Drilling Equipment
120 hoursDrilling Equipment
The derrick is part of a drilling rig designed for lifting the drill bit up and down. The basic version has
an upright stationary section which is potentially capable of supporting hundreds of tons of weight.
Derricks of various designs have been in use for centuries to extract valuable resources from under
the Earth, and continue to be widely used today.
Early derricks consist of a framework which was designed to hold a large pole used for percussive
drilling, which is accomplished by repeatedly beating the earth to make a hole. A modern derrick
typically uses a top drive or rotary table in combination with a drill bit which is capable of biting
through the substrate, and cooled with constant slurry of mud to prevent it from getting too hot and to
bring the cuttings back to the surface.
Depending on the area of operation, function and design, derricks are constructed differently. For
land rigs the derrick needs to be movable and broken down to smaller pieces to be transported on
the road. Offshore derricks are fixed, although there are offshore rigs that have derricks which are
designed to lay down for rig moves. For example, on tender rigs the derrick is removed and loaded
back onto the rig during rig moves.
Main Characteristics
What is it?
The derrick, or mast for land and tender assist rigs, is a structure installed to lift stands of
drill string and casing. The conventional derrick and mast have the crown block on top and
at 2/3 of the height, the Monkey Board provides a platform for the derrick man to store drill
pipes and the BHA (Bottom Hole Assembly).
The height of the derrick/mast varies from 200-250 feet. The load rating varies from 1-2.5
million lbs. All derricks need to have an API license.
What does it do?
The derrick allows the rig to pull/lower three to four drill pipes (called a stand) at the same
time. Some smaller land rigs pull two drill pipes (called doubles).
How much power?
0.5-2.5 million lbs. load capacity, depending on the rig.
Special features?
Many special designs of masts and derricks are also used in the drilling industry.
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Mud Processing Equipment
120 hoursMud Processing Equipment
Mud pumps are large reciprocating piston/plunger devices that are specially designed to circulate
drilling fluid (mud) under high pressure down the drill string and back up the annulus.
Mud Pumps come in a variety of sizes and configurations but for the typical petroleum drilling rig, the
triplex (three piston/plunger) Mud Pump is the pump of choice. Duplex Mud Pumps (two
piston/plungers) have generally been replaced by the triplex pump, but are still common in
developing countries. Two later developments are the hex pump with six vertical pistons/plungers,
and various quintuplex with five horizontal piston/plungers. The advantage that these new pumps
have over conventional triplex pumps is what they call a lower mud noise which assists with better
MWD and LWD decoding.
In addition to the changes to the pumps, the number of pumps has changed over time. Rigs are fitted
with 3 or sometimes even 4 mud pumps, to ensure redundancy and increased volume under high
pressure.
Power to the mud pumps is supplied mostly is either AC or DC although there are still some land rigs
which are called compound rigs where all equipment including the mud pumps are driven by diesel
engines. Also on smaller work over rigs one can find diesel driven mud pumps.
Main Characteristics
What is it?
Large and powerful high pressure reciprocating pump driven by two large DC motors or ACVFD
motors. It is usually a triplex pump (3 pistons).
What does it do?
Circulates mud on a drilling rig, pumping it down through the drill string and drill bit. Two to
four mud pumps are normally installed. They are also used to drive the mud motor installed
in the BHA (Bottom Hole Assembly).
How much power?
3,000 - 7,500 PSI Maximum Working Pressure (MWP); driven by two 1,000 HP DC motors
or by AC-VFD motors in combination with a large gearbox.
Special features?
Some mud pumps are chain-driven while others are belt-driven. Modern mud pumps are
gear-driven using AC motors. Larger mud pumps use special mud charge pumps to boost
efficiency.
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Engine Room and Power Plant
120 hoursEngine Room and Power Plant
The diesel engine (also known as a compression-ignition engine) is an internal combustion engine
that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition and burn the fuel that has been injected under
high pressure into the combustion chamber. This contrasts with spark-ignition engines such as a
petrol engine (gasoline engine) or gas engine (using a gaseous fuel as opposed to gasoline), which
use a spark plug to ignite an air-fuel mixture.
The diesel engine has the highest thermal efficiency of any standard internal or external combustion
engine due to its very high compression ratio and inherent lean burn (non-stoichiometric) which
facilitates unburnt gasses to scavenge waste heat. A small efficiency loss is also avoided at valve
overlap since unburnt fuel is not present until TDC (top dead centre). Low-speed diesel engines (as
used in ships and other applications where overall engine weight is relatively unimportant) can have
a thermal efficiency that exceeds 50%.
