of the hydraulic cylinder 34, or in another position within the drill tower 32 suitable for detecting whether the hydraulic cylinder 34 is in the substantially extended or substantially retracted position. The proximity sensors 40 may be triggered or activated when the hydraulic cylinder 34 is moved to the substantially extended or substantially retracted position, perhaps indicating that the drill pipe carousel 16 has been indexed to the next slot 26. The proximity sensors 40 are configured to send one or more signals to the control module 30 when the proximity sensors 40 are triggered or activated.
The automatic drill pipe add and remove system may also include a lock sensor 46 (e.g., proximity sensor, electromagnetic sensor, photoelectric sensor, etc.) configured to detect whether the locking device 36 is in the locked position or the unlocked position. The lock sensor 46 may be coupled to the locking device 36 (as shown in
The automatic drill pipe add and remove system may also include drill sensor 48 (e.g., proximity sensor, high frequency proximity switch, velocity monitoring device, etc.). In an exemplary embodiment, the drill sensor 48 is configured to monitor a rotation of the drill head 18, sending one or more signals to the control module 30 representing the rotation speed and/or other characteristics or conditions of the drill head 18. The control module 30 may receive and interpret the signals for use with the automatic drill pipe add and remove system, such as in the illustrated embodiments of
In the illustrated embodiment of
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To disassemble the drill string 12, the control module 30 is configured to cause the drill string 12 to raise so that the pipe segment 14 of the drill string 12 is aligned with the deck wrench 22. The control module 30 then causes the deck wrench 22 to engage the pipe segment 14. The automatic drill pipe add and remove system may include a sensor (not shown) configured to detect whether the deck wrench 22 engages the pipe segment 14, and to send one or more signals to the control module 30 conveying the information. Once the pipe segment 14 is engaged, the control module 30 may cause the drill head 18 and top adapter 20 to rotate in order to disconnect from the pipe segment 14. Signals received from the sensor assembly may be used to determine a compatible unscrew rate for the drill head 18. For instance, the drill sensor 48 may be configured to monitor a rotation speed of the drill head 18, and to send one or more signals to the control module 30 representing the rotation speed of the drill head 18. In an exemplary embodiment, the drill sensor 48 includes a high frequency proximity switch configured to monitor the rotation speed of the drill head 18. In this embodiment, the drill head 18 includes a drive gear having teeth, with each tooth configured to trigger the proximity switch as the drill head 18 rotates, creating one or more signals. In some embodiments, the drill sensor 48 uses the signals produced by the high frequency proximity switch to determine the rotation speed of the drill head 18, sending one or more signals to the control module 30 representing the rotation speed of the drill head 18. In other embodiments, the drill sensor 48 sends the signals directly from the proximity switch to the control module 30, and the control module 30 interprets the signals to calculate the rotation speed of the drill head 18. In other embodiments, the drill sensor 48 may be configured to send signals to the control module 30 representing any other conditions of the drill head 18 and/or the drill string 12 suitable for calculating or determining the rotation speed of the drill head 18. The control module 30 may be configured to use the signals from the drill sensor 48 or another sensor of the sensor assembly to calculate or determine a compatible unscrew rate, and/or to control the unscrew rate of the drill head 18.
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Once the deck wrench 22 is engaged, the control module 30 may cause the drill head 18 to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction, de-coupling the drill head 18, top adapter 20, and the removable pipe segment 14 from the rest of the drill string 12. The control module 30 may then cause the drill head 18 to raise, lifting the removable pipe segment 14 to a height corresponding to the height of the drill pipe carousel 16. Once the removable pipe segment 14 has been lifted to the appropriate height, the control module 30 may cause the drill pipe carousel 16 to swing to the add/remove position, so that the removable pipe segment 14 is positioned above an empty slot 26 of the drill pipe carousel 16. The drill head 18 may then be lowered to position the removable pipe segment 14 within the empty slot 26. In an exemplary embodiment, the empty slot 26 is configured to prevent the removable pipe segment 14 from rotating. In this embodiment, the control module 30 may rotate the drill head 18 and top adapter 20 when the removable pipe segment 14 is within the empty slot 26, disconnecting the removable pipe segment 14 from the drill head 18 and top adapter 20, and storing the removable pipe segment 14 within the drill pipe carousel 16. The control module 30 may then cause the drill pipe carousel 16 to swing to the stowed position away from the drill string 12. Referring further to
The construction and arrangements of the automatic drill pipe add and remove system, as shown in the various exemplary embodiments, are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter described herein. Some elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. The order or sequence of any process, logical algorithm, or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may also be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the various exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITYThe disclosed automatic drill pipe add and remove system may be implemented into any drilling machine having a drill string made up of one or more drill pipe segments. The disclosed automatic drill pipe add and remove system is intended to eliminate the need for operator involvement in adding or removing drill pipe segments by providing a sensor assembly for monitoring one or more components of the drilling machine and a control module for controlling the components of the drilling machine in response to signals received from the sensor assembly.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed automatic drill pipe add and remove system. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosed automatic drill pipe add and remove system. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A drilling rig carousel assembly, comprising:
- a drilling rig carousel comprising a plurality of slots for holding drill components;
- a first actuator coupled to the drilling rig carousel and configured to axially rotate the drilling rig carousel;
- a second actuator coupled to the drilling rig carousel and configured to move the drilling rig carousel between a first position and a second position; and
- a sensor assembly, comprising: a rotation sensor configured to monitor an axial rotation of the drilling rig carousel; and a position sensor configured to provide a signal representative of whether the drilling rig carousel is in the first position or the second position.
2. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising:
- a lock coupled to the drilling rig carousel and configured to removably couple the first actuator to the drilling rig carousel.
3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the sensor assembly further comprises a lock sensor configured to monitor whether the lock is in a locked position or an unlocked position.
4. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising:
- a control module configured to receive signals from the sensor assembly, and to control a movement of the drilling rig carousel.
5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the control module is configured to cause the drilling rig carousel to axially rotate such that one of the plurality of slots is indexed to a loading position.
6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the sensor assembly further comprises a slot sensor configured to detect the presence of the drill components within one or more of the plurality of slots.
7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the control module is configured to cause the drilling rig carousel to axially rotate based on the presence of the drill components within one or more of the plurality of slots.
8. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the slot sensor comprises proximity sensors coupled to the drilling rig carousel and configured to detect the presence of a drill component with a slot of the drilling rig carousel.
9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly is part of a drilling rig, the drilling rig further comprising:
- a drill string comprising one or more drill components; and
- a control module configured to: receive signals from the sensor assembly; and control a movement of the drill string and the drilling rig carousel in order to add one or more of the drill components to the drill string from the drilling rig carousel, or to remove one or more of the drill components from the drill string and store within the drilling rig carousel.
10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the sensor assembly further comprises a drill sensor configured to monitor a rotation of the drill string.
11. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the drilling rig carousel is positioned in axial alignment with the drill string in the first position, and the drilling rig carousel is positioned adjacent to the drill string in the second position.
12. A drilling rig for drilling at a desired drill depth, the drilling rig comprising:
- a drill string having a drill tool and comprising one or more drill pipe segments;
- a drill pipe storage rack configured to store the one or more drill pipe segments;
- a sensor assembly configured to monitor a position of the drill string and a position of the drill pipe storage rack;
- an operator interface configured to receive one or more operator inputs; and
- a control module configured to: receive signals from the sensor assembly and the operator interface; and control a movement of the drill pipe storage rack and the drill string in order to add the one or more drill pipe segments from the drill pipe storage rack to the drill string, extending the drill string to reach the desired drill depth.
13. The drilling rig of claim 12, wherein the sensor assembly comprises:
- a rotation sensor configured to monitor an axial rotation of the drill pipe storage rack; and
- a position sensor configured to provide a signal representative of whether the drill pipe storage rack is in a first position or a second position.
14. The drilling rig of claim 13, further comprising:
- a first actuator coupled to the drill pipe storage rack and configured to axially rotate the drill pipe storage rack about a center axis of the drill pipe storage rack.
15. The drilling rig of claim 13, further comprising:
- a second actuator coupled to the drill pipe storage rack and configured to move the drill pipe storage rack between the first position and the second position.
16. The drilling rig of claim 12, wherein the sensor assembly further comprises a drill sensor configured to monitor a rotation of the drill string.
17. The drilling rig of claim 12, wherein the drill pipe storage rack comprises a plurality of slots for holding the one or more drill pipe segments.
18. The drilling rig of claim 17, wherein the sensor assembly comprises a slot sensor configured to monitor one or more slots of the drill pipe storage rack to determine whether a drill pipe segment is present within one of the plurality of slots.
19. An automatic drill pipe add and remove system for a drilling rig having a drill string, the system comprising:
- a sensor assembly configured to monitor a position of the drill string and a position of a drill pipe storage rack;
- an operator interface configured to receive one or more operator inputs; and
- a control module configured to: receive signals from the sensor assembly; receive a desired drill depth from the operator interface; determine a desired drill string length for reaching the desired drill depth; and automatically add drill pipe segments to the drill string until the drill string reaches the desired drill string length.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein the control module is configured to automatically remove one or more of the drill pipe segments once the desired drill depth is reached such that the drill string comprises a single drill pipe segment.
Type: Application
Filed: May 20, 2013
Publication Date: Nov 20, 2014
Applicant: Caterpillar Global Mining LLC (Oak Creek, WI)
Inventors: Samuel C. Taylor (Bungendore), Ross L. Hoult (Eight Mile Plains), Chinpei Tang (McKinney, TX), Timo Diekmann (Castrop-Rauxel)
Application Number: 13/897,708
International Classification: E21B 44/00 (20060101); E21B 19/00 (20060101);