KR101517440B1 - Monitoring device for riser and ocean structure with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A riser monitoring apparatus for monitoring the internal and external states of a riser in real time and an offshore structure having the same are provided. The riser monitoring device comprises a support surrounding the riser along the circumferential direction of the riser, a moving part mounted on the support and moving up or down the support along the longitudinal direction of the riser, a plurality of sensors mounted on the support, And a sensing unit for sensing an external state.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a riser monitoring device and a marine structure having the same,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a riser monitoring apparatus, and more particularly, to a riser monitoring apparatus for monitoring the inside and outside states of a riser in real time and a marine structure having the same.

Drilling facilities include drillships with semi-submersible rigs, which can be operated by magnetic forces. Several risers are assembled using a drilling tower and connected to several thousand meters below sea level. The drilling pipe goes down into the riser to drill the bottom of the sea.

When drilling to a certain depth, the casing is worked and the blower (blow out preventer, BOP) is connected to the riser under the sea. The drilling operation progresses to the oil well. When it is confirmed that the oil layer is correct in the oil well, if the oil production is economically feasible, the valve and the choke for adjusting the flow of oil and gas are installed.

After that, floating production storage and offloading (FPSO), which is a production facility instead of a drilling facility, is located and the crude oil is pumped through the riser. FPSO separates the oil wells produced from the borehole into oil and gas, treats and stabilizes them into a transportable product.

In this way, there is a risk of explosion due to various parameters in the riser drilling and crude oil production process.

For example, if the riser cracks, there is a possibility of oil spill and explosion, and if the BOP malfunctions due to battery shortage, etc., there is a possibility of failing to seal the well head and further damage in an emergency situation. In addition, cracking and weakening of the concrete zone around the BOP can cause gas spills and explosion.

The present invention provides a riser monitoring apparatus and a marine structure having the riser monitoring apparatus capable of rapidly monitoring the internal and external states of the riser in drilling and crude oil production processes using the riser to quickly recognize a dangerous situation and thereby preventing an explosion accident do.

A riser monitoring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a support body surrounding a riser along a circumferential direction of a riser, a moving part installed on the support body to move the support body upward or downward along a longitudinal direction of the riser, And a sensing unit having a plurality of sensors for sensing the internal and external states of the riser.

The support may be formed in a two-layer structure of an upper support and a lower support integrally fixed by a connecting portion.

The moving unit may include a plurality of driving wheels that are rotatably installed inside each of the upper and lower supports and closely contact the riser, and a power unit connected to each of the plurality of driving wheels to rotate the driving wheels. The power unit can be composed of an underwater motor and can receive power from the offshore structure through a power cable.

On the other hand, the power unit can include a generator-motor and a battery, and can generate electric energy from the rotational force of the drive wheel and store it in the battery when the support is lowered by its own weight. The generator-motor can be operated by a power source of the battery, and the support wheel can be raised by rotating the drive wheel.

On the other hand, the support can be made in a structure which can be raised by buoyancy. The power unit may include a generator motor and a battery, and may generate electrical energy from the rotational force of the drive wheel and store the battery in the battery when the support rises by buoyancy. The motor serving as the generator can be operated by the power source of the battery, and the support can be lowered by rotating the drive wheel.

The sensing portion may include an x-ray sensor mounted on the support and sensing a surface crack of the riser and fluid flow within the riser, and an infrared laser sensor mounted on the support and sensing gas or oil spills around the riser. The infrared laser detector may be mounted on the support by a length adjustable arm.

A pair of connection portions may be provided symmetrically and a front end ram device may be installed inside the pair of connection portions to close the riser when an emergency occurs. The shear ram device may include a hydraulic cylinder fixed to each of the pair of connecting portions, and a pair of ram blocks fixed to the piston end of the hydraulic cylinder and disposed opposite to each other with the riser interposed therebetween.

The marine structure according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a marine structure body, a riser connected to the marine structure body from the marine structure body, and the riser monitoring apparatus described above.

