Adjustable Cable Guide for Drill Line Tensioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable guides for drilling rigs during slip and cut operations pose safety risks due to uncertainty in the breakage of webbing material and require manual intervention to guide drill lines, which can expose workers to moving parts and reduce efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A cable guide system comprising top and bottom body portions with adjustable coupling mechanisms and wear members, including rollers and grooved surfaces, that securely route and tension the drill line, eliminating the need for manual guidance and reducing worker exposure to hazards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a sling of webbing material is used as a cable guide to support slack drill line overhead, then the drill line can be routed during slip and cut operations, but safety risks arise due to uncertainty of when the webbing material will break from abrasion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the disposable webbing sling with a durable, reusable cable guide assembly made of metal components including a body, wear members, and grooves. This assembly is designed to withstand repeated use and abrasion from the drill line, eliminating the safety risks associated with unpredictable webbing failure while maintaining the overhead cable routing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameters and structural properties of the cable guide from soft webbing material to hard, wear-resistant metal components with specific geometric features (grooves, wear members). This parameter change transforms the cable guide from a temporary, unsafe component to a permanent, reliable fixture that can continuously handle the drill line during slip and cut operations.
2Ease of manufacture
If manual tools are used to hammer the drill line into grooves on the draw-works drum, then the drill line can be properly positioned, but workers are exposed to dangerous moving parts
Solution Approach 1:
The cable guide assembly is designed to automatically guide and position the drill line onto the draw-works drum without requiring manual intervention. The grooves in the wear members and the body automatically align and route the drill line as it passes through, eliminating the need for workers to manually hammer or guide the line near moving parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable guide assembly acts as an intermediary device between the overhead slack support and the draw-works drum. It provides a controlled pathway with grooves that automatically direct the drill line onto the drum surface, replacing the dangerous manual positioning method with an automated mechanical guidance system that keeps workers at a safe distance.
3Ease of operation
If the drill line is not tensioned during feeding, then the line can be easily manipulated, but the line cannot be properly stored on the draw-works
Solution Approach 1:
The cable guide assembly incorporates adjustable coupling mechanisms that allow dynamic adjustment of the pathway size and tension characteristics. During the feeding operation, the assembly maintains optimal tension to ensure proper line storage on the drum while still allowing sufficient flexibility for line manipulation and routing through the grooves.
Data Source
AI summary
A cable guide for supporting a slack portion of a drill line during a slip and cut operation features a top body portion and a bottom body portion held together in spaced relation to one another such that inner ends of the top and bottom body portions are facing but spaced from one another. At least one contact surface is carried on each body portion, and a pair of the contact surfaces are aligned in a working position so as to collectively define a pathway between the inner ends of the top and bottom body portions along which the slack portion of the drill line is to be routed. The cable guide also features an adjustable coupling mechanism arranged for displacing the inner ends of the top and bottom body portions towards and away from one another so as to adjust a size of the pathway.