US3777827A

US3777827A - Drilling apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3777827A
Application number: US00273708A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Thiery; P Grolet
Original assignee: IFP Energies Nouvelles IFPEN
Current assignee: IFP Energies Nouvelles IFPEN
Priority date: 1971-07-22
Filing date: 1972-07-21
Publication date: 1973-12-11
Anticipated expiration: 1990-12-11
Also published as: DE2235286A1; CA970356A; NL7210091A; JPS5525267B1; GB1376050A; FR2146175A1; IT963188B; SU898958A3; FR2146175B1

Abstract

An apparatus for drilling a borehole with a drill tool driven in rotation by a motor suspended from the end of a drill column constituted by a flexible drill pipe, this apparatus including a basket for storing the flexible pipe, this basket having an annular shape with a vertical axis, motor means driving said annular basket in rotation about its vertical axis, means for supplying the flexible pipe with drilling fluid during the rotation of said basket, at least one means for driving the flexible pipe between said storage basket and said driving means, wherein said fluid supplying means are constituted by a hydraulic rotary coupling having an annular shape, centered on said vertical axis of the annular storage basket, said hydraulic coupling having an inner diameter at least equal to the maximum outer diameter of said flexible pipe, said vertical axis of the annular basket being substantially in line with the axis of the drilled borehole, said driving means being placed substantially along the borehole axis for displacing said flexible pipe along said axis, said guiding means being adapted to place siad flexible pipe substantially along the borehole axis.

Description

[ Dec. 11, 1973 DRILLING APPARATUS [75] Inventors: Jean Thiery, Le Peco; Pierre Grolet,

Orgerus, both of France [73] Assignee: lnstitut Francais du Petrole, des

Carburants et Lubrifiants, Rueil-Malmaison, France [22] Filed: July 21, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 273,708

[301 ueisae z ieet snRaquela? July 22, 1971 France 7 1 26 960 [52] US. Cl 175/103, 175/162, 175/203,

[51] Int. Cl E2111 7/00, E2lb 19/00 [58] Field of Search 166/77, 85; 175/57,

[56] References Cited 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,016,067 10/1935 Bannister 175/103 2,548,616 4/1951 Priestman et a1... 175/103 3,306,357 2/1967 Cullen et a1. 175/103 X 3,313,346 4/1967 Cross 166/77 X 3,559,905 2/1971 Polynchuk.. 166/77 X 3,702,223 11/1972 Bednar 175/103 X 3,667,554 6/1972 Smitherman 166/77 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 2,443 1/1905 Great Britain 175/103 996,063 6/1965 Great Britain 175/103 1,191,038 5/1970 Great Britain 175/162 Primary Examiner-David H. Brown Attorney-Craig & Antonelli [57] ABSTRACT An apparatus for drilling a borehole with a drill tool driven in rotation by a motor suspended from the end of a drill column constituted by a flexible drill pipe, this apparatus including a basket for storing the flexible pipe, this basket having an annular shape with a vertical axis, motor means driving said annular basket in rotation about its vertical axis, means for supplying the flexible pipe with drilling fluid during the rotation of said basket, at least one means for driving the flexible pipe between said storage basket and said driving 1 means, wherein said fluid supplying means are constituted by a hydraulic rotary coupling having an annular shape, centered on said vertical axis of the annular storage basket, said hydraulic coupling having an inner diameter at least equal to the maximum outer diameter of said flexible pipe, said vertical axis of the annular basket being substantially in line with the axis of the drilled borehole, said driving means being placed substantially along the borehole axis for displacing said flexible pipe along said axis, said guiding means being adapted to place siad flexible pipe substantially along the borehole axis.

3 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure PATENTED DEC 1 1 191a DRILLING APPARATUS The present invention relates to a new drilling apparatus particularly adapted to the drillingoperations using a bottom motor driving a drill tool, this motor being suspended from the end of a flexible drill pipe.

