Bahria University

Department of Earth and Environmental Science

(Islamabad Campus)

Uzair Safi BS-GEOLOGY 6 th

Table of Contents
An Introduction to Rotary Drilling Rig.
Page 1
1. The Rotary System Page
2-3
Swivel.
Kelly.
Rotary drive
Rotary table
Drill pipe.
Drill collars.
Drill bit.
2. The Hoisting System Page
4-7
The derrick and substructure .
The block and tackle
The draw works.
3. The Circulatory System..
Page 7-10
Circulating Equipment.
Mud Circulation Process:

Bahria University

Department of Earth and Environmental Science

(Islamabad Campus)

Uzair Safi BS-GEOLOGY 6 th

Bahria University

Department of Earth and Environmental Science

(Islamabad Campus)

Uzair Safi BS-GEOLOGY 6 th

An Introduction to Rotary System,

Hoisting System and Circulatory System
in Rotary Drilling Rig
An Introduction to ROTARY DRILLING RIG
Rotary drilling rigs are used for almost all drilling done today. A hole is drilled
by rotating a bit to which a downward force is applied. Generally, the bit is
turned by rotating the entire drillstring, using a rotary table at the surface,
and the downward force is applied to the bit by using sections of heavy thickwalled pipe, called drill collars, in the drillstring above the bit. The cuttings
are lifted to the surface by circulating a fluid down the drillstring, through the
bit, and up the annular space between the hole and the drillstring. The
cuttings are separated from the drilling fluid at surface. A sketch illustrating
the rotary drilling process is shown in Fig.1

Bahria University

Department of Earth and Environmental Science

(Islamabad Campus)

Uzair Safi BS-GEOLOGY 6 th

Figure.1 - The Rotary Drilling Process

1. The Rotary System

The rotary system includes all of the equipment used to achieve bit rotation
via various components. The main parts of the rotary system are as followed:

Bahria University

Department of Earth and Environmental Science

(Islamabad Campus)

Uzair Safi BS-GEOLOGY 6 th

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Swivel
Kelly
Rotary drive
Rotary table
Drill pipe
Drill collars
Drill bit

COMPONENTS:
Swiv

1. The swivel supports the weight of the drillstring and

permits rotation. The bail of the swivel is attached to the
hook of the traveling block, and the gooseneck of the
swivel provides a downward- pointing connection for the
rotary
hose.
Swivels are rated according to their load capacities.

2. The Kelly is the first section of pipe below the swivel.

The outside cross section of the kelly is square or
hexagonal to permit it to be gripped easily for turning.
Torque is transmitted to the kelly through Kelly bushings,
which fit inside the master bushing of the rotary table.
The Kelly must be kept as straight as possible to avoid
wear off.

Kell
y

3. The Rotary Table is the principal component of a rotary or rotary

machine, used to rotate the drill stem and support the drilling assembly. It
has a beveled gear arrangement to create the rotational motion and an
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Bahria University

Department of Earth and Environmental Science

(Islamabad Campus)

Uzair Safi BS-GEOLOGY 6 th

opening into which bushings are fitted to

drive and support the drilling assembly.

4. The Drill pipes are heavy seamless tubing used to rotate the bit and circulate the
drilling fluid. Joints of pipe 30 feet long are coupled
Drill
together with tool joints.

Drill

5. The Drill collar is a heavy, thick-walled tube,

usually steel, used between the drill pipe and the
bit in the drill stem. It is used to put weight on
the bit so that the bit can drill.

Drill

6. The Drill bit is a tool designed to produce a generally

cylindrical hole (wellbore) in the earth's crust by the
rotary drilling.

2. The Hoisting System

Bahria University

Department of Earth and Environmental Science

(Islamabad Campus)

Uzair Safi BS-GEOLOGY 6 th

The function of the hoisting system is to provide a means of lowering or

raising drill strings, casing strings, and other subsurface equipment into or
out of the hole.
Two routine drilling operations performed with the hoisting system are called
making a connection and making a trip.

