Self-Elevating Mast Drive Carriage for Drilling Rig Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drilling rig equipment is prone to accidents and inefficiencies due to the need for numerous personnel, necessitating improved equipment designs for safer and more efficient operations.
Innovation Solution
The development of a self-elevating substructure drilling rig with a platform floor and mast system, utilizing a drive carriage system with electric motors and pinions to vertically move mast sections and stabilize the rig, and a platform raising system with hydraulic actuators to assemble and disassemble the rig efficiently above a wellbore.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional drilling rig equipment is used, then operations can be performed, but numerous personnel are required which reduces safety and efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The drive carriage system automatically raises and lowers mast sections without requiring manual intervention or multiple operators. The system serves itself by using the mast sections as both the object being moved and the guide rails for the carriage, eliminating the need for numerous personnel to manually assemble or disassemble the mast structure.
2Productivity
If traditional drilling rig assembly methods are used, then the rig can be assembled, but numerous personnel are required which reduces efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The drive carriage system automatically raises and lowers mast sections without requiring manual intervention or multiple operators. The system serves itself by using the mast sections as both the object being moved and the guide rails for the carriage, eliminating the need for numerous personnel to manually assemble or disassemble the mast structure.
3Loss of time
If a self-elevating mast system is implemented, then assembly and disassembly are rapid and efficient, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drive carriage combines multiple functions into a single device: it serves as the lifting mechanism, the guiding structure, and the positioning system simultaneously. By merging these functions into one integrated system rather than using separate components, the patent reduces overall system complexity while achieving rapid assembly and disassembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The mast sections serve multiple purposes: they provide structural support, guide the drive carriage movement, and act as the object being raised and lowered. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate guide rails and lifting apparatus, reducing system complexity while enabling rapid assembly operations.
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 solution enhances safety and efficiency by reducing personnel requirements and enabling rapid assembly and disassembly of the drilling rig, allowing for safer and more efficient operations across various drilling environments.
Implementation Method 1
a pinion drive carriage having a plurality of electric motors and a plurality of pinions, each pinion coupled to a respective motor and adapted to engage teeth of a rack on a longitudinal edge of the mast section
Implementation Method 2
a platform raising system with hydraulic actuators to assemble and disassemble the rig efficiently
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes attaching a carriage support to a platform, the platform comprising a platform floor having an opening therein, with the carriage support located proximate the opening, attaching a drive carriage to the carriage support, and operably coupling to the drive carriage a first mast section of a mast comprising a plurality of mast sections, and wherein the first mast section is located above the opening. The method also includes arranging a second mast section below the first mast section, lowering, using the drive carriage, the first mast section through the opening, attaching the first mast section to the second mast section, and raising, using the drive carriage, the first mast section and the second mast section through the opening. In an exemplary embodiment, the platform floor is a rig floor.