A system for powering a top drive tube processing device

Abstract

This invention relates to a system for powering a top-drive tube processing device, comprising a transmitter circuit assembly, a transmitter, a receiver, and a receiver circuit assembly. The transmitter circuit assembly and transmitter are mounted on a device that remains stationary relative to the top drive housing. The receiver and receiver circuit assembly are mounted on a rotating component. The transmitter contains at least one set of first ferromagnetic material wound with a transmitting coil, and the transmitting coil is electrically connected to the transmitter circuit assembly. The receiver contains multiple sets of second ferromagnetic material, each wound with a receiving coil, arranged in a ring at uniform intervals. The receiving coils are electrically connected to the receiver circuit assembly. The transmitter and receiver are spaced apart and have overlapping portions to ensure that the minimum mutual magnetic flux between them is not lower than a set value. Advantages: This system achieves uninterrupted, contactless power supply to the tube processing device during the rotation of the top drive rotary head. The system uses a non-contact power supply method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of top drive power supply technology, and in particular to a system for supplying power to a top drive tube processing device. Background Technology

[0002] A top drive, short for top-driven drilling rig, is a drilling device installed inside the derrick and suspended by a traveling block. It allows the drill pipe to be rotated directly from the upper space of the derrick and fed downwards along a dedicated guide rail. This device significantly improves drilling capability and efficiency and has become a standard product in the oil drilling industry.

[0003] The pipe handling unit includes a rotary head, lifting ring, back clamp arm, and back clamp. It is primarily used for connecting and disconnecting drill pipes and raising / lowering drill strings when the top drive is not drilling. During top drive operation, the components above the top drive housing are suspended by the drilling rig hook and kept relatively stationary with respect to the derrick. The pipe handling unit, needing to receive and deliver drill pipes, rotates around its inner sleeve, thus exhibiting relative rotation with the top drive housing. Currently, the pipe handling unit only has hydraulically actuated actuators (hydraulic cylinders). This is because the rotary head needs to rotate 360 ​​degrees during top drive operation, and installing the control valve assembly on the pipe handling unit would not adequately address the power supply issue. Therefore, the current solution is to install the control valve assembly on the top drive housing and design several rotary oil circuits on the rotary head, similar in principle to hydraulic slip rings, to achieve hydraulic oil delivery unaffected by rotational motion. These hydraulic oil circuits connect to the hydraulic actuators installed on the pipe handling unit, driving them to perform hydraulic actions. Apart from hydraulic energy, there is currently no mature solution to transfer other forms of energy to pipe processing devices.

[0004] With the continuous improvement of top drive electrification and intelligence, especially the rise of intelligent monitoring and digital twin technologies, new drilling processes not only require the hydraulic components installed on the pipe handling unit to perform hydraulic actions, but also require real-time monitoring of the operating status, operating parameters, and maintenance status of various components on the pipe handling unit. This necessitates the placement of a wide variety and numerous sensors on the pipe handling unit, and existing top drive structures inevitably face the challenge of how to power the equipment on the pipe handling unit.

[0005] In the industrial field, there are already relatively mature technologies for supplying power to rotating equipment, such as electric slip rings, which use carbon brushes to connect two relatively rotating surfaces and achieve uninterrupted power supply during mutual rotation by sliding on a predetermined line. This solution cannot be used on top drives, mainly for the following reasons: (1) There is a risk of contact sparks when the brushes slide between them and the line, making it difficult to ensure the explosion-proof of the entire device and meet the high explosion-proof requirements of top drives. (2) Carbon buildup and mechanical wear on the carbon brushes also lead to unstable transmission, which restricts the reliability of the equipment.

[0006] Wireless power transmission is another commonly used non-contact power supply method. Existing wireless power supply requires the transmitter and receiver to be stationary to ensure the coupling coil operates. However, the rotating head of a top drive cannot meet this requirement during movement, thus it cannot be used for powering the rotating head of a top drive. Patents CN217642882U, CN217183042U, and CN213367425U provide solutions for wireless power transmission between relatively moving objects. However, these have not yet been applied to powering the rotating head of a top drive.

