US2420803A

US2420803A - Movable combination derrick floor and engine base

Info

Publication number: US2420803A
Application number: US665856A
Authority: US
Inventors: William B Tobin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-04-29
Filing date: 1946-04-29
Publication date: 1947-05-20
Anticipated expiration: 1964-05-20

Description

May 2o, 1947.

W. B. TOBlN MOVABLE COMBINATION DERRICK FLOOR AND Filed April 29, 1946 ENGINE BASE 2 Sheets-Sheet l #wu/,4M 5. 7' @z3/N,

INVENTOR.

,4free/sen May 20, 1947. w. B. TOBIN 2,420,803V

MOVABLE COMBINATION DERRICK FLOOR AND ENGINE BS Filed April 29; 194e 2 sheets-sheet 2 W/L /AM 7b3/N,

INVENTOR. 47

l 14/ V.BYv

Patented May 20, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE A MOVABLE COMBINATION DERRICK FLOOR AND ENGINE BASE William robin, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application April 29, 1946, serial No. 665,856

(Cl. 18s- 21.)

3Claims. 1

This invention relates to means whereby an entire' derrick, together' with itsv various appurtenances, rotary machine,A drilling engine, draw works, slush pumps, etc., may be readilyV moved from one location (at which a well` has been drilled) to another location (where drilling of another well may be immediately commenced) without the necessity of dismantling the rig.

Asis well known, the drilling of oil and other deep wells involves the use of' large and heavy machinery. Heavy duty, rotary derricks, forv example, may weigh from thirty thousand to one hundred thousand pounds, and this does not take into consideration the weight of thel 4equipment such as rotary machine, draw works, drilling engine, slush. pumps, mud tanks, mud screens, etc., which are. ordinarily employed with a derrick during drilling. In the past, drilling derricks have been moved by being ski'ddedV from their foundations on to another not distant location, but the skidding of a one lrllm'dred` twenty foot derrick is a dangerous and unsatisfactory method and requires the separate movement or transportation ofv most of the equipment ordinarily used with a derrick.

Because of the tremendous weights involved, the height of av derrick, and the numerous forces which are set up in the 'derrick structure, transportation of a complete derrick, together withv its floor, draw Works, and: norl'narlly employed machinery, has not been deemed possible heretofore. As a matter of fact, thel normal construction` includes foundations which are fixed, the derrick corners being generally made of concrete, the legs of the derrick being suitably bolted to the concrete. As a result, no one has `previously contemplated moving an. entire derrick together with its floor and sub-floor.

The present invention is directed to a, grillage frame or base movably supported upon parallel, horizontally extending rails, the rails straddling the normal cellar above which drilling` operations are usually conducted. The grillage frame includes a oor or support upon which the entire derrick i-s mounted and also includes adequate provision for the support of the necessary equipment, such as rotary machine, draw works, drilling engine, etc. The grillage frame may extend rearwardly for a suicient distance to accommodate not only the drilling engine but also mud tanks, mud pumps and mud screensy so that all of the equipment employed in rotary drilling is mounted upon the movable frame. The frame is of sunlclent height so that adequate room is left beneath the derricl; for control gates, the Christmas tree and its accompanying valve and fittings within the cellar. The entire base frame or grillage is movably mounted upon the rails so that the entire derrick, together with its equipment may be moved along the rails from a location above one cellar to another location Where the forward progress of the -derrick is ystopped. in position above a previously prepared cellar and conductor pipe therein so that drilling may be initiated at the new location Without waste of time.

In order to permit movement of this tremendous mass of equipment in a controllable and eflicient manner, means have been provided whereby the load is distributed effectively and the entire derrick may be moved with but a slight expenditure lof power Without skidding or appreciable loss of power due to friction.

It is an object of the present invention, there fore, to disclose and provide a movable, combination derrick floor and engine base by means of which. a complete 'drilling rig, together with its appurtenances, may be moved from one location to another.

A further object of the invention is to disclose and providey means for movably supporting a complete derrick and its appurtenant machinery Without undue frictional loss.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention. For purposes of illustration, reference will be had to the appended drawings, in which Fig. l is a side elevation.

