Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to methods and systems for subsea well intervention and work-over on seabed equipment, and more particularly to an Open Water Wireline (OWWL) or Spoolable Compliant Guide (SCG) well intervention system and method, including a control umbilical (CU), preferably a multipurpose control umbilical (MCU), deployed and managed using a dedicated remotely operated or autonomous umbilical management system unit (UMSU), wherein the CU or MCU is connected via the UMSU to one or more tethers that connect in turn to one or more subsea equipment.
Background
Well intervention and work-over on seabed equipment, such as subsea oil wells, can be performed using open water wireline (OWWL) or Spoolable Compliant Guide (SCG) systems. During these work-over operations, the main functions of the seabed equipment are typically, if not always, required to be remotely controlled and operated from a support ship or rig, which is in attendance. Such control includes the communication or transfer of one or more types of media, including data, electrical power, hydraulic power and a chemical treatment fluid or fluids. In order to provide such control, the media is communicated through one or more umbilicals which are launched from the support ship or rig for the purpose of connecting the support ship or rig to the seabed equipment.
However, there exist a number of problems that must be solved before such well intervention systems can become widely accepted in the industry. Existing intervention and work-over methods and systems suffer from various discovered problems, as further described herein. There are certain characteristics of the Open Water Wireline (OWWL) or Spoolable Compliant Guide (SCG) methods and systems that complicate the design of the control umbilicals and can in certain cases create problems that affect the smooth running of the subsea work-over operation. For example, due to the up and down heaving motion of the support vessel or rig caused by the ocean waves, a control umbilical is generally required to be somehow tensioned in order to prevent it from buckling or crumpling under the resulting compressive forces and displacements that can arise. The construction of a typical control umbilical is such that exposure to compressive forces and displacements is generally undesirable during operation.
Another problem of free hanging umbilicals arises when environmental conditions, such as a subsea current, and the like, cause the umbilical to deflect without control in the water column. One known area of concern of such behavior is the twisting or looping of the umbilical on itself. During recovery of the umbilical, this loop can close itself and as such permanently damage the umbilical. Another concern with the horizontal excursion is the potential contact between the umbilical system and other downlines, with the potential risk of damage to the umbilical. This problem can occur when additional lines are placed in the water column that could cause clashing or tangling of the lines. In this case, it is extremely important to actively manage one or more of such cables to keep them from clashing.
The above issues may be reduced somewhat with the use of a plurality and smaller umbilicals. For example, a smaller umbilical may be used incorporating only the electrical power and communication cables or fibers similar to those commonly used by Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20060231264 assigned to SAIPEM describes an open light well intervention system that employs as a data communication and power supply umbilical the umbilical of the ROV. However, this solution is limited. One problem of the SAIPEM system is that it would require multiple umbilicals to supply the functions needed by the different subsea equipment identified, and which consist of both the intervention equipment and the ROV. Also, such an arrangement has practical limitations in that the deployment of both the intervention equipment and the ROV are dependent on each other.
One known method for keeping an umbilical under a constant tension employs a constant tension winch positioned on the vessel. Such systems have a disadvantage that, in tensioning the umbilical, they cause the umbilical to be repeatedly bent and straightened out again at a number of locations, e.g., on sheaves or in bends and that over time cause fatigue and/or internal friction damage, eventually leading to failure of internal cables or tubes contained in the umbilical.
Constant tension winch systems also have the disadvantage that they are generally expensive in terms of procurement of the specialized winch required. Also, constant tension winch techniques would be generally very difficult to implement in deepwater because the weight of the umbilical will by necessity increase to account for the increasing water depth. Thus, the lengthy heavy umbilical itself and the constant tension winch will need to become very large and hence there will be a correspondingly undesirable economic impact to the work-over activity.
In addition, existing tensioned umbilical methods generally require the vessel to be operated at or close to the vertical center of the seabed equipment it controls and, typically, require the umbilical to be connected to the seabed equipment on surface before being run with the seabed equipment, while the latter is deployed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,675 describes an underwater apparatus for performing subsurface operations. The apparatus includes a linelatch system that is made up of a tether management system (TMS) connected to a flying latch vehicle by a tether. The TMS controls the amount of free tether between itself and the flying latch vehicle using a reeling in and out system well known in the art. The TMS is lowered and positioned to the seafloor using an umbilical, which is then disconnected from the tether management system. The TMS is connected to the underwater subsea equipment via the flying latch vehicle.