[0007] In the field of industrial robots, a long cable is used to connect stationary and rotating parts, and a transverse cable chain is used to guide the cable to be wound in an orderly manner around the stationary part, so as to provide power during rotation. Although this solution solves the reliability and safety of energy supply, it cannot meet the functional requirements of the top drive: (1) The number of rotations must be calculated in advance and the cable length must be reserved. During the use of the top drive, the number of rotations of the rotary head is generally unpredictable. When the rotation angle of the rotary head of the top drive is too large, it will break the power supply cable, which poses a great safety hazard; (2) The transverse cable chain is generally large in size, and the existing compact mechanism of the top drive is difficult to provide enough space for the implementation of this solution.

[0008] Therefore, it is necessary to develop a system that can conveniently power the top drive. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a system for powering a top drive tube processing device, which effectively overcomes the defects of the prior art.

[0010] The technical solution of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows:

[0011] A system for powering a top drive tube processing device includes a transmitter circuit assembly, a transmitter, a receiver, and a receiver circuit assembly. The transmitter circuit assembly and the transmitter are mounted on a device that remains stationary relative to the top drive housing. The receiver and the receiver circuit assembly are mounted on a rotating component. The transmitter contains at least one set of first ferromagnetic material wound with a transmitting coil, and the transmitting coil is electrically connected to the transmitter circuit assembly. The receiver contains multiple sets of second ferromagnetic material wound with receiving coils, evenly spaced in a ring, and the receiving coils are electrically connected to the receiver circuit assembly. The transmitter and receiver are spaced apart and have overlapping portions to ensure that the minimum mutual magnetic flux between them is not lower than a set value.

[0012] Based on the above technical solution, the present invention can be further improved as follows.

[0013] Furthermore, the aforementioned transmitting end includes a fan-shaped transmitting base plate and a transmitting cover plate. A fan-shaped first groove is formed on one side of the transmitting base plate. Multiple pieces of the first ferromagnetic material are installed in the first groove in an arc shape with uniform intervals. The transmitting coil is wound on the multiple pieces of the first ferromagnetic material. The transmitting cover plate is installed on one side of the transmitting base plate and seals and covers the first groove.

[0014] Furthermore, on the other side of the aforementioned launch base plate, there is a fan-shaped positioning plate that is perpendicular to it, and multiple first fasteners that penetrate it are spaced apart along its circumference on the positioning plate.

[0015] Furthermore, the receiving end includes an annular receiving base plate and a receiving cover plate. The receiving base plate is coaxially arranged with the transmitting base plate. One side of the receiving base plate is close to the side of the transmitting base plate. An annular second groove is formed on one side of the receiving base plate. Multiple sets of the second ferromagnetic materials are evenly distributed in the second groove along the circumference. Each set of the second ferromagnetic materials includes multiple second ferromagnetic blocks evenly distributed along the circumference. A set of receiving coils is wound on each of the multiple second ferromagnetic blocks in each set. The receiving cover plate is installed on one side of the receiving base plate and seals and covers the second groove.

[0016] Furthermore, the second groove is filled with a cooling medium.

[0017] Furthermore, the first groove is filled with a cooling medium.

[0018] Furthermore, the aforementioned receiving circuit assembly is connected to the energy storage device, and the aforementioned energy storage device and receiving circuit assembly are respectively connected to the electrical equipment of the top drive tube processing device.

[0019] Furthermore, it also includes a power generation device connected to the energy storage device.

