Mobile offshore drilling unit, a method of using such a unit and a system comprising such a unit

• US 10,227,824 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2015
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Noble Drilling Corporation (Noble Finance Co.)
• Original Assignee: Maersk Drilling A/S
• Inventors: Kannegaard, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Fiorello, Benjamin F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Toledo-Duran, Edwin J
• Application Number:
  US15/528,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20170254148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 405196, 405201, 405202, 405203, 405204, 405205, 405206, 405209, 175 5, 175 9, 175 73, 114265
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 17/0017 Means for protecting offshore constructions
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 17/0034 Maintenance, repair or inspection of offshore constructions
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 17/021 with relative movement between supporting construction and platform
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 11/02 Boring rams
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 15/02 specially adapted for underwater drilling E21B15/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 29/00 Cutting or destroying pipes, packers, plugs or wire lines, located in boreholes or wells, e.g. cutting of damaged pipes, of windows; Deforming of pipes in boreholes or wells; Reconditioning of well casings while in the ground
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 29/007 with a radially-retracting cutter rotating outside the pipe
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 29/12 specially adapted for underwater installations E21B29/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/124 with underwater tool drive prime mover, e.g. portable drilling rigs for use on underwater floors
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/128 from floating support with independent underwater anchored guide base

Abstract

An offshore well-processing system includes a mobile offshore drilling unit and a remote well-processing device configured to be positioned on an offshore platform different from the mobile offshore drilling unit, the mobile offshore drilling unit defining at least one well center and comprising at least one primary drill rig including at least one drill floor and at least one hoisting system for raising and lowering tubular equipment through the at least one well center from/into a well in the seafloor. The mobile offshore drilling unit and the remote well-processing device are configured to be operationally coupled to each other; and the mobile offshore drilling unit is configured to assist in performing concurrent well-processing tasks on respective wells, including the first well processing task performed by the remote well-processing device on a first well and a second well-processing task concurrently performed by the offshore well-processing system on a second well.

Claims

1. An offshore well-processing system for performing one or more well-processing tasks on one or more wells in the seafloor of an off-shore oil or gas reservoir, the system comprising:

a mobile offshore drilling unit and a remote well-processing device configured to be positioned on an offshore platform different from the mobile offshore drilling unit,

the mobile offshore drilling unit defining one or more well centres and comprising at least one primary drill rig comprising at least one drill floor and at least one hoisting system for raising and lowering tubular equipment through one of said one or more well centres, wherein the mobile offshore drilling unit is a jack-up platform comprising a cantilever supporting said primary drill rig and configured to extend the cantilever above the offshore platform; and

wherein the remote well-processing device is configured to perform at least a first of the one or more well-processing tasks when positioned on said offshore platform at a position displaced from the one or more well centres defined by the mobile offshore drilling unit; and

wherein the mobile offshore drilling unit and the remote well-processing device are configured to be operationally coupled to each other when the remote well-processing device is positioned on said offshore platform; and

wherein the mobile offshore drilling unit is configured to assist in two or more of the well-processing tasks performed concurrently on respective wells, including the at least first well processing task performed by the remote well-processing device placed on the offshore platform at a position displaced from the one or more well centres and displaced from any cantilever of the mobile offshore drilling unit on a first of the one or more wells and a second of the one or more well-processing tasks concurrently performed by the primary drilling rig on a second of the one or more wells.

2. The offshore well-processing system according to claim 1, wherein the operational coupling comprises at least one connection chosen from:

a utility line for transferring power from the mobile offshore drilling unit to the remote well-processing device, a communication line for transferring communications signals between the remote well-processing device and the mobile offshore drilling unit, and a flow line for transferring well fluids between the remote well-processing device and the mobile offshore drilling unit.

3. The offshore well-processing system according to claim 1, wherein the system comprises a pipe transfer apparatus configured to transport tubulars between the mobile offshore drilling unit and the remote well-processing device when said remote well-processing device is positioned on said offshore platform.

