Floating device for horizontal directional drilling construction
By using a counterweight water pipe with an internal water injection and centering locking mechanism during horizontal directional drilling, the problem of the pipeline colliding with the borehole wall under the buoyancy of the mud was solved, achieving stable pipeline pullback and trajectory control, and avoiding damage and borehole wall collapse.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202520886701.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-05-07
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-24
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-05-07
AI Technical Summary
During horizontal directional drilling, the pipeline is prone to collision with the borehole wall due to the buoyancy of the drilling mud, which can lead to pipeline damage, increased pullback resistance, and even borehole wall collapse or diameter reduction.
The counterweight water pipe is filled with water to overcome buoyancy. Combined with the self-aligning mechanism and locking mechanism, the counterweight water pipe is kept stable on the pipe axis to avoid collision and slippage. The position is fixed by rollers contacting the inner wall.
It effectively overcomes mud buoyancy, avoids collision between the pipe and the borehole wall, reduces pullback resistance, ensures pipe trajectory accuracy, and prevents borehole wall collapse and diameter reduction.
Smart Images
Figure CN223938028U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of horizontal directional drilling construction technology, and in particular to a horizontal directional drilling construction buoyancy reduction device. Background Technology
[0002] Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) is a key technology for trenchless underground pipeline laying, widely used in municipal engineering, oil and gas pipelines, and communication cables. Its core principle involves precisely drilling a pilot hole on the ground, combined with borehole enlargement and pipeline pullback techniques, to bury the target pipeline underground along the designed trajectory.
[0003] In horizontal directional drilling, the buoyancy effect is a common challenge during the pipe pullback phase. When the pipe is encased in drilling mud and located in the underground borehole, the pipe experiences upward buoyancy due to the mud's lower density compared to the pipe material. If the buoyancy is excessive and not effectively controlled, it can cause the pipe to deviate from its designed trajectory, leading to the pipe head colliding with the upper borehole wall, resulting in pipe damage and increased pullback resistance, or even jamming in the borehole. Furthermore, pipe buoyancy can cause pressure imbalance in the surrounding mud, leading to borehole wall collapse or diameter reduction. Utility Model Content
[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this utility model provides a horizontal directional drilling construction buoyancy reduction device, which solves the technical problem that the pipe head collides with the upper borehole wall under the action of mud buoyancy during the pipe pullback process, causing pipe damage and increasing pullback resistance, and even leading to borehole wall collapse or diameter reduction. It achieves the purpose of enabling the pipe to overcome the buoyancy of mud and avoid the pipe head colliding with the upper borehole wall.
[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model provides the following technical solution: a horizontal directional drilling construction buoyancy lowering device, including a pipeline, a counterweight water pipe installed inside the pipeline, multiple mounting plates arranged in an array on the counterweight water pipe, multiple rollers arranged in an array on the mounting plates, a self-aligning mechanism for driving the counterweight water pipe to be stable on the pipeline axis is provided between the mounting plates and the rollers, a sealing plate is installed at the pipe end of the pipeline, a traction lifting ring is installed at the center of the outer side of the sealing plate, and multiple sets of locking mechanisms for fixing the position of the counterweight water pipe are provided on the counterweight water pipe and located outside the mounting plates.
[0006] A further improvement is that the self-aligning mechanism includes a toothed ring with a mounting plate on one side and sleeved on the counterweight water pipe. Multiple connecting sliders are arrayed on the toothed ring and slidably connected to the inner wall of the corresponding arc-shaped sliding grooves on the mounting plate. Extended sliders are installed in the multiple extended sliding grooves arrayed on the mounting plate, and the outer ends of the extended sliders are connected to rollers. Multiple arc-shaped sliding holes are arrayed through the toothed ring. A connecting rod is provided at the top of the inner end of the extended slider and slidably connected to the inner wall of the arc-shaped sliding hole. A power component is provided on the mounting plate to drive the toothed ring to rotate and lock the rotation position.
[0007] A further improvement is that the arc-shaped slide groove is an arc-shaped T-shaped structure, and the connecting slider is an arc-shaped T-shaped structure adapted to the arc-shaped T-shaped slide groove.
[0008] A further improvement is that the extended groove is a T-shaped structure, and the extended slider is a T-shaped slider adapted to the extended groove of the T-shaped structure.
[0009] A further improvement is that the power assembly includes an ear plate mounted on a mounting plate, a rotating shaft rotatably connected within a rotating hole in the ear plate, a gear meshing with a gear ring mounted on the outer end of the rotating shaft, and a drive motor for driving the rotating shaft to rotate mounted on the ear plate.
[0010] A further improvement is that the locking mechanism includes a sleeve installed on and connected to the counterweight water pipe, a matching sealing piston slidably connected inside the sleeve, a piston rod slidably connected to an opening at the top of the sleeve and mounted on the top of the sealing piston, an arc-shaped top support plate mounted on the top of the piston rod, and anti-slip protrusions provided on the outer side of the arc-shaped top support plate.
[0011] By employing the above technical solution, this utility model provides a horizontal directional drilling construction buoyancy reduction device, which has at least the following beneficial effects:
[0012] 1. This utility model uses rollers to install a counterweight water pipe inside a pipeline and fills the counterweight water pipe with water. The weight of the water in the counterweight water pipe overcomes the buoyancy of the pipeline caused by the mud in the hole, thereby preventing the pipeline from floating up and colliding with the hole wall, which would lead to pipeline damage, increased pullback resistance, or even hole wall collapse or necking.
[0013] 2. This utility model uses a power component to drive the gear ring to rotate, thereby pushing the connecting rod to slide along the inner wall of the arc-shaped sliding hole and pushing the outer slider at its bottom to extend outward along the outer sliding groove, thereby pushing multiple rollers to extend outward synchronously to contact the inner wall of the pipe, thus fixing the counterweight water pipe to the pipe axis, thereby avoiding damage to the inner wall of the pipe caused by the counterweight water pipe rolling inside the pipe during the pullback process.
[0014] 3. This utility model injects water into the counterweight water pipe until the overflowing water flows into the sleeve and pushes the sealing piston to move outward along the inner wall of the sleeve, thereby pushing the piston rod and the arc-shaped top support plate to move outward and fit against the inner wall of the pipe, thus fixing the relative position of the counterweight water pipe and the pipe and preventing the counterweight water pipe from sliding inside the pipe. Attached Figure Description
[0015] The accompanying drawings, which are provided to further illustrate this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments of this application and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application.
[0016] In the attached diagram:
[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model;
[0018] Figure 2 This is a side view of the structure of this utility model;
[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the counterweight water pipe and its structure according to the present invention;
[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the independent structure of the self-aligning mechanism of this utility model;
[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the disassembled structure of the self-aligning mechanism of this utility model;
[0022] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the sleeve of this utility model.
[0023] In the diagram: 1. Pipe; 2. Counterweight water pipe; 3. Mounting plate; 4. Roller;
[0024] 5. Self-aligning mechanism; 51. Gear ring; 52. Connecting slider; 53. Extended slider; 54. Arc-shaped sliding hole; 55. Connecting rod;
[0025] 56. Power assembly; 561. Ear plate; 562. Rotating shaft; 563. Gear; 564. Drive motor;
[0026] 6. Sealing and guard plate; 7. Towing ring;
[0027] 8. Locking mechanism; 81. Sleeve; 82. Sealing piston; 83. Piston rod; 84. Arc-shaped top support plate. Detailed Implementation
[0028] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.
[0029] Example 1
[0030] To address the current problem that during pipe pullback, the pipe head collides with the upper borehole wall due to the buoyancy of the mud, causing pipe damage, increased pullback resistance, and even borehole wall collapse or diameter reduction, this embodiment provides a horizontal directional drilling buoyancy reduction device. Please refer to... Figures 1-6This embodiment provides a horizontal directional drilling (WDD) buoyancy reduction device that enables the pipeline to overcome the buoyancy of the mud and avoids collision between the pipe head and the upper borehole wall. The device includes a pipeline 1, a counterweight water pipe 2 installed inside the pipeline 1, multiple mounting plates 3 arrayed on the counterweight water pipe 2, multiple rollers 4 arrayed on the mounting plates 3, a centering mechanism 5 between the mounting plates 3 and the rollers 4 to drive the counterweight water pipe 2 to stabilize it on the axis of the pipeline 1, a sealing plate 6 installed at the pipe head of the pipeline 1, a traction ring 7 installed at the center of the outer side of the sealing plate 6, and multiple sets of fixtures for fixing the counterweight water pipe 2 on the counterweight water pipe 2 and located outside the mounting plates 3. The fixed locking mechanism 8 installs the counterweight water pipe 2 inside the pipe 1 through the roller 4 and fills the counterweight water pipe 2 with water. The weight of the water in the counterweight water pipe 2 overcomes the buoyancy of the pipe 1 generated by the mud in the hole, thereby preventing the pipe 1 from floating and colliding with the hole wall, which would cause damage to the pipe 1, increase the pullback resistance, and even cause the hole wall to collapse or neck. The sealing plate 6 installed on the pipe 1 seals the pipe 1, thereby preventing a large amount of mud from entering the inside of the pipe 1 during the pullback process.
