Big Stan (drill rig)

Last updated

Big Stan
Overview
TypeVehicle-Mounted Drilling Rig
ManufacturerAnderson Drilling
Production1986
Assembly Lakeside, California
Powertrain
Engine 600 horsepower (450 kW) KTA 1150 Cummins diesel engine
Transmission 46 inches (120 cm), double-pinion, six-speed transmission, Allison transmission
Hybrid drivetrain Clark final drive, two 14 inches (36 cm) drivebelts
Dimensions
Height93 feet (28 m)
Curb weight 125 tons (113.4 metric tons)

Big Stan is a vehicle-mounted drill rig built in 1986 by Anderson Drilling. The rig has been used on a number of construction projects in which conventional, smaller drilling rigs were unable to be used, particularly when projects call for drilling into hard soil. Notably, Big Stan was used in the construction of the First National Bank Tower in Omaha, the Benicia-Martinez bridge near San Francisco, and on expansions to the I-15/215 Beltway in Las Vegas. The drill rig was featured on Discovery Channel's show “Monster Machines” in 2007.

Contents

Big Stan features a two-piece design, significantly lowering the time and manpower needed to assemble it compared to contemporary rigs. Big Stan employs a screw conveyor capable of exerting 534,000 pound-feet (724,000 N⋅m) of torque and 75,000 pounds (34,000 kg) of downward force to a maximum depth of 260 feet (79 m). Its drill bit is capable of moving 5 cubic yards (3.8 m3) of soil per rotation and its drill bucket is able to move up to 8 cubic yards (6.1 m3) of soil per rotation. The rig has been estimated as one of, if not the largest, vehicle-mounted drilling rigs in the world.

History

Big Stan was built in 1986 by Anderson Drilling (Now part of Keller Group PLC) in Lakeside, California. The machine cost $1.5 million to construct and was named after the company president at the time, Stan Anderson, who was given a similar nickname due to his height of 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m). [1] The rig was originally built to meet the demand for a more powerful mobile drilling rig, specifically a demand for rigs capable of boring up to 260 feet (79 m) deep. [2] At the time, Big Stan was claimed to be the largest portable drill rig in the United States, [3] with some estimates placing it as the largest vehicle-mounted drill rig in the world. [4]

The Benicia-Martinez Bridge, the site where Big Stan was filmed for the show "Monster Machines". BeniciaMartinezbridge.jpg
The Benicia–Martinez Bridge, the site where Big Stan was filmed for the show "Monster Machines".

From May to June 1999, Big Stan was used to drill the caissons for the First National Bank Tower in Omaha, Nebraska. [4] In 2004, while working on an expansion to the Benicia-Martinez bridge near San Francisco, Big Stan was filmed by Discovery Channel's Canadian outlet for the show “Monster Machines”. [5] The episode aired in 2007. [6] In June 2007, Big Stan was used in the construction of the Pacific Street Bridge, in Oceanside, California. Big Stan was selected for its ability to achieve depths of 190 feet (58 m); conventional rigs were not capable of tunneling deep enough into the soft riverbed soil to earthquake proof the structure. [3] That same year, Big Stan was used for construction work on the Upper Northwest Interceptor sewage system. This project involved Big Stan drilling 41 vertical shafts, 15 feet (4.6 m) to 21 feet (6.4 m) in diameter, and 34 feet (10 m) to 70 feet (21 m) in depth. These tunnels were later finished by Vadnais Corp. who horizontally connected the segments by micro-tunneling. [7] [8] In January 2009, Big Stan was taken to La Plata County, Colorado to drill at the Ridges Basin Dam. Here, it bored a 115 feet (35 m)-deep, 17 feet (5.2 m) diameter shaft as part of a larger project to build irrigation infrastructure to the surrounding homes. [6] That same year, Big Stan was taken to Snyder, Texas to work on the Snyder Wind Energy Project. Here, it was used to drill 40 feet (12 m) deep caissons into hard clay and sandstone. [9] [10]

In August 2011, the drill rig was moved to Nevada to work on expansions to Interstate 15 in Las Vegas. The drill was contracted due to the lack of machines capable of breaking up the caliche-laden sedimentary rock present in the region. In addition, it was also used in the construction of the Blue Diamond Road flyover. [1] Later that month, Big Stan was used to drill the foundation for the Gold Line basket bridge in Los Angeles, California. [11] In 2015, Big Stan was used in the construction of the Yucca Loma Bridge in Apple Valley, California. [12]

