The present invention relates to a hoisting system, and more particularly to a hoisting system for floating vessels including but not limited to such hoisting systems used for offshore oil and gas exploration and exploitation.

BACKGROUND

Known technology for hoisting or lifting systems on vessels, e.g. drilling-, intervention- and service vessels used in the offshore market today, include winch-based systems (e.g. so-called drawworks) with a multiple stringed block. These may be arranged in a single wire or multi-wire setup. An alternative solution is a cylinder lifting rig, such as the Ram Rig™ technology supplied by the current applicant.

A conventional configuration with drawworks uses a drum which is winding up a single hoisting wire with very high line speed, due to the gearing factor in the travelling- and crown block system. An example of a possible arrangement is shown in WO 2013/076207 A2. A further example of a winch-based hoisting system can be seen in WO 2014/209131 A1 , comprising a winch with a winch drum, an elongated hoisting member, and where the elongated hoisting member is accommodated in a single layer on the winch drum.

A cylinder lifting configuration may utilise cylinders pushing directly onto a yoke, on which a number of sheaves are attached. The hoisting wire is attached to an anchor at one end and to a load at the other end. The lifting speed is 2:1 between the load and the cylinder movement. A set of parallel wires can be arranged to lift a common load. An example of a possible arrangement is described in WO 97/23705.

Other documents useful for understanding the field of technology include WO 2014/140367, US 2005/0191165, US 4552339, US 4341373, WO 97/24507, WO 01/77000, and US 3606854. Such hoisting systems for vessels will commonly be required to operate under varying operational conditions, according to the particular operation carried out, for example drilling, well intervention, or subsea installation. This may range from having to carry out very heavy lifts, to carrying out lighter lifts but where high lifting speed is required. This is a challenge for designers of such systems, since there will often be trade-offs between the different operational functionality and performance that can be realised.

There is therefore a need for improved hoisting systems to reduce or eliminate the above mentioned disadvantages of known techniques. It is an objective of the present invention to achieve this and to provide further advantages over the state of the art.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, there is provided a hoisting system comprising:

a vertically arranged hoisting cylinder assembly having at least one hoisting cylinder, the hoisting cylinder assembly having a lower part and an upper part, the upper part being moveable in relation to the lower part; at least one sheave arranged in the upper part of the hoisting cylinder assembly;

a winch having a base which is fixed in relation to the lower part; and a wire operatively connected to the winch and extending from the winch via the at least one sheave to a yoke so as to suspend the yoke from the at least one sheave.

In an embodiment, there is provided a hoisting system comprising:

a vertically arranged hoisting cylinder assembly having at least one hoisting cylinder, the hoisting cylinder assembly having a lower part and an upper part, the upper part being moveable in relation to the lower part; at least one sheave arranged in the upper part of the hoisting cylinder assembly;

a winch having a base which is fixed in relation to the lower part; a wire anchor, the wire anchor being fixed in relation to the lower part; and

a wire extending via the at least one sheave to a yoke so as to suspend the yoke from the at least one sheave, wherein

the wire is configured to connect to the winch and/or to the anchor.

In an embodiment, there is provided a hoisting system comprising:

a vertically arranged hoisting cylinder assembly having at least one hoisting cylinder, the hoisting cylinder assembly having a lower part and an upper part, the upper part being moveable in relation to the lower part; at least one sheave arranged in the upper part of the hoisting cylinder assembly;

a winch having a base which is fixed in relation to the lower part;

a wire configured to extend from the winch via the at least one sheave and through an opening in a drill floor.

The hoisting system may further comprise a wire anchor, the wire anchor being fixed in relation to the lower part; and a second wire configured to extend from the wire anchor via the at least one sheave to a yoke so as to suspend the yoke from the at least one sheave.

There is also provided methods for operating a hoisting system and a floating structure having a hoisting system. The floating structure may be a drilling rig or a drillship.

