Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02364147 2001-11-28
TEM File No. 173.8
TITL : IMPROVED MAST AND TROLLEY ARRANGEMENT FOR MOBILE
MULTI-FUNCTION RIG
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to drilling and servicing equipment for oil and
gas
wells generally, and in particular relates to an improved mast and trolley
design for use in
rigs which transport and/or operate equipment for continuous coiled tubing
drilling, for
conventional joined pipe handling and drilling, and/or for wireline
applications.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Our co-pending US patent application 09/688,979 and corresponding Canadian
patent application 2,322,917 for a "Trolley and Traveling Block System"
disclose a novel
trolley hoisting system for use in rigs, particularly multi-task rigs, which
transport and/or
operate equipment for oil and gas operations, including continuous coiled
tubing drilling
and conventional joined pipe handling and drilling operations. The novel
system allows a
single winch arrangement to perform various tasks without having to detach
from or
connect to the injector, as in some conventional rig arrangements, when
switching
between tasks. In particular, the winch system is capable of moving the
injector along the
rig's mast, or derrick, and, upon fixing the injector at a desired location
along the mast,
the winch is immediately available for performing other desired tasks, such as
a joined
pipe operation.
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However, the above system can not readily accommodate a top drive mechanism
to rotate joined pipe or to set surface casing. It is therefore an object of
the present
invention to provide a mobile rig with such capability. In particular, the
mast of the
present invention should allow for a winch arrangement to perform various
tasks in
combination with a trolley which is movable along the mast, and to perform
other tasks
when detached from the trolley in a solo configuration. The trolley should be
adapted to
accept various other equipment, including an injector and lubricator for
continuous or
coiled tubing. The trolley and mast should allow an injector to be parked near
the bottom
of the mast out of the plane of the mast to allow the trolley to travel along
the entire
length of the mast. Further, the winch should be capable of working the entire
length of
the mast without undue interference from the trolley. Any load carried by the
trolley
should be transferred directly to the winch arrangement so that the trolley
acts primarily
as a guide for the load along the mast, thus streamlining the trolley's
structure and weight.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided in one aspect an
improved
mast arrangement for mobile mufti-function rig comprising a winch line
extending from
an upper end of the mast having, a traveling block supported by the winch
line, and a
trolley mountable on the mast having side members for operatively engaging the
mast,
rail portions extending perpendicularly from the side members, a cross-beam
extending
transversely between the rail portions and adapted to roll therealong, and a
collar slidably
mounted on the cross-beam for movement therealong and adapted for coupling to
the
traveling block, wherein a load mounted to the collar is transferred through
the collar
directly to the traveling block and the supporting winch line.
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CA 02364147 2001-11-28
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to
the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 a is a side view of a mobile multi-function rig which employs a mast
and
trolley according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing
the trolley
at a selected location along the mast and an injector coupled to the trolley;
Figure 1 b is an end view of the rig from the right side of fig. l a;
Figure 2a is a view similar to fig. l a but showing only the trailer portion
of the rig
omitting several features such as the cab and cartridge assembly, and showing
the trolley
located at the lower end of the mast and the injector fixed, or "parked", out
of the plane of
the mast on the bed of the trailer with the traveling block still attached;
Figure 2b is an end view of the rig from the right side of fig.2a;
Figure 3a is a close-up side view of the back of the trailer and the lower end
of the
mast of fig.2a, with the traveling block and a user platform and railing
omitted for a better
view of the injector and trolley;
Figure 3b is an end view from the right side of fig.3a with the traveling
block;
Figure 4a is a view similar to fig.la but showing the injector parked on the
back of
the rig's trailer and the trolley at a selected location along the mast with a
top drive
operatively engaged to the trolley;
Figure 4b is an end view from the right side of fig.4a with the injector
omitted;
Figure Sa is a close-up side view of the mast, trolley and top drive of fig.