The diesel engines used on drilling rigs are usually high speed engines running 1200 rpm and up.
The most common diesel engine used on drilling rigs is the Caterpillar 3500 series. Although there
are still many other diesel engines available in the oil field such are Wartsila, EMD, Cummins, Volvo,
etc. The diesel engines used on the drilling rigs are used for two purposes. One is to drive generators to
supply electrical power to the rig and second they can be used to drive equipment directly, like mud
pumps or on compound rigs even drawworks and rotary table.
Main Characteristics
What is it?
A high compression internal combustion engine.
What does it do?
Drives the main AC or DC generators, which provide power for the rig. On some older rigs
diesel engines drive the drilling equipment directly.
How much power
Average power output is 1,200 horsepower per engine (Caterpillar D399), depending on the
rig. A rig will use anywhere from 3 to 5 engines.
Special features?
Rig-saver valves installed in the air-inlet system to prevent engine over-speed, and spark
arrestors in the exhaust gas lines for all drilling rigs; plus the “normal” safety devices all
large diesel engines are required to have.
On modern rigs, they also act as emergency generators.
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Electrical Equipment
120 hoursElectrical Equipment
Electrical equipment on drilling rigs must comply with safety standards; the level of safety
depends on the zone or area in which the electrical equipment operates.
The purpose of this section is to;
• Introduce the concept of EX equipment
• Give a basic explanation of EX
• Explain why flame path maintenance is important
Main Characteristics
What is it?
Electrical equipment on drilling rigs must comply with safety standards; the level of safety
depends on the zone or area in which the electrical equipment operates.
What does it do?
Protects the rig from ignition of free-flowing gas from the well.
How much power?
Not applicable.
Special features?
EXd, Exe, EXp, EXi, EXm, EXn, EXs, EXo and EXq; all these electrical safety standards
are used depending on the zone in which specific coded electrical equipment is used.
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Safety Equipment
120 hoursSafety Equipment
When talking about safety equipment one should split it up into five main categories.
• Fire control equipment
• Survival and lifesaving equipment
• Drilling facilities safety
• Procedures
• Hazardous materials
Fire Control Equipment
An automatic fire detection system should comply with at least the following standards. Is the system
self-monitoring and when was the last time the system was fully tested. Automatic fire detection
systems need to stay operational even if one of the loops is disabled or damaged. The system needs
to have independent back-up power.
Part of the fire control equipment is the fixed fire extinguishing systems. This could be CO2 systems,
Fixed foam, High fog, etc. These systems (for MODU’s) need to comply with SOLAS II-2 regulations.
Main Characteristics
What is it?
Fire pumps, fire extinguishing systems (both permanent and portable), PPE (personal
protective equipment), hand rails, toe boards, escape routes, life-rafts and lifeboats for
MODUs, helicopter decks, etc.
What does it do?
Protects personnel and provides equipment for fighting fires or abandoning the rig
(MODUs).
How much power?
Not applicable.
Special features?
Additional PPE protection is required when drilling in a location with a known or expected
high level of H2S zones in the formation.
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Marine Equipment
120 hoursMarine Equipment
Jack-up rig in drilling mode
The principle means of jacking up a rig are;
• Rack and pinion drive
• Hydraulic continuous recycling
The jacking system on the majority of drilling jack-ups is usually the rack-and-pinion type. This
system comprises a number of electrically-driven rack-and-pinion-type jacking assemblies. For
example, the rig may support six jacking units per chord per leg which are housed inside each of the
jackhouse structures.
Each of the jacking pinions is independently driven by an electric motor via a reduction gearbox
which engages with the leg tooth racks of each leg. An example of this is shown in Figure 2. This
illustration indicates two assemblies. Operationally, each of the three chords has three on each side
of the rack-and-pinion tooth rack (total of six per chord) with a further six on each of the chords.
The jacking system is designed to operate in tandem, capable of lifting or lowering the hull. The
jacking movement is guided by the upper and lower guides which form part of the jackhouse and hull
structure.
Main Characteristics
What is it?
A large number of electrically-driven gears with gear boxes to control the legs (three or four)
of the jack-up system.
What does it do?
Lifts and lowers the entire rig in and out of the water on support legs.
How much power?
This depends on a few factors such as the size of the rig, operating water depth, required
air gap and the environment the rig is working in. A large jack-up rig working in harsh
environments would have a total of 54 or 72 jacking motors (6 or 8 motors per chord).
