Shallow water well-drilling apparatus
First Claim
1. A submergible vessel for use in shallow-water oil drilling, comprising:
- a pair of spaced pontoons selectively submergible and raisable in water by the admission and expulsion of water;
a main deck having port and starboard sides, a bow, a stem and a longitudinal axis;
a frame supporting said main deck over said pair of pontoons; and
a jacking system including a pair of parallel cantilever beams positioned on said main deck adjacent one of said port and starboard sides, said bow, and said stem and wherein, said cantilever beams have longitudinal axes, means for selectively translating said cantilever beams in a vertical direction above said main deck, and means for selectively translating said cantilever beams in a horizontal direction along the longitudinal axes of said cantilever beams.
2 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
A submergible vessel for use in shallow-water oil drilling includes a pair of spaced pontoons selectively submergible and raisable in water by the admission and expulsion of water, a main deck, a frame supporting the main deck over the pontoons, and a jacking system for horizontally and vertically translating a packaged drilling rig positioned thereon. The jacking system includes a pair of parallel cantilever beams positioned on the main deck adjacent the stern, vertical jacks for selectively translating the cantilever beams in a vertical direction above the main deck, and horizontal jacks for selectively translating the cantilever beams in a horizontal direction along their longitudinal axes. The deck has an inwardly extending slot formed therein at the stem, and the cantilever beams are positioned on either side of the slot, with their longitudinal axes parallel to the longitudinal axis of the deck. The cantilever beams are spaced apart to support the packaged drilling rig, the jacking system being operable to move the packaged drilling rig either outward over the slot or outward and upward to the edge of the deck of a fixed drilling platform. The cantilever beams are retained on guide shoes, each of which includes rollers which can be raised to permit horizontal movement of the cantilever beams relative to the guide shoes. In use, the vessel can be towed out to a well site and the pontoons are submerged stem first so as to rest on the sea floor. The jacking system can then be used to move packaged drilling rig to the drilling platform deck.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A submergible vessel for use in shallow-water oil drilling, comprising:
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a pair of spaced pontoons selectively submergible and raisable in water by the admission and expulsion of water; a main deck having port and starboard sides, a bow, a stem and a longitudinal axis; a frame supporting said main deck over said pair of pontoons; and a jacking system including a pair of parallel cantilever beams positioned on said main deck adjacent one of said port and starboard sides, said bow, and said stem and wherein, said cantilever beams have longitudinal axes, means for selectively translating said cantilever beams in a vertical direction above said main deck, and means for selectively translating said cantilever beams in a horizontal direction along the longitudinal axes of said cantilever beams. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification