Abstract:
The present invention is a cage like structure designed to protect a well head. It is anticipated that the cage will be made of steel or other rigid materials. The structure separates in the center, parting on a rail system in order to allow a user to service the protected well head inside the structure. The structure has a roof section that can come off in order to allow for proper height during road or rail transport of the structure, or the structure and a well head. It is anticipated that the structure will be designed incorporating a sloping shape in order to help deflect falling objects from the structure and protected well head.

Description:
[0001]    This application is based upon and claims priority from U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 61/978,002, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    Applicants&#39; invention relates to a device for protecting a well head. More particularly, it relates to a cage that can be pulled apart to access a well head and pushed together to protect the wellhead. 
         [0004]    2. Background Information 
         [0005]    Wellheads are the connection point for the tubulars and the surface flow lines as well as being the surface pressure control point in almost any well operation. Most land wellheads are above ground in order to allow for access to the wellhead for maintenance and work. Wellheads that are exposed in this manner are subject to damage through both accident and intentional acts. For example, a casing may be cut back and buried during landscaping, or falling debris may strike and damage the wellhead. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention is a cage like structure designed to protect a well head. It is anticipated that the cage will be made of steel or other rigid materials. The structure separates in the center, parting on a rail system in order to allow a user to service the protected well head inside the structure. 
         [0007]    The structure has a roof section that can come off in order to allow for proper height during road or rail transport of the structure, or the structure and a well head. 
         [0008]    It is anticipated that the structure will be designed incorporating a sloping shape in order to help deflect falling objects from the structure and protected well head. 
         [0009]    Because the structure can be used on a rail system, it offers a portable solution for temperate protection of a well head while drilling other wells on the same drill pad. 
         [0010]    The structure may also incorporate one, two, or more doors allowing for entrance by a user to the interior of the structure. It is anticipated that these doors will be lockable in order to help prevent theft of data available on the well head gauges, as well as damage to the well head due to vandalism. 
         [0011]    It is also anticipated that the rail system may separate. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the cage of the present invention 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of one module of the cage of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a front view of the cage of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a side view of one module of the cage of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the rail system of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0017]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 10 
                 Cage 
               