Compare that to a medium sized rig working in calmer seas – typically 36 or 54 jacking
motors (4 or 6 motors per chord).
Special features?
AC-driven; a great variety of gear boxes and leg construction styles.
Specially designed spud cans (the “feet” of the legs) to accommodate different seabed
formations.
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Well Control Equipment
120 hoursWell Control Equipment
Ram-type preventers close the annular space outside a string of pipe in the well by moving the rams
from a retracted position clear of the bore into a position where the ram blocks close around the pipe.
Rams operate in pairs and seal the space below and beside them in the cavity when they are closed.
Pipe rams have semi-circular openings that match the diameter of the pipe for which they are
designed.
It is absolutely vital that the pipe rams in a preventer fit the OD of the drill pipe, casing or tubing that
is in use. If more than one size of pipe is in use, ram-type preventers of different sizes are required in
the BOP stack in order to have all the sizes of rams available for immediate use.
When a tapered string is used, most operators install variable-bore rams (VBRs) or flexible packers
(Cameron FlexPacker®).
Main Characteristics
What is it?
Part of the well control equipment integrated into the BOP.
What does it do?
Seals the annulus of the well, seals around the drill pipe or performs a Complete Shut-Off
(CSO) if no drill pipe is inside the hole. Rams can hang off the drill string and shear the drill
pipe.
How much power?
Rated from 5,000 to 15,000 psi working pressure. The most common size is 13⅝” ID on
surface BOPs. Some modern rigs are starting to use 18¾” ID surface BOPs.
Special features?
Special locking systems for the rams; large bore bonnets or booster cylinder to increase
shear force.
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Appendices
120 hoursAppendices
1 Appendix 1: Drive Chain Inspections
1.1 Inspection and Chain Service Schedule As Per API SPEC 7F
A roller chain drive requires proper and timely maintenance to deliver satisfactory performance and
service life.
A maintenance programme must be established to ensure the following;
• Sprockets are correctly lubricated
• Drive interferences are eliminated
• Damaged or worn chains or sprockets are replaced
• Sprockets are properly aligned
• Chain is correctly tensioned
• Guarding is in good condition and properly installed
The inspection intervals for chains are;
• After the first 50 hours of operation
• If the chain drives are subject to heavy shock loads: every 200 hours
• Ordinary drives: every 500 hours of operation
The inspection will look at the following;
• Lubrication system
• Drive interferences
• Damaged chains or sprockets
• Chain wear
• Sprocket wear
• Sprocket misalignment
• Chain tension
• Chain guards
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Hazardous Area Training
120 hoursHazardous Area Training
Knowledge on Electrical Installation in Hazardous Area. (Reference to IEC 60079). It covers the overview knowledge on electrical installations within hazardous areas.
Individual companies may and do install higher specification equipment and accessories above the levels stated during this presentation.
This is to provide a higher level of protection for plant, equipment and personnel as they deem necessary.
Directives were developed for use throughout the European Union to improve the trade between European Nations by removing technical barriers to trade.
ATEX Legislation
ATEX : ATmospheres EXplosibles Directives
Issue by Directorates General Committees
Approved by European Council of Ministers and Law within EU Member Countries.
Directives were developed for use throughout the European Union to improve the trade between European Nations by removing technical barriers to trade.
Course Objectives
Prepare candidates with the knowledge and understanding of hazardous area equipment and
Standards. This is to build up competency in areas of hazardous equipment.
• Refresh knowledge for those who already have achieved Certification.
• Project management, Project Engineers and their supervisors or trainees to give a base
understanding of Hazardous Area Equipment and requirements.
• Build up competency, knowledge, and understanding for equipment "Selection, maintenance and
installation of hazardous area equipment" installation.
• Prepare candidate who intend to take other certified courses such as CompEx or IEC Ex courses.
Who Should Attend
• HSE professionals, operations and maintenance technicians, engineers, supervisors.
• Personnel with an Electrical or Instrumentation background who intend to work with
hazardous area equipment in the future, i.e. equipment installations, maintain and inspection.
• Mechanical Engineers that require to have a basic understanding of hazardous area equipment.
Course Details
• ATEX Legislation
• Area Standards and Codes of Practice
• Classification
• Selection of Apparatus
• Methods of Protection
• Cable gland and its Accessory Selection
• Wiring Systems
• Testing
• Maintenance and Inspection
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