WO2015198254A1

WO2015198254A1 - A drilling deck and a drill pipe support assembly for a drilling apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2015198254A1
Application number: PCT/IB2015/054765
Authority: WO
Inventors: Petrus Christiaan Gouws; Nicolaas Francois ALBERTS; Alain Paul ALBERTS; Kevin Shaun Grant LANDEY
Original assignee: Petrus Christiaan Gouws; Alberts Nicolaas Francois; Alberts Alain Paul; Landey Kevin Shaun Grant
Priority date: 2014-06-26
Filing date: 2015-06-25
Publication date: 2015-12-30

Abstract

A drilling apparatus 11 including a drilling rig 12 having a tower 16 for supporting a drill pipe 18, a drilling deck 14 on which the drilling rig is mounted and a drill pipe support assembly 10 which is mounted in a recess 13 within a peripheral side of the drilling deck. The recess 13 defines an open mouth in the peripheral side of the drilling deck permitting the drill pipe to be introduced in the recess by displacing the drill pipe in a direction normal to an axis along the length of the drill pipe. The drill pipe support assembly 10 includes a support structure defining a slot within which the drill is received and a pair of spaced bearing assemblies which provide bearing support for the drill pipe within the slot of the support structure.

Description

A DRILLING DECK AND A DRILL PIPE SUPPORT ASSEMBLY

FOR A DRILLING APPARATUS

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a drilling deck for a drilling apparatus and also to a drill pipe support assembly through which a drill pipe passes for drilling holes in the ground, for example, in mining applications.

BACKGROUND TO INVENTION

Known drilling apparatus for drilling holes in the ground in applications such as mining, include a drilling rig and a drilling deck or platform on which the drilling rig is mounted. The deck is supported on the ground such that it overlies and is spaced above a location where a hole is to be drilled in the ground. The deck forms a barrier between the drilling rig above it and dust and fluids which are thrown up during a drilling operation. The drilling rig includes a tower for supporting the drill pipe or drill string in a vertical orientation and a drill motor for driving rotation of the drill pipe. It is known for drilling decks to define a hole in which a deck bush is secured, through which the drill pipe (or string of drill pipes) passes in order to support the drill pipe as it rotates and moves up and down. In addition, the deck bush forms a seal around the drill pipe preventing dust and the like from being thrown upwards onto the deck.

Typically, such known deck bushes are fixedly secured to the deck and consist of an inner collar through which the drill pipe passes and which rotates with the drill pipe and an outer collar fixed within the hole in the deck, with bearings being located between the collars. Such known deck bushes are subjected to relatively large forces due to vibration and vertical movement of the drill pipe during a drilling operation, which often results in damage to the deck bushes or high levels of wear and tear which significantly reduces the lifespan of the deck bushes. Furthermore, in order to initiate a drilling operation it is necessary to lift a drill pipe having a drill bit at a lower end thereof to a height at which the lower end of the drill pipe is above the deck bush and thereafter to lower the drill pipe with its lower end first, through the deck bush. This requires a relatively tall tower for supporting the drill pipe as it is raised and lowered through the deck bush. The exercise is repeated for each of the other drill pipes which are connected a preceding drill pipe in a drill string. The exercise is yet again repeated after a drilling operation when a drill string is raised, it being necessary to raise each drill pipe to a height wherein its lower end is spaced above the deck bush before removing the drill pipe. The Applicant has identified that the process of raising the drill pipe such that its lower end is disposed above the deck bush prior to insertion or removal of the drill pipe into the deck bush is both cumbersome and time consuming in an industry wherein unproductive time spent between drilling operations is to be kept to a minimum. The Applicant therefore believes that the relatively high tower required to support the drill pipe during a drilling operation using a drilling apparatus having a conventional deck bush as described hereinabove, is both unnecessary and inefficient. A further problem with such known decks and the use of such known deck bushes associated therewith, is that when the drill pipe is hoisted into a vertical orientation, it is suspended from its upper end with its lower end unsupported, often resulting in the drill pipe swinging in an uncontrolled manner and bashing into the tower or nearby equipment above the drilling deck. In addition to the potential for damage to equipment and / or the drill pipe itself, there is also an inherent safety risk of injury to persons in the vicinity of the drill pipe.