The riser may be divided into a plurality of regions along the longitudinal direction, and each of the plurality of regions may be provided with a riser monitoring apparatus. The riser monitoring device can detect the internal and external states of the riser in real time while repeating rising and falling within the specified area.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to detect in real time the surface cracks of the riser, the fluid flow state inside the riser, and the gas or oil jet around the riser. By sensing the internal and external states of these risers, they can quickly recognize the dangerous situation and effectively prevent an explosion accident.

In addition, since the riser can be closed when the explosion-proof device malfunctions by using the front-end ram device installed in the riser monitoring device, the safety of the riser and the marine structure can be secured more effectively.

1 is a schematic view of a marine structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic perspective view of a riser monitoring apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a partial plan view of the riser monitoring device shown in Fig.
4 is a schematic perspective view of a riser monitoring apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. The present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

1 is a schematic view of a marine structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a marine structure 100 according to the present embodiment includes a marine structure body 10, a riser 20, and a riser monitoring device 30.

The offshore structure 100 may be a drilling facility or a crude oil production facility, and the offshore structure body 10 may be constructed of a floating facility capable of being towed by a ship capable of magnetically operating or other vessels. The offshore structure 100 may be, for example, a drillship, a semi-submersible rig, or a floating production storage and unloading facility (FPSO), but is not limited to the above examples Do not.

The riser 20 is connected from the offshore structure body 10 to the seabed well. When the marine structure 100 is a drilling facility, the drilling pipe is located in the riser 20 to drill the bottom surface. When the marine structure 100 is a crude oil production facility, crude oil is extracted from the oil well through the riser 20 .

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 40 denotes a blow out preventer (BOP) installed at the inlet of the oil well to close the oil inlet when a blow-out is detected.

The riser monitoring device 30 is configured to monitor the internal and external conditions of the riser 20 such as gas leakage around the crack and explosion prevention device 40 of the riser 20 while repeating rising and falling along the length of the riser 20 In real time. The marine structure 100 of the present embodiment can quickly recognize the dangerous situation around the riser 20 by using the riser monitoring device 30 and can take measures to prevent an explosion accident.

Since the riser 20 has a length of several kilometers or more, when one riser monitoring device 30 is provided, the time required for one round trip becomes long. The riser monitoring device 30 may be provided along the longitudinal direction of the riser 20 to sense various areas of the riser 20 at the same time.

The riser 20 may be divided into a plurality of regions according to the length, or may be divided into a plurality of regions according to the diameter, and one riser monitoring device 30 may be provided for each region. Each riser monitoring device 30 independently senses the internal and external states of the riser 20 while repeating rising and falling within the designated area.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a riser monitoring apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a partial plan view of the riser monitoring apparatus shown in FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the riser monitoring apparatus 30 according to the present embodiment includes a support body 50, a moving unit 60, and a sensing unit 70. The sensing unit 70 is installed on the support body 50 and the moving unit 60 functions to raise or lower the support body 50 along the longitudinal direction of the riser 20. [

The support body 50 is an annular structure surrounding the riser 20 and surrounds the riser 20 along the circumferential direction at a certain distance from the riser 20. The support 50 may be formed in a two-layer structure of an upper support 51 and a lower support 52. In this case, the riser monitoring device 30 can operate more stably along the longitudinal direction of the riser 20.

The upper support 51 and the lower support 52 are integrally connected by a connecting portion 53. In FIG. 2, the bar-shaped connection portion 53 is shown as an example of a double bent portion. However, the shape of the connection portion 53 is not limited to the illustrated example.

The moving part 60 includes a plurality of driving wheels 61 rotatably installed inside the upper and lower supports 51 and 52 and a driving wheel 61 connected to each of the plurality of driving wheels 61, (Not shown).

The plurality of drive wheels 61 are located at an interval from each other in the circumferential direction of the riser 20 at the upper support 51 and the lower support 52 and are in close contact with the outer surface of the riser 20. 2, four driving wheels 61 are installed on each of the upper and lower supports 51 and 52. However, the number of the driving wheels 61 and the installation structure are not limited to the illustrated examples.

