Side element of a drilling template

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6470973
  • Patent Number
    6,470,973
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, August 22, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, October 29, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
An improvement in a side element of a drilling template for wells at sea for extracting hydrocarbons, wherein the side element is connected to a central section of the drilling template and projects horizontally out therefrom. The side element is arranged to carry equipment of various types. According to the invention the side element comprises a coupling section for releasable connection with a coupling section of the equipment.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The invention relates to an improvement in a side element of a drilling template for wells at sea.




DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART




From e.g., GB 2 285 274 (corresponding to Norwegian patent application no. 944545) it is known that a drilling template can be lowered from a platform at sea to a mooring device on the seabed by means of guidelines, which extend from the platform to the mooring device. To the sides of a central section of the drilling template there are hinged via hinge pins which are attached to the central section a number of side or wing elements which can be tilted from a first position, wherein they extend vertically upwards from the hinge axis to a second position or operating position, wherein they extend horizontally outwards from the central section. In the first or upwardly tilted position the drilling template's diameter measured in a horizontal plane is minimal, thus enabling the drilling template to be lowered through a moon pool of the platform. When the drilling template has been installed on the seabed, the side elements can be tilted down to the operating position. Each side element carries equipment for a specific purpose. If equipment is required for another purpose when using a side element, the side element can be removed by unhooking it from its hinge pin. The side element can then be raised to the platform, by guiding it by the guidelines, whereupon another side element can be lowered to the drilling template and hooked on to the hinge pin.




When using a drilling template which is arranged to be lowered to the mooring device without the use of guidelines, as described in applications submitted simultaneously with this application, however, it may be difficult to hook on the side element since there is little room between other pieces of equipment on the drilling template and the hooks which have to be attached to the hinge pin are small.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a device of the above-mentioned type which is not encumbered with the above-mentioned disadvantages.











The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawing which schematically illustrates embodiments of the device according to the invention.





FIG. 1

is a side view of a first embodiment of a side element of a drilling template.





FIG. 2

is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a side element.





FIGS. 3-9

are side views on different scales of adapters for various applications of the side element.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




With reference to the drawing, the direction indication “up” should be understood as the direction towards the edge of the drawing facing away from the reader.




The side element


1


which is illustrated in

FIG. 1

is located in the second, downwardly tilted position and comprises a hinge section


2


which is provided at one end of the side element, and which may comprise flanges


4


with mutually coaxial, through-going holes through which there extends a hinge pin


6


. The side element


1


is linked to the central section of a drilling template (not shown), the central section having a supporting section which is connected with the flanges


4


via the hinge pin


6


, which also extends through holes in this supporting section.




At a distance from the hinge pin


6


the hinge section has a contact section


8


with a contact surface


10


which is arranged for abutment against a corresponding contact section (not shown) of the drilling template's central section, with the result that forces which are exerted against the hinge pin


6


and the contact section


8


create a reactive power moment which counteracts the static moment about the hinge pin axis as a result of the weight of the side element and any equipment carried thereon.




At the other end of the side element there is provided a receiving section


14


which comprises, e.g., a truncated cone-shaped funnel or female section


16


, which is diverging upwards when the side element is located in the position which is illustrated in

FIG. 1. A

section through this receiving section


14


is indicated by broken lines in FIG.


3


. From the narrow, lower end of the funnel


16


there extends downwardly a tubular section or pipe


18


or longitudinal fingers which are arranged along a circle, at the bottom of which are radially inwardly projecting flanges or claws


22


. These claws can be moved radially inwards towards the funnel's longitudinal axis by means of a spring device or outwards by means of suitable actuators (not shown) of any known type which can be operated by, e.g., a remotely operated subsea vessel or vehicle, hereinafter called a ROV (not shown), and which are mounted on the side element. Alternatively, they may also be moved radially inwards by means of such a vehicle.




In the pipe


18


there may be provided engagement elements in the form of ribs, lug or notches


26


which can be brought into engagement with below described complementarily provided notches, ribs or lugs of pin sections of adapters which are arranged to be connected with the side element, thus enabling the adapter to be secured in a fixed angular position about the funnel section's longitudinal axis, relative to the side element.





FIG. 2

illustrates a second embodiment of a side element


31


according to the invention. This has a hinge section


32


with two flange pairs


33


,


34


comprising flanges


35


,


36


and


37


,


38


respectively which are arranged spaced apart from each other. Between the flange pairs there may be placed an outwardly projecting section of the drilling template's central section, and through the flanges and this intermediate section there are provided mutually coaxial holes through which there extends a hinge pin


39


, thus enabling the side element


31


to be tilted in the above-mentioned manner.




