U.S. patent application number 12/279577 was filed with the patent office on 2010-12-23 for transporation system for a sub-surface activity area.
This patent application is currently assigned to Acona Goup AS. Invention is credited to Martin Ivar Aaserod, Torkel Gjerstad, Robert Schumacher, Kjell-Are Vassmyr.
Application Number | 20100319563 12/279577 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38371788 |
Filed Date | 2010-12-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100319563 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Vassmyr; Kjell-Are ; et
al. |
December 23, 2010 |
TRANSPORATION SYSTEM FOR A SUB-SURFACE ACTIVITY AREA
Abstract
A transportation system comprising means for evacuating
personnel from at least one area of activity (16) under a surface
(13, 14), where the transportation system comprises at least one
transport access passage (17) to the area of activity (16), at
least one evacuation access passage (18, 28) to the area of
activity (16) and in addition at least one transport conveyance
(21) for evacuation through the evacuation access passage (18,
28).
Inventors: |
Vassmyr; Kjell-Are; (Tromso,
NO) ; Aaserod; Martin Ivar; (Oslo, NO) ;
Gjerstad; Torkel; (Stavanger, NO) ; Schumacher;
Robert; (Lillestrom, NO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MERCHANT & GOULD PC
P.O. BOX 2903
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402-0903
US
|
Assignee: |
Acona Goup AS
Stavanger
NO
|
Family ID: |
38371788 |
Appl. No.: |
12/279577 |
Filed: |
February 16, 2007 |
PCT Filed: |
February 16, 2007 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/NO07/00059 |
371 Date: |
September 8, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
104/28 ;
405/132 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21F 11/00 20130101;
E21F 13/004 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
104/28 ;
405/132 |
International
Class: |
E21F 13/00 20060101
E21F013/00; B61B 1/00 20060101 B61B001/00; E21F 11/00 20060101
E21F011/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 16, 2006 |
NO |
20060756 |
Claims
1. A transportation system for an underground area of activity
comprising an evacuation access passage extending in a tunnel from
the area of activity to an entrance at the surface of the ground,
and at least one boarding station in the immediate vicinity of the
area of activity, the boarding station being separated from the
area of activity by a partition structure to which boarding station
the evacuation access passage extends, and at least one dedicated
transport conveyance which is stationed at the at least one
boarding station for evacuation through the evacuation access
passage.
2. (canceled)
3. A transportation system according to claim 1, wherein the
partition structure comprises solid rock or soil, a structure or a
combination of the two, and where the partition structure forms a
fire and explosion-proof partition between the boarding station and
the area of activity.
4. A transportation system according to claim 1, wherein at least
one boarding station is located in the immediate vicinity of the
tunnel.
5. A transportation system according to claim 3, wherein the
boarding station is separated from the tunnel by a partition
structure.
6. A transportation system according to claim 4, wherein the
partition structure comprises solid rock, a structure or a
combination of the two, and where the partition structure forms a
fire and explosion-proof partition between the boarding station and
the tunnel.
7. A transportation system according to claim 1, wherein the
boarding station comprises an access which is fluid-tight in a
closed state.
8. A transportation system according to claim 1, wherein inside the
boarding station, and possibly in the evacuation access passage,
there is an overpressure relative to the ambient pressure in the
area of activity and the evacuation access passage and that the air
pressure inside the transport conveyance is at least as great as
the pressure in the boarding station.
9. A transportation system according to claim 7, wherein the
pressure inside the transport conveyance is higher than the
pressure in the boarding station.
10. A transportation system according to claim 1, wherein the
transport conveyance comprises a vehicle on rails.
11. A transportation system according to claim 1, wherein the
transportation system comprises a separate transport access passage
and that the transport access passage and the evacuation access
passage are provided in separate tunnels.
12. A transportation system according to claim 1, wherein the
transportation system comprises a separate transport access passage
and that the transport access passage and the evacuation access
passage are provided in the same tunnel.
