Rotatable Pulley Assembly for Drill Floor Drawworks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior drawworks designs with pulley axes parallel to lateral movement cause obstructive main blocks and lead to unfavorable wire angles, resulting in excessive wear on pulleys and hoisting wires, especially when the main block is hoisted upwards.
Innovation Solution
A drawworks design with an upper pulley assembly connected to a heave-compensated or fixed mounting and a main block that is laterally movable, featuring a rotatable pulley assembly about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the direction of movement, and a hinged adapter between the crown beam and pulley assembly, allowing the pulley axis to pivot and reduce oblique wire angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the pulley axis of the main block is oriented in the same plane as the direction of lateral movement, then the main block becomes less obstructive to work on the drill floor, but there is an unfavourable wire angle between the hoisting wire and the wire pulleys of the upper pulley assembly, leading to greater wear
Solution Approach 1:
The pulley assembly is made rotatable about a horizontal first axis perpendicular to the direction of lateral movement, allowing it to dynamically adjust its orientation. This dynamic adjustment enables the pulley assembly to maintain a favorable wire angle during hoisting operations while accommodating the lateral movement of the main block, thus resolving the contradiction between accessibility and wear reduction
Solution Approach 2:
The orientation parameter of the pulley assembly is changed by allowing rotation about the first axis. This parameter change enables the system to adapt the wire angle during operation, transforming the fixed-angle problem into a variable-angle solution that minimizes wear while maintaining operational accessibility
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the pulley axis of the main block is oriented perpendicular to the direction of lateral movement, then there is no oblique pull on the wire, but the main block becomes obstructive to work on the drill floor
Solution Approach 1:
By making the pulley assembly rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the lateral movement direction, the system dynamically adjusts the pulley orientation during operation. This allows the main block to be positioned for accessibility while the pulley assembly automatically orients itself to minimize oblique pull on the wire
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable pulley assembly acts as an intermediary between the laterally movable main block and the fixed upper pulley assembly. It mediates the conflicting requirements by absorbing the orientation mismatch through rotation, allowing the main block to be accessible while maintaining proper wire alignment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design minimizes obstruction on the drill floor and significantly reduces wear on pulleys and hoisting wires by adjusting the wire angle, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing maintenance costs.
Implementation Method 1
This unfavourable wire angle leads to unnecessarily great wear to the pulleys of the upper pulley assembly and to the wire
Data Source
AI summary
A drawworks (1) device on a drill floor (32), the drawworks (1) including an upper pulley assembly (2) connected to a heave-compensated or fixed mounting (8), and a main block (4) connected to a pipe mount (24) which is laterally movable in at least one direction relative to the drilling centre (34) of the drill floor, and the pulley assembly (2) being pivotal about a horizontal first axis (16) which is perpendicular to the direction of lateral movement.