IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
US-0919669
(2001-07-31)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Moore, Norman Bruce
- Beaufort, Ronald E.
- Krueger, Rudolph E.
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출원인 / 주소 |
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대리인 / 주소 |
Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear LLP
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
34 인용 특허 :
27 |
초록
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A method and apparatus for propelling a tool having a body within a passage. The tool includes a gripper including at least a gripper portion which can assume a first position that engages an inner surface of the passage and limits relative movement of the gripper portion relative to the inner surfa
A method and apparatus for propelling a tool having a body within a passage. The tool includes a gripper including at least a gripper portion which can assume a first position that engages an inner surface of the passage and limits relative movement of the gripper portion relative to the inner surface. The gripper portion can also assume a second position that permits substantially free relative movement between the gripper portion and the inner surface of the passage. The tool includes a propulsion assembly for selectively continuously moving the body of the tool with respect to the gripper portion while the gripper portion is in the first position. This allows the tool to move different types of equipment within the passage. For example, the tool advantageously may be used in drilling processes to provide continuous force to a drill bit. This enables the drilling of extended horizontal boreholes. Other preferred uses for the tool include well completion, logging, retrieval, pipeline service, and communication line activities.
대표청구항
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A method and apparatus for propelling a tool having a body within a passage. The tool includes a gripper including at least a gripper portion which can assume a first position that engages an inner surface of the passage and limits relative movement of the gripper portion relative to the inner surfa
A method and apparatus for propelling a tool having a body within a passage. The tool includes a gripper including at least a gripper portion which can assume a first position that engages an inner surface of the passage and limits relative movement of the gripper portion relative to the inner surface. The gripper portion can also assume a second position that permits substantially free relative movement between the gripper portion and the inner surface of the passage. The tool includes a propulsion assembly for selectively continuously moving the body of the tool with respect to the gripper portion while the gripper portion is in the first position. This allows the tool to move different types of equipment within the passage. For example, the tool advantageously may be used in drilling processes to provide continuous force to a drill bit. This enables the drilling of extended horizontal boreholes. Other preferred uses for the tool include well completion, logging, retrieval, pipeline service, and communication line activities. ast 6 mooring lines, each line consisting of: a first length of steel wire rope secured to each of the anchors, a length of polymer rope secured to each of said first length of steel wire rope, a second length of steel wire rope having a first and second end, wherein the first end is secured to said length of polymer rope and the second end is secured to said semisubmersible MPU, wherein each of said at leat 6 mooring lines has sufficient elasticity, stiffness and strength to accommodate the load on the semisubmersible MPU under an environmental load produced by and up to a 10-year storm in the semisubmersible tendering position, and further wherein each of said at least 6 mooring lines has a strength sufficient to withstand the environmental load produced by and up to a 100-year extreme weather condition when the semisubmersible MPU is moved to a 100-year extreme weather condition standby position. 11. The multipurpose unit of claim 1, further comprising a hawser winch for each of said at least two hawsers, wherein each of said at least two hawsers comprises a wire that winds on said hawser winch. 12. The multipurpose unit of claim 10, wherein each of said at least 6 mooring lines is tensioned. 13. The multipurpose unit of claim 1, wherein said plurality of pontoons are connected in a ring design having a moon pool. 14. The multipurpose unit of claim 13, adapted for use with a subsurface BOP and a low pressure drilling riser, further comprising a tensioning slip joint assembly disposed in said moon pool wherein said tensioning slip joint assembly comprises: a. an inner barrel; b. an outer barrel connected to said low pressure drilling riser for vertical movement control, said outer barrel overlapping said inner barrel; c. a riser-tensioning cart disposed adjacent said moon pool; d. a plurality of tensioning cylinders fixed to said outer barrel, and e. a gimbal system connected to said riser tensioning cart and said plurality of tensioning cylinders. 15. The multipurpose unit of claim 14, wherein said riser-tensioning cart is mounted on rails that slide adjacent said moon pool. 16. The multipurpose unit of claim 14, wherein said gimbal system comprises: a. a gimbal base; b. a first pin; c. an arm; d. a second pin; and e. a gimbal frame. 17. The multipurpose unit of claim 16, wherein said gimbal frame is triangular in shape. 18. The multipurpose unit of claim 13, for use with a surface BOP and a high pressure drilling riser, further comprising a tensioning slip joint assembly disposed in said moon pool wherein said tensioning slip joint assembly comprises: a. an inner barrel; b. a high pressure casing riser disposed within said inner barrel, collapsing said inner barrel; c. an outer barrel connected to said high pressure casing riser for vertical movement control, said outer barrel overlapping said inner barrel; d. a riser-tensioning cart disposed adjacent said moon pool; e. a plurality of tensioning cylinders fixed to said outer barrel, and f. a gimbal system connected to said riser tensioning cart and said plurality of tensioning cylinders. 