Abstract: An exemplary derrick assembly includes a frame, a hydraulic cylinder assembly, a drive assembly, and a hydraulic assembly. The hydraulic cylinder assembly is mounted to the frame, and includes a piston rod, a single-tube cylinder body, and a hydraulic chamber. The piston rod is secured to the frame, and the cylinder body is mounted to the piston rod for reciprocal movement between proximal and distal positions. The hydraulic chamber is defined in part by the piston rod and the cylinder body, and expands and contracts with movement of the cylinder body. The drive assembly is mounted to the cylinder body for movement with the cylinder body. The hydraulic assembly configured to charge hydraulic fluid into and out of the hydraulic chamber to cause the hydraulic chamber to expand and contract, thereby moving the cylinder body and the drive assembly between the proximal position and the distal position.

Abstract: A system includes a rack with rows for storing drill pipe, and a moveable structure having a control support coupled to an upper portion and a lifting device coupled to a lower portion. The moveable structure travels along a guide for positioning adjacent any of the rows. The control support includes a pivoting actuator, a rotating actuator, an extension arm having a drill pipe capture actuator, and an extension actuator. The lifting device includes a lifting actuator that raises a stack of drill pipe. The system further includes a controller that interprets a control support state including actuator positions and a position index value, and records a position description including the control support state corresponding to the position index value. The controller interprets a position request signal and provides actuator control signals in response to the position request signal and the position description.

Abstract: A mud pump is provided with two cylinders for pumping mud in connection with water well drilling, and two sets of hydraulic oil cylinders with pistons connected to and driving the pistons of the mud pump by piston rod connecting plates. A flow divider located downstream from a hydraulic oil power supply pump applies hydraulic power evenly to two sets of mud pump driving cylinders, but the flow divider accommodates re-routing of hydraulic oil to one driving cylinder during a directional valve shift for the other driving cylinder. Rod position sensing switches coupled to an electro-hydraulic control system coordinates the action of the sets of pump driving cylinders and thereby of the mud pumping cylinders, to control and phase the mud driving pistons produce a steady mud pump output simulating the effect of constant velocity pistons.

Abstract: A pipe storage and handling system for storing and manipulating a plurality of drill pipes on a drilling rig. The drilling rig has a mast coupled thereto and a drill head coupled to the mast. A pipe rack is disposed on the drilling rig and includes a number of support members adapted to maintain the drill pipes in at least two pipe columns, with a first of the pipe columns being positioned along a vertical indexing axis. An indexing mechanism is coupled to the drilling rig and is adapted to incrementally index the first pipe column along the indexing axis to successively position the upper-most pipe to a predetermined selection location. A shifting mechanism is coupled between the drilling rig and one of the support members and is adapted to shift a second of the pipe columns in a horizontal direction to thereby position the second pipe column along the indexing axis.