13. A transportation system according to claim 11, wherein the
evacuation access passage is separated from the transport access
passage by a fire and explosion-proof structure.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a transportation system for
evacuating personnel from an area of activity under a surface,
comprising an ordinary transport access passage in addition to a
separate evacuation access passage with a transport conveyance
which is dedicated to use in the event of an evacuation
situation.
[0002] At present either floating or fixed installations are
employed in connection with recovery of oil and gas at sea. Fixed
installations comprise both platforms located on the seabed and
pure seabed installations. One of the problems associated with
recovery of oil on the Norwegian shelf on which there has been a
great deal of focus is the risk of accidental spillage of oil, with
associated pollution of the environment. This has been the dominant
problem with regard to recovery plans in coastal areas, i.e. areas
coinciding with or with a short drift time from areas of great
environmental value or which are important for coastal-based
fishing.
[0003] In the recovery of oil in northern waters, this problem
becomes even more relevant on account of lower temperatures and
greater risk of icing amongst other things, and the resultant
restrictions with regard to collection of oil before it reaches
land. At the same time the environment is more vulnerable. This
places greater demands on safety margins, and thereby an increase
in recovery costs. The result is a general skepticism to oil
recovery in the northern waters since an accident leading to
spillage, even though the chance of this happening is statistically
very low, can entail such serious consequences for the environment.
Similar evaluations also apply in some areas off the coast of
Southern and Central Norway.
[0004] An alternative to conventional floating or fixed drilling
rigs could be, for example, to locate drilling equipment in a
cavern under the surface separated from the ocean or the sea, and
use tunnels dug in under the ocean or the sea to the cavern where
oil and gas can be recovered. Examples of such solutions are
described in the American patent publications U.S. Pat. No.
2,331,072, U.S. Pat. No. 2,989,294, U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,571 and
U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,987. In the last publication, U.S. Pat. No.
4,463,987, a system is described for subsea recovery of
hydrocarbons where tunnels are dug down to an underground space
where the recovery is carried out. In addition, the system
comprises one or more spaces where hydrocarbons can be conveyed and
temporarily stored in the event of an accident. There is also a
tunnel in which personnel can escape in the event of accidents by
walking or running. In this publication there is no indication of
transport of personnel who have to be evacuated or any
transportation system for such transport. Since this is not a theme
of the publication, it has to be assumed that the intricate system
of tunnels of which the invention consists relates to production of
hydrocarbons from chambers located at a relatively short distance
from the surface of the ground so that the personnel can get out by
themselves.
[0005] In connection with road tunnels, from the three German
patent applications DE 102 49 252 A1, DE 102 49 267 and DE 102 49
268 it is known to provide an escape route beside the roadway, thus
enabling people to walk or run out if fire should break out in the
tunnel. As in the case of the American publication above, the
escape routes mentioned in these publications are intended for
people on foot. There is no mention in the documents of the
possibility of providing a separate evacuation system with stations
for boarding special, dedicated transport conveyances located at
the stations.
[0006] In the German patent application DE 21 27 156 a closed
concrete bridge is disclosed which in some embodiments is designed
with several levels for separating different kinds of traffic from
one another, i.e. pedestrians, cars, lorries and trains have
different passages in the bridge. This publication in no way
relates to evacuation of a large number of people in the event of a
serious accident, such as for example a blow-out from an oil or gas
well.
[0007] By locating the actual recovery of oil/gas in cavities under
the seabed with a supply tunnel from land, the present invention
will be able to be utilised and possibly make it more acceptable to
start operation of the field.
[0008] Where there is a wish to develop an oil/gas field by
tunnelling through to a cavern in an area from which oil and/or gas
are recovered in the conventional manner, it will be necessary to
work out acceptable solutions with regard to safety and evacuation
facilities for personnel in the event of an accident. An evacuation
tunnel could be so long that it will not be practical for personnel
working inside the tunnel to run or walk out of it. In the cases
that are visualised, an operational area of this kind for recovery
of oil/gas may be located at anything from a relatively short
distance up to 60-70 km from a tunnel entrance.
