Patent EA-001253-B1 (EA)
Title: System for controlling and stopping oil drilling fires
Inventor: NINIVAARA TARMO EINO TAPANI
IPC: E21B34/02
Filed: 1997-10-01
Abstract: 1. Valve equipment for blocking oil and/or gas drilling pipes, comprising a drilling and blocking mechanism having a frame (12) mounted on support of the pipe (7) to be blocked, the frame (12) comprising a first frame part transversal to the direction of the pipe and disposed at the first side of the pipe, and a second frame part disposed at the other side of pipe opposite to the first side; a hydraulically rotatable drill (5) for boring through the pipe, the drill being arranged inside the first frame part to move transversally in relation to the direction of the pipe; a plugging cylinder (4) for plugging the hole bored to the pipe, the plugging cylinder being arranged inside the first or the second frame part to move transversally in relation to the direction of the pipe, and means for moving the plugging cylinder (4) into a plugging position at the hole bored to the pipe, characterized in that the drilling and blocking mechanism comprises stuffing boxes (14) made of hard material which are disposed inside the first frame part and the second frame part between said frame part and the drill and the plugging cylinder for directing the movement of the drill and the plugging cylinder, the stuffing boxes having sharp front ends facing the pipe the front ends being shaped to the form of the outer wall of the pipe, and the stuffing boxes being movable in the guidance of said frame part transversally towards the pipe from opposite sides of the pipe for sealing of the plugging seam of the pipe; tighteners (15) for pushing the stuffing boxes against the pipe; and locking means (16, 19, 20) for locking the tighteners into a fixed position in relation to the frame parts. 2. Valve equipment of claim 1, characterized in that the guide means of the frame (12) is provided with an inner thread and the tightener (15) is provided with an outer thread for co-operation with said inner thread. 3. Valve equipment of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a plain bearing (17), profitably a chrome strip, is arranged between the tightener (15) and the stuffing box (14). 4. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 3, characterized in that the locking means comprise a frame groove (20) at the cylindical inner surface of the frame part, spring-biased blocking locks (16) in the frame groove (20), and a locking groove (19) around the outer surface of the tightener (15) for receiving the blocking locks. 5. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 4, characterized in that the drilling and blocking meachanism comprises a compressed oil packing (18) for sealing the axle (13) which rotates the drill (15) to the stuffing box (14). 6. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 5, characterized in that the valve equipment comprises a plurality of drilling and blocking mechanisms arranged consecutively along the pipes (7), and that in each two adjacent drilling and blocking mechanisms the boring directions of the drills (5) through the pipe are opposite to each other. 7. Valve equipment of claim 6, characterized in that in each two adjacent drilling and blocking mechanisms the blocking directions of the plugging cylinders (4) are opposite to each other. 8. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 7, characterized in that the valve equipment comprises three or more drilling and blocking mechanisms. 9. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 8, characterized in that the drilling and blocking meachanism comprises an axle (13) having a drilling cylinder (3) provided with a drill (5), a power source (8) for rotating the axle (13), a piston (2) attached to the axle (13), and a hydraulic cylinder (1) for moving the piston and the axle in the direction of the axle: and/or that the valve equipment comprises box clamps (6), a blocking bolt (9), a pressure battery (10), a hydraulic container (11) with lines, a mechanism to utilize hydrostatic water pressure, and/or an automatic control and surveillance system. 10. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 9, characterized in that the point of the drilling cylinder (3) is ball-shaped and provided with a blade which is hydraulically projected and pulled back, whereby the drilling cylinder (3) also acts as the plugging cylinder (4). 11. valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 10, characterized in that the drilling cylinder (3) is conical and is provided with a dynamic drill size regulator, and that the plugging cylinder (4) is conical. 12. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 11, characterized in that the plugging cylinder (4) is hollow and lockable by oil pressure or explosive. 13. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 12, characterized in that the drilling cylinder (3) is a cylinder with a blade on its point. 14. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 13, characterized in that the drill (5) is disposed centrally at the point of the drilling cylinder (3). 