4a;
Figure Sb is an end view from the right side of fig.5a;
Figure 6a shows the mast and trolley of fig.5a with the top drive omitted;
Figure 6b an end view of the rig from the right side of fig.6a;
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Figure 7a is a view similar to fig.4a but showing only a portion of the rig's,
the
trolley at a lower end of the mast with the top drive moved out of the plane
of the mast
toward the parked injector, and the traveling block disengaged from the
trolley; and,
Figure 7b is an end view from the right side of fig.7a.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS IN DRAWINGS
mobile rig
12 trailer portion of 10
14 tractor portion of 10
16 rear end of 12
18 hydraulic stabilizers
cartridge assembly
22 coiled tubing
24 BOP
26 wellhead
mast / derrick
32 column members of 30
34 crown pulleys
36 crown of 30
38 cables
39a,b first and second pulleys
winch assembly
42 hydraulic legs)
44 platform
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46 bottom end of
30
48 traveling block
49 nut / bolt arrangement
50 injector
52 hydraulic cylinders
54 locking pin
56 aperture
60 trolley
62 side members
of 60
64a,bupper and lower
guides
65 pins)
66 rail portions
of 62
68 cross-beam
70 rollers
72 collar
74 sleeve portion
of 72
76 head of 72
78 tail of 72
80 top drive
82 support arms
of 80
84 hydraulic jacks
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CA 02364147 2001-11-28
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Figure 1 a shows a mobile rig (generally indicated by reference numeral 10)
for
transporting drilling and servicing equipment to an oil or gas well site. The
equipment,
such as a cartridge assembly 20 capable of holding various sizes of continuous
or coiled
tubing ("CT") 22, is located aboard a trailer portion 12 of the rig which is
adapted to be
towed by a self propelled tractor portion 14. A triple axle rear end 16 of the
trailer 12
includes a number of hydraulically operated stabilizers 18 for enhancing the
trailer's
lateral stability once its rear end is located over a wellhead 26 and during
well operations.
The term "well" is understood herein to mean either an oil or gas well to be
drilled, or an
existing well or wellhead which is to be tested or serviced. The rig's design
is generally
symmetrical about its longitudinal axis.
The rig 10 incorporates a number of drilling and servicing features aboard the
trailer 12, including a mast 30 (also referred to as a "derrick") pivotally
mounted to the
rear end 16 of the trailer, which can also carry a blow-out-preventor ("BOP").
The mast
is capable of supporting an injector 50 for moving the CT 22 into and out of
the well.
The mast 30 has two longitudinally spaced column members 32 (as best seen in
figs. l b),
each formed by a hollow structural section having a longitudinal central
passage along its
length. The columns 32 are joined at their top ends by a generally hollow
structural tie
member, or crown 36, housing a number of conventional pulley wheels 34 (also
referred
to as "sheaves") about which pass the cables 38 of a winch assembly 40. In the
embodiment shown the mast is about 72 feet (about 22 m) in length from ground
to
crown so as to accommodate multiple sections of conventional joined pipe. A
telescoping hydraulic cylinder or leg 42 is attached to each column 32, and is
operated
from a control panel at the rear of the trailer, to tilt the mast 30 between a
generally
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horizontal transportation mode and a generally vertical operating mode. A
operator's
platform 44 with safety railing is provided at the bottom end 46 of the mast.
The winch assembly 40, in conjunction with the novel features of the trolley
60, is
designed to perform multiple tasks, such as:
raising and lowering the injector 50 and lubricator, as well as running joined
pipe
segments;
handling various lengths of down hole tools;
hoisting other equipment as may be needed, including wireline equipment; and,
importantly, allowing a top drive 80 (as shown in figs. 4a - Sb) to be
supported and
operated in the mast.
The winch assembly 40 incorporates at least two sets of steel cables 38, where
at least
some of which extend about a first pulley 39a and then up a respective column
through its
hollow interior over a second pulley 39b and to the crown pulleys 34. The
cables 38 then
extend downwardly away from the crown to engage and support a "traveling"
block 48 in
a known manner. The block 48 has a nut and bolt arrangement 49 at the far, or
lower,
end of the block to provide a means of manually coupling and decoupling the
block and
the trolley 60. The winch assembly therefore controls the movement of the
traveling
block and trolley along the elevated mast for performing desired functions.
