Drill pipe wiper system and associated method

A drill pipe wiper system for removing moisture from an outer surface of an existing drill pipe while the existing drill pipe is being removed from a ground surface, said drill pipe wiper system comprising:

• a plurality of coextensively shaped rectilinear support rails having axially opposed ends
• a plurality of coextensively shaped rectilinear end rails having right and left ends respectively, each of said end rails being directly attached to said respective opposed ends of said support rails;
• means for attaching said support rails to a support surface, said attaching means being directly connected to said respective opposed ends of said, support rails and disposed subjacent thereto;
• a rectilinear channel integrally attached to said support rail attaching means for directing drilling fluid back towards the existing drill rig circulating system;
• and
• means for removing moisture from the outer surface of the existing drill pipe, said moisture removing means being directly attached to said support rails.

A method for removing moisture from an outer surface of an existing drill pipe while the existing drill pipe is being removed from a ground surface, said method comprising the steps of:

• a. providing a plurality of coextensively shaped rectilinear support rails having axially opposed ends;
• b. directly attaching a plurality of coextensively shaped rectilinear end rails to said respective opposed ends of said support rails, each of said end, rails having right and left ends respectively;
• c. attaching said support rails to a support surface;
• and
• d. removing moisture from the outer surface of the existing drill pipe;
• wherein each of said support rails has a plurality of openings formed in said opposed ends of said support rails and located adjacent to a vertical edge thereof, each of said openings having a centrally registered axis oriented at a right angle to said longitudinal length of said support rails, said openings being equidistantly spaced along a vertical plane registered parallel to said vertical edge of said opposed ends of said support rails;
• wherein each of said end rails comprises:
• a plurality of flattened tabs monolithically formed in said right and left ends respectively of said end rails and extending outwardly and away therefrom, each of said tabs having a top surface oriented in parallel with a top surface of said end rails, said tabs being equidistantly spaced along said respective right and left ends of said end rails, each of said tabs having an aperture formed in a center region thereof and penetrating therethrough;
• and
• a plurality of inch pins suitably sized and shaped for penetrating through associated ones of said apertures of said tabs;
• wherein said tabs of said end rails are interfitted within associated ones of said openings of said support rails such that said end rails and said support rails respectively cooperate to form a substantially rectangular-shaped structure, said structure having a hollow chamber formed therein;
• wherein said linch pins and said tabs of said ends rails respectively cooperate to prevent said end rails from prematurely and undesirably separating from said support rails and thereby maintain said ends rails and said support rails in a fixed and static position during operating conditions.