[0009] Thus it is an object to provide a transportation system for
use in production of oil/gas reservoirs from an underground cavity,
which may be located under a body of water, where the safety of
both personnel and environment are safeguarded.
[0010] It is a particular object of the present invention to
provide a system for rapid and safe evacuation of personnel from an
area of activity under a surface where there is a risk of accidents
which will require a speedy evacuation of personnel from the said
area of activity.
[0011] This is solved according to the invention as it is defined
in the independent claim. Preferred embodiments of the invention
are described in the following claims.
[0012] The present invention comprises an area of activity located
under a surface, where activities are carried out that entail a
risk of accidents which make it necessary to evacuate personnel
working there. The activity taking place in the area of activity
may be recovery of hydrocarbons, i.e. oil and/or gas. It is also
possible to envisage that such areas of activity may include other
activities such as, for example, more general mining operations or
as a depot for explosive and/or inflammable materials or chemical
substances and possibly also radioactive materials.
[0013] In most cases, the surface under which the area of activity
lies will be a sea/ocean bed or a land surface, but it is also
conceivable for the surface to be a water surface and that the area
of activity is then located in an isolated position in the sea or
is placed in an isolated position on the sea/ocean bed. Where the
area of activity is located in the sea, a structure can be built
round it to keep the surrounding water out, and similarly the area
of activity can be covered by a structure if it is located on the
sea/ocean bed.
[0014] The area of activity will have at least one transport access
passage for transport of personnel, goods etc. to and from the area
of activity during ordinary operation. The transport access passage
may be an ordinary tunnel extending from a point on shore, i.e. on
an island or on the mainland through solid rock/soil to the area of
activity. The whole or parts of the transport access passage may
also be envisaged in the form of a sunken tunnel or a floating
tunnel passing through the water. If several separate accesses are
made to the area of activity, the different accesses may be
designed in different ways, for example a first access may be in
the form of an ordinary tunnel through solid rock, while a second
access may be designed with the whole or parts of the access as a
sunken tunnel.
[0015] For evacuating personnel in connection with an accident in
the area of activity, according to the invention the transportation
system comprises at least one separate evacuation access passage.
In order to ensure that an escape route is always ready for
immediate evacuation, the evacuation access passage is dedicated to
this purpose, and is therefore not meant to be used for transport
in connection with ordinary operation in the area of activity.
[0016] The evacuation access passage and the transport access
passage will normally be placed in the same bore in a common
tunnel, but it is also conceivable for the evacuation access
passage and the transport access passage, wholly or partly, to
follow different passages to the area of activity.
[0017] According to the invention, the transportation system also
comprises at least one unit of a dedicated transport conveyance
which is stationed in the evacuation access passage for evacuation
of personnel. This transport conveyance will preferably be a
vehicle on rails, but may also be a vehicle which does not run on
rails.
[0018] In connection with the area of activity, the invention
further comprises at least one boarding station for boarding the
transport conveyance which is dedicated to use during evacuation.
During normal operation, at least one unit of this transport
conveyance will always be stationed at the boarding station(s)
ready for use in the event of an accident. The boarding station(s)
is separated from the area of activity by means of a structure
designed to withstand fire and explosions, which may be expected to
occur in the event of an accident in the area of activity, for long
enough to enable all personnel to be evacuated from the area. It is
also possible to place the boarding station(s) in a separate area
relatively close to, but separated from the area of activity by
solid rock/soil with a thickness which is sufficient to withstand
the stress of fire and explosions in the event of an accident, at
least for long enough to enable all personnel to be evacuated. It
is also possible to place the boarding station(s) in a separate
area separated from the area of activity by solid rock as mentioned
above combined with a fire and explosion-proof structure.
