Electrical drilling and production systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11933129-B2
Application number	US-202318340639-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2023
Priority date	Jul 10, 2016
Publication date	Mar 19, 2024
Grant date	Mar 19, 2024

Abstract

A drilling and production system is provided. In one embodiment, such a system has a plurality of functions that are effectuated at least predominately without hydraulic fluid. The system can be a drilling system having a rig and a subsea stack for performing various drilling functions, in which a majority of the drilling functions are effected electrically without hydraulic control fluid. In another embodiment, the rig is coupled to a subsea wellhead assembly but is not connected so as to provide hydraulic control fluid from the rig to the subsea wellhead assembly to enable drilling functions of the subsea wellhead assembly. Additional systems, devices, and methods are also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A drilling system, comprising:
a rig; and
a subsea wellhead assembly configured to perform a plurality of drilling functions, the subsea wellhead assembly comprising a wellhead, a blowout preventer stack, and a lower marine riser package (LMRP), wherein:
the plurality of drilling functions of the subsea wellhead assembly are effected electrically and without supply of hydraulic fluid from the rig;
the blowout preventer stack includes an energy storage device and at least one remote operating vehicle (ROV) charging port coupled to the energy storage device, the ROV charging port being configured to receive power from a ROV to charge the energy storage device for the blowout preventer stack; and
at least one drilling function of the plurality of drilling functions is performed using charge from the energy storage device.

2. The drilling system of claim 1 , wherein electrical power supplied from the energy storage device is bifurcated at the subsea wellhead assembly to yield bifurcated power, wherein the at least one drilling function is performed using the bifurcated power.

3. The drilling system of claim 1 , wherein the rig is not connected to the subsea wellhead assembly so as to supply the hydraulic fluid to the subsea wellhead assembly.

4. The drilling system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one drilling function comprises actuating a valve or a connector of the blowout preventer stack of the subsea wellhead assembly.

5. The drilling system of claim 1 , further comprising an electrical power supply on the rig configured to provide power to the subsea wellhead assembly via an electrical cable.

6. The drilling system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one drilling function comprises actuating a shear ram blowout preventer component to shear a drillpipe.

7. A drilling system, comprising:
a rig; and
a subsea wellhead assembly configured to perform multiple drilling functions and comprising a wellhead, a blowout preventer stack, and a lower marine riser package (LMRP), wherein:
the rig is coupled to the subsea wellhead assembly but is not coupled so as to provide hydraulic control fluid from the rig to the subsea wellhead assembly to enable the multiple drilling functions;
the blowout preventer stack includes an energy storage device and at least one remote operating vehicle (ROV) charging port coupled to the energy storage device, the ROV charging port being configured to receive power from a ROV for charging the energy storage device;
electrical power supplied from the energy storage device is converted to a plurality of different voltages by circuitry of the subsea wellhead assembly; and
at least one of the multiple drilling functions is performed using at least one of the plurality of different voltages.

8. The drilling system of claim 7 , further comprising an electrical power supply on the rig connected to the subsea wellhead assembly via an electrical cable to provide power from the rig to the subsea wellhead assembly.

9. The drilling system of claim 8 , wherein the electrical cable also carries data signals between the subsea wellhead assembly and the rig.

10. The drilling system of claim 7 , wherein the blowout preventer stack is a lower blowout preventer stack configured to perform a first subset of the multiple drilling functions, and wherein the LMRP is configured to perform a second subset of the multiple drilling functions.

11. The drilling system of claim 10 , wherein the lower blowout preventer stack is configured to perform each drilling function of the first subset of the multiple drilling functions without the hydraulic control fluid.

12. The drilling system of claim 10 , wherein the LMRP is configured to perform each drilling function of the second subset of the multiple drilling functions without the hydraulic control fluid.

13. The drilling system of claim 7 , wherein none of the drilling functions performed by the subsea wellhead assembly are effected with the hydraulic control fluid.

14. A method of operating a subsea wellhead assembly, the method comprising:
receiving, at a controller of the subsea wellhead assembly, one or more command signals from a rig, the subsea wellhead assembly comprising a wellhead, a blowout preventer stack, and a lower marine riser package (LMRP);
effecting, via the controller, drilling functions of the subsea wellhead assembly, wherein the subsea wellhead assembly is an all-electric subsea wellhead assembly configured to operate without hydraulic control fluid, and wherein effecting the drilling functions of the subsea wellhead assembly includes electrically effecting, via an energy storage device at the blowout preventer stack, the drilling functions without use of the hydraulic control fluid from the rig; and
receiving, via at least one remote operating vehicle (ROV) charging port at the subsea wellhead assembly, power from a ROV for charging the energy storage device.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising supplying electrical power from a power supply on the rig to the subsea wellhead assembly via an electrical cable.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising bifurcating, at the subsea wellhead assembly, electrical power supplied from the energy storage device to yield bifurcated power, wherein at least one of the drilling functions is performed using the bifurcated power.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the blowout preventer stack includes a lower blowout preventer stack having the controller.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein electrically effecting the drilling functions without use of the hydraulic control fluid includes issuing control signals from the controller to switching circuitry to direct power from the energy storage device to electric actuators of the subsea wellhead assembly to effect the drilling functions.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the one or more command signals are received at the LMRP.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein receiving the one or more command signals includes wirelessly receiving the one or more command signals from the rig.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Rakhunde Vikas
• Cooper Nathan
• Blair Justin
• Berckenhoff Michael W
• Mancuso Michael
• Givens Matthew

Classifications

• E21B33/0355 Primary

  Control systems, e.g. hydraulic, pneumatic, electric, acoustic, for submerged well heads · CPC title

• E21B34/04

  in underwater well heads · CPC title

• E21B34/16

  Control means therefor being outside the borehole {(control systems for submerged well heads E21B33/0355)} · CPC title