Transfer Trolley for Drilling Riser Repositioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Offshore drilling and production platforms face challenges in efficiently drilling multiple wells and installing production risers without the need to frequently retrieve and reposition drilling risers, especially in deep water conditions where operations are complex and costly.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus utilizing a transfer trolley system on a floating vessel, which allows for the transportation and repositioning of drilling riser assemblies with associated tensioners and blowout preventers between well bay positions, minimizing the need for frequent riser retrieval and enabling efficient drilling and production operations across a rectangular well pattern.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If drilling risers are retrieved and repositioned for each well, then well coverage is improved, but operational time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The drilling riser system is made dynamically reconfigurable through a transfer trolley that can move the riser assembly between different well positions. The riser remains deployed in the water column while the trolley transports it horizontally to serve multiple wells, transforming a static single-position system into a dynamic multi-position system that reduces retrieval operations.
Solution Approach 2:
A transfer trolley acts as an intermediary device between the drilling riser and multiple well positions. The trolley receives the riser from one well position and delivers it to another, enabling the riser to serve multiple wells without direct retrieval to deck. This intermediary mechanism decouples the riser from fixed positional constraints.
2Adaptability or versatility
If drilling risers are frequently retrieved, then well position flexibility is improved, but device complexity and operational cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer trolley combines multiple functions into a single integrated device: it serves as a support structure for the drilling riser, a transportation platform for moving between well positions, and a positioning mechanism for precise alignment. This merging reduces the need for separate retrieval and repositioning operations, simplifying the overall process despite maintaining flexibility.
3Productivity
If multiple wells are drilled from a single platform, then production efficiency is improved, but space utilization and operational coordination become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer trolley system creates a universal drilling operation platform that can serve multiple well positions with a single drilling riser assembly. The same riser and drilling equipment are used across different wells through the trolley's transportation capability, enabling multi-functionality without requiring separate equipment for each well position.
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A floating, offshore drilling and/or production platform is equipped with a rail- mounted transport system that can be positioned at a plurality of selected positions over the well bay of the vessel. The transport system can move a drilling riser with a drilling riser tensioner system and a blowout preventer from one drilling location to another without removing them from the well bay of the vessel. Using the transport system, the drilling riser is lifted just clear of a first well head and positioned over an adjacent, second well head using guidelines. The transport system may then move the upper end of the drilling riser (together with its attached tensioner and BOP) to a second drilling location. A dummy wellhead may be provided on the seafloor in order to secure the lower end of the drilling riser without removing it from the sea while production risers are being installed.