Referring now more particularly to the trolley 60 as shown in detail in
figs.6a and
6b, the trolley is adapted to ride on the columns 32 to any number of desired
locations
longitudinally along the mast, with two selected vertical locations being
illustrated in figs.
1 b & 2b. The trolley has a pair of opposed elongate side members 62 extending
generally
parallel to the columns 32. Upper and lower c-shaped guides 64a and 64b,
respectively,
at the ends of each side member 62 engage the columns 32 to space the side
members
CA 02364147 2001-11-28
inwardly from the masts and to guide the trolley therealong. Each guide 64a,
64b is
pinned to its side member by pins 65 to allow for some differential twist
between the
guides themselves and the side members. Each side member 62 has a truss-like
lateral
rail portion 66 which extends generally perpendicularly out of the plane of
the mast,
namely horizontally when the mast is elevated vertically. An elongate cross-
beam 68
spans perpendicularly between the trolley's side members 62, and has two pairs
of rollers
70 at each end for guiding the cross-beam 68 laterally out of the mast along
the rail
portions 66 to a desired location therealong. The cross-beam 68 carries a
collar 72 which
has an intermediate sleeve portion 74 adapted to slide side-to-side along the
cross-beam
with the use of TEFLON pads or the like. The head 76 of the collar has
apertures for
coupling to the traveling block 48 via the nut and bolt arrangement 49, and
the tail 78 of
the collar is adapted for coupling to equipment, such as to the injector 50
(fig. 1b) or the
top drive 80 (fig. 5b).
The trolley is relatively lightweight since the design provides for a direct
transfer
of load of any machinery coupled to the tail 78 to the traveling block 48 and
cables 38 via
the collar 72. The load remains generally linearly aligned with the load
bearing cables 38
as the machinery is slid side-to-side along the cross-beam 68, and as the
machinery and
cross-beam are rolled front-to-back along the rails 66. The traveling block 48
and cables
merely follow the collar as the cross-beam is rolled toward the back of the
rails 66 and
out of the plane of the mast. Hence, the trolley acts primarily as a guide for
the
machinery along the mast and carries little, if any, of the machine's weight.
Figures la to 3b illustrate use of the injector 50 by the rig of the present
invention.
A top end of the injector is pinned to the tail 78 of the trolley's collar 72,
and the traveling
block 48 is coupled to the collar's head 76 so that the injector's weight is
carried directly
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by the cables 38 up to the crown. Since the winch assembly 40 controls
movement of the
cables, it is therefore used to move the trolley and injector along the mast,
as for example
to an operating position shown in figs. la and 1b. Opposed sides of the
injector are
further engaged with the lower end of the trolley's side members 62 by a pair
of
hydraulically operated cylinders 52 to manipulate the orientation of the
injector in a
plurality of aspects, such as rotating and tilting the bottom of the injector
relative to the
wellhead 26. Hence, the trolley's side members 62 and the guides 64a, 64b
serve to
transfer twisting and bending moments from the injector to the mast's columns.
When the
injector is not needed for operation, the injector is rolled to the back end
of the rails 66
out of the plane of the mast by the cylinders 52, and the trolley is then
brought to the
bottom end 46 of the mast to rest the injector on the trailer's deck, as shown
in figs.2a to
3b. Prior to disconnecting the injector the trolley should be securely fixed
by actuating a
hydraulically operated locking pin 54 from the mast's column to an opposed
aperture 56
in the trolley's side member 62. The injector is then removed from the trolley
by
decoupling the injector's top end from the collar's tail 78 and the cylinders
52 from the
side members 62. Upon decoupling the locking pin, the unloaded trolley (as
seen in figs.
6a and 6b) is then free to operate without obstruction along the entire length
of the mast.