[0031] During the pullback process of pipe 1, the counterweight water pipe 2 will roll inside pipe 1, causing friction and collision with the inner wall of pipe 1, which will damage the inner wall of pipe 1. The rolling counterweight water pipe 2 will cause the center of gravity of pipe 1 to shift, which will cause pipe 1 to hit the side wall of the hole. Therefore, the device is also equipped with a self-aligning mechanism 5. The self-aligning mechanism 5 includes a toothed ring 51 installed on one side of the mounting plate 3 and sleeved on the counterweight water pipe 2. Multiple connecting sliders 52 are mounted in an array on the toothed ring 51 and are slidably connected to the inner wall of the corresponding arc-shaped sliding groove on the mounting plate 3. Multiple extended sliding grooves on the mounting plate 3 are each equipped with an extended slider 53, and the outer end of the extended slider 53 is connected to the roller 4. Multiple arc-shaped sliding holes 54 are arranged in an array through the toothed ring 51. The top of the inner end of the extended slider 53 is provided with a connecting rod 55 that is slidably connected to the inner wall of the arc-shaped sliding hole 54. The mounting plate 3 is provided with a power component 56 that drives the toothed ring 51 to rotate and locks the rotation position.
[0032] The arc-shaped slide groove has an arc-shaped T-shaped structure, and the connecting slider 52 has an arc-shaped T-shaped structure adapted to the arc-shaped T-shaped slide groove. The extended slide groove has a T-shaped structure, and the extended slider 53 is a T-shaped slider adapted to the extended slide groove of the T-shaped structure.
[0033] The power component 56 drives the gear ring 51 to rotate, which in turn drives the connecting slider 52 on the gear ring 51 to rotate along the arc-shaped groove on the mounting plate 3. This pushes the connecting rod 55 in the arc-shaped sliding hole 54 on the gear ring 51 to slide along the inner wall of the arc-shaped sliding hole 54 and pushes the extended slider 53 at its bottom to extend outward along the extended sliding groove on the mounting plate 3. This pushes multiple rollers 4 to extend outward synchronously until multiple rollers 4 contact the inner wall of the pipe 1, thereby fixing the counterweight water pipe 2 to the axis of the pipe 1. This avoids the counterweight water pipe 2 rolling inside the pipe 1 during the pullback process, which would damage the inner wall of the pipe 1 and cause the center of gravity of the pipe 1 to shift, resulting in the pipe 1 hitting the side wall of the hole. Furthermore, the counterweight water pipe 2 being located in the center of the pipe 1 can make the contact area of the mud in the hole of the pipe 1 relatively uniform during the pullback process, so that the mud forms a uniform circulation around the pipe 1, thereby reducing the pullback resistance and helping to control the trajectory accuracy of the pullback of the pipe 1.
[0034] The power assembly 56 includes an ear plate 561 mounted on the mounting plate 3. A rotating shaft 562 is rotatably connected in a rotating hole on the ear plate 561. A gear 563 that meshes with the gear ring 51 is mounted on the outer end of the rotating shaft 562. A drive motor 564 that drives the rotating shaft 562 to rotate is mounted on the ear plate 561. When the drive motor 564 is started, the rotating shaft 562 rotates in the rotating hole on the ear plate 561, thereby driving the gear 563 to rotate and driving the gear ring 51 that meshes with it to rotate. The position of the gear ring 51 after rotation can be fixed to prevent the gear ring 51 from rotating back.