In order to prevent the side element


31


from rotating further when it is pivoted from the upwardly pivoted to the downwardly pivoted position, between the flanges


35


,


36


,


37


,


38


of each flange pair


33


,


34


there is inserted a substantially disc-shaped accompanying element


41


and


42


respectively which similarly have a through-going hole through which the hinge pin


39


also extends, thus enabling the accompanying elements to rotate relative to the side element. Each accompanying element


41


,


42


has a shoulder section


43


and a contact surface


44


.




It should be understood that the contact surfaces


44


or the accompanying elements


41


,


42


in the illustrated position abut against contact surfaces (not shown) of the drilling template's central section.




The side element


31


can thereby be freely tilted up, i.e. pivoted anticlockwise about the hinge pin


39


from the position which is illustrated in

FIG. 2

an angular distance of at least 90° without bringing along the accompanying elements


41


,


42


. However, when the side element is pivoted the other way and down from its upwardly tilted position and when it reaches the downwardly tilted position, lateral surfaces of the flanges


33


,


34


,


35


,


36


come into abutment against the shoulders


43


, and because the accompanying elements' contact surfaces


44


abut against the contact surfaces of the drilling template's central section, the side elements will be stopped in the downwardly tilted position.




The distance between the axis of the hinge pin


39


and the contact surfaces


44


of the side element


31


is greater than the distance between the hinge pin


6


and the contact surface


10


of the side element


1


. The forces which constitute a reactive moment which counteracts the above-mentioned static moment of the side element and the equipment carried thereon thereby become less in the case of the side element


31


than for the side element


1


.




The accompanying element could have been securely connected to the drilling template's central section, but the weight of the latter would then have been increased, which is disadvantageous, since the cranes which are employed for moving equipment from supply ships on board the platform have a limited lifting capacity. The drilling template's components can therefore be lifted on board the platform in smaller groups and mounted on the platform. In addition welding and screwing operations as well as possibly an X-ray control of welds are avoided, thus providing a reduction in the production costs for the drilling template.




The accompanying elements could further have been securely connected to the side element, but the elements would then have projected outwards from the drilling template's central section when the side element is located in its upwardly tilted position, which would have caused the drilling template to have a large transverse dimension, ruling out the possibility of lowering the drilling template through the moon pool.





FIG. 3

is a view of an adapter


51


for retracting pipes into the drilling template. The adapter comprises a downwardly facing pin section


52


. At the top the pin


52


has a cylindrical section or cylinder


53


whose diameter is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe


18


of the side element's receiving section


14


. At the bottom the pin has a male cone section


54


, whose largest diameter is slightly smaller than the smallest diameter of the side element's pipe


18


. The male cone section


54


can come into engagement with the claws


22


of a side element


1


,


31


, in order thereby to secure the pin section


52


in engagement with the receiving section


14


.




In order to connect the adapter and a side element


1


,


31


, the adapter's pin section


52


is first lowered and passed downwards into the receiving section


14


, whereby the respective conical sections cause a relative alignment and these sections extend coaxially. The pin section


52


is then lowered further, with the result that its barbed section


55


comes into engagement with the claws


22


and the pin section


52


is secured in the receiving section


14


.




This engagement can be released by the operation of the claw actuators for coupling the adapter


51


from the side element, e.g. if it is required to insert another adapter in this side element, the actuators, e.g. moving the claws radially outwards.




The adapter


51


may have a landing place or device


56


for, e.g., a tool for retracting a pipe.





FIG. 4

illustrates this adapter on a reduced scale, some components thereof having been removed.





FIG. 5

is a view of an adapter


61


with a pin section


62


which can be brought into engagement with the receiving section


14


of a side element, and an upper, upwardly extended truncated cone-shaped female section or funnel


63


for receiving, e.g., a pin section of a second adapter (not shown). Use of such an adapter


61


may be relevant, e.g., if the side element's receiving section


14


is not adapted to the pin section of the second adapter.





FIGS. 6 and 7

are views of other retraction adapters.





FIG. 8

is a view of an adapter with a U-shaped pipe, e.g. for receiving a plug from a pipe and inserting the plug in a second pipe.





FIG. 9

is a view of an adapter for inserting a plug.




In the adapters according to

FIGS. 8 and 9

the male cone sections are short in comparison with the cylinder sections.




Even though the device according to the invention is specially suited for use with drilling templates where no guidelines extend therefrom to a platform at the surface of the sea, it will be understood that it may be employed with drilling templates which are connected to the platform via guidelines. Moreover, it will be understood that the side elements may be securely connected to the drilling template in the folded position wherein they extend horizontally.