Yet a further problem associated with such known deck bushes and drilling decks, is that as the deck bush is fixedly secured within the hole in the drilling deck, it cannot easily be removed for replacement or for repair work to be carried out on the deck bush. In many instances, the tower is also fixedly secured to the deck bush, often by being welded to the deck bush, thereby further rendering the removal of the deck bush particularly difficult.

It is object of the present invention to provide a drill pipe support assembly and a drilling apparatus including the drill pipe support assembly, which ameliorates the abovementioned problems associated with the known drilling decks and deck bushes described above.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a drill pipe support assembly for a drilling apparatus, the drill pipe support assembly including: a support structure which is locatable along a peripheral side of a drilling deck of the drilling apparatus, the support structure defining a slot within which a drill pipe is received, the slot defining an opening at one end thereof through which the drill pipe can pass; and sealing means supported on the support structure, which is operable to substantially surround the drill pipe during a drilling operation in order to provide a seal around the drill pipe for limiting flow of dust or fluid upward onto the drilling deck, the sealing means comprising a sealing assembly including a pair of sealing members that are displaceably supported on the support structure in an arrangement wherein the sealing members are displaceable between an open configuration in which the sealing members define an open mouth formation in which the drill pipe is freely received and a closed configuration in which the drill pipe is snugly received within the mouth formation thereby to form the seal around the drill pipe.

The drill pipe support assembly may further include bearing means for rotatably supporting the drill pipe during a drilling operation. More specifically, the bearing means may comprise at least two bearing assemblies which are each mounted to a different one of the sealing members and which are brought into contact with the drill pipe when the drill pipe is received within the slot defined by the support structure.

The support structure may include a bearing support arrangement on which the bearing assemblies are mounted. Each bearing assembly may comprise a plurality of bearing members which are configured and arranged in order to provide bearing support for both rotational and vertical displacement of the drill pipe. More specifically, the bearing support arrangement may comprise a pair of bearing support rods which are each operatively disposed in a vertical orientation and which each define a vertical axis of rotation. The bearing members of each bearing assembly may be arranged into sets wherein the bearing members of each set are interconnected to one another so as to extend and be displaceable as a set around the bearing support rod. In addition, each bearing member may define a horizontal axis of rotation about which the bearing member is individually rotatable.

The bearing support arrangement may include an additional bearing support rod and the bearing means may include an additional bearing assembly which is mounted to the support rod so as to partially extend into the slot defined by the support structure so as to contact and provide bearing support to a drill pipe which is received within the slot.

The support structure may be releasably mountable to a peripheral side of a drilling deck thereby permitting its removal for replacement and/or repair.

The invention extends to the sealing means as defined hereinabove.

The invention also extends to the bearing means and the bearing support arrangement of the support structure, as defined hereinabove.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a drill pipe support assembly for a drilling apparatus, the drill pipe support assembly including: a support structure which is locatable along a peripheral side of a drilling deck of the drilling apparatus, the support structure defining a slot within which a drill pipe is received, the slot defining an opening at one end thereof through which the drill pipe can pass; and bearing means supported on the support structure for supporting the drill pipe during a drilling operation, the bearing means including at least two spaced bearing assemblies which contact the drill pipe when the drill pipe is received within the slot defined by the support structure, each bearing assembly comprising a plurality of bearing members which are configured and arranged in order to provide bearing support for the rotational and vertical displacement of the drill pipe.

The support structure may include a bearing support arrangement on which the bearing assemblies are mounted. More specifically, the support arrangement may comprise a pair of bearing support rods which are each operatively disposed in a vertical orientation and which each define a vertical axis of rotation. The bearing members of each bearing assembly may be arranged into sets wherein the bearing members of each set are interconnected to one another so as to extend and be displaceable as a set around the bearing support rod. In addition, each bearing member may define a horizontal axis of rotation about which the bearing member is individually rotatable. The drill pipe support assembly may include the sealing means as described and defined hereinabove in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.

