BLOWOUT PREVENTER STACK AND SUPPLY SYSTEM

• US 20160201423A1
• Filed: 08/29/2014
• Published: 07/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Klaus Biester, Peter Kunow
• Original Assignee: Klaus Biester, Peter Kunow
• Inventors: Biester, Klaus, Kunow, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,863,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/0355 Control systems, e.g. hydraulic, pneumatic, electric, acoustic, for submerged well heads
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/063 for shearing drill pipes cutting of wireline E21B29/04
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/064 specially adapted for underwater well heads
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/16 Control means therefor being outside the borehole control systems for submerged well heads E21B33/0355

Abstract

The invention relates to a blowout preventer stack comprising blowout preventer stack components. A part of the blowout preventer stack components has a blowout preventer with an electric blowout preventer drive means for operating the blowout preventer. The energy necessary for operating the blowout preventer is provided by kinetic energy storage devices. The kinetic energy storage devices are flywheel energy storage devices, which serve as motor-generator-combination and store, provide and receive kinetic energy and exchange it into electric energy. A steam turbine arrangement and further emergency energy supply and emergency control systems serving as emergency energy supply system are connected to the blowout preventer stack and can be operated parallel to energy supply and control systems. This facilitates a multi-redundant energy supply and control system with upmost effectiveness as to fail-safety of the blowout preventer stack.

Claims

1. A blowout preventer stack, comprising at least one blowout preventer stack component with at least one blowout preventer and at least one electric blowout preventer drive means for operating the at least one blowout preventer, wherein energy for operating the at least one blowout preventer is provided by at least one kinetic energy storage device, and wherein the at least one blowout preventer drive means includes the kinetic energy storage device so that the blowout preventer drive means can operate the blowout preventer directly by means of kinetic energy from the kinetic energy storage device.

2. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein the kinetic energy storage device is a centrifugal mass storage device.

3. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein at least two blowout preventer drive means for independently operating a blowout preventer are connected to a respective blowout preventer.

4. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the two blowout preventer drive means is exchangeable while the blowout preventer stack is in operation.

5. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein the blowout preventer drive means is an electric drive.

6. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein the blowout preventer stack is configured so that the blowout preventer stack components of the blowout preventer stack are operable all-electric.

7. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 2, wherein the centrifugal mass directly acts on a hydraulic pump connected to a piston within an hydraulic cylinder that is in encased by centrifugal mass.

8. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein the blowout preventer stack is connected to at least two independent energy supply and control systems, which are operable independently of one another and adapted to supply the blowout preventer components of the blowout preventer stack with energy and to transmit data signals for measuring parameters and for controlling the blowout preventer stack components of the blowout preventer stack to the blowout preventer stack components and to receive same from the blowout preventer stack components.

9. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein the blowout preventer stack is connected by means of at least one emergency cable to at least one emergency energy supply and emergency control system, wherein the emergency energy supply and emergency control system is adapted to supply the blowout preventer stack components of the blowout preventer stack by means of the emergency cable with energy and to transmit data signals for measuring parameters and for controlling the blowout preventer stack components of the blowout preventer stack to the blowout preventer components and to receive same from the blowout preventer stack components.

10. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 7, wherein energy supply and control systems, which are adapted to supply the blowout preventer stack components of the blowout preventer stack with energy and to transmit data signals for measuring parameters and for controlling the blowout preventer stack components of the blowout preventer stack to the blowout preventer stack components and to receive them from the blowout preventer stack components, are connected to the blowout preventer stack by means of a monopolar line.

11. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein the blowout preventer stack is operatively connected to at least one steam turbine arrangement, and wherein a steam accumulator of the steam turbine arrangement is adapted to continuously generate and/or receive steam, which is provided as energy for operating at least one blowout preventer of the blowout preventer stack.

12. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein the kinetic energy storage devices are adapted to store energy and transmit it to other kinetic energy storage devices or blowout preventer drive means and/or receive it from them.

13. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein at least one blowout preventer comprises at least one force and/or position sensor adapted to measure force and/or position data and provide it as a data signal.

14. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein the kinetic energy storage device includes at least one magnetic material.

15. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein the respective blowout preventer components of the blowout preventer stack are connected by means of at least two overcurrent protection devices such that a first overcurrent protection device is arranged between a line portion at the supply system side and a connector to a blowout preventer stack component, and a second overcurrent protection device is arranged between the connector and the one blowout preventer stack component, wherein the overcurrent protection devices are adapted to interrupt the current conduction in the event of an excessively high current.

16. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein an electric blowout preventer drive means for operating a blowout preventer includes at least two kinetic energy storage devices.

17. A method for operating a blowout preventer drive means of a blowout preventer stack according to claim 16, wherein of the at least two kinetic energy storage devices at least one kinetic energy storage device is rotated in one direction, and of which at least one other kinetic energy storage device is rotated in an opposite direction, so that at least one of the kinetic energy storage devices can be used as a forward drive and at least another of the kinetic energy storage devices can be used as a reverse drive.

18. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein the blowout preventer stack comprises at least one upper annular blowout preventer, at least one riser connector, at least one lower annular blowout preventer, at least one shear ram blowout preventer, at least one pipe ram blowout preventer and a wellhead connector.