Patent Application
20250146370
The present invention relates to a device for changing drilling tools (bit, tricone or DTH) in a drilling string and a method associated with changing the bits, tricone or DTH.
Mobile drilling units (or drilling rigs) are used for drilling blast holes in large-scale mining, large-scale quarrying and large-scale prospecting operations. Surface units have a pivoting mast mounted on a drilling platform. A drill string is mounted inside or in front of the mast and rotated to drill into the ground. The drill string consists of, depending on the technique used, a drilling tool (bits, tricone or DTH), a series of bars and some intermediate devices. The drill bit is mounted on the lower working end of the drill string. The bars connect the drilling tool to a rotation source mounted on the mast. The drill injects a liquid or gaseous fluid to extract the debris produced by drilling. This fluid and torque are transmitted through the rods to the drill bit, tricone or DTH tool to enable the drilling operation. As the drilling operation progresses, more rods are added to the drill string.
Before drilling can begin, the drilling tool will need to be attached to the string. This process involves manually positioning the drilling tool under a rod to allow engagement. Upon completion of a drilling operation, it will be necessary to disengage the drilling tool. drilling the bar and removing it from the string. While many of the operations in the drilling process can be performed autonomously, coupling/uncoupling of drilling tools still requires manual intervention from operators. This represents a significant danger for operators and has the potential to cause serious injuries as a result of any lack of control that occurs in the devices and tools used that contain a large amount of energy and there is permanent exposure of operators to these elements. In the state of the art, some equipment and devices are known that allow mechanical or semi-autonomous change of the drill bit or tricone devices of the drill strings. For example, international patent application WO2019371150A1 is known where a drill bit replacement apparatus is disclosed for replacing a drill bit in a drilling tool, the apparatus comprises: a drill chuck comprising one or more drill bit receptacles, each drill bit receptacle adapted to receive at least one drill bit; and positioning means adapted to move the bit holder between at least one storage position and one or more replacement positions, wherein each replacement position aligns at least one socket of the bit with the drilling tool.
As the drill bit is driven into the ground, the mechanical force imparted on the drill bit eventually wears and dulls the drill bit. Under certain circumstances, the drill bit can fracture and break. Worn or fractured bits need to be replaced. To complete this, the drilling operation must be stopped, and the drilling tool must be recovered to the surface to allow for bit replacement. The drill bit is normally threadedly connected to the lower end of the drilling tool. The threaded connection is oriented so that this rotational force does not loosen the threaded connection, but rather acts to tighten the connection. To change the bit, a starter mechanism is used to “break” the torque between the bit bar drilling and drill bit, loosening the tension on the threaded joint. Once the tension has been released, an operator typically removes the bit and places it away from the drilling tool. A replacement drill bit is then physically placed under the drilling tool to secure the drill bit to the drilling tool. The document indicates that this problem in the art is known, that is, there is a significant danger to operators and injuries may occur as a result of uncontrolled movement of drilling tools during the changing process. Risks increase with large diameter drilling operations, where the increased size and weight of the bits make them much more difficult to maneuver.
While many parts of drilling operations can be completed autonomously or semi-autonomously, changing bits still requires at least some manual intervention from an operator, usually at the machine. If a drilling rig is operated autonomously, then the drilling rig must be switched to manual operation whenever drill bits need to be replaced. Due to the need for manual intervention, the safety, capital, operating cost or production advantages offered by the autonomous drilling rig are reduced during bit changes. This is particularly problematic in hard rock drilling operations where multiple bit changes may be required during each drilling shift.
Here at this point it is also important to indicate that the cost of lost profits from having the equipment without drilling is very high, both due to the value of the equipment and all the assistance it requires and because of what is no longer produced, so it is of great importance. interest in finding ways to replace the drill bits that are automated, first to avoid the danger of exposure of the equipment operators and that, in addition, dramatically reduce the replacement time so that the equipment can return to drilling work and be lost. the shortest possible time in the downtime of said equipment. In the above application, the bit replacement apparatus is adapted to place a bit holder under a drilling tool. In this way, a drill bit located in the drill bit socket can be positioned below the drilling tool to allow engagement of the drill bit to the drilling tool. Alternatively, an empty bit socket may be placed under the drilling tool to allow disengagement of the bit from the drilling tool. Each bit socket holds a single bit. Alternatively, a single bit socket can accommodate two or more bits. In such an arrangement, it is envisaged that locating means or dividers may be used to separate the bits in the bit socket.
