Triple Activity System for Drilling Operations

Abstract

This invention relates to a drilling rig or a drill ship having a first activity centre with a main well, a second activity centre with an auxiliary well and a third activity centre with offline casing and drill pipe stand-building capabilities. The offline casing and drill pipe stand-building facility is a standalone feature and can be located in the forward or aft side of a drilling rig or drill ship depending on the choice of the builder or operator.

1 . A triple activity system provided at a drill floor on a drillship for conducting drilling operations on a seabed beneath the drillship comprising:
 a first activity center having a main well and a first top drive assembly for advancing tubular members through the main well to the seabed;   a second activity center having an auxiliary well and a second top drive assembly for advancing tubular members through the auxiliary well to the seabed;   a third activity center having an offline mouse hole for receiving an upright tubular member and an iron roughneck for making modifications to upright tubular member assemblages received by the offline mouse hole at the third activity center, wherein the modifications to tubular member assemblages are carried out when main drilling activities are conducted at the first activity center and/or when auxiliary drilling activities are conducted at the second activity center;   a storage area adjacent the third activity center for receiving and storing modified tubular member assemblages and tubular members; and   a first delivery assembly positioned adjacent the storage area, the first activity center, the second activity center and the third activity center for transferring tubular member assemblages or tubular members between the storage area and, the first activity center, the second activity center or the third activity center.   
     
     
         2 . The triple activity system of  claim 1  wherein the first delivery assembly comprises:
 a pipe handling unit configured to transfer the tubular member assemblages or the tubular members between a fingerboard rack in the storage area, and the first top drive assembly in the first activity center or the second top drive assembly in the second activity center. 
 
     
     
         3 . The triple activity system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a second delivery assembly positioned adjacent the first activity center and the second activity center for transferring tubular members or tubular member assemblages between the first activity center and the second activity center to facilitate concurrent drilling operations. 
 
     
     
         4 . The triple activity system of  claim 3  wherein the second delivery assembly comprises:
 a pipe handling unit configured to transfer the tubular member assemblages or the tubular members between the first top drive assembly in the first activity center and the second top drive assembly in the second activity center. 
 
     
     
         5 . The triple activity system of  claim 2  wherein the pipe handling unit is further configured to transfer tubular members or tubular member assemblages between the third activity center and the storage area. 
     
     
         6 . The triple activity system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a first traveling platform provided between the first activity center and a first tubular member storage bay, the first traveling platform configured to receive tubular members from the first tubular member storage bay and configured to transfer the received tubular members to the first top drive assembly. 
 
     
     
         7 . The triple activity system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a second traveling platform provided between the second activity center and a second tubular member storage bay, the second traveling platform configured to receive tubular members from the second tubular member storage bay and configured to transfer the received tubular members to the second top drive assembly. 
 
     
     
         8 . The triple activity system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a third traveling platform provided between the third activity center and a third tubular member storage bay, the third traveling platform configured to receive tubular members from the third tubular member storage bay and configured to transfer the received tubular members to the iron roughneck. 
 
     
     
         9 . A method for conducting drilling operations on a seabed beneath the drillship using a triple activity system provided at a drill floor on a drillship, the triple activity system having a first activity center having a first top drive assembly, a second activity center having a second top drive assembly, a third activity center having an offline mouse hole and an iron roughneck, a storage area adjacent the third activity center and a first delivery assembly positioned adjacent the storage area and the second activity center, the method comprising:
 carrying out stand building activities at the third activity center using the offline mouse hole and the iron roughneck when main drilling activities are conducted at the first activity center and/or when auxiliary drilling activities are conducted at the second activity center; and   storing modified tubular member assemblages and tubular members at the storage area using the first delivery assembly.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the storing of modified tubular member assemblages and tubular members comprises:
 using a pipe handling unit to transfer the tubular member assemblages or the tubular members between a fingerboard rack in the storage area and the second top drive assembly in the second activity center. 
 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising:
 providing a first traveling platform between the first activity center and a first tubular member storage bay; 
 receiving tubular members from the first tubular member storage bay using the first traveling platform; and 
 transferring the received tubular members to the first top drive assembly using the first traveling platform. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising:
 providing a second traveling platform between the second activity center and a second tubular member storage bay; 
 receiving tubular members from the second tubular member storage bay using the second traveling platform; and 
 transferring the received tubular members to the second top drive assembly using the second traveling platform. 
 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising:
 providing a third traveling platform between the third activity center and a third tubular member storage bay; 
 receiving tubular members from the third tubular member storage bay using the third traveling platform; and 
 transferring the received tubular members to the iron roughneck using the third traveling platform.