Underwater Drill Core Pressure-Tight Enclosure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Underwater drilling devices face challenges in maintaining the integrity of drill cores during retrieval, as changes in pressure and temperature can alter the composition and structure of the cores, particularly affecting gas hydrates like methane hydrate, which can lead to inaccurate analysis of the seafloor.
Innovation Solution
The drill core is secured in a pressure-tight receiving container on the base frame underwater, using a manipulator to close the container, which can be designed as part of the drill string or a separate cartridge-like container, ensuring that the core remains intact and can be analyzed reliably.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If drill cores are retrieved from the seafloor without pressure-tight enclosure, then retrieval operations are simpler and faster, but the composition and structure of the drill cores change due to pressure and temperature changes, leading to inaccurate analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The drill core is enclosed in a pressure-tight receiving container immediately after extraction from the drill string, while still at the seafloor location. This preliminary action prevents pressure and temperature changes during retrieval, maintaining the core's original state for accurate analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
A receiving container acts as an intermediary between the drill core and the external environment. This container maintains pressure-tight enclosure during retrieval operations, isolating the core from pressure and temperature changes that would otherwise alter its composition and structure.
2Measurement precision
If drill cores are enclosed in pressure-tight receiving containers underwater, then accurate analysis of seafloor structure is enabled by preventing changes to the core, but the device complexity and operation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The underwater drilling device performs the pressure-tight enclosure operation autonomously at the seafloor location using its own manipulator and receiving container, without requiring external assistance or complex surface operations. The system serves itself by completing the enclosure process in situ.
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving container is prepared and positioned in advance, and the enclosure operation is performed immediately after core extraction. This preliminary action ensures the core is sealed before any pressure or temperature changes can occur during retrieval to the surface.
3Volume of moving object
If drill cores are removed from the drill string and enclosed underwater, then larger core sizes can be maintained and transported efficiently, but the retrieval process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The extraction and enclosure operations are merged into a single integrated process performed at the seafloor location. The manipulator extracts the core from the drill string and immediately places it into the receiving container, eliminating intermediate handling steps and reducing overall operation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The retrieval process is segmented into distinct operational phases: core extraction from drill string, transfer to receiving container, and pressure-tight enclosure. This segmentation allows for efficient optimization of each phase while maintaining the overall process flow.
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 method allows for reliable information about the seafloor structure and composition by maintaining the core's state and preventing gas hydrates from volatilizing, enabling larger core sizes and improved analysis, while also allowing for efficient storage and transportation.
Implementation Method 1
the drill core, once it has been removed from the drill string, can be enclosed in pressure-tight manner in a receiving container on the base frame under water
Implementation Method 2
This applies in particular to what are called gas hydrates, in particular to methane hydrate, also known as methane ice, which occurs in large quantities in the sea bed
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an underwater drilling device and to a method for procuring drill cores of a bed of a body of water, wherein an underwater drilling device with a base frame is lowered in a body of water and placed on a bed of a body of water. A drill string consisting of at least one tubular drill string element is drilled out into the bed of the body of water in a first drilling step with a drill drive, with a drill core being formed in a receptacle in the tubular drill string element and being received in a core barrel in the drill string element. According to the invention, the drill core is enclosed in pressure-tight manner in a receiving container on the basic cradle under water.