The appended dependent clams describe further embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Illustrative embodiments will now be described with reference to the appended drawings, in which

Figure 1 shows a hoisting system,

Figure 2 shows details of the hoisting system of Fig. 1 , Figure 3 shows a side view of the hoisting system of Fig. 1 ,

Figure 4 shows a schematic view of a hoisting system,

Figure 5 shows a drillship having a hoisting system,

Figure 6 shows a drilling rig having a hoisting system,

Figure 7 shows a hoisting system,

Figure 8 shows details of the hoisting system of Fig. 7,

Figure 9 shows details of the hoisting system of Fig. 7,

Figure 10 shows a hoisting system,

Figure 11 shows details of the hoisting system of Fig. 10, and

Figure 12 shows details of the hoisting system of Fig. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Preferred and advantageous embodiments of the present invention will now be described in relation to a drilling rig, however it is to be understood that the invention may be suitable for various other applications, including but not limited to well intervention, subsea equipment installation, and other offshore lifting operations.

Referring to Figures 1-3, there is shown an embodiment of a hoisting system 100 for a vessel according to the present invention. The hoisting system 100 has a vertically arranged hoisting cylinder assembly 1 , which has a lower part 1b and an upper part 1a. The hoisting cylinder assembly 1 may comprise one or more individual hoisting cylinders; in the embodiment shown six individual hoisting cylinders 13a-f are used. The hoisting cylinder assembly 1 is mounted on and supported by a deck structure, here shown as a drill floor 3 and an upper drill floor 2. Having an elevated upper drill floor 2, as shown in this embodiment, is optional and all equipment may, alternatively, be arranged on drill floor 3. The drill floor 3 has an opening 30 defining a well centre. In use, a tubular may extend through the opening and extend downwards towards the sea floor and/or into a subsea well. The tubular may be a drill string used for drilling, for well intervention operations, or for installing or removing equipment subsea. A plurality of sheaves 4a-4d are arranged in the upper part 1a of the hoisting cylinder assembly 1. A wire 5 extends upwardly from the upper drill floor 2, via the sheaves 4a-4d, and to a yoke 7 suspended at the opposite side of the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 and above the opening 30. The wire 5 may, for example, be a steel or fiber rope. The wire 5 is operatively connected to a winch 6 mounted on the upper drill floor 2, so that the yoke can be hoisted or lowered by means of the winch 6. The yoke 7 may also be hoisted or lowered by operating the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 , i.e. extending or contracting the hoisting cylinders 13a-f such as to move the sheaves 4a-4d vertically.

The yoke 7 is arranged to carry or guide a tool used for a drilling operation, a well intervention operation or a subsea installation operation. In the embodiment shown, the tool is a drilling machine 8.

A hoisting tower 15, for example a derrick structure, supports the hoisting cylinder arrangement 1. The hoisting tower 15 is mounted on the drill floor 3 or on the upper drill floor 2. The yoke 7 may comprise a dolly 31 which is arranged to move vertically along the hoisting tower 15 with the support of at least one rail 16. The hoisting tower 15 may have a mast top deck 32.

