US2639588A - Barge for offshore well drilling - Google Patents

Description

May 26, 1953 B. DURANT ETAL BARGE FOR OFFSHORE WELL DRILLING 4 Sheets-Sheet l F iled March 22, 1948 5.54/5 5. OUR/7N7,-

WlLL/FME PHOEL, M %7 g4 y 1953 1.. B. DURANT EI'AL 2,639,588

BARGE FOR OFFSHORE WELL DRILLING Filed March 22, 1948 '4 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwumvms LESL/E' 5. OUR/7N7; W/LL/HM E. 1 /7054,

May 26, 1953 L. B. DURANT EI'AL BARGE FOR OFFSHORE WELL DRILLING 4 SheetsSheet 3 Filed March 22, 1948 a w W (IA/W L as; /5 B. OUR/7N7; 4441/? 5. 27051.,

May26, 1953 L. B. DURANT ETAL BARGE FOR OFFSHORE WELL DRILLING 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 22, 1948 Patented May 26, 1953 BARGE FOR OFFSHORE WELL DRILLING Le lie B. Durant and William E. Padel, New Orleans, La., assignors to Alexander Shipyard, Inc., New Orleans, La., a corporation of Louisiana Application March 22, 1948, Serial No. 16,378 (or. 61-46) 7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a barge construction for offshore drilling of oil or other wells.

Variable deposits of oil and other substances have been found in underground positions which require drilling beyond the shore line in water of a depth of as much as 14 feet and over While it is often feasible to build permanent or semiperm-anent structures for supporting the drilling rig, there are many places and situations in which it is more desirable to utilize a barge which carries the drilling rig, and which can be floated to the position where it is desired to drill the well. Upon reaching the desired position, the barge is ballasted by the admission of water to tanks carried by the barge so as to cause the barge hull to become entirely submerged, and to rest on the sea bottom.

Because of the heavy and bulky nature of the drilling rig, including the usual derrick which extends to a considerable height above the barge, the raising and lowering of the barge hull with respect to the bottom of the ocean upon which it is to rest is a very delicate matter, requiring an extreme degree of control over the barge hull.

The variations of the position of the center of gravity of the hull as it is raised and lowered often cause listing of the hull, and if this listing is not quickly and carefully controlled and compensated, the danger of capsizing of the barge become immediate.

Another difficulty involved in the use of barges of the type described above, is that in certain locations where there are strong currents prevalent, the barge will be likely to shift its position after it has been located on the ocean bottom because of the washing action of currents which change the configuration of the bottom about and under the hull.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a barge for offshore well drilling which has novel means for stabilizing the barge While the barge is being ballasted and lowered onto the sea bottom, and also while it is being raised.

Another object of the invention is to provide stabilizing means as referred to above comprising vertical adjustable hull sections carried by the barge and positioned along one or more ends or sides of the barge.

Another object of the invention is to provide a drilling barge having one or more adjustable stabilizing hull sections which are used for stabilizing the barge during raising and lowering of the barge relative to the ocean bottom, and which may be located on the ocean bottom during drilling in order-to protect the portion of the ocean bottom under and near the barge from being washed out, and causing shifting of the position of the barge.

A further object of the invention is to provide a drilling barge having adjustable stabilizing sections which can be raised above the water for protection from the waves during drilling, or can be detached and removed altogether from the barge. The last mentioned disposition of the sections is particularly useful where the sections are made to extend beyond the sides of the barge, and in which it is necessary to remove the adjustable sections in order to permit the barge to pass through narrow canals.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a barge having adjustable hull sections which can be filled with water or emptied so that the usefulness of the adjustable sections is greatly increased.

A further object of the invention is to provide a drilling barge having adjustable hull sections which can be extended below the bottom. of the main barge hull while it is still afloat so as to provide a bearing and guiding means for the barge as it is lowered to the bottom.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from. the following specification when read in the light of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1 and 1a are a side elevational view of a'barge utilizing a preferred form of the invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the barge shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of one end of the barge shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing a modified form of the invention.

. In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 through 3, the barge proper comprises a hull l0 which carries a super structure II and a derrick l2 on its upper side. The barge hull [0 contains a plurality of ballast tanks (not shown) which are filled with water when the barge is to be lowered in the water, and which are pumped out when the barge is to be raised. At each end of the barge there are fixed to the barge hull three spaced stationary columns I 4 which are comprised of spaced upright members l5, and which partially enclose threaded shafts It. The shafts it are mounted in suitable bearings H at their upper and lower ends so as to be freely rotatable by means of a gear arrangement l8 which is rotated by a wrench or other power application means l9. As

will be apparent from Figure 2, three of the stationary columns M are used on each end of the barge in the embodiment shown, a central beam being located approximately midway between the two sides of the barge hull, and corner columns being located approximately at each corner of the hull.

