Method and apparatus for through rotary sub-sea pile-driving

• US 20050006105A1
• Filed: 12/01/2003
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BJ Services Company
• Original Assignee: BJ Services Company
• Inventors: Gray-Stepehns, Malcolm G.S., Bell, Douglas B, Mueller, Dan T.
• Application Number:
  US10/496,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20050006105A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/381
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 27/52 Submerged foundations , i.e. submerged in open water E02D27/12 - E02D27/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 7/30 by driving cores
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 4/06 Down-hole impacting means, e.g. hammers boring rams E21B11/02
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 4/14 Fluid operated hammers
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 4/20 combined with surface drive E21B4/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/20 Driving or forcing casings or pipes into boreholes, e.g. sinking; Simultaneously drilling and casing boreholes

Abstract

A method and apparatus for driving a pile are disclosed. The pile-driving apparatus comprises a pile, a shoe tip coupled to a toe of the pile, and a drill string disposed within the pile. The drill string comprises a gripping device coupling the drill string to the pile and a hammer deployed into the pile such that the hammer is capable of transmitting a force to the shoe tip. The method, comprises positioning a hammer in a pile such that the hammer is capable of transmitting a force to a shoe tip; positioning, in the pile, a portion of drill pipe having a gripping device to engage the pile; and deploying the pile beneath the surface of a body of water.

Claims

1. A pile-driving apparatus, comprising:

a pile;

a shoe tip coupled to a toe of the pile; and

a drill string, the drill string including a hammer coupled to the pile such that the hammer is capable of transmitting a force to the shoe tip.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pile comprises a casing string, a deep water pile, a shallow water pile, a PLEM pile;

a sub-sear template, a manifold pile, a tension leg platform anchor pile and a drill rig mooring pile.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shoe tip includes a membrane covering.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shoe tip is coupled to the pile interior.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shoe tip is coupled to the pile exterior.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hammer is coupled to the pile at the top thereof.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hammer is coupled to the pile at the toe thereof.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hammer is a percussive hammer.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the percussive hammer comprises a hydraulic hammer.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drill string further includes a gripping device by which the drill string is coupled to the pile.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the gripping device couples the drill string to the pile at the top of the pile.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drill string includes a plurality of wings by which the hammer is coupled to the pile via a sling.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an external gripping device by which the hammer is coupled to the pile via a sling.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the percussive hammer is a rotation powered hammer.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a pile;

a shoe tip deployed at a tip of the pile; and

a hammer coupled to the pile such that the hammer is capable of transmitting a force to the shoe tip.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a portion of drill pipe having a lockable telescoping section deployed in the pile.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the pile includes a shoe joint capable of receiving the force from the hammer and transmitting said force to the shoe tip.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the hammer comprises a percussive hammer.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a valve system to direct a fluid to at least one of the shoe tip and the pile.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a gripping device coupled to the hammer and coupled to the pile;

and

21. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a sling by which the hammer is coupled to the pile.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising an external gripping device by which the hammer is coupled to the pile via a sling.

23. A method, comprising:

positioning a hammer relative to a pile such that the hammer is capable of transmitting a force to a shoe tip;

positioning a portion of drill pipe to engage the pile; and

deploying the pile beneath the surface of a body of water.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein deploying the pile comprises deploying pile such that the shoe tip is in contact with a first selected location on a floor of the body of water.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein positioning the hammer includes positioning the hammer such that the hammer is capable of transmitting a force directly to the shoe tip

26. The method of claim 23, wherein positioning the hammer includes positioning the hammer such that the hammer is capable of transmitting a force indirectly to the shoe tip

27. An apparatus, comprising:

means for positioning a hammer relative to a pile such that the hammer is capable of transmitting a force to a shoe tip;

means engaging the hammer to the pile; and

means for deploying the pile beneath the surface of a body of water.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising means for transmitting a force from the hammer to the shoe tip such that the shoe tip penetrates the floor at the first selected location.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising means for providing a lubricating fluid proximate the shoe tip.

