US 12,031,393 B2
Drilling plants and methods
Per Inge Roensberg, Kristiansand (NO); Roy Birkeland, Nodeland (NO); Ellen Kolnes, Kristiansand (NO); Nicolai Nilsen, Kristiansand (NO); Jarle Ropstad, Soegne (NO); Bjarne Larsen, Kristiansand S (NO); Soeren Oeydna, Kristiansand (NO); and Lars Otto Sannes, Hamresanden (NO)
Assigned to MHWIRTH AS, Kristiansand S (NO)
Appl. No. 17/785,912
Filed by MHWIRTH AS, Kristiansand S (NO)
PCT Filed Dec. 17, 2020, PCT No. PCT/NO2020/050318
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 16, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/125973, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 24, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 1918795 (GB), filed on Dec. 19, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0023261 A1, Jan. 26, 2023
Int. Cl. E21B 19/15 (2006.01); B63B 35/44 (2006.01); E21B 19/00 (2006.01); E21B 19/20 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 19/155 (2013.01) [B63B 35/4413 (2013.01); E21B 19/006 (2013.01); E21B 19/15 (2013.01); E21B 19/20 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An offshore drilling rig comprising:
a drill floor comprising a well center opening;
a derrick comprising a drilling machine which is suspended above the well center opening;
a pipe supply area which is arranged adjacent to the well center opening on the drill floor and arranged on the drill floor or on a horizontal extension of the drill floor, the pipe supply area comprising at least one movable pipe rack which is configured to horizontally store a plurality of pipe sections;
a pipe handling machine which is configured to move at least one of the plurality of pipe sections between a horizontal storage position in the at least one movable pipe rack and a vertical position or a substantially vertical position above the well center opening; and
a pipe storage area,
wherein,
the pipe supply area is further arranged within an operational reach of the pipe handling machine,
the pipe storage area is spaced apart from the pipe supply area and the operational reach of the pipe handling machine,
the pipe supply area and the pipe storage area are each arranged on the drill floor or on the horizontal extension of the drill floor, and
a height difference between the pipe supply area and the pipe storage area does not exist.