Portable fluid containment pad

Abstract

A portable fluid containment pad, which includes a pan having in interior fluid containment cavity with a bottom, opposed sides, and opposed ends. At least two structural load bearing beams are provided which rest upon the bottom of the pan and extend between the opposed ends in parallel spaced relation to the opposed sides and to each other. The maximum span between the at least two structural load bearing beams being less than three feet. A rigid substrate is supported on a substantially horizontal plane by the at least two structural load bearing beams.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a portable fluid containment pad and, in particular, a portable fluid containment pad adapted to support a drilling rig.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hydro Engineering Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah sells portable wash pads and fluid containment systems for use in cleaning heavy equipment under the brand name “Hydropad”. Hydropads are advertised as having a weight bearing capacity of up to 15,000 pounds per square foot. These weight limits are not sufficient to support the weight of an operating drilling rig.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

What is required is a portable fluid containment pad suitable for use to support drilling rigs.

According to the present invention there is provided a portable fluid containment pad, which includes a pan having an interior fluid containment cavity with a bottom, opposed sides, and opposed ends. At least two structural load bearing beams are provided which rest upon the bottom of the pan and extend between the opposed ends in parallel spaced relation to the opposed sides and to each other. The maximum span between the at least two structural load bearing beams being less than three feet. A rigid substrate is supported on a substantially horizontal plane by the at least two structural load bearing beams.

A number of the portable fluid containment pads, as described above were transported to a drill site and assembled. The assembly of the portable fluid containment pads took less than twenty minutes. A drilling rig was then positioned on the portable fluid containment pads. An immediate increase in the efficiency of the drilling rig was noted. The drilling rig could pull a heavier load, as the portable fluid containment pads provided a more stable base. Less environmental damage was done, as the portable fluid containment pads spread the weight of the drilling rig.

The full details of the individual portable drilling rig pads, the manner in which they were assembled and the flow of drilling fluids will hereinafter be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to in any way limit the scope of the invention to the particular embodiment or embodiments shown, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable fluid containment pad without a rigid grating substrate.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a corner of the portable fluid containment pad of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a beam joint of the portable fluid containment pad of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a rigid grating substrate.

FIG. 5 is an end view in section of the portable fluid containment pad of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an exploded side view of a structural load bearing beam.

FIG. 7 is an end view of an “I” beam.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a transverse “I” beam.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a structural load bearing beam.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of an arrangement of portable fluid containment pads

FIG. 11 is a side view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is an exploded top plan view of fittings with hose couplings.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a bridge plate.

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of multiple portable fluid containment pads arranged together.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The preferred embodiment, a portable fluid containment pad generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 12.

Structure and Relationship of Parts:

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a portable fluid containment pad 10 without a rigid grill covering. The portable fluid containment pad 10 comprises a pan 12 having an interior fluid containment cavity 14 with a bottom 16, a first side 18, a second side 20, and opposed ends 22 and 24. There is also structural load bearing “I” beams 26, 28, and 30 that rest upon the bottom 16 of pan 12 and extend between opposed ends 22 and 24 in parallel spaced relation to first side 18 and second side 20 and to each other. A first structural load bearing beam 26 is positioned along first side 18. A second structural load bearing beam 28 is positioned along second side 20. A central structural load bearing beam 30 is positioned between first structural load bearing beam 26 and second structural load bearing beam 28, although more than one central structural load bearing beams 30 may be present. The maximum span between each structural load bearing “I” beams 26, 28 and 30 is less than three feet, and each has a plurality of transverse drainage passages 32 to accommodate fluid flow. Extended between first side 18 and second side 20 is a plurality of transverse “F” beams 34 in parallel spaced relation to the opposed ends 22 and 24 and to each other. The maximum span between the transverse “I” beams 34 is also less than three feet, where gaps are provided below each of the transverse beams 34 to accommodate fluid flow along the bottom 16 of pan 12. End plates 23 are shown as attached, but are not required, depending on the location and use of portable fluid containment pad 10.

