Drilling rig with a top drive system operable in a drilling mode and a tripping mode

• Main Authors: De Mul, Arthur Alexander, Roodenburg, Joop
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 29.11.2022
• Subjects: EARTH DRILLING; EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; MINING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR ASLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS

A drilling rig is adapted to perform drilling and/or other wellbore related activities. The drilling rig includes a drilling tower, a drill floor with a well center, a slip device arranged at the well center, a tubulars connection makeup and breaking device near the well center, and a top drive system. The top drive system includes a traveling carriage that is vertically mobile along one or more vertical rails of the drilling tower by a vertical motion drive. The system also includes a top drive unit supported by said carriage and including a top drive motor and a rotary torque output member. The system further includes a tripping operation elevator that is adapted to be engageable with a drilling tubulars string or drilling tubulars stand, e.g. with the top end thereof, in order to perform tripping operations. The top drive unit and the tripping operation elevator are each mobile relative to the traveling carriage, and wherein the top drive system is provided with one or more actuators adapted to cause said relative motion of the top drive unit and of the tripping operation elevator so as to provide a drilling mode and a tripping mode.