Collapsible substructure for a mobile drilling rig
First Claim
1. A drilling rig substructure, comprising:
- a base;
a fixed drill floor mounted on said base, wherein an upper surface of said fixed drill floor is adapted to be positioned at an operating height level that is a same first distance above said base during both transportation of said drilling rig substructure to a drilling site and while performing drilling operations at a wellbore location of said drilling site; and
a raisable floor that is adapted to be positioned in a lowered transportation position during said transportation of said drilling rig substructure to said drilling site and raised from said lowered transportation position to an operating position adjacent to said fixed drill floor for performing said drilling operations, wherein an upper surface of said raisable floor is adapted to be positioned at a transportation height level that is a second distance above said base when said raisable floor is positioned in said lowered transportation position, said second distance being less than said first distance, and wherein a plane defined by said upper surface of said raisable floor is adapted to be substantially parallel to a plane defined by said upper surface of said fixed drill floor when said raisable floor is in said lowered transportation position during said transportation of said drilling rig substructure to said drilling site and when said raisable floor is in said raised operating position during said drilling operations.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Generally, the present disclosure is directed to a collapsible substructure of a mobile drilling rig. In one illustrative embodiment, a drilling rig substructure is disclosed that includes a base having a fixed drill floor mounted thereon, wherein an upper surface of the fixed drill floor is positioned at an operating height above the base for performing drilling operations at a wellbore location of a drilling site. Furthermore, a raisable floor is also included that is adapted to be positioned in a lowered transportation position for transportation of the substructure to the drilling site and raised to an operating position adjacent to the fixed drill floor for performing drilling operations, wherein a height level of an upper surface of the raisable floor is lower than a height level of the upper surface of the fixed drill floor when the raisable floor is positioned in the lowered transportation position.
149 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A drilling rig substructure, comprising:
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a base; a fixed drill floor mounted on said base, wherein an upper surface of said fixed drill floor is adapted to be positioned at an operating height level that is a same first distance above said base during both transportation of said drilling rig substructure to a drilling site and while performing drilling operations at a wellbore location of said drilling site; and a raisable floor that is adapted to be positioned in a lowered transportation position during said transportation of said drilling rig substructure to said drilling site and raised from said lowered transportation position to an operating position adjacent to said fixed drill floor for performing said drilling operations, wherein an upper surface of said raisable floor is adapted to be positioned at a transportation height level that is a second distance above said base when said raisable floor is positioned in said lowered transportation position, said second distance being less than said first distance, and wherein a plane defined by said upper surface of said raisable floor is adapted to be substantially parallel to a plane defined by said upper surface of said fixed drill floor when said raisable floor is in said lowered transportation position during said transportation of said drilling rig substructure to said drilling site and when said raisable floor is in said raised operating position during said drilling operations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A substructure of a drilling rig that is adapted to be moved between a plurality of wellbore locations of a drilling site, the substructure comprising:
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a base that is adapted to provide bearing support of said substructure during drilling operations at each of said plurality of wellbore locations; a fixed drill floor mounted on said base, wherein said fixed drill floor is adapted to be positioned at a first height level relative to said base during transportation of said substructure to said drilling site, said fixed drill floor being further adapted to be positioned at said same first height level relative to said base during said drilling operations; a raisable floor coupled to said base, wherein said raisable floor is adapted to be positioned at a second height level relative to said base during said transportation, said second height level being less than said first height level; and a raising apparatus that is adapted to raise said raisable floor above said base from said position at said second height level to a drilling operation position adjacent to said fixed drill floor, said raising apparatus being further adapted to raise said base relative to said fixed drill floor so that said fixed drill floor is at a third height level relative to said base and to maintain said base in said raised position during said movement of said substructure between said plurality of wellbore locations, wherein said third height level is less than said first height level. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A drilling rig substructure, comprising:
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a base; a raisable floor coupled to said base, wherein said raisable floor is adapted to be positioned in a lowered transportation position that is at a first height level above said base during transportation of said drilling rig substructure to a drilling site; a fixed drill floor mounted on said base, said fixed drill floor being positioned at a second height level above said base that is greater than said first height level during said transportation of said substructure to said drilling site and while performing drilling operations at a first wellbore location of said drilling site, wherein said raisable floor is further adapted to be raised relative to said base and said fixed drill floor to a raised operating position adjacent to said fixed drill floor that is at a third height level above said base and maintained in said raised operating position while performing said drilling operations, and wherein a plane defined by an upper surface of said raisable floor is adapted to be substantially parallel to a plane defined by an upper surface of said fixed drill floor when said raisable floor is in said lowered transportation position during said transportation of said substructure to said drilling site and when said raisable floor is in said raised operating position while performing said drilling operations at said first wellbore location of said drilling site. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A drilling rig substructure, comprising:
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a base; a fixed drill floor mounted on said base, wherein an upper surface of said fixed drill floor is adapted to be positioned at an operating height level that is a same first distance above said base during both transportation of said drilling rig substructure to a drilling site and while performing drilling operations at a wellbore location of said drilling site; and a raisable floor that is adapted to be positioned in a lowered transportation position during said transportation of said drilling rig substructure to said drilling site and raised from said lowered transportation position to an operating position adjacent to said fixed drill floor for performing said drilling operations, wherein an upper surface of said raisable floor is adapted to be positioned at a transportation height level that is a second distance above said base that is less than said first distance when said raisable floor is positioned in said lowered transportation position, and wherein at least one side of said drilling rig substructure is adapted to be substantially open after said raisable floor has been raised to said operating position, said drilling rig substructure being adapted to be moved in a substantially horizontal direction over wellhead equipment that is positioned on a wellhead at said wellbore location after said raisable floor has been raised to said operating position such that at least a portion of said wellhead equipment passes laterally through said at least one substantially open side during said substantially horizontal movement of said drilling rig substructure over said wellhead equipment.
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26. A drilling rig substructure, comprising:
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a base comprising one or more bearing pad support beams, said one or more bearing pad support beams being adapted to be in bearing contact with at least one of ground adjacent to a wellbore location of a drilling site and a drilling mat positioned on said ground so as to provide bearing support of said drilling rig substructure during drilling operations; a fixed drill floor mounted on said base, wherein an upper surface of said fixed drill floor is adapted to be positioned at an operating height level that is a same first distance above said base during both transportation of said drilling rig substructure to said drilling site and while performing drilling operations at said wellbore location of said drilling site; and a raisable floor that is adapted to be positioned in a lowered transportation position during said transportation of said drilling rig substructure to said drilling site and raised from said lowered transportation position to an operating position adjacent to said fixed drill floor for performing said drilling operations, wherein an upper surface of said raisable floor is adapted to be positioned at a transportation height level that is a second distance above said base that is less than said first distance, when said raisable floor is positioned in said lowered transportation position, and wherein each of said one or more bearing pad support beams is further adapted to be raised relative to said fixed drill floor and said raisable floor to a movement position such that said base is positioned a third distance below said upper surface of said fixed drill floor that is less than said first distance and maintained in said movement position while said drilling rig substructure is moved from said wellbore location of said drilling site to a second wellbore location of said drilling site.
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Specification