Abstract:
The drilling rig includes a first substructure and a second substructure. The second substructure is positioned generally parallel to and spaced apart from the first substructure and generally the same height as the first substructure. The drilling rig further includes a drill floor coupled to the first and second substructures, where the drill floor positioned substantially at the top of the first and second substructures.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/616,234 filed Feb. 6, 2015, which is a continuation in part which claims priority from U.S. application Ser. No. 14/180,049 filed Feb. 13, 2014, itself a non-provisional application which claims priority from U.S. provisional application No. 61/764,259 filed Feb. 13, 2013. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates generally to drilling rigs, and specifically to slingshot rig structures for land drilling in the petroleum exploration and production industry. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0003]    Land-based 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 is necessary 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. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The present disclosure provides for a land based drill rig. The land based drill rig may include a first and a second lower box, the lower boxes positioned generally parallel and spaced apart from each other. The land based drill rig may further include a drill floor. The drill floor may be coupled to the first lower box by a first strut, the first lower box and first strut defining a first substructure. The drill floor may also be coupled to the second lower box by a second strut, the second lower box and second strut defining a second substructure. The struts may be hingedly coupled to the drill floor and hingedly coupled to the corresponding lower box such that the drill floor may pivot between an upright and a lowered position. The drill floor may include a V-door oriented to generally face one of the substructures. 
         [0005]    The present disclosure also provides for a land based drilling rig. The land based drilling rig may include a first and a second lower box, the lower boxes positioned generally parallel and spaced apart from each other. The land based drill rig may further include a drill floor. The drill floor may be coupled to the first lower box by a first strut, the first lower box and first strut defining a first substructure. The drill floor may also be coupled to the second lower box by a second strut, the second lower box and second strut defining a second substructure. The struts may be hingedly coupled to the drill floor and hingedly coupled to the corresponding lower box such that the drill floor may pivot between an upright and a lowered position. The drill floor may include a V-door oriented to generally face one of the substructures. The land based drilling rig may further include a mast coupled to the drill floor. The land based drilling rig may further include a tank support structure affixed to the first or second substructure. The tank support structure may include a tank and mud process equipment. The land based drilling rig may further include a grasshopper positioned to carry cabling and lines to the drilling rig. The grasshopper may be positioned to couple to the drill floor generally at a side of the drill floor, and the side of the drill floor to which the grasshopper couples may face towards the first or second substructure 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    The summary and the detailed description are further understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the present disclosure, there are shown in the drawings exemplary embodiments of said disclosure; however, the disclosure is not limited to the specific methods, compositions, and devices disclosed. In addition, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a side elevation from the driller&#39;s side of a drilling rig consistent with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is an overhead view of a drilling rig consistent with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a drilling rig consistent with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    The present disclosure may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying figures, which form a part of this disclosure. It is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific devices, methods, applications, conditions or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. Also, as used in the specification, including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term “plurality,” as used herein, means more than one. 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  depicts a side elevation of drilling rig  10  from the “driller&#39;s side” 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 coupled to 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. V-door side  22  of drilling rig  10  may be located over right substructure  30 . The V-door side  52  of mast  50  may correspondingly face right substructure  30 . Pipe handler  24  may be positioned to carry piping through a V-door as understood in the art positioned on V-door side  22  of drilling rig  10 . In some embodiments, grasshopper  26  may be positioned to carry cabling and lines to drilling rig  10 . In other embodiments (not shown), V-door side  22  and mast V-door side may face left substructure  40 . In some embodiments, as depicted in  FIG. 1 , blow out preventer  90  may be located between left substructure  40  and right substructure  30 , i.e. drilling rig  10  may be centered over a wellbore. 
         [0012]    In some embodiments, tank support structure  80  and tanks  70  may be included in drilling rig  10 . Tank support structure  80  may be affixed to right substructure  30  or left substructure  40  by means known to those of ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, welding and bolting. As shown in  FIG. 1 , tank support structure  80  may be affixed to left substructure  40 . Tank support structure  80  may be located on the opposite substructure from V-door side  22  of drilling rig  10 . Tanks  70  may, for example, be mud tanks, auxiliary mud tanks, or other tanks useful in drilling operations and may be located within tank support structure  80 . In some embodiments, mud process equipment  100  may also be mounted within tank support structure  80 . Mud process equipment may include, for example, shakers, filters, and other equipment associated with the use of drilling mud. 
         [0013]      FIG. 2  depicts an overhead view of drilling rig  10  consistent with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure in which V-door side  22  of drilling rig  10 , drilling rig floor  20 , and tank support structure  80  are shown. In some embodiments, choke manifold  102  may likewise be located on the rig floor. In some embodiments, accumulator  104  may likewise be located on the rig floor. In some embodiments, accumulator  104  may be a Koomey Unit as understood in the art. 
         [0014]    In some embodiments, substructures  30 ,  40  may be fixed as depicted in  FIGS. 1, 2 . In some embodiments, as depicted in  FIG. 3 , substructures  30 ′,  40 ′, may pivotably support drill rig floor  20 . Drill rig floor  20  may be pivotably coupled to one or more lower boxes  130  by a plurality of struts  140  together forming substructures  30 ′,  40 ′. Lower boxes  130  may support drill rig floor  20 . Lower boxes  130  may be generally parallel to each other and spaced apart. Struts  140  may be hingedly coupled to drill rig floor  20  and to lower boxes  130 . In some embodiments, struts  140  may be coupled to lower boxes  130  and drill rig floor  20  such that they form a bar linkage therebetween, allowing relative motion of drill rig floor  20  relative to lower boxes  130  while maintaining drill rig floor  20  parallel to lower boxes  130 . Thus, drill rig floor  20  may be moved from an upper position as shown in  FIG. 3  to a lower position while remaining generally horizontal. 
         [0015]    In some embodiments, the movement of drill rig floor  20  may be driven by one or more hydraulic cylinders  150 . In some embodiments, when in the upright position, one or more diagonals  160  may be coupled between drill rig floor  20  and lower boxes  130  to, for example and without limitation, maintain drill rig floor  20  in the upright position. 
         [0016]    In some embodiments, with reference to  FIGS. 1-3 , as they are mounted directly to a substructure ( 30  or  40 ) of drilling rig  10 , one or more pieces of equipment may travel with drilling rig  10  during a skidding operation. For example and without limitation, equipment may include tanks  70 , mud process equipment  100 , choke manifold  102 , accumulator  104 , mud gas separators, process tanks, trip tanks, drill line spoolers, HPU&#39;s, VFD, or driller&#39;s cabin  106 . As such any pipe or tubing connections between or taken from tanks  70 , mud process equipment  100 , choke manifold  102 , and/or accumulator  104  may remain connected during the skidding operations. This arrangement may allow, for example, more rapid rig disassembly (“rigging-down”) and assembly (or “rigging-up”) of drilling rig  10  before and after a skidding operation. 
         [0017]    Additionally, 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 drilling 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. 
         [0018]    One having ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure will understand that the specific configuration depicted in  FIGS. 1-3  may be varied without deviating from the scope of this disclosure. 
         [0019]    Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous changes and modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and that such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of said disclosure. It is, therefore, intended that the appended claims cover all such equivalent variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of said disclosure.