However, none of the above systems provide a fully satisfactory umbilical solution for underwater intervention systems. Most existing systems cannot be deployed and connected to the intervention seabed package readily and are subject excessive bending and stressing of the umbilical that causes over time fatigue, damage and failure of internal cables and tubes contained in the umbilical.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus (which also may be referred to herein as a “system”) that address discovered problems with existing systems and methods for subsea intervention and work-over, such as light well intervention and work-over on seabed equipment. The inventive system is particularly suitable for light well intervention using open water wireline or a spoolable compliant guide. The above and other needs and problems are addressed by the present invention, exemplary embodiments of which are presented in connection with the associated figures.
The present invention provides an improved intervention system and method including a control umbilical (CU), preferably a multipurpose control umbilical (MCU), having a dedicated and motorized umbilical management system unit (UMSU) and one or more tethers for connecting with one or more subsea equipment as needed. The CU or MCU is connected at one end to a support vessel or rig and on the other end to a tether or a plurality of tethers connected to one or more unit of seabed equipment under the ocean and/or at the ocean floor. The CU or MCU and the tether are themselves interconnected together, in a suitable operative manner, e.g., at their adjacent ends in proximity to the seabed, in order to ultimately connect the support vessel or rig to the seabed equipment. The CU or MCU and the tether include communication channels for communication of various types of media, including one or more of data, electrical power, hydraulic power and chemical treatment fluid.
The inventive system and method further comprise a dedicated UMSU which forms all connections needed between the CU or MCU and the tether or tethers. One advantageous feature of the UMSU is that it is designed to be capable of reeling in or paying out the tether, or tethers, and the CU or MCU under remote control or autonomously. The UMSU facilitates deployment of the CU or MCU separately from the deployment of the subsea equipment, preferably without a winch, and also serves as a weight to compensate for the heave motion and thus keep the CU or MCU under tension as needed. The UMSU also includes thrusters which can move the UMSU in two planes and rotate about its central axis in the water column to avoid clashing with other cables. In conjunction with lowering and raising of the UMSU in the water column by the surface winch, the UMSU can thus be used to actively position the CU and/or MCU in three planes by remote operation from controls at the surface, and the like.
Accordingly, in exemplary aspects of the present invention there is provided an intervention system and method for control of seabed equipment, including a control umbilical connected at one end thereof to a support vessel or rig in a suitable manner, e.g., via a surface winch; a tether connected at one of its ends to underwater seabed equipment; and an umbilical management system unit coupled to the other end of the tether and the other end of the control umbilical; the umbilical management system unit coupling the control umbilical via the tether to the seabed equipment, thereby coupling the support vessel or rig to the underwater seabed equipment. The control umbilical and the tether via the umbilical management system unit provide a communications channel for communicating media, including data, electrical power, hydraulic power and/or chemical treatment fluid, from the support vessel or rig to the seabed equipment. The umbilical management system unit allows for easy deployment and management of the control umbilical and tether and can reel in or pay out the tether and/or the control umbilical under remote control or autonomously.
The methods of the invention include active and/or passive methods which control the umbilical, i.e., the position of the umbilical in the water column, so that the umbilical is not subjected to excessive forces and also does not interfere with other deployed downlines, such as wireline, pumping lines, riser system, and/or ROV umbilicals under environmental conditions, i.e., conditions of the deployment of the system of the invention. This can be accomplished in several different ways. In one embodiment, the position of the umbilical is controlled by adjusting the tether length. Alternatively, the umbilical can be controlled by adjusting the horizontal excursion of the umbilical management system unit (UMSU) using built in thrusters. The umbilical can also be controlled by adjusting the vertical position of the UMSU.
Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the entire description thereof, including the figures, which illustrate a number of exemplary embodiments and implementations. The present invention is also capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details can be modified in various respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.
The embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:
Various embodiments and aspects of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures. The terminology and phraseology used herein is solely used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as limiting in scope. Language such as “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” or “involving,” and variations thereof, is intended to be broad and encompass the subject matter listed thereafter, equivalents, and additional subject matter not recited.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and more particularly to
In further exemplary embodiments, as shown in
The UMSU 114 uses a side entry 306 so that the tether 120 can deploy out of the side of the UMSU 114 structure. By contrast, ROV tethers are more commonly deployed from the bottom of a tether management system (TMS). However, when the tether 120 is connected to the well intervention package 116 at tether connection point 308, the side entry 306 of the UMSU 114, advantageously, prevents twists from forming in the tether 120, due to rotation of the UMSU 114, while the UMSU 114 is hanging from the support vessel 108. Twists that are imparted on a tether, and which are common on ROV tether management systems, result in spooling problems and tether failures, and they are advantageously addressed by the exemplary UMSU 114.
In addition, the exemplary UMSU 114 is much lighter than an ROV tether management system, because the UMSU 114 need not account for handling the mass of the ROV in or out of the water. The exemplary UMSU 114 is thus more maneuverable and advantageously employs lower power deployment equipment than the systems used on ROVs. Further, while ROV systems are permanently connected to their vehicles, the UMSU 114 can include any suitable tether connection means that can connect or disconnect subsea to the intervention package 116. The connection can be completed on the deck of the support vessel 108 or subsea by using an ROV, and the like. The tether 120 is stored and deployed from the winch drum and spooling system 304 inside the UMSU 114 and can be operated by any suitable hydraulic and/or electrical supply, and the like. The winch drum and associated drives and sheaves 304 can be driven by any suitable hydraulic and/or electrical means, and the like, configured to pull in and pay out the tether 120, as applicable. In further exemplary embodiments, any suitable constant tension mechanisms can be employed to control the line pull on the tether 120.
Once the tether 120 is connected to the intervention package 116, a constant tension can be applied to the tether 120 from the drive system 304 of the UMSU 114 to keep the tether 120 under a fixed tension, advantageously, preventing the tether 120 from contacting the ocean floor or entangling on the intervention package 116 or related equipment on the ocean floor. The load on the tether 120 can be adjusted by manual means or automatically within the control system of the UMSU 114. The tether 120 can be prevented from breaking by using any suitable tether control function, such as render out control function, and the like, set so that the maximum load on the tether 120 is set at the working limit of the tether 120. The thrusters 302 or the like are installed on the UMSU 114 to actively maintain the CU or MCU 102 away from other cables or equipment deployed subsea to prevent clashing. The UMSU 114 can be remotely controlled from the surface support vessel 108 using any suitable manual or automated positioning controls, and the like.
Turning back to
In addition, under some conditions, it is possible that the entire support vessel or rig 108 may be permitted to be offset a significant distance away from the center location of the subsea equipment, such as well intervention package 116, advantageously while still maintaining control communications via the UMSU 114. For example, such conditions may be foreseen to be due to the effect of adverse weather and other environmental conditions, such as the prevailing currents, or in cases where emergency conditions arise, such as the temporary loss of station keeping capability of the support vessel or rig 108.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, the offset distance D can also be adjusted with the thrusters 302 on the UMSU 114. The thrusters 302, which can be installed on the UMSU 114, may provide a further means of controlling the shape and position of the CU or MCU 102, while accommodating the heave motion of the vessel 108. In addition, any additional length of slack in CU or MCU 102 or the tether 120 can be stored within the UMSU 114 and can be reeled in or out as needed during operations to provide an adjustable offset distance D of the tether 120. Advantageously, the UMSU 114 also acts as a weight to facilitate heave compensation of the CU or MCU 102 without the need for a cumbersome and expensive “constant tension winch” systems that are used currently.
The UMSU 114 can be configured, for example, as any suitable device that can operate underwater in proximity to the seabed equipment, such as well intervention package 116, and that can reel in or pay out the tether 120 under remote control or autonomously, and the like. The UMSU 114 is preferably capable of communication of data, electrical power and also can provide the connections for transfer of fluids. In one embodiment, two or more separate tethers may be employed preferably in a single overall housing, for data, electrical power communication, hydraulic power and fluids communication as needed.
A further exemplary embodiment includes a well intervention system, such as an Open Water Wireline (OWWL) or Spoolable Compliant Guide (SCG) system, including the CU or MCU 102 further including the tether 120 operatively connected via the UMSU 114, and having communication channels for communicating a plurality of types of media, such as data, electrical power, hydraulic power and chemical treatment fluid, and the like. The UMSU 114 which forms the connection between the CU or MCU 102 and the tether 120 is capable of reeling in or paying out the tether 120 and/or the CU or MCU 102 under remote control or autonomously. The UMSU 114 also has a suitable weight to keep the CU or MCU 102 under tension, as needed, and to compensate for the heave motion experienced with well intervention systems.
The exemplary systems and methods of
The exemplary systems and methods of
Thus, the exemplary systems and methods of
The exemplary systems and methods of
While the present inventions have been described in connection with a number of exemplary embodiments, and implementations, the present inventions are not so limited, but rather cover various modifications, and equivalent arrangements, which fall within the purview of the appended claims.
The invention is related to and claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/088,572 of Machin et al., entitled “CONTROL UMBILICAL AND METHOD WITH DEDICATED UMBILICAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR LIGHT WELL SUBSEA INTERVENTION SYSTEMS,” filed on Aug. 13, 2008, the entire contents of the disclosures of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
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PCT/US2009/053564 | 8/12/2009 | WO | 00 | 4/27/2011 |
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WO2010/019675 | 2/18/2010 | WO | A |
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