Design

Mobile Drill Rig in Wyoming, featuring a similar design to Big Stan Mobile drill rig in Wyoming, 2006.jpg
Mobile Drill Rig in Wyoming, featuring a similar design to Big Stan

Big Stan was designed as a vehicle mounted drill rig that is normally mounted on a 40 feet (12 m) long, 5-axle truck, but is also compatible with a specially designed continuous track-style carrier. [1] When made fully operational, the top of the drill (the boom arm) can extend to 93 feet (28 m) in height when leveled with the ground. [2] [6] The truck Big Stan is normally mounted to is equipped with 5 hydraulic jacks designed to lift, tilt, and lower the drill. These jacks provide the drill with 35,000 pounds (16,000 kg) of lifting force and 360 degrees of rotation. These hydraulic jacks can also be used for rig assembly and breakdown. Big Stan can uniquely be split into two pieces which can be transported independently. [1] [2] When split apart, the engine and upper tower are carried by a 7-axle tractor-trailer, while the lower tower and rest of the drill are carried by a 5-axle tractor-trailer. [2] This is in contrast to other contemporary drill rigs, which required being dismantled into 8 to 10 pieces for transport. This design, along with the vehicle mount's built-in hydraulic jacks, allow a team of two people to assemble the rig in 30 minutes, compared to other contemporary rigs that required upwards of a week to properly set up. [1] [2]

Big Stan weighs 125 tons (113.4 metric tons), and is capable of exerting 534,000 pound-feet (724,000 N⋅m) of torque and 75,000 pounds (34,000 kg) of downward force (crowd pressure). [2] [6] [1] Big Stan features a screw conveyor, or auger, as its primary means of excavating soi l. The drill is capable of boring down 200 feet (61 m) at up to 39 rpm and its auger weighs 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg). The drill can accommodate a drill bit that is up to 30 feet (9.1 m) in diameter and move dirt at a rate of up to 5 cubic yards (3.8 m3) per rotation, depending on diameter, or drill buckets with capacities up to 8 cubic yards (6.1 m3). The rotary table has a 46 inches (120 cm) diameter, double-pinion ring gear driven by a six-speed transmission built by Allison transmission, through a drivetrain with two 14 inches (36 cm) drivebelts made by Clark. [2] Big Stan is powered by a 600 horsepower (450 kW), six-cylinder diesel engine made by Cummins. [1] [2]

Big Stan specifications [2] [6] [1]
CategoryUnits
Lifting Force35,000 pounds (16,000 kg)
Torque 534,000 pound-feet (724,000 N⋅m)
Downward Force75,000 pounds (34,000 kg)
Auger Weight15,000 pounds (6,800 kg)
Maximum Bore Rate39 rpm down to 200 feet (61 m)
Maximum Drill Bit30 feet (9.1 m) in diameter
Maximum Drill Bit Capacity5 cubic yards (3.8 m3)
Maximum Drill Bucket Capacity8 cubic yards (6.1 m3)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apollo command and service module</span> Component of the Apollo spacecraft

The Apollo command and service module (CSM) was one of two principal components of the United States Apollo spacecraft, used for the Apollo program, which landed astronauts on the Moon between 1969 and 1972. The CSM functioned as a mother ship, which carried a crew of three astronauts and the second Apollo spacecraft, the Apollo Lunar Module, to lunar orbit, and brought the astronauts back to Earth. It consisted of two parts: the conical command module, a cabin that housed the crew and carried equipment needed for atmospheric reentry and splashdown; and the cylindrical service module which provided propulsion, electrical power and storage for various consumables required during a mission. An umbilical connection transferred power and consumables between the two modules. Just before reentry of the command module on the return home, the umbilical connection was severed and the service module was cast off and allowed to burn up in the atmosphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel</span> Bridge–tunnel spanning the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel is a 17.6-mile (28.3 km) bridge–tunnel that crosses the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay between Delmarva and Hampton Roads in the U.S. state of Virginia. It opened in 1964, replacing ferries that had operated since the 1930s. A major project to dualize its bridges was completed in 1999, and in 2017 a similar project was started to dualize one of its tunnels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Directional drilling</span> Practice of drilling non-vertical bores