4. The offshore well-processing system according to claim 1, wherein the primary drill rig is configured to perform said second well-processing task on said second well concurrently with the remote well-processing device performing the first well-processing task on said first well.

5. The offshore well-processing system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile offshore drilling unit comprises a pump for transferring fluids between the mobile offshore drilling unit and a well;

wherein the remote well-processing device is connectable to said pump via a flow line.

6. The offshore well-processing system according to claim 5, wherein the mobile offshore drilling unit comprises a pump configured to selectively or concurrently transfer fluids between the mobile offshore drilling unit and the first well via the remote well-processing device and between the mobile offshore drilling unit and the second well via the primary rig.

7. The offshore well-processing system according to claim 1, wherein the primary drill rig comprises a top drive or another device for imparting torque on a tubular string extending from the mobile offshore drilling unit into one of the one or more wells.

8. The offshore well-processing system according to claim 1, wherein the offshore platform is a production platform.

9. The offshore well-processing system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile offshore drilling unit and/or the offshore platform is/are a bottom-supported platform.

10. The offshore well-processing system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile offshore drilling unit is a jack-up unit or a semi-submersible unit or a drillship.

11. The offshore well-processing system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile offshore drilling unit is configured to attach at least a part of the remote well-processing device to the cantilever and to position at least the part of the remote well-processing device onto the offshore platform.

12. The offshore well-processing system according to claim 1, wherein the remote well-processing device is arranged moveable/skiddable on the offshore platform.

13. The offshore well-processing system according to claim 1, wherein the remote well-processing device comprises one or more of

a connector or manifold for connecting a flow line extending from a pump of the mobile offshore drilling unit to a conductor extending from the offshore platform to the seafloor;

a working platform;

hang-off device for hanging off tubulars;

a device for wireline operations into the first well;

a device for coiled tubing operation into the first well;

a blow-out-preventer;

a drilling support structure;

a hoisting system;

break-out tongs and/or shearing devices;

a control system and cabin for controlling a well-processing task in the second well;

a top drive.

14. The offshore well-processing system according to claim 1, wherein the remote well-processing device has a lower rated lift capacity and/or a lower rated torque capacity and/or a lower pipe handling throughput capacity as the primary drill rig.

15. The offshore well-processing system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile offshore drilling unit comprises a pipe setback and/or other off-drill-floor pipe handling apparatus.

16. The offshore well-processing system according to claim 1, comprising the remote well-processing device and a second remote well-processing device, each configured to perform the one or more well-processing tasks when positioned on said offshore platform at a respective position displaced from the at least one well centre defined by the mobile offshore drilling unit;

and wherein the mobile offshore drilling unit is configured to be operationally coupled to each of the first and second remote well-processing devices when the first and second remote well-processing devices are positioned on said offshore platform; and

wherein the mobile offshore drilling unit is configured to assist in the one or more well-processing tasks performed concurrently on respective wells, including the first well-processing task performed by the first remote well-processing device on the first well and a second well-processing task concurrently performed by the second remote well-processing device on the second well.

17. A method of performing the one or more well-processing tasks on the one or more wells of an offshore oil or gas reservoir, the method comprising:

positioning the mobile offshore drilling unit in a proximity of the offshore platform different from the mobile offshore drilling unit and located above the one or more wells, the mobile offshore drilling unit comprising the at least one primary drill rig comprising the at least one drill floor and the at least one hoisting system for raising and lowering tubular equipment from/into the one or more wells in the seafloor;

performing, at the position on the offshore platform and displaced from the well centre defined by the mobile offshore drilling unit, the first of the one or more well-processing tasks on the first well, assisted by the mobile offshore drilling unit via an operational coupling extending between the mobile offshore drilling unit and said position on the offshore platform; and

concurrently performing second of the one or more well-processing tasks on the second well, wherein the second well-processing task is performed by the mobile offshore drilling unit or is assisted by the mobile offshore drilling unit via an operational coupling extending between the mobile offshore drilling unit and a position of the second well on the offshore platform,

wherein the method further comprises the use of the system according to claim 1.

