The present application relates to reel systems for the receiving, storage, and deploying of cables (such as one or more electrical lines), hoses, umbilical connections (such as bundles of hydraulic lines, electrical lines, cables, hoses, and/or combinations thereof) and the like that can store operator inputs and collected, real time data.
Subsea blowout prevention (BOP) equipment uses large, specialized valves or similar mechanical devices, usually installed redundantly in stacks, to seal, control and monitor oil and gas wells. Redundant sub-sea control pods are used to control the valves of the BOP stack, some of which are referred to in the industry as blue and yellow pods. The pods of the BOP stack are controlled by cables, hoses, umbilical connections and the like with various capacity outside diameters. The reel systems used for winding the cable, hoses, umbilical connections and the like onto spools, particularly on off-shore drill rigs, employ spools which are mechanically driven. Off-shore drill rigs often use multiplex cable reels, hot line hose reels, riser fill valve hose reels and the like in control systems for BOP equipment. Each of these components may provide various functionalities. In a typical rig, four spools may provide control cables for a BOP stack. These components may function as follows: multiplex cable reel assemblies may be used to pay out and retrieve multiplex cables that may be used to transmit electric signals to allow for the control of sub-sea hydraulic functions on the sub-sea blue and yellow pods; a hot line hose reel assembly may be used to pay out and retrieve a hose that provides hydraulic fluid from the drilling rig deck to the sub-sea pods to allow for the control of sub-sea hydraulic functions on the sub-sea blue and yellow pods; and a riser fill valve hose reel assembly may pay out and retrieve a hose that, in response to a sudden pressure differential between the inside and outside of a riser, opens to allow the riser to fill with seawater and thus equalizing the pressure differential and preventing collapse of the riser.
In operation, the spools are typically located on the drillship near a moon pool area (i.e. the opening in the floor or base of the platform to provide access to the water below) and may be on different levels depending on the rig design. The cable or hose often is deployed from the spool to an overhead roller type turn down sheave, or multiple sheaves, to direct the cable or hose to the blue and yellow pods on the BOP stack assembly in the drill ship's moon pool.
Typical systems employ manual, pneumatically-controlled, mechanical control systems for each of the individual reel assemblies, to position the sub-sea end of the cable or hose to the pod. Once the cables and hoses are connected to the pods, the operation of deploying the BOP stack begins. Drill pipe and flotation risers having typical lengths of 60 to 90 feet or more (nominally, about 18 to 28 meters) are attached to the stack. The cables and hoses are attached to clamps located on the riser as the 60 or 90 foot (nominally, about 18 to 28 meters) sections are made up. The reels are not rotating while the drill pipe and riser sections are made up. Once made up, the reels begin rotating to deploy the cables and hoses until the next section is ready to be attached. This operation continues until the BOP stack is anchored to the sea bed floor. A control stand may be located away from the spools, in the moon pool area, with a clear vision of the deployment. The operator at the remote control stand may be able to operate one or more of the reel assemblies and may make adjustments as may be necessary during the operation.
In a typical reel assembly, as the cable is wound onto or off of the spool, it is guided by a cable guide or “level wind” assembly mounted for traversing a reversible diamond groove shaft parallel to the axis of the spool. The cable guide assembly is coupled to tracking guide bars. Thus, the cable guide assembly traverses the diamond groove shaft and guide bars from one side to the other, evenly distributing the cable on the hub of the spool. When the cable gets to one end of the diamond groove shaft, it automatically reverses and continues to traverse in the other direction, continuously feeding the cable onto the spool. Many reels have been manufactured with this familiar diamond pattern lead screw mechanism to cause the line being wound onto the drum of the reel to be wrapped in an orderly and compact fashion. Probably the most common of these is the fishing reel.
