Drilling Rig Erecting Apparatus with Rotating Lifting Ram
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drilling rig assembly and disassembly processes are inefficient, particularly for land rigs with high rig floor substructure heights, leading to increased costs due to time-consuming setup and takedown operations.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for erecting a drilling rig that involves raising the mast with a primary lifting ram and then using a floor support lifting ram to elevate the rig floor to working height, with the primary lifting ram rotating between engagement with the mast and floor support, and employing hydraulically actuated concentric telescoping cylinders for efficient lifting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional single-stage lifting method is used to raise the mast and floor support, then the structure is simple, but the setup and takedown times are excessive and productivity is low
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting operation is segmented into two distinct stages: first raising the mast to intermediate height, then raising the floor support to working height. This segmentation allows each lifting stage to be optimized independently, improving overall productivity without creating an overly complex integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The primary lifting ram is designed to be rotatable between engagement with the mast and engagement with the floor support. This dynamic repositioning capability allows the same lifting mechanism to serve multiple functions in sequence, improving productivity while maintaining manageable complexity through functional versatility.
2Manufacturing precision
If the rig floor is raised directly to working height in one operation, then the process is simple, but the mast cannot be properly positioned and alignment precision is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The elevation process is divided into two sequential stages: first the mast is raised to intermediate height allowing for positioning and alignment adjustments, then the floor support is raised to working height. This segmentation enables precise alignment operations at an accessible intermediate stage before final elevation, improving precision without significantly increasing total erection time.
Solution Approach 2:
The mast is raised to intermediate height before the floor support is raised to working height. This preliminary action of elevating the mast first allows for preliminary positioning and alignment adjustments to be made while the structure is in an intermediate state, improving final alignment precision without adding substantial time to the overall erection process.
3Ease of operation
If conventional lifting rams are used without rotation capability, then the mechanism is simple, but the primary lifting ram cannot efficiently transition between lifting mast and floor support
Solution Approach 1:
The primary lifting ram is designed with rotation capability to engage with both the mast and the floor support at different stages of erection. This multi-functionality allows a single lifting mechanism to perform multiple operations (lifting mast, lifting floor support) that would otherwise require separate mechanisms, improving ease of operation while the added rotational complexity is justified by the functional versatility gained.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces setup and takedown times by allowing for efficient raising of the mast and floor support structures, optimizing the use of lifting rams to minimize labor and operational costs, especially for rigs with high substructure heights.
Implementation Method 1
The primary lifting ram and the floor lifting ram may comprise hydraulically actuated concentric telescoping cylinders
Implementation Method 2
raising the mast with a primary lifting ram... raising the floor support with the floor support lifting ram
Data Source
AI summary
A method for erecting a drilling rig and an apparatus therefor having a mast, a base, a floor support, legs arranged between the base and the floor support, a primary lifting ram in engagement with the mast, and a floor support lifting ram, is disclosed. The method involves raising the mast with the primary lifting ram, raising the floor support with the floor support lifting ram to an intermediate height, engaging the primary lifting ram with the floor support and raising the floor support from the intermediate height to full working height with the mast lifting ram.