30. A method for deploying a pile-driving apparatus, the method comprising:

rigging up the pile-driving apparatus; and

deploying the rigged-up pile-driving apparatus through the rotary of a drilling rig.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein rigging up the pile-driving apparatus includes:

positioning a percussive hammer in a pile such that the percussive hammer is capable of transmitting a force to a shoe tip; and

positioning the drill pipe to engage the pile.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein deploying the rigged-up pile-driving apparatus through the rotary of the drilling rig includes deploying the rigged-up pile-driving apparatus through a rotary of a mobile offshore drilling unit.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising single tripping the rigged-up pile-driving apparatus to the seabed.

34. A method for deploying a pile-driving apparatus, the method comprising:

deploying the pile-driving apparatus; and

single tripping the rigged-up pile-driving apparatus to the seabed.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein rigging up the pile-driving apparatus includes:

positioning a percussive hammer relative to a pile such that the percussive hammer is capable of transmitting a force to a shoe tip; and

positioning, in the pile, a portion of drill pipe having a gripping device to engage the pile.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein deploying the rigged-up pile-driving apparatus through the rotary of the drilling rig includes deploying the rigged-up pile-driving apparatus through a rotary of a mobile offshore drilling unit.

37. The method of claim 34, further deploying the rigged-up pile-driving apparatus through the rotary of a drilling rig.

38. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of casing joints;

a shoe tip deployed at a tip of a first one of the plurality of casing joints;

a percussive hammer deployed with the casing joints such that the percussive hammer is capable of transmitting a force to the shoe tip;

a gripping device coupled to the percussive hammer and coupled to the casing joints; and

a portion of drill pipe coupled to the plurality of casing joints via the gripping device and capable of deploying the casing joints beneath the surface of a body of water.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising a portion of drill pipe having a lockable telescoping section deployed in the plurality of casing joints.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the first one of the plurality of casing joints is a shoe joint capable of receiving the force from the percussive hammer and transmitting said force to the shoe tip.

41. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the percussive hammer comprises a hydraulic percussive hammer.

42. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the percussive hammer comprises a rotary percussive hammer.

43. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising a valve system to direct a fluid to at least one of the shoe tip and the plurality of casing joints.

44. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the percussive hammer is capable of transmitting a force directly to the shoe tip

45. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the percussive hammer is capable of transmitting a force indirectly to the shoe tip

46. A method, comprising:

positioning a percussive hammer in a first one of a plurality of casing joints such that the percussive hammer is capable of transmitting a force to a shoe tip;

positioning, in the plurality of casing joints, a portion of drill pipe having a gripping device to engage the casing joints; and

deploying the plurality of casing joints beneath the surface of a body of water.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein deploying the plurality of casing joints comprises deploying the casing joints such that the shoe tip is in contact with a first selected location on a floor of the body of water.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein positioning the percussive hammer includes positioning the percussive hammer such that the percussive hammer is capable of transmitting a force directly to a shoe tip

49. The method of claim 46, wherein positioning the percussive hammer includes positioning the percussive hammer such that the percussive hammer is capable of transmitting a force indirectly to a shoe tip

50. An apparatus, comprising:

means for positioning a percussive hammer in a first one of a plurality of casing joints such that the percussive hammer is capable of transmitting a force to a shoe tip;

means engaging the percussive hammer to the casing joints; and

means for deploying the plurality of casing joints beneath the surface of a body of water.

51. The method of claim 50, further comprising means for transmitting a force from the hammer to the shoe tip such that the shoe tip penetrates the floor at the first selected location.

52. The method of claim 50, further comprising means for providing a lubricating fluid proximate the shoe tip.

53. A pile-driving apparatus, comprising:

a casing string; and

a drill string disposed within the casing string, the drill string comprising;

a gripping device coupling the drill string to the casing string;

a percussive hammer deployed into the casing joints such that the percussive hammer is capable of transmitting a force to the shoe tip; and

a shoe tip deployed at a tip of a first one of the plurality of casing joints.