Currently level wind assemblies suffer from various shortcomings. For example, level wind assemblies may need to be positioned at various angles depending on the particular configuration of the reel assembly in the moon pool. However, these assemblies are difficult to reposition due to their weight and the forces exerted upon them by gravity and/or the cables that may be laced through them. Typically, additional equipment such as cranes are required to raise or lower the level wind assembly into the desired position. This process is time-consuming, expensive and difficult to perform on a rig that may be constantly in motion with the water below.
Accordingly, a need has long existed for improved systems and methods for repositioning level wind assemblies on cable spooling systems.
In a reel assembly, a repositionable level wind may be selectively coupled to a drum to enable powered rotation of the level wind from a first position to a second position. In some embodiments, the assembly may include two arced guide rails, a rotating adjustment arm, a roller bracket, a winding assembly and two fork plates, which may be adjustably mounted on the drum. In operation, the fork plates may be moved to an engaged position that couples the adjustment arm and the roller bracket to the reel flanges so that rotation of the reel causes the winding assembly to be rotated along the guide rails. Once a desired position is reached, the adjustment arm and roller bracket may be bolted to the guide rails and the fork plates may be moved to a disengaged position to allow the reel to rotate independently of the winding assembly. A reposition mode may be provided by a control system for the reel that provides lower output rotational speed than the normal operating mode to allow for precise control during repositioning.
Other systems, methods, features and technical advantages of the invention will be, or will become apparent to one with skill in the art, upon examination of the figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and technical advantages be included within this summary and be protected by the claims.
The invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.
The elements illustrated in the figures interoperate as explained in more detail below. Before setting forth the detailed explanation, however, it is noted that all of the discussion below, regardless of the particular implementation being described, is exemplary in nature, rather than limiting.
1.0 System Overview
Referring to
Referring also to
As described in more detail below, the level wind assembly 25 may be part of a repositionable level wind assembly 100 in which the level wind 25 may be selectively coupled to the drum 12 for powered movement of the level wind 25. In other words, the level wind 25 may be coupled to the drum 12 so that movement of the drum 12 causes movement of level wind 25.
The carriage may be coupled to a pair of tracking guide bars 34, 36. The carriage also may mount a frame holding two sets of freely rotating rollers 40, 42 for contacting and guiding the cable. Upper and lower rollers 40, and right and left rollers 42, may be a relatively hard steel material or be coated with resilient materials such as rubber or plastics. Thus, the carriage may traverse the diamond groove shaft 30 from one side to the other, evenly distributing the cable on the hub 14 of the drum 12. When the carriage gets to one end of the diamond groove shaft 30, it may automatically reverse and continue to traverse in the other direction, continuously feeding the cable onto or off from the spool.
Drum 12 may have a diameter between about 30 inches (nominally, about 75 centimeters) and about 120 inches (nominally, about 30 centimeters) or more, preferably between about 48 inches (nominally, about 120 centimeters) and about 72 inches (nominally, about 185 centimeters), and may have a width between about 50 inches (nominally, about 125 centimeters) and about 150 inches, and preferably between about 72 inches and about 120 inches (nominally, about 300 centimeters). The flanges 16 may have a diameter between about 48 inches (nominally, about 120 centimeters) and about 205 inches (nominally, about 525 centimeters), preferably between about 60 (nominally, about 150 centimeters) inches and about 180 inches (nominally, about 460 centimeters).
The cable/hose may have a length between about 4,000 feet (nominally, about 1,200 meters) and about 20,000 feet (nominally, about 6,100 meters), preferably between about 7,000 feet (nominally, about 2,100 meters) and about 15,000 feet (nominally, about 4,600 meters) and even more preferably between about 11,000 feet (nominally, about 3,300 meters) and about 13,000 feet (nominally, about 4,000 meters). An exemplary cable may have a diameter between about ½ of an inch (nominally, about 1.2 centimeters) and about 2½ inches (nominally, about 6 centimeters), and typically about between about 1¼ inches (nominally, about 3.5 centimeters) and about 1¾ (nominally, about 4.5 centimeters). An exemplary hose may have a diameter between about 1½ inches (nominally, about 3.8 centimeters) and about 2½ inches (nominally, about 6 centimeters), and an exemplary umbilical connection may have a diameter between about 2 inches (nominally, about 5 centimeters) and about 8 inches (nominally, about 20 centimeters). Other sizes also may be used.
