Systems and methods for raising drilling rig assemblies

Abstract

A mast erection system includes a first mast erection apparatus that is adapted to pivotably raise a drilling rig mast of a drilling rig assembly to an intermediate raised position wherein the drilling rig mast is oriented at a first acute angle relative to a horizontal plane, and a second mast erection apparatus that is adapted to further pivotably raise the drilling rig mast from the intermediate raised position at the first acute angle to a fully raised position wherein the drilling rig mast is oriented at a second angle relative to the horizontal plane that is greater than the first acute angle.

Claims

1. A method of erecting a drilling rig mast, the method comprising: pivotably connecting a drilling rig mast to a collapsible drilling rig substructure; pivotably connecting a first mast erection apparatus to said drilling rig mast; pivotably raising said drilling rig mast with said first mast erection apparatus to an intermediate raised position such that said drilling rig mast is oriented at a first acute angle relative to a horizontal plane; coupling a second mast erection apparatus to said drilling rig mast; pivotably raising said drilling rig mast with said second mast erection apparatus from said intermediate raised position at said first acute angle to a fully raised operating position such that said drilling rig mast is oriented at a second angle relative to said horizontal plane that is greater than said first acute angle, wherein said first mast erection apparatus is disconnected from said drilling rig mast prior to pivotably raising said drilling rig mast to said fully raised operating position; and after pivotably raising said drilling rig mast with said first mast erection apparatus to said intermediate raised position, pivotably attaching said first mast erection apparatus to said collapsible drilling rig substructure and raising, with said first mast erection apparatus, said collapsible drilling rig substructure from a collapsed configuration to a raised operating configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first mast erection apparatus is a different type of erection apparatus from said second mast erection apparatus.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first acute angle is in a range of approximately 40 to 80 and said second angle is approximately 90.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said second mast erection apparatus comprises a drilling rig drawworks, and wherein coupling said second mast erection apparatus to said drilling rig mast comprises reeving a drill line of said drilling rig drawworks over crown block sheaves of said drilling rig mast and attaching an end portion of said drill line to a drum of said drilling rig drawworks.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising, after pivotably raising said drilling rig mast to said intermediate raised position with said first mast erection apparatus and prior to pivotably raising said drilling rig mast to said fully raised operating position with said second mast erection apparatus, transferring a dead load of said drilling rig mast to said second mast erection apparatus by operating said drilling rig drawworks to spool said drill line onto said drum.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said dead load of said drilling rig mast is transferred to said second mast erection apparatus while said first mast erection apparatus remains pivotably connected to said drilling rig mast.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said first mast erection apparatus comprises an hydraulic cylinder that, when fully stroked to a maximum extended length, pivotably rotates said drilling rig mast to a third acute angle that is greater than or equal to said first acute angle and less than said second angle.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said hydraulic cylinder is a multi-stage telescopic hydraulic cylinder comprising three stages.

9. A method of erecting a drilling rig mast, the method comprising: pivotably connecting a drilling rig mast to a collapsible drilling rig substructure; pivotably connecting at least one hydraulic cylinder to said drilling rig mast; pivotably raising said drilling rig mast with said at least one hydraulic cylinder to an intermediate raised position such that said drilling rig mast is oriented at a first acute angle relative to a horizontal plane; coupling a drilling rig drawworks to said drilling rig mast; after pivotably raising said drilling rig mast to said intermediate raised position with said at least one hydraulic cylinder, transferring a dead load of said drilling rig mast to said drilling rig drawworks; and pivotably raising said drilling rig mast with said drilling rig drawworks from said intermediate raised position at said first acute angle to a fully raised operating position such that said drilling rig mast is oriented at a second angle relative to said horizontal plane that is greater than said first acute angle.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said first acute angle is in a range of approximately 40 to 80 and said second angle is approximately 90.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising disconnecting said at least one hydraulic cylinder from said drilling rig mast prior to pivotably raising said drilling rig mast to said fully raised operating position with said drilling rig drawworks.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein coupling said drilling rig drawworks to said drilling rig mast comprises reeving a drill line of said drilling rig drawworks over crown block sheaves of said drilling rig mast and attaching an end portion of said drill line to a drum of said drilling rig drawworks.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein transferring said dead load of said drilling rig mast to said drilling rig drawworks comprises operating said drilling rig drawworks to spool said drill line onto said drum.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein pivotably raising said drilling rig mast from said intermediate raised position at said first acute angle to said fully raised operating position at said second angle comprises operating said drilling rig drawworks to spool said drill line onto said drum.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein said drilling rig drawworks is coupled to said drilling rig mast after pivotably raising said drilling rig mast to said intermediate raised position with said at least one hydraulic cylinder.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The disclosure may be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:

(2) FIGS. 1A-1C are side elevation views of an exemplary prior art drilling rig assembly;

(3) FIGS. 2A-2C are side elevation views of another illustrative drilling rig assembly known in the art; and

(4) FIGS. 3A-3F are side elevation views of an illustrative drilling rig assembly according to the present disclosure.