The winch 6 is mounted on the upper drill floor 2 near the lower part 1 b of the hoisting cylinder assembly such that the wire extends from the winch 6 to the sheaves 4a-4d substantially parallel to the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 , i.e. substantially vertically. The winch 6 may, alternatively, be mounted on the drill floor 3, or below the drill floor 3, for example inside the hull of the vessel. The winch 6 is thus aligned horizontally with the lower part 1b or positioned lower than the lower part 1b. Positioning the winch 6 at a low location in the vessel is beneficial for the stability of the vessel. Moreover, positioning the winch 6 below the drill floor 3 and/or inside the hull of the vessel provides advantages that space is freed up on the drill floor 3 (where space is very limited), and that operations on or with the winch 6 can be carried out at a dedicated place which is more protected and where more space is available than on the drill floor 3. This may, for example, include spooling on new wire, or performing maintenance on the winch 6 or associated components. This may then be done without interfering with operations on the drill floor 3. An opening in the drill floor 3 for the wire(s) 5 can be arranged for this purpose. The hoisting system may be arranged with a single wire between the winch 6 and the yoke 7. In the embodiment shown, multiple wires 5 are used. Each of the wires extend over the sheaves 4a-4d to the yoke 7. In the embodiment shown, six wires are used, with sheaves 4d and 4a having three grooves for accommodating three of the wires and sheaves 4c and 4d having three grooves for accommodating the other three wires. Alternatively, each wire may have a dedicated sheave (or sheaves) in the top section 1a of the hoisting cylinder assembly 1. Providing a multi-line hoisting configuration improves safety and reduces the maintenance requirements (e.g. cut-and-slip of the wire) such that when using a winch together with a hoisting cylinder arrangement, the operational lifetime and uptime is not negatively affected.

The winch 6 has a base 42 and a winch drum 14. The winch drum 14 may be configured to accommodate a single layer of the wire 5. This reduces wear on the wire 5, such that the use of the winch 6 does not negatively affect the lifetime or operational uptime of the hoisting system.

Both the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 and the winch 6 may be hydraulically driven. Fig. 4 shows a schematic overview of the hoisting system's power distribution and control setup. A hydraulic power unit (HPU) 10 provides pressurised hydraulic fluid through hydraulic supply line 9. Both the winch 6 and the individual hydraulic hoisting cylinders 13a-f receives hydraulic power from the HPU 10. The hydraulic supply line 9 comprises appropriate valves 32 and 33 to control the hydraulic supply to the winch 6 and the hydraulic hoisting cylinders 13a-f, respectively. The HPU 10 is electrically powered via a power supply line 11 from the vessel. Alternatively the winch 6 may be electrically powered, via variable frequency drives. In such an embodiment the system may include variable frequency control of both electrical motors for the winch 6, and for the motors on the HPU 10. By providing a power distribution setup as shown in Fig. 4, the HPU 10 may be used to operate the winch 6 and/or the hydraulic hoisting cylinder arrangement 1. This reduces the required installed hydraulic power, e.g. the size of the HPU 10, while maintaining the system's capability of both high-speed and heavy lifting.

A controller 12 is provided to control the operation of the winch 6 and the hoisting cylinder assembly 1. The controller 12 may control the operation of the HPU 10 via a control line 34, the distribution of hydraulic energy through control of the valves 32 and 33 via control lines 35 and 36, and control of other operational aspects of the winch 6 and the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 via appropriate control lines (not shown). This may include, for example, winch brakes to lock the position of the winch drum 14, mechanical locks to lock the position of the hoisting cylinders 13a-f, hydraulic lines connecting the winch 6 and/or the hoisting cylinders 13a-f to other components, such as accumulators, etc.

The controller 12 may be configured to, in a first operational configuration, maintain the winch 6 in a non-operating position while operating the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 and, in a second operational configuration, maintain the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 in a non-operating position while operating the winch 6. This may be done by means of brakes, mechanical locks, hydraulic locks, or otherwise. For example, one can engage the brakes of the winch 6 when operating the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 , or engage a mechanical lock on the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 , or a hydraulic lock to close off the working chamber in the hoisting cylinders 13a-f, when operating the winch 6. The first operational configuration may include operating the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 for lifting purposes or for heave compensation purposes (see below). The second operational configuration may include operating the winch 6 for lifting purposes or for heave compensation purposes (see below).