18. A method of performing a plurality of well-processing tasks on a plurality of wells in the seafloor of an offshore oil or gas reservoir, the method comprising:

positioning a mobile offshore drilling unit in a proximity of an offshore platform different from the mobile offshore drilling unit and located above the plurality of wells, the mobile offshore drilling unit defining one or more well centres and comprising a primary drill rig comprising a drill floor and a hoisting system for raising and lowering tubular equipment from/into at least one of the plurality of wells in the seafloor via one of said one or more well centres, wherein the mobile offshore drilling unit is a jack-up platform comprising a cantilever supporting said primary drill rig and configured to extend the cantilever above the offshore platform;

providing a remote well-processing device positioned on said offshore platform different from the mobile offshore drilling unit at a position displaced from the one or more well centres defined by the mobile offshore drilling unit;

operationally coupling the remote well-processing device to the mobile offshore drilling unit;

performing, by the remote well-processing device positioned on the offshore platform displaced from the one or more well centres defined by the mobile offshore drilling unit and away from any cantilever of the mobile offshore drilling unit, the first well-processing task on the first well, assisted by the mobile offshore drilling unit via said operational coupling; and

concurrently performing the second well-processing task on the second well, wherein the second well-processing task is performed by the mobile offshore drilling unit or by the primary drilling rig of the mobile offshore drilling unit.

19. The method according to claim 18;

wherein the second well-processing task is performed by the primary drilling rig or by a second remote well-processing device positioned on the off-shore platform and operationally coupled to the mobile offshore drilling unit.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein some or all mud handling and/or some or all off-drill-floor pipe handling associated with the first and second well-processing tasks is handled and/or facilitated/assisted by the mobile offshore drilling unit.

21. The method according to claim 18, wherein the well-processing tasks are sub-tasks of a decommissioning task and wherein the first well-processing task comprises one or more of:

killing a well, cementing, logging, testing and/or monitoring tasks in the well; and

wherein the second well-processing task comprises one or more of;

pulling production tubing from the well, removing casing from the well, milling and logging.

22. The method according to claim 18, wherein the second well-processing task is performed by the primary drilling rig of the mobile offshore drilling unit.

23. A mobile offshore drilling unit defining one or more well centres and comprising a primary drill rig comprising:

a drill floor and a hoisting system for raising and lowering tubular equipment through one of the one or more well centres defined by the mobile offshore drilling unit;

wherein the mobile offshore drilling unit is a jack-up platform comprising a cantilever supporting said primary drill rig and configured to extend the cantilever supporting said primary drill rig and configured to extend the cantilever above an offshore platform different from the mobile offshore drilling unit;

wherein the mobile offshore drilling unit is configured to establish an operational coupling with a remote well-processing device positioned on the offshore platform and at a position different from the well centre defined by the mobile offshore drilling unit and away from any cantilever of the mobile offshore drilling unit; and

to assist in performing two or more concurrent well-processing tasks performed on respective wells of an offshore oil or gas reservoir;

wherein at least a first one of said well-processing tasks is performed by said remote well-processing device and a second one of said well-processing tasks is performed by said primary drilling rig.

24. The mobile offshore drilling unit according to claim 23;

comprising;

a hull and one or more legs extending from the hull downward towards the sea floor; and

wherein the cantilever comprises an attachment mechanism to which at least a part of the remote well-processing device may be attached and where the cantilever is configured to position at least said part of the remote well-processing device on said offshore platform.

25. The mobile offshore drilling unit according to claim 23, comprising a pump system for transferring fluids between the well and the mobile offshore drilling unit;

a first manifold connected to the pump system and a second manifold connected to the pump system;

wherein the second manifold is operable to facilitate pumping fluids into or out of a first well through a flow line between the pump system and the remote well-processing device and through a conductor extending from the offshore platform to the first well; and

wherein the first manifold is operable to facilitate pumping fluids into our out of a second well through a conductor extending from the mobile offshore drilling unit to the second well.