Tape Winch, Drilling Progress Measurement and Hole Depth Measurement

Abstract

Winch (304) has a load bearing tape (305) to advance into a borehole (307). Hole depth can be determined by subtracting a sensed height (310) above ground surface (311) from total depth (312) measured. Can include a height above ground sensor (314) and a tape distance measurer (316). Depth of water or watery mud or muddy water (320) can be sensed, such as by a pressure sensor (326) on a weight or in a sensor device at or near the tape leading end. A heater (309) can warm the tape. A cover or housing (313) can be provided for the winch or spool. The tape can include wires or fibre optics (336) embedded in or applied to a surface of the tape (305) and/or apertures or embedded or surface applied markers/indicators (338) along a length thereof e.g. for reading by an optical or magnetic sensor.

Claims

1. A winch apparatus including a load bearing member in the form of a flexible elongate tape, and a spool onto which the load bearing member is wound in and from which the load bearing member is payed out, the load bearing member including a tape.

2. The winch apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tape is flat or curved in cross section.

3. The winch apparatus according to claim 1, the tape having a structure of strands orientated in multi directions.

4. The winch apparatus of claim 3, wherein the multi directions include a combination of two or more of longitudinal strands, transverse strands, diagonal strands, filaments or ribbons of material.

5. The winch apparatus of claim 4, wherein the longitudinal strands, transverse strands, diagonal strands, filaments or ribbons, or combinations of two or more thereof, are bonded or fused together.

6. The winch apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the longitudinal strands, transverse strands, diagonal strands, filaments or ribbons are bonded in a plastics material, bonded in an adhesive material or are heat sealed together, or combinations of two or more thereof.

7. The winch apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tape includes metal strands or wires.

8. (canceled)

9. The winch apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tape includes a number of indicators or markers disposed at spaced intervals along at least part of its length.

10. The winch apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the indicators or markers are applied onto or into the material of the tape or are provided by holes or recesses in the tape, or by transparency or thinning of the tape.

11. The winch apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the indicators or markers include metallic or electrically conductive indicators within, embedded in and/or applied to the tape.

12. (canceled)

13. The winch apparatus according to claim 1, including a sensing system for monitoring length or distance the load bearing member of the winch is payed out or wound in.

14. The winch apparatus of claim 13, wherein the sensing system includes means for sensing presence and/or position of spaced indicators provided on the load bearing member.

15. The winch apparatus of claim 14, including magnetic or electromagnetic sensing of the indicators.

16. The winch apparatus of claim 15, wherein the load bearing member is opaque or semi-opaque to optical light or to electromagnetic radiation or is not significantly influencing of a magnetic field.

17. The winch apparatus of claim 13, including means to illuminate the tape with electromagnetic radiation.

18. The winch apparatus of claim 17, wherein the tape includes one or more holes through which the electromagnetic radiation passes.

19. The winch apparatus of claim 1, including at least one pressure sensor at or adjacent a weight or the leading end of the tape.

20. (canceled)

21. The winch apparatus of claim 1, including a verticality sensor to measure angle of the hole into which the load bearing member is advanced.

22. (canceled)

23. The winch apparatus of claim 1, including at least one sensor that senses slack in the tape or reduction in weight acting on the tape and therefore on the device.

24. (canceled)

25. The winch apparatus of claim 1, including at least one height sensor to determine the height of the winch device from ground surface.

26. (canceled)

27. (canceled)

28. The winch apparatus of claim 1, wherein length of the tape deployed over a measured period of time is used to determine rate of advancement of the tape.

29. The winch apparatus of claim 28, wherein a leading or free end of the tape is connected to a moveable portion of a drillstring drive assembly associated with the drilling mast.

30. The winch apparatus according to claim 1, including a wiper arrangement to wipe the surface of the tape.

31. (canceled)

32. The winch apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tape includes metallic or electrically conductive indicators within, embedded in and/or applied to the tape.

33. (canceled)

34. (canceled)

35. (canceled)

36. (canceled)

37. (canceled)

38. (canceled)

39. The winch apparatus according to claim 1, including a heater to heat the tape directly or indirectly.

40. The winch apparatus of claim 39, wherein a spool for holding the tape is heated and/or a housing for the spool is heated by the heater.