Fig; 2 isa rear elevation.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a sec tion of a lower bearing beam or sill'.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken through the means illustratedV in Fig. 3.

By referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noted that the entire combination derrick floor and engine base supports a derrick generally indicated at I,` a rotary table indi-cated at 2, a draw works, schematically shown at 3, a drilling engine indi cated at 4', mud tanks indicated at 5, a suitable mud screen indicated at 6, and slush pumps 1. In the preferred form of construction, the movable base, generally indicated at I0, consists, of a lower grillage l l of structural steel and an uppei` grillage i2, the entire assembly being supported upon rails I3 and M, the rails being parallel and suitably mounted upon `concrete or other footings I5 so as to strad'dle the cellar IE.

The lower grillage Il includes a plurality of longitudinally extending, parallel, spaced, loadbearing beams or sills such as I1, I8, I9, and 20. The outer load-bearing beams I1 and I8 (adjacent the sides of the assembly) are directly above and parallel to the rails I3 and I4 and suitable roller, anti-friction means 23 and 24 are carried by the lower surfaces of these load-bearing beams so as to permit the entire assembly to move along the rails I3 and I4.

The longitudinally extending, load-bearing beams are connected by a plurality of transversely extending members such as 25, 26, and the like.

The interconnection between the longitudinal and transverse elements of the grillage may be accomplished by the use of welding, fish plates, angles, or in any other suitable manner well known to structural engineers.

The upper grillage I2 also includes parallel, spaced, longitudinally extending beams such as 21 and 28 interconnected by transversely extending members. The upper surface of the upper grillage may carry iloor beams such as 38 and 3l adapted to adequately support the weight of the casing, drill pipe, drill stem and tools,

Vertical columns such as 32, 33, 34, and 35 connect the longitudinal members of the upper grillage with the bearing beams such as I1 and I 8 of the lower grillage. In addition, truss members such as l' may connect the upper and lower grillages and give stability to the structure. The total height of the base frame from the head of the rail i4 to the floor beams 3U may be six to eight feet, thereby affording adequate room between the drilling floor and the top of the cellar.

In the central portion of the combined grillage means are provided for supporting the rotary mechanism. Such means may, for example, include the very heavy channel or I-beam members such as 39 and interconnecting members 45 so that the weight of the drill stem and the rotary table may be adequately supported in position above the conductor pipe. The lower grillage II may extend forwardly so as to form a support for the oor 4 I, thereby permitting the mud tanks to be carried by the framework at a lower level than the derrick floor, thereby allowing the circulating mud to be screened and returned by gravity to the mud tanks before being pumped back into the well.

This complete derrick support, floor, and engine base are carried upon a multiplicity of anti-friction means such as 23 and 24 interposed between outer longitudinally extending bearing beams or sills I1 and I8 and the spaced, parallel rails I3 and i4. Details of construction of an illustrative form of such anti-friction means are shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and attention will be drawn to certain important relationships which must be maintained in order to permit successful movement of the entire derrick and its equipment from one location to another.

In the rst place, the rail I4 should be heavy so as to adequately support the weight and must be firmly fixed to the device or concrete upon which the rail is supported. The lower face of the load-bearing beam I8 should be appreciably wider than the head width of the rail I4 and it has been found that the lower face of the beam i5 should be not less than twice as wide as the head of the rail and preferably three or four times as wide.

Each of the anti-friction means, such as the one indicated in general by the numeral 24, comprises a bearing block 44 attached to the lower surface of the load-bearing beam I8 in any suitable manner, as for example, by the machine screws 45. The lower surface of the bearing block 44 is provided with a plurality of semcircular, transverse recesses such as the one indicated at 4G, such recesses extending from side to side of the bearing block. Each of these recesses is adapted to receive a solid roller 41 and each roller has a length of not less than twice and preferably three or four times the width of the head of the rail I4. As best shown in Fig. 4, the roller 41 extends beyond the head of the rail I4 on both sides. It is to be understood that where reference is made to semicircular recesses reference is made to any recess having a curvature adapted to readily receive and contact a roller such as 41, whether the center of curvature of such recess is coincidental with the roller surface of the block 44 or slightly outside such surface.

