The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 05, 1999
Filed:
Jul. 09, 1997
Frank B Williford, Frisco, TX (US);
Thomas C Baucke, Dallas, TX (US);
Ensco International, Inc., Dallas, TX (US);
Abstract
A submersible/semi-submersible dry lift carrier for transporting a jack-up drilling rig in a body of water includes a hull, a deck, at least one stability column, and a plurality of ballast compartments capable of being flooded and emptied for lowering and raising the carrier. The carrier further includes at least three leg wells, each well sized and spaced for receiving a leg from a jack-up drilling rig, and each of said wells comprising a vertical passageway having a first end opening through the deck and a second end opening through the bottom of the hull. The carrier further includes at least three pinning receptacles, each receptacle sized and spaced for receiving a spud can and leg from a jack-up drilling rig. In operation, the dry lift carrier is partially submerged by flooding the ballast compartments and then positioned beneath the floating jack-up rig. The carrier is de-ballasted thereby lifting the jack-up rig from a floating 'wet' mode to a 'dry' mode on the deck of the carrier. Alternatively, the dry lift carrier is submerged and rests on the floor of the body of water. The floating jack-up rig is positioned over the dry lift carrier. The carrier is de-ballasted thereby lifting the jack-up rig on the deck of the carrier.