Cone-shaped hole drilling device and method of use applicable to deep-sea penetration exploration rods.
The cone-shaped hole drilling device addresses the challenges of high costs and incomplete monitoring by synchronizing drill pipe and sensor separation, ensuring effective long-term monitoring and efficient retrieval in deep-sea sediment monitoring.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- GUANGZHOU MARINE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
- Filing Date
- 2023-10-30
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-18
- Estimated Expiration
- Not applicable · inactive patent
AI Technical Summary
Conventional methods for monitoring deep-sea sediments face challenges such as high operational costs, uncertain penetration depth, and inability to ensure long-term monitoring due to the sensor being pulled out with the mechanical exploration rod during retrieval.
A cone-shaped hole drilling device with a detachable drill pipe and sensor unit structure, utilizing a resistance bracket and numerical control module to synchronize penetration and separation, ensuring the sensor remains in situ for long-term monitoring.
Enables efficient separation of the drill pipe from the sensor unit during retrieval, allowing for synchronized penetration and long-term monitoring, improving work efficiency and utilization rate of penetration equipment.
Smart Images

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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0004] ,
[0001] This application relates to the field of monitoring equipment technology for submarine sediments, and particularly to a conical hole-drilling device and a usage method applicable to a deep-sea bottom penetration exploration rod.
Background Art
[0002] Monitoring the physical properties of deep-sea surface sediments is an important task in ocean civil engineering. The penetration method and long-term monitoring method of a multi-parameter measurement sensor for the in-situ of submarine sediments mainly include the following three methods. The first is the method of pre-drilling a hole at a designated position and burying monitoring equipment in the pre-dug hole. However, this method requires large ships, drilling systems, and underwater placement equipment, is difficult to operate, costly, time-consuming, and has low cost performance. The second is the method of using gravity penetration equipment to penetrate to a certain formation depth by the gravity of the equipment itself. Generally, it is point monitoring, and the penetration depth is uncertain depending on geological conditions. The third is the method of using hydraulic drive to penetrate the monitoring sensor of the equipment itself into the seabed. However, the entire monitoring equipment needs to stay on the seabed for a long time together with the penetration device, which brings difficulties to the subsequent recovery of the device.
[0003] Conventional monitoring equipment for submarine sediments connects the drill pipe of the penetration part integrally with the sensor to form an exploration rod that can penetrate into the submarine sediments, and uses gravity or the hydraulic power structure of the penetration end itself to insert the exploration rod into the submarine sediments and at the same time bring the sensor into the sediments. However, this method has an obvious defect that once the mechanical exploration rod is recovered after the penetration is completed, the sensor is also pulled out of the sediments along with it, and it cannot be ensured that the sensor unit conducts long-term monitoring at the in-situ of the sediments.
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] The present invention aims to provide a conical hole drilling device and method of use applicable to deep-sea penetration exploration rods in order to overcome the shortcomings of the above-mentioned prior art. [Means for solving the problem]
[0005] The present invention is realized by the following technical solution: A cone-shaped hole drilling device applicable to a deep-sea penetration exploration rod, comprising a drill pipe, a sleeve, a cone-shaped hole drilling device, and a sensor unit structure, wherein the sleeve is integrally connected to the cone-shaped hole drilling device by a connecting plate, the diameter of the lower end of the drill pipe is smaller than the diameter of the upper end, the connection point between the upper and lower ends is a diameter change position, the drill pipe is detachably drilled inside the sleeve, the cone-shaped hole drilling device is provided with a resistance force bracket and a numerical control module located inside the cone-shaped hole drilling device, and the numerical control module is controlled by an operator The numerical control module is connected to the resistance bracket via a signal to control the extension or contraction of the resistance bracket. The sensor unit structure is attached to the drilling device. When the drill pipe is driven in, it passes downward through the sleeve and is locked in the sleeve at a diameter change position. After the penetration is complete, the operator operates the controller to send a command, and the numerical control module receives the signal and releases the resistance bracket, causing the drill pipe to detach from the sleeve and be recovered.
[0006] The drilling device can connect the drill pipe and the sensor unit structure by a mechanical structure. Because the drill pipe is narrow at the lower end and wide at the upper end, when the drill pipe penetrates, it can automatically lock into the sleeve in one direction as it enters the sleeve. This achieves synchronized penetration of the drill pipe and the drilling device, and at the same time ensures that the drill pipe contacts the seabed mud surface before the sensor unit structure.