Referring now to FIG. 5, it can be seen that while bottom 16 of pan 12 will lie flat on a surface, there is a flow directing bottom 66 that is sloped toward the centre of pan 12. This is done as it is convenient to have the liquid gathered in one area, but other arrangements may be possible depending on the situation.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the structure of transverse “I” beam 34 is shown from an end perspective. This is also the structure of structural load bearing “I” beams 26, 28, and 30. Referring now to FIG. 8, a side view of transverse “I” beam 34 is shown. Note that the top 38 of beam 34 is cut away at the ends. This allows top 38 to be flush with the top of structural load bearing “I” beams 26, 28, and 30 when it is installed. As transverse “I” beam 34 is smaller than structural load bearing “I” beams 26, 28, and 30, the same is not required on the bottom. Referring now to FIG. 3, a half pipe 70 may be attached to the bottom of transverse “I” beams 34 periodically, as well as cable keepers 72. Half pipe 70 is used as a bearing surface over which cables or chains can slide. It is preferred that chains be used, as chains can be readily purchased that are certified for particular load ratings, whereas difficulties have been experienced purchasing cable that is load rated. The cable or chain is looped around half pipe 70 and guided by cable keepers 72. The cable or chain is used when using lifting equipment to lift containment pad 10. The cable or chain is also used to anchor equipment onto containment pad 10. Referring to FIG. 6, which shows a section of structural load bearing “I” beam 26, half pipe 70, which is welded to the bottom of transverse “I” beams 34, is butted to the side of structural load bearing “I” beam 26 to form a cradle for a cable loop. Referring to FIG. 9, beams 42 located at opposite ends 22 and 24 are depicted. Angled grooves 40 are provided at each end as to facilitate the installation of fluid containing appendages. In FIG. 2, fluid containing appendage 48 is shown connected using angled groove 40.

Referring again to FIG. 1, there is shown a fluid containing first appendage 46 on first side 18 and a fluid containing second appendage 48 on second side 20. First appendage 46 and second appendage 48 extend upwardly and outwardly from the sides of pan 12, and are adjacent to bottom 16 and terminate at the substantially horizontal plane. For extra support, appendages 46 and 46 may be attached to multiple outriggers 68, which are in turn attached to structural load bearing “I” beams 26 or 28. Referring to FIG. 1, first appendage 46 on first side 18 of pan 12 has a projecting lip 50 which extends between opposed ends 22 and 24. Second appendage 48 on second side 20 of pan 12 has a recess 52 which extends between opposed ends 22 and 24. When pans 12 are connected in side by side relation as depicted in FIG. 12, lip 50 engages recess 52 such that fluid containment is maintained and leakage between adjacent pans 12 is prevented.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a rigid grating substrate 36. Referring to FIG. 10 rigid grating substrate 36 is shown to be supported on a substantially horizontal plane by the structural load bearing “I” beams 26, 28, and 30. Rigid substrate 36 as shown in FIG. 4 is designed such that, when positioned over pan 12, it extends past first side 18 and second side 20 to cover first appendage 46 and second appendage 48, respectively.

Referring now to FIG. 12, fittings 74 with hose couplings 76 of different pans 12 are shown, and are located in each corner of pans 12. However, as hoses are connected to them, fittings 74 and couplings 76 are able to be placed back underneath rigid grating substrate 36 such that they are not obtrusive. Fittings 74 and hose couplings 76 allow pans 12 to be rapidly adapted to be in fluid communication with other pans 12 by connecting hoses 78 to the hose couplings 76. This is also shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 14.

Referring now to FIG. 14, pans 12 are coupled in side by side relation. As described above, projecting lip 50 on first appendage 46 of one pan 12 engages recess 52 on second appendage 48 of another pan 12. Pans 12 are also provided in end to end relation, where a bridge plate 54 bridges a gap 56 between pans 12. Referring to FIG. 13, bridge plate 54 has a depending tongue 56 which extends downwardly into gap 56 between pans 12 to limit movement of bridge plate 54. Bridge plate 54 also has a spine 58 with two diverging downwardly inclined ramp surfaces 60 and 62, such that any liquid is shed off bridge plate 54 and into pan 12.

Referring to FIG. 10, there are ramps 64 provided to allow a vehicle to be mounted onto portable fluid containment pad 10. In the arrangement shown, two pans 12 are connected end to end with ramps 64 to allow vehicles to be mounted. A platform is formed using a pan 12 placed perpendicular to the others, and a simplified pan 82 with some modifications is placed beside perpendicular pan 12. As simplified pan 82 is intended as a work area for individuals, pipes, tools, and other such equipment, the supports that are required in pans 12 may be excluded. In addition, there is provided an opening 84 for acccessing a well site. While this design has been found to be convenient for the intended purpose, it will be understood that other configurations are possible, depending on the circumstances of use.

Operation:

Referring to FIG. 10, pans 12 are connected together in a combination of end to end and side to side connections. The connections are made either using lip 50 and recess 52 for side to side connections, or bridge plate 54 for end to end connections. Ramps 64 allow vehicle access, while opening 84 provides access to the well site. Flow directing bottom 66 directs liquids to gather in convenient locations, and transverse drainage passages 32 allow liquid flow in pan 12. Bottom 12 may also have a slight inclination towards an end such that the liquids gather at one end. There may also be provided clean out ports 86 that allow periodic cleaning of the bottom of pan 12 using a vacuum truck.