41. (canceled)

42. A drilling rate of penetration measurement system for a drilling operation, the system including a winch apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, and including a sensor device to provide an indication of distance a drill bit or part of a drill rig or other tool advances during drilling, the sensor including a device having a flat tape that unwinds from being spirally wound around a narrow spool to an extended orientation during such advancement, and rewinds into a spiral of the tape during a return action, the spiral being in a single plane.

43. (canceled)

44. (canceled)

45. (canceled)

46. The system of claim 42, wherein length of the tape deployed over a measured period of time is used to determine rate of advancement of the tape.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein a leading or free end of the tape is connected to a moveable portion of a drillstring drive assembly associated with the drilling mast.

48. The system according to claim 42, including a wiper arrangement to wipe the surface of the tape.

49-69. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0199] FIG. 1 shows a view of a device for deploying a tape from a narrow spool, such as for use as a winch, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0200] FIG. 2 shows an alternative view of the device of FIG. 1.

[0201] FIG. 3 shows an alternative view of the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0202] FIG. 4 shows a device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0203] FIG. 5 shows a device for paying out and/or retrieving a tape from/to a spool and including a distance determining device according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

[0204] FIG. 6 shows an example of a detector for detecting and/or reading indicators in or on the tape, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0205] FIG. 7 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

[0206] FIG. 8 provides an example of a tape according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

[0207] FIGS. 1 to 3 show alternative views of apparatus including a device 10 for deploying a tape 12 spirally wound on a narrow spool 14.

[0208] The device 10 has a motor 16 driving a drive mechanism 18 to rotate the spool about a central axis.

[0209] A guide wheel 20 guides the tape during deployment and retraction.

[0210] It will be appreciated that the tape is wound and unwound as a single narrow spiral from and onto the spool.

[0211] The device includes a clamp 22 to clamp the device onto a vehicle (not shown).

[0212] The device can include a support frame 24, which can include adjustment to vary the distance the guide wheel 20 is spaced from the spool.

[0213] The spool with the wound tape, the motor and/or the drive mechanism can be enclosed for safety within a housing, such as a fiberglass, metal or polymer housing.

[0214] Various spool diameters and widths can be used to suit the width and thickness of the tape. However, the tape is wound onto and from itself in a single spiral, making the spool lighter and avoiding the need for a side to side spooling guide.

[0215] As shown in FIG. 4, the spool holds a 900 m tape.

[0216] It will be appreciated that no calibration is necessary and there is no need to spool side to side to create a lateral layer of a round section cable before another layer can be created.

[0217] FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

[0218] An apparatus according to at least one embodiment of the present invention includes a device 100 includes a tape 102 for paying out and rewinding back onto a spool 104.

[0219] The spool is supported by a support 106 and the tape is guided by a guide or idler pulley/wheel 108.

[0220] The tape includes a number of spaced indicators which are detected as each indicator passes a reader 108.

[0221] The reader identifies how many indicators have been detected and/or rate of detection of the indicators to provide an indication of distance and/or rate of paying out and/or retraction of the tape and therefore provide an indication of the distance and/or rate of paying out or return of an object to which the tape is attached or a particular point on the tape, such as a leading end portion.

[0222] At least one guide and wiper arrangement 112 is provided to ensure correct deployment/return of the tape and to clean the tape, particularly during rewind when the deployed tape may have become dirty and/or wet.

[0223] The support includes a mount 114, and rotation of the spool is powered by a motor 116 driving through gearing 118 to the axis of the spool.

[0224] FIG. 6 shows an example of a detector 200 used for detecting the spaced indicators or markers 204 on the tape 202. The detector can be or from part of the reader 112 mentioned above.

[0225] As shown by way of example in FIG. 7 of an embodiment 300 of the present invention, a user 302 employs an apparatus including a tape winch device 304 that pays out a tape 305 (preferably weighted by a weight 308) into a bore hole or blast hole 307.