Claims
  • 1. A side element of a drilling template, comprising:a first end and a second end; a hinge section (2) at the first end, the hinge section comprising flanges (4) with mutually coaxial, through-going holes; a hinge pin (6) extending through the through-going holes, the flanges and through-going holes adapted to link the hinge section to a central section of a drilling template via the hinge pin; the hinge section having a contact section (8) with a contact surface (10) for abutment against a corresponding contact section of the drilling template; a receiving section (14) at the second end, the receiving section comprising a truncated cone-shaped funnel section (16) diverging upwards when the receiving section is in a normal horizontal, upright position; an adapter, with first and second connection sections, the first connection section for releasable connection with the receiving section and the second connection section for releasable connection with drilling equipment; and at a narrow, lower end of the funnel section, a tubular section (18) with inwardly projecting claws (22), the claws being movable radially inwards towards a longitudinal axis of the funnel section to releasably engage the adapter, wherein the hinge section further includes a disc-shaped accompanying element secured by the hinge pin and positioned to prevent the receiving section from pivoting below a horizontal line described by the normal horizontal, upright position.
  • 2. The side element of claim 1, wherein the inwardly projecting claws include inwardly facing engagement elements for engaging into the adapter.
  • 3. The side element of claim 2, wherein the engagement elements are ribs which engage in complementary notches of the adapter.
  • 4. The side element of claim 1, wherein the first connection section of the adapter comprises a lower barb-shaped section and the claws engage the barbed section.
  • 5. The side element of claim 4, wherein, the side element is operable by a remotely operated vessel.
  • 6. The side element of claim 1, wherein the second connection section comprises a landing for releasable connection with a pipe retracting tool.
  • 7. The side element of claim 1, wherein the adapter further comprises a U-shaped pipe for receiving a plug from a first pipe and inserting the plug into a second pipe.
  • 8. A side element of a drilling template, comprising:a first end and a second end; a hinge section (2) at the first end, the hinge section comprising flanges (4) with mutually coaxial, through-going holes; a hinge pin (6) extending through the through-going holes, the flanges and through-going holes adapted to link the hinge section to a central section of a drilling template via the hinge pin; the hinge section having a contact section (8) with a contact surface (10) for abutment against a corresponding contact section of the drilling template; a receiving section (14) at the second end, the receiving section comprising a truncated cone-shaped funnel section (16) diverging upwards when the receiving section is in a normal horizontal, upright position; an adapter, with first and second connection sections, the first connection section for releasable connection with the receiving section and the second connection section for releasable connection with drilling equipment; and at a narrow, lower end of the funnel section, a tubular section (18) with inwardly projecting claws (22), the claws being movable radially inwards towards a longitudinal axis of the funnel section to releasably engage the adapter, wherein, the adapter first connection section includes a downwardly facing pin section (52), a cylindrical section (53) at a top of the pin section, and a male cone section (54) at a bottom of the pin section, the male cone section having an circular indentation engageable with the claws to secure the pin section to the receiving section.
  • 9. The side element of claim 8, wherein the inwardly projecting claws include inwardly facing engagement elements for engaging into the adapter.
  • 10. The side element of claim 8, wherein the engagement elements are ribs which engage in complementary notches of the adapter.
  • 11. The side element of claim 8, wherein the second connection section comprises a landing for releasable connection with a pipe retracting tool.
  • 12. The side element of claim 8, wherein the adapter further comprises a U-shaped pipe for receiving a plug from a first pipe and inserting the plug into a second pipe.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
975065 Nov 1997 NO
PCT Information
Filing Document Filing Date Country Kind
PCT/NO98/00323 WO 00
Publishing Document Publishing Date Country Kind
WO99/23353 5/14/1999 WO A
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Number Name Date Kind
3032125 Hiser et al. May 1962 A
3177954 Rand Apr 1965 A
4095649 Chateau et al. Jun 1978 A
4126008 Dixon Nov 1978 A
4452312 Roblin Jun 1984 A
5002129 Hopper Mar 1991 A
5040607 Cordeiro et al. Aug 1991 A
5246075 Caulfield Sep 1993 A
5441112 de Melo Sanches et al. Aug 1995 A
5526882 Parks et al. Jun 1996 A
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Number Date Country
2202257 Sep 1988 GB
2226063 Jun 1990 GB
2285274 Jul 1995 GB
159193 Aug 1988 NO
179844 Sep 1996 NO
179981 Oct 1996 NO
9606260 Feb 1996 WO