TR3343 SISTEM MASA NYATA

ASSIGNMENT 3

GROUP MEMBER
LIM CHUN HOONG
A142188
KON SHAO XIONG
A142195
LIM JIN JIE
A142199
PANG YON KEN
A142202
CHAN YEE MUN
A142214

INSTRUCTOR
Dr. ZAINAL RASYID BIN MAHAYUDDIN

FAKULTI TEKNOLOGI DAN SAINS MAKLUMAT

2014/2015

TABLE OF CONTENT
NO

TITLE

PAGE

1.0

Acknowledgement

2.0

Project Mission, Vision and Objective

3.0

Introduction

4.0

Synopsis

5.0

4.1 Background

4.2 Robot Functionality

4.3 Uniqueness and Interactive Behaviour

Designing and Building Process

5.1 Concept and Implementation

5.2 Data Flow Diagram (DFD)

5.3 Brainstorming and Solution to the Problem

5.4 Engineering and Stability of the Structures

7-8

5.5 Pictures of the Project

9 - 10

5.6 Related Charts

11

1.0

Acknowledgement

We would like to express our special thanks of gratitude to our teacher, Dr Zainal Rasyid bin
Mahayuddin who gave us the golden opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic Use
robots to help humans explore for natural resources in potentially hazardous environments,
which also helped us in doing a lot of Research and finally came to learn about so many new
things that we are really thankful to them. Secondly we would also like to thank the group
members who helped a lot in finalizing this project within the limited time frame.

2.0

Project Mission, Vision & Objective

Mission: A robots to help humans explore for natural resources in potentially hazardous
environments.
Vision: To transform industrial robot by emphasizing the environmental impact in robot
systems.
Objective: To provide an environmental friendly approach for extraction of oil shale.

3.0

Introduction

Shale gas is rapidly emerging as a significant and relatively low cost new unconventional
resource that can be rich sources of petroleum and natural gas after refine. Despite knowing that,
we do not have the technologies needed to access these resources economically until recently. As
a result, previously uneconomic resources are now available for exploration and development.
And the key to unlocking these resources is through the process of hydraulic fracturing, also
known as fracturing - a common shale gas extraction process definition.
However, in order to produce natural gas from shale has some questionable
environmental, safety and health risks. These environmental issues are the result of modern
methods of subsurface extraction. This report will present a robot designed to achieve the ecofriendly purpose. We consider our environmental impact during the earliest stages of design.
Many substances commonly used in the robotic industry can be harmful to people or the planet.
Thus we design our robot with cleaner, safer materials to reduce and eliminate these toxins.
Aiming at building an environmental-friendly robot, we have been committed to the design by
fully implementing the basic state policy of eco-friendly.

4.0

Synopsis

4.1

Background

Oil Shale is a sedimentary rock that contains solid bituminous materials known as kerogen. The
rock does not contain oil, but when heated to very high temperatures. it releases the kerogen that
can be stabilized, upgraded and processed into shale oil.
Developing oil shale into a fuel resource would be an energy-intensive that is not yet
commercially viable anywhere in the world. Shale are fine-grained sedimentary rocks that can be
rich resources of petroleum and natural gas. On the other hand, sedimentary rocks are rocks
formed by the accumulation of sediments at the Earths surface. Shale gas has become an
increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States since 2000. The potential of
shale gas also has been speeded in the rest of the world.
In order to obtain shale gas, a drilling robot is required to drill into the ground and extract
the shale for further hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing is used to access oil and gas
resources that are located in non- porous rock. A 4 Degree of Freedom (DOF) spherical robot
will be built. A pressure sensor will be installed to monitor the pressure within the drill pipe.

4.2

Robot functionality
1.
2.
3.
4.

4.3

Drill to the ground level which contains shale.

High pressure fracturing fluid is allowed to flow into the pipe.
Extraction process occurs.
Data about temperature and pressure at each stage is constantly send to the ground.

Uniqueness and Interactive Behavior

There will be a pressure sensor installed into the robot. Hence, the robot can transfer appropriate
data to the human at control center from time to time. Such behavior can be considered as
Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) in robotic industry where there is interaction between human
and robot to complete their job.

5.0

Design and Building Process

5.1

Concept and Implementation

Diagram 1: The Conventional Fracturing System

The robot design does not differ too much from conventional fracturing system, as shown in
diagram 1. The purpose of designing this robot is to propose a smarter fracturing system than the
current, which is much more automated with the aid of sensors.
The robot will need to make an opening on the surface of ground. Thus, the end effector
of the robot will be a rotational helix that helps to perform drilling.

5.2

Data Flow Diagram (DFD)

Diagram 2: Context Diagram

Diagram 3: Data Flow Diagram (DFD)

5.3

Brainstorming and Solution to the Problem

5.3.1 Efficiency of Extraction

In the extraction process, a pipe will be in contact with the shale rock. To maximize the contact
area between the pipe and the shale rock, the pipe should be changed to a hollow drill pipe.
There are reasons a drill pipe works better than a conventional pipe. First, a drill pipe can be
inserted easily into shale rock by drilling its own, while a conventional pipe still require a
drilling process to open up a hole, and an insertion process. Besides, a drill pipe has bigger
surface area than a conventional pipe, as the helix cross segment design has bigger surface area
than a cylindrical cross segment.
5.3.2 Leakage of Drill Pipe
In order to detect the leakage of drill pipe, pressure sensors will be installed within the drill pipe
to monitor the pressure of drill pipe. If the pressure of the drill pipe drops below the safety level,
the sensor will send a feedback signal to the system to stop the fracturing process.

5.4
Engineering and stability of the structures
In order to maintain the stability of the robot, the base of the robot will be large and molded into
ground, so the body of robot will remain stable during drilling process. The most appropriate
material used for the robot body will be cast iron. Cast iron is able to withstand high pressure.
Cast iron is also dense enough to support the long drill pipe that goes deep into the shale layer of
Earth. In order to maintain the best efficiency of fracturing process, the formula of fracturing
fluid will be maintained, which remains 98% - 99.5% of water with propane, which is usually
sand.

Diagram 4: The base of robot

Diagram 5: Cast iron

5.5

Pictures of the Project

Diagram 6: Schematic Diagram

Diagram 7: Draft of Drilling Robot

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Diagram 8: Side View of Drilling Robot

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5.6

Related charts

Diagram 9: Flowchart