Borehole mining tool

• US 6,460,936 B1
• Filed: 06/19/1999
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Borehole Mining International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Borehole Mining International, Inc.
• Inventors: Wiley, Marcus A., Tkach, Sergey D., Novikov, Mikhail M., Polic, Ratko, Babichev, Nikolai I., Abramov, Grigori Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bagnell, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): KRECK, JOHN J
• Application Number:
  US09/336,556
• Time in Patent Office: 1,207 Days
• Field of Search: 175/67, 175/424, 175/40, 166/222, 166/242.6, 299/17.5, 299/1.05, 285/123.15, 285/123.1
• US Class Current: 299/17
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/12 using drilling pipes with plural fluid passages, e.g. closed circulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/29 Obtaining a slurry of minerals, e.g. by using nozzles

Abstract

A borehole mining tool comprising a drill string having an inner pipe column and an outer pipe column. Water is forced under high pressure down an annulus between the outer pipe and inner pipe. A hydromonitor is attached to the end of the drill string. A nozzle in the hydromonitor directs the pressurized water into a stope or work area, thereby loosening the material to be mined. The slurry is educted from the mined area by the action of a venturi attached downstream of the hydromonitor. Water flow through the venturi creates a vacuum which draws the pregnant slurry from the work area up through the inner pipe to the surface. A plurality of tools may be attached to the hydromonitor by a connection comprising a gasket having an interference fit. The gasket allows quick connection and removal of a plurality of tools from the hydromonitor. A radar is include to provide an image of the stope being worked.

Claims

1. A borehole mining tool comprising a top head protruding from a borehole, a bottom head, and an intermediate section;

said tool consisting of at least two mainly coaxial pipe strings, one of which is an outer pipe column and the second is an inner pipe column,

said pipe strings thereby describing;

an inner channel, located inside the inner pipe column and an annulus gap channel, described by the annulus between the outer pipe and the inner pipe,

said two coaxial pipe strings thereby describing a dual pipe column having dual pipe column sections, allowing extension of said tool to the required depth of a borehole,

said bottom head comprising a hydromonitor section and an eductor section;

said hydromonitor section having a hydromonitor with a nozzle hydraulically communicating with said annulus and said tool exterior, such that a stream of fluid from said annulus is ejected from said nozzle at substantially a right angle to a centerline of said tool to said exterior;

said eductor section comprising an eductor nozzle, venturi pipe with an inlet, called confuser and an outlet, called diffuser and a slurry intake port hydraulically communicating with said exterior, wherein the eductor nozzle is either a ring-type nozzle or central-type nozzle, such that said eductor nozzle hydraulically communicates with said gap channel, said venturi pipe hydraulically communicating with said eductor nozzle and said slurry intake port by said confuser, and also said venturi pipe communicating with said tool inner pipe column by said diffuser, said venturi receiving a fluid flow from said eductor nozzle creating a vacuum, whereby a fluid external to said tool is drawn into said venturi and further to said inner column; and

said eductor nozzle is connected to said venturi by a dual pipe connector.

2. The mining tool as in claim 1, wherein:

said intermediate section and said bottom head are suspended from said top head by said outer column;

said eductor section is connected to said hydromonitor section by a dual pipe connector; and

said hydromonitor section is connected to said dual pipe intermediate section by a dual pipe connector; and

finally

dual pipe sections are connected to each other by dual pipe connectors.

3. The mining tool as in claim 2, wherein said dual pipe connector further comprises:

an inner first member having a diameter smaller than an outer second member, said first member removeably engaging said inner pipe, said inner pipe having a flexible seal which mates with said inner first member, thereby forming a seal between said inner first member and said inner pipe, and said dual pipe connector further comprising an outer second member which threadably connects with a corresponding outer pipe; and

said dual pipe connector being situated on an end of a dual pipe column section, whereby a series of sections may be connected together.

4. The mining tool as in claim 3 wherein said dual pipe connector is compatible with a plurality of devices;

said devices selected from the group of a drill bit, a radar, a sonar, an electric circuit, an antenna, a battery, a sensor, a telescopic sucker, and a generator;

each of said selected devices connected to said tool by a dual pipe connector.

5. The mining tool as in claim 2 further comprising:

a third pipe coaxially inserted into said inner pipe through said top head a predetermined distance, said third pipe having a diameter less than a diameter of said inner pipe.

6. The mining tool as in claim 2, wherein said tool further comprises cleaning elements for cleaning the inside of a well casing.

7. The mining tool as in claim 2 wherein said tool further comprises a drill bit.

8. The mining tool as in claim 2 wherein said hydromonitor further comprises:

a knee plate having a length, said knee plate situated in said annulus, said knee plate connected to an outer surface of said inner pipe and to an inner surface of said outer pipe at a position opposite from said nozzle whereby a thrust from said nozzle is opposed; and

said knee plate aligned with a fluid flow.