[0035] Example 2
[0036] To prevent the counterweight water pipe 2 from slipping back and forth within pipe 1 during the pullback process, therefore, based on embodiment one, as follows: Figures 1-6 As shown, the device is also equipped with a locking mechanism 8. The locking mechanism 8 includes a sleeve 81 installed on and communicating with the counterweight water pipe 2. A matching sealing piston 82 is slidably connected inside the sleeve 81. A piston rod 83 is slidably connected to the top opening of the sleeve 81 and installed on the top of the sealing piston 82. An arc-shaped top support plate 84 is installed on the top of the piston rod 83, and anti-slip protrusions are provided on the outer side of the arc-shaped top support plate 84. After the self-aligning mechanism 5 fixes the counterweight water pipe 2 to the axis of the pipe 1, water is injected into the counterweight water pipe 2 until the overflowing water flows into the sleeve 81 and pushes the sealing piston 82 to move outward along the inner wall of the sleeve 81, thereby pushing the piston rod 83 and the arc-shaped top support plate 84 to move outward and fit against the inner wall of the pipe 1, thereby fixing the relative position of the counterweight water pipe 2 and the pipe 1 and preventing the counterweight water pipe 2 from sliding inside the pipe 1.
[0037] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms “comprising,” “including,” or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
[0038] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A horizontal directional drilling construction buoyancy lowering device, comprising a pipe (1), characterized in that: A counterweight water pipe (2) is installed inside the pipe (1). Multiple mounting plates (3) are arrayed on the counterweight water pipe (2). Multiple rollers (4) are arrayed on the mounting plates (3). A centering mechanism (5) is provided between the mounting plates (3) and the rollers (4) to drive the counterweight water pipe (2) to be stable on the axis of the pipe (1). A sealing plate (6) is installed at the pipe head of the pipe (1). A traction ring (7) is installed at the center of the outer side of the sealing plate (6). Multiple locking mechanisms (8) are provided on the counterweight water pipe (2) and located outside the mounting plate (3) to fix the position of the counterweight water pipe (2).
2. The horizontal directional drilling buoyancy lowering device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The self-aligning mechanism (5) includes a toothed ring (51) mounted on one side of the mounting plate (3) and sleeved on the counterweight water pipe (2). Multiple connecting sliders (52) are mounted in an array on the toothed ring (51) and are slidably connected to the inner wall of the corresponding arc-shaped groove on the mounting plate (3). Multiple extended sliders (53) are installed in the multiple extended grooves on the mounting plate (3), and the outer end of the extended sliders (53) is connected to the roller (4). Multiple arc-shaped sliding holes (54) are arranged in an array on the toothed ring (51). A connecting rod (55) is provided at the top of the inner end of the extended slider (53) and is slidably connected to the inner wall of the arc-shaped sliding hole (54). A power component (56) is provided on the mounting plate (3) to drive the toothed ring (51) to rotate and lock the rotation position.
3. The horizontal directional drilling buoyancy lowering device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The arc-shaped slide is an arc-shaped T-shaped structure, and the connecting slider (52) is an arc-shaped T-shaped structure adapted to the arc-shaped T-shaped slide.
4. A horizontal directional drilling buoyancy lowering device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The extension groove is a T-shaped structure, and the extension slider (53) is a T-shaped slider that is adapted to the extension groove of the T-shaped structure.
5. A horizontal directional drilling buoyancy lowering device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The power assembly (56) includes an ear plate (561) mounted on the mounting plate (3), a rotating shaft (562) is rotatably connected in a rotating hole opened on the ear plate (561), a gear (563) that meshes with the gear ring (51) is mounted on the outer end of the rotating shaft (562), and a drive motor (564) that drives the rotating shaft (562) to rotate is mounted on the ear plate (561).
6. A horizontal directional drilling buoyancy lowering device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The locking mechanism (8) includes a sleeve (81) installed on and connected to the counterweight water pipe (2). A matching sealing piston (82) is slidably connected inside the sleeve (81). A piston rod (83) is slidably connected to the top opening of the sleeve (81) on the top of the sealing piston (82). An arc-shaped top support plate (84) is installed on the top of the piston rod (83), and anti-slip protrusions are provided on the outer side of the arc-shaped top support plate (84).