The bottom of the hull has a longitudinally extending portion 2a which extends a considerable distance beyond the stationary columns Hi, terminating in hinges 2| which are aligned with the three stationary columns M. Pivoted to each of the hinge portions 2| is a swinging gate col.- umn 22, so that there are three of the swinging gate columns aligned with the three stationary columns on each end of the barge.

The swinging columns are generally similar in over-all construction to the stationary columns comprising a pair of laterally spaced normally upright members 25 which carry threaded h f 26 which are generally similar to the shafts 16 of the stationary columns 14. Shafts 25 are rotatably mounted by means of upper and lower fixed bearings '23, are rotatable through gearins arrangements 23 which are driven by suitable wrenches 29 or other appropriate p wer apply means.

Each threaded shaft 16 carries a jacking nut 31 which is movable vertically with respect to the shaft upon rotation of the shaft. These jacklug nuts fit between the two spaced upright members I so that they .are prevented from rotating as the shafts iii are rotated. Similar jacking nuts 32 are carried by the threaded shafts 25 of the swinging gat columns .22. The jacking nuts 31 and 32 extend toward each other into the space between the stationary c lum s 14 an swinging gate columns 22, and jacking beams 33 are connected to each pair of l cking nuts 3 l-32 so as t bridge the gap between the two nuts.

From the above description. it is clear that the beams 33 may be raised and lowered by rotation of the shafts l6 and 25. The purpose of such raising and lowering will be explained presently.

At each n of the barge, an adjustablestabilizing hull section 40 is positioned in the space between the stationary columns 14, the Swinging gate columns 25, the hull extension 20, and the jacki g b ams .33, so that the hull s ctions 4.2

are confined within the aforementioned limits. R

The hull sections 43 are hollow, and in a preferred form extend well beyond the sides of the hull laterally where they are somewhat enlar in their vertical dimension. This is apparent from Figure 2. The enlarged end portions of the hull sections at extend below the central lower surf ce 4| of these hull sections so that when the adjustable hull sections 40 are lowered to the lowermost limit of their movement in. the manner which will be explained presently, the lower surfaces f he extreme end portion of the hull sections 40 will rest on the bottom of the ocean. In this po iti n, hey will in effec c mprise extensions of the bottom of the hull l0 of the barge.

Th hull sections 4!], when positioned as shown in the drawings, may be moved downwardly by operation of shafts l6 and 26 to move the jacking beams 33 downwardly. Upward movement of the jacking beams 33 permits upward movement of the hull sections 40. In practice, guiding or buffering strips of wood are placed along the surfaces of columns l4 and 22 where they contact hull sections 49, and a strip of wood may be attached to the lower surface of each of the Oil 4 jacking beams 33, as shown at 33c. It may also be desirable to provide guide rails located on the columns It and 22 to guide the up and down movement of the hull sections 40.

The swinging gate columns 22 may be swung outwardly to the position indicated in Figure l by means of pulleys 43 or other appropriate means, so as to permit removal of the adjustable hull sections 40 when the barge is to be passed through a narrow canal which would not accommoda'te the barge with the hull sections so in place as shown in the drawings. When the swinging gate columns are moved to their outer positions, it is or course necessary to remove th connections between jacking beams 33 and jacking nuts 32, and for this reason, these connections are made of any readily removable nature. For example, they might comprise bolts passing through aligned openings in the nuts 32 and in the outer ends of the jacking beams 33.

Another manner of removing and inserting the adjustable stabilizing hull sections 4-3 is by raisin the jacking beams to ten uppermost positions andfloating'the hull sections Ml transversely of the barge out'of their normal positions below jacking beams 33. In order to prevent accidental and undesired transverse movement or these hull sections 48 during operation, it is sometimes desirable to provide guide rails as mentioned above or guiding means removably attached to the upper surfaces of the hull sections Ml and extending through suitable guides in jacking beams 33 or in other structure carried by the barge adjacent the hull sections 40.

Since it is sometimes desirable to fill the hull sections 4!] with water, and subsequently to empty them of water, removable connections permit attachment of hoses 46 to these hull sections 40 to permit the pumping of water into and out of these sections.

The barge hull HI and superstructure i! are connected by a framework of bracing lilo so that when the barge is submerged, the hull if is completely under water and the framework We the only structure exposed to the action or the waves. This framework has a relatively small surface area, so that no deterioration of structure occurs, and the waves do not builet the hull structure H).

In operation, the barge is first floated to the desired position over the ocean bottom with the jacking beams 33 raised, and with the adjustable hull sections 40 floating freely on the surface of the water below the jacking beams.