[0020] The beneficial effects of this invention are: the structural design is simple and reasonable, realizing the function of uninterrupted and contactless power supply to the pipe processing device during the rotation of the top drive rotary head. The system uses a non-contact power supply method, which has the advantage of continuous power supply during rotational motion compared to traditional non-contact power supply, and the advantages of better explosion-proof performance and higher reliability compared to slip ring power supply. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 The system for powering the top drive tube processing device of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the receiving end in the power supply system for the top drive tube processing device of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3A cross-sectional view of the receiving end in the power supply system for the top drive tube processing device of the present invention is shown below;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the transmitter in the power supply system for the top drive tube processing device of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the transmitter in the power supply system for the top drive tube processing device of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing the position distribution of the receiving coil and the transmitting coil in the power supply system for the top drive tube processing device of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing the installation of the power supply system for the top drive tube processing device of the present invention on the top drive;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the power supply principle of the power supply system for the top drive tube processing device of the present invention.

[0029] The attached diagram lists the components represented by each number as follows:

[0030] 1. Transmitter circuit assembly; 2. Transmitter; 3. Receiver; 4. Receiver circuit assembly; 5. Energy storage device; 6. Solar power generation device; 20. Top drive housing; 21. Transmitting coil; 22. First ferromagnetic material; 31. Receiver coil; 32. Second ferromagnetic material; 211. Transmitting base plate; 212. Transmitting cover plate; 213. Positioning plate; 214. First fastener; 311. Receiver base plate; 312. Receiver cover plate. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The principles and features of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The examples given are only for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0032] Example: Figure 1 , 2As shown in Figures 4, 7, and 8, the power supply system for the top drive tube processing device in this embodiment includes a transmitter circuit assembly 1, a transmitter 2, a receiver 3, and a receiver circuit assembly 4. The transmitter circuit assembly 1 and the transmitter 2 are mounted on a device that remains stationary with respect to the top drive housing 20. The receiver 3 and the receiver circuit assembly 4 are mounted on a rotating component. The transmitter 2 contains at least one set of first ferromagnetic material 22 wound with a transmitting coil 21. The transmitting coil 21 is electrically connected to the transmitter circuit assembly 1. The receiver 3 contains multiple sets of second ferromagnetic material 32, each wound with a receiving coil 31, evenly spaced in a ring. The receiving coils 31 are electrically connected to the receiver circuit assembly 4. The transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 are spaced apart and have overlapping portions to ensure that the minimum mutual magnetic flux between them is not lower than a set value.

[0033] Specific installation details are as follows: Figure 7 As shown, the transmitter circuit assembly 1 and transmitter 2 are mounted on a device that remains stationary relative to the top drive housing 20. The transmitter circuit assembly 1 is connected to the top drive distribution box. Electrical energy is processed by the transmitter circuit assembly 1 into a high-frequency oscillating current, which is then converted into a high-frequency oscillating magnetic field by the transmitter 2. The receiver 3 and receiver circuit assembly 4 are mounted on the tube processing device and remain relatively stationary with the rotary head a (equivalent to the rotating component in the above embodiment), and can rotate together with the rotary head a. The receiver 3 can induce an alternating electric field in the alternating magnetic field, which is processed by the receiver circuit assembly 4 into a stable power supply. This power can be directly supplied to the electrical equipment on the tube processing device or stored for backup. When the magnetic coupling of the coil is affected or malfunctions, the backup power can be supplied to the electrical equipment on the tube processing device. After reasonable calculation, the number, size, and combination of the coils (receiving coil 31 and transmitting coil 21) arranged inside the receiver 3 and transmitter 2 can ensure sufficient mutual inductance between the transmitter 2 and receiver 3 when the top drive rotary head a rotates to any angle, thus achieving stable power transmission.

[0034] More specifically, the transmitter circuit assembly 1 is mounted on the lower end face of the top drive housing 20, and the transmitter 2 is mounted on the outside of the large nut b on the top drive housing 20. The transmitter circuit assembly 1 and the transmitter 2 are connected by a cable, which passes through a hole in the inner sleeve c on the top drive housing 20. Therefore, the rotation of the rotary head a will not damage the connecting cable. The receiver 3 is mounted on the lower end face of the rotary head a. After installation, it is ensured that the receiving coil 31 and the transmitting coil 21 remain parallel, and the receiver 3 and the transmitter 2 maintain a gap of a few millimeters. The receiver circuit assembly 4 is mounted on the rotary head a, connected to the receiver 3 via a cable, and remains stationary.