The principal components of the

hoisting system are as followed:
1. The derrick and
substructure
2. The block and tackle
3. The draw works

COMPONENETS:
2.1 The Derrick and Substructure:
The function of the derrick is to provide the vertical height required to raise
sections of pipe from or lower them into the hole. The greater the height, the
longer the section of pipe that can be handled and, thus, the faster a long
string of pipe can be inserted in or removed from the hole. The most
commonly used drillpipe is between 27 and 30 ft long.
In addition to their height, derricks are rated according to their ability to
withstand compressive loads and wind loads. Allowable wind loads usually
are specified both with the drillstring in the hole and with the drillstring
standing in sections in the derrick. When the drillstring is standing in the
derrick resting against the pipe-racking platform, an overturning moment is
applied to the derrick at that point. Wind ratings must be computed

Bahria University

Department of Earth and Environmental Science

(Islamabad Campus)

Uzair Safi BS-GEOLOGY 6 th

assuming wind loading is in the same direction as this overturning moment.

Anchored guy wires attached to each leg of the derrick are used to increase
the wind rating of small portable masts. The American Petroleum Institute
(API) has published standards dealing with derrick specifications and ratings.

Substructure:

To provide working space below the derrick floor like for pressure control
valves called blowout preventers, the derrick usually is elevated above the
ground level by placement on a substructure. The substructure must support
not only the derrick with its load but also the weight of other large pieces of
equipment. The choice of design usually is governed by blowout preventer
height and local soil conditions.
API recommends rating substructure load-supporting capacity accordingly:

The maximum pipe weight that can be set back in the derrick
The maximum pipe weight that can be suspended in the rotary table.
The corner loading capacity (maximum supportable load at each
corner).

Derric

Bahria University

Department of Earth and Environmental Science

(Islamabad Campus)

Uzair Safi BS-GEOLOGY 6 th

Substructur

2.2 The Block and Tackle

A block and tackle is a system of two or
more pulleys with a rope or cable threaded between them, usually used to
lift or pull heavy loads. The pulleys are assembled together to form blocks.
The principal function of the block and tackle is to provide a mechanical
advantage, which permits easier handling of large loads.
The block and tackle is comprised of following components as:
a) The crown block
b) The traveling block
c) The drilling line

Bahria University

Department of Earth and Environmental Science

(Islamabad Campus)

Uzair Safi BS-GEOLOGY 6 th

a. The Crown Block

An assembly of sheaves or pulleys mounted on beams
at the top of the derrick. The drilling line is run over the
sheaves down to the hoisting drum.

Crown
Block

b. The Traveling Block

An arrangement of pulleys or sheaves through which
drilling cable is reeved, which moves up or down in the
derrick or mast.

Traveling
Block

c. The Drilling Line

In a drilling rig, the drill line is a multi-thread, twisted
wire rope that is threaded or reeved through the
traveling block and crown block to facilitate the lowering
and lifting of the drill string into and out of the wellbore.

2.3 The Draw works

The draw works provide the hoisting and braking power required to raise or
lower the heavy strings of pipe. The principal parts of the draw works are as
followed:

Drum
Brakes
Transmission
9

Bahria University

Department of Earth and Environmental Science

(Islamabad Campus)

Uzair Safi BS-GEOLOGY 6 th

Catheads

The Drum transmits the torque required for hoisting or braking. It also stores
the drilling line required to move the traveling block the length of the derrick.
The Brakes must have the capacity to stop and sustain the great weights
imposed when lowering a string of pipe into the hole. Auxiliary brakes are
used to help dissipate the large amount of heat generated during braking.
Two types of auxiliary brakes commonly used are the Hydrodynamic type
and the Electromagnetic type. For the hydrodynamic type, braking is
provided by water being impelled in a direction opposite to the rotation of
the drum. In the electromagnetic type, electrical braking is provided by two
opposing magnetic fields. In both types, the heat developed must be
dissipated by a liquid cooling system.
The draw works Transmission provides a means for easily changing the
direction and speed of the traveling block. Power also must be transmitted to
catheads attached to both ends of the draw works.
The Cathead is a spool-shaped attachment on a winch around which rope
for hoisting and pulling is wound.