[0019] In order to reduce the chance of any dangerous gases
infiltrating the evacuation access passage and the boarding
stations in the event of an accident, the air pressure in the
boarding station(s) and possibly in the evacuation access passage
may be made at least as great as and preferably slightly greater
than the ambient pressure in the area of activity and the transport
access passage. Inside the transport conveyance the pressure will
be at least as great as in the boarding station, and in order to
further increase the protection against infiltration of undesirable
gases, it may be higher than the pressure in the boarding station.
In addition, each boarding station has at least one access from the
area of activity or the transport access passage which is
fluid-tight when it is closed.
[0020] Where the transport access passage and the evacuation access
passage are provided in the same bore, they are separated by a
solid structure which can withstand fire and explosions,
particularly near the area of activity where the chance of serious
accidents is greatest, but also through the whole transport and
evacuation access passage if the products produced in the area of
activity are inflammable and explosive and are sent out through the
transport access passage. If hydrocarbons are involved, they will
be able to be transported through one or more pipelines or by means
of tankers, and possibly by means of both pipeline(s) and tankers.
The evacuation access passage and the transport access passage may
be envisaged located side by side in the bore or one above the
other, preferably with the evacuation access passage located below
the transport access passage. At all events the evacuation access
passage and the transport access passage must be separated by a
solid structure as mentioned above.
[0021] The transport tunnel may advantageously be further provided
with at least one means for closing off the transport tunnel
completely in connection with an accident. The means may, for
example, be in the form of a door that is rolled or pushed in from
the side, down from the roof or up from the floor. What is
important is that this door is solid and can withstand fire and
powerful explosions. In order to check and/or prevent the spread of
fire and undesirable gases in the transport tunnel, it is
advantageous to place such means at regular intervals throughout
the transport tunnel which closes off the part of the transport
tunnel where fire and/or undesirable gases are detected by means of
sensors. Between two such closing-off means, the transport tunnel
may comprise a fluid-tight access, either directly to the
evacuation access passage, or to a boarding station for the
evacuation access passage. This or these boarding station(s) may be
of the same type as that described above and may also possibly
comprise a stationed transport conveyance.
[0022] The present invention will now be described by means of a
preferred, but not limiting embodiment, where reference is made to
the attached drawings, in which:
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates a map of an area where the use of the
present invention may be envisaged.
[0024] FIG. 2 illustrates a section of a stretch of open sea and
the substructure under the sea associated with a geographical area
where the invention may be used.
[0025] FIG. 3 illustrates an area of activity with transport access
passage and evacuation access passage viewed from the side.
[0026] FIG. 4 illustrates a section through a tunnel with the
transport access passage located above the evacuation access
passage in a common bore.
[0027] FIG. 5 illustrates a section through a tunnel with the
transport access passage located beside the evacuation access
passage in a common bore.
[0028] FIG. 6 illustrates a boarding station with an access and a
transport conveyance for evacuation.
[0029] FIG. 7 illustrates an area of activity with transport access
passage and evacuation access passage viewed from above.
[0030] FIG. 8 illustrates boarding stations in connection with the
evacuation access passage outside the area of activity.
[0031] In FIG. 1 a map is illustrated of an area where the use of
the present invention may be envisaged. A point 10, illustrated
here located on an island, but which naturally may be located on
the mainland, may comprise a plant for refining oil/gas. An
oilfield is also illustrated located approximately 60 km out at
sea.
[0032] In FIG. 2 a section of the subsurface is illustrated from an
area also shown in FIG. 1, where a tunnel 15 is indicated running
under the seabed 14 from a terminal 12 to an area of activity 16
located in or near an area where there is a deposit of oil/gas. The
terminal 12 may be a single access to the tunnel 15, but may also
comprise a plant for further refining of the oil/gas produced in
and transported from the area of activity 16.
