WO1990010778A1 - A device for operations under water - Google Patents

A device for operations under water Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1990010778A1
WO1990010778A1 PCT/NL1990/000028 NL9000028W WO9010778A1 WO 1990010778 A1 WO1990010778 A1 WO 1990010778A1 NL 9000028 W NL9000028 W NL 9000028W WO 9010778 A1 WO9010778 A1 WO 9010778A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
buoy
cable
winding drum
energy source
water
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/NL1990/000028
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Arie Pieter Van Den Berg
Original Assignee
Verenigde Bedrijven Van Den Berg Heerenveen Holding B.V.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Verenigde Bedrijven Van Den Berg Heerenveen Holding B.V. filed Critical Verenigde Bedrijven Van Den Berg Heerenveen Holding B.V.
Publication of WO1990010778A1 publication Critical patent/WO1990010778A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B19/00—Handling rods, casings, tubes or the like outside the borehole, e.g. in the derrick; Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables
    • E21B19/002—Handling rods, casings, tubes or the like outside the borehole, e.g. in the derrick; Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables specially adapted for underwater drilling
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
    • B63B22/00—Buoys
    • B63B22/24—Buoys container type, i.e. having provision for the storage of material
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
    • B63C11/00—Equipment for dwelling or working underwater; Means for searching for underwater objects
    • B63C11/52—Tools specially adapted for working underwater, not otherwise provided for
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B41/00—Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00
    • E21B41/0007—Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00 for underwater installations
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B49/00—Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells
    • E21B49/001—Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells specially adapted for underwater installations
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B7/00—Special methods or apparatus for drilling
    • E21B7/12—Underwater drilling
    • E21B7/124—Underwater drilling with underwater tool drive prime mover, e.g. portable drilling rigs for use on underwater floors
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
    • B63B2205/00—Tethers