Another solution to this problem is raised in the United States patent document U.S. Ser. No. 11/261,677, which discloses a drilling platform that includes a plurality of interchangeable drilling tubes, where the drilling bits are arranged in an end section of a drill pipe end. The drill bit being attached to the end section by means of a threaded connection and torque being provided to the drill bit by means of a spline coupling. The drilling rig comprises a bottom support device and a depressor device. The system includes a bit storage device arranged to contain a plurality of bits, a clamping arm for selective gripping of a bit. The gripping arm may further comprise a motion sensor, arranged to control the movement of the gripping arm, and the system may further comprise a control unit. The control unit being arranged to receive information from the sensors and the drilling equipment, and to control the movement of the gripping arm, the gripping means, the drill bit storage device and the detightening device of the drilling equipment.
According to the first aspect, a bit changing system is provided for at least semi-automatic changing of bits in a drilling rig. The Drilling rig is configured for vertical or near-vertical drilling. The drilling rig may comprise a plurality of interchangeable drill pipes, where the drill bits are arranged in an end section of an end drill pipe. The drill bit may be attached to the end section by means of a threaded connection and torque may be provided to the drill bit by means of a slot coupling. The drilling equipment may further comprise a bottom support device and a detightening device configured to loosen the threaded connections of the drill pipes. The system may comprise a bit storage device, arranged adjacent and parallel to a drilling center of the drilling rig and arranged to contain a plurality of bits. The drill bit storage device may further be arranged to move drill bits between storage positions and an exchange position comprised therein. The storage positions may be arranged to store bits and the exchange position may be arranged to move bits to and from the bit storage device.
The system may further comprise a gripping arm comprising gripping means configured for selective gripping of a drill bit. The gripper arm may be arranged to move the gripper means between the exchange position and a drilling center of the drilling platform. The gripping arm may further comprise a motion sensor, arranged to monitor movement of the gripping arm. The system may further comprise a control unit, arranged to receive information from the sensors and the drilling platform, and to control the movement of the clamping arm, the clamping means, the bit storage device and the breaking device rig.
However, as previously shown in the State of the Art, there is a clear need to provide replacement equipment or devices and associated methods to change the drill bits directly in the drilling strings through automatic operations where exposure is avoided. of human operators to this dangerous operation and the downtime of the equipment is reduced. Additionally, there is no equipment available for large-scale mining that can simultaneously handle and release the guide bushing from the drill string, which is a crucial stage for accessing the drill bit and allowing its replacement in a safe and more effective manner.
In addition, there is a need to provide a universal device that works on the drill string and that can be used in the equipment of different manufacturers of mining drills and that can even be used in equipment that is not designed from the factory to carry out the replacement of the drilling bits or what is known as an equipment retrofit.
In a first aspect, the present invention relates to device for changing the drill bits, tricones or DTH of the drilling strings in surface and production drilling rigs in large-scale mining and for handling and/or changing the guide bushings of said string on the drilling platform characterized in that said equipment comprises:
In some embodiments, said drill bit reservoir or rack element (3) is capable of storing new and used drill bits; and/or drive unit (6) and the hydraulic, electric motor unit (7) are capable of moving said arm units (1), the bit storage and receiving element (3) and the clamp arm (4) with the clamp element (2) from passive or first positions to active or second positions; and/or the device is a universal type device that works on the drilling platform and that can be used in the equipment of different manufacturers of mining drills and can even be used in equipment that is not designed from the factory to replace drill bits or what is known as a retrofit of the equipment.
