Abstract:
System for controlling oil well fires by blocking the production or drilling pipes. A box incorporating a movable piston is fitted around the pipe. The piston carries, on its forward end, a drilling cylinder (3), which can be brought to the pipe by a hydraulic piston-cylinder arrangement. Subsequently, the drilling cylinder drills through the pipe wall and after that the drilling cylinder or a separate plugging cylinder (4) is left in the drilled hole and blocks the fluid flow through the pipe. The process is remote controlled.

Description:
This application is a continuation of international application Ser. No. PCT/FI97/00593, filed Oct. 1, 1997, pending. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The subject of the invention is a system to controll oil drilling fires or fires of other corresponding liauid substances. With this invention the eruption of burning substance is stopped so that the oil drilling pipe/pipes are blocked in a way which makes it possible for the pipes to be reopened. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Presently there are three different ways to try to put out oil fires: 
     Water is sprayed on the seat of the fire while the fire fighter at the same time approaches the fire behind a protective shield and tries to shut down the valve of the oil pipe manually. The method is dangerous and requires a lot of water, which is not always available at the site of the fire. 
     By exploding the buring oil well the use of oxygen in the surrouding area is temporarily increased so much that the fire is suffocated by lack of sufficient oxygen. After this the valves and other broken equipment can be replaced. The method is very dangerous. 
     By drilling a new hole into the same oil well with the burning oil pipe and by pumping water into it the oil eruption is replaced by a water eruption and the fire is put out. This is an expensive and time consuming operation and the success of it cannot be guaranteed. Additionally it is dangerous to carry out. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main parts of the equipment of this invention in question are: a hydraulic cylinder, a piston, a drilling cylinder, a plugging cylinder, a drill, a box clamp, a hydraulic motor or other power source, a blocking bolt, a hydraulic container with leads and a pressure battery and an automatic control and surveillance system. The idea is that each oil and/or gas drilling pipe within each other has its own drilling unit in accordance with pipe size. By the drilling unit we mean the drilling and plugging mechanism needed to close one oil or gas drilling pipe. Several drilling units can use a mutual energy source with its hydraulic container. In underwater conditions as on offshore oil drilling platforms the water pressure can be directed with its own mechanism to be used in the system. To create pressure also an expolsion inside a massive cylinder with pistons at both ends, can be used and this pressure is directed through a separate central container or directly into the hydraulic container. The pressure can also be taken from the oil or gas drilling pipe under the drilling units, through a drilled hole and a joint fixed to it. The necessary number of drilling units can be installed, which in the example is three. 
     The purpose of the system of this invention is to controll oil and/or gas fires so that the distruction of big oil and/or gas drilling equipment can be avoided. The equipment can be installed either to an oil and/or gas drilling system under construction, an oil and/or gas drilling system already constructed or even onto a burning one. Because the equipment is remote-installed and automatically controlled the oil fire does not pose a threat to humans, when the equipment has already been installed to the oil drilling system in advance and installing one on an already burning system does not necessitate going into the immediate proximity of the fire seat, on the contrary it is installed underground. Thus as advantages of the invention we can mention that the equipment and method are safe, they save the environment, money and oil or gas. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention is explained in more detail below with references to the enclosed drawing. 
     FIG. 1 shows a cross section of the equipment when the first drilling cylinder is in motion. 
     FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the equipment when the first plugging cylinder is in place. 
     FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the equipment when all three plugging cylinders are in place. 
     FIG. 4 shows a cross section of the hemispherical cylinder. 
     FIG. 5 shows a part cross section of the conical cylinder with the grinding surface. 
     FIG. 6 shows a part cross section of the conical cylinder with protruding blade. 
     FIG. 7 shows the equipment installed and a part cross section of the hydraulic container. The figure does not shows the the space constructed under ground, where the equipment is situated. 
     FIG. 8 is a picture detailing the box clamp and the locked blocking bolt. 
     FIG. 9 shows an application in which the drilling cylinder and the plugging cylinder (which, however, are not drawn into the figure) operate beginning from the same side of the oil and/or gas drilling pipe and the above mentioned cylinders are directed by and the cutting seam sealed by means of a stuffing box. In the figure the stuffing box on the right hand side has not been tightened into place. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 the idea is that on the right hand side of the oil and/or gas drilling pipes and the plugging cylinder there is a similar pushing and/or rotating mechanism as on the left side of the oil and/or gas drilling pipes. It is also appropriate, deviating from the drawings, that drilling units operating one after the other are placed on opposite sides of the oil and/or gas drilling pipes so that successive drillings as well as pluggings are done starting from the opposite sides of the pipes. If there are three or more drilling units around the same oil and/or gas drilling pipes each can be placed to be started from completely different directions, thus making it possible to minimize resultant force caused to the pipes by the drilling and plugging. 