Definitions

  • a device for operations under water is
  • the invention relates to a device for soil inspection according to the preamble of claim 1.
  • a disadvantage of this known device is, that the ex ⁇ pensive ship can operate always with only one device, and should remain at a site during the whole inspection.
  • the invention provides an improvement of this device having the characteristics of the claims.
  • the ship can, after placing the device on the water bottom, sail away, and can arrange similar devices in other sites, and controlling the various devices and processing the measurement results can take place by radio from said ship or from the main land.
  • the ship is, therefore, no longer used than is required for providing and removing the devices, whic will lead to substantial savings.
  • Another advantage is that the devices arranged on the water bottom can also operate during heavy weather, since the ship can go back to a harbour after arranging the devices.
  • the energy source is an internal combustion engine and comprises an electrical generator or pump system driven thereby, such a device can operate independently during a lon time.
  • Using a device which is movable along the water bottom enables inspection in different points without requiring a repeated hoisting, moving and lowering the device.
  • a ship 1 which is provided with hoisting crane 2 by means of which a buoy 3, which during transport on the ship 1 is supported on a rack 4, can be lowered onto the water surface 5 and can be hoisted therefrom again.
  • the buoy 3 is provided with two floats 6, and supports a winding drum 7 for winding and unwinding a cable 8. Said cable serves for lowering onto the water bottom 9 a measuring device 10 intended for soil inspection, and in particular for sounding the water bottom, as will be described below in more detail.
  • the cable 8 is a composite cable which serves not only for the above-mentioned purposes, but also for energy supply towards the measuring device 10, and, as the case may be, for transferring signals, such as control signals for the device 10 and measurement signals produced in said device.
  • the measuring device 10 can be adapted, as dia- grammatically shown, for soil sounding, and can be provided, to that end, with one or more driving roller pairs 11, by means of which a sounding rod or tube 12 can be gripped with friction in order to drive said rod 12 into the soil or re- tracting the same again.
  • These drive means can be provided with a suitable programmed control, or can be remotely controlled, e.g. by means of control signals transmitted via the cable 8.
  • an automatically operating or remotely controlled apparatus 13 for applying or removing extension rods or tubes can be present in the device 10.
  • the measuring device 10 can, moreover, be provided with diagrammatically indicated suction anchore 14 of the type currently used in underwater apparatus, so that this anchore is not to be described in more detail.
  • wheels 15 are provided, which are, if required, provided with caterpillar tracks, by means of which the measuring device 10 can be moved over the water bottom 9 if said wheels are driven by an associated driving motor, and remotely controllable control means can be present.
  • the energy required for the various driving means is supplied by a diagrammatically indicated energy source 16, for instance a diesel engine or the like with an electrical generator which by means of leads included in the cable 8 can supply energy to the device 10, which energy can be transformed in a device 10 into liquid or air pressure. It is also possible to include in the cable 8 hoses for pressurized air or liquid produced by a pump driven by the diesel engine, but at greater depths the electrical energy transfer is often more favourable.
  • the energy source is arranged in the interior of the winding drum 7, within which said source is effectively shielded against environmental influences.
  • the winding drum 7 i completely or partially situated below the water level, the centre of gravity of the buoy 3 will be situated as low as possible if the energy source is included into the winding drum 7.
  • this energy source is cardanically supported in order to be hindered as little as possible by th wave motion. It is, of course, also pos.sible to arrange said energy source outside the winding drum on the buoy.
  • Arranging the energy source in or on the buoy 3 has the advantage that, in this manner, the measuring device 10 can operate completely independently of a ship, and, moreover, no expensive ship with an automatically controlled winding drum is required which should be continuously connected with the measuring device.
  • a transmitter/receiver 17 For transmitting control signals towards the measuring device 10 and retransmitting measuring signals from said device, use can be made of a transmitter/receiver 17 with an aerial 18 on the buoy 3, and the further signal transfer will take place via the cable 8. Also programming apparatus can be provided in the device 10 or on the buoy 3.
  • Lowering and hoisting the measuring device 10 can, for instance, take place when the buoy is still supported on the rack 4, and then the winding drum 7 can be driven by means of driving means present on the ship 1. It is also possible to use therefore the energy source present in or on the buoy, and, if required, a separate driving motor for the winding drum 7 can be present to that end.
  • the device according to the invention can also be used for other purposes than soil inspection. If the measuring device 10 is sufficiently heavy and/or has a sufficient water resistance, it needs not to be lowered upon the water bottom for serving as an anchor for the buoy 3. This is of importan ⁇ ce for measurements at a higher level in the water itself.

Abstract

A device for operations under water, comprising an operative device to be arranged under water or on the water bottom, which device can be lowered and hoisted by means of a hoisting cable and a winding drum, and is linked by means of a cable with a buoy floating on the water surface, and is connected by means of a cable with an energy source arranged above the water level. According to the invention the winding drum (7) for winding and unwinding the hoisting cable and connecting leads (8) is arranged on the buoy (3), said buoy (3) being provided with an energy source (16) for feeding the measuring device (10) by means of the cable (8), said cable (8) serving for anchoring said buoy (3) by means of said operative device (10) after arranging said device (10) under water.

