Craneless elevatable MGS vessel and swivel joint U-tube mud line and method of installation

Abstract

A craneless elevatable MGS vessel and U-tube assembly can be delivered on a winch truck to a drilling site and assembled in a far shorter time and without the need of having a crane and crane operator attend to the movement and placement of the MGS vessel and attached U-tube mud lines to a mud handling system in a drilling rig. The MGS vessel of the present application can be a standard type of MGS vessel well known in the industry. By fabricating this MGS vessel with attached and moveable U-tube connectors for the mud line, the system can be moved and assembled at the drill site without crane intervention. Moreover, the ability to raise the MGS vessel, after placement in its vertical position, permits ready attachment to multiple diverse drilling rig configurations.

Claims

1. A craneless elevatable MGS vessel and U-tube assembly comprising: an MGS vessel mounted on a support base frame providing a swivel bed supporting the vessel; double-acting hydraulic cylinders for raising the vessel from its horizontal shipping position to its final operating position; a gas vent line extending from the distal end of the MGS vessel; and a U-joint connecting a sump line of the MGS vessel interposed between the sump line and a mud pit line providing a swivel joint at an upper end of the U-joint and a second swivel joint at a lower end of the U-joint, supported by a hydraulic cylinder connecting the upper extension of the U-joint to the adjacent extended U-joint member for moving the U-joint in an independent direction to align the U-joint with a mud handling system of a drilling rig.

2. The craneless elevatable MGS vessel and U-tube assembly of claim 1 wherein the U-joint assembly is affixed by a brace to the MGS vessel for transportation.

3. A method for installation of a craneless elevatable MGS vessel as claimed in claim 1 comprising: moving a MGS vessel and attached U-tube mud line on a support base frame to a side of the mud handling system of a drilling rig; raising the MGS vessel and the attached U-tube mud line on its support base frame using double-acting hydraulic cylinders from its transportation horizontal position into a final vertical position; activating a hydraulic system to move the U-joint mud tube to a mud system flow line; connecting a choke line to one or more high pressure drilling mud inlet lines; and, connecting a top vent line extending from the top of the MGS vessel to a gas vent line.

4. A craneless elevatable MGS vessel and U-tube assembly comprising: an MGS vessel mounted on a support base frame providing a swivel bed supporting the vessel providing a gas vent line extending from the distal end of the MGS vessel; and a U-joint connecting a sump line of the MGS vessel interposed between the sump line and a mud pit line providing a swivel joint at an upper end of the U-joint and a second swivel joint at a lower end of the U-joint, supported by a hydraulic cylinder connecting the upper extension of the U-joint to the adjacent extended U-joint member for moving the U-joint in an independent direction to align the U-joint with a mud handling system of a drilling rig; double-acting hydraulic lifting means for raising the vessel from its shipping position to its final operating position; and, a plurality of lifting lugs attached to MGS vessel in spaced relationship for attachment of the double-acting hydraulic lifting means at selectable positions along the MGS vessel permitting the operator to raise the MGS vessel to an appropriate height.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional perspective view of the MGS vessel in its horizontal or transport mode.

(2) FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional perspective view of the MGS vessel in the vertical or connection mode.

(3) FIG. 3A is a detailed view of the U-joint connection on the mud outlet side of the MGS vessel.

(4) FIG. 3B is an expanded detailed view of the U-joint connection on the mud outlet side of the MGS vessel detailing the hydraulic raising cylinder and the slip joints which allow movement of the connection upon installation.

(5) FIG. 4 is a side view of MGS vessel in its transportation mode prior to set up showing the multiplicity of lifting lugs attached to the exterior surface of the vessel with the hydraulic arm attached to the topmost lifting lug.

(6) FIG. 5 is a side view of the MGS vessel in its operation mode set up with the hydraulic arm attached to the lowermost lifting lug.

(7) FIG. 6 is an elevation view of the MGS vessel in operation mode raised to a level to accommodate the attachment of lines from the drilling rig.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

(8) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the MGS vessel 10 with a craneless U-tube assembly attached to the vessel mounted on support base frame 12 deliverable to a drilling rig site. Gas vent line 14 is attached to the top of the MGS vessel in a manner well known in the art and is designed to carry off as much of the entrained gas carried up the annulus by the drilling mud. Mud line 16 is attached to the bottom of the MGS vessel 10 again in a manner well known in the art. Double-acting hydraulic lift means 18 are installed at the fabrication shop and are connected to a source of hydraulic power contained in support base frame-mounted hydraulic pressure source 19. The mud line joint 16 could also contain a jet nozzle (ball valve) to allow rapid release of gas which may have reached the mud outlet to prevent it from being sent to the mud pit and a standard drain valve 17 to drain the remaining portion of mud from the tank upon completion of the circulation.

(9) Fixed support frames 37 are attached on both sides of the MGS vessel 10 to the support base frame and support a sliding support frames 38, which contains the swivel mount for the MGS vessel 10. Both the fixed support frames 37 and the sliding support frames 38 provide holes, 41, 42, and 43 allowing the frames to connected by pins extending through the fixed support frames 37 and the sliding support frames 38.

(10) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the MGS vessel 10 after delivery and before completion of the connection to the mud pit lines (not shown). High pressure (and often multiple) inlet lines 11 take the mud/gas mixture from the choke manifold and introduce the mixture into the uppermost portion of the MGS vessel 10 allowing the mud/gas mixture to traverse the baffle plates in the MGS vessel to thereby release the entrained gas for vent through gas vent line 14 all in a manner well known in this art. In this view, the double-acting hydraulic pistons 18 are attached to the highest lifting lug 36.

(11) FIG. 3A is a detailed view of the MGS vessel 10 connected to a mud outlet line 16 to which is attached swivel joints 22 allowing the MGS vessel mud outlet line to be connected to the mud recirculation pit on the drilling rig. Spacer 30 is disconnected from the U-joint assembly after shipment to the drilling rig site. The upper portion of the mud line 16 is then rotated by hydraulic piston 20 to its operational position to connect to the mud recirculation pit.

(12) During shipment of the MGS vessel and attached U-joint, brace or spacer 30 holds the opposing sections 16, 16 of the U-tube in fixed position, permitting shipment without damage to either the vessel or the U-tube assembly. For installation, this brace or spacer 30 is removed or disconnected. The upper portion of U-joint 16 is fitted with a sleeve 24 connected to a hydraulic cylinder 20 capable of swiveling and lifting the upper portion of the U-tube joint 16 closer to the mud pit lines. Pipe swivels 22 are located between the lower portion of the U-tube joint 16 and the upper portion 16, and at the upper end of U-tube joint 16, thereby allowing rapid alignment with the mud system lines with the U-tube assembly. The U-joint mud line typically weighs between 350 and 575 lbs., and cannot be manipulated without the use of the crane oras described hereinthe hydraulic lift arm 20 driven by the hydraulics from the delivery support base frame. The swivel joint 22 connected to elbow 26 at the upper end of the U-tube assembly 16 allows rapid alignment and set-up of the MGS vessel at the drilling rig site. Hammer union 28 locks the sleeve assembly 24 in place.

(13) FIG. 3B is a bubbled view of the elements of the U-tube connection claimed as unique by applicant. All prior art MGS vessels known to applicant required a crane to move the MGS to either the rig floor or onto a stand located adjacent the rig floor. The present invention relates to a unique U-tube assembly, which allows the U-tube to be affixed to the MGS vessel during transportation to the drilling rig located, then installed on the drilling rig without the necessity for lifting the vessel. The combination of the swivel unions 22 with the sleeve 24 and hammer union 28 shown in this view without its other elements previously described provides a mud outlet joint 16 as shown in FIG. 3A from a bottom of the vessel 10 that can be quickly locked into place and operational, saving countless hours in set-up and therefore considerable money to the driller.

(14) FIG. 4 shows the MGS vessel 10 in shipment mode with the hydraulic lifting means 18 attached to the topmost lifting lug 32 permitting up setup the MGS vessel to be raised to the lowest height on the support structures 37 and 38. Similarly, the operator can attach the double-acting hydraulic lifting means 18 to lifting lug 36 to raise the MGS vessel 10 to a higher position in relation to the rig floor, the shale shaker and related equipment.

(15) During the raising the MGS vessel 10 from the horizontal position, the double-acting hydraulic lifting means 18 keeps MGS vessel 10 supported by the upper most lifting lug 36, which keeps the MGS vessel supported during the lifting procedure. After placement in the vertical position, the vessel is detachably connected to the support post 40 which is attached to a connection lug 45 on the bottom cap of the MGS vessel 10 (not shown in the view of FIGS. 1 and 2, but shown on FIG. 3A. After attachment of the support post 40, the MGS vessel 10 can be disconnected from the double-acting hydraulic lifting means 18 at attachment lug 36 and reattached to either the intermediate attachment lug 36 or the lowest attachment lug 36, thus allowing the MGS vessel 10 to be moved to variable height within the support structures 37 and 38. The support frames can then be pinned at 41, 42, or 43 to maintain the MGS vessel at a variable height to allow the U-tube upper arm 16 with its right elbow member 26 to be connected to the shaker possum belly on the shaker mud tank (not shown in this view). The possum belly is a metal container at the head of the shale shaker to receive and slow the flow of drilling fluid into the shale shaker and is connected to the end of the flow line coming from the return line on the drilling rig.

(16) FIG. 5 shows the MGS vessel 10 with the hydraulic lift arms 18 attached to the intermediate support lug 36 and the support arm 40 attached at lug 45 on a cap end of the MGS vessel 10

(17) As shown in FIG. 6, the hydraulic lift arms 18 can be activated to move the MGS vessel 10. When the sliding frames 38 are raised holes 41 and 42 are exposed and the sliding frames 38 are pinned through hole 41 and others

(18) The present device has been developed to accommodate multiple drilling rigs. If the U-tube cannot be connected to the shaker possum belly on the shaker mud tank, the operator can raise the MGS by removing the safety pins 41, or 42 in support frames 38 to permit the double-acting hydraulic lift arms 18 to move the MGS 10 to a level which allows the U-tube upper arm 16 and its right-elbow 26 to be connected to the possum belly connections. Once the MGS vessel is at an appropriate height, the safety pins are replaced in the appropriate paths 41, or 42 in support frame 38 to secure the assembly. The support post 40 is also capable of sliding up after attachment to lug 45 offering additional support to the lifted MGS vessel 10. At this point, the MGS is available for operation and the HPU 19 can be turned off.

(19) 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. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to 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 and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below.