Patent 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.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 14/180,049, filed Feb. 13, 2014, which is 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 box-on-box 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 skidded from location to location to drill multiple wells within the same area known as a wellsite. In certain situations, it is necessary to skid 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 drilling rig. The drilling rig may include a first substructure; a second substructure, the second substructure being positioned generally parallel to and spaced apart from the first substructure and being generally the same height as the first substructure; and a drill floor coupled to the first and second substructures, the drill floor positioned substantially at the top of the first and second substructures. 
         [0005]    The present disclosure also provides for a substructure for use in a drilling rig. The substructure may include a substructure frame, the substructure frame configured to at least partially support a drilling floor; and a tank support structure affixed to the substructure. 
         [0006]    The present disclosure also provides for a drilling rig. The drilling rig may include a first substructure; a second substructure, the second substructure being positioned generally parallel to and spaced apart from the first substructure and being generally the same height as the first substructure; and a drill floor coupled to the first and second substructures. The drill floor may be positioned substantially at the top of the first and second substructures. The drill floor may include a V-door, the V-door generally aligned with a side of the drill floor, and the side of the drill floor with which the V-door is aligned may face towards the first or second substructure. The drilling rig may also include a mast coupled to the drill floor. The drilling rig may also 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 drilling rig may also 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 
         [0007]    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: 
           [0008]      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. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is an overhead 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 (not shown) 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. 
         [0014]    As they are mounted directly to a substructure ( 30  or  40 ) of drilling rig  10 , tanks  70 , mud process equipment  100 , choke manifold  102 , and accumulator  104  may travel with drilling rig  10  during a skidding operation. 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. 
         [0015]    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 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. 
         [0016]    One having ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure will understand that the specific configuration depicted in  FIGS. 1, 2  may be varied without deviating from the scope of this disclosure. 
         [0017]    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.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4