Description

A device for operations under water.
The invention relates to a device for soil inspection according to the preamble of claim 1.
From US-A 3 633 685 such a device is known in which the ship, which is used for transporting said device, remains nea the buoy during the operation thereof, and provides the energ supply and control of the device.
A disadvantage of this known device is, that the ex¬ pensive ship can operate always with only one device, and should remain at a site during the whole inspection. The invention provides an improvement of this device having the characteristics of the claims.
The ship can, after placing the device on the water bottom, sail away, and can arrange similar devices in other sites, and controlling the various devices and processing the measurement results can take place by radio from said ship or from the main land. The ship is, therefore, no longer used than is required for providing and removing the devices, whic will lead to substantial savings.
Another advantage is that the devices arranged on the water bottom can also operate during heavy weather, since the ship can go back to a harbour after arranging the devices.
When the energy source is an internal combustion engine and comprises an electrical generator or pump system driven thereby, such a device can operate independently during a lon time.
Using a device which is movable along the water bottom enables inspection in different points without requiring a repeated hoisting, moving and lowering the device.
The invention will be elucidated below in more detail b reference to a simplified diagrammatical drawing of an embodiment thereof.
In the drawing a ship 1 is shown which is provided with hoisting crane 2 by means of which a buoy 3, which during transport on the ship 1 is supported on a rack 4, can be lowered onto the water surface 5 and can be hoisted therefrom again.
The buoy 3 is provided with two floats 6, and supports a winding drum 7 for winding and unwinding a cable 8. Said cable serves for lowering onto the water bottom 9 a measuring device 10 intended for soil inspection, and in particular for sounding the water bottom, as will be described below in more detail.
As soon as the measuring device 10 has been lowered onto the water bottom 9, said device 10 serves as an anchoring of the buoy 3 floating on the water surface 5, and the buoy 3 will be entrained by the water current and will tightening the cable 8 as is also the case with an ordinary buoy having an anchoring cable. The cable 8 is a composite cable which serves not only for the above-mentioned purposes, but also for energy supply towards the measuring device 10, and, as the case may be, for transferring signals, such as control signals for the device 10 and measurement signals produced in said device. The measuring device 10 can be adapted, as dia- grammatically shown, for soil sounding, and can be provided, to that end, with one or more driving roller pairs 11, by means of which a sounding rod or tube 12 can be gripped with friction in order to drive said rod 12 into the soil or re- tracting the same again. These rollers .are driven by means of a suitable driving motor. These drive means can be provided with a suitable programmed control, or can be remotely controlled, e.g. by means of control signals transmitted via the cable 8. Moreover an automatically operating or remotely controlled apparatus 13 for applying or removing extension rods or tubes can be present in the device 10.
The measuring device 10 can, moreover, be provided with diagrammatically indicated suction anchore 14 of the type currently used in underwater apparatus, so that this anchore is not to be described in more detail. Moreover wheels 15 are provided, which are, if required, provided with caterpillar tracks, by means of which the measuring device 10 can be moved over the water bottom 9 if said wheels are driven by an associated driving motor, and remotely controllable control means can be present.
The energy required for the various driving means is supplied by a diagrammatically indicated energy source 16, for instance a diesel engine or the like with an electrical generator which by means of leads included in the cable 8 can supply energy to the device 10, which energy can be transformed in a device 10 into liquid or air pressure. It is also possible to include in the cable 8 hoses for pressurized air or liquid produced by a pump driven by the diesel engine, but at greater depths the electrical energy transfer is often more favourable.
In the case under consideration the energy source is arranged in the interior of the winding drum 7, within which said source is effectively shielded against environmental influences. In particular, if, as shown, the winding drum 7 i completely or partially situated below the water level, the centre of gravity of the buoy 3 will be situated as low as possible if the energy source is included into the winding drum 7. In particular this energy source is cardanically supported in order to be hindered as little as possible by th wave motion. It is, of course, also pos.sible to arrange said energy source outside the winding drum on the buoy.
Arranging the energy source in or on the buoy 3 has the advantage that, in this manner, the measuring device 10 can operate completely independently of a ship, and, moreover, no expensive ship with an automatically controlled winding drum is required which should be continuously connected with the measuring device.
For transmitting control signals towards the measuring device 10 and retransmitting measuring signals from said device, use can be made of a transmitter/receiver 17 with an aerial 18 on the buoy 3, and the further signal transfer will take place via the cable 8. Also programming apparatus can be provided in the device 10 or on the buoy 3.
Lowering and hoisting the measuring device 10 can, for instance, take place when the buoy is still supported on the rack 4, and then the winding drum 7 can be driven by means of driving means present on the ship 1. It is also possible to use therefore the energy source present in or on the buoy, and, if required, a separate driving motor for the winding drum 7 can be present to that end.
The device according to the invention can also be used for other purposes than soil inspection. If the measuring device 10 is sufficiently heavy and/or has a sufficient water resistance, it needs not to be lowered upon the water bottom for serving as an anchor for the buoy 3. This is of importan¬ ce for measurements at a higher level in the water itself.
Within the scope of the invention many modifications are possible.