Having reached the desired position, water is pumped or let into the ballast tanks (not shown) within the hull H! of the barge so as slowly to lower the barge in the water toward the ocean bottom. As the hull is lowered and the center of gravity of the barge shifts, lists often develop and if these lists are not corrected, the barge may well capsize. In order to correct these lists, the appropriate hull sections 40 are used for jacking up the low end of the barge. This is done by operation of the wrenches I9, 29, or other power applying means. In this latter category could fall electric motors for rotating the shafts I6, 26, and it is also contemplated that fluid operated means such as pistons carried by the barge proper could be used to raise and lower'the jacking beams 33. The end portions of the hull sections 40 which extend laterally beyond the hull ID of the barge act in the manner of Outriggers and stabilize the barge in a transverse direction. The transverse stabilization is also accomplished by raising or lowering the appropriate jacking beams 33 only on one side of the so that instead of raising or lowering one entire hull section 40, the starboard or port ends alone of one or both of the hull sections is could be raised or lowered.

This use of the hull sections for jacking up low portions of the barge is carried on until the barge bottom is positioned firmly on the sea bottom. At that time the adjustable sections can be filled with water through the means 45, 46 and lowered to the bottom so as to serve as anchors and also as shields to present washout of the ocean bottom under the barge. These sections it could also be raised by means of suitable cranes (not shown) and held in elevated positions above the surface of the water, thereby preventing damage to them by the waves. A third manner of operation at this stage is to swing the columns 22 outwardly and remove the hull sections it! entirely from the barge, Where upon they would be positioned on the deck of the barge or on other craft.

When the well has been drilled and the barge is to be raised the adjustable hull sections are utilized in a manner similar to their use durin lowering of the barge, and serve the purpose of providing buoyant pontoons for raising low portions of the barge proper.

It should be apparent that the invention is not to be limited to the use of adjustable stabilizing sections 40 only at the ends of the barge. If desired, these sections can be used in various combinations, such as on both ends and both sides, or on one end, or one side only. The use of only one adjustable section would be appropriate for positioning the barge inshallow water where there is only a slight clearance between the ocean bottom and one end of the barge, and a greater clearance between the other end of the barge and the ocean bottom. The end over the greater depth of Water would of course make use of an adjustable hull section in this case.

Various shapes of the hull sections at can also be used, and while the notched type of hull sections shown in Figure 2 is quite useful, the lower surface of the section may be formed without the notch and the section will still be quite useful.

In a modified form of the invention as shown in Figure l, the means for raising and lowering the adjustable hull sections are so arranged that the sections can be extended below the bottom the main. barge hull while the bottom of the hull is still clear of the ocean bottom. In such a construction, the adjustable section or sections are lowered below the barge bottom until they rest on the ocean bottom and then the barge is baliasted and lowered, making use of the guideways for the adjustable sections to guide the barge to the desired position.

Referring now to Figure 4, it will be seen that the barge hull is has at its end a stationary column 55! similar to the column It in Figs. 1. through 3, and provided with a threaded shaft iii. The shaft til is driven in this case by an electric motor shown at 52 which may be controlled from a position adjacent the motor or from a central control position from which all of the motors 52 are operated. A swinging gate beam 52 is pivoted at its upper end to an cX- tension 53 on the bar e hull, and contains a guide shaft 54. A nut 55 is movable up and down shaft 5| upon rotation of the shaft, the nut being attached to a jacking beam 56 which at its other end is attached to a sliding member 57 which rides on shaft 54. Thus in this mbodiment, the beam 56 is moved by rotation of a single shaft 5|, the shaft 5 serving merely as a guide.

When it is desired to swing column 52 out wardly to remove the stabilizing hull section 58 which is positioned below jacking beam 58 and between columns 50 and 52, the connection between guide element 51 and jacking beam 5 is removed and the column 52 is swung outwardly to the dotted line position.

In this embodiment of the invention, the stabilizing hull section 58 may be moved downwardly until it extends beyond the lower surface of the hull Ill, and in order to prevent any possible undesired movement of the hull section 58 when it is in its lower position, a guide post 555 is removably attached to the upper surface of the hull section 58 and extends upwardly through a guide which is carried by jacking beams 5%, or by other appropriate parts of the adjacent barge structure.

In operation of this construction, assuming that the barge is constructed in a manner similar to Figure '1, except that the structure at both ends of the barge is as shown in Figure 4, the barge hull is lowered to a point near the bottom of the ocean, and the adjustable hull sections are meanwhile being used for stabilizing. When the bottom of the hull of the barge is only a short distance above the bottom of the ocean, the stabilizing sections 58 are filled with water and lowered into position on the ocean bottom, after which the ballasting of the barge itself is continued until its final position is reached. This use of the adjustable hull sections 58 provides a sort of guiding foundation upon which the barge can be lowered to its final position.

