MOBILE DRILLING RIG WITH TELESCOPING SUBSTRUCTURE BOXES

• US 20130269268A1
• Filed: 04/16/2013
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Oilwell Varco LP (NOV, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Oilwell Varco LP (NOV, Inc.)
• Inventors: Thiessen, Jay John, Konduc, Kameron Wayne, Burlet, Donald Leonard
• Granted Patent: US 9,091,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/118
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/3522 characterised by raising a structure and then adding structural elements under it E04B1/3511, E04B1/3516, E04B1/3533 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/3533 characterised by the raising of hingedly-connected building elements, e.g. arches, portal frames E04B1/355 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2001/3588 using special lifting or handling devices, e.g. gantries, overhead conveying rails
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 12/187 with hinged sections
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 12/345 Arrangements for tilting up whole structures or sections thereof E04H12/347 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/023 the mast being foldable or telescopically retractable

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a telescoping substructure of a drilling rig that includes first and second telescoping substructure boxes. The first and second telescoping substructure boxes each include, among other things, a lower substructure box and an upper substructure box that is adapted to be telescopically raised and lowered relative to the lower substructure box. Furthermore, each telescoping substructure box also includes raising means for telescopically raising and lowering the upper substructure box relative to the lower substructure box between a collapsed configuration for transportation and a raised configuration for drilling operations, wherein each of the first and second telescoping substructure boxes are adapted to facilitate movement of the telescoping substructure in at least one of a lateral direction and a longitudinal direction over wellhead equipment positioned above a wellbore location when the upper substructure boxes are in the raised configuration.

Claims

1. A telescoping substructure of a drilling rig, the telescoping substructure comprising:

first and second telescoping substructure boxes, each comprising;

a lower substructure box;

an upper substructure box that is adapted to be telescopically raised and lowered relative to said lower substructure box; and

raising means for telescopically raising and lowering said upper substructure box relative to said lower substructure box between a collapsed configuration for transportation and a raised configuration for drilling operations, wherein each of said first and second telescoping substructure boxes are adapted to facilitate movement of said telescoping substructure in at least one of a lateral direction and a longitudinal direction over wellhead equipment positioned above a wellbore location when said upper substructure boxes are in said raised configuration.

2. The telescoping substructure of claim 1, wherein each of said upper substructure boxes has a substantially open interior space that is adapted to receive at least a portion of a respective lower substructure box when said upper substructure box is telescopically raised and lowered relative to said respective lower substructure box.

3. The telescoping substructure of claim 2, wherein each of said lower substructure boxes comprises a base support box attached to opposing ends of an upper frame, an open space below said upper frame and between said base support boxes defining a side clearance of said telescoping substructure when said upper substructure boxes are in said raised configuration, wherein a height of said open space is adapted to facilitate at least said lateral movement of said telescoping substructure.

4. The telescoping substructure of claim 3, wherein each of said upper substructure boxes comprises a substantially open bottom frame and a plurality of structural members defining said substantially open interior space, wherein each of said substantially open interior spaces are adapted to receive said at least said portion of a respective lower substructure box through a respective substantially open bottom frame, said at least said portion comprising at least a respective upper frame and a portion of respective base support boxes.

5. The telescoping substructure of claim 1, further comprising moving means for moving said telescoping substructure in said at least one of said lateral and longitudinal directions.

6. The telescoping substructure of claim 5, wherein said raising means comprises a plurality of substructure raising apparatuses, and wherein said moving means comprises a skid foot and a skid foot movement apparatus operatively coupled to each of said plurality of substructure raising apparatuses, wherein each skid foot movement apparatuses is adapted to move a respective skid foot relative to a respective one of said plurality of substructure raising apparatuses to facilitate said movement in said at least one of said lateral and longitudinal directions.

7. The telescoping substructure of claim 1, wherein said raising means comprises at least one hydraulic cylinder apparatus positioned adjacent to each end of said respective first and second telescoping substructure boxes.

8. The telescoping substructure of claim 1, further comprising a center floor section that is supported between said first and second telescoping substructure boxes, said telescoping substructure being adapted to support a drilling rig mast when said upper substructure boxes are telescopically raised and lowered.

9. A method, comprising:

positioning a first telescoping substructure box adjacent to and laterally spaced apart from a second telescoping substructure box, said first and second telescoping substructure boxes each comprising an upper substructure box and a lower substructure box, and raising means for telescopically raising and lowering said respective first and second telescoping substructure boxes;

telescopically raising said laterally spaced apart first and second telescoping substructure boxes to a raised configuration for drilling operations by telescopically raising, with said raising means, said upper substructure boxes relative to said respective lower substructure boxes;

performing drilling operations with a drilling rig comprising said first and second telescoping substructure boxes on a first wellbore location positioned between said laterally spaced apart first and second telescoping substructure boxes; and