The drilling methods known in particular in the art under the name of flexo-drilling and using as drill stem a flexible pipe, have now an important develop ment. This is, in particular, the consequence of the technological improvements permitting the fabrication of high performance pipes. However the drilling device employed up to now, which make use of such flexible drill pipes, are directly derived from the conventional drilling equipments employing rigid drill strings.

They include in particular, above the borehole, a derrick used for handling the rigid tubular components which must be connected to the lower part of the flexible pipe such as bottom motor, drill-collars and tubing elements for the borehole.

These prior devices suffer therefore from the drawback of a great vertical bulkiness.

Moreover the flexible pipe is coiled on a winding device or stored in a rotary basket at some distance from the drilled borehole. These prior devices have consequently also a great horizontal bulkiness.

The main object of the present invention is accordingly to permit the elimination of the aforementioned drawbacks and in particular to allow to substantially reduce the vertical and horizontal bulkiness of the drilling device.

These and other objects are achieved with an apparatus for drilling a borehole by means of a drill tool driven in rotation through a motor suspended from the end of a drill column constituted by a flexible drill pipe, this apparatus including a basket for storing the flexible pipe, this basket having an annular shape with a vertical axis, motor means driving said annular basket in rotation about its vertical axis, means for supplying the flexible pipe with drilling fluid during the rotation of said basket, at least one means for driving the flexible pipe and means for guiding the flexible pipe between said storage basket and said driving means, wherein said fluid supplying means are constituted by a rotary coupling having an annular shape, centered on said vertical axis of the annular storage basket, said hydraulic coupling having an inner diameter at least equal to the maximum outer diameter of said flexible pipe, the vertical axis of the annular basket being substantially in line with the axis of the drilled borehole, said driving means being placed substantially along the borehole axis for displacing said flexible pipe along said axis, said guiding means being adapted to place said flexible pipe substantially along the borehole axis.

The invention will be better understood and other advantages thereof will be made apparent from the following description of a non-limitative embodiment of this invention illustrated by the accompanying drawing.

This drawing is a front view of a device according to the invention, diagrammatically illustrated in crosssection.

This device according to the invention comprises a rotary basket 1 for storing the flexible drill pipe 2,

a diagrammatically illustrated rotary coupling 3 for the drilling fluid supply of the pipe 2 during the rotation of the basket 1,

a return. device 5, whereby the flexible pipe 2 is guided between the storing basket 1 and the handling device 4.

The storage basket 1 may be of any known type, in particular of the type described in the Patent application Ser. No. 264,470 filed in the US. Patent Office on June 20, 1972.

The storage basketillustrated in the drawing comprises a first cylindrical wall 6 having a substantially vertical axis, a second cylindrical wall 7 coaxial with the first wall, these two walls defining therebetween an annular space 8 having a width at least equal to the diameter of the flexible drill pipe. The space 8 is limited at its lower part by a base plate 9 of annular shape, which supports the vertical walls 6 and 7. At its upper part the space 8 is open for permitting the passage of the flexible pipe 2. Under the platform 9 is secured a circular rail 10 coaxial with the annular basket. This rail rests on a plurality of wheels 11 of which only two have been illustrated for sake of clarity of the drawing.

One or more of these wheels, which are carried by stationary bearings 12, are driven in rotation by motors 13 which may be of the hydraulic or electric type.

The storage basket 1 is provided with a hydraulic rotary coupling 3 having an annular shape and coaxial with the basket. 1.

This coupling includes an annular stationary element or ring 30, substantially U-shaped, at the bottom of which is provided a circular groove 16, connected to a pipe 14, one end of which is connected to the ring 3a, for example by threading, the other end of this pipe being connected to a source of drilling fluid (not shown), and a ringor annular element 3b having a shape complementary to that of the ring 3a and being rotatable with respect to the latter.

The ring 3b is fast in rotation with the storage basket 1. A duct 15 connects one end of the drill pipe 2 to the ring 3b to permit the drilling fluid supply of the pipe 2 coiled in the storage basket 1, through the pipe 14, the groove 16 and a conduit 17 provided in the ring 3b.

Sealing means (not shown) prevent any fluid leakage between the surfaces in contact of

rings

3a and 3b.

