Rig for drilling or maintaining oil wells

• US 8,316,588 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2008
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Drillmec S.P.A. (Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited)
• Original Assignee: Drillmec S.P.A. (Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited)
• Inventors: Cicognani, Claudio
• Primary Examiner(s): Glessner, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): SADLON, JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US12/100,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20080251267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,693 Days
• Field of Search: 521/17, 521/18, 521/16, 521/43, 166/77.3, 166/379, 212/301, 212/306, 212/175, 212/177, 212/294, 212302-305, 414/332, 414/919, 29/11, 294/34, 295/250.1
• US Class Current: 52/118
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 15/00 Supports for the drilling machine, e.g. derricks or masts
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/023 the mast being foldable or telescopically retractable

Abstract

A Rig (1) for drilling or maintaining oil wells includes a base structure (2) which is provided with a support platform (3) on the ground and a raised work platform (5). A deck (6) is co-planar to and integral with the support platform (3) and is suitable for housing a trailer (7). A telescopic antenna (8) is provided with two fixing eyelets (9) which are arranged at the lower end of the telescopic antenna (8) in order to be hinged to the work platform (5). A lifting device (10) is suitable for lifting the telescopic antenna (8) from a transport position, in which it reposes on a transporter (7) with the two fixing eyelets (9) at a lower level than the level of the work platform (5), to a working position, in which it is vertically arranged on the work platform (5) with the fixing eyelets (9) hinged to the work platform (5). The lifting device (10) is provided with a moving articulated parallelogram structure provided with at least two rocker arms (11) hinged to the telescopic antenna (8) and which are hingeable to the deck (6), and with at least one linear actuator (12) with a variable thrust head which may be interposed between the telescopic antenna (8) and the deck (6) to activate the moving structure (10′) and lift the telescopic antenna (8).

Claims

1. A rig for drilling or maintaining oil wells comprising:

a base structure with a support platform on the ground and a raised work platform;

a deck co-planar to and integral with the support platform and which is suitable for housing transport means;

a telescopic antenna provided with two fixing eyelets arranged at the lower end of the telescopic antenna to be hinged onto the work platform; and

a lifting device suitable for lifting the telescopic antenna from a transport position, wherein the telescopic antenna is positioned on the transport means with the two fixing eyelets at a lower level than the level of the work platform, and a working position, wherein the telescopic antenna is vertically arranged on the work platform with the fixing eyelets hinged to the work platform;

wherein the lifting device comprises a moving articulated structure having at least two rocker arms hinged to the telescopic antenna and which are hingedly mounted to the deck, wherein a first one of the rocker arms is hinged to the telescopic antenna at a first hinge and is mounted to the deck at a second hinge and a second one of the rocker arms is hinged to the telescopic antenna at a third hinge and is mounted to the deck at a fourth hinge, wherein the rocker arms have an equal length and are parallel, and wherein the distance between the first hinge and the third hinge and the distance between the second hinge and the fourth hinge are equal, and wherein at least one linear actuator with a variable thrust head is interposable between the telescopic antenna and the deck to oscillate the rocker arms and to lift the telescopic antenna.

2. The rig according to claim 1, wherein the lifting device comprises a holding trestle mounted on the deck and which may be interposed between an upper portion of the telescopic antenna and the deck to temporarily support the telescopic antenna in a regulating position of a working height of the fixing eyelets and the work platform.

3. The rig according to claim 2, comprising a plurality of hydraulic cylinders and telescopic legs interposed between the support platform and the work platform to lift the work platform into a working position of a connecting position, in correspondence with which the fixing eyelets of the telescopic antenna are connected to the work platform.

4. The rig according to claim 3, comprising a lifting cylinder arranged inside the telescopic antenna to extend the telescopic antenna along a relative axis.

5. The rig according to claim 1, wherein the rocker arms are configured so that rotation of the rocker arms lifts the telescopic antenna to maintain an axis of the antenna parallel to the support platform.

6. The rig according to claim 1, wherein the at least two rocker arms mount to a first side of the antenna.

7. A method for installing a rig for drilling or maintaining oil wells, the method comprising the following stages:

positioning a telescopic antenna comprising at least an upper portion and a lower portion in a closed configuration on a deck which is co-planar to and integral with a support platform;

the support platform being part of a base structure, which is also provided with a raised work platform;

hinging the telescopic antenna to the work platform by two fixing eyelets which are arranged at the lower ends of the telescopic antenna; and

lifting the telescopic antenna from a transport position, in which the telescopic antenna is positioned on transport means with the two fixing eyelets at a level which is lower than the level of the work platform, to a working position, in which the telescopic antenna is vertically arranged on the work platform with the fixing eyelets hinged to the work platform;

wherein the lifting stage takes place while maintaining a longitudinal axis of the upper portion of the telescopic antenna parallel to a longitudinal axis of the lower portion of the telescopic antenna and parallel to the support platform until the telescopic antenna is hinged to the work platform by an articulated structure having at least two rocker arms hinged to the telescopic antenna, and subsequently rotating the telescopic antenna around the fixing eyelets by at least one linear actuator which is interposable between the telescopic antenna and the deck;

hinging the at least two rocker arms to the deck to close the articulated structure, and moving the thrust head of the linear actuator before the rotation of the telescopic antenna, wherein the at least one linear actuator oscillates the rockers arms and lifts the telescopic antenna.

8. The method according to claim 7, comprising a lifting stage of the upper portion of the telescopic antenna by a holding trestle mounted on the deck.

9. The method according to claim 8, comprising lifting the work platform to a working position via a connecting position, in correspondence to which the fixing eyelets of the telescopic antenna are connected to the work platform.

10. The method according to claim 9, comprising extending the telescopic antenna which is vertically arranged by a lifting cylinder arranged inside the antenna.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the lifting stage comprises a first step wherein the telescopic antenna is lifted to a raised horizontally extending position and a second step wherein the telescopic antenna is rotated from raised horizontally extending position to a vertically extending position.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the second step occurs with the fixing eyelets hinged to the work platform.