moving said drilling rig from said first wellbore location to a second wellbore location while said first and second telescoping substructure boxes are in said raised configuration and while pressure-retaining equipment is positioned above at least one of said first and second wellbore locations.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein moving said drilling rig from said first wellbore location to said second wellbore location comprises moving said drilling rig laterally so that at least one of said laterally spaced apart first and second telescoping substructure boxes passes over said pressure-retaining equipment.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein moving said drilling rig from said first wellbore location to said second wellbore location comprises lifting, with said raising means, said laterally spaced apart first and second telescoping substructure boxes off of ground adjacent to said first wellbore location.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein lifting said laterally spaced apart first and second telescoping substructure boxes off of said ground adjacent to said first wellbore location comprises creating an open space below at least an upper substructure box of at least one of said laterally spaced apart first and second telescoping substructure boxes, said open space defining a side movement clearance having a height that is greater than a height of said pressure-retaining equipment.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein moving said drilling rig from said first wellbore location to said second wellbore location comprises moving said drilling rig with moving means that is operatively coupled to said telescoping substructure boxes.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said raising means comprises a plurality of substructure raising apparatuses and said moving means comprises a skid foot and a skid foot movement apparatus operatively coupled to each of said plurality of raising apparatuses, and wherein moving said drilling rig from said first wellbore location to said second wellbore location comprises actuating each of said skid foot apparatuses to move a respective skid foot relative to a respective one of said plurality of raising apparatuses.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising attaching a center floor section between said upper substructure boxes of said respective laterally spaced apart first and second telescoping substructure boxes and erecting a drilling rig mast above said laterally spaced apart first and second telescoping substructure boxes prior to raising said laterally spaced apart first and second telescoping substructure boxes to said raised configuration.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising, after moving said drilling rig to said second wellbore location, performing drilling operations on said second wellbore location and thereafter telescopically lowering said laterally spaced apart first and second telescoping substructure boxes with said raising means to a collapsed configuration for transportation.

17. A drilling rig mast erection system, comprising:

a mast support shoe fixedly attached to a drilling rig substructure, said mast support shoe comprising a first pinned connection;

a bottom mast section of a drilling rig mast, said bottom mast section comprising a second pinned connection that is adapted to be pivotably connected to said first pinned connection of said mast support shoe; and

a mast positioning apparatus that is adapted to pivotably position said bottom mast section so that said second pinned connection of said bottom mast section is positioned adjacent to said first pinned connection of said mast support shoe.

18. The drilling rig mast erection system of claim 17, wherein said mast positioning apparatus comprises a mast erection apparatus and a bottom mast support spreader.

19. The drilling rig mast erection system of claim 18, wherein said mast positioning apparatus is adapted to pivotably rotate said bottom mast support spreader and said pivotably rotating bottom mast support spreader is adapted to raise at least said bottom mast section and pivotably position said second pinned connection of said bottom mast section adjacent to said first pinned connection of said mast support shoe.

20. The drilling rig mast erection system of claim 19, wherein a first end of said mast erection apparatus is adapted to be pivotably connected to said bottom mast support spreader and a second end of said mast erection apparatus is adapted to be pivotably connected to said drilling rig substructure.

21. The drilling rig mast erection system of claim 20, wherein said first end of said mast erection apparatus is further adapted to be pivotably connected to said bottom mast section and said mast erection apparatus is further adapted to pivotably erect said drilling rig mast above said drilling rig substructure.

22. The drilling rig mast erection system of claim 19, wherein a first end of said bottom mast support spreader is adapted to be pivotably connected to said bottom mast section and a second end of said bottom mast support spreader is adapted to be pivotably connected to a base support structure of said mast positioning apparatus, said base support structure being adapted to be fixedly attached to said drilling rig substructure.

23. A method for erecting a drilling rig mast, the method comprising:

pivotably connecting a first end of bottom mast support spreader to a bottom mast section of said drilling rig mast;

pivotably rotating said bottom mast support spreader about a second end of said bottom mast support spreader to pivotably position a first pinned connection of said bottom mast section adjacent to a second pinned connection of a mast support shoe; and

pivotably connecting said first pinned connection of said bottom mast section to said second pinned connection of said mast support shoe.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein pivotably rotating said bottom mast support spreader comprises pivotably connecting a first end of a mast raising apparatus to said bottom mast support spreader and actuating said mast raising apparatus.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising, after pivotably connecting said first pinned connection of said bottom mast section to said second pinned connection of said mast support shoe, pivotably connecting said first end of said mast raising apparatus to said bottom mast section and actuating said mast erection apparatus to erect said drilling rig mast by pivotably rotating said bottom mast section about said first and second pinned connections.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising attaching at least one further drilling rig mast section to said bottom mast section prior to erecting said drilling rig mast.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising attaching at least one further drilling rig mast section to said bottom mast section prior to pivotably positioning said first pinned connection of said bottom mast section adjacent to said second pinned connection of said mast support shoe.