19. The multipurpose unit of claim 14, wherein said tensioning cylinder comprises between six and nine tensioning cylinders. 20. The multipurpose unit of claim 1, wherein the object at sea is selected from the group: a tension leg platform, a compliant tower, a jack-up platform, a deep draft caisson vessel, a floating drilling vessel, and a fixed leg production platform. 21. The multipurpose unit of claim 20, wherein when said object at sea is a tension leg platform comprising at least one tensioning line for securing to an additional anchor. 22. The multipurpose unit of claim 20, wherein when said object at sea is the compliant tower comprising at least one tensioning line for mooring a compliant tower to an additional anchor. 23. The multipurpose unit of claim 1, wherein said multipurpose tower is modular. 24. The multipurpose unit of claim 10, wherein said at least 6-point mooring system is an 8-point mooring system. 25. The multipurpose unit of claim 24, wherein said at least 6 anchors is at least 8 anchors and said at least 6 mooring lines is at least 8 mooring lines. 26. A mooring and tender system for securing a tender to a production platform comprising a semisubmersible tender comprising a deck, a plurality of supports having a rounded shape connected to said deck, a plurality of pontoons connected to said plurality of supports, each of said plurality of pontoons adapted for ballast transfer, at least two hawsers connected to said semisubmersible tender for connecting said semisubmersible tender to a production platform having a mooring system, a hawser guidance system to direct each of said at least two hawsers to the object at sea, a crane removably secured to the deck of said semisubmersible tender, a multipurpose tower removably secured to said deck, said multipurpose tower comprising a base structure mounted in said deck, a tower mounted to the base structure, a top drive mounted to the tower, a drawworks secured to the tower; and a driller's cabin module mounted in said deck connected to the base structure, and an at least 6-point mooring system for the semisubmersible tender which comprises: a. at least 6 anchors, and b. at least 6 mooring lines, each mooring line consisting of: a first length of steel wire rope secured to each of the anchors, a length of rope secured to each of the first length of steel wire rope, a second length of steel wire rope having a first and second end, wherein the first end is secured to the length of rope and the second end is secured to said semisubmersible tender, wherein each of said at least 6 mooring lines has sufficient elasticity, stiffness and strength to accommodate load on the semisubmersible tender under an environmental load produced by and up to a 10-year storm in the semisubmersible tendering position, and further wherein each of said at least 6 mooring lines have a strength to withstand the environmental load produced by and up to a 100-year extreme weather condition when the semisubmersible tender is moved to a 100-year extreme weather condition standby position, and wherein said mooring system creates a global equilibrium between the mooring system of the production platform and said at least 6-point mooring system. 27. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 26, wherein said plurality of pontoons are connected in a ring configuration, wherein all of said plurality of pontoons have a shape selected from the group: rectangular, square and triangular. 28. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 26, wherein said at least 6-point mooring system comprises a 5-line mooring system and one broken mooring line. 29. The multipurpose unit of claim 26, wherein said at least 6-point mooring system is an 8-point mooring system. 30. The multipurpose unit of claim 29, wherein said at least 6 anchors is at least 8 anchors and said at least 6 mooring lines is at least 8 mooring lines. 31. The multipurpose unit of claim 30, wherein said at least 8-point mooring system comprises a 7-line mooring system and one broken mooring line. 32. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 26, wherein said ballast transfer is transversely at a rate in the range of between about 30 and about 300 gallons per minute. 33. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 26, wherein said ballast transfer is longitudinally at a rate in the range of between about 180 and about 300 gallons per minute. 34. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 26, wherein each of said plurality of pontoons has rounded edges. 35. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 26, wherein each of said plurality of the supports is in the form of a round column. 36. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 35, wherein said plurality of supports is between 3 and 12 round columns. 37. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 26, wherein each of said plurality of supports contain a member of the group comprising: ballast transfer equipment, bulk storage tanks, drilling mud storage tanks, fluid tanks, ballast control systems, mooring line storage reels, transfer equipment for fluids in the designated tanks and combinations thereof. 38. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 37, further comprising winches disposed within said plurality of supports, wherein said mooring line storage reels are connected to said winches, thereby lowering the center of gravity of the semisubmersible tender. 39. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 26, wherein said length of rope has an outer diameter of between about 4 and about 10 inches. 40. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 39, wherein said length of rope is a material selected from the group consisting of polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, and combinations thereof. 41. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 39, wherein each of said at least two hawsers is made from a polyamide. 42. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 26, wherein said production platform is a member of the group: a deep draft caisson vessel (SPAR), a tension leg platform (TLP), a semisubmersible production vessel, a fixed leg production platform and a compliant tower production platform. 43. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 26, further comprising a measurement system to record the exact distance and spatial relationship between said semisubmersible tender and said production platform. 44. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 26, further comprising a camera system adapted to enable monitoring of said semisubmersible tender, said production platform, said at least two hawsers and said hawser guidance system. 45. The mooring and semisubmersible tender system of claim 26, further comprising a monitoring system to analyze any variation in tension of said at least two hawsers connecting said semisubmersible tender to said production platform. 46. The mooring and semisubmersible tendering system of claim 45, further comprising at least one mooring winch storage disposed in at least one of said plurality of supports in order to lower the center of gravity of the semisubmersible tender. 47. The mooring and semisubmersible tendering system of claim 37, wherein said fluid tanks contain sterile brine completion fluids. 48. A method for erecting a disassembled multipurpose tower from the deck of a multipurpose unit (MPU) and onto a production platform, wherein said MPU comprises a deck, a plurality of supports having a rounded shape connected to said deck, a plurality of pontoons connected to the supports, each pontoon being adapted for ballast transfer, at least two hawsers connected to the MPU for connecting the MPU to an object at sea having a mooring system, a hawser guidance system to direct each hawser to the object at sea; a crane having a slew ring, said crane removably secured to said deck, a multipurpose tower removably secured to the deck, wherein said multipurpose tower comprises a base structure mounted in the deck, a central tower mounted to the base structure, a top drive mounted to the central tower, a drawworks secured to the central tower, and a driller's cabin module mounted in the deck connected to the base structure, said method comprising the steps of: a. mooring a multipurpose unit in proximity to a production platform, said production platform having a main deck, skid beams mounted on the main deck, and a preset mooring system; b. connecting said platform to said multipurpose unit (MPU); c. de-ballasting said platform to a first depth; d. ballasting said MPU to the first draft such that the slew ring of said crane is approximately level with said main deck of said platform; e. placing a skid frame on the skid beams on said platform using said crane; f. placing a cellar module on the skid frame; g. placing a BOP module on the cellar module; h. placing a mud module on the cellar module; i. placing a base frame on the mud module and the BOP module; j. connecting said drawworks to the base frame; k. placing said driller's cabin module on the mud module; l. connecting a service porch to said driller's cabin module; m. placing said multipurpose tower on the service porch and connecting it to said base frame; n. erecting said multipurpose tower with said drawworks; o. connecting setback drums to said multipurpose tower; p. connecting a pipe racker to said multipurpose tower; and q. connecting an upending table to said driller cabin module. 49. A method for disassembling an erected multipurpose tower on a platform and removing and re-assembling the multipurpose tower on a multipurpose unit (MPU), wherein said MPU comprises a deck, a plurality of supports having a rounded shape connected to said deck, a plurality of pontoons connected to said supports, each pontoon being adapted for ballast transfer, at least two hawsers connected to said MPU for connecting said MPU to an object at sea having a mooring system, a hawser guidance system to direct each of said at least two hawsers to the object at sea; a crane removably secured to said deck of the MPU, a multipurpose tower removably secured to said deck, said multipurpose tower comprising a base structure having a base frame and mounted in said deck, a central tower mounted to the base structure, a top drive mounted to the central tower, a drawworks secured to the central tower, and a driller's cabin module mounted in said deck connected to the base structure, and wherein said platform comprises an upending table, at least one pipe racker, at least one setback drum, a mud module, a BOP module, a cellar module and a skid frame, said method comprising the steps of: a. de-ballasting the platform to a first depth; b. ballasting the MPU to a first draft wherein the slew ring of the crane is approximately level with the deck of the platform; c. removing the upending table and placing it on said deck of said multipurpose unit (MPU); d. removing the at least one pipe racker and placing it on said deck of said MPU; e. removing the at least one setback drum and placing it on said deck of said MPU; f. lowering said multipurpose tower using said drawworks onto the deck of said MPU; g. disconnecting said multipurpose tower from the base frame; h. picking up said multipurpose tower onto the deck of said MPU; i. removing said drawworks onto the deck of said MPU; j. removing the driller's cabin module onto the deck of said MPU; k. removing the base frame onto the deck of the MPU; l. connecting said drawworks to the base frame; m. skidding the base frame over a moon pool; n picking up a driller's control and connecting it to the base frame on the deck over the moon pool; o. picking up said multipurpose tower and connecting said multipurpose tower to the base frame; p. raising said multipurpose tower to a vertical position using said drawworks; q. connecting a passive heave compensator to said multipurpose tower; r. connecting the at least one setback drum to said multipurpose tower; s. connecting the at least one pipe racker to said multipurpose tower; t. connecting the upending table to the driller cabin module; u. removing a mud module and placing it on said deck of said MPU; v. removing a BOP module and placing it on said deck of said MPU; w. removing a cellar module and placing it on said deck of said MPU, and x. removing a skid frame and placing it on said deck of said MPU. 50. A method for disassembling a multipurpose tower from a multipurpose unit (MPU) and erecting said multipurpose tower on a platform, wherein the MPU comprises a deck, a plurality of supports having a rounded shape connected to said deck, a plurality of pontoons connected to said plurality of supports, each pontoon being adapted for b
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