The bearing means may be equivalent to the bearing means as described and defined in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a drilling apparatus including: a drilling rig including a tower for supporting at least one drill pipe in a vertical orientation, and a drill motor for driving rotation of the drill pipe; a drilling deck on which the drilling rig is mounted, the drilling deck being operatively supported on a ground surface such that it overlies and is spaced above a location where a hole is to be drilled in the ground, the drilling deck defining a recess formation in a peripheral side thereof, the recess formation defining an open mouth in the peripheral side of the drilling deck, which permits the drill pipe to be introduced into the recess formation via the open mouth by displacing the drill pipe relative to the drilling deck in a direction normal to an axis defined along a length of the drill pipe; and a drill pipe support assembly which is releasably mounted within the recess formation in the drilling deck, the drill pipe support assembly being configured to support the drill pipe as it rotates during a drilling operation and as it is displaced linearly relative to the drilling deck. In a particular embodiment, the drill pipe assembly of the drilling apparatus, may be the drill pipe assembly as described and defined hereinabove in accordance with the first aspect of the invention. In another embodiment, the drill pipe assembly of the drilling apparatus, may be the drill pipe assembly as described and defined hereinabove in accordance with the second aspect of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features of a drilling apparatus and a drill pipe support assembly for use with a drilling apparatus, in accordance with the invention, is described hereinafter by way of a non-limiting example of the invention, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying diagrammatic drawings. In the drawings:

Figures 1 A and 1 B show a sectional side view and a top plan view, respectively, of a prior art deck bush; Figure 1 C shows a side elevation of a prior art drilling apparatus including the prior art deck bush of Figures 1 A and B, illustrating the manner in which a drill pipe is raised into a vertical position and inserted into the bore of the deck bush;

Figure 2 shows a three-dimensional view of a drilling apparatus including a drill pipe support assembly, in accordance with the invention;

Figure 3 shows a three-dimensional view of the tower and drill pipe support assembly of the drilling apparatus of Figure 2;

Figure 3A shows an enlarged fragmentary three-dimensional view of the drill pipe support assembly and part of the tower of Figure 3; Figure 4 shows a three-dimensional view of the drilling apparatus of Figure 2, with the drill pipe support assembly in a lowered position and detached from the drilling deck; Figure 5 shows a three-dimensional view of the drill pipe support assembly of Figure 2, as seen from above;

Figure 6 shows a three dimensional view of the drill pipe support assembly of Figure 2, as seen from below;

Figure 7 shows a top plan view of the drill pipe support assembly of Figure 2;

Figure 8 shows a front view of the drill pipe support assembly of Figure 2; Figure 9 shows a side view of the drill pipe support assembly of Figure 2;

Figure 10 shows a fragmentary three-dimensional view of the drill pipe support assembly of Figure 2, with part of the housing body of the support structure cut away to show internal detail;

Figure 1 1 shows a three-dimensional view of the sealing assembly and the bearing assembly of the drill pipe support assembly of Figure 2;

Figure 12 shows a front view of the sealing and bearing assemblies of Figure 1 1 ;

Figure 13 shows a side view of the sealing and bearing assemblies of Figure 1 1 ;

Figure 14 shows a top plan view showing the mode of operation of the sealing assembly of Figure 1 1 ; Figure 15A to 15D show, in sequence, the mode of operation of the sealing assembly shown in Figure 1 1 ;

Figure 16 shows a side elevation of the drilling apparatus of Figure 2, illustrating the manner in which a drill pipe is raised into a vertical orientation and engaged by the drill pipe support assembly;

Figure 17 shows an enlarged view of the pipe lock assembly of the drill pipe support assembly of Figure 2;

Figures 18A to 18C shows, in sequence, the manner in which the pipe lock assembly of Figure 17 engages a drill pipe; and

