Dreco, Inc.

National Oilwell, Inc.

Hydraulic Rig Patent Corp.

Vinod Desai

Dave McConnell

Harry F Byrt

Richard E Tesch

A mobile land rig and method are disclosed, for the transport, assembly, and disassembly of oil drilling equipment. A mobile telescoping substructure box includes at least one axle and coupled wheels lockable and releasable for engaging the ground and being raised above the ground and for supporting a mobile drill mast. A lifting means selectively supports the mobile telescoping substructure box unit in a raised position and lowered position with respect to the ground. An extension cylinder further extends the mobile telescoping substructure box unit in telescopic extension. A stationary frame member and a telescoping frame member comprising the mobile telescoping substructure box unit have a plurality of cables attached thereto for supporting the telescoping frame member when extended. Limit switches attached between the cables and frame members sense when cable tension reaches predetermined limits and generate a stop signal. Telescopic extension of the telescoping frame member is stopped in response to the stop signal. Stop pins are further engaged in response to the stop signal to support the telescoping frame member in the extended position. Trolley winch allows completion of rig assembly without external crane.

Mobile land drilling apparatus and method

A multi-purpose drilling rig has a movable pipe support cradle which moves horizontally to transfer drill pipe from a storage area to the well being drilled, and vice versa. The cradle travels along a roof platform supported by load-bearing hydraulic lifting rams. Raising or lowering the lifting rams raises or lowers the roof platform, along with the drill pipe suspended from the cradle. Structural towers stabilize the lifting rams against buckling and lateral loads. Supplementary lifting capacity is provided cradle-mounted roof rams having pistons which may extend downward from the cradle, with the drill pipe suspended from a yoke interconnecting the roof ram pistons. For offshore drilling, a control system senses fluctuations in rig elevation due to wave action, and automatically adjusts extends or retracts the rams as required to maintain constant load on the drill bit. Also disclosed is a method of drilling which utilizes vertical and lateral movement of the cradle and top drive. &ldquo;

Hydraulic drilling rig

A telescopic flare pipe tower supports a flare pipe several hundred feet above the base level and includes a bottom section in contact with the base that may be the ground or the platform or deck offshore. The bottom section has a door or opening through which tower section assemblies including a tower section and a flare pipe section are transported on a dolly travelling on a track and telescopically raised above the bottom section. Each tower section assembly includes a flare pipe that permits vertical movement relative to the tower section but substantially restricts lateral movement. Upon installation of the second tower section assembly below the superposed previously telescoped tower section assembly the flare pipe section may be raised by a jack positioned on the ground, the deck or other base level to move the flare pipe section up to the superposed flare pipe section for welding. The method of erecting the telescopic flare pipe tower utilizes the track system with the dolly carrying the tower section assemblies into the bottom section. Each tower section assembly then may be telescopically raised in serial sequence. The flare pipe section is raised by a hydraulic jack to permit welding of the flare pipe sections to form a flare pipe.

Telescopic flare pipe tower

A telescoping four-sided drilling derrick and method of erection that is to be positioned on a drill floor over a well bore and is capable of withstanding severely adverse weather, environmental or geologic conditions. The derrick is in several sections and includes a bottom section, a top section and at least one intermediate section all for superpositioning over the bottom section to form a vertical four-sided tower. Each of the sections is composed of vertical members positioned in each of the four corners of each section to thereby form a total of four faces around the perimeter of each section. A window is one face sufficiently large to receive consecutively therebelow at least one section. In turn each of the intermediate sections is inserted within the bottom section for subsequent serial telescopic raising of the intermediate sections. Thereafter support means is connected across the window after the last intermediate section has been received within the bottom section so as to substantially close the window and rigidify the bottom section to enable the bottom section and the derrick to withstand the stress imposed by the superposed sections and any severely adverse conditions.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Vinod Desai