Mobile drilling rig with telescoping substructure boxes
First Claim
1. A telescoping substructure of a drilling rig, the telescoping substructure comprising:
- first and second laterally spaced-apart telescoping substructure boxes, each comprising;
a lower substructure box;
an upper substructure box that is adapted to be telescopically raised and lowered relative to said lower substructure box, said upper substructure box comprising a plurality of structural members that are assembled to define a substantially open interior space and a substantially open bottom frame, wherein said substantially open interior space is sized to receive at least a portion of said lower substructure box through said substantially open bottom frame when said upper substructure box is telescopically raised and lowered relative to said lower substructure box; and
raising means for telescopically raising and lowering said upper substructure box relative to said lower substructure box between a collapsed configuration for transportation and a raised configuration for drilling operations, wherein each of said first and second telescoping substructure boxes are adapted to facilitate a horizontal movement of said telescoping substructure across ground adjacent to a wellbore location in at least one of a lateral direction and a longitudinal direction over wellhead equipment positioned above said wellbore location while said upper substructure boxes are in said raised configuration, said lateral direction being substantially perpendicular to each of said first and second telescoping substructure boxes and said longitudinal direction being substantially parallel to each of said first and second telescoping substructure boxes.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed herein is a telescoping substructure of a drilling rig that includes first and second telescoping substructure boxes. The first and second telescoping substructure boxes each include, among other things, a lower substructure box and an upper substructure box that is adapted to be telescopically raised and lowered relative to the lower substructure box. Furthermore, each telescoping substructure box also includes raising means for telescopically raising and lowering the upper substructure box relative to the lower substructure box between a collapsed configuration for transportation and a raised configuration for drilling operations, wherein each of the first and second telescoping substructure boxes are adapted to facilitate movement of the telescoping substructure in at least one of a lateral direction and a longitudinal direction over wellhead equipment positioned above a wellbore location when the upper substructure boxes are in the raised configuration.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A telescoping substructure of a drilling rig, the telescoping substructure comprising:
first and second laterally spaced-apart telescoping substructure boxes, each comprising; a lower substructure box; an upper substructure box that is adapted to be telescopically raised and lowered relative to said lower substructure box, said upper substructure box comprising a plurality of structural members that are assembled to define a substantially open interior space and a substantially open bottom frame, wherein said substantially open interior space is sized to receive at least a portion of said lower substructure box through said substantially open bottom frame when said upper substructure box is telescopically raised and lowered relative to said lower substructure box; and raising means for telescopically raising and lowering said upper substructure box relative to said lower substructure box between a collapsed configuration for transportation and a raised configuration for drilling operations, wherein each of said first and second telescoping substructure boxes are adapted to facilitate a horizontal movement of said telescoping substructure across ground adjacent to a wellbore location in at least one of a lateral direction and a longitudinal direction over wellhead equipment positioned above said wellbore location while said upper substructure boxes are in said raised configuration, said lateral direction being substantially perpendicular to each of said first and second telescoping substructure boxes and said longitudinal direction being substantially parallel to each of said first and second telescoping substructure boxes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14)
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9. A drilling rig mast erection system, comprising:
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a mast support shoe fixedly attached to a drilling rig substructure, said mast support shoe comprising a first pinned connection; a bottom mast section of a drilling rig mast, said bottom mast section comprising a second pinned connection that is adapted to be pivotably connected to said first pinned connection of said mast support shoe; and a mast positioning apparatus attached to said drilling rig substructure and pivotably attached to said bottom mast section, said mast positioning apparatus comprising a mast erection apparatus having a first end that is pivotably attached to said drilling rig substructure and a bottom mast support spreader having a first end that is pivotably attached to said bottom mast section, wherein said mast positioning apparatus is adapted to pivotably position said bottom mast section so that said second pinned connection of said bottom mast section is positioned adjacent to said first pinned connection of said mast support shoe, wherein said mast erection apparatus is adapted to be retracted so as to pivotably rotate said bottom mast support spreader, and wherein said pivotably rotating bottom mast support spreader is adapted to raise at least a lower end of said bottom mast section and pivotably position said second pinned connection of said bottom mast section adjacent to said first pinned connection of said mast support shoe. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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15. A telescoping substructure, comprising:
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a first telescoping substructure box; and a second telescoping substructure box that is laterally spaced apart from said first telescoping substructure box, wherein each of said first and second telescoping substructure boxes comprises; an upper substructure box comprising a plurality of structural members that are assembled to define a substantially open interior space and a substantially open bottom frame; a lower substructure box, wherein at least a portion of said lower substructure box is sized to pass through said substantially open bottom frame of said upper substructure box and to nest inside of said substantially open interior space of said upper substructure box when said upper substructure box is telescopically raised and lowered relative to said lower substructure box; and raising means for telescopically raising and lowering said upper substructure box relative to said lower substructure box. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A telescoping substructure box, comprising:
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a lower substructure box that is adapted to support said telescoping substructure box, said lower substructure box comprising a plurality of lower structural members that are assembled to define at least an upper frame; and an upper substructure box that is adapted to be raised and lowered relative to said lower substructure box between a raised drilling position and a lowered transportation position, said upper substructure box comprising a plurality of upper structural members that are assembled to define a substantially open interior space and a substantially open bottom frame, wherein said substantially open interior space of said upper substructure box is sized to receive said upper frame of said lower substructure box through said substantially open bottom frame of said upper substructure box when said upper substructure box is telescopically raised and lowered relative to said lower substructure box. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. A telescoping substructure, comprising:
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a first telescoping substructure box; and a second telescoping substructure box that is laterally spaced apart from said first telescoping substructure box, wherein each of said first and second telescoping substructure boxes comprise; a lower substructure box comprising a plurality of structural members that are assembled to define a substantially open interior space and a substantially open upper frame; an upper substructure box, wherein at least a portion of said upper substructure box is sized to pass through said substantially open upper frame of said lower substructure box and to nest inside of said substantially open interior space of said lower substructure box when said upper substructure box is telescopically raised and lowered relative to said lower substructure box; and raising means for telescopically raising and lowering said upper substructure box relative to said lower substructure box. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A telescoping substructure box, comprising:
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an upper substructure box comprising a plurality of upper structural members; a lower substructure box comprising a plurality of lower structural members that are assembled to define a substantially open interior space and a substantially open upper frame, wherein said substantially open interior space of said lower substructure box is sized to receive at least a portion of said upper substructure box through said substantially open upper frame of said lower substructure box when said upper substructure box is telescopically raised and lowered relative to said lower substructure box between a raised drilling position and a lowered transportation position; and raising means for telescopically raising and lowering said upper substructure box relative to said lower substructure box. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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Specification