[0007] The drill pipe has a conical bottom, and the conical hole drilling device has a conical bottom. Since both the drill pipe and the conical hole drilling device have a conical bottom, they can effectively drill into soft sediments on the seabed surface.
[0008] The aforementioned cone-shaped hole drilling device is provided with a mounting groove, and the resistance bracket is mounted within the mounting groove and extends rotatably outward to form an inverted umbrella-shaped structure. The inverted umbrella-shaped resistance bracket increases the resistance force with seabed sediment and prevents the sensor unit structure from being affected and displaced when the drill pipe is retrieved.
[0009] The resistance bracket comprises a plurality of vanes hinged together within the mounting groove, and the numerical control module controls whether the vanes rotate and extend out of the mounting groove or retract and retract within the mounting groove.
[0010] The blades consist of three blades, and the mounting grooves are provided in three corresponding locations. The three mounting grooves are uniformly distributed circumferentially around the outer circumference of the conical hole digging device. The uniform distribution of the blades and mounting grooves ensures that the forces received are uniform, which is advantageous for increasing the frictional force with the sediment.
[0011] The aforementioned resistance bracket has a rigid structure.
[0012] The sensor unit structure is a flexible sensor chain, the lower end of which is attached to the cone-shaped hole digging device, and the upper end of which is connected to a floating ball. By employing a flexible sensor chain as the sensor unit structure, it is possible to prevent both the cone-shaped hole digging device and the sensor unit structure from disappearing, and by using it in conjunction with the floating ball, it is advantageous for subsequent retrieval work and achieves the objective of data retrieval.
[0013] The method for using a cone-shaped hole drilling device applied to a deep-sea penetration exploration rod includes steps 1 to 6. In Step 1, the drill pipe is inserted into the sleeve so that the position where the diameter of the drill pipe changes is locked inside the sleeve, and the sensor unit structure and the drill pipe are released and penetrated into the seabed. In step 2, the drilling device synchronously penetrates the seabed sediment into the seabed sediment, with the drill pipe and sensor unit structure being driven in such a manner that the drill pipe contacts the seabed mud surface before the sensor unit structure. In step 3, the operator operates the controller to send commands, and after the numerical control module receives the signal, it releases the resistance bracket and distributes it in an umbrella shape, detaches the drill pipe from the sleeve and retrieves it onto the research vessel, leaving the sensor unit structure and the drilling device in place on the seabed. In step 4, the sensor unit structure is released and loosened to eliminate any operating force, the research vessel enters monitoring mode, and the numerical control module performs long-term data collection and storage operations. In step 5, the recovered drill pipe can be used for further drilling operations. In step 6, an underwater grip or buoyancy device is attached to the top of the sensor unit structure. After the monitoring cycle is complete, the worker remotely operates an unmanned underwater vehicle to grab the underwater grip or buoyancy device, thereby recovering the sensor unit structure and the cone-shaped hole-digging device. [Effects of the Invention]
[0014] Compared to conventional technology, this invention offers several advantages: it solves the crucial problem of effectively separating the sensor unit from the mechanical drill pipe during the drill pipe retrieval stage after the drill pipe has been inserted into seabed sediment; it significantly improves the work efficiency of penetration-type monitoring means for shallow seabed formations; it enables a work configuration in which one drill pipe can be matched with multiple sensor units; and it improves the utilization rate of the penetration equipment and drill pipe by automatically separating the drill pipe from the sensor unit structure. Furthermore, this invention satisfies the function of effectively separating the penetration drill pipe from the sensor unit structure during the seabed sediment monitoring process, avoiding the problem in conventional exploration rod configurations where long-term monitoring cannot be performed after the exploration rod is retrieved, thus improving the utilization efficiency of the drill pipe in the penetration device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0015] To more clearly describe the embodiments of the present application or the solutions of the prior art, the drawings that may be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art are briefly described below. Naturally, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art will be able to conceive of other drawings based on these without requiring any creative effort. [Figure 1] This is a front view of the penetration state of an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2] This is a plan view of the penetration state of an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view in the AA direction in Figure 2. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of the penetration state of an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view of the other side in the penetration state of the embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] This is a front view of the drill pipe in the recovered state according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a plan view of the recovered drill pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] It is a cross-sectional view in the B-B direction of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] It is a side view of the drill pipe in the recovered state according to the embodiment of the present application. [Figure 10] It is a perspective view of the drill pipe in the recovered state according to the embodiment of the present application. [Figure 11] It is a perspective view in the direction of the other side in the recovered state of the drill pipe according to the embodiment of the present application.
Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention
[0016] In order to make the object, technical solution and advantages of the present application clearer, hereinafter, while referring to the drawings related to the present application, the technical solution will be described clearly and completely. Naturally, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of its embodiments. Those skilled in the art can obtain all other embodiments without creative labor based on the embodiments in the present application, and all of them belong to the protection scope of the present application.
[0017] Hereinafter, the conical hole drilling device and the usage method applied to the deep sea floor penetration exploration rod provided by the present application will be described while referring to the drawings.
[0018] Please refer to Figures 1 to 11. This is a cone-shaped hole drilling device applied to a deep-sea penetration exploration rod, comprising a drill pipe 1, a sleeve 2, a cone-shaped hole drilling device 3, and a sensor unit structure 4. The sleeve 2 is integrally connected to the cone-shaped hole drilling device 3 by a connecting plate 5. The diameter of the lower end of the drill pipe 1 is smaller than the diameter of the upper end, and the connection point between the upper and lower ends is the diameter change position. The drill pipe 1 is detachably drilled inside the sleeve 2. The cone-shaped hole drilling device 3 is equipped with a resistance force bracket 6 and a numerical control module located inside the cone-shaped hole drilling device. The numerical control module is operated by the operator. The numerical control module is connected to the controller for communication and is signal-connected to the resistance bracket 6 to control the extension or contraction of the resistance bracket 6. The sensor unit structure 4 is attached to the drilling device 3. When the drill pipe 1 is driven in, the drill pipe 1 passes through the sleeve 2 downwards and is locked inside the sleeve 2 at the diameter change position. After the penetration is complete, the operator operates the controller to send a command, and the numerical control module receives the signal and releases the resistance bracket 6, causing the drill pipe 1 to detach from the sleeve 2 and be recovered.
[0019] The cone-shaped hole drilling device 3 can be connected to the drill pipe 1 and the sensor unit structure 4 by a mechanical structure. Since the drill pipe 1 is narrow at the lower end and wide at the upper end, when the drill pipe 1 penetrates, it can automatically lock into the sleeve 2 in one direction during the process of entering the sleeve 2. This achieves synchronized penetration of the drill pipe 1 and the cone-shaped hole drilling device 3, and at the same time ensures that the drill pipe 1 contacts the seabed mud surface before the sensor unit structure 4.
[0020] The drill pipe 1 has a conical bottom, and the conical hole drilling device 3 also has a conical bottom. Since both the drill pipe 1 and the conical hole drilling device 3 have conical bottoms, they can effectively drill through soft sediments on the seabed surface, which is advantageous in reducing resistance during the penetration process of the entire device.
[0021] The drilling device 3 is provided with a mounting groove 7, and the resistance bracket 6 is mounted within the mounting groove 7 and extends rotatably outward to form an inverted umbrella-shaped structure. After penetration is complete, the research vessel's crew issues a command to retrieve the drill pipe 1 from the deck side, and the drilling device 3 releases the resistance bracket 6. The inverted umbrella-shaped resistance bracket 6 increases the resistance force with the seabed sediment, and when the drill pipe 1 is retrieved upward, it prevents the sensor unit structure 4 from being affected and displaced during the retrieval of the drill pipe 1.
[0022] The resistance bracket 6 consists of multiple vanes hinged together within a mounting groove 7, and the numerical control module controls whether the vanes rotate and extend out of the mounting groove or retract and are housed within the mounting groove 7.
[0023] The device has three blades and three corresponding mounting grooves 7, which are uniformly distributed around the outer circumference of the cone-shaped hole-digging device 3 in the circumferential direction. The uniform distribution of the blades and mounting grooves 7 ensures that the forces they receive are uniform, which is advantageous for increasing the frictional force with the sediment.