Alternately, if the trolley is not needed for a desired rig operation, then
the trolley
may also be parked at the bottom end of the mast and fixed thereto by the
locking pin.
The cross-beam 68 is rolled to the back end of the rails 66 out of the plane
of the mast,
and the traveling block 48 is then decoulped from the trolley at the collar
72. The winch
and traveling block arrangement is then used along the entire length of the
mast to
perform certain rig operations independently of the trolley, such as handling
joined pipe.
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A particular advantage of the present invention is the capability to readily
switch
from an injector operation to a top drive operation. With the injector 50 at
rest on the
trailer 12 and the trolley at the mast's bottom end, the top drive 80 may be
secured to the
trolley by coupling the drive's top end to the collar's tail 78, and pinning
two lateral
support arms 82 to the trolley's side members 62, as shown in figs. 5a and Sb.
The
support arms 82 provide important torsional resistance to the top drive during
operation,
without which the top drive could not function. Once attached, the top drive
and trolley
arrangement may then be maneuvered along the mast by the winch assembly and
elevated
to an operating position (as in figs, 4a and 4b) for performing desired
operations, such as
setting surface casing. The reverse procedure is followed to remove the top
drive from
the trolley. The top drive also incorporates a pinion gear arrangement, or
alternately
hydraulic jacks 84, to pivot the top drive about the tail 78 from the vertical
position
illustrated to a generally horizontal orientation facing away from the
trailer's rear end to
facilitate the loading and unloading of casing to and from the mast.
Another advantage of the present invention is the capability to readily switch
between top drive and joined pipe operations without removing the top drive
off the mast
or rig. This feature is best illustrated by first referring again to figs. 4a
& 4b showing the
traveling block 48 connected to the trolley 60 with the top drive 70 mounted
therein for
setting surface casing. From this configuration the rig may be switched to a
joined pipe
operation by lowering the trolley toward the mast's bottom end and rolling the
trolley's
cross-beam 68 toward the back end of the rails 66 to take the top drive out of
the plane of
the mast 30 (i.e. "off centre") and bring it to a position beside and above
the parked
injector 50, as shown in figs. 7a & 7b. The trolley may be fixed in position
to the mast as
described earlier using the locking pin 54 or the like. The traveling block 48
is then
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disengaged from the trolley and may operate unobstructed along the length of
the mast for
handling joined pipe and other rig operations. This aspect of the invention
allows the top
drive to be quickly re-engaged along the mast if an obstruction or other
problem is
encountered during the joined pipe operation which requires use of the top
drive.
In sum, the many advantages of the rig of the present invention include:
the ability to readily switch between various rig operations which heretofore
have
not been possible on mobile rigs, such operations including manipulating CT
with the
injector 50, setting surface casing using the top drive 80, operating the
winch and
traveling block for joined pipe operations, and interchanging between top
drive and
joined pipe operations without removing the top drive from the mast or rig;
the ability to run deeper joined pipe applications than are available on
current
mobile rigs by providing means for employing the top drive 80, namely the
trolley is
adapted to counteract the torsion exerted by the top drive during operation
(for instance,
the top drive could not function by mere pinning to the traveling block);
the ability for the trolley to work the entire length of the mast after
quickly
parking the injector near the bottom of the mast;
providing the winch and traveling block with unobstructed travel along the
entire
length of the mast without disengaging the trolley from the mast and with the
injector
parked near the bottom end;
providing a trolley of relatively simple and lightweight design by having the
trolley work primarily as a guide for a given load since its configuration
allows for a
direct transfer of load to the traveling block and winch cables; and,
providing a mast design which is not top heavy by parking equipment at the
bottom end and having the aforementioned lightweight trolley design.
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The above description is intended in an illustrative rather than a restrictive
sense,
and variations to the specific configurations described may be apparent to
skilled persons
in adapting the present invention to other specific applications. Such
variations are
intended to form part of the present invention insofar as they are within the
spirit and
scope of the claims below.
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