With both of the modifications shown, it is obvious that different variations of the structure may be made, without departing from the inventive concept. It is also clear that various refinements can be made regarding the operation of the structure shown. For example, the control of the threaded shafts I6, 26, 5!, and 53 could be made more or less automatic by the use of a gyroscopic or other stable element carried by the barge, and operating through mercury switches or other means to control reversible motors which would operate the threaded shafts. In this way, any listing of the barge would be immediately followed by automatic operation of the threaded shaft controlling motors so as to raise or lower one or more of the stabilizing hull sections and eliminate thereby the list.

Another variation of the structure is the permanent attachment of the hull sections 40 to the jacking beams 33, and such structure could take the form of cars formed on the sections M] to which-the nuts 3|, 32, etc. would be attached directly, thus eliminating the jacking beams as separate elements.

As a ready manner of using the invention with existing equipment, the barge can be built as shown and described herein, but omitting the superstructure II and derrick l2, and extending deck 1 I to cover a greater part or all of the length of the hull. Then a conventional drilling barge (not shown) is attached to the upper surface of deck H by welding or other suitable means, or is attached directly to the supporting framework 10a. Thus, when the hull I0 is submerged, the conventional barge is supported enaceasss tirely above the surface of the water and is used to carry out its normal operations. This mannor of using the invention is quite valuable since it utilizes existing drilling barges and provides a way of converting them to the new operating method described herein.

Other modifications and manners of using the new method and apparatus will become apparent after a study of this disclosure, and it is to be understood that the embodiments shown and described herein are given merely as examples. The patent is intended to cover all variations of the inventive concept falling within the. scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A barge for offshore prospecting comprising a submergible hull, at least one buoyant hull section movably connected to said hull, at least one pair of upright members positioned on opposite sides of said hull section, a threaded shaft rotatably carried by each upright member, a nut carried by each of said shafts and secured against rotation so as to be elevated upon rotation of the shaft in one direction and lowered upon rotation of the shaft in the opposite direm tion, a transverse member for each pair of upright members, said transverse member being positioned above said hull section, connections between each transverse member and the nuts of its pair of upright members, and means for rotating said shafts to lower said transverse somber relative to the barge and thereby to raise the portion of the barge adjacent to said hull section, and to raise said transverse member relative to the barge and thereby to lower the adjacent barge portion.

2. A barge for onshore prospecting comprising a submergible hull, at least o e b ya hull section movably connected to said hull, at least one pair of upright members positioned one on each side of said hull section, a transverse member connected to a pair of said upright members and positioned above said hull section for contact therewith, means carired by at least one of said upight members of each pair for raising and lowering said transverse member, and a pivotal mounting for at least one of said upright members permitting swinging of saidpivoted member to facilitate insertion and removal of said hull section.

3. An offshore drilling barge comprising a subinergible hull, a projection along one side of said hull, at least one upright member attached to said hull along said side and extending above said hull, a second upright member attached to said projection and spaced from said first upright member, a transverse member connected to said upright members, a buoyant independent hull section positioned between said upright members and below said transverse member, and means for raising and lowering said transverse member to cause a shift in the vertical position of the hull section relative to the hull and a resulting shift in the elevation of the hull portion adjacent to said hull section.

4. A barge as set forth in claim 3, and a pivotal mounting for said second upright member permitting swinging of said member from its upright position to facilitate insertion and removal of said hull section.

5. A barge as set forth in claim 3, in which said projection comprises a continuation of the lower portion of said hull, whereby said hull section is confined between said upright members, said transverse member, and said projection.

6. A barge as set forth in claim 3, in which said projection comprises a continuation of the lower portion of said hull, whereby said hull section is confined between said upright members, said transverse member and said projection, said hull section being elongated and having its ends extending beyond the sides of the barge, and having the central portion of its lower side notched in the portion adjacent the projection to permit lowering of the hull section relative to the hull until the under surfaces of the ends of the hull section are flush with the hull bottom.

7. An offshore drilling barge comprising a submergible hull, at least one upright member attached to one side of the hull and extending above said hull, a second upright member corresponding to said first upright member and spaced from said first upright member and from said hull, a buoyant hull section positioned between said upright members, means for varying the vertical position of said hull section relative to said hull, and means carried by the barge and attached to the upper end of said second upright member to provide the sole support therefor, thus leaving clear the opening between the lower ends of said upright members and permitting downward movement of said hull section to a position wherein it extends below the hull, said attachment to the upper end of said upright member including a pivot permitting swinging of said second upright member to facilitate insertion and removal of said hull section.

LESLIE B. DURANT. WILLIAM E. PADEL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 4,842 Wagner Nov. 10, 1846 47,501 Turner Apr. 21, 1865 1,681,533 Giliasso Aug. 21, 1920 2,327,118 MacKnight Aug. 17, 1943 2,422,168 Kirby June 10, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 26,732 Germany Dec. 10, 1906

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