The power unit 62 may be a conventional submersible motor and may be connected to the marine structure body 10 through a power cable (not shown) to provide power to the marine structure body 10 from a power source device (not shown) Electricity can be supplied.

On the other hand, the power unit 62 may be composed of a generator-motor and a battery. In this case, the power unit 62 converts the mechanical energy resulting from the rotation of the drive wheel 61 into electric energy to generate electric power when the support body 50 is lowered by its own weight and the drive wheel 61 rotates, Can be charged. The support body 50 can be raised by rotating the drive wheel 61 by operating the motor using the charging power of the battery.

That is, the power unit 62 described above can charge the battery when the support body 50 is lowered by its own weight, and can lift the support body 50 by using the charging power of the battery. This allows the riser monitoring device 30 to move along the riser 20 using its own power without being connected to a power cable.

On the other hand, the support body 50 can be made of a structure which can be raised by buoyancy. For example, the support body 50 may include an air tank (not shown) or the like. In this case, the power unit 62 can generate electric power when the support member 50 is raised by buoyancy and the drive wheel 61 rotates, so that the battery can be charged. Then, the supporting body 50 can be lowered by rotating the driving wheel 61 by operating the motor using the charging power of the battery.

Since the power unit 62 described above is not limited to a specific structure as a known combination of mechanical parts, the detailed structure of the power unit 62 is omitted in Fig. 3 shows a moving part 60 provided on the upper support body 51 and a moving part 60 having the same construction is provided on the lower support body 52. [

Although the moving unit 60 including the plurality of driving wheels 61 and the power unit 62 has been described above, the moving unit 60 moves the supporting body 50 along the longitudinal direction of the riser 20 It can be applied to any mechanical configuration that can be made. For example, the guide rail may be provided along the longitudinal direction of the riser 20, and the moving part 60 may be mechanically configured to move along the guide rail by engaging with the guide rail.

The sensing unit 70 includes a plurality of sensors installed on the support 50. The sensing unit 70 may include an X-ray detector 71 installed on one of the upper support 51 and the lower support 52 and an infrared laser detector 72 installed on the other. 2 shows an example in which an X-ray detector 71 is installed on the upper support 51 and an infrared laser detector 72 is installed on the lower support 52. [

The x-ray detector 71 radiographs the riser 20 to detect cracks in the inner and outer surfaces of the riser 20 and flow conditions of fluids (gas, oil, mud, etc.) flowing through the riser 20 . That is, by using the X-ray detector 71, it is possible to check whether the surface crack of the riser 20 and the fluid inside the riser 20 are flowing normally without leakage.

The infrared laser sensor 72 senses a temperature change outside the riser 20 or the presence or absence of an object outside the riser 20. [ The use of such an infrared laser detector 72 can detect the erroneous operation of the explosion prevention device 40 or the gas eruption or oil eruption due to cracking or weakening of the seabed surface around the explosion prevention device 40 in advance.

The infrared laser detector 72 may be supported by a length adjustable arm 75. That is, an arm 75 capable of adjusting the length is provided on the outer surface of the lower support 52, and an infrared laser detector 72 may be installed on the end of the arm 75. The peripheral portion of the riser 20 can be monitored more widely as the length of the arm 75 is increased. The adjustment of the length of the arm 75 may be accomplished by a separate power device (not shown), such as a hydraulic device built into the arm 75.

The photograph or image information photographed by the X-ray detector 71 and the infrared laser detector 72 is transmitted to the control room on the marine structure body 10 through the wireless transceiver. The operator can confirm the internal and external states of the riser 20 through the transmitted information. In addition, the sensing unit 70 may be connected to a controller (not shown), and the controller may generate a warning signal when the information input from the sensing unit 70 exceeds a preset reference value.

4 is a schematic perspective view of a riser monitoring apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

4, the riser monitoring device 301 of the third embodiment has the same configuration as that of the second embodiment described above except that it further includes a front-end RAM device 80 that closes the riser 20 in the event of an emergency. Lt; / RTI > The same reference numerals are used for the same members as in the second embodiment.

