WorldWide Drilling Resource

73 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® SEPTEMBER 2014 Hydraulic Training by J. Eric Freimuth Hydraulic Training Associates It Has a Mind of Its Own Well drilling rigs have many functions which are operated hydraulically. Each rig is different from its counterpart, yet as in any system, many of the compo- nents are the same. In this case, we are going to focus on two sections of a rig that seemed to have a problem. one was the tophead drive for the drill, and the second was the lift or rapid feed for the mast. This customer went to Texas and examined the rig before purchasing it. Satisfied it would meet his needs, he purchased it and returned home with his new rig. His troubles began after he installed a casing hammer to the mast. The casing hammer assists plunging the well casings in the ground as they drill the hole. The complaints were as follows: 1. When lifting the mast with the hammer attached, the rotation starts. 2. When rotating, the mast starts to lift. 3. The system operates erratic. This was a case of understanding the schematics, being able to follow the flow paths, and then asking oneself the right questions. Here, I needed to exam- ine the two systems. The tophead drive is operated by a pressure-compensated pump and has a separate CMx valve, while the rapid feed system is supplied with a gear pump and a VG35 valve. The only thing these two systems have in common is the pilot operators which actuate the valves. I needed to travel to the customer’s place to see for myself what I was sur- mising, but the only logical, plausible answer to this situation was the pilot valves had to be seeing pilot system pressure. When I got to the customer’s shop, I examined the lines and, sure enough, someone had connected the pressure line to the tank port and the tank line to the pressure port. Because all the tank returns are connected to vent pressure from the control valves, when the pilot pressure line was installed to the pilot valve tank line, each pilot valve had pressure immediately. This was not a problem at first, but when adding the casing hammer, the weight of the hammer added residual pressure to the ports and caused pres- sure to shift the other valve as well. Follow the flow paths, examine the schematics, and ask questions - you will be successful. Eric admin@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Entrenamiento Hidráulico por J. Eric Freimuth Hydraulic Training Associates Tiene una Mente Propia Perforadoras de perforación de po- zos tienen muchas funciones las cuales son operadas hidráulicamente. Cada perforadora es diferente una de otra, Hector Leos Translator &,+3,8+(> =/0)0947 ",9:5 43;,39043 422099,, ,,903. #/:78+(> 41- #4:73(2,39 ",203(78 (73 $8 (89 7,80+,398 ,,903. &,1*42, !,*,59043 :) 7(<1 70+(> =/0)098 5,3 <09/ :3*/,43 03 (11 74+:*9 "54910./98 !,*,59043 (3+ "01,39 :*9043 (36:,9 "(9:7+(> ,3,7(1 ,2),78/05 ,,903. * 11/03,> ,*9:7, ",203(78 (73 $8 :3*/,43 0;, 43*,79 "/48/(3( ,(3 ! "# ! /995 <<< .74:3+/ 4 47. ,;,398 ,;,398 /921 ? ' ,< 4*(9043 ! ! $ & # ! "" # 9/ % # #! " & *9 @ !0;,780+, 43;,39043 ,39,7 !0;,780+, Freimuth trans cont’d on page 76.