(5) While the subject matter disclosed herein is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) Various illustrative embodiments of the present subject matter are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

(7) The present subject matter will now be described with reference to the attached figures. Various systems, structures and devices are schematically depicted in the drawings for purposes of explanation only and so as to not obscure the present disclosure with details that are well known to those skilled in the art. Nevertheless, the attached drawings are included to describe and explain illustrative examples of the present disclosure. The words and phrases used herein should be understood and interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the understanding of those words and phrases by those skilled in the relevant art. No special definition of a term or phrase, i.e., a definition that is different from the ordinary and customary meaning as understood by those skilled in the art, is intended to be implied by consistent usage of the term or phrase herein. To the extent that a term or phrase is intended to have a special meaning, i.e., a meaning other than that understood by skilled artisans, such a special definition will be expressly set forth in the specification in a definitional manner that directly and unequivocally provides the special definition for the term or phrase.

(8) Generally, the subject matter disclosed herein is directed to new and unique systems and methods that may be used for raising/erecting the various components of drilling rig assemblies, including drilling rig masts and substructures. FIGS. 3A-3F depict various side elevation views of one embodiment of an exemplary drilling rig assembly 300 of the present disclosure in which two different raising apparatuses 314, 320 may be used to erect a drilling rig mast 330 in two stages from a substantially horizontal orientation to a fully raised operating position, and where one of the two raising apparatuses 314 may be further used to raise a substructure 310 of the drilling rig assembly 300 from a collapsed transportation configuration to a raised operating position after the drilling rig mast 330 has been erected above the substructure, as will be discussed in detail below.

(9) FIG. 3A is a close-up side elevation view of the illustrative drilling rig assembly 300 during an early stage drilling rig assembly and erection. As shown in FIG. 3A, the drilling rig assembly 300 may include a drilling rig substructure 310, a drilling rig mast 330, and a drilling rig drawworks 320. In some embodiments, the drilling rig substructure 310 may be, for example, a collapsible substructure that includes a lower substructure box 312 and an upper substructure box 311 that is adapted to be raised relative to and above the lower substructure box 312. Accordingly, the drilling rig substructure 310 has been depicted in FIG. 3A in a fully collapsed configuration after having been transported to a wellbore site. Furthermore, in the depicted collapsed configuration, the drill rig substructure 310 may have a fully collapsed substructure height 310h as measured from a bottom (support) surface of the lower substructure box 312 to a top (drill floor) surface of the upper substructure box 312. In at least some embodiments, the collapsed substructure height 310h may range from approximately 2.7-3.7 meters (9-12 feet), however it should be appreciated that the collapsed height 310h may vary from this range, depending on the specific design and operational parameters of the drilling rig assembly 300.

(10) In typical drilling applications, the lower substructure box 312 is adapted to be positioned directly in bearing contact with the ground 390 at the wellbore site, or on a drilling mat that is positioned directly on the ground 390, so as to support the drilling rig assembly 300 by properly transferring drilling rig dead loads and operating loads to the ground 390. As shown in FIG. 3A, the upper substructure box 310 may be coupled to the lower substructure box 312 by way of a plurality of pivotably movable support legs 318 and length-adjustable braces 319. In some embodiments, the upper substructure box 311 may be raised above the lower substructure box 312 by pivotably rotating the support legs 318 and braces 319 until the upper substructure box 311 has been raised to an appropriate operating position above the ground 390, as will be further described in conjunction with FIG. 3F below.

(11) The drilling rig mast 330 may include a bottom mast section 332 having a lower mast support leg 333 that is adapted to be pivotably connected to a mast support shoe 315 that is attached to the upper substructure box 311. Furthermore, the drilling rig mast 330 may also include a top mast section 334, and depending on the specific mast design, it may also include one or more intermediate mast sections 336 positioned between and connecting the bottom mast section 332 to the top mast section 334. However, for additional drawing clarity, the upper and intermediate mast section 334, 336 have not been depicted if FIG. 3A. (See, i.e., FIGS. 3C-3F, described below).

(12) As shown in the assembly and erection stage depicted in FIG. 3A, the lower mast support leg 333 of the bottom mast section 332 has been pivotably connected to the mast support shoe 315. Additionally, a first mast erection apparatus 314 has been coupled between the drilling rig substructure 310 and the drilling rig mast 330 in preparation for performing a first step for raising the mast 330 to a raised operating position above the substructure 310. As shown in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3A, a lower end of the first mast erection apparatus 314 has been pivotably connected to an apparatus pivot point 314p on the lower substructure box 312, and an upper end of the first mast erection apparatus 314 has been pivotably connected to a mast erection lug 331 positioned on the bottom mast section 332. In some embodiments, the first mast erection apparatus 314 may be a cylinder apparatus, such as an hydraulically or pneumatically actuated cylinder apparatus and the like, whereas in particular embodiments it may be a multi-stage telescopic hydraulic cylinder. For example, the first mast erection apparatus 314 may be a multi-stage telescopic cylinder having fewer than four stagesi.e., a two-stage or a three-stage cylindersince the use of a multi-stage cylinder having four or more stages may be avoided, due at least in part to the substantially reduced extended cylinder length that is provided by the mast erection systems and methods disclosed herein, as will be further described below.

(13) With continuing reference to FIG. 3A, the bottom mast section 332 of the drilling rig mast 330 is illustrated as being horizontally oriented, that is, such that the bottom mast section 332 (or the fully assembled drilling rig mast 330) is oriented parallel to a horizontal plane, such as parallel to the plane of the upper surface of the ground 390. However, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill after a complete reading of the present disclosure that the bottom mast section 332 may be tilted at a slight angle (i.e., by approximately 0 to 5) either above or below the horizontal plane at any time during the assembly of the drilling rig mast 330 (that is, while attaching the intermediate and top mast sections 336 and 334 to the bottom mast section 332) by pivotably rotating the bottom mast section 332 about the connection to the mast support shoe 315. Accordingly, as used herein and in the attached claims, the term substantially horizontal orientation or substantially horizontally oriented shall mean oriented or positioned in a plane that is within approximately 5 of being parallel to a horizontal plane.

(14) In certain exemplary embodiments, the drilling rig drawworks 320 may be positioned on a separate drawworks support skid 322, which in turn may be removably attached to the drilling rig substructure 310 at the drawworks end of the upper substructure box 311, as shown in FIG. 3A. Furthermore, in at least some embodiments, the drawworks 320 may be removably attached to, or installed on, the substructure 310 prior to pivotably connecting the lower mast support leg 333 of the bottom mast section 332 to the mast support shoe 315, whereas in other embodiments the drawworks 320 and drawworks support skid 320 may be removably attached to the upper substructure box 311 after the drilling rig mast 330 has been pivotably connected to the mast support shoe 315.

(15) It should be understood that while a single mast erection (e.g., hydraulic cylinder) apparatus 314 is depicted in the elevation view of FIG. 3A, a pair of mast erection (e.g., hydraulic cylinder) apparatuses 314 is typically provided and positioned such that the pair of apparatuses straddle the bottom mast section 332. As such, any reference herein to a first mast erection apparatus 314 or a multi-stage telescopic hydraulic cylinder 314 may be understood to also encompass a pair of such apparatuses 314 unless noted otherwise. In similar fashion, references herein to such components as the lower mast support leg 333 or the mast support shoe 315 may also be understood to encompass pairs of such components.

(16) FIG. 3B is a close-up side elevation view of the drilling rig assembly 300 depicted in FIG. 3A after the completion of a first mast erection step, during which the drilling rig mast 330 has been partially raised to its final operating position. As in FIG. 3A, the intermediate and top mast sections 336, 334 of the drilling rig mast 330 have again been excluded from FIG. 3B for drawing clarity.

(17) In performing the first mast erection step, the first mast erection apparatus 314, e.g., the multi-stage telescopic hydraulic cylinder 314, has been actuated (extended) so as to pivotably raise the drilling rig mast 330 by rotating the mast 330 about the pivotable connection between the lower mast support leg 333 and the mast support shoe 315 such that the mast 330 has been raised to an intermediate raised position. As shown in FIG. 3B, the drilling rig mast 330 may be oriented at a first acute angle 370 relative to a horizontal plane 380, that is, at an angle that is less than approximately 90, when the mast 330 is in the depicted intermediate raised position. In certain embodiments, the first acute angle 370 may range from approximately 40 to 80 relative to the horizontal plane 380, whereas in at least some specific exemplary embodiments, the first acute angle 370 may be between approximately 55 and 70. However, it should be appreciated by the ordinarily skilled artisan after a complete reading of the present disclosure that the magnitude of the first acute angle 370 will depend the specific design parameters of various relevant drilling rig components, such as, for example, the overall length and dead weight of the drilling rig mast 330, the maximum extended length of the first mast erection apparatus 314, the position of the mast erection lug 331 on the bottom mast section 332, and the like.

(18) FIG. 3C is a side elevation view of the drilling rig assembly 300 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B after a subsequent step in the disclosed sequence for raising the drilling rig mast 330 has been performed, wherein the intermediate and top mast sections 336 and 334 of the mast 330 have been included in FIG. 3C so as to further illustrate the remaining steps and support the following description. In certain embodiments, the top mast section 334 may be shipped pre-assembled, or dressed out with the traveling block 338 installed and the drill lines reeved between the crown block sheaves 337 and the traveling block sheaves 339. The mast 330 is assembled in a substantially horizontal orientation, including the pre-assembled top mast section 334, which is attached to the intermediate and bottom mast sections 336 and 332.

(19) Once all of the mast sections 332, 336, and 334 have been fully assembled into a completed drilling rig mast 330, the drawworks end of the drill line 324 is then uncoiled from the top mast section 334, moved down the mast 330, and attached to the drum of the drilling rig drawworks 320, and the opposite (dead line) end of the drill line 324 is securely clamped to predetermined location on the drill floor of the upper substructure box 311. Thereafter, and prior to pivotably raising the drilling rig mast 330 to the intermediate raised position as shown in FIG. 3B, the drawworks 320 is operated so that an initial portion of the drill line 324 is spooled onto the drawworks drum until the drawworks 320 exerts a load on the drill line 324 that is sufficient to pull the drill line 324 taut. In at least some exemplary embodiments, the drawworks 320 is then substantially continuously operated so as to maintain a load that keeps the drill line 324 taut while the first mast erection apparatus (e.g., hydraulic cylinder) 314 is actuated (extended) so as to pivotably raise the drilling rig mast 330 to the intermediate raised position, as previously described with respect to FIG. 3B above.

(20) With continuing reference to FIG. 3C, once the drilling rig mast 330 has been pivotably raised to the intermediate raised position i.e., such that the mast 330 is oriented at the first acute angle 370 relative to the horizontal plane 380 the drilling rig drawworks 320 is operated to tension the drill line 324, and the drawworks brakes are set so as to hold the drill line 324 in place, thus maintaining the drilling rig mast 330 in the intermediate raised position. Once the drawworks brakes have been set, the first mast erection apparatus (e.g., multi-stage telescopic hydraulic cylinder) 314 is then actuated by slightly retracting the cylinder, thereby transferring the dead load of the drilling rig mast 330 from the first mast erection apparatus 314 to the drill line 324 and the drawworks 320. After transferring the dead load of the mast 330 to the drill line 324 and the drawworks 320, the upper end of the first mast erection apparatus 314 may then be disconnected from the mast erection lug 331, after which the first mast erection apparatus 314 may be actuated to a fully retracted position as shown in FIG. 3D.

(21) FIG. 3E is a side elevation view of the drilling rig assembly 300 depicted in FIGS. 3C and 3D after a second mast erection step has been performed so as to finish raising the partially raised drilling rig mast 330 from the intermediate raised position (oriented at the first acute angle 370) shown in FIGS. 3B-3D to a fully raised operating position above the substructure 310. During the second mast erection step, the drilling rig drawworks 320 is operated so as to further spool in the drill line 324 onto the drawworks drum. In this way, the drawworks 320 is thus used as a second mast erection apparatus to further pivotably raise the partially raised drilling rig mast 330 from the intermediate raised position at the first acute angle 370 to a fully raised operating position by again pivotably rotating the mast 330 about the between the lower mast support leg 333 and the mast support shoe 315. As shown in FIG. 3E, once the drilling rig mast 330 has been further pivotably raised to its fully raised operating position, the mast 330 is then oriented at a second angle 372 relative to the horizontal plane 380.

