INDEPENDENT DRILLING RIG FOR ARTICULATED PLATFORM

• US 3,645,103 A
• Filed: 06/15/1970
• Issued: 02/29/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Maurice Laffont
• Original Assignee: Maurice Laffont
• Inventors: Laffont, Maurice
• Primary Examiner(s): Shapiro, Jacob
• Application Number:
  US05/046,202
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 61/46.5,46,65 175/7,8,9 114/43.5
• US Class Current: 405/202
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 17/00 Artificial islands mounted on piles or like supports, e.g. platforms on raisable legs or offshore constructions; Construction methods therefor construction methods for floating platforms B63B75/00; anchoring floating platforms B63B21/00; floating platforms, e.g. anchored, B63B35/44; underwater reservoirs B65D88/78
• 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

Abstract

A marine drilling system consisting of an emergent articulated platform with positive buoyancy, fixed to a base by means of a coupling with two degrees of freedom, in which the said platform contains an opening of rectangular cross section extending from the top of the platform to a line situated several meters below the surface of the sea, the articulated platform being equipped with on the inside edges of the opening with hoisting gear, which is used for the positioning in the said opening of a drilling unit, transportable by a floating pontoon, which fits into the opening, by raising the drilling unit, which is locked on to the platform when in the correct position, it being possible for the drilling device forming part of the said unit to be moved in relation to the unit in the plane of the upper surface of the platform, so that drillings can be made from different points on the platform.

Claims

1. A marine drilling system comprising:

a platform having a positive buoyancy attached to a base by means of a two-directional pivot, said platform being provided with ballasting compartments and defining an opening extending from the top of the platform downwardly to a line below the surface of the sea;

a drilling unit carried by a pontoon and including a drilling appliance, said unit and pontoon being dimensioned to be positioned in the opening of the platform;

hoisting gear adjacent the edges of the opening of the platform to raise the drilling unit from said pontoon into a position in which the base of said drilling appliance is level with the upper surface of said platform; and

cooperating locking means on the platform and drilling unit for fastening said unit rigidly to the platform when the base of the drilling appliance is level with the surface of said platform;

said drilling appliance being movable over the supper surfaces of the remainder of said drilling unit and said platform, whereby drilling can be carried out from various points on the platform.

2. A marine drilling system as claimed in claim 1 in which said drilling unit comprises the equipment necessary to drill a well, and said drilling appliance comprises those components of said unit which must necessarily occupy a particular position relative to the well being drilled.