Collapsible substructure for a mobile drilling rig

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9556676-B2
Application number	US-201514740567-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2015
Priority date	Jan 16, 2012
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

A collapsible drilling rig substructure is transported to a drilling site while in a collapsed transportation configuration wherein a raisable floor of the substructure is in a lowered transportation position relative to a fixed drill floor such that an upper surface of the raisable floor is positioned at a first height level above a base of the substructure while an upper surface of the fixed drill floor is positioned at a second height level above the base that is greater than the first height level. The substructure is positioned adjacent to a wellbore location at the drilling site and reconfigured from the lowered transportation configuration to a raised operating configuration by raising the raisable floor to an operating position laterally adjacent to the fixed drill floor while maintaining a height level of the upper surface of the fixed drill floor at the second height level.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method, comprising:
transporting a collapsible drilling rig substructure to a drilling site while said collapsible drilling rig substructure is in a collapsed transportation configuration, wherein a raisable floor of said collapsible drilling rig substructure is in a lowered transportation position relative to a fixed drill floor of said collapsible drilling rig substructure such that an upper surface of said raisable floor is positioned at a first height level above a base of said collapsible drilling rig substructure while an upper surface of said fixed drill floor is positioned at a second height level above said base that is greater than said first height level;
positioning said collapsible drilling rig substructure adjacent to a wellbore location at said drilling site so that a bearing pad support beam comprising said base is supporting said collapsible drilling rig substructure;
performing a first reconfiguration operation to reconfigure said collapsible drilling rig substructure from said lowered transportation configuration to a raised operating configuration, wherein said first reconfiguration operation comprises raising said raisable floor from said lowered transportation position to an operating position laterally adjacent to said fixed drill floor while maintaining a height level of said upper surface of said fixed drill floor at said second height level above said base: and
performing a second reconfiguration operation to reconfigure said collapsible drilling rig substructure from said raised operating configuration to a substructure movement configuration, wherein said second reconfiguration operation comprises raising said bearing pad support beam relative to said fixed drill floor and said raisable floor so that said bearing pad support beam is no longer supporting said collapsible drilling rig substructure while maintaining said raisable floor in said operating position laterally adjacent to said fixed drill floor.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after positioning said collapsible drilling rig substructure adjacent to said wellbore location, positioning a drawworks on said raisable floor while said raisable floor is positioned in said lowered transportation position, wherein raising said raisable floor to said operating position adjacent to said fixed drill floor comprises raising said raisable floor with said drawworks positioned thereon.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after performing said first reconfiguration operation, performing a drilling operation on said wellbore location while said collapsible drilling rig substructure is in said raised operating configuration.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said wellbore location is a first wellbore location and said drilling operation is a first drilling operation, the method further comprising:
after performing said first drilling operation on said first wellbore location, performing said second reconfiguration operation;
moving said collapsible drilling rig substructure from above a wellhead at said first wellbore location while said collapsible drilling rig substructure is in said substructure movement configuration;
positioning said collapsible drilling rig substructure adjacent to a second wellbore location;
after positioning said collapsible drilling rig substructure adjacent to said second wellbore location, performing a third reconfiguration operation to reconfigure said collapsible drilling rig substructure from said substructure movement configuration to said raised operating configuration; and
performing a second drilling operation on said second wellbore location while said collapsible drilling rig substructure is in said raised operating configuration.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein performing said third reconfiguration operation comprises lowering said bearing pad support beam relative to said fixed drill floor and said raisable floor while maintaining said raisable floor with said drawworks positioned thereon in said operating position laterally adjacent to said fixed drill floor.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein moving said collapsible drilling rig substructure from above said wellhead at said first wellbore location comprises moving said collapsible drilling rig substructure laterally over wellhead equipment that is positioned on said wellhead while said raisable floor is in said operating position laterally adjacent to said fixed drill floor.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein moving said collapsible drilling rig substructure laterally over said wellhead equipment comprises moving said collapsible drilling rig substructure so that said wellhead equipment passes laterally through a cellar area of said collapsible drilling rig substructure and out of said cellar area through an open space defined by at least said raisable floor and said base.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing said drilling operation on said wellbore location comprises coupling a mast assembly structure to said collapsible drilling rig substructure and pivotably raising a drilling mast of said mast assembly structure above said collapsible drilling rig structure.

9. A method, comprising:
positioning a raisable floor of a drilling rig substructure in a lowered transportation position relative to a fixed drill floor of said drilling rig substructure such that an upper surface of said raisable floor is positioned at a first height level above a base of said drilling rig substructure while an upper surface of said fixed drill floor is positioned at a second height level above said base that is greater than said first height level;
positioning a drawworks on said raisable floor of said drilling rig substructure while said raisable floor is in said lowered transportation position;
transporting said drilling rig substructure with said drawworks positioned on said raisable floor to a drilling site while said raisable floor is in said lowered transportation position;
positioning said drilling rig substructure adjacent to a wellbore location at said drilling site so that a bearing pad support beam comprising said base is supporting said drilling rig substructure;
raising said raisable floor with said drawworks positioned thereon from said lowered transportation position to an operating position adjacent to said fixed drill floor such that said upper surface of said raisable floor is at an operating height level above said base for performing drilling operations that is substantially the same as said second height level of said upper surface of said fixed drill floor;
after raising said raisable floor, performing a drilling operation at said wellbore location; and
after performing said drilling operation and while maintaining said raisable floor with said drawworks positioned thereon in said operating position laterally adjacent to said fixed drill floor, raising said bearing pad support beam relative to said fixed drill floor and said raisable floor so that said bearing pad support beam is no longer supporting said drilling rig substructure.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein raising said raisable floor of said drilling rig substructure to said operating position adjacent to said fixed drill floor comprises actuating a raising apparatus that is coupled to at least said raisable floor and said base.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
positioning a mast assembly structure adjacent to said drilling rig substructure, said mast assembly structure comprising a pivotably mounted drilling mast that is in a substantially horizontal orientation during said positioning of said mast assembly structure;
assembling said mast assembly structure and said drilling rig substructure into a

Assignees

• Nat Oilwell Varco Lp

Inventors

• Konduc Kameron Wayne
• Thiessen Jay John

Classifications

• E21B15/04

  specially adapted for directional drilling, e.g. slant hole rigs · CPC title

• E21B15/003 Primary

  adapted to be moved on their substructure, e.g. with skidding means; adapted to drill a plurality of wells · CPC title

• E21B7/023 Primary

  the mast being foldable or telescopically retractable · CPC title

• E21B15/00 Primary

  Supports for the drilling machine, e.g. derricks or masts · CPC title

• E21B7/02

  Drilling rigs characterised by means for land transport {with their own drive}, e.g. skid mounting or wheel mounting · CPC title