Referring also to
2.0 Exemplary Repositionable Level Wind 100
Referring to
2.1 Exemplary Guide Rails 110a-b
Referring also to
In some embodiments, stops 117a-b may be provided on the guide rails 110a-b to prevent the adjustment arm 120 and/or roller bracket 130 from rotating past a certain position, as shown in
2.2 Exemplary Rotatable Adjustment Arms 120 and Roller Bracket 130
As shown in
The roller bracket 130 may include a similar arrangement of rollers 122a-c and the like but may not be coupled directly to the center of drum 12 like the rotatable adjustment arm, as best shown in
In some embodiments, the adjustment arm 120 and/or roller bracket 130 may include one or more bumpers 300 for absorbing contact with upper stops 117a-b, lower stops 115a-b (
The bumper 100 may be made of any suitable material for absorbing contact with the stops 117a-b and/or pegs 119a-b, such as rubber or the like. In some embodiments, the bumper may be made of UHMW-UV or similar material, which may be durable and resist wear, corrosion, and UV-related damage. Other materials also may be used. In some embodiments, different portions of the bumper 300 may be made of different materials. The contact absorption portion of the bumper 302 may be between about 1 inch and about 5 inches, preferably between about 2 inches and about 4 inches, and even more preferably between about 2.5 inches and about 3.5 inches. In the illustrated embodiment, the contact absorption portion 302 is about 3 inches.
2.3 Exemplary Forks Plates 140a and 140b
Referring to
For example, the fork plates 140a-b may be moved to a disengaged position to allow the reel to rotate independently of the winding assembly 25, as shown in
Alternatively, fork plates 140a-b may be moved to an engaged (or second) position that couples the adjustment arm 120 and the roller bracket 130 to the reel flanges 16 so that rotation of the reel causes the winding assembly 25 to rotated along the guide rails 110a-b, as shown in
3.0 Exemplary Drive Systems 200 and Exemplary Methods for Repositioning a Level-Wind
A pneumatic schematic for controlling the reel pneumatic drive system 200 is shown in
As shown in
Next, the operator may unbolt the adjustment arm 120 and roller bracket 130 at step 804. The operator then may depress the “level wind reposition” selector valve 210 at step 806 to switch from a normal operational mode to a repositioning operational mode. In the illustrated embodiment, selection of selector valve 210 may direct air to the manual, lever operated, reel directional control valve 216. Air also may be directed to the pilot actuated, spring offset, pilot valve 214. Air also may be directed to pressure regulator valve 238, shuttle valve 240, and through pilot valve 242, and to remote operated, pressure regulator valve 244. Pilot valve 242 may remain in the spring offset position, since pressure is not available to shift the pilot valve 242. Pressure regulator valve 238 may be set to a level that permits repositioning the level wind assembly (such as about 80 PSI, for example).
In other words, depression of the “level wind reposition” selector valve 210 may shift the valves to level wind reposition locations in which they limit the output of the system as compare to the normal operational output in order to provide precise control of the rotation of the drum 12. For example, air may be directed out of the speed regulation port #8 of valve 216 to pilot operated air regulator valve 236. Air regulator valve 236 is normally closed, and opens with the application of pressure. The more pressure applied, the more the valve opens and the faster the reel will rotate. For example, the pressure may range from about 10 PSI to about 80 PSI, preferably from about 20 PSI to about 50 PSI and even more preferably between about 25 PSI and about 35 PIS. In the illustrated embodiment, the pressure may be about 30 PSI. Normal reel rotation would be at a faster rotational speed, typically about 5-6 revolutions per minute, whereas rotation during the repositioning mode preferably would be between about 0.05 revolutions per minute about 0.5 revolutions per minute, and even more preferably about 0.1 revolutions per minute.