In an embodiment, the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 is provided with higher lifting capacity than the winch 6. For example, the winch 6 may have a lifting capacity of 200 tons, whereas the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 may have a lifting capacity of 750-1000 tons. This can be achieved by designing the wire 5, the winch drum 14, the winch brakes 40,41 and other associated components with a capacity to withstand the loads generated by the operation of the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 , while other components (e.g. the power supply) can be designed according to the winch' 6 lifting capacity. For example, the static braking capacity of the brakes 40,41 may be designed to be higher than the maximum lifting capacity of the hoisting cylinder assembly 1. This allows the design of the winch 6 to be as small, light and compact as possible, while maintaining the overall lifting capacity and performance of the hoisting system 100. The ratio between the lifting capacity of the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 and the winch 6 may be more than two, more than three, more than four or more than five.

The winch 6 and/or the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 may be provided with heave compensation capability. The heave compensation capability may be passive, for example using accumulators (not shown) fluidly connected to the working chamber of the hoisting cylinders 13a-f, or active, i.e. actively controlling the operation of the winch 6 or the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 according to measured vessel motion. Heave compensation may be controlled by the controller 12, by a separate controller, or manually.

By providing both the winch 6 and the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 with heave compensation capability, one can achieve improved heave compensation performance. For example, when requiring heave compensation under heavy loads, the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 can be used, while for example the winch 6 can be designed to provide fast response and/or low weight variations when compensating on light loads.

The hoisting cylinders 13a-f are preferably designed with a stroke length s (see Fig. 3) which is sufficiently large to be able to move the yoke 7 along

substantially the full lifting height h of the hoisting system. The stroke length s may be (i) more than one fifth (20%) of, (ii) more than one fourth (25%) of, (iii) more than one third (33%) of, (iv) more than 45% of, or (v) substantially equal to half the full lifting height h of the hoisting system. This ensures that both the hydraulic cylinder assembly 1 and the winch 6 can operate the hoisting system over a significant part, or the full, operational lifting height of the system, and that both the hydraulic cylinder assembly 1 and the winch 6 can carry out lifting operations requiring such a lifting height.

Figure 5 shows a schematic illustration of a hoisting system 100 arranged on a drillship 501. Figure 6 shows a schematic illustration of a hoisting system 100 arranged on a drilling rig 502. The floating structure on which the hoisting system is arranged may be of any type, such as a barge, a semi-submersible, a cylindrical floater, or a single-hull or multi-hull ship shaped vessel.

In one embodiment, illustrated in Figs 7-9, the hoisting system 100 further comprises an anchor 50 fixed in relation to the lower part 1 b and configured for holding the wire(s) 5 fixed. The anchor 50 can be aligned horizontally with the lower part 1 b or positioned lower than the lower part 1 b. By providing an anchor 50 to which the wire(s) 5 can be fixed, it is possible to remove the wire(s) 5 from the winch 6 and fix these in the vessel structure for example when carrying out heavy lifts and/or to free the winch 6 for maintenance, repairs, or preparation for subsequent operations. Providing a hoisting system 100 with a first operational configuration in which the wire(s) 5 is configured to connect to the winch 6 and a second operational configuration in which the wire(s) 5 is configured to connect to the anchor 50 thus improves the design flexibility and/or operational flexibility of the system. For example, by providing anchors 50, the requirements on the brakes 40,41 and other components of the winch 6, which can allow these to be designed for lower maximum capacity if that should be desirable.

As can be seen most clearly from Fig. 8, in this embodiment the anchor 50 is arranged vertically spaced above the winch 6. This allows the wire(s) 5 to be fixed along the path parallel to the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 , so that no angle which would create a moment force acting on the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 is created.

In this embodiment, the anchor 50 is arranged on a support element 51 which spans at least part of the winch 6. The support element 51 may comprise an opening 53 (see Fig. 11) which is arranged for the wire(s) 5 to extend through. This eases the change in operational configuration between a setup with the wire(s) 5 fixed to the anchor 50, and the wire(s) 5 operatively connected to the winch 6. The anchor 50 may alternatively be arranged on the drill floor 3, or below the drill floor 3. In one embodiment, the winch 6 is arranged below the drill floor 3 and the anchor 50 is arranged on the drill floor 3. This allows the wire(s) 5 to be anchored on the drill floor 3, while the winch 6 can be accessed in its location below the drill floor 3, for example for maintenance or preparation for subsequent operations. Such activities can then be carried out without interfering with drill floor 3 activities, and maintaining the operational capability of the hoisting system via the hoisting cylinder assembly 1.