(22) In some illustrative embodiments, the drilling rig mast 330 may be oriented substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane 380 when the mast is in the fully raised operating position, such that the second angle 372 is approximately 90. However, it should be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that when the drilling rig assembly 300 is adapted for slant drilling operations, the second angle 372 may be a second acute angle that is less than approximately 90, for example, in the range of approximately 60 to 75. In such embodiments, the first acute angle 370 that defines the orientation of the drilling rig mast 330 after it has been partially raised to the intermediate raised position may also be commensurately smaller, such as in the range of approximately 40 to 55.

(23) In some exemplary aspects of the present disclosure, the first mast erection apparatus (e.g., multi-stage telescopic hydraulic cylinder) 314 may be fully stroked to a maximum extended length when the drilling rig mast 330 is in the intermediate raised position and oriented substantially at the first acute angle 370. However, in other embodiments, the first mast erection apparatus 314 may only be partially stroked, that is, to an extended length that is less than the apparatus's maximum extended length, when the mast 330 is oriented at the first acute angle 370. In such embodiments, the first mast erection apparatus 314 may therefore be capable of further raising the drilling rig mast 330 to an orientation that is beyond the intermediate raised position, such that the mast 330 is oriented at a third acute angle that is greater than the first acute angle 370 but still less than the second angle 372.

(24) With continuing reference to FIGS. 3D and 3E, a snubbing line 340 may be attached to the top mast section 334 to control movement of the drilling rig mast 330 during the latter portion of the second mast erection step that is performed by using the drilling rig drawworks 320, i.e., the second mast erection apparatus. For example, in some embodiments, the snubbing line 340 may be spooled onto a winch truck that is used to restrain any substantially uncontrolled movement of the drilling rig mast 330 as the mast 330 breaks over its center of gravity (C.G.) while being raised to a fully vertical operating position. In this way, any impact loads on the mast 330 and the substructure 310 as the mast settles into its final operating orientation can thus be minimized or even substantially eliminated. In some embodiments, the mast orientation at which this C.G. break over occurs may be at an acute angle relative to the horizontal plane 380 that is in the range of approximately 84 to 88, although it should be appreciated that the C.G. break over angle will generally vary depending on the dead load distribution of the drilling rig mast 330, including the positioning of the traveling block 338 and the elevation of the diving board platform 335, and the like. Alternatively, snubbing cylinders (not shown) that are coupled between the drilling rig mast 330 and the upper substructure box 311 may also be used to control the C.G. break over.

(25) FIG. 3F is a side elevation view of the drilling rig assembly 300 of FIGS. 3C-3E after the completion of a further rig assembly and erection step, wherein the drilling rig substructure 310 has been raised to a final operating height for performing drilling operations. As shown in FIG. 3F, the drilling rig mast 330 has been pivotably raised to the fully raised position and oriented at the second angle 372, and the upper end of the previously retracted first mast erection apparatus 314, e.g., a multi-stage telescopic hydraulic cylinder, has been pivotably connected to the substructure erection lug 313 on the upper substructure box 311. Furthermore, the first mast erection apparatus 314 has again been actuated (extended) so as to raise the upper substructure box 311 relative to and above the lower substructure box 312 by pivotably rotating the support legs 318 and the length-adjustable braces 319. Additionally, the length-adjustable braces 319 have been fixed in place so as to substantially stabilize the raised substructure 310 at the appropriate operating height above the ground 390.

(26) As will be noted by comparing the relative extended lengths of the first mast erection apparatus 314 as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C to that shown in FIG. 3F, the apparatus 314 has been stroked by a greater length when raising the drilling rig mast 330 to the intermediate raised position (FIGS. 3B and 3C) than when raising the substructure 310 to the final operating height (FIG. 3F), as indicated by extension of approximately one additional cylinder stage in FIGS. 3B and 3C. However, when compared to the hydraulic cylinder 214 of the prior art drilling rig system 300, the smaller and more compact design of the first mast raising apparatus 314 does not unduly impact the minimum collapsed height 310h and subsequent overall shipping height of the substructure 310, while still being able to utilize the same erection apparatus 314 to perform both the mast raising operation and the substructure raising operation.

(27) In view of the foregoing description and figures, the subject matter disclosed herein therefore provides detailed aspects of various systems and methods that may be used for raising and erecting the various components of high capacity drilling rig assemblies, such as drilling rig masts and assemblies, while maintaining the overall transportability of the drilling rig assembly components over roads and highways.

(28) The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. For example, the method steps set forth above may be performed in a different order. Furthermore, no limitations are intended by the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below.