[0226] The weight reaches the bottom 306 of the hole 307. The device can detect that the weight has reached the bottom and stops paying out the tape.

[0227] Speed control and snag detection can be provided. The apparatus can detect when the weight or tool at the end of the tape has snagged as it advances down the hole and tension and/or speed of the tape advancing changes. Such detection can be by detecting tension in the tape slackening or torque at the motor of the winch changing. The winch can include torque sensing and/or speed sensing means to determine whether the tape is paying-out and/or returning correctly.

[0228] The device can determine the depth of the hole by subtracting a sensed height 310 of the device above ground surface 311 from the total depth 312 measured.

[0229] The device 310 can include a height above ground sensor 314 and a tape distance measurement device 316, such as an optical or magnetic sensing device.

[0230] The tape can include spaced markers along the length of the tape, which may be apertures in the tape or physically marked or embedded markers on or in the material of the tape, as previously described.

[0231] The user can hold the device as a handheld device or the device may be supported on a belt, harness or strap 318 supported on the user 302.

[0232] Pressure, temperature and/or presence of water can be sensed by at least one respective depth sensor 326, pressure sensor 328, temperature sensor 330 or moisture sensor 334, which can be provided on the weight, attached to the weight or attached to the end of the tape in the drill or blast hole.

[0233] Water 322 depth of water or watery mud or muddy water 320 can be sensed, such as by a pressure sensor 326 on the weight or in the sensor device at or near the leading end of the tape.

[0234] A sensor device 324 can be attached to or be part of the tape 305 of a tape winch 304.

[0235] The sensor device 324 can be provided toward or at the leading (free) end of the tape to be payed out in use.

[0236] The sensor device can incorporate one or more of depth 326 and/or pressure 328 and/or temperature sensors 330, and may include an on-board power supply, such as a battery 332.

[0237] The tape winch may include a verticality/angle sensor 342 to provide an indication of whether the bore hole, drill hole or blast hole is vertical or off from vertical and what angle from vertical the hole is.

[0238] The tape winch may include communication with a sensor 344 in a sensor device downhole on the tape, which communicates via wires, fibre optics or through a conductive said tape, the communication establishing any vertical offset between the downhole sensor (such as being at the bottom of the hole) and the tape winch at the surface, to provide an indication of any deviation of the hole from vertical.

[0239] The sensor device can be electrically or optically connected along a length of the tape to a winch device, such as by wires or fibre optics 336 embedded in or applied to a surface of the tape 305.

[0240] The tape winch device 304 may include a heater 309 to warm the tape. The heater may heat the spool which then warms the tape and/or the heater may directly warm the tape, such as by passing the tape past the heater as the tape deploys from the spool and/or retracts onto the spool. The heater may be provided by or on a housing/cover 313 for at least the spool.

[0241] As exemplified in FIG. 8, the tape can include wires or fibre optics 336 embedded in or applied to a surface of the tape 305 and/or apertures or embedded or surface applied markers/indicators 338 along a length thereof for reading by the optical or magnetic sensor at the winch.

[0242] Alternatively, the tape may be conductive to electricity and signals may be sent or pulsed along the material of the tape instead of using electrical conductors or fibre optics.

[0243] A method of obtaining downhole data involves paying out a sensor device at or near a leading end of a tape of a tape winch, obtaining data relating to one or more parameters, retrieving the sensor device by paying in the tape.

[0244] The method can include the sensor device measuring pressure, sensing immersion in water or a predetermined temperature whilst deployed.

[0245] The sensor device can be or provide a weight for the end of the tape or is attached or otherwise connected to a weight for the end of the tape.

[0246] When a bottom of the hole or other depth is reached, hole depth or accelerometer 340 measuring that the tape is not moving downwards triggers a recording or sensing event.

[0247] After recording depth and any other desired parameter is achieved, the winch pulls up the sensor device.

[0248] At the surface, the depth and any other recorded data is compared with depth/distance from optical/magnetic sensor for the tape at the winch device at the surface.

[0249] Modifications and variations to the sampling system described above may be apparent to the skilled reader of this disclosure. Such modifications and variations are deemed within the scope of the present disclosure.