In one embodiment, illustrated in Figs 10-12, the hoisting system 100 has a winch 6 with a wire 60 configured to extend from the winch 6 via at least one sheave 4e-f in the upper part 1a of the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 , and through the opening 30 in a drill floor 3. The wire 60 can be a single wire which has a length that permits subsea lifting operations, for example landing equipment on the sea floor. The hoisting system 100 may, additionally, have a wire anchor 50 and one or more wires 5 which suspend a yoke 7 and a tool 8, as shown in Fig. 7. (These components are omitted in Figs 10-12 only for clarity.) Alternatively, the hoisting system 100 can be reconfigured between the operational modes, so that the wires 5, yoke 7 and tool 8 are removed before operating the winch 6 with the longer wire 60, and the wire 60 can be removed before operating the hoisting system 100 in cylinder lifting mode.

The wires 5 and associated components may otherwise be configured similarly as described above.

An arrangement according to this embodiment permits long wireline operations, e.g. to sea floor, to be carried out by the hoisting system 100, while for example heavy lifting operations can be carried out by the cylinder hoisting assembly 1. This may include, for example, landing heavy equipment via a drill pipe string, installing tubulars, such as casing, or carrying out drilling operations.

If using the wire 60 with the yoke 7 and tool 8 in place, the dolly 31 can be arranged to be retractable such as to not interfere with the wire 60. In such a design, the dolly 31 can have a first operational position in which the tool 8 is aligned vertically above the opening 30 and a second operational position in which the tool 8 is retracted to a position in which the tool 8 is horizontally spaced from the opening 30.

Advantageously, both the wire 60 and the wire(s) 5 extend upwardly to the respective sheave 4a-f along a path which is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the at least one hoisting cylinder 13a-f. This minimises side forces and moment acting on the hoisting cylinder assembly 1.

The winch 6 and hoisting cylinder assembly 1 may be hydraulically driven and configured in the same way as described above.

The winch 6 and/or the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 can be provided with heave compensation capability. A controller 12 may be arranged to control the operation, similarly as described above. By individually controlling the winch 6 and the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 , it is possible to optimise operation of the hoisting system 100 for any type of operation. Moreover, energy usage can be better controlled and optimised. For example, for light loads and/or high-speed hoisting, the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 can be put in a non-operating state while the winch 6 carries out all the hoisting work. Conversely, the winch 6 can be put in a non-operating state, for example by applying winch brakes, and the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 may carry out the hoisting. Advantageously, it is possible to use one unit for hoisting and one for heave compensation. For example, if using the winch 6 for subsea landing operations, the hoisting cylinder assembly 1 can be operated to provide heave

compensation. By providing a hoisting system according to embodiments described herein, one can achieve substantial operational flexibility to allow a hoisting system to be operating according to specific needs for various types of operation. By providing a winch 6 and a hoisting cylinder assembly 1 , the hoisting system 100 can provide enhanced performance in different operating modes, and the components of the hoisting system can be designed in an optimised way, for example for losses (e.g. friction), longer lifetime and lower maintenance requirements. For example, by designing the winch 6 to carry out high-speed, low-load lifts (for example, during tripping operations), the hydraulic cylinder assembly 1 and its individual components (e.g. seals, bearings, and hydraulic system) do not have to be designed and dimensioned for high-speed operation but can be optimised for lifts at a relatively lower speed. This reduces the size, cost and complexity of the hydraulic system. Similarly, the demands on the power supply are relaxed, and a lower installed power can be used.

When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and

"comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

The present invention is not limited to embodiments described herein; reference should be had to the appended claims.