Claims

Clai s
1. A device for operations under water, comprising an operative device to be arranged under water or on the water bottom, which device can be lowered and hoisted by means of a hoisting cable and a winding drum, and is linked by means of a cable with a buoy floating on the water surface, and is connected by means of a cable with an energy source arranged above the water level, characterized in that the winding drum (7) for winding and unwinding the hoisting cable and connecting leads (8) is arranged on the buoy (3), said buoy (3) being provided with an energy source (16) for fee¬ ding the measuring device (10) by means of the cable (8), said cable (8) serving for anchoring said buoy (3) by means o said operative device (10) after arranging said device (10) under water.
2. The device of claim 1, characterized in that the energy source (16) comprises an internal combustion engine and a generator or pumping system driven thereby.
3. The device of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the buoy (3) is provided with two floats (6), between which the winding drum (7) is rotatably supported.
4. The device of any one of claims 1..3, characterized in that the energy source (16) is arranged in the interior of the winding drum (7) .
5. The device of any one of claims 1..4, characterized in that the operative device (10) is provided with wheels or caterpillar tracks (15).
6. The device of any one of claims 1..5, characterized in that the operative device (10) is a device for soil inspec¬ tion, and is provided with a plurality of driving roller pairs (11), adapted to grip with friction around a sounding rod (12) or the like in order to drive the latter into or from the bottom.
7. The device of claim 6, characterized by automatic means for arranging and removing extension elements for the measuring rod (12).
8. The device of any one of claims 1..7, characterized in that the operative device is a measuring device, and is pro¬ vided with a signal transferring system (8, 17, 18) for allo¬ wing said measuring device (10) to be remotely controlled and, if desired, to transmit measuring signals towards a ship.
9. The device of any one of claims 1..8, characterized in that the energy source of the buoy (3) is designed for dri¬ ving the winding drum (7) .
10. The device of any one of claims 1..9, characterized in that on a ship (1) for transporting the buoy (3) and the ope¬ rative device (10) driving means for driving the winding drum (7) are provided.
PCT/NL1990/000028 1989-03-06 1990-03-06 A device for operations under water WO1990010778A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
NL8900542A NL8900542A (en) 1989-03-06 1989-03-06 DEVICE FOR SOIL EXAMINATION UNDER WATER.
NL8900542 1989-03-06

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1990010778A1 true WO1990010778A1 (en) 1990-09-20

Family

ID=19854248

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/NL1990/000028 WO1990010778A1 (en) 1989-03-06 1990-03-06 A device for operations under water

Country Status (2)

Country Link
NL (1) NL8900542A (en)
WO (1) WO1990010778A1 (en)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ES2120347A1 (en) * 1995-11-07 1998-10-16 Maralda S L Drilling (perforating) machine for underwater work
CN102322219A (en) * 2011-05-26 2012-01-18 上海交通大学 Seabed jet drill truck
EP2860341A1 (en) * 2013-10-10 2015-04-15 Soil Machine Dynamics Limited Subsea support apparatus for supporting drive means, and driving apparatus incorporating such support apparatus
CN112606977A (en) * 2020-12-23 2021-04-06 大连东软信息学院 Robot platform used in water area environment
CN113073976A (en) * 2021-03-16 2021-07-06 浙江大学 Device and method for on-site multi-point sampling of deep-sea natural gas hydrate

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN109178214B (en) * 2018-09-20 2019-09-06 上海大学 A kind of intelligence underwater observation platform

