Bail Mounted Cable Guide for Top Drive Abrasion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The placement of top drives above the drill floor in modern drilling operations can damage cables and top drives due to contact, and existing solutions do not effectively prevent abrasion points that arise from routing cables along the top drive.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of adjustable cable guide assemblies that utilize upper and lower guide assemblies with sheaves and telescopic members to radially separate cables from the top drive, preventing contact and allowing for flexible installation across various drilling systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cables are routed along the top drive to access the wellbore centerline, then access to the wellbore is achieved, but abrasion points are created that can damage the cable and/or top drive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces guide assemblies with sheaves as intermediary elements between the cable and the top drive. These sheaves act as mediators that redirect the cable path, allowing the cable to pass by the top drive without direct contact. The guide assemblies are positioned to create a clear path that avoids abrasion points while maintaining access to the wellbore centerline.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide assemblies extend radially outward from the top drive, creating a three-dimensional cable routing path. Instead of routing the cable in a straight line that contacts the top drive, the sheaves create a curved path in multiple dimensions, allowing the cable to clear the top drive horizontally and vertically, thereby eliminating contact and abrasion.
2Power
If a top drive is placed above the drill floor to provide torque to the drillstring, then drilling operations are enabled, but cable routing is impeded and contact damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The guide assemblies serve as intermediary structures that reconcile the presence of the top drive with safe cable routing. The sheaves mounted on these guides act as mediators that transfer the cable load away from the top drive area, allowing the top drive to maintain its position for providing torque while the cable passes through the guide system without contacting the top drive.
3Device complexity
If conventional cable routing is used without guide assemblies, then system complexity is minimized, but cable and top drive damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cable routing system is segmented into discrete guide assemblies with individual sheaves that can be independently positioned and adjusted. This segmentation allows the system to provide reliable cable protection through multiple contact points with sheaves, while each individual guide assembly remains relatively simple in structure. The modular nature of the guides allows them to be added without completely redesigning the entire cable routing system.
Data Source
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AI summary
Techniques and systems to reduce contact of a cable (18) with a top drive (12). A cable guide may be mounted to one or more bails (36) supporting the top drive (12) and may operate to extend a distance (44) between a cable (18) passing along a length of the top drive (12). The cable guide may include both an upper guide assembly (32) and a lower guide assembly (34). Each of the upper guide assembly (32) and the lower guide assembly (34) may both be coupled to one or more bails (36) supporting the top drive (12) in a serial manner.