Exploration • Drilling • Field Services
Rolling bearings prevent unplanned downtime of drill rig plant and machinery
Rolling bearings used in offshore drilling applications must withstand extremely harsh operating conditions. Drill rig operators must therefore select bearings that maximise machine availability and prevent unplanned downtime, says Dr Steve Lacey.
Los cojinetes de bolas utilizados en las aplicaciones de perforación marítima deben resistir condiciones operativas muy duras. Por lo tanto, los operadores de taladros petrolíferos deben seleccionar cojinetes que maximicen la disponibilidad de la máquina y eviten los periodos de inactividad no planeados, declara el Dr. Steve Lacey.
Wälzlager, die in Offshore- Bohrprojekten benutzt werden, müssen extrem rauen Betriebsbedingungen standhalten. Betreiber von Bohranlagen müssen deshalb Lager auswählen, die die Maschinenverfügbarkeit maximieren und ungeplante Stillstandzeiten verhindern, sagt Dr. Steve Lacey.
R
olling bearings for offshore drilling rig applications such as mud pumps, winches and drill string rotary tables, must operate in some of the
harshest conditions on (and under) the earth. Tese unforgiving environments subject the drilling equipment to extremely high stresses, so the bearings must be robust and reliable. In terms of total cost of ownership
(TCO), when selecting suitable rolling bearings, the entire lifecycle of drill rig plant and machinery must be considered, not simply the purchase costs of individual components such as the bearings. As well as finding a suitable supplier
of rolling bearings, drill rig operators must also consider what type of related support services that supplier is able to offer. For example, does the supplier offer expert technical advice from experienced engineers who are familiar with oil and gas industry applications? Can the supplier tailor its bearing products to meet my exact needs? Also, is the supplier willing and able to develop new bearings for specific applications, from concept through to volume production? Perhaps the OEM or drill rig operator is looking for a bearing supplier that is willing to collaborate as a development partner? Bearing technical support is also
an important consideration here. Tese services typically include advice and guidance on the mounting and dismounting of bearings, as well as recommendations on suitable lubricants and how to inspect used bearings. Some bearing suppliers such as Schaeffler are also able to offer bearing design calculation software tools to help analyse bearing designs in more detail and to ascertain whether these designs are suitable for a particular drill rig application.
Condition monitoring Condition monitoring (CM) of bearings is also an important consideration and can prolong the life of critical items of equipment. CM services include vibration analysis, acoustic emissions monitoring, force/torque measurements, multi-channel systems for modal analysis, thermal imaging cameras and endoscopes. Schaeffler also offers explosion-protected online (fixed) condition monitoring systems (up to Class 1/Div 1 resp. ATEX II 1G IIC T4) that can be used to monitor the condition of rolling bearings on rotating plant in hazardous areas.
Typical applications Tere are numerous applications for rolling bearings on a drilling platform, from the crown block down to the drill
Fig. 1. Unforgiving environments subject drilling equipment to extremely high stresses. Roller bearings must be robust and reliable.
www.engineerlive.com 27
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74