Citations (9)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3204709A (en) * 1963-10-21 1965-09-07 Pacific Tugboat & Salvage Co Deep sea coring tower
DE1807611A1 (en) * 1967-11-07 1969-06-12 Plongeurs Autonomes Francais S Boring probe, especially for underwater drilling
US3633685A (en) * 1970-03-09 1972-01-11 Manuel R Piexoto Deep well drilling apparatus
US3690166A (en) * 1969-05-09 1972-09-12 C Fitzhugh Grice Apparatus for measuring subsurface soil characteristics
DE2109532A1 (en) * 1971-03-01 1972-09-21 Hagenuk Neufeldt Kuhnke Gmbh Underwater measuring winch system
DE2233772A1 (en) * 1971-07-12 1973-02-08 Atlas Copco Ab DRILLING DEVICE
US3812922A (en) * 1969-08-06 1974-05-28 B Stechler Deep ocean mining, mineral harvesting and salvage vehicle
GB2017789A (en) * 1978-03-28 1979-10-10 Europ Propulsion System for the remote control the maintenance of the fluid injection for a submerged wellhead
GB1594284A (en) * 1978-04-28 1981-07-30 Havron Eng Ltd Control of sub-sea equipment

Patent Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3204709A (en) * 1963-10-21 1965-09-07 Pacific Tugboat & Salvage Co Deep sea coring tower
DE1807611A1 (en) * 1967-11-07 1969-06-12 Plongeurs Autonomes Francais S Boring probe, especially for underwater drilling
US3690166A (en) * 1969-05-09 1972-09-12 C Fitzhugh Grice Apparatus for measuring subsurface soil characteristics
US3812922A (en) * 1969-08-06 1974-05-28 B Stechler Deep ocean mining, mineral harvesting and salvage vehicle
US3633685A (en) * 1970-03-09 1972-01-11 Manuel R Piexoto Deep well drilling apparatus
DE2109532A1 (en) * 1971-03-01 1972-09-21 Hagenuk Neufeldt Kuhnke Gmbh Underwater measuring winch system
DE2233772A1 (en) * 1971-07-12 1973-02-08 Atlas Copco Ab DRILLING DEVICE
GB2017789A (en) * 1978-03-28 1979-10-10 Europ Propulsion System for the remote control the maintenance of the fluid injection for a submerged wellhead
GB1594284A (en) * 1978-04-28 1981-07-30 Havron Eng Ltd Control of sub-sea equipment

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
Machine Design, Volume 48, No. 3, February 1976, (Cleveland, Ohio, US), "Crawler Drill takes to the Sea", pages 10, 12 *

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ES2120347A1 (en) * 1995-11-07 1998-10-16 Maralda S L Drilling (perforating) machine for underwater work
CN102322219A (en) * 2011-05-26 2012-01-18 上海交通大学 Seabed jet drill truck
EP2860341A1 (en) * 2013-10-10 2015-04-15 Soil Machine Dynamics Limited Subsea support apparatus for supporting drive means, and driving apparatus incorporating such support apparatus
WO2015052075A1 (en) * 2013-10-10 2015-04-16 Soil Machine Dynamics Limited Subsea support apparatus for supporting drive means, and driving apparatus incorporating such support apparatus
CN105593452A (en) * 2013-10-10 2016-05-18 索尔机械动力有限公司 Subsea support apparatus for supporting drive means, and driving apparatus incorporating such support apparatus
CN112606977A (en) * 2020-12-23 2021-04-06 大连东软信息学院 Robot platform used in water area environment
CN113073976A (en) * 2021-03-16 2021-07-06 浙江大学 Device and method for on-site multi-point sampling of deep-sea natural gas hydrate
CN113073976B (en) * 2021-03-16 2024-01-23 浙江大学 Device and method for in-situ multi-point sampling of deep sea natural gas hydrate

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