Devices and methods for dynamic boring procedure reconfiguration

• US 8,220,564 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2008
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vermeer Manufacturing Company
• Original Assignee: Vermeer Manufacturing Company
• Inventors: Runquist, Randy Ray, Kelpe, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Stephenson, Daniel P
• Application Number:
  US12/229,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20090062804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 175/24, 175/26, 175/40, 175/45, 175/50, 175/61, 175/62, 731/524.3, 333/04, 340/853.4
• US Class Current: 175/61
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 44/02 Automatic control of the tool feed E21B44/005, E21B44/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/046 horizontal drilling drilling with mechanical conveying means E21B7/003

Abstract

Various embodiments are directed to a method of switching horizontal directional drilling procedures during bore path turning. Such methods can include identifying a hierarchal arrangement of a plurality of different boring procedures utilizing different boring techniques, the hierarchy arrangement representing boring procedures of increasing ability to bore through harder soil while changing a trajectory of a boring tool. Such methods can further include boring a first leg of a curved bore path using a boring tool connected to a drill rig by a drill string, the first leg being bored using a first boring procedure of the plurality of different boring procedures. Such methods can further include monitoring a plurality of boring parameters during boring of the first leg, the plurality of boring parameters comprising: torsional pressure of the drill string, rotational travel of the drill string, hydraulic pressure, and axial displacement. Such methods can further include switching from boring the first leg of the curved bore path using the first boring procedure to boring a second leg using a second boring procedure of the plurality of boring procedures, the switch based on one or more of the boring parameters deviating past a threshold.

Claims

1. A method of switching horizontal directional drilling procedures during bore path turning, comprising:

identifying a hierarchal arrangement of a plurality of different boring procedures utilizing different boring techniques, the hierarchy arrangement representing boring procedures of increasing ability to bore through harder soil while changing a trajectory of a boring tool;

boring a first leg of a curved bore path using a boring tool connected to a drill rig by a drill string, the first leg being bored using a first boring procedure of the plurality of different boring procedures;

monitoring a plurality of boring parameters during boring of the first leg, the plurality of boring parameters comprising;

torsional pressure of the drill string;

rotational travel of the drill string;

hydraulic pressure; and

axial displacement; and

switching from boring the first leg of the curved bore path using the first boring procedure to boring a second leg using a second boring procedure of the plurality of boring procedures, the switch based on one or more of the boring parameters deviating past a threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more of the plurality of parameters deviating past the parameter threshold indicates that the first boring procedure is suboptimal for boring soil of the second leg with respect to another boring procedure of the plurality of boring procedures.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein switching further comprises:

switching to using a higher boring procedure of the hierarchal arrangement when the one or more boring parameters exceeds a maximum threshold; and

switching to using a lower boring procedure of the hierarchal arrangement when the one or more boring parameters falls below a minimum threshold.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the maximum threshold and the minimum threshold are each predetermined for each boring procedure of the plurality of boring procedures of the hierarchal arrangement.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different boring procedures comprises a hierarchal arrangement of different boring procedures utilizing different boring techniques, each boring procedure of the plurality composed of a unique combination of boring actions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the plurality of boring parameters further comprises dividing one or both of the rotational travel and the axial displacement parameters by one or both of the torsional pressure and the hydraulic pressure parameters to calculate a comparison value indicating progress compared to machine stress, and wherein the switch between the first boring procedure and the second boring procedure is based on the comparison value deviating past the threshold.

7. A method of switching horizontal directional drilling procedures, comprising:

boring a curved bore path using a boring tool connected to a drill rig using a first boring procedure of a plurality of different boring procedures, the plurality of different boring procedures comprising a hierarchal arrangement of boring procedures representing boring procedures of increasing ability to bore through harder soil while changing the trajectory of the boring tool;

monitoring a plurality of boring parameters;

comparing at least one of the plurality of boring parameters to a parameter threshold; and

switching from boring using the first boring procedure to boring using a second boring procedure of the plurality of boring procedures, the switch based on the parameter comparison.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein monitoring the plurality of boring parameters comprises monitoring at least one progress parameter indicative of boring progress and at least one operational parameter indicative of an operational state of a boring machine.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein comparing at least one of the plurality of boring parameters to the parameter threshold comprises comparing at least one of the progress parameters to at least one of the operational parameters to determine a parameter comparison value, wherein switching between using the first boring procedure to using the second boring procedure of the plurality of boring procedures is based on the parameter comparison value deviating past the parameter threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the parameter comparison value deviating past the parameter threshold indicates that the first boring procedure is suboptimal for efficiently boring soil of the second leg with respect to another boring procedure of the plurality of boring procedures.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein switching further comprises:

switching to using a higher boring procedure of the hierarchal arrangement when the parameter exceeds a maximum threshold; and

switching to using a lower boring procedure of the hierarchal arrangement when the parameter falls below a minimum threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the maximum threshold and the minimum threshold are each predetermined for each boring procedure of the plurality of boring procedures.

13. A horizontal directional drilling machine, comprising:

a boring tool;

a drill string attached the to boring tool;

a boring rig coupled to the drill string, the boring rig having one or more motors configured to manipulate the drill string to bore a curved underground path;

one or more sensors configured to output one or more boring parameter signals containing boring parameter information;

memory; and

a controller configured to execute program instructions stored in the memory to cause the horizontal directional drilling machine to switch from boring a curved path using a first boring procedure of a plurality of different boring procedures to a second boring procedure of the plurality of different boring procedures based on the boring parameter information deviating past a parameter threshold, wherein each boring procedure of the plurality of boring procedures comprises a unique combination of boring actions that the drill rig is configured to implement.

14. The horizontal directional drilling machine of claim 13, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to measure at least one progress parameter signal and output boring parameter information indicative of boring progress and at least one operational parameter signal and output parameter information indicative of machine stress of the horizontal directional drilling machine.

15. The horizontal directional drilling machine of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to execute stored program instructions to compare parameter information of at least one of the progress parameter signals to parameter information of at least one of the operational parameter signals to determine a parameter comparison value, wherein the switch between using the first boring procedure to using the second boring procedure is based on the parameter comparison value deviating past the parameter threshold.

16. The horizontal directional drilling machine of claim 15, wherein the parameter comparison value deviating past the parameter threshold indicates that the first boring procedure is suboptimal for efficiently boring soil as measured by the one or more sensors with respect to another boring procedure of the plurality of boring procedures.

17. The horizontal directional drilling machine of claim 13, wherein the plurality of different boring procedures comprises a hierarchal arrangement of boring procedures stored in memory, the hierarchal arrangement representing boring procedures of increasing ability to bore through harder soil along the curved path that can be implemented by the controller and the boring rig.

18. The horizontal directional drilling machine of claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to execute stored program instructions to cause the horizontal directional drilling machine to:

switch to using a higher boring procedure of the hierarchal arrangement when the parameter information exceeds a maximum threshold; and

switch to using a lower boring procedure of the hierarchal arrangement when the parameter information falls below a minimum threshold.

19. The horizontal directional drilling machine of claim 18, wherein the maximum threshold and the minimum threshold are each predetermined for each boring procedure of the plurality of boring procedures.

20. The horizontal directional drilling machine of claim 13, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to output parameter signals containing progress parameter information indicating boring progress along the curved path and operational information indicating stress on the horizontal directional drilling machine, and wherein the controller is configured to execute stored program instructions to calculate a comparison value indicating boring progress compared to machine stress by dividing the progress information by the operational information and switch from boring using the first boring procedure to the second boring procedure based on the comparison value deviating past the parameter threshold.

21. The horizontal directional drilling machine of claim 13, wherein the boring parameter information comprises a parameter indicating curvature of the drill string.

22. A system for boring, the system comprising:

means for mechanically boring a generally horizontal curved path through the ground using one of a plurality of boring procedures;

means for monitoring one or more parameters while boring; and

means for switching using one of the plurality of boring procedures to using a different one of the boring procedures when one or more of the monitored parameters deviates from a preestablished range;

wherein;

the plurality of boring procedures comprises a hierarchal arrangement of boring procedures, the hierarchy arrangement representing boring procedures of increasing ability to bore through harder soil while changing the trajectory of the boring tool, and the means for switching further comprises;

means for switching to using a higher boring procedure of the hierarchal arrangement when one or more of the monitored parameters exceeds a maximum threshold of the preestablished range; and

means for switching to using a lower boring procedure of the hierarchal arrangement when one or more of the monitored parameters falls below a minimum threshold of the preestablished range.