Directional drilling is the practice of drilling non-vertical bores. It can be broken down into four main groups: oilfield directional drilling, utility installation directional drilling, directional boring, and surface in seam (SIS), which horizontally intersects a vertical bore target to extract coal bed methane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drilling rig</span> Integrated system to drill wells

A drilling rig is an integrated system that drills wells, such as oil or water wells, or holes for piling and other construction purposes, into the earth's subsurface. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill water wells, oil wells, or natural gas extraction wells, or they can be small enough to be moved manually by one person and such are called augers. Drilling rigs can sample subsurface mineral deposits, test rock, soil and groundwater physical properties, and also can be used to install sub-surface fabrications, such as underground utilities, instrumentation, tunnels or wells. Drilling rigs can be mobile equipment mounted on trucks, tracks or trailers, or more permanent land or marine-based structures. The term "rig" therefore generally refers to the complex equipment that is used to penetrate the surface of the Earth's crust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Five Interchange</span> Interchange in Dallas, Texas

The High Five Interchange is one of the first five-level stack interchanges built in Dallas, Texas. Located at the junction of the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway and the Central Expressway, it replaces an antiquated combination interchange constructed in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dworshak Dam</span> Dam in Idaho

Dworshak Dam is a concrete gravity dam in the western United States, on the North Fork of the Clearwater River in north central Idaho. In Clearwater County, the dam is located approximately four miles (6 km) northwest of Orofino and impounds the Dworshak Reservoir for flood control and hydroelectricity generation. By capacity, the reservoir is the largest in Idaho and fourth-largest in the Pacific Northwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mars (oil platform)</span> Permanent offshore drilling and production tension-leg oil platform

Mars is a permanent offshore drilling and production tension-leg oil platform (TLP) operating in Mississippi Canyon blocks 762, 763, 806, 807, 850 and 851 in the Gulf of Mexico and was approved by the MMS in December 1992 with production beginning on July 8, 1996. The leases were acquired by Shell in 1985 and 1988. The platform is a joint venture between Shell Oil Company and BP, with Shell owning the majority share and operating the facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Core drill</span> Drill specifically designed to remove a cylinder of material

A modern core drill is a drill specifically designed to remove a cylinder of material, much like a hole saw. The material left inside the drill bit is referred to as the core.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pineview Dam</span> Dam in Utah, United States

Pineview Dam is located in Ogden Canyon, 7 miles (11 km) east of Ogden, Utah, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Perris</span> Artificial lake in California, U.S.

Lake Perris is an artificial lake completed in 1973. It is the southern terminus of the California State Water Project, situated in a mountain-rimmed valley between Moreno Valley and Perris, in what is now the Lake Perris State Recreation Area. The park offers a variety of recreational activities. Because of this and the lake's proximity to major population centers, it is very crowded during the summer months.

Directional boring, also referred to as horizontal directional drilling (HDD), is a minimal impact trenchless method of installing underground utilities such as pipe, conduit, or cables in a relatively shallow arc or radius along a prescribed underground path using a surface-launched drilling rig. Directional boring offers significant environmental advantages over traditional cut and cover pipeline/utility installations. The technique is routinely used when conventional trenching or excavating is not practical or when minimal surface disturbance is required.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep foundation</span> Type of foundation

A deep foundation is a type of foundation that transfers building loads to the earth farther down from the surface than a shallow foundation does to a subsurface layer or a range of depths. A pile or piling is a vertical structural element of a deep foundation, driven or drilled deep into the ground at the building site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First National Bank Tower</span> Skyscraper at 1601 Dodge Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska

The First National Bank Tower is a 45-story office skyscraper located at 1601 Dodge Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, United States, and the official headquarters of First National Bank of Omaha. At 634 ft (193 m) it is the tallest building in Omaha and the state. It has been since its completion, overtaking the 30-story Woodmen Tower located nearby. Construction began in April 1999 and lasted until 2002, with the building's completion being the subject of ACEC and Emporis awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bouri Field</span> Libyan offshore oil field

The Bouri Offshore Field is part of Block NC-41, which is located 120 kilometers (75 mi) north of the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean Sea. It was first discovered in 1976 at a depth of 8,700 feet (2,700 m) and is estimated to contain 4.5 billion barrels (720,000,000 m3) in proven recoverable crude oil reserves and 3.5 trillion cubic feet (99 km3) of associated natural gas with an annual production potential of 6 billion m³. Bouri is considered the largest producing oilfield in the Mediterranean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krishna Godavari Basin</span> Oilfield in India

