Mobile hydraulic workover rig

Abstract

A portable hydraulic rig for workover, drilling or other operations on existing wells in which the rig has a derrick elevated on a base structure comprised of containers for equipment used in association with drilling or workover activities, a work platform including pipe rack sections for storing a plurality of pipes, the derrick being open-sided with a power cylinder at its upper end for lifting and lowering pipe sections away from and into each well, and hydraulic drive cylinders for advancing the rig between wells without telescoping or pivoting the derrick into a travel position, all of the hydraulic components being controlled from a central control panel on the work platform.

1 . In a workover rig having a base support and a derrick mounted on said base support including means for running pipe sections into and out of a completed well, the improvement comprising:
 a pair of elongated ground rails flanking at least one wellhead;   support means between said base support and said rails for slidable advancement of said derrick and said base support into alignment with each said wellhead; and   means for advancing said derrick and said base support along said rails.   
   
   
       2 . In a workover rig according to  claim 1  wherein said advancing means includes at least one fluid-activated cylinder at one end of said base structure. 
   
   
       3 . In a workover rig according to  claim 2  wherein said support means includes low-friction shoes at spaced intervals between said base structure and said rails, and insert plates positioned between each said shoe and said rail. 
   
   
       4 . In a workover rig according to  claim 1  wherein said base structure includes generally rectangular containers mounted on each of said rails, and cross beams extending transversely of the length of said rails between said containers to rigidly interconnect said containers into a unitary base structure. 
   
   
       5 . In a workover rig according to  claim 4  wherein at least two of said containers are mounted in end-to-end relation to one another on each of said rails. 
   
   
       6 . In a workover rig according to  claim 5  wherein said base structure includes a work platform mounted on said containers, and said derrick includes a base member mounted on said platform centrally between said pairs of containers. 
   
   
       7 . In a workover rig according to  claim 6  wherein said derrick is wholly supported by said base structure. 
   
   
       8 . In a workover rig according to  claim 7  wherein a rotary table and slips are mounted on said base member, and pipe racks are mounted on said work platform. 
   
   
       9 . In a workover rig according to  claim 8  including lift control means associated with said derrick for raising and lowering pipe sections out of and into said well, respectively. 
   
   
       10 . In a workover rig according to  claim 9  wherein said lift control means includes a power cylinder having a piston mounted for extension over the greater length of said derrick from an upper end thereof, and means for interconnecting an upper end of each said pipe section and a lower end of said piston. 
   
   
       11 . In a rig for oil and gas wells, a mobile derrick mounted on a base structure for advancement between said wells, said derrick having an open side along its substantial length of generally U-shaped cross-sectional configuration, a double-acting cylinder mounted at an upper end of said derrick for downward extension of a piston along said open side, and means for connecting each of said pipe sections in end-to-end relation to one another for upward and downward extension from a lower end of said piston in lifting and lowering a string of said pipe sections into and out of each of said wells. 
   
   
       12 . In a rig according to  claim 11  wherein said base structure is mounted on skids for slidable advancement between said wells. 
   
   
       13 . In a rig according to  claim 11  wherein said derrick is of open metal frame construction tapering upwardly and having generally U-shaped gusset plates at longitudinally spaced intervals. 
   
   
       14 . In a rig according to  claim 11  wherein said base structure is defined by shipping containers of elongated rectangular configuration, there being a pair of containers in end-to-end relation to one another on each of said skids, said derrick being aligned for downward extension of said pipe sections into a well head contered between said pairs of containers. 
   
   
       15 . In a rig according to  claim 14  wherein drive means are mounted between said skids and an end of each of said pair of containers for incremental advancement of said rig into alignment with each of said wellheads between said skids. 
   
   
       16 . In a rig according to  claim 14  wherein a catwalk is mounted on said pair of containers, and pipe racks are mounted on said catwalk in spaced relation above said containers for lifting and lowering pipe sections into and away from said derrick. 
   
   
       17 . A portable hydraulic rid for servicing, workover, completion and drilling and other operations on a plurality of wells comprising in combination:
 a derrick comprised of a plurality of open-sided metal frame sections rigidly connected together in end-to-end relation to one another;   a double-acting hydraulic cylinder at an upper end of said derrick; and   a base structure for said derrick including hydraulic drive means for advancing said derrick into alignment with each of said wells.   
   
   
       18 . A rig according to  claim 17  wherein said base structure includes means for supporting said derrick in an elevated position above said wells, and drive means for incrementally advancing said derrick and base structure between said wells. 
   
   
       19 . The method of running pipe sections into and out of a succession of completed wells in closely spaced relation to one another comprising the steps of:
 (a) rigidly mounting a derrick in upstanding relation to a slidable base structure;   (b) advancing said derrick and base structure into position over each of said wells in succession;   (c) side-loading each of a plurality of pipe sections onto said derrick in vertically aligned relation to each said well and fastening said sections together in end-to end relation to one another for advancement into each said well to a predetermined depth for servicing and treatment of each said well; and   (d) followed by raising said assembled pipe sections from each said well and disassembling same for return to said platform and repeating steps (b) through (d) above.   
   
   
       20 . The method according to  claim 19  characterized by hydraulically lifting each of said pipe sections onto said derrick. 
   
   
       21 . The method according to  claim 19  characterized by hydraulically advancing said derrick and base structure into position over each of said wells.