Drilling rig

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9856705-B2
Application number	US-201414760440-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2014
Priority date	Jan 11, 2013
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments of an offshore drilling rig including—a drill floor deck having a hole defining a first well center;—a first mast upwardly extending relative to the drill floor deck;—a first hoisting system supported by the first mast and configured for hoisting and lowering tubular equipment through the first well center; wherein the load bearing structure of the first hoisting system is displaced from and located on a first side of the first well center;—first pipe handling equipment for moving tubular equipment to the first hoisting system so as to allow the first hoisting system to hoist or lower the tubular equipment through the first well center; wherein the first pipe handling equipment is operable to move tubular equipment at least partly underneath the load bearing structure and/or through a gap formed in said load bearing structure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An offshore drilling rig comprising:
a drill floor deck having a hole defining a first well centre;
a first hoisting system configured for hoisting and lowering tubular equipment having a weight through the first well centre via a top drive arranged to be raised over said drill floor deck up to a maximum elevation above the drill floor deck, said hoisting system comprising a load bearing structure extending upwardly from the level of the drill floor deck to a height of at least said maximum elevation and from which the top drive is suspended, said load bearing structure supporting a vertical load of said top drive and tubular equipment as it is being hoisted and lowered through the first well centre;
a first mast extending upwardly from the drill floor deck, said first mast is at least one of
(i) comprising a mast portion supporting at least part of said vertical load so that said mast portion forms at least part of said load bearing structure, and
(ii) supporting said load bearing structure in a horizontal direction;
wherein the load bearing structure of the first hoisting system is displaced from and located on a first side of the first well centre;
first pipe handling equipment for moving the tubular equipment to the first hoisting system so as to allow the first hoisting system to hoist or lower the tubular equipment through the first well centre;
wherein the first pipe handling equipment is operable to present said tubular equipment to the top drive in at least one of:
(i) a path from the first side towards the well center and entirely underneath the load bearing structure and under the level of the drill floor deck, and
(ii) a path from the first side towards the well center where at least part of the tubular equipment passes through a gap formed in said load bearing structure.

2. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 1 , further comprising a storage structure comprising a setback structure wherein said path is a path from said setback structure to a presentation to said top drive.

3. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 1 , comprising a driller's cabin positioned on the first side of the first well centre.

4. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 1 , wherein the drill floor deck comprises at least a first open drill floor deck area located adjacent the first mast, other than any drill floor deck area on or over which the drilling rig is configured for movement of tubular equipment or subsea equipment to the first well centre during normal drilling operation; and an access path connecting the open drill floor deck area with the first well centre.

5. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 4 , wherein the drilling rig is configured to perform movement of tubular equipment or subsea equipment to the first well centre along one or more pipe feeding paths during normal use which one or more pipe feeding path only crosses drill floor deck areas outside the first open drill floor deck area.

6. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 4 , wherein the access path is a straight path and extends entirely outside a footprint of the first mast.

7. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 4 , wherein the first open drill floor deck area is located adjacent the first well centre in a longitudinal direction defined within a plane of the drill floor deck by the first well centre and the first hoisting system.

8. An offshore drilling rig according claim 4 , wherein the first open drill floor deck area is located adjacent the first well centre in a transverse direction normal to a longitudinal direction defined within a plane of the drill floor deck by the first well centre and the first hoisting system.

9. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 1 , wherein the first hoisting system comprises a draw-works operable to roll up and feed a length of hoisting line.

10. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 1 , wherein the first pipe handling equipment defines a first pipe feeding path along which the tubular equipment is moved towards the first well centre, wherein the first pipe feeding path extends substantially along a longitudinal direction defined within a plane of the drill floor deck by the first well centre and the first hoisting system.

11. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 1 , wherein the drilling rig further comprises:
a second work centre displaced from the first well centre;
the positions of the first well centre and the second work centre together defining a transverse direction in the plane of the drill floor deck;
a second hoisting system configured for hoisting and lowering tubular equipment through the second work centre; wherein the first and second hoisting systems are arranged side by side in the transverse direction;
pipe handling equipment for feeding tubular equipment towards the first well centre; and
pipe handling equipment for feeding tubular equipment towards the second work centre; and
wherein the pipe handling equipment for feeding tubular equipment towards the first well centre and the pipe handling equipment for feeding tubular equipment towards the second work centre define respective pipe feeding paths each extending substantially along the longitudinal direction normal to the transverse direction.

12. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 11 , wherein the second work centre is a well centre.

13. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 1 wherein at least a part of the drill floor deck is formed by a roof of an enclosure for accommodating mud mixing equipment and/or other operational equipment of the drilling rig.

14. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 1 , comprising a storage area for storing the tubular equipment located below the drill floor deck level, and pipe handling equipment for feeding such tubular equipment from said storage area through an opening in the drill floor deck towards the first well centre.

15. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 1 , wherein the first pipe handling equipment is operable to move the tubular equipment between the spaced apart support members from a storage structure for storing the tubular equipment, the storage structure being located at least partly behind the load bearing structure when seen from the first well centre.

16. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 1 , where said load bearing structure comprises one or more sheaves from which the top drive is suspended via one or more hoisting lines.

17. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 16 , wherein said support members of the load bearing structure comprises at least one substantially vertically extending linear actuator having a stationary end being fixed with respect to the drill floor deck, and a travelling end connected to said at least one of one or more sheaves.

18. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 17 , comprising a plurality of cylinders extending upwardly relative to the drill floor deck, wherein the plurality of cylinders comprises at least two groups of cylinders that are spaced apart from each other so as to form a gap between the two groups of cylinders through which gap the tubular equipment is movable towards the first well centre from the first side.

19. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 18 ,
wherein the first hoisting system is a hydraulic hoisting system where said at least one substantially vertically extending linear actuator is a hydraulic actuator.

20. An offshore drilling rig according to claim 16 , wherein the first hoisting system is a dra

Assignees

• Maersk Drilling As

Inventors

• Kannegaard Michael
• Mccoll Allan

Classifications

• E21B19/002 Primary

  specially adapted for underwater drilling (E21B19/09, E21B19/143 take precedence) · CPC title

• E21B15/02 Primary

  specially adapted for underwater drilling (E21B15/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B19/143

  specially adapted for underwater drilling · CPC title

• E21B19/155

  Handling between horizontal and vertical position · CPC title