Figure 19 shows an enlarged fragmentary three-dimensional view of the drill pipe support assembly of Figure 2 and the drilling deck of Figure 1 including cut-aways to show hidden detail, illustrating the releasable mounting of the drill pipe support assembly to the drilling deck.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to Figure 1 A and 1 B, a typical prior art deck bush is illustrated and designated by the reference numeral 1 . The deck bush 1 is mounted within a hole in a drilling deck of a drilling apparatus and comprises an outer collar 2 which is fixed within the hole in the drilling deck, and an inner collar 3 which defines an inner bore 4 within which a drill pipe is received and which rotates with the drill pipe. The deck bush 1 includes an upper race of ball bearings 5.1 and a lower race of ball bearings 5.2 which are located between the inner and outer collars. Deck bushes of this type are subjected to relatively large forces due to vibration and vertical movement of the drill pipe during a drilling operation often resulting in damage to the deck bush or high levels of wear and tear which significantly reduces the lifespan of such deck bushes. With reference to Figure 1 C of the drawings, a prior art drilling apparatus 6 including a drilling deck 7 and a tower 8 is depicted. The deck bush 1 is fixedly secured within a hole defined therefor in the drilling deck with the lower end of the tower being welded to the outer collar 2 of the deck bush. Figure 1 C illustrates the manner in which a drill pipe 9 is raised and thereafter lowered so as to pass through the deck bush 1 in order to initiate or continue with a drilling operation. As can be seen in the drawing, the drill pipe 9 is hoisted up the tower 8 into a vertical orientation until a lower end of the drill pipe is disposed at a height above the deck bush in the drilling deck. The drill pipe is thereafter lowered through the bore of the deck bush in order to commence or continue with a drilling operation. The procedure is reversed in order to remove the drill pipe by raising the drill vertically to a height at which its lower end is spaced above the deck bush.

It will be appreciated that the drill pipe loading and removal procedures referred to above in relation to the use of the deck bush 1 , requires the tower to sufficiently high to hoist the drill pipe 9 to a height wherein a lower end thereof is spaced above the deck bush. Furthermore, when the drill pipe 9 is hoisted into a vertical position it is suspended from its upper end with its lower end unsupported, often resulting in the drill pipe swinging in an uncontrolled manner when it is raised free of the ground potentially resulting in damage to property and / or injury to person in the vicinity of the drill pipe.

It will also be appreciated that as the deck bush is fixedly secured to the drill deck, it cannot easily be removed for replacement or for repair work to be carried out on the deck bush. The tower welded thereto further renders the removal of the drilling deck a difficult exercise.

Figures 2 to 19 illustrate a drill pipe support assembly 10 in accordance with the invention and a drilling apparatus 1 1 also in accordance with the invention including the drill pipe support assembly 10. The drilling apparatus as herein envisaged is adapted for drilling holes in the ground and further includes a drilling rig 12 and a drilling deck 14 on which the drilling rig is mounted. The drilling rig includes a tower 16 for supporting a drill pipe 18 which typically will form part of a string of interconnected drill pipes which have complementary screw threads for screwing the pipes into one another to form a drill string which increases in length by the addition of drill pipes as the drilling depth increases. The drilling deck defines a recess 13 within a peripheral side of the drilling deck, within which the drilling pipe support assembly 10 is releasably mounted. A lower end of the tower is bolted to an upper side of the drilling deck such that the tower is located above the drill pipe support assembly but not connected thereto.

The drill pipe support assembly 10 comprises, broadly, a support structure 20 which is releasably mounted to a peripheral front side 22 of the drilling deck 14 and sealing means in the form of a sealing assembly 24 which is supported on the support structure 20. The drill pipe support assembly further includes three bearing assemblies 26 for rotatably supporting the drill pipe during a drilling operation. The support structure comprises a carrier structure 28 including a pair of spaced carrier plates 30, and a steel housing body 32. The housing body of the carrier structure defines a slot 34 which is open at one end 35 in order to permit a drill pipe to pass through the open end of the slot. The support structure includes a pair of impact absorbing buffer bodies 36 of a rubber material which are mounted within the slot 34 at the open end 35 thereof.

