OFFSHORE WELL RIG

• US 3,802,137 A
• Filed: 04/03/1972
• Issued: 04/09/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James Eubank Armstrong
• Original Assignee: James Eubank Armstrong
• Inventors: Armstrong, James Eubank
• Primary Examiner(s): Sutherland, Henry C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pate, III, William F.
• Application Number:
  US05/240,525
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 173/28,37,23,1 175/85,8,9 52/111,113,115-118,632 61/46.5
• US Class Current: 52/118
• 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 15/02 specially adapted for underwater drilling E21B15/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/01 Arrangements for handling drilling fluids or cuttings outside the borehole, e.g. mud boxes

Abstract

A portable well rig for mounting on offshore platforms including a telescoping mast mountable on a base which also has the engine and drawworks mounted thereon, a drain pan and splash guard on the base, a pair of longitudinally extending beams with jacks for moving the base longitudinally of said beams, a pair of transverse support members, detachable clamps for attaching the support members to platform floor beams, and jacks for moving the entire rig laterally along the floor beams.

Claims

1. A rig comprising a lower support structure, an upper base structure on said support structure, a mast, drawworks and power source on said base structure, a plurality of C-clamps holding said base structure to said support structure, and solid handrails connected to a drip pan substantially covering the bottom of said base, whereby spillage can be controlled.

2. A rig for mounting on an offshore platform comprising a pair of parallel jacking beams, each comprising a plurality of beams in end-to-end relation, C-clamp means for fastening said jacking beams to floor beams of said platform, a support element resting on each jacking beam, with the outboard edge of the elements resting on the beams and the inboard portions extending toward each other, C-clamp means fastening said support elements to said beams, a truss beam resting on said supPort elements, at least one of said truss beam and said support elements comprising a container for liquid, C-clamp means fastening said truss beam to said support elements to form a truss, a base member resting on said truss, C-clamp means fastening said base member to said truss, a mast, drawworks and power source on said base member, jacking means connected to said support elements and to said jacking beams, whereby the truss and the apparatus supported thereby may be moved horizontally relative to the platform upon release of the C-clamps fastening the support elements to the jacking beams and operation of said jacking means, further jacking means connected to said truss and to said base member substantially at right angles to the first-mentioned jacking means, whereby the base member and the apparatus supported thereby may be moved horizontally relative to the truss upon release of the C-clamps fastening the base member to the truss and operation of the further jacking means, and means on said drawworks for supporting the power source thereon, said power source being mounted above said drawworks by such means.

3. A method for assembling a rig on an offshore platform having parallel, spaced-apart floor beams, comprising clamping a jacking beam to each floor beam, with each jacking beam lying on top of and extending longitudinally of a floor beam, placing a support element on each jacking beam, with each support element resting on a jacking beam and cantilevered toward the other support element, supporting the inboard portions of the support elements with temporary block means, clamping the support elements to the jacking beams, placing a truss beam on the support elements to span the space between them, clamping the truss beam to the support elements to form a truss, and then removing the temporary blocks.

4. A method as defined by claim 3 and including connecting a jack between each jacking beam and the support element resting thereon.

5. A method as defined by claim 4 and including clamping a base member to the truss, with the truss lying on top of the truss, and mounting a mast, drawworks and power source on said base member.

6. A method as defined by claim 5 and including connecting a jack between each jacking beam and the support element resting thereon, and connecting another jack at right angles to the first jacks between the base member and the truss.

7. A rig comprising an adjustable length truss, comprising a plurality of elements held together by clamping means, a base member mounted on said truss, a mast, drawworks and power source mounted on said base member, and jacking means connected to said truss and to said base, whereby said base may be moved horizontally along said truss.

8. A rig as defined by claim 7, and including jacking beams supporting said truss, and jacking means connected to said truss and to said jacking beams, whereby said truss may be moved horizontally along said jacking beams.

9. A rig comprising a lower support structure, including an adjustable length truss comprising at least two spaced-apart support elements and a beam, and clamping means holding said beam to said support elements, an upper base structure on said support structure, a mast, drawworks and power source on said base structure, and clamping means holding said base structure to said support structure.

10. A rig as defined by claim 9 and including a horizontal beam under the outboard edge of each support element, so that said support elements are cantilevered toward each other.

11. A rig as defined by claim 10 and including jacking means connected to said support structure and to said base structure, whereby the base structure and the apparatus thereon may be moved horizontally relative to said support structure.

12. A rig as defined by claim 11 and including fuRther jacking means connected to said support structure and to said horizontal beams at right angles to the first-mentioned jacking means, whereby said base structure and the apparatus thereon may be moved horizontally in any direction.

13. A rig comprising at least two parallel elongate elements, each element being releasably fastened at each end to a support element, said support elements being spaced-apart and comprising enclosed box-type structures suitable for storage of liquids, each support element resting on its outermost edge on a beam extending horizontally substantially perpendicularly to said elongate elements, so that the support elements are cantilevered toward each other when resting on said beams, and the inner edges of the support elements are supported by said elongate elements, and a mast, drawworks and power source mounted on said elongate elements.

14. A structure comprising a pair of spaced-apart, horizontally extending, substantially parallel elongate beams, an enclosed, box-type structure suitable for storage of liquids supported on each beam and having an inner portion extending laterally therefrom toward the other beam, at least two elongate structural elements lying on and spanning said box-type structures, said structural elements being fastened to said box-type structures to form a truss, whereby the structural elements are supported by the box-type structures and the adjacent sides of the box-type structures are supported by the structural elements, and a mast, drawworks and power source mounted on said structural elements.

15. A method for assembling a rig on an offshore platform having at least two parallel, spaced-apart floor beams, comprising placing an enclosed box-type structure suitable for the storage of liquids on each of two floor beams, with each such structure resting on a floor beam and cantilevered toward the other floor beam, supporting the inboard portions of the said structures with temporary block means, placing a truss beam on said structures to span the space between them, fastening the truss beam to said structures to form a truss, so that the truss beam supports the inboard portions of said structures, and then removing the temporary blocks.

16. A rig comprising an adjustable length truss, comprising a plurality of parallel elongate elements releasably clamped on each end to spaced-apart support elements, each support element including a beam extending horizontally substantially perpendicular to said elongate elements, positioned to support said support elements, said beams being located at the outermost edges of the support elements, so that the support elements are cantilevered toward each other when resting on said beams, and the inner edges of the support elements are supported by said elongate elements, a base member mounted on said truss, and a mast, drawworks and power source mounted on said base member.