Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
SIDE SADDLE RIG DESIGN WITH INTEGRATED MPD
Cross-Reference to Related Applications
[00 0 1] This application is a nonprovisional application which claims
priority from U.S.
provisional application number 63/161,671, filed March 16, 2021, which is
incorporated by
reference herein in its entirety.
Technical Field/Field of the Disclosure
[0002] The present disclosure relates to the drilling of wells, and
specifically to a drilling rig
system for use in a wellsite.
Background of the Disclosure
[0003] Drilling rigs may be configured to be traveled from location to
location to drill multiple
wells within the same area known as a wellsite. In certain situations, it may
be desirable to travel
across an already drilled well for which there is a well-head in place.
Further, mast placement on
land-drilling rigs may have an effect on drilling activity. For example,
depending on mast
placement on the drilling rig, an existing well-head may interfere with the
location of land-situated
equipment such as, for instance, existing wellheads, and may also interfere
with raising and
lowering of equipment needed for operations. Managed pressure drilling
involves the regulation
of the annulus pressure of a wellbore being drilled to reduce unwanted flow of
fluid into and out
of the wellbore from the formation.
Summary
[0004] The present disclosure provides for a drilling rig. The drilling rig
may include a drill rig
floor and a substructure. The drilling rig may include a managed pressure
drilling (MPD) manifold
positioned on the drill rig floor or coupled to the substructure. The drilling
rig may include a
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-16
rotating control device (RCD) coupled to a blowout preventer (BOP), the BOP
coupled to a
wellbore. The drilling rig may include a flowline coupled to the RCD. The
drilling rig may include
an MPD line coupled to the BOP, the MPD line fluidly coupled between the
annulus of the
wellbore and the MPD manifold. The drilling rig may include an MPD outlet
line, the MPD outlet
line fluidly coupled between the MPD manifold and the flowline.
[0005] The present disclosure also provides for a method. The method may
include positioning a
drilling rig in a wellsite at a first location aligned with a first wellbore.
The drilling rig may include
a drill rig floor and a substructure. The drilling rig may include a managed
pressure drilling (MPD)
manifold positioned on the drill rig floor or coupled to the substructure. The
drilling rig may
include a rotating control device (RCD) coupled to a blowout preventer (BOP),
the BOP coupled
to a wellbore. The drilling rig may include a flowline coupled to the RCD. The
drilling rig may
include an MPD line coupled to the BOP, the MPD line fluidly coupled between
the annulus of
the wellbore and the MPD manifold. The drilling rig may include an MPD outlet
line, the MPD
outlet line fluidly coupled between the MPD manifold and the flowline. The
method may include
disconnecting the BOP from the first wellbore; traveling the drilling rig to a
second location in the
wellsite aligned with a second wellbore; and coupling the BOP to the second
wellbore.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0006] The present disclosure is best understood from the following detailed
description when
read with the accompanying figures. It is emphasized that, in accordance with
the standard practice
in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the
dimensions of the various
features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-16
[0007] FIG. 1 depicts a side elevation view of a drilling rig consistent with
at least one embodiment
of the present disclosure.
[0008] FIG. 2 depicts a side elevation view of the drilling rig of FIG. 1 from
the other side of the
drilling rig.
[0009] FIG. 3 depicts a partial side elevation view of the drilling rig of
FIG. 1.
[0010] FIG. 4 depicts a top view of the drilling rig of FIG. 1.
Detailed Description
[0011] It is to be understood that the following disclosure provides many
different embodiments,
or examples, for implementing different features of various embodiments.
Specific examples of
components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present
disclosure. These are,
of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. In addition,
the present disclosure
may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This
repetition is for the
purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a
relationship between the various
embodiments and/or configurations discussed.
[0012] FIGS. 1-4 depict drilling rig 10 consistent with at least one
embodiment of the present
disclosure. Drilling rig 10 may include drill rig floor 20, right substructure
30, and left substructure
40. Right and left substructures 30, 40 may support drill rig floor 20. Mast
50 may be mechanically
coupled to one or both of right and left substructures 30, 40 or drill rig
floor 20. As would be
understood by one having ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this
disclosure, the terms
"right" and "left" as used herein are used only to refer to each separate
substructure to simplify
discussion and are not intended to limit this disclosure in any way. In some
embodiments, drill rig
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-16
floor 20 may include V-door 23, defining a V-door side of drill rig floor 20
and V-door side 22 of
drilling rig 10. In some embodiments, drill rig 10 may be a side-saddle
drilling rig such that V-
door 23 and V-door side 22 may be located over right substructure 30. V-door
side 52 of mast 50
may correspondingly face right substructure 30. By facing V-door side 22 of
drilling rig 10 toward
one of the substructures 30, 40, equipment and structures that pass through
the V-door 23 or to
drill rig floor 20 from V-door side 22 of drilling rig 10 may, for example, be
less likely to interfere
with additional wells in the well field. In other embodiments, V-door side 22
and mast V-door side
may face left substructure 40. In some embodiments, as depicted in FIG. 1,
drilling rig 10 may be
centered over wellbore 12.
[0013] In some embodiments, drilling rig 10 may include integrated managed
pressure drilling
(MPD) system 100. Integrated MPD system 100 may be used, for example and
without limitation,
to allow wellbore 12 to be drilled using managed pressure techniques such that
integrated MPD
system 100 controls annulus pressure of wellbore 12. In some embodiments,
integrated MPD
system 100 may be used to maintain the pressure within wellbore 12 during make
up or break-out
operations when employed with, for example and without limitation, a check
valve at a drill bit of
a drill string used with drilling rig 10. Components of integrated MPD system
100 may be coupled
to or positioned on drilling rig 10 such that integrated MPD system 100 may
travel with drilling
rig 10 during a travel operation such as a skidding operation or a walking
operation to move drilling
rig 10 from a first location in a wellsite aligned with a first wellbore to a
second location in a
wellsite aligned with a second wellbore or during a transport operation.