A second aspect of the present invention is a method for changing a drill bit, tricones or DTH of a drilling rig using the equipment of claim 1 comprising the steps of:
A third aspect of the present invention is a device for changing the drill bits, tricone bits or DTH bits of the drill strings in surface and production drilling machines in large-scale mining and for handling and/or changing the guide bushings of said string on the drilling platform, characterized in that said equipment comprises:
In some embodiments of the third aspect, the equipment for changing the drill bits, tricone bits or DTH bits of the drill string is characterized in that said reservoir element or bit rack (3) is capable of storing new and used bits; and/or said drive system units (6, 9) and the hydraulic or other motor unit (7) are capable of moving said arm units (1), the bit storage and receiving element (3) and the gripper arm (4) with the gripper element (2) from passive or first positions to active or second positions; and/or the device is a universal type device that works on the drilling platform that can be located on the sides or in front of the drilling platform and that can be used on equipment from different manufacturers of mining drills and can even be used on equipment that is not designed from the factory to change bits or what is known as a retrofit of the equipment.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is a method for changing a drill bit, tricone bits or DTH bits of a surface and mining production drilling equipment and for handling the guide bushings of said string on the drilling platform using the equipment of claim 6 comprising the steps of:
A fifth aspect of the present invention is a device to change the drill bits, tricone bits or DTH bits of the drilling strings in surface and production drilling machines in large mining and the guide bushings of said string on the drilling platform characterized in that said equipment comprises:
In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the equipment to change the bits, tricone bits or DTH bits of the drilling string is characterized in that said reservoir element or bit rack (2) is capable of storing new and used bits; and/or the motor units are capable of moving said arm units (3, 5), the bit storage and receiving element (2) and the clamp element (1) from passive or first positions to active or second positions on the drilling platform; and/or the device is a universal type device that works under the drilling platform and can be located on the sides or in front of the drilling platform; it can also be used in equipment from different mining drilling rig manufacturers and can even be used in equipment that is not designed from the factory to change the bits or what is known as a retrofit of the equipment.
A sixth aspect of the present invention is a method for changing a drill bit, tricone bits or DTH bits of a surface and mining production drilling rig and for handling the guide bushings of said string on the drilling rig using the equipment of claim 11, comprising the steps of:
More particularly, the present invention relates to a universal device or equipment used or device used in large-scale mining to change the drill bits, tricone bits or DTH bits of the drilling strings, which integrates a drill rack element, for example, revolver type or of another type, to an extendable arm that is mounted on a rotating base. The equipment is a universal device that works on the drilling string and can be used in the equipment of different manufacturers of mining drills and can even be used in equipment that is not designed from the factory to change the drill bits or what is known as equipment retrofit.
The device can perform all the tasks necessary to change the drilling bits without the physical intervention of people. The equipment is capable of releasing the drill bit, removing the used drill bit and taking it to another position to store it, taking a new drill bit from another predefined position and taking it to the position of the rod to screw it in and make it available for drilling in a very short time. The sequence of movements can be done step by step or automatically. In person in the command or control cabin or remotely. This entire device can be mounted on a platform which can be attached to the drill or another assistance vehicle.
Going into detail now about the construction configuration of the equipment of the present invention and taking into account
The equipment of the present invention also has a drill bit storage and reception element (3) that is located on the other side of said arm element (1), this element carries in its interior, in suitably arranged spaces, new drill bits that will replace the used drill bits of the drilling string and empty spaces that will house the used drill bit that is removed from said string. The drill bit storage and reception element (3) has a revolver-type rotating surface or maybe of another type, also with a hydraulic motor (7) or another type to supply it with the rotating movement or a movement of another type. This bit storage and receiving element (3) has a vertical displacement guide (4) on the periphery of one of its sides, which in turn is capable of housing a clamp element (2) that moves up and down said vertical displacement guide (4), in order to manipulate the guide bushing of the drilling platform and also, if necessary, to leave it ready to change the guide bushing.
The drive unit (6) and the hydraulic, electric motor unit (7) or of another type are capable of printing movement to said arm units (1), the bit storage and receiving element (3) and the vertical displacement guide (4) with the clamp element (2) from passive positions or from inactive or rest first positions to active positions or second positions in which the drill bit or guide bushing changes of the drilling string are made.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for changing a drill bit of a drilling rig which involves steps of execution on the drilling rig, see especially
Subsequently, on the drilling platform, said clamp element (2) takes the guide bushing of the drilling string and makes it ascend along said string so that the drill bit element to be changed is visible, then said string and drill bit descend to remain in an empty unit of the drill bit storage and reception element (3). With said unit already occupied with the drill bit storage and reception element (3), with the torque breaking tool of the drilling string the tightening of the drill bit to be changed is released and it will rest in the empty compartment of the element (3).
Then the drill string is removed and the bit storage and receiving element (3) is moved by means of the drive unit (6) and the hydraulic, electric motor unit (7) or another type, until a new drill bit element that is going to be connected to the drill string where the drill string is first lowered and then said clamp element (2) that has the guide bushing of the drill string, descends to place said bushing in The drill string and drill string torque breaking tool tightens the bit into the string to ready the unit for a new drilling cycle. Finally, the equipment is removed by means of a movement that is produced by means of the drive unit (6) and the hydraulic, electric motor unit (7) or other such that the equipment goes from an active position on the drill rod to an inactive position off the platform.