Krishna Godavari Basin is a peri-cratonic passive margin basin in India. It is spread across more than 50,000 square kilometres in the Krishna River and Godavari River basins in Andhra Pradesh. The site is known for the D-6 block where Reliance Industries discovered the biggest natural gas reserves in India in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alva B. Adams Tunnel</span> Colorado Western Slope water transfer tunnel to Front Range

The Alva B. Adams Tunnel is the principal component of the largest transmountain water project in Colorado, the Colorado-Big Thompson Project (C-BT). The tunnel transfers water from the western slope of the Colorado River drainage to the eastern Front Range of Colorado. It is 13.1 miles (21.1 km) long, with a concrete lined diameter of 9.75 feet (2.97 m). The tunnel drops 109 feet (33 m) in elevation along its length and runs in a straight line under the Continental Divide from west to east, passing under Otis Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. At its deepest point, the tunnel is about 3,800 feet (1,200 m) below the surface of the mountain peaks. Construction began on 15 June 1940, but was suspended as a result of World War II priorities, from the end of 1942 to August 1943. The tunnel was holed through on 31 March 1944, an event that was broadcast throughout the United States by NBC Radio. The tunnel was posthumously named for its chief advocate, US Senator Alva B. Adams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devil's Cigarette Lighter</span> Natural gas well fire in Algeria

The Devil's Cigarette Lighter was a natural gas well fire at Gassi Touil in the Sahara Desert of Algeria. The fire was ignited on November 6, 1961, and burned until being extinguished by Red Adair and his colleagues, who used explosives to deprive the flame of oxygen, on April 28, 1962.

The Marble Canyon Dam, also known as the Redwall Dam, was a proposed dam on the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The dam was intended to impound a relatively small reservoir in the central portion of Marble Canyon to develop hydroelectric power. Plans centered on two sites between miles 30 and 40 in the canyon. At one point a 38-mile (61 km) tunnel was proposed to a site just outside Grand Canyon National Park to develop the site's full power generation potential, reducing the Colorado River to a trickle through the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abrahams Creek</span> Creek in Pennsylvania

Abrahams Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 10.7 miles (17.2 km) long and flows through Franklin Township, Dallas Township, Kingston Township, West Wyoming, Wyoming, and Forty Fort. The watershed of the creek has an area of 17.4 square miles (45 km2) and occupies portions of nine municipalities in northeastern Luzerne County. The watershed is divided into the upper Abraham Creek watershed and the lower Abraham Creek watershed, which are joined by a canyon known as The Hollow. The upper part of the watershed is mostly rural, but the lower part is heavily urbanized. The creek's channel has been heavily modified in many places. Its drainage basin is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.

Turkey Creek is a stream spanning Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas, within the Kansas City metropolitan area of the United States. It is a tributary of the Kansas River, with its mouth near downtown Kansas City, Kansas. It is not the Turkey Creek in Dickinson County, Kansas.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Meet Big Stan: Giant Drill Is the Rock Star of the Southwest | August 8, 2011 | ENR | Engineering News-Record". www.enr.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Mobile 100ton drilling rig for very large diameters" (PDF). Ground Engineering. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Sisson, Paul (June 26, 2007). "'Big Stan' gets to work drilling in Oceanside; 90-foot-tall rig to begin boring footings for Pacific Street bridge". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "First National Tower". Emporis. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. "Dimension System Hosts Colony of Cranes at California Bridge Project". fdocuments.net. Geosynthetics Applications Newsletter. Fall 2004. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Drilling requires heavy machinery". api.durangoherald.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  7. Rados, Steve (2007). "RADOS in the field" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on November 17, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  8. Symons, Pat; Pelletier, Jim (2010). "Vitrified Clay Pipe Specified for Sacramento Microtunneling Project" (PDF). Pipe Materials Guide: 30. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  9. "Snyder Wind Energy Project". EARTH SYSTEMS. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  10. "Earth Systems Global, Inc. - The Earth Systems group of companies". yumpu.com. July 11, 2015. p. 7. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  11. Brasuell, James (August 31, 2011). "Huge Crane and Drill Arrive for Gold Line Extension Basket Bridge". Curbed LA. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  12. Walsh, Rick (2015). "Haywood Baker Inc. Takes on Yucca Loma Bridge" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.