In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined in the Claims.

Claims

1. A portable fluid containment pad, comprising:

a pan having an interior fluid containment cavity with a bottom, opposed sides, and opposed ends;

at least two structural load bearing beams which rest upon the bottom of the pan and extend between the opposed ends in parallel spaced relation to the opposed sides and to each other, the maximum span between the at least two structural load bearing beams being less than three feet;

a rigid substrate supported on a substantially horizontal plane by the at least two structural load bearing beams.

2. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least two structural load bearing beams are “I” beams.

3. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 1, wherein there is a first structural load bearing beam positioned along a first of the opposed sides, a second structural load bearing beam positioned along a second of the opposed sides and a central structural load bearing beam which is centrally positioned between the opposed sides.

4. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of transverse beams which and extend between the opposed sides in parallel spaced relation to the opposed ends and to each other, the maximum span between the transverse beams being less than three feet.

5. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 1, wherein there are fluid containing appendages which extend upwardly and outwardly from each of the opposed sides of the pan adjacent to the bottom and terminate at the substantially horizontal plane, the rigid substrate extending past the opposed sides to cover the appendages.

6. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 1, wherein the rigid substrate is grating.

7. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 5, wherein the appendages have interlocking profiles adapted to enable adjacent pans to be connected in side by side relation while maintaining fluid containment to prevent leakage between the adjacent pans.

8. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 7, wherein a first appendage on a first side of the pan has a projecting lip which extends between the opposed ends and a second appendage on a second side of the pan has a recess which extends between the opposed ends, the lip engaging the recess.

9. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 2, wherein each of the at least two structural beams has a plurality of transverse drainage passages to accommodate fluid flow.

10. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 4, wherein there are gaps below each of the transverse beams to accommodate fluid flow along the bottom of the pan.

11. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 1, wherein at least two pans are positioned adjacent to each other.

12. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 11, wherein a bridge plate bridges between adjacent pans, the bridge plate having a depending tongue which extends downwardly between the adjacent pans to limit movement of the bridge plate.

13. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 12, wherein the bridge plate has a spine with two diverging downwardly inclined ramp surfaces.

14. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 1, wherein the pan has fittings with hose couplings, such that the pan can rapidly be adapted to be in fluid communication with another pan by connecting hoses to the hose couplings.

15. A portable fluid containment pad, comprising:

a pan having an interior fluid containment cavity with a bottom, a first side, a second side, and opposed ends;

structural load bearing “I” beams which rest upon the bottom of the pan and extend between the opposed ends in parallel spaced relation to the first side and the second side and to each other, including a first structural load bearing beam positioned along the first side, a second structural load bearing beam positioned along the second side and at least one central structural load bearing beam positioned between the first structural load bearing beam and the second structural load bearing beam, the maximum span between each of the structural load bearing “I” beams being less than three feet, and each of the structural load bearing “I” beams having a plurality of transverse drainage passages to accommodate fluid flow;

a plurality of transverse “I” beams which extend between the first side and the second side in parallel spaced relation to the opposed ends and to each other, the maximum span between the transverse “I” beams being less than three feet, gaps being provided below each of the transverse beams to accommodate fluid flow along the bottom of the pan;

a rigid grating substrate supported on a substantially horizontal plane by the structural load bearing “I” beams;

a fluid containing first appendage on the first side and a fluid containing second appendage on the second side, each of the first appendage and the second appendage extending upwardly and outwardly from the first side and the second side of the pan, respectively, adjacent to the bottom and terminating at the substantially horizontal plane, the rigid substrate extending past the first side and the second side to cover the first appendage and the second appendage, respectively, the first appendage on the first side of the pan having a projecting lip which extends between the opposed ends and the second appendage on the second side of the pan having a recess which extends between the opposed ends, the lip engaging the recess to enable adjacent pans to be connected in side by side relation while maintaining fluid containment to prevent leakage between the adjacent pans; and

fittings with hose couplings in the pan, such that the pan can rapidly be adapted to be in fluid communication with another pan by connecting hoses to the hose couplings.

16. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 15, wherein pans are coupled in side by side relation, the projecting lip on the first appendage of one pan engaging the recess on the second appendage of another pan.

17. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 15, wherein pans are provided in end to end relation, a bridge plate bridging a gap between the pans, the bridge plate having a depending tongue which extends downwardly into the gap between the pans to limit movement of the bridge plate.

18. The portable fluid containment pad as defined in claim 17, wherein the bridge plate has a spine with two diverging downwardly inclined ramp surfaces.