[0024] The resistance bracket 6 has a rigid structure.
[0025] The sensor unit structure 4 is a flexible sensor chain, the lower end of which is attached to the cone-shaped hole digging device 3, and the upper end of which is connected to an underwater grip or a floating ball. By adopting a flexible sensor chain as the sensor unit structure 4, it is possible to prevent both the cone-shaped hole digging device 3 and the sensor unit structure 4 from disappearing, and by using it in cooperation with a floating ball, it is advantageous for subsequent retrieval work and achieves the objective of data retrieval. The underwater grip or floating ball is not shown in the drawings. In this embodiment, the sensor unit structure 4 can employ a soil mechanics strength sensor, a temperature sensor, a sediment gap pressure sensor, a resistivity sensor, and a tilt sensor, and the sensor unit structure 4 may be an independent unit or a collection of multiple sensors.
[0026] The method of using the cone-shaped hole drilling device 3 applied to the deep-sea penetration exploration rod includes steps 1 to 6. In step 1, the drill pipe 1 is inserted into the sleeve 2 so that the position where the diameter of the drill pipe 1 changes is locked inside the sleeve 2, and the sensor unit structure 4 and the drill pipe 1 are released and penetrated into the seabed. In step 2, the drilling device 3 synchronously penetrates the seabed sediment into the seabed sediment, such that the drill pipe 1 contacts the seabed mud surface before the sensor unit structure 4. In step 3, the worker operates the controller to send a command, and after the numerical control module receives the signal, it releases the resistance bracket 6 and distributes it in an umbrella shape, detaches the drill pipe 1 from the sleeve 2 and retrieves it onto the research vessel, and leaves the sensor unit structure 4 and the cone-shaped drilling device 3 on the seabed. In step 4, the sensor unit structure 4 is released and loosened to eliminate any force acting on it, the research vessel's monitoring mode is activated, and the numerical control module performs long-term data collection and storage operations. In step 5, the recovered drill pipe 1 can be used for further drilling operations. In step 6, an underwater grip or buoyancy device is attached to the top of the sensor unit structure 4. After the monitoring cycle is complete, the worker remotely operates an unmanned submersible to grab the underwater grip or buoyancy device, thereby recovering the sensor unit structure 4 and the cone-shaped hole digging device 3.
[0027] In this embodiment, when the entire drill pipe 1 reaches the target depth of the deposit, the numerical control module issues a command, and the drilling device 3 expands the originally closed resistance bracket 6. The rigid resistance bracket 6, when expanded, can increase the frictional force between the device and the soil, thereby preventing the sensor unit structure 4 with the drilling device 3 from being taken away when the entire drill pipe 1 is recovered. Due to the structural features of the drill pipe 1, which is thicker at the top and thinner at the bottom, it can pass directly through the sleeve during recovery. Recovery of the drill pipe 1 does not affect the position of the drilling device 3 and its attached structure, the sensor unit structure 4, in the deposit, effectively ensuring that long-term in-situ monitoring can be performed by the sensor unit structure 4, and the recovered drill pipe 1 can be used for further excavation work. When the drill pipe 1 is recovered, it may push the sleeve slightly upward, but the resistance force of the resistance bracket 6 can compensate for errors in the movement of the sleeve, preventing the position of the sensor unit structure 4 from changing.
[0028] After the penetration operation is completed, the flexible sensor chain sinks into the seabed sediment, and after the drill pipe 1 is recovered, the flexible sensor chain is released and becomes slack and tension-free. After the drill pipe 1 is recovered, the flexible sensor chain remains on the seabed and starts monitoring mode to perform long-term data collection and storage. After the detection cycle is completed, the drilling device 3, flexible sensor chain, and buoy are remotely controlled to be recovered by an unmanned submersible. A data collection and storage unit can be installed inside the buoy, which allows for emergency recovery of the buoy even if the recovery of the flexible sensor chain fails, thus achieving the objective of data collection.
[0029] In this embodiment, a processor is used as the numerical control module. The processor may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates, or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or it may be any conventional processor. The processor acts as the control center of the device, connecting each part using various interfaces and wiring.
[0030] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are intended to illustrate, and not limit, the technical solutions of the present application. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the above embodiments or make equivalent substitutions to some or all of their technical features, and these modifications or substitutions should be understood not to deviate from the essence of the corresponding technical solutions within the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.