As apparent from the drawing, the use of an annular rotary coupling makes it possible to keep free the central part of the basket 1.

Of course the rotary coupling 3 may have an internal diameter greater than the external diameter of the basket l or alternatively may be located under the base plate of the latter, the illustrated embodiment being by no way limitative.

The basket for storing the flexible pipe is so located that its vertical axis be in line with the axis of the drilled borehole 18.

This arrangement permits a reduction in the bulkiness of the drilling apparatus, which constitutes a very important advantage, particularly when the drilling operations are performed from a floating drilling platform.

A device 4 for handling the drill pipe is located substantially along the axis of the borehole 18. This device may be of any known type. In particular, as diagrammatically shown in the drawing, it will be possible to make use of an endless chain conveyor which displaces the drill pipe along the vertical axis of the storage basket.

A fixed return device 3 provides for the guiding of the flexible drill pipe between the storage basket 1 and the device 4 for handling this pipe. This device 5 comprises a curvilinear guiding path having in-each point a radius of curvature at least equal to the minimum radius of winding of the pipe 2.

The control of the handling device 4 and of the engines 13 driving in rotation the storage basket will preferably be synchronized through any known means diagrammatically shown at 19, so as to facilitate the winding or unwinding of the flexible pipe coiled in the storage basket 1.

Modifications may be made different without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In particular, in the case where the drill pipe is provided whith incorporated electrical lines for remote measuring, remote controlling or power transmitting, the continuity of the electric circuits may be ensured through the rotary coupling 3, by equipping the same for example with sliding electric contacts etc.

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus for drilling a borehole with a drill tool driven in rotation by a motor suspended from the end of drill column constituted by a flexible drill pipe, this apparatus including a basket for storing the flexible pipe, this basket having an annular shape with a vertical axis, motor means driving said annular basket in rotation about its vertical axis, means for supplying the flexible pipe with drilling fluid during the rotation of said basket, at least one means for driving the flexible pipe and means for guiding the flexible pipe between said storage basket and said driving means, wherein said fluid supplying means are constituted by a hydraulic rotary coupling having an annular shape, centered onsaid vertical axis of the annular storage basket, said hydraulic coupling having an inner diameter at least equal to the maximum outer diameter of said flexible pipe, said vertical axis of the annular basket being substantially in line with the axis of the drilled borehole, said driving means being placed substantially along the borehole axis for displacing said flexible pipe along said axis, said guiding means being adapted to place said flexible pipe substantially along the borehole axis.

2. A device according to claim 1, comprising means for synchronizing the control of said handling device and of said motor means driving in rotation said annular basket.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said rotary coupling is constituted by at least two coaxial annular elements, one of said elements being stationary and the other fast in rotation with said storage basket, at least one of said annular elements being provided with at least one circular groove, said groove being, on the one hand, fed with hydraulic fluid through a first duct connecting said stationary annular element to a source of hydraulic fluid and communicating, on the other hand, with said flexible pipe through a second duct connecting said annular element fast in rotation with the basket to one end of said flexible pipe carried by said annular basket.

Claims

1. An apparatus for drilling a borehole with a drill tool driven in rotation by a motor suspended from the end of drill column constituted by a flexible drill pipe, this apparatus including a basket for storing the flexible pipe, this basket having an annular shape with a vertical axis, motor means driving said annular basket in rotation about its vertical axis, means for supplying the flexible pipe with drilling fluid during the rotation of said basket, at least one means for driving the flexible pipe and means for guiding the flexible pipe between said storage basket and said driving means, wherein said fluid supplying means are constituted by a hydraulic rotary coupling having an annular shape, centered on said vertical axis of the annular storage basket, said hydraulic coupling having an inner diameter at least equal to the maximum outer diameter of said flexible pipe, said vertical axis of the annular basket being substantially in line with the axis of the drilled borehole, said driving means being placed substantially along the borehole axis for displacing said flexible pipe along said axis, said guiding means being adapted to place said flexible pipe substantially along the borehole axis.