3. The Circulatory System

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Bahria University

Department of Earth and Environmental Science

(Islamabad Campus)

Uzair Safi BS-GEOLOGY 6 th

The circulating system consists of a range of equipment that works together

to move drilling fluid (called mud) into and out of the hole being drilled. This
drilling mud serves several purposes: it cools and lubricates the drill bit; it
flushes cuttings and debris away from the face of the drill bit; and it coats
the walls of the well to stabilize them.
Another critical function of the circulating system is to help control pressure
within the well. The weight of the drilling mud can be adjusted to exert
greater pressure at the bottom of the well than the pressure exerted by fluids
(oil, gas, and water) in the surrounding rock. This control is necessary to
prevent uncontrolled fluid flow into the well and to prevent the well walls
from caving in, trapping equipment down hole.
Drilling mud can consist of any of the following mixtures:

Water (fresh or saline) and clay (commonly bentonite)

Oil (diesel, mineral, or synthetic) and clay
Water with 10% oil, plus clay (emulsion)
A synthetic organic material and water

3.1 Circulating Equipment

Mud circulates through many pieces of equipment, all of which play an
important role. The drilling mud passes from the mud pump, the discharge
line, the standpipe, the rotary hose, the swivel (or top drive), and the kelly
(on rigs with a rotary- table system), the drill pipe, the drill collars, the bit,
the annulus, the return line, the shale shaker, the desilter, the desander, the
mud tanks, and the suction line (fig. 3.1).

3.2 Mud Circulation Process:

The Mud pump (Fig3.2a) takes mud from the mud tanks and sends it out a
discharge line to a Standpipe(Fig3.2b). The standpipe is a steel pipe
mounted vertically on one leg of the mast or derrick. Mud flows out of the
standpipe and into the Rotary hose, which is connected to the Swivel on
rotary-table system rigs or to the top drive. Mud goes down the Kelly on rigs
with a rotary table; on rigs with a top drive, mud goes through passageways
inside it. Once it leaves the kelly or the top drive, mud flows down the Drill

11

Bahria University

Department of Earth and Environmental Science

(Islamabad Campus)

Uzair Safi BS-GEOLOGY 6 th

stem, out the Bit. It does a sharp Uturn and heads back up the hole in the
Annulus.The annulus is the space between the outside of the drill string and
sides of the hole. As it flows up the annulus, the mud carries the cuttings
made by the bit.

Figure3.1 Components of a rig circulating system

Finally, the mud leaves the hole through a steel pipe called the "mud return
line" and falls over a vibrating, screenlike device called the "shale shaker"
(fig. 3.2c).
Figure 3.2b
Standpipe

Figure3.2a Mud Pump

and Mud pits3.1b

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Bahria University

Department of Earth and Environmental Science

(Islamabad Campus)

Uzair Safi BS-GEOLOGY 6 th

The shale shaker is

appropriately named, for
it rapidly vibrates or
shakes as the mud
returning from the hole
falls over it. The shale
shaker acts like a sifter
and screens out the
cuttings. The Mud and
cuttings falling onto the
shale shaker, removes the
cuttings and the mud falls
into a tank below the
shaker. The Desanders
removes fine particles, or solids, from drilling mud and the Desilters
removes solids that are even smaller than those the desander
removes(Fig3.2d). The Degasser is the equipment used to remove
unwanted gas from the drilling fluid.
The circulating system is essentially a closed system. The system
circulates the mud over and over throughout the drilling of the well. From
time to time, however, crew members may add water, clay, or other
chemicals to make up for losses or to adjust the mud's properties as the hole
drills into new and different formations.

Figure3.2c Shale shaker

Figure3.2d Desander and

Desilter
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Bahria University

Department of Earth and Environmental Science

(Islamabad Campus)

Uzair Safi BS-GEOLOGY 6 th

*END*

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