The buffer bodies 36 absorb impact forces acting on the support structure when a drill pipe is loaded into the slot as will be explained in further detail hereinbelow. The manner in which the drill pipe support assembly 10 is releasably mounted to the drilling deck 14 is more clearly illustrated in Figure 19 which shows the drill pipe support assembly 10 being lowered from an underside of the drilling deck. More particularly, the drill pipe support assembly is shown suspended below the drilling rig by means of a pulley system which includes cables 25 from which the drill pipe support assembly is suspended. The drill pipe support assembly includes releasable locking formations disposed at outer corners of the housing body 32 which engage complementary locking formations of the drilling deck when the drill pipe support assembly is in a fully raised position. In order to remove the drill pipe support assembly for replacement or to perform maintenance work on the drill pipe support assembly, the locking formations are released and the drill pipe support assembly is lowered by the pulley system as shown in Figure 19, relative to the drilling deck.

The support structure further includes a bearing support arrangement for supporting the bearing assemblies. More specifically, the bearing support arrangement includes an upper pair of bearing support plates 38.1 and 38.2 and a lower pair of bearing support plates 40.1 and 40.2 which are spaced from the upper pair. The bearing support plates have an arcuate configuration when viewed in plan view. The bearing support arrangement further includes a bearing support rod in the form of a pivot pin 42 which is supported near opposite ends thereof in an operative vertical orientation and about which the bearing support plates are pivotally displaceable. The bearing support plates define, in combination, a mouth formation within which a drill pipe 18 is received. The mouth formation is aligned with the slot 34 defined by the housing body. The bearing support plates of each pair of bearing support plates, are pivotally displaceable relative to one another between an open configuration in which the drill pipe is freely received within the mouth formation and a closed configuration within which the bearings of the bearing assemblies contact the drill pipe for rotatably supporting the drill pipe during a drilling operation.

The bearing support arrangement further includes lever arms 44 which are mounted to the carrier plates 30 and which are each pivotally connected to a different one of the bearing support plates for displacing the bearing plates between their open and closed configurations. More specifically, the lever arms are acted upon by hydraulic rams for displacing the bearing support plates.

The bearing support arrangement includes a pair of bearing support rods 46 which extend between the bearing support plates 38.1 , 40.1 and 38.2, 40.2, respectively. A bearing assembly 26 is rotatably mounted on each of the bearing support rods 46 while the third bearing assembly 26 is rotatably mounted to the pivot pin 42. The arrangement of the bearing assemblies is such that the bearing assemblies mounted to the bearing support rods 46 are disposed laterally within the slot 34 defined by the housing body 32, while the third bearing assembly which is mounted to the pivot pin 44, is disposed at an operative inner end of the slot.

Each bearing assembly comprises a plurality of roller bearing members 48 which are configured and arranged in order to provide bearing support for both rotational and horizontal and vertical linear displacement of the drill pipe 18. More specifically, each of the roller bearing members is individually rotatable about a horizontal axis of rotation thereby providing bearing support for the drill pipe when it moves in a vertical direction during a drilling operation. Furthermore, the roller bearing members are arranged in sets wherein the bearings in each set are interconnected to one another end-to-end so as to extend around the support rod or pivot pin associated therewith. The roller bearing members comprising each set are displaceable as a set around the support rod / pivot pin thereby providing bearing support as the drill pipe rotates during a drilling operation and also as the drill pipe is displaced horizontally while in a vertical orientation in order to provide for insertion of the drill pipe into the slot 34 of the housing body 32 and removal from the slot.

With reference to Figure 14 of the drawings, the manner in which the bearing support plates are displaceable between their open and closed configurations, is illustrated. The direction of movement of the bearing support plates is designated by the arrows in the drawings illustrating displacement of the bearing support plates from an open configuration (shown by the solid lines) towards a closed configuration (shown by the broken lines).

