The present invention is directed to a shipping container, particularly, a universal shipping container for transporting drill bits for use in the oil drilling industry.
When preparing a well plan for drilling an oil well, hole sizes, casing depths, and formations to be drilled are analyzed and the types of drill bits suited for the digging that will be required are selected and delivered to the well site. Bit suppliers maintain well records from previous drilling activity in a specific area so that a drill bit program may be prepared based on that past experience. Drilling times are estimated and the types of bits to be utilized to perform the drilling are selected. The number and types of drill bits may vary from one drill site to another. For extremely deep wells, hundreds of drill bits may be required to drill to the target depth.
Modern roller drill bits are generally of the three cone type. The bit cones include a number of teeth for drilling through a formation. For extremely hard formations, tungsten carbide insert bits or diamond bits may be employed.
Typically, the drill bits for a drilling program are supplied by a bit supplier. The bits are delivered to the drill site and stored so that they are readily available to be used as needed during the drilling operation. The drill bits are very expensive and an integral part of the drilling program and, therefore, great care must be taken to insure that the drill bits are not damaged during shipment or storage at the drill site.
Presently, drill bits are commonly shipped in reinforced wooden boxes. To withstand the rough treatment encountered in the field, the boxes are heavily reinforced to provide a sturdy container. The drill bits are placed in the wooden containers and anchored with packing or some type of bracing to prevent movement within the wooden container. The reinforced wooden container and drill bit contained therein are very heavy and thus difficult to move from one place to another. The shipping container of the present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art drill bit shipping containers.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an extremely durable shipping container which is simple to use in the field.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a universal shipping container wherein a single container may be adapted to receive and secure drill bits having a range of diameters and lengths.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a shipping container which is portable, compact and easily stackable, yet more durable than drill bit containers presently available in the prior art.