Multifunction Rig Mat

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a utility patent application claiming benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional application No. 63/625,624, also entitled “Modular Rig Mat” and filed 26 Jan. 2024, with the same inventors. The contents of the above-referenced application are fully incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE APPLICATION

The application relates generally to a modular “rig mat” adjunct to a trailer (herein referring to any portable building), which is collapsible and portable for transport alongside the trailer. The trailer comprises a winch for deployment, a series of collapsible storage units, and a collapsible bit stand. Optionally, other features may include a or a cooking (e.g., a barbecue pit)

BACKGROUND

In oil & gas production, a common requirement for drilling operations is to take daily measurements and photographs of a drill bit, to measure the wear and tear of the cutters and provide additional data for the rig owner. This requirement is usually the responsibility of the “company man,” or manager on site, who must supervise or certify these measurements.

Currently, this is done largely ad-hoc, with the drill bit often being simply placed on the floor, making measurements inconvenient and photographs often inconsistent or difficult to see. Additionally, the drill bit must be washed of mud and other debris for a clear photograph.

Since downhole drill bits can weigh hundreds of pounds and are inconvenient to manipulate, a need therefore exists for a drill bit stand which can steady the bit for cleaning and consistent photography & measurement. A need also exists for a bit stand which is collapsible and transportable, preferably adjacent to a portable building or trailer (which frequently function as offices for company men on assignment to a rig.)

Embodiments of the invention described herein meet this need.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of the rig mat.

FIG. 2 depicts an overhead view of the rig mat, with certain elements in FIG. 1 omitted for clarity.

FIG. 3 depicts the simplified FIG. 2 from the side.

FIG. 4 depicts an embodiment of the bit stand.

The detailed description below is described with reference to the above drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Before describing selected embodiments of the present disclosure in detail, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein. The disclosure and description herein is illustrative and explanatory of one or more presently preferred embodiments and variations thereof, and it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes in the design, organization, order of operation, means of operation, equipment structures and location, methodology, and use of mechanical equivalents may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

As well, it should be understood that the drawings are intended to illustrate and plainly disclose presently preferred embodiments to one of skill in the art, but are not intended to be manufacturing level drawings or renditions of final products and may include simplified conceptual views as desired for easier and quicker understanding or explanation. As well, the relative size and arrangement of the components may differ from that shown and still operate within the spirit of the invention.

Moreover, it will be understood that various directions such as “upper,” “lower,” “bottom,” “top,” “left,” “right,” and so forth are made only with respect to explanation in conjunction with the drawings, and that the components may be oriented differently, for instance, during transportation and manufacturing as well as operation. Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the scope of the concepts herein taught, and because many modifications may be made in the embodiments described herein, it is to be understood that the details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and non-limiting.

Turning first to FIG. 1, a general outline of mat 10 is depicted. The structure comprises base 12, which in an embodiment, may be a layered mesh floor with offshore grade grating. In a further embodiment, base 12 can comprise a series of slats and elevation changes for draining fluid and/or running hookups. Within the base are lifting holes 14, allowing for elevation and lowering of base 12 via forklift. There are four collapsible stands 16, each proximate to and supporting one corner of the roof 18. Roof 18 may have varying dimensions but in an embodiment is smaller than base 12, leaving a portion of the base 12 uncovered.

In an embodiment, roof 18 further comprises a series of crossbars supporting a solid sheet of aluminum (the latter being omitted from FIG. 1 for clarity). In an embodiment, the entire structure can be flat packed by means of collapsing the stands 16 and removing the roof. In a further embodiment, there are canopy curtains or soft-sided walls (additionally not shown for clarity) mounted on the roof 18 between each adjacent pair of collapsible stands 16 to create a makeshift enclosure.

Near the center of mat 10 is bit stand 20, which comprises a pair of protrusions onto which a drill bit can be placed for easy inspection and cleaning. In an embodiment, the bit stand 20 may further comprise a drill vise for clamping the drill bit in place onto the stand.

In one corner of base 12 is a bench 30, which may be straight or cornered depending on the embodiment. Tool storage 32 are located underneath bench 30 for storage of cleaning and monitoring equipment. Support stands 34 are located on one side of base 12 and comprise at least two forked, elevated posts onto which an elongated member (such as a tubular or MWD probe) may be placed. In an embodiment, there may be a chain vise (not visible in this embodiment) located in-line with the support stands at one corner of base 12, usable to pull the MWD probe along through the stands 18 and position it parallel to the bit stand 20 for measurement purposes. In a further embodiment, one or both of the bench 30 or tool storage 32 may be foldable, and in these embodiments the roof may lower further, enabling easy transport to and from work sites.

Other modular components of the mat include safety signage 36 and safety storage 38. In an embodiment, safety storage 38 is utilized for components such as fire extinguishers, first aid boxes, and hydration stations, which must remain easily accessible, as opposed to the storage drawers 32 located underneath bench 30, which are less suited.

In an embodiment, the mat also comprises an air conditioning unit 40, which is usable with embodiments that comprise enclosed curtain walls on the roof 18. In another embodiment, the mat may comprise at least one solar panel 42, and/or at least one wind turbine 44. Each of the power sources (solar panel 42 and wind turbine 44) may also be mounted on independent collapsible stands 46 located external to the enclosure footprint of roof 18.

Finally, grill 60 is located on an external portion of the base 12 (i.e., not under roof 18). This is, it should be appreciated, merely a specific embodiment of any recreational fixture which may be mounted to the uncovered portion of the base 12.

Turning now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, an overhead planform view and a sectional view of another embodiment 110 are shown with further surface elements above base 112 omitted for clarity. In this embodiment, the lifting holes 114 are shown running through the length and width of the base 112, and attachment points 116a-116d correspond to the location of the collapsible stands (not shown). In this embodiment, the uncovered portion of the roof extends to a considerable distance past the line defined by points 116a and 116d, and then a smaller distance past the line defined by points 116a and 116b. Lateral mounting points 118 allow the attachment of the support stands (shown in FIG. 2B), and central mounting point 120 is where the bit stand is mounted.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a close-up of an embodiment of bit stand 20 is shown. Bit stand 20 comprises a lower plane 22 and two upper protrusions 24 and 26, which each have nested crossbars. Protrusion 24 comprises a larger, hollow crossbar into which the smaller, solid crossbar of protrusion 26 enters, enabling the crossbar of protrusion 26 to slide back and forth inside the crossbar of protrusion 24 and set a width for the bit stand 20. In an embodiment, lower plane 22 can also be raised or lowered on the stand. Clamps 28 control the horizontal and vertical dimensions of bit stand 20. (One clamp each is shown for clarity; it can be appreciated that heavier embodiments may utilize multiple clamps).

In use, the modular design of the base, as shown in FIGS. 2A-2B, permits the components of FIG. 1 to be swapped out as needed around the bit stand in FIG. 3. While various embodiments usable within the scope of the present disclosure have been described with emphasis, it should be understood that the modular nature of the rig mat means that many elements may or may not be present, or present in equivalent forms. For instance, if external power is available, the solar or wind power components in the embodiment of FIG. 1 may be replaced with light fixtures (as in the provisional embodiments), or additional storage. None of these embodiments are intended to limit the scope of the invention beyond the appended claims.