The sealing assembly 24 is mounted to an operative underside of the housing body 32 and comprises a pair of sealing plates 50.1 and 50.2 which are pivotally mounted to the support structure. Each sealing plate has a generally arcuate configuration when viewed in plan view and defines a half collar formation which is configured to locate snugly onto a half external side of a drill pipe as is illustrated in Figures 15A to 15D of the drawings. The sealing plates are pivotally mounted, via pivot pins 52, to the support structure. With reference to Figure 15A, the sealing plates define an open mouth formation 54 in their open configuration into which the drill pipe 18 can be inserted. With reference to Figure 15B, the drill pipe has entered the slot of the support structure, with the sealing plates beginning to move into the closed position. In Figure 15C, the sealing plates are further displaced towards one another in scissor-like fashion capturing the drill pipe between them. Finally, in Figure 15D, the sealing plates are shown in their closed configuration, with the drill pipe snugly enveloped by the half collar formations. In the closed configuration, the sealing plates surround the drill pipe in a snug fit thereby forming a seal around the drill pipe limiting the flow of dust, chippings or fluid upward onto the drilling deck during a drilling operation.

The sealing plates are displaced into their open and closed configurations by hydraulic rams. It will be appreciated that the sealing plates are positioned relative to the slot 34 defined by the housing body such that the sealing plates form a snug fit with the drill pipe when the drill pipe is received in the slot of the housing body.

The drill pipe support assembly further includes a pipe lock assembly 54 which engages a locking formation of the drill pipe for locking the drill pipe against rotation so that another drill pipe connected to the drill pipe can be acted upon by a breakout wrench (shown in Figure 3A and designated by the reference numeral 57) for tightening or loosening the other drill pipe with respect to the drill pipe. The mode of operation of the pipe lock assembly is illustrated, in sequence, in Figures 18A to 18C. The pipe lock assembly incorporates a hydraulic ram 55 having a locking formation 56 at a distal end thereof which engages the locking formation of the drill pipe. The configuration and operation of the pipe lock assembly is conventional and as such, is not described in any further detail herein. With reference to Figure 16 of the drawings, the manner in which a drill pipe 18 is loaded into the drill pipe support assembly 10, is illustrated. An upper end of the drill pipe is held and the drill pipe is hoisted via its upper end up the tower 16. A lower end of the drill pipe is initially dragged along the ground until the drill pipe is raised into a vertical position. When in this vertical position, a lower end region of the drill pipe is received in the slot 34 of the housing body 32 of the drill pipe support assembly. It will be appreciated that the lower end region of the drill pipe is displaced laterally into the slot 34 in a direction substantially normal to a longitudinal axis defined along the length of drill pipe. It is held and stably supported by the bearing assemblies in the slot 34, with the buffer bodies 36 absorbing impact by the drill pipe as it enters the slot 34. It is therefore not necessary or desirable to raise the drill pipe to a height at which its lower end is disposed above the drill pipe support assembly in order to load the drill pipe into the drill pipe support assembly.

As the drill pipe support assembly is releasably mounted to the drilling deck and furthermore as the tower 16 is not connected thereto, the drill pipe support assembly can be removed from the drilling deck with relative ease for replacement or for repair work to be carried out on the drill pipe support assembly.

The invention extends to the sealing assembly described hereinabove. The invention extends also to the bearing assemblies and to the bearing support arrangement as described hereinabove.

The invention further extends to the bearing support arrangement and the bearing assemblies supported thereon, as described hereinabove.

The invention extends yet further to the drilling deck as described hereinabove, adapted for releasable mounting thereto of the drill pipe support assembly in accordance with the invention.

Claims

A drill pipe support assembly for a drilling apparatus, the drill pipe support assembly including: a support structure which is locatable along a peripheral side of a drilling deck of the drilling apparatus, the support structure defining a slot within which a drill pipe is received, the slot defining an opening at one end thereof through which the drill pipe can pass; and bearing means supported on the support structure for supporting the drill pipe during a drilling operation, the bearing means including at least two spaced bearing assemblies which contact the drill pipe when the drill pipe is received within the slot defined by the support structure, each bearing assembly comprising a plurality of bearing members which are configured and arranged in order to provide bearing support during rotational and vertical displacement of the drill pipe relative to the support structure.

The drill pipe support assembly as claimed in Claim 1 , wherein the support structure includes a bearing support arrangement to which the bearing assemblies are mounted.

The drill pipe support assembly as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the bearing support arrangement comprises a pair of spaced bearing support rods which are each operatively disposed in a vertical orientation and which each define a vertical axis of rotation.