9. The mining tool as in claim 2 further comprising:

a radar or sonar unit for transmitting and receiving signals such that a radar or sonar image of a borehole and/or a stope is obtained;

an electric circuit having an antenna, whereby a radar or sonar image is transmitted by said antenna to a remote receiver; and

said electric circuit receiving power from an energy source.

10. The mining tool as in claim 9 further comprising:

a sensor attached to a lower end of a tool, said sensor sensing an orientation of said tool in relation to the earth'"'"'s magnetic field;

said antenna transmitting a signal from said sensor to said remote receiver; and

said sensor receiving power from said energy source.

11. The mining tool as in claim 10, wherein said energy source further comprises:

a battery connected to a generator, said battery being recharged by said generator being driven by a hydro-turbine driven by a fluid flow.

12. A universal tool for land, subsurface and offshore borehole mining, consisting of pipe-in-pipe, generally concentric strings, including at least inner and outer pipe columns, defining an internal channel and an external annulus gap channel allowing high pressure working fluid to be pumped through the one of these and deliver back to the surface a production slurry through another one, having a top head with a swivel, an intermediate section and a bottom head suspended on said intermediate section by an interchangeable hub with a packer, and a drill bit at the tool bottom end, such that said bottom head comprises:

(a) hydromonitor section, including

(1) a hydromonitor with an outlet and a barrel having conical shape and an interchangeable nozzle, which cross the inner pipe defining a slurry-passage fork,

(2) a knee, secured on the inner pipe, offsetting said fork towards the hydromonitor outlet, and

(3) a stabilizing plate which is secured symmetrically to said hydromonitor inlet in said annulus gap, parallel to the tool main axis,

(b) an eductor section, including an eductor, having;

(1) an interchangeable nozzle, embodied with possibility of installation inside of it of a replaceable needle to be coaxial to said nozzle and defining an annulus between said needle and said interchangeable nozzle,

(2) at least one water-pass duct and at least one slurry intake port,

(3) an interchangeable venturi pipe, secured at the bottom end of the inner pipe column, and

(4) a universal joint-connector located at an intake of the venturi pipe, and

(c) a distribution reservoir, located between said eductor nozzle and said drill bit, whereby said universal connector together with interchangeable hub, hydromonitor nozzle, eductor'"'"'s interchangeable insertion and eductor'"'"'s nozzle, allows the tool to accept various of special replaceable means, modifying the tool to execute different types of geo-technical tasks.

13. A tool as claimed in claim 12, wherein all said interchangeable parts have reinforced working surfaces or are armored by a wear-resistant material.

14. A tool as claimed in claim 12, wherein said packer is rotatable, and said tool further comprises cleaning elements for cleaning the inside of a well casing.

15. A tool as claimed in claim 12, wherein between said venturi pipe and intake port a dual stub-pipe is mounted hydraulically connecting said annulus channel to an annulus defined by the venturi'"'"'s inlet, called confuser, and the needle, said needle is embodied in a shape of a duct with an inner channel, connecting said confuser to the tool exterior, and the bottom end of the annulus between inner and outer columns of the tool is sealed by a plug, which bottom face is armored by rock breaking elements.

16. A tool as claimed in claim 15, wherein said plug is supplied by a telescopic sucker.

17. A tool as claimed in claim 12, wherein said internal pipe is supplied by a secondary agent duct connected by its upper end to a secondary agent source.

18. A tool as claimed in claim 17, wherein said secondary agent duct is connected by its upper end to a high pressure air source and on its bottom end has an aerator, located within the intermediate section.

19. Tool as claimed in claim 17, wherein said secondary agent duct is movable along the tool main axis and the swivel is supplied with a gland seal for sealing said duct, allowing movement of the tool up and down and rotation while mining.

20. A tool as claimed in claim 12, wherein said hub is embodied in a shape of a truncated cone and has inside at least one slurry-pass stub pipe, the cone hydraulically connects the inner pipe of the intermediate section to the annulus gap of the bottom head, and the slurry-pass stub pipe connects the inner pipe of the bottom head to the gap of the intermediate section by at least one window in said cone.

21. A tool as claimed in claim 12, wherein said bottom head is supplied by replaceable protection screen covering the slurry intake port and calibrating taking-in slurry chunks.

22. A tool as claimed in any one of claims 12 or 17, wherein the hub has a secondary agent duct pass channel connecting said duct to tool'"'"'s exterior by a hole located on said outer pipe below the packer.

23. A tool as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a logging-positioning system which comprises an individual power supply source, an orientation system, an impulse generator, a radar or sonar system for continuously monitoring the cavity while borehole mining and measuring the volume of the cavity to determine the productivity of mining mounted parallel to the hydromonitor and a radio-transmitter with an antenna and on the surface there is a signal receiving—

developing station including radio receiver, signal decoder and computer.

24. A tool as claimed in claim 23, wherein said orientation system includes at least one inductor coil which axis is also parallel to the hydromonitor.