[0014] With reference to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, integrated MPD system
100 may include
rotating control device (RCD) 101. RCD 101 may be operatively coupled to
blowout preventer
(BOP) 103. BOP 103 may be mechanically and fluidly coupled to wellbore 12. RCD
101 may
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-16
operate to allow a drill string to pass through BOP 103 while maintaining a
sealed fluid connection
with the annulus of wellbore 12 and a drill string positioned within wellbore
12. RCD 101 may
include output port 105 fluidly coupled to flowline 107. Flowline 107 may be
used to return drilling
fluid within the annulus of wellbore 12 to mud handling equipment when
wellbore 12 is drilled
outside of a managed pressure drilling operation. In some embodiments,
flowline 107 may be
coupled to RCD 101 via flowline valve 109. Flowline valve 109 may be closed
during MPD
operations and opened during non-MPD operations. Flowline valve 109 may, in
some
embodiments, be a gate valve, ball valve, or orbit valve.
[0015] In some embodiments, integrated MPD system 100 may include MPD line
111. MPD line
111 is fluidly coupled to the annulus of wellbore 12 through MPD port 113
formed in RCD 101
or other component of BOP 103. In some embodiments, MPD port 113 may be formed
in spool
115 of BOP 103. MPD port 113 may allow for fluid returning through the annulus
of wellbore 12
to be diverted from flowline 107 to integrated MPD system 100 via MPD line 111
as discussed
below when flowline valve 109 is closed and subsequent valve 110 is opened.
Subsequent valve
110 may be, in some embodiments, a gate valve, ball valve, or orbit valve.
[0016] MPD line 111 may be coupled to subsequent valve 110 to provide a fluid
conduit for fluid
to pass from wellbore 12 to MPD manifold 117. MPD manifold 117 may be a choke
manifold used
to manage the pressure of the annulus of wellbore 12 through the use of one or
more valves 119
as shown in FIGS. 3, 4. In some embodiments, MPD manifold 117 may be
positioned on drill rig
floor 20 such that MPD manifold 117 travels with drilling rig 10.
[0017] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, MPD manifold 117 may fluidly
couple to
Coriolis meter 123. Coriolis meter 123 may be used to measure the mass flow
rate and density of
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-16
the drilling fluid flowing through integrated MPD system 100 to, for example
and without
limitation, identify kicks and to provide feedback for the control of
integrated MPD system 100.
In some embodiments, one or more valves may be positioned to allow fluid
flowing through MPD
manifold 117 to bypass Coriolis meter 123.
[0018] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, MPD manifold 117 may be
fluidly coupled to
mud gas separator 121. Mud gas separator 121 may be mechanically coupled to
drilling rig 10
such that mud gas separator 121 travels with drilling rig 10. Mud gas
separator 121 may be used
to separate drilling fluid from gases entrained with the drilling fluid
returning from wellbore 12.
In some embodiments, one or more valves may be positioned to allow fluid
flowing through MPD
manifold 117 to bypass mud gas separator 121.
[0019] Once the drilling fluid flows through MPD manifold 117 and, if desired,
Coriolis meter
123 or mud gas separator 121, the drilling fluid may flow through MPD outlet
line 125, which
may be fluidly coupled to flowline 107 to allow the drilling fluid to pass to
other mud handling
equipment which may be positioned on drilling rig 10 or at a location
proximate drilling rig 10.
[0020] In some embodiments, the components of integrated MPD system 100 may
remain coupled
to drilling rig 10 throughout any traveling operations such as skidding or
walking operations and,
in some embodiments, transport operations. In such embodiments, the fluid
connections of MPD
system 100 including, for example and without limitation, the connection of
MPD line 111 to BOP
103 or RCD 101, the connection of MPD line 111 to MPD manifold 117, the
connection of MPD
manifold 117 to Coriolis meter 123, the connection of MPD manifold 117 to mud
gas separator
121, the connection of MPD manifold 117 and Coriolis meter 123 to MPD outlet
line 125, and the
fluid connections between flowline 107 and MPD outlet line 125 and RCD 101,
may be maintained
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throughout such traveling or transport operations. In such embodiments, such
connections need
not be rigged down and up for each travel and transport operation, reducing
the time required to
prepare for transport of drilling rig 10 and reducing delays in beginning
operations after the move.
[0021] In some embodiments, integrated MPD system 100 may include MPD
controller 127. MPD
controller 127 may be positioned on drill rig floor 20 and may be used to
control operation of
integrated MPD system 100. MPD controller 127 may, in some embodiments,
control the pressure
of the annulus of wellbore 12 based at least in part on measurements of
Coriolis meter 123 and
other sensors by manipulating one or more valves 119 of integrated MPD system
100.
[0022] The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that a person
of ordinary skill
in the art may better understand the aspects of the present disclosure. Such
features may be
replaced by any one of numerous equivalent alternatives, only some of which
are disclosed herein.
One of ordinary skill in the art should appreciate that they may readily use
the present disclosure
as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures for
carrying out the same
purposes and/or achieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced
herein. One of
ordinary skill in the art should also realize that such equivalent
constructions do not depart from
the spirit and scope of the present disclosure and that they may make various
changes,
substitutions, and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and
scope of the present
disclosure.
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