Blowout preventer stack and supply system

• US 9,863,206 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2014
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Klaus Biester, Peter Kunow
• Original Assignee: Klaus Biester, Peter Kunow
• Inventors: Biester, Klaus, Kunow, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Buck, Matthew R
• Application Number:
  US14/912,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20160201423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• 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 a blowout preventer stack component with a blowout preventer and an electric blowout preventer drive means for operating the blowout preventer, said electric blowout preventer drive means having a kinetic energy storage device comprising a centrifugal mass, said electric blowout preventer drive means further having an electric motor for rotating the centrifugal mass, wherein energy for operating the blowout preventer is provided by the kinetic energy storage device, and wherein the blowout preventer drive means can operate the blowout preventer directly by kinetic energy from the kinetic energy storage device.

2. 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.

3. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the two blowout preventer drive means is exchangeable while the blowout preventer stack is in operation.

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

5. 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 component and to receive data signals from the blowout preventer stack component.

6. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein the blowout preventer stack is connected by an emergency cable to an emergency energy supply and emergency control system, wherein the emergency energy supply and emergency control system is adapted to supply the blowout preventer stack component of the blowout preventer stack by the emergency cable with energy and to transmit data signals for measuring parameters and for controlling the blowout preventer stack component of the blowout preventer stack to the blowout preventer component and to receive data signals from the blowout preventer stack component.

7. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein the blowout preventer is provided with more than one kinetic energy storage device, each comprising a centrifugal mass, and wherein one of the kinetic energy storage devices is adapted to store energy and transmit the energy to at least one other kinetic energy storage device or the blowout preventer drive means and/or receive the energy from the at least one other kinetic energy storage device or the blowout preventer drive means.

8. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein the blowout preventer comprises a force and/or position sensor adapted to measure force and/or position data and provide the force and/or the position data as a data signal.

9. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein the kinetic energy storage device includes a magnetic material.

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

11. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 1, wherein the electric blowout preventer drive means for operating the blowout preventer includes at least two kinetic energy storage devices, each comprising a centrifugal mass.

12. A method for operating a blowout preventer drive means of a blowout preventer stack according to claim 11, 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.

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

14. A blowout preventer stack, comprising a blowout preventer stack component with a blowout preventer and an electric blowout preventer drive means for operating the blowout preventer, said electric blowout preventer drive means having a kinetic energy storage device comprising a centrifugal mass, said electric blowout preventer drive means further having an electric motor for rotating the centrifugal mass, wherein energy for operating the blowout preventer is provided by the kinetic energy storage device, and wherein the blowout preventer drive means can operate the blowout preventer directly by kinetic energy from the kinetic energy storage device, and wherein the centrifugal mass comprising a flywheel.

15. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 14, wherein the centrifugal mass directly acts on a hydraulic pump connected to a piston within a hydraulic cylinder that is encased by the centrifugal mass.

16. The blowout preventer stack according to claim 15, wherein energy supply and control systems, which are adapted to supply the blowout preventer stack component of the blowout preventer stack with energy and to transmit data signals for measuring parameters and for controlling the blowout preventer stack component of the blowout preventer stack to the blowout preventer stack component and to receive data signals from the blowout preventer stack component, are connected to the blowout preventer stack by a monopolar line.

17. A blowout preventer stack, comprising a blowout preventer stack component with a blowout preventer and an electric blowout preventer drive means for operating the blowout preventer, said electric blowout preventer drive means having a kinetic energy storage device comprising a centrifugal mass, said electric blowout preventer drive means further having an electric motor for rotating the centrifugal mass, wherein energy for operating the blowout preventer is provided by the kinetic energy storage device, and wherein the blowout preventer drive means can operate the blowout preventer directly by kinetic energy from the kinetic energy storage device, wherein the blowout preventer stack is also 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.