Going into detail now about the configuration of another preferred embodiment of the construction of the equipment of the present invention and taking into account
The equipment of the present invention also has a bit storage and reception element (3) which is located on the other side of said arm element (1), this element carries inside it in suitably arranged spaces new bits that will replace the used bits of the drilling string and empty spaces that will house the used bit that is removed from said string. The bit storage and reception element (3) has a revolver-type rotating surface or it can be of another type, also with a hydraulic, electric motor (7) or another type to supply the rotating movement or a movement of another type. The equipment in this modality also has a support structure (8) that supports a clamp arm (4) that has a clamp arm drive system (9) that in turn is capable of manipulating a clamp element (2) that moves up and down said support structure (8), this in order to manipulate the guide bushing of the drilling platform and also if necessary leave it ready to change the guide bushing. The drive units (6, 9) and the hydraulic, electric (7) or other type of motor unit are capable of injecting movement into said arm units (1), the bit storage and receiving element (3) and the gripper arm (4) with the gripper element (2) from passive or first inactive or rest positions to active or second positions in which the drill bit or guide bushing changes of the drilling string are carried out.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for changing a drill bit of a drilling rig which involves steps of execution on the drilling platform, see especially
Then said string and bit descend to rest in an empty unit of the bit storage and receiving element (3). Once said unit of the bit storage and receiving element (3) is occupied, the torque breaking tool of the drill string releases the tightening of the bit to be changed, and it will rest in the empty compartment of the element (3). The drill string is then withdrawn and the bit storage and receiving element (3) is moved by means of the drive unit (6) and the hydraulic, electric (7) or other motor unit until a new bit element is found which is to be connected to the drill string. The string is connected and screwed to the new bit and then the bit storage and receiving element (3) is withdrawn from the string to an inactive position by means of the drive units (6, 7).
Then said clamp element (2) having the guide bushing of the drill string is lowered to place said bushing in the drill string and leave the drill string ready for a new drilling cycle. Finally, the arm element (4) and clamp (2) are withdrawn by means of a movement that is produced by means of the drive unit (9) in such a way that the equipment passes from an active position on the drilling rod to an inactive position outside the platform.
Going into detail of the configuration of another preferred embodiment of construction of the equipment of the present invention and taking into account
The motors or transmission of the assembly are capable of printing movement to said arm units (3), the storage and reception element of the drill bits (2) and the manipulation assembly of the guide bushing of the drilling platform, which is composed of the extension arm (5) and the clamp or fork element (1) to move vertically or horizontally from passive positions or from inactive or resting first positions to active positions or second positions in which the changes of the drill bit or guide bushing of the drilling string are made. All of the above is contained in a container element (4) that stores the entire assembly described above; said container element (4) can be found at the level of the drilling platform or slope and/or hidden below the drilling surface of the platform in such a way that it makes its operation easier and simpler for the operators by maintaining an area clear of unwanted elements in the area of the drilling platform.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for the above preferred embodiment for the purpose of changing a drill bit of a drilling rig which involves steps of execution on the drilling rig, see especially
Then the drill string is removed and the bit storage and receiving element (2) is moved by means of the equipment motors, until it finds a new bit element that is to be connected to the drill string where the drill string is first lowered by coupling it to the new bit element; subsequently the bit storage and receiving element (2) is removed by means of the drive units to a rest position outside the platform and going into the container (4); and then said clamp or fork element (1) having the guide bushing of the drilling string in the height position, descends to place said bushing in the drilling string, then the extension arm assembly (5) and the clamp or fork element (1) are removed from the platform and taken to their rest position inside the container (4) which serves as storage for the entire assembly described above.
Although the present invention has been described with the preferred embodiments shown, it is understood that the modifications and variations that preserve the spirit and scope of this invention are understood within the scope of the attached claims, the examples included are some embodiments of the invention, but they should not be interpreted as limiting the invention.
This application is a continuation-in-part of PCT/IB2022/056473, filed on 13 Jul. 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/IB2022/056473 | Jul 2022 | WO |
| Child | 19016834 | US |