[0033] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of how the design of an area of
activity may be envisaged. The tunnel 15 from the terminal 12 may
comprise one or more branches in the area where drilling for oil
and/or gas is to take place. At the end of a branch, the tunnel 15
may be envisaged extended to an area of activity 16 which is made
large enough to provide space for necessary production equipment. A
drilling rig 19 is depicted in the figure, but there may well be
more than one drilling rig in each area of activity. In the figure
it is also shown that the tunnel 15 is divided into a transport
access passage 17 and an evacuation access passage 18. During
normal operation, transport of personnel, equipment etc. will be
conducted through the transport access passage 17, while the
evacuation access passage 18 will only be used in situations where
an evacuation of personnel is imperative.
[0034] Two embodiments of the tunnel 15 are illustrated in FIGS. 4
and 5. In FIG. 4 we can see that the tunnel 15 is divided
horizontally, with the transport access passage 17 located above
the evacuation access passage 18. The transport access passage
comprises roadways 25 for vehicles such as cars, trucks and
articulated lorries. Beside the roadways 25, pipelines 26 may be
envisaged for transport of oil and/or gas from the area of activity
16. These pipelines may well be separated from the transport access
passage 17 by a non-illustrated partition device. Just beneath the
roof of the tunnel 15, ducts/pipes 27 may be placed for cables and
the like or transport of necessary fluids to/from the area of
activity 16. Oil/gas pipelines 26 and ducts/pipes 27 may, of course
be located as appropriate in other positions in the transport
access passage 17. The evacuation access passage 18 is located
under the roadway 25 in the transport access passage 17. The two
passages are physically separated by a solid partition structure 24
which is designed to be able to withstand fire and explosions in
the event of an accident for long enough to give personnel located
in the area of activity 16 and/or the transport access passage 17 a
reasonable chance of getting out through the evacuation access
passage 18. For example, the partition structure 24 may be designed
in such a manner that it can withstand temperatures that can be
expected during a fire for one hour, or possibly for a longer or
shorter period, before it collapses. In the same way it may be
designed in such a manner that it can withstand explosions of
maximum anticipated strength in the event of an accident.
[0035] In FIG. 5 a second embodiment is illustrated where the
transport access passage 17 and the evacuation access passage 18
are located side by side, physically separated by a solid partition
structure 24 which is designed to be able to resist fire and
explosions in the event of an accident in the same way as described
above. From the figure it can be seen that the pipelines 26 for
transport of oil/gas are located above the evacuation access
passage 18 and ducts/pipes 27 are placed directly under the roof of
the tunnel, but the location of the pipeline 26 and the ducts 27
may of course be implemented in a different way if so desired. The
partition structure 24 is designed in the same way as explained
above, i.e. it must be designed with a view to being able to
withstand fire and explosions of anticipated strength for long
enough to give personnel working in the area of activity and/or
stationed in the tunnel enough time to get out by means of the
evacuation access passage 18.
[0036] The evacuation access passage 18 has at least one boarding
station 20 located in or near the area of activity 16. FIG. 6
illustrates an embodiment of a boarding station located at the end
of an evacuation access passage 18. At the end of the evacuation
access passage at least one unit of a transport conveyance 21 is
stationed ready for immediate evacuation if necessary. In the
figure a transport conveyance on rails 21 is shown, but the
transport conveyance may also comprise a vehicle that does not run
on rails. The boarding station is separated from the area of
activity by a partition structure 24 which is designed to withstand
fire and explosions of maximum anticipated strength for long enough
to give personnel a reasonable chance of being evacuated through
the evacuation access passage 18. The evacuation access passage 18
may be provided in a separate tunnel bore at the area of activity
16. In this case the partition structure 24 consists of bedrock,
selected in a thickness that can withstand fire and explosions as
indicated above. The partition structure 24 may also be constructed
inside the area of activity 16, preferably along the edge as
indicated in FIG. 7, in which case it may consist of, for example,
reinforced concrete. The partition structure 24 may also be
envisaged consisting of a combination of bedrock and a structure
composed of, for example, reinforced concrete. Other constructional
materials such as steel will also be possible and it will be up to
a skilled person to select the most suitable material or materials.
