Dual Hoisting Load Carrier Positioning for Offshore Drilling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Offshore drilling rigs face challenges in reducing production time and costs while maintaining operational efficiency, especially when essential equipment is out of order due to maintenance or breakdowns.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a dual hoisting system with two load carriers and a positioning system that allows for selective positioning above different work centers, enabling simultaneous operation, dual activity mode, dual lifting mode, and redundancy mode to maintain operations even if one hoisting system is disabled.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single hoisting system is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability decreases when equipment is out of order
Solution Approach 1:
The hoisting system is segmented into two independent load carriers (first and second load carriers), each capable of independent operation. This segmentation allows one load carrier to continue operations if the other fails, thereby improving reliability without requiring a completely redundant dual-system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
Each load carrier is designed with universal functionality to perform multiple operations including drilling, standbuilding, and heavy lifting. The positioning system enables each load carrier to service multiple work centers, making the system multi-functional and adaptable to various operational scenarios, thereby improving reliability through operational flexibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If two hoisting systems are implemented, then operational flexibility increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The two load carriers and their associated hoisting systems are merged into a single integrated platform with shared control and positioning infrastructure. This merging approach allows the system to achieve the versatility of multiple hoisting systems while reducing overall complexity through resource sharing and coordinated operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning system provides dynamic reconfiguration capability, allowing load carriers to be selectively positioned above different work centers based on operational requirements. This dynamic adaptability enables the system to switch between various operational modes (dual activity, dual lifting, redundancy) without requiring physical reconfiguration, thereby increasing versatility while maintaining manageable complexity.
3Productivity
If load carriers can be positioned above multiple work centers, then productivity increases through simultaneous operations, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A positioning system acts as an intermediary between the load carriers and the work centers, providing automated or semi-automated positioning control. This intermediary function enables precise positioning above multiple work centers while reducing the operational complexity through centralized control mechanisms, thereby facilitating simultaneous operations and improving productivity.
4Reliability
If redundancy mode is enabled, then reliability improves during maintenance, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is pre-configured with redundant load carriers and positioning capabilities that can be activated in advance for maintenance scenarios. This preliminary preparation ensures that when one hoisting system requires maintenance, the other load carrier is already positioned and ready to take over operations, thereby ensuring operational continuity without requiring complex real-time reconfiguration.
Data Source
AI summary
An offshore drilling rig includes a drill deck, at least one primary well center and a diverter system arranged below the primary well center, a drilling support structure extending upwardly from the drill deck and above the primary well center and the other work center and a first and a second hoisting system supported by the drilling support structure and being adapted for raising or lowering a first and a second load carrier, respectively, and where the offshore drilling rig includes a positioning system adapted for selectively positioning at least the first load carrier in at least a first or a second horizontal position different from the first horizontal position, where the first load carrier in the first horizontal position is positioned above the primary well center, and in the second horizontal position is positioned above the other work center.