Optimization of Insulation and Heating System of Derrick for Arctic Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit

Abstract

Abstract The Arctic region contains abundant oil and gas resources. Due to the harsh environment of extremely low temperature and strong wind, it has a great impact on drilling activities. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out insulation measures for drilling equipment such as drilling derricks. This paper analyzes the heat transfer mechanism of the derrick insulation wall of the drilling platform in the polar ice region. Based on the theory of computational fluid dynamics, the insulation materials of derrick on the polar drilling platform are investigated by numerical simulation. The number and position distribution of the heaters are selected, the effect of wind speed on insulation effect is explored, and the heating power of the derrick under the thermal insulation conditions is obtained. The simulated results are compared with those calculated by theoretical analysis. The results show that in the polar environment, polyurethane can be used as the insulation material for the derrick of polar drilling platform. Five heaters can be arranged in the derrick, wherein three heaters are arranged on the bottom layer, and two heaters are arranged on the second floor of the derrick. When the heating time is short, the external wind speed has a relatively large influence on the temperature of the air inside the derrick, but when the heating time is long, the influence of the external wind speed is small. Under the thermal insulation conditions, according to the heat transfer equation and the heat balance theory, the required heating power is similar to the heating power obtained by the fluent software simulation.