The drill pipe support assembly as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the bearing members of each bearing assembly are arranged into sets wherein the bearing members of each set are interconnected to one another so as to extend and be displaceable as a set around the bearing support rod.

5. The drill pipe support assembly as claimed in Claim 4, wherein each bearing member defines a horizontal axis of rotation about which the bearing member is individually rotatable.

6. A drill pipe support assembly for a drilling apparatus, the drill pipe support assembly including: a support structure which is locatable along a peripheral side of a drilling deck of the drilling apparatus, the support structure defining a slot within which a drill pipe is received, the slot defining an opening at one end thereof through which the drill pipe can pass; and sealing means supported on the support structure, which is operable to substantially surround the drill pipe during a drilling operation in order to provide a seal around the drill pipe for limiting flow of dust or fluid upward onto the drilling deck, the sealing means comprising a sealing assembly including a pair of sealing members that are displaceably supported on the support structure in an arrangement wherein the sealing members are displaceable between an open configuration in which the sealing members define an open mouth formation in which the drill pipe is freely received and a closed configuration in which the drill pipe is snugly received within the mouth formation thereby to form an annular seal around the drill pipe.

7. The drill pipe support assembly as claimed in Claim 6, which further includes bearing means for rotatably supporting the drill pipe during a drilling operation.

8. The drill pipe support assembly as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the bearing means comprises at least two bearing assemblies which are each mounted to a different one of the sealing members and which are brought into contact with the drill pipe when the drill pipe is received within the slot defined by the support structure.

9. The drill pipe support assembly as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the support structure includes a bearing support arrangement on which the bearing assemblies are mounted.

10. The drill pipe support assembly as claimed in Claim 9, wherein each bearing assembly comprises a plurality of bearing members which are configured and arranged in order to provide bearing support for both rotational and vertical displacement of the drill pipe.

1 1 . The drill pipe support assembly as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the bearing support arrangement comprises a pair of bearing support rods which are each operatively disposed in a vertical orientation and which each define a vertical axis of rotation.

12. The drill pipe support assembly as claimed in Claim 1 1 , wherein the bearing members of each bearing assembly are arranged into sets wherein the bearing members of each set are interconnected to one another so as to extend and be displaceable as a set around the bearing support rod.

13. The drill pipe support assembly as claimed in Claim 12, wherein each bearing member defines a horizontal axis of rotation about which the bearing member is individually rotatable.

14. The drill pipe support assembly as claimed in Claim 13, wherein the bearing support arrangement includes an additional bearing support rod and the bearing means includes an additional bearing assembly which is mounted to the support rod so as to partially extend into the slot defined by the support structure so as to contact and provide bearing support to a drill pipe which is received within the slot.

15. The drill pipe support assembly as claimed in Claim 14, wherein the support structure is releasably mountable to a peripheral side of a drilling deck thereby permitting its removal for replacement and/or repair.

16. A drilling apparatus including: a drilling rig including a tower for supporting at least one drill pipe in a vertical orientation, and a drill motor for driving rotation of the drill pipe; a drilling deck on which the drilling rig is mounted, the drilling deck being operatively supported on a ground surface such that it overlies and is spaced above a location where a hole is to be drilled in the ground, the drilling deck defining a recess formation in a peripheral side thereof, the recess formation defining an open mouth in the peripheral side of the drilling deck, which permits the drill pipe to be introduced into the recess formation via the open mouth by displacing the drill pipe relative to the drilling deck in a direction normal to an axis defined along a length of the drill pipe; and a drill pipe support assembly which is releasably mounted within the recess formation in the drilling deck, the drill pipe support assembly being configured to support the drill pipe as the drill pipe rotates during a drilling operation and as it is displaced vertically relative to the drilling deck.

17. The drilling apparatus as claimed in Claim 16, wherein the drill pipe support assembly is the drill pipe support assembly in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 5.

18. The drilling apparatus as claimed in Claim 16, wherein the drill pipe support assembly is the drill pipe support assembly in accordance with any one of Claims 6 to 15.