[0031] This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed with the China National Patent Office on June 14, 2023, with application number 2023107055536, titled "Conical Hole Drilling Device and Method of Use Applicable to Deep Seabed Penetration Exploration Rods," and all its contents are incorporated into this application by reference. [Explanation of symbols]
[0032] 1 Drill pipe 2 sleeves 3. Cone-shaped hole digging device 4. Sensor Unit Structure 5. Connecting plate 6 Resistance Bracket 7. Mounting groove
Claims
1. A cone-shaped hole drilling device applied to a deep-sea penetration exploration rod, comprising a drill pipe, a sleeve, a cone-shaped hole drilling device, and a sensor unit structure, wherein the sleeve is integrally connected to the cone-shaped hole drilling device by a connecting plate, the diameter of the lower end of the drill pipe is smaller than the diameter of the upper end, the connection point between the upper and lower ends is a diameter change position, the drill pipe is detachably drilled inside the sleeve, the cone-shaped hole drilling device is provided with a resistance force bracket, and a numerical control module is located inside the cone-shaped hole drilling device, the numerical control module is connected to communicate with a controller operated by an operator, and the numerical control A cone-shaped drilling device applicable to a deep-sea penetrating exploration rod, characterized in that the control module is connected to the resistance bracket by a signal to control the extension or contraction of the resistance bracket, the sensor unit structure is attached to the cone-shaped drilling device, when the drill pipe penetrates, the drill pipe passes downward through the sleeve and is locked in the sleeve at the diameter change position, after the penetration is completed the operator operates the controller to send a command, the numerical control module receives the command and releases the resistance bracket, the drill pipe detaches from the sleeve and is recovered.
2. The drill pipe has a conical structure at its bottom end, and the conical hole drilling device has a conical structure at its bottom end, as described in claim 1, and is applicable to a deep-sea floor penetration exploration rod.
3. The cone-shaped hole drilling device is provided with a mounting groove, and the resistance bracket is mounted in the mounting groove and extends rotatably outward to form an inverted umbrella-shaped structure, characterized in that it is applied to a deep-sea bottom penetration exploration rod according to claim 1.
4. The cone-shaped hole drilling device applied to a deep-sea penetrating exploration rod according to claim 3, characterized in that the resistance bracket is a plurality of vanes hinged together in the mounting groove, and the numerical control module controls whether the vanes rotate and extend out of the mounting groove or retract and are housed in the mounting groove.
5. The conical hole drilling device applicable to a deep-sea penetrating exploration rod according to claim 4, characterized in that three blades are provided, three corresponding mounting grooves are provided, and the three mounting grooves are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction around the outer circumference of the conical hole drilling device.
6. The conical hole drilling device applied to a deep-sea penetration exploration rod according to claim 1, characterized in that the resistance bracket has a rigid structure.
7. A method for using a cone-shaped hole drilling device applied to a deep-sea penetration exploration rod, Step 1 involves inserting the drill pipe into the sleeve such that the position where the diameter of the drill pipe changes is locked within the sleeve, and inserting the sensor unit structure and the drill pipe into the seabed. Step 2 involves the operation of the aforementioned conical hole drilling device, which simultaneously penetrates the seabed sediment with the drill pipe and the sensor unit structure such that the drill pipe contacts the seabed mud surface before the sensor unit structure. Step 3 involves an operator operating a controller to send a command, the numerical control module receiving the command releasing the resistance bracket and distributing it in an umbrella shape, detaching the drill pipe from the sleeve and recovering it on the research vessel, leaving the sensor unit structure and the cone-shaped drilling device on the seabed, and releasing the sensor unit structure to loosen it and release tension. Step 4 involves starting the monitoring mode of the research vessel and performing long-term data collection and storage operations of the numerical control module, Step 5 involves using the recovered drill pipe for further drilling operations, A method for using a cone-shaped hole drilling device applied to a deep-sea floor penetration exploration rod, characterized by including step 6, in which a buoy is attached to the top of the sensor unit structure, and after the monitoring cycle is completed, the worker remotely operates an unmanned submersible to grab the buoy and recovers the sensor unit structure and the cone-shaped hole drilling device.