Rig layout system

• US 10,428,592 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2018
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nabors Drillling Technologies USA, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nabors Drillling Technologies USA, Inc.
• Inventors: Gupta, Ashish, Hause, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Andrews, D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schimpf, Tara E
• Application Number:
  US15/872,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20180202237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 15/00 Supports for the drilling machine, e.g. derricks or masts
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 15/003 adapted to be moved on their substructure, e.g. with skidding means; adapted to drill a plurality of wells
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 19/155 Handling between horizontal and vertical position
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/01 Arrangements for handling drilling fluids or cuttings outside the borehole, e.g. mud boxes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/06 Blow-out preventers , i.e. apparatus closing around a drill pipe, e.g. annular blow-out preventers rotating blow-out preventers E21B33/085

Abstract

A system comprises a wellsite including a wellbore location and a BOP positioned at the wellbore location, a drilling rig in the wellsite and including a rig floor and at least one substructure, the substructure having a longitudinal axis, and a first access area defined as the area between a pair of lines extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the substructure such that the BOP is between the lines, the first access area being free of equipment that is not in transit. The first access area may include a left access area on a first side of the rig, which area may be free of equipment that is not in transit. A method for drilling may include maintaining the left access area free of equipment during rig-up and may further include moving the rig within the wellsite while maintaining at least the left access area free of equipment.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a wellsite, the wellsite including a wellbore location and a blowout preventer (BOP) positioned at the wellbore location;

a drilling rig positioned in the wellsite, the drilling rig including a rig floor and at least one substructure, the substructure having a longitudinal axis, the rig floor including a V-door side, the side of the drilling rig adjacent to the V-door side defining a V-door area, the drilling rig including a mast pivotably coupled to the drill floor and pivotable between raised and lowered positions;

a pipe handling system;

a first access area defined as the area between a pair of lines extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the substructure such that the BOP is between the lines, the first access area being free of equipment that is not in transit, the first access area including a left access area on a first side of the rig and a right access area on an opposite side of the rig from the left access area, the left access area being free of equipment that is not in transit; and

a second access area defined as the area between a pair of lines extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the substructure, wherein the second access area includes a far access area on one side of the rig and a near access area on an opposite side of the rig from the far access area, wherein a far left quadrant is defined between the left access area and the far access area, further including at least one piece of backyard equipment in the far left quadrant;

wherein the mast is in the far access area when in the lowered position and wherein the pipe handling system is not positioned in the far access area.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein all of the backyard equipment is positioned in the far left quadrant.

3. The system according to claim 2 wherein the backyard equipment comprises one or more of a generator, a fuel tank, a variable frequency drive (VFD), a mud pump, a parts house, a suction tank, an intermediate tank, a sack house, a charge pump, a service skid, a water tank, a mud process tank, a cuttings bin, and a trip tank.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the pipe handling system is in the right access area.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the pipe handling system is in the near access area.

6. The system according to claim 1, further including a walking mud handling system in fluid communication with the rig.

7. The system according to claim 1, further including a festoon system supporting cables that are connected to equipment on the rig.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the drilling rig comprises two substructures, each substructure being generally rectangular in footprint and spaced apart in a parallel fashion.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the V-door side is parallel to the longitudinal axes of the substructures, further including a catwalk having a longitudinal axis that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the substructures.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the V-door side is perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the substructures, further including a catwalk having a longitudinal axis that is parallel to the longitudinal axes of the substructures.

11. A method of drilling multiple wells on a single wellsite, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a first wellbore location;

b) positioning a blowout preventer (BOP) at the wellbore location;

c) positioning a drilling rig at the wellbore location, the drilling rig including a rig floor and at least one substructure, the substructure having a longitudinal axis, the rig floor including a V-door side, the side of the drilling rig adjacent to the V-door side defining a V-door area, the drilling rig including a mast pivotably coupled to the drill floor and pivotable between raised and lowered positions;

d) defining a first access area as the area between a pair of lines extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the substructure such the BOP is between the lines, the first access area including a left access area on a first side of the rig and a right access area on an opposite side of the rig from the left access area, the left access area being free of equipment that is not in transit;

e) defining a second access area as the area between a pair of lines extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the substructure, wherein the second access area includes a far access area on one side of the rig and a near access area on an opposite side of the rig from the far access area, wherein a far left quadrant is defined between the left access area and the far access area, further including at least one piece of backyard equipment in the far left quadrant, the mast is positioned in the far access area when in the lowered position;

f) positioning a pipe handling system in the left, right, or near access area;

g) using the rig to drill at the first wellbore location; and

h) maintaining the first access area free of equipment that is not in transit at least during drilling.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the V-door area is not in the first access area.

13. The method of claim 11, further including accessing the BOP from a side of the rig adjacent to the V-door side.

14. The method of claim 11, further including, before step e), the steps of:

i) providing at least one piece of backyard equipment; and

ii) simultaneously rigging-up the backyard equipment and the drilling rig.

15. The method of claim 14, further including maintaining the first access area free of equipment that is not in transit during step ii).