Mast and substructure

• US 10,648,240 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2017
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nabors Drillling Technologies USA, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nabors Drillling Technologies USA, Inc.
• Inventors: Reddy, Padira, Gupta, Ashish, Hause, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton, Jr., William D
• Assistant Examiner(s): MacDonald, Steven A
• Application Number:
  US15/615,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20180016851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 11/04 for movable platforms or cabins, e.g. on vehicles, permitting workmen to place themselves in any desired position for carrying out required operations Working platforms on fork-lift trucks B66F9/127; vehicle aspects of service vehicles B60P3/14; platforms for cleaning windows A47L3/02; devices for rescuing persons from buildings A62B1/02; liftable or lowerable platforms for use on ladders E06C7/16; maintenance travellers for bridges E01D19/10; scaffolds on an extensible sub-structure E04G1/22
• 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 7/02 Drilling rigs characterised by means for land transport with their own drive, e.g. skid mounting or wheel mounting

Abstract

A drilling rig may include a right substructure, left substructure, and a drill floor. The drill floor may be pivotably coupled to lower boxes of the left and right substructure by struts. The substructures may include hydraulic cylinders positioned to raise the drill floor and a mast coupled to the drill floor into a raised position.

Claims

1. A drilling rig comprising:

a right substructure, the right substructure including a first lower box, at least one strut pivotably coupled to the first lower box, and a first hydraulic cylinder pivotably coupled to the first lower box;

a left substructure, the left substructure including a second lower box, at least one strut pivotably coupled to the second lower box, and a second hydraulic cylinder pivotably coupled to the second lower box;

a drill rig floor, the drill rig floor mechanically coupled to the struts of the right and left substructures, the drill rig floor including a left drilling floor subunit, a center drill rig floor subunit, and a right drilling floor subunit, the left drilling floor subunit mechanically coupled to the left substructure, the left drilling floor subunit and left substructure defining a left drilling rig subunit, the right drilling floor subunit mechanically coupled to the right substructure, the right drilling floor subunit and right substructure defining a right drilling rig subunit, and the center drill rig floor subunit including a V-door and a rotary table, the center drill rig floor subunit including a catch basin positioned beneath the rotary table, the center drill rig floor subunit including a containment riser, the containment riser mechanically coupled to the catch basin and extending between the catch basin and a rotating control device; and

a mast, the mast mechanically coupled to the drill floor, the first and second hydraulic cylinders adapted to raise or lower the drill floor and the mast.

2. The drilling rig of claim 1, wherein the hydraulic cylinders are mechanically coupled to one or more rig lift points of the drill rig floor.

3. The drilling rig of claim 2, wherein each rig lift point of the drill rig floor comprises an attachment point hydraulic ram and an attachment bar, the attachment bar engaging a distal end of the hydraulic cylinder mechanically coupled to the rig lift point.

4. The drilling rig of claim 1, wherein the mast is mechanically coupled to the drill rig floor at one or more mast pivot points.

5. The drilling rig of claim 4, wherein the hydraulic cylinders are mechanically coupled to one or more mast lift points of the mast.

6. The drilling rig of claim 5, wherein each mast lift point of the mast comprises a mast attachment point hydraulic ram and a mast attachment bar, the mast attachment bar engaging a distal end of the hydraulic cylinder mechanically coupled to the mast lift point.

7. The drilling rig of claim 4, wherein the mast comprises an open side defining a V-door side of the mast.

8. The drilling rig of claim 7, wherein the V-door side of the mast is at the top of the mast when the mast is in a horizontal position.

9. The drilling rig of claim 8, wherein the mast comprises a top drive and a traveling block, and the top drive and traveling block are positioned within the mast when the mast is in the horizontal position.

10. The drilling rig of claim 4, wherein the mast comprises an upper mast subcomponent, a middle mast subcomponent, and a lower mast subcomponent.

11. The drilling rig of claim 10, wherein the upper mast subcomponent comprises a traveling block.

12. The drilling rig of claim 10, wherein the middle mast subcomponent comprises a top drive.

13. The drilling rig of claim 10, wherein the lower mast subcomponent comprises a lower mast body and two lower extremities, the lower extremities pivotably coupled to the lower mast body.

14. The drilling rig of claim 13, wherein the lower mast subcomponent includes one or more spreader beams mechanically coupled between the lower extremities.

15. The drilling rig of claim 1, wherein the left drilling rig subunit and the right drilling rig subunit are mechanically coupled by one or more cross braces, the cross braces mechanically coupled to the first and second lower boxes.

16. The drilling rig of claim 15, wherein the cross braces are pivotably coupled to the first and second lower boxes.

17. The drilling rig of claim 15, wherein at least one cross brace includes a narrowed portion.

18. The drilling rig of claim 1, wherein the center drill rig floor subunit is mechanically coupled to the left drill rig floor subunit and the right drill rig floor subunit by one or more supports positioned on the left drill rig floor subunit and the right drill rig floor subunit.

19. The drilling rig of claim 1, wherein the center drill rig floor subunit comprises one or more support beams, the support beams being parallel or substantially parallel.

20. The drilling rig of claim 19, further comprising a trolley mechanically coupled to a support beam.

21. The drilling rig of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second lower boxes includes a hydraulic walker.

22. The drilling rig of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second lower boxes includes one or more equipment support cantilever beams, each equipment support cantilever beam mechanically and pivotably coupled to the respective lower box.

23. The drilling rig of claim 22, further comprising one or more of a hoist skid, drill line spooler skid, mud gas separator skid, stair tower, accumulator skid, hydraulic pressure unit skid, mud tank skid, or generator skid positioned atop the equipment support cantilever beams.

24. The drilling rig of claim 1, further comprising one or more drill floor cantilever beams mechanically coupled to one or both of the left and right drilling floor subunits, each drill floor cantilever beam mechanically and pivotably coupled to the respective drilling floor subunit.

25. The drilling rig of claim 24, further comprising one or more of a driller'"'"'s cabin skid and choke house positioned atop the drill floor cantilever beams.