The block 44 is also provided with channels or passageways 48 leading to the semicircular recesses 46. Endwise movement of the rollers 41 within the recesses of the bearing block 44 is restrained by means of restraining members 50 and 5I attached to the sides of the bearing block as by means of bolts or machine screws 52. The restraining members 50 and 5I are provided with apertures in alignment with the passageways 48, the apertures being provided with lubrication ttings 53 so that grease or other lubricant may be introduced under pressure into the passageways 48 and thereby lubricate the surfaces of the roll ers 41 in contact with the recesses 46.

Each bearing block 44 is also provided with an end piece or

pieces

54 and 55, these end pieces being connected to the bearing block 44 as by means of bolts 55. The lower edge of each end block, such as 54, is provided with a recess 51 adapted to loosely receive the head of the rail I4, it; being understood that the

end plates

54 and 55 extend downwardly below the head of the rail I4. Transverse movement of the entire assembly is therefore prevented or limited by these

end plates

54, 55, etc.

The description given hereinabove is applicable to each of the anti-friction means carried by the longitudinal load-bearing means or sills I1 and I8, and, as previously stated, a plurality of such means is provided, it having been found desirable to use one of such means under each of the vertical columns connecting the lower and upper grillage above the rails I 3 and I 4.

It will be noted from a consideration of Fig. 4 that the total load is transmitted to the upper surfaces of the rollers 41. The entire semi-circular recess 46 is subject to the load. This load is transferred by the roller to a rather limited area on the head of the rail. As previously stated, the head width of the rail is not less than one half and preferably one third or one fourth the length of each recess or roller. As a result, the rollers 41 will readily rotate within their recesses since the recesses are well lubricated and the pressure per square inch is relatively low. Since the rotation of the rollers 47 is facilitated in this manner, the entire assemblage, including derrick, draw works and all other equipment, may be readily pulled along the rails I3 and I4 by any relatively small prime mover as soon as the blocks or other stops employed in anchoring the derrick upon its rails have been removed.

I claim:

1. A movable, combination derrick floor and engine base comprising: a structural steel grillage of a width adapted to receive and support a derrick and drilling machinery, said grillage including parallel, longitudinally extending bottcm bearing beams adjacent its sides; a pair of horizontal, parallel rails having a head Width smaller than the width of the longitudinally extending bearing beams, said rails being in alignment with and beneath each of the bottom bearing beams; a plurality of bearing blocks carried by the bottom of each of the outer bearing beams, each bearing block being not less than twice the width of the head of the rail, the lower surface of each bearing block including a plurality of semi-circular, transverse recesses; and a, roller in each recess and in contact with the head of the rail, each roller having a length of notless than twice the Ywidth of the rail head.

2. A movable, combination derrick corA and engine base comprising: a structural steel grillage of a width adapted to receive and support a derrick and drilling machinery, said grillage including parallel, longitudinally extending bottom bearing beams adjacent its sides; a pair of horizontal, parallel rails having a head width smaller than the width of the longitudinally extending bearing beams, said rails being in alignment with and beneath each of the bottom bearing beams; a plurality of bearing blocks carried by the bottom of each of the outer bearing beams, each bearing block being not less than twice the width of the head of the rail, the lower surface of each bearing block including a plurality of semicircular, transverse recesses; a roller in each recess and in contact'l with the head of the rail, each roller having a length of not less than twice the width of the rail head; means for restraining longitudinal movement of each roller in its recess; and means for supplying lubricant to each recess.

3. A movable, combination derrick floor and engine base comprising: a structural steel body adapted to receive and support a derrick, said body being provided with parallel, longitudinally extending bottom bearing beams adjacent its sides; a pair of horizontal, parallel rails having a head width smaller than the width of the longitudinally extending bearing beams, said rails being in alignment with but beneath each of the bottom bearing beams; a plurality of bearing blocks carried by the bottom of each of the outer bearing beams, each bearing block being not less than twice the width of the head of the rail, the lower surface of each bearing block including a pair of semicircular, transverse recesses; and a roller in each recess and in contact with the head of the rail, each roller having a length of not less than twice the width of the rail head.

WILLIAM B. TOBIN.