[0035] In this embodiment, the power generation device can also be a generator driven by a hydraulic motor, which is hydraulically driven by the rotary head.

[0036] It should be added that by setting up power generation and energy storage devices to enhance the reliability and emergency response capabilities of the entire device, the energy storage and power generation devices can supply power to the electrical equipment on the tube processing device when necessary, in the event that the coil magnetic coupling is affected, malfunctions, or the transmission power is insufficient.

[0037] The entire system features a simple and reasonable structural design, small size, and compact installation, enabling uninterrupted, contactless power supply to the pipe handling device during the rotation of the top-drive rotary head. The system employs a non-contact power supply method, offering advantages over traditional non-contact power supply methods, such as continuous power supply during rotational motion. Compared to slip ring power supply, it boasts superior explosion-proof performance and high reliability. Overall, it solves the problem of simultaneously supplying power to the top-drive pipe handling device during rotation, overcoming the shortcomings of commonly used slip ring power supplies (lack of explosion-proof capability), cable chain power transmission devices (strict stroke requirements), and traditional non-contact power transmission methods (requiring the device to remain stationary).

[0038] As a preferred implementation method, such as Figure 5 As shown, the aforementioned transmitter 2 includes a fan-shaped annular transmitter base plate 211 and a transmitter cover plate 212. A fan-shaped annular first groove is formed on one side of the transmitter base plate 211. Multiple pieces of the first ferromagnetic material 22 are installed in the first groove in an arc shape with uniform intervals. The transmitter coil 21 is wound on multiple pieces of the first ferromagnetic material 22. The transmitter cover plate 212 is installed on one side of the transmitter base plate 211 and seals and covers the first groove.

[0039] In the above implementation scheme, the high-frequency oscillating current can be effectively converted into a high-frequency oscillating magnetic field by the first ferromagnetic material 22 arranged in the first groove and the transmitting coil 21. Then, the receiving end 3 induces an alternating electric field in the alternating magnetic field, which is then processed into a stable power supply by the receiving end circuit assembly 4. The overall structure design is simple and the layout is compact.

[0040] In this embodiment, a fan-shaped positioning plate 213 perpendicular to the other side of the aforementioned launch base plate 211 is coaxially provided. Multiple first fasteners 214 are provided at intervals along the circumference of the positioning plate 213. The design of the positioning plate 213 and the first fasteners 214 facilitates the assembly of the launch end 2 with the large nut. The first fasteners 214 can be conventional bolts, which are assembled with the screw holes on the outer periphery of the large nut.

[0041] As a preferred implementation method, such as Figure 2 , 3As shown, the receiving end 3 includes an annular receiving base plate 311 and a receiving cover plate 312. The receiving base plate 311 is coaxially arranged with the transmitting base plate 211. One side of the receiving base plate 311 is close to the side of the transmitting base plate 211. An annular second groove is formed on one side of the receiving base plate 311. Multiple sets of the second ferromagnetic materials 32 are evenly distributed in the second groove along the circumference. Each set of the second ferromagnetic materials 32 includes multiple second ferromagnetic blocks evenly distributed along the circumference. A set of receiving coils 31 is wound on each of the multiple second ferromagnetic blocks in each set. The receiving cover plate 312 is installed on one side of the receiving base plate 311 and seals and covers the second groove.

[0042] In the above implementation plan, such as Figure 6 , 7 As shown, the shape design of the receiver 3 is adapted to the shape design of the transmitter 2. They adopt a coaxially distributed fan-shaped ring and circular ring structure, with an overlapping portion in the axial direction. This overlapping portion ensures that when the receiver 3 is driven by the rotary head a to rotate relative to the transmitter 2, the area of ​​the overlapping portion remains consistent, guaranteeing a minimum mutual inductance magnetic flux. This minimum value is greater than or equal to a set value, ensuring stable power supply. In other words, as described above, regardless of whether the rotary head is moving or stationary at a certain angle, the pre-calculated parameters of the receiver coil 31 and the transmitter coil 21 always maintain a sufficiently strong mutual inductance, achieving stable and efficient power transmission.