     When the equipment is started the pressure of the pressure batteries 10 is discharged into the hydraulic container 11, the pressure of which starts the operation of the hydraulic motor 8 and the valve. Oil flows into the hydraulic cylinder 1 which pushes the piston 2 and the piston pushes the drill 5 and the drilling cylinder 3 forward. When the drilling cylinder 3 has penetrated sufficently far that is through the oil drilling pipes 7, the mechanical reversing valve gives the command for the drill 5 and the drilling cylinder 3 to return and further gives the order for the plugging cylinder 4 to carry out the plugging. The plugging cylinder 4 can be placed also behind the drilling cylinder 3, in which case the motion is needed in only one direction. When all the drilling units have operated also the blocking bolt can be closed when necessary. This works either hydraulically or by explosives. The plugging cylinders can operate either only so they are pushed or they can be equipped with a rotating motor for example for grinding. At the time of the plugging or after the plugging a pressurized fire extinguishing substance such as liquid nitrogen can additionally be fed into the gas or oil drilling pipe. This is fed through a hole cut into the oil or gas drilling pipe by a device like the drilling cylinder 3. All this can be done without electricity, by forced controll, in which case once the operation is started it cannot be stopped. The equipment is fixed around the oil pipes with a box clamp 6 and supported to its base. By plugging pipes of various sizes separately the pipes on top are prevented from falling. By installing sleeve pipes in place of the cut ones and by pulling out the plugs the oil drilling system can be made operational again. 
     The following application can be used to block the outer oil or gas drilling pipe and the explanation refers mainly to FIG. 9: 
     In addition to the parts of the invention mentioned earlier the invention also includes a stuffing box 14, a tightener 15, blocking locks 16, a plain bearing (for example a chrome strip) 17, compressed oil packing 18, a locking groove 19 and a frame groove 20. The end of the stuffing box 14 which is facing the oil or gas drilling pipe is shaped in the form of the outside wall of the pipe in question and is very sharp, this is tightened into place with a plain bearing 17 and a tightener 15 with an outside thread to the inner thread of the frame 12 of the equipment either by hand during installation or by an automatized mechanism when the equipment is started. A locking groove 19 has been shaped around the tightener 15 of the stuffing box, into which the blocking locks 16 drawn to the frame 12 by springs/fluid pressure are pushed, when the tightener of the stuffing box has been pushed to the required depth. Additionally a frame groove 20 has been shaped into the frame 12 of the equipment, its purpose being to prevent, in addition to the tightener 15 of the stuffing box, the loosening of the stuffing box 14 when it has reached the fixed depth. The purpose of the stuffing box 14 which has been tightened into place and which is very sharp at the oil or gas drilling pipe 7 end and which is of a very hard material, is to seal the plugging seam of the oil or gas drilling pipe 7 being drilled and plugged and to direct the movement of the drilling-plugging combination 3-4 travelling within it. The seam between the stuffing box 14 and the axle 13 is sealed with a compressed oil packing. As the drilling proceeds the pieces drilled loose from the oil or gas drilling pipe 7 are left in the drilling-plugging combination 3-4. 
     The surveillance and control of the valve can operate: 
     1. By using known methods from the processing and automation technology. 
     2. By electrically measuring changes with sensors from the magnetic field of the system, these changes are caused for example by changes in the following quantities: flow rate, flow direction, temperature, pressure, stability. Changes taking place in the magnetic field are noted electrically by changes in several resistors, which are transistor directed and integrated by computer, and the operation of the valve is controlled by the limiting values coded into the computer. The underwater surroundings of the valve and changes in it can also be surveilled throught this method, and any observations, for example the threat of terrorism, is passed on to the surveillance and control terminal. 
     3. By analysing and coordinating quantities, such as temperature, pressure, speed of revolution and travelling speed, and changes in them measured by sensors in the tip of the drill and on the axle. 
     To control the valve we can use: 
     1. Independent valve controls, electrically connected: closing the valve needs only one command. 
     2. Control directly or indirectly from the hydraulic valve. 
     3. A hydraulic valve operated by pneumatics. 
     The operations can be connected either manually or automatically, in which case the system is started by the safety release of the independently closing system. As measuring quantities we can use temperature, gas content, pressure, flow, jolts, mechanics, electrical techniques or other such quantities, which give the valve instructions automatically also when it is not possible to do this by human power. 
     Sensors indicating operation can be installed on the valve which will show the operating status of the valve. 
     1. A pressure sensor in the hydraulic container showing the valve has started operating, indicating the working pressure of the oil. 
     2. A gauge showing the amount of oil indicating the distance of motion: 
     the amount of oil going into the cylinder indicates the distance of motion 
     the pressure sensor on the return side of the cylinder indicates the operation of the return motion. 
     3. The pressure sensor in the plugging cylinder indicates the plugging motion. 
     4. The sensor indicating the rotating of the drill is situated on the axle of the drill 
     5. A sensor situated in the tip of the drill can measure prevailing quantities. 
     Automatic data processing uses these quantities to form a picture detailing the operation of the valve onto the computer terminal.