               
                 12 
                 First module 
               
               
                 14 
                 Second module 
               
               
                 16 
                 Roof 
               
               
                 18 
                 Corner upright 
               
               
                 20 
                 front base member 
               
               
                 22 
                 Side runner 
               
               
                 24 
                 Rafter 
               
               
                 26 
                 Horizontal frame member 
               
               
                 28 
                 Vertical frame member 
               
               
                 30 
                 Side upright 
               
               
                 32 
                 Brace 
               
               
                 34 
                 Top 
               
               
                 36 
                 Front top member 
               
               
                 38 
                 Side top member 
               
               
                 40 
                 Front frame 
               
               
                 42 
                 Side frame 
               
               
                 44 
                 Rail slot 
               
               
                 46 
                 Roller 
               
               
                 48 
                 Track 
               
               
                 50 
                 Runner 
               
               
                 52 
                 Cross member 
               
               
                 54 
                 Track stop 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0018]    Referring to the figures,  FIG. 1  illustrates the wellhead protective cage  10 . In general, the cage  10  is anticipated to be made from a frame of tubular steel. The tubular steel may be circular, rectangular, or ovoid. The cage  10  is comprised of two modules, a first module  12  and a second module  14 . The modules are anticipated to be generally mirror images of one another. 
         [0019]    The frame of the cage  10  is made of two corner uprights  18 . The front portion of the frame is comprised of the uprights  18 . Connecting the bottom ends of the uprights  18  is the front face member  20 . The first end of the front base member  20  is connected to the bottom end of one corner uprights  18  and the second end of the front base member  20  is connected to the bottom end of the second corner upright  18 . The top ends of the uprights  18  are connected by the front top member  36 . The first end of the front top member  36  is connected to the top end of one corner upright  18  and the second end of the front top member  36  is connected to the top end of the second corner upright  18 . Generally, it is anticipated that the front top member  36  will be shorter than the front base member  20 . This generally creates a parallelogram of the corner uprights  18 , the front base member  20 , and the front top member  36 . 
         [0020]    In order to give the front of the first module  12  additional strength and to keep unwanted persons and animals away from the wellhead (not shown) a frame of horizontal frame members  26  and vertical frame members  28  are connected so as to create a general grid of the frame. 
         [0021]    On either side of the corner uprights  18 , the frame is continued at generally a right angle to the front of the frame. The side frames are generally made in the same manner as the front frame. The bottom of the side frames has a side runner  22  in the top has a side top member  38 . The sides of the side frames are bordered by the corner upright  18  and a side upright  30 . There are two side frames on both sides of the front frame. 
         [0022]    It is generally anticipated that the side frames will be approximately half the width of the front frame. It is also anticipated that the side top member  38  will be shorter than the side runner  22  when the side frames are connected with the front frame, the cage  10  is generally pyramidal shaped. A brace  32  may be connected to the side upright  30 . 
         [0023]    Connected to the front top member  36  and the side top members  38  is a roof  16 . The roof  16  is supported by a multiplicity of rafters  24 . The rafters  24  are connected to either the front top member  36  or the side top member&#39;s  38  and extend to the top of the roof  34 . It is anticipated that the top  34  will be flattened rather than pointed in order to better move underneath objects. However the remainder of the roof  16  is anticipated to be sloped from the top  34  to the upper portions of the front frame and side frames. 
         [0024]      FIG. 2  illustrates a first module  12  of the cage  10 . As stated previously, it is anticipated that the first module  12  in the second module  14  will be generally minor images of one another. The front frame  40  has two side frames  42  attached at either side. The roof  16  is effectively half a roof. When the first module  12  in the second module  14  are pushed together at the side uprights and  30 , the roof  16  of the first module  12  in the roof  16  of the second module  14  likewise comes together to form a unitary roof  16 . When the first module  12  in the second module  14  are moved apart, it allows access to the wellhead (not shown). When the modules  12  and  14  are moved adjacent to one another, the two front frames  40  and four side frames  42  and the roof  16  form the cage  10  about the wellhead (not shown). 
         [0025]      FIG. 3  illustrates the front frame  40  of one of the modules  12  or  14  of the cage  10 . This side view illustrates the flattened top  34  of the roof  16 . As described previously the roof  16  is attached to the front top member  36 . The front top member  36 , corner uprights  18 , and front base member  20  border the front frame  40 . A grid of the frame is formed by vertical frame members  28  and horizontal frame members  26 . 
         [0026]    This view also shows how the modules  12  and  14  can move on the track  48 . The side runner&#39;s  22  engage with the runners  50  of the track  48 . In order to allow for the modules  12  and  14  to move along the track  48 , is anticipated that there will be a slidable means either incorporated into the side runner  22  or attached to the side runner  22 . The slidable means is anticipated to be could be, for example and without limitation, a rail slot  44  or a roller  46 . While the rail slot  44  is shown on one side of the front frame  40  and the roller  46  is shown on the other side of the front frame  40  and  FIG. 3 , this is for illustration purposes only and is anticipated that the slidable means will be the same on both sides of the frame  40  in actual practice. 
         [0027]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side frame  42  of one module  12  or  14  of the cage  10 . The side frame  42  is bordered by the side top member at the top, the corner upright  18  and side upright  30  on the sides, and the side runner  22  at the bottom. The grid of the frame  42  is made up of horizontal frame members  26  and vertical frame members  28 . The roof  16  attaches to the side top member  38  and angles upwardly to the top  34 . When placed on the track  48 , the side uprights  30  of the the first module  12  and second module  14  are moved adjacent to each other to complete the cage  10  about the wellhead. The modules  12  and  14  may be locked together such that only authorized users can unlock them and move the modules  12  and  14  apart. 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  illustrates the track  48 . The runners  50  are space such that they are the same width as the side runner&#39;s  22  of the cage  10 . The runners  50  are parallel to one another. This allows the side runner&#39;s  22  to slide, roll, or otherwise move along the track  48 . The track  48  is held at the correct position by cross members  52 . A track stop  5480  placed at each end of the runners  50  so as to keep the modules  12  and  14  from moving past the ends of the runners  50 . 
         [0029]    Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limited sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments of the inventions will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon the reference to the description of the invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications that fall within the scope of the invention.