[0043] In this embodiment, the second groove is filled with a cooling medium, which can dissipate the heat generated by the receiving coil 31 in a timely manner. The receiving cover plate 312 is an annular cover plate adapted to the second groove, and can be connected and fixed to the receiving base plate 311 by bolts passing through it.

[0044] In this embodiment, the first groove is filled with a cooling medium, which can dissipate the heat generated by the transmitting coil 21 in a timely manner. The transmitting cover plate 212 is a fan-shaped cover plate adapted to the first groove, and it can be connected and fixed to the transmitting base plate 211 by bolts passing through it.

[0045] In this embodiment, a power generation device 6 is also installed at the rotary head a (this power generation device can be a solar power generation device, a wind power generation device, or other devices capable of generating electricity). This power generation device 6 is connected to an energy storage device (energy storage device 5, which can be an existing capacitor energy storage device, or a battery, flywheel energy storage device, or other forms of energy storage devices) via... Figure 8 The principle shown ensures the stability of the entire power supply system.

[0046] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0047] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0048] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise explicitly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0049] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0050] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0051] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for supplying power to a top drive tube processing device, characterized in that: The device includes a transmitter circuit assembly (1), a transmitter (2), a receiver (3), and a receiver circuit assembly (4). The transmitter circuit assembly (1) and the transmitter (2) are mounted on a device that remains stationary with respect to the top drive housing (20). The receiver (3) and the receiver circuit assembly (4) are mounted on a rotating component. The transmitter (2) contains at least one set of first ferromagnetic material (22) wound with a transmitter coil (21). The transmitter coil (21) is electrically connected to the transmitter circuit assembly (1). The receiver (3) contains multiple sets of second ferromagnetic material (32) wound with receiver coils (31) in a ring-shaped and uniformly spaced manner. The receiver coils (31) are electrically connected to the receiver circuit assembly (4). The transmitter (2) and the receiver (3) are spaced apart and have overlapping portions to ensure that the minimum mutual magnetic flux between them is not lower than a set value. The transmitting end (2) includes a fan-shaped transmitting base plate (211) and a transmitting cover plate (212). A fan-shaped first groove is provided on one side of the transmitting base plate (211). Multiple pieces of the first ferromagnetic material (22) are installed in the first groove in an arc shape with uniform intervals. The transmitting coil (21) is wound on multiple pieces of the first ferromagnetic material (22). The transmitting cover plate (212) is installed on one side of the transmitting base plate (211) and seals and covers the first groove. The other side of the launching base plate (211) is coaxially provided with a fan-shaped positioning plate (213) perpendicular to it, and the positioning plate (213) is provided with a plurality of first fasteners (214) that penetrate it along its circumference. The receiving end (3) includes an annular receiving base plate (311) and a receiving cover plate (312). The receiving base plate (311) is coaxially arranged with the transmitting base plate (211). One side of the receiving base plate (311) is close to the side of the transmitting base plate (211). An annular second groove is opened on one side of the receiving base plate (311). Multiple sets of second ferromagnetic materials (32) are evenly distributed in the second groove along the circumferential direction. Each set of second ferromagnetic materials (32) includes multiple second ferromagnetic blocks evenly distributed along the circumferential direction. A set of receiving coils (31) is wound on each set of multiple second ferromagnetic blocks. The receiving cover plate (312) is installed on one side of the receiving base plate (311) and seals and covers the second groove. The second groove is filled with a cooling medium; The first groove is filled with a cooling medium.

2. The system for powering a top drive tube processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The receiving end circuit assembly (4) is connected to the energy storage device (5), and the energy storage device (5) and the receiving end circuit assembly (4) are respectively connected to the electrical equipment of the top drive tube processing device.

3. A system for supplying power to a top drive tube processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a power generation device (6) connected to the energy storage device (5).

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