METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MONITORING WEAR OF AND REPAIRING SHAKER SCREENS

• US 20130013100A1
• Filed: 03/18/2011
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optipro As
• Original Assignee: Optipro As
• Inventors: Dahl, Bjorn
• Granted Patent: US 9,498,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/218
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/46 Constructional details of screens in general; Cleaning or heating of screens
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/4609 constructional details of screening surfaces or meshes
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/4627 Repairing of screening surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/50 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/12 by sonic or ultrasonic vibrations washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware using sonic or ultrasonic waves A47L15/13; of natural teeth, of prostheses using ultrasonic techniques similar to those used for natural teeth A61C17/20; application of ultrasonic vibrations to chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general B01J19/10

Abstract

The invention is an apparatus for cleansing and monitoring wear of screen cloths (1) comprising: a) a feeding device (100) for used or contaminated screen cloths (1) to b) a cleansing unit (4) arranged for receiving and cleansing said screen cloth (1), c) a preparation unit (140) arranged for preparing said screen cloth (1) for optical inspection in d) an optical inspection station (120) arranged to identify one or more damaged portions (6) of said screen cloth (1) and with a Registering device for registering positions (7) for said damaged portions (6), e) a measuring device (62) for measuring and registering an extent of said one or more damaged portions (6) extent and degree of damage, f) a repair unit (70) arranged for mending one or more of said damaged portions (6), g) a feeding out unit (200) for feeding out said repaired screen cloth (1).

Claims

1. A method for monitoring and maintenance of wear of shale shaker filter screen frames (2) with screen cloths (1) characterized by the steps of

a) providing a used or drilling liquid contaminated filter screen frame (2) screen cloth (1) to a filter screen frame magazine (100),

b) engaging said filter screen frame (2) in said magazine (100) using a movable main manipulator element (115), feeding forward said filter screen frame (2) to a cleansing unit (4) and cleansing said filter screen frame (2) with said screen cloth (1),

c) moving said filter screen frame (2) to a drying unit (140) using said main manipulator element (115) and drying said filter screen frame (2),

d) moving said filter screen frame (2) using said main manipulator element (115) to an optical inspection station (120) and inspecting optically said screen cloth (1) and using an algorithm in a computer identifying damaged portions (6) of said screen cloth (1) and registering said damage portions'"'"' (6) position (7) in a computer memory (9),

e) determining in said algorithm said damaged portions'"'"' (6) degree of wear or damage and determining whether said worn or damaged portions (6) qualify for being repaired or replaced,

f) moving said filter screen frame (2) to a repair station (70) with a repair manipulator (72) using said main manipulator element (115) repairing or replacing said damaged portions (6) qualified for being repaired or replaced with replacement portions of screen cloth (1),

g) moving the so repaired filter screen frame (2) back to said magazine (100).

2. The method of claim 1, replacing said damaged portions (6) qualified for being replaced by exchanging its corresponding screen plug (8) with replacement screen plug (8).

3. The method according to claim 1, the position (7) of the damaged portions (6) is registered relative to a given origin on the screen cloth (1) or its filter screen frame (2).

4. The method according to claim 3, said position (7, 7x, 7y) is registered according to the actual cell frame (22) in said filter screen frame (2).

5. The method according to claim 1, using a camera (12) capturing digital images (13) of said filter screen frame (2) in said optical inspection station (120) and analyzing said digital images (13) in an algorithm in a computer, said algorithm at least identifying damaged portions (6) of said screen cloth (1) and registering said damage portions'"'"' (6) position (7) in a computer memory (9), said algorithm further determining whether said worn or damaged portions (6) qualify for the screen cloth (1) comprising said damage portion (6) locally to be replaced.

6. The method of claim 5, said algorithm further comprising determining a degree of wear of said screen cloth (1).

7. The method of claim 1, said filter screen frame (2) being fed forward from a stack (30) of such screen cloths (1) in said magazine (100).

8. The method of claim 1, using one or more ultrasound elements (44) in said cleansing unit (4) cleansing said filter screen frame (2) with said screen cloth (1).

9. The method of claim 2, said repair manipulator (72) moving damaged screen plugs (8) to one or more screen plug magazines (110) and picking replacement screen plugs (8) from said one or more screen plug magazines (110).

10. The method according to claim 1, before moving the repaired filter screen frame (2) back to said magazine (100), moving the repaired filter screen frame (2) to the optical inspection station (120) for verifying and registering the state of the repaired filter screenframe (2).

11. The method of claim 1, further registering in said computer memory (9) the current drilling depth interval for which said screen cloth (1) was used, and possibly the time of occurrence of said damaged portions (6).

12. The method of claim 1, further using an algorithm (15) in a computer (16) retrieving said stored image capture (13) and analysing said image capture (13) for said damaged portions'"'"' (6) position (7).

13. The method of claim 1, said registration of said damaged portions (6) extent and degree of damage made corresponding to an identifier of said filter screen frame (2) in a database in order to contribute to said filter screen frames'"'"' (2) history during one or more drilling operations.

14. The method of claim 13, arranging said identifier in an electronic tag on said filter screen frame (2).

15. An apparatus for monitoring and maintenance of wear of shale shaker filter screen frames (2) with screen cloths (1), characterized by:

a) a magazine (100) for receiving one or more contaminated filter screen frames (2),

b) a movable main manipulator element (115) arranged for engaging said filter screen frame (2) in said magazine (100), and further arranged for feeding forward said filter screen frame (2) to a cleansing unit (4), to a drying unit (140) to an optical inspection station (120), to a repairing unit (70) and back to said magazine (100)

c) said cleansing unit (4) arranged for cleansing said filter screen frame (2) with said screen cloth (1),

c) said drying unit (140) arranged for receiving said filter screen frame (2) for drying said filter screen frame (2),

d) said optical inspection station (120) for receiving said filter screen frame (2) and arranged for optically imaging said screen cloth (1) and using an algorithm in a computer for identifying damaged portions (6) of said screen cloth (1) and for registering said damaged portions'"'"' (6) position (7) in a computer memory (9),

e) an algorithm (15) for determining said damaged portions'"'"' (6) degree of wear or damage and for determining whether said worn or damaged portions (6) qualify for being repaired or replaced,

f) said repair station (70) for receiving said filter screen frame (2) provided with a repair manipulator (72) for repairing or replacing said damaged portions (6) qualified for being repaired or replaced with replacement portions of screen cloth (1),

g) said main manipulator element (115) arranged for moving the repaired filter screen frame (2) back to said magazine (100).

16. The apparatus of claim 15, provided with one or more replacement screen plugs (8) for replacing said damaged portions (6) qualified for being replaced.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, provided with a camera (12) for capturing digital images (13) of said shaker screen frame (2) in said optical inspection station (120) and for analyzing said captured digital images (13) in an algorithm in a computer, said algorithm for identifying damaged portions (6) of said screen cloth (1) and for registering said damage portions'"'"' (6) position (7) in a computer memory (9), said algorithm further arranged for determining whether said worn or damaged portions (6) qualify for replacement.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, comprising one or more ultrasound elements (44) in said cleansing unit (4) for being submerged in liquid for cleansing said filter screen frame (2) with said screen cloth (1).

19. The apparatus of claim 16, said repair manipulator (72) arranged for moving damaged screen plugs (8) to one or more screen plug magazines (110) and picking replacement screen plugs (8) from said one or more screen plug magazines (110).