Next, the operator may move the lever of the manual, lever operated, reel directional control valve 216 as desired at step 808. When the lever is moved to the reel out position, air may directed through shuttle valves items 218 and 220, pilot valve 214, pressure regulator valve 222, shuttle valve 224, quick exhaust valve 226, and to the spring applied, pneumatic released disc brake caliper 228. The more pressure applied to the caliper the less holding force the caliper will develop. Preferably, only enough pressure (such as about 40 PSI, for example) is developed to prevent the level wind assembly from falling, due to its weight. For example, the pressure may range from about 10 PSI to about 80 PSI, preferably from about 25 PSI to about 55 PSI and even more preferably between about 35 PSI and about 45 PIS. In the illustrated embodiment, the pressure may be about 40 PSI. Preferably, the level wind is repositioned in the reel out direction.
When rotating in the reel in direction, the disc brake may be fully released, and rotational speed controlled as described above. When the lever is moved to the “reel in” position, air is directed through shuttle valves 218, 224 and 246, quick exhaust valve 226, and to the spring applied, pneumatic released disc brake caliper 228. Since the weight of the carriage assembly may not be an issue in the reel in direction, the brake may be fully released.
Once the level wind assembly 25 is repositioned to the desired deployment angle α (as shown in
Although schematic 200 shows a manually controlled pneumatic drive system, other types of drive systems, such as electro-pneumatic drive systems or an electric drive (e.g. electric motor) also may be used. For example, in some embodiments, the reel repositioning components outlined here may be added to the modifications may be made to the electro-pneumatic control systems described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/285,939 filed Feb. 26, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/723,638 filed Oct. 3, 2017 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,233,705), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/945,195 filed Nov. 18, 2015 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,810,032), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/802,814 filed Jul. 17, 2015 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,206,658), all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
As another example, some embodiments may use an electric drive system to rotated the drum 12 and/or level wind 25. For example, an electric servomotor may be used. In such embodiments, the operator may be able to select a desired angle of deployment for the level wind 25, in response, the servomotor may rotate the drum to the desired angle. For example, the operator may select a reposition mode similar to that described above and may then set a specific angle, such as 45° or 90°, and the level wind may be moved to a corresponding position. The other aspects of the reposition process describe above, such as the bolting and unbolting of the adjustment arm 120 and roller bracket 130 to the guide rails 110a-b and the moving of the fork plates 140a-b from the disengaged position to the engaged position and back again, may be substantially similar. Other electric drive systems and/or motors also may be used.
4.0 Other Exemplary Configurations
As described above, the repositionable level wind assembly 100 may be selectively coupled (or selectively couplable) to the drum 12 (at the flange 16 via the fork plates 140a-b) for powered movement from a first position to a second position. Other configurations also may be used to achieve similar functionality. For example, in some embodiments, the adjustment arm 120 may be selectively couplable to the drum 12 via a clutch between the arm 120 and the center drum 12 (or other part of the drum 12). As another example, one or more separate power sources may be attached to the winding assembly 25, such as attached to one or more roller brackets 130 that cause the carriage to move appropriately to wind the cable as well as to cause the one or more roller brackets 130 to move between positions on the guide rails 110a-b, for example, by powering rotation of one or more of the rollers 122a-c.
While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.
The present application is related to and claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/661,608 filed Apr. 23, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/663,025 filed Apr. 26, 2018, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. This application also is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “Electronically Controlled Reel Systems Including Electric Motors,” filed on the same date as the present application, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/285,939 filed Feb. 26, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/723,638 filed Oct. 3, 2017 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,233,705), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/945,195 filed Nov. 18, 2015 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,810,032), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/802,814 filed Jul. 17, 2015 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,206,658), all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62661608 | Apr 2018 | US | |
62663025 | Apr 2018 | US |