The upper support 51 and the lower support 52 may be integrally joined by a pair of connection portions 53 facing each other and a shear ram device 80 may be installed inside the pair of connection portions 53 have. The front end ram device 80 may include a hydraulic cylinder 81 fixed to the connecting portion 53 and a ram block 83 fixed to the end of the piston 82 of the hydraulic cylinder 81. A pair of ram blocks 83 are arranged opposite to each other with the riser 20 interposed therebetween.

In a normal environment, the ram block 83 is spaced apart from the riser 20 and does not interfere with the up and down movement of the support 50 for monitoring the riser 20. On the other hand, when the explosion-proof device 40 malfunctions in an emergency situation in which the pressure of the oil or gas is increased, the operation of the hydraulic cylinder 81 advances the pair of ram blocks 83 toward the riser 20. This causes the pair of ram blocks 83 to push the riser 20 strongly to collapse the riser 20.

The shear ram device 80 closes the riser 20 in the event of a failure of the explosion-proof device 40, thereby preventing oil or gas from being blown out, and preventing an explosion accident caused by oil or gas ejection. Thus, the shear ram device 80 functions as a safety device to replace the explosion-proof device 40 in the event of a failure. The riser monitoring device 301 of the present embodiment has a function of a safety device that closes the riser 20 in an emergency situation, in addition to the monitoring function of the riser 20.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, Of course.

100: marine structure 10: marine structure body
20: riser 30, 301: riser monitoring device
40: explosion prevention device 50: support
60: moving part 70: sensing part
80: shearing ram device

Claims (14)

A support surrounding the riser along a circumferential direction of the riser;
A moving part installed on the support and moving up or down the support along the longitudinal direction of the riser; And
And a sensing unit mounted on the support and having a plurality of sensors for sensing the inner and outer states of the riser,
The support body is formed in a two-layer structure of an upper support and a lower support integrally fixed by a pair of symmetrically formed connection portions, and a shear ram device is provided inside the pair of connection portions to close the riser when an emergency occurs Riser monitoring device. delete The method according to claim 1,
The moving unit includes:
A plurality of driving wheels rotatably installed inside each of the upper and lower supports and closely contacted with the risers; And
And a power unit connected to each of the plurality of drive wheels to rotate the drive wheel. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the power unit is comprised of an underwater motor and is supplied with power from the offshore structure via a power cable. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the power unit includes a motor serving as a generator and a battery, and generates electric energy from the rotational force of the driving wheel when the support is lowered by its own weight, and stores the electric energy in the battery. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the generator-motor is operated by a power source of the battery, and rotates the drive wheel to raise the support. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the support has a structure capable of being raised by buoyancy,
Wherein the power unit includes a generator motor and a battery and generates and stores electrical energy from the rotational force of the drive wheel when the support is lifted by the buoyant force. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the generator-motor is operated by a power source of the battery, and rotates the drive wheel to lower the support. The method according to claim 1,
The sensing unit includes:
An X-ray detector installed on the support and detecting a surface crack of the riser and a fluid flow inside the riser; And
And an infrared laser sensor mounted on the support and sensing a gas or oil spill around the riser. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the infrared laser sensor is mounted on the support by a length adjustable arm. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the shear ram device comprises:
A hydraulic cylinder fixed to each of the pair of connection portions; And
And a pair of ram blocks fixed to the piston end of the hydraulic cylinder and disposed opposite to each other with the riser interposed therebetween. In a marine structure for drilling or producing crude oil at sea,
Marine structure body;
A riser connected from the body of the marine structure to the seabed well; And
12. A marine structure comprising the riser monitoring device of any one of claims 1, 3 to 10 or 12. 14. The method of claim 13,
The riser is divided into a plurality of regions along the longitudinal direction,
Wherein each of the plurality of areas is provided with the riser monitoring device,
Wherein the riser monitoring device senses the internal and external states of the riser in real time while repeating rising and falling within a designated area.

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