15. Valve equipment of any one of claims 9 - 14, characterized in that the drilling cylinder (3), plugging cylinder (4) and the drill (5) are disposed to receive their forward motion energy from pressure batteries (10) through the piston (2), the axles (13), the hydraulic cylinder (1) and the hydraulic container (11) as well as the lines. 16. Valve equipment of any one of claims 9 - 15, characterized in that the drilling cylinder (3) and the drill (5) are disposed to receive their rotating motion energy from pressure batteries (10) through the piston (2), the axles (13), the hydraulic motor used as the power source (8), the hydraulic container (11) and the lines. 17. Valve equipment of any one of claims 9 - 16, characterized in that the box clamps (6) have a two-part structure in order to be installed around the pipe (7) from the sides. 18. Valve equipment of any one of claims 9 - 17, characterized in that the inner side of the box clamp (6) is conical and provided with a thread. 19. Valve equipment of any one of claims 9 - 18, characterized in that the blocking bolt (9) is lockable in place with explosive or by hydraulics. 20. Valve equipment of any one of claims 9 - 19, characterized in that the blocking bolt (9) is wider than the outermost oil and/or gas drilling pipe (7) and has a tapering V formed point. 21. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 20, characterized in that the drilling cylinder (3) and the plugging cylinder (4) have an outside diameter larger than the inner diameter of the oil or gas drilling pipe (7) to be blocked and smaller than the outside diameter of the oil or gas drilling pipe (7) to be blocked. 22. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 21, characterized in that the blade of the drilling cylinder (3) is disposed to be brought out mechanically and/or hydraulically when the drilling cylinder (3) starts to rotate and is pulled back into the drilling cylinder (3) mechanically and/or hydraulically when the rotating direction changes. 23. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 22, characterized in that the the outside of the drilling cylinder (3) has a grinding surface. 24. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 23,-characterized in that the drilling cylinder (3) is disposed to act as a plugging cylinder (4), and that the expansion of the drilling cylinder is arranged hydraulically or with explosive. 25. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 24, characterized in that the drilling cylinder (3) and the plugging cylinder (4) are both situated on the same side of the oil and/or gas drilling pipes (7) or on different sides. 26. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 25, characterized in that the drilling units are placed on opposite sides of the oil and/or gas drilling pipes so that successive drillings are done starting from different sides of the oil and/or gas drilling pipes, as are the pluggings in this case. 27. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 26, characterized in that the valve can be installed also on to an oil and/or gas drilling system which is controlled by a so called plate. 28. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 27, characterized in that in underwater conditions the hydrostatic water pressure is directed by a separate mechanism into energy to be used within the system. 29. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 28, characterized in that the valve equipment comprises means for measuring the changes in the magnetic field of the system for continuous monitoring of the oil and/or gas drilling unit as well as the surroundings and for taking action required by the changes. 30. Valve equipment of claim 29, characterized in that the changes in the magnetic field are disposed to be measured electrically, the changes being caused by changes in the flow rate, direction of the flow, temperature, pressure, stability or the surrounding material. 31. Valve equipment of claim 30, characterized in that the electrical observation is arranged with the help of resistors and changes in them and transistors, the observations being collected by computer in an integrated manner. 32. Valve equipment of claim 31, characterized in that the information collected by these measuring instruments and collected on the computer is integrated into coded limiting values, which are disposed to control the operation of the valve and to be transferred to the surveillance and control terminal. 33. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1-32, characterized in that the pressure created by causing an explosion within the massive cylinder is disposed to be directed through leads into energy to be used within the system. 34. Valve equipment of claim 33, characterized in that the air pressure caused by the explosion is directed either directly into the hydraulic container (11) or through a separate central container. 35. Valve equipment of claims 33 or 34, characterized in that the massive cylinder comprises two axially parallel pistons in the massive cylinder situated on different sides of the explosive material. 36. Valve equipment of any one of claims 1 - 35, characterized in that the necessary energy is disposed to be taken from under th