The boarding station 20 also comprises an access 22 from the area
of activity 16. This access is kept automatically closed by a
mechanism which, for example, may comprise a spring mechanism. The
access 22 also comprises means to ensure that it is fluid-tight in
a closed state. Inside the boarding station 20, and possibly the
evacuation access passage 18, the air pressure is slightly higher
than the ambient pressure in the area of activity 16 in order as
far as possible to prevent gases that may develop in the event of
fire or explosion from infiltrating the boarding station and/or the
evacuation access passage. The boarding station also comprises an
access 23 for the transport conveyance 21 which is dedicated to
evacuation of personnel. The air pressure in the transport
conveyance 21 should be at least as great as the pressure in the
boarding station 20, but may well be higher, thereby providing
extra protection against infiltration of undesirable gases into the
transport conveyance 21 in the event of an accident.
[0037] In FIG. 7 an area of activity 16 is illustrated comprising
an evacuation access passage 18 divided into two branches 28 at the
entrance to the area of activity 16, with the result that in
connection with this area of activity there are two boarding
stations 20 for access to the transport conveyance 21 in a branch
28 of the evacuation access passage 18. The evacuation access
passage may comprise as many branches 28 as are considered
necessary for a given area of activity 16. Each branch 28 will
normally comprise one boarding station 20 with an associated
transport conveyance 21 in order to avoid "traffic problems" in the
event of evacuation. Where two branches 28 meet in a branch
intersection 29, the traffic of transport conveyances 21 may be
controlled by means of, for example, traffic lights that are
controlled automatically by a system of sensors which detect
arriving transport conveyances 21. If the transport conveyance 21
is driverless, it may advantageously be guided automatically
through the branch intersection 29 as explained below.
[0038] The evacuation access passage 18 may also comprise one or
more boarding stations 20 between the area of activity 16 and the
terminal 12. In FIG. 8 an example is illustrated where the
evacuation access passage 18 comprises two branches 28 where each
of the branches has a boarding station 20. The boarding stations
may advantageously be designed in the same way in or beside an area
of activity 16 as described above. At each boarding station 20 a
dedicated transport conveyance 21 is standing ready for use in case
an accident happens. The number of boarding stations in the tunnel
15 may be anything from zero to as many as are considered necessary
in order to evacuate all the personnel in a secure manner.
[0039] The transport conveyance 21 may be designed in such a manner
that it is fluid-tight against the environment when the access 23
to the transport conveyance is closed, thereby preventing any
undesired gas that has leaked into the evacuation tunnel from
infiltrating the transport conveyance 21. Furthermore, the
transport conveyance 21 may advantageously be driverless. In this
case the transport conveyance will be provided with means for
starting it. This means may naturally be used for starting the
transport conveyance on several occasions during the journey
through the evacuation tunnel if this should be necessary. The
transport conveyance 21 also comprises an automatic control system
which is capable of guiding several transport conveyances 21
through the branch intersections 29, for example, according to a
system where the transport conveyances are let through a branch
intersection in the order of their arrival. Transport conveyances
from one or more branches 28 may be given priority in a desired
order. The transport conveyances 21 also include brakes which are
controlled automatically by the same control system. The system
receives signals from sensors at the branch intersections together
with one or more sensors which record whether another transport
conveyance 21 or other objects are located in front on the railway
or roadway in the evacuation tunnel. On the basis of the data
received from the sensors, any braking of the transport conveyance
21 that is required can be calculated and implemented. The
transport conveyance 21 may of course also be arranged so that it
is operated manually by a person. As explained above, the branch
intersections 29 can then be provided with traffic lights which
detect arriving units of the transport conveyance 21 and give them
the green light, possibly in order of priority.
* * * * *