Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Drilling
User’s
Guide
Contents
I
t takes more than the right Extend rope’s service life
wire ropes to operate your rigs. through our cut-off program
It also takes the right knowledge By moving your drill line through the
and experience. When you know the system so the wear is distributed more
ropes – that is, how to choose, use evenly, you can maximize your rope’s
and maintain each of the many types service life. This guide reviews this
of ropes – you’ll know how to assure proven practice.
maximum service life and performance
for each drilling application. Identify and prevent common
problems in the field This guide
When it comes to showing you the also helps you recognize and prevent
ropes, no one does it like Union, a some of the more common causes
WireCo WorldGroup brand. As the of wire rope problems in the field,
world’s largest producer of wire rope including crushing, premature wear
and wire products, we offer what you on the drum and spooling problems.
need for many different applications.
And we offer the right experience to Tested, Tough & True™
help you when you have questions, At Union, we understand the oilfield
including how to help maximize market. Our years of climbing on the
your wire rope’s service life and rigs with you, combined with the
performance. latest metallurgical practices and
unique design capabilities, have
This Oil & Gas Drilling User’s Guide enabled us to continue to innovate
is only one example. On the following and provide the most cost-effective
pages, you’ll gain valuable information line of oilfield ropes in the world.
to help you:
Union is part of the global leader
Choose the right wire ropes in manufacturing, engineering and
Knowing the ropes starts by under- distributing wire rope, wire rope
standing the wide variety of wire ropes assemblies, high carbon wire, and
available for the petroleum industry. electromechanical cable: WireCo
This guide contains practical informa- WorldGroup. We apply thorough
tion as well as the recommended wire design and manufacturing controls –
ropes to use for each application. including complete material trace-
ability. And we are the only wire rope
Install wire ropes Find out the manufacturer in the world that is QPL
proper procedures to install a drill line qualified, API certified, and registered
outlined in this useful guide. to both ISO 9001:2000 and AS-9100
Quality Systems.
Inspect your ropes By regularly
inspecting wire ropes, you’ll not only Buy the best:
know when to replace them, but also Union – Tested, Tough & True
identify unusual wear patterns or abuse
that could be caused by correctable
conditions on the equipment.
A
ll wire ropes include a combi- Increased fatigue resistance is
nation of characteristics that achieved in a rope design by using
give them specific performance a large number of wires. It involves
traits depending on design, engineering, both the basic metallurgy and the
materials and composition. With the diameters of wires.
many specialized procedures required In general, a rope made of many wires
for efficient well drilling, it is important will have greater fatigue resistance
to select ropes that are best suited for than a same-size rope made of fewer,
each application. No single rope can do larger wires because smaller wires
it all. have greater ability to bend as the
Design characteristics of wire rope rope passes over sheaves or around
Consider how the composition of a rope drums. To overcome the effects of
can affect its performance character- fatigue, ropes must never bend over
istics. A rope with fewer, but larger, sheaves or drums with a diameter
If you need outside wires per strand will deliver so small as to permanently bend the
abrasion more abrasion resistance because of wires or rope. There are precise
resistance recommendations for sheave and
the greater rope surface area exposed
> Abrasion resistance to drums and sheaves. However, this drum sizes to properly accommodate
increases with fewer, most often results in a reduction of all sizes and types of ropes.
larger outside wires fatigue resistance. Every rope is subject to metal fatigue
per strand. from bending stress while in operation,
A greater number of smaller outside
wires per strand allows the rope to bend and therefore the rope’s strength
more freely which will increase fatigue gradually diminishes as it is used.
life, but at the same time the smaller > Abrasion Resistance (Resistance
wires are more susceptible to abrasion. to metal loss and deformation.) Metal
Additional choices in design can modify loss refers to the actual wearing
these characteristics. You may choose a away of metal from the outer wires
rope with more wires in each strand for of a rope, and metal deformation is
If you need increased fatigue resistance and with the changing of the shape of outer
fatigue compacted strands, which will also wires of a rope.
resistance provide increased abrasion resistance. In general, resistance to metal loss
> Fatigue resistance
Choose the rope you need based on by abrasion (usually called “abrasion
increases with more,
the type of operation to be performed. resistance”) refers to a rope’s ability
smaller outside
Different tasks demand different to withstand metal being worn away
wires per strand.
characteristics and the right rope along its exterior. This wear reduces
for each task can be critical to the the strength of a rope.
overall success of operations. The The most common form of metal
primary characteristics you will deformation is usually referred to
need to evaluate include several as “peening” since outside wires
rope design characteristics. of a peened rope appear to have
> Fatigue resistance Fatigue been “hammered” along their
resistance involves metal fatigue of exposed surface.
the wires that make up a rope. To have Peening usually occurs on drums,
high fatigue resistance, wires must caused by rope-to-rope contact during
be capable of bending repeatedly spooling. It may also occur on sheaves.
under stress – for example, a rope Peening causes metal fatigue, which
passing over a sheave. in turn may cause wire failure. The
Recommended
Application wire rope Comments
Sand line 1/4” through 5/8” These ropes have larger outside
6 x 7 RRL IPS FC wires to resist wear and help
reduce costs.
Mast raising 1 - 3/8” and smaller Construction selected for
line 6 x 19 class IWRC balance of wear resistance
and durability. Right regular lay
1 - 1/2” and larger or right lang lay is commonly
6 x 36 class IWRC used. Never mix right and left
lay mast raising lines.
Recommended
Application wire rope Comments
T
he 6 x 19 classification of wire have more fatigue resistance because
Flex-x and ropes includes standard six they have more wires per strand.
increased round strand ropes with 16
surface area through 26 wires per strand. The The Flex-X ® process provides a
> Flex-X ropes provide 6 x 36 classification includes standard smooth, extremely compact wire
greater surface six round strand ropes with 27 to 49 rope with greater surface area
area and more steel wires per strand. and more steel per given diameter,
per given diameter, which increases strength, fatigue
increasing rope Although the physical characteristics resistance and wear resistance.
stability, strength – of these two can vary widely, both
and service life. have the same weight per foot and When Union’s Flex-X products are
the same minimum breaking force, size properly matched to the application,
for size. While 6 x 19 ropes have more you’ll get longer service life, lower
abrasion resistance, the 6 x 36 ropes operating costs and less wear to
sheaves and drums.
1 51.7 56.9 1.85 56.9 2.0 65.7 2.3 59.8 2.1 25.4 75.8 2.2
1-1/8 65 71.5 2.34 71.5 2.5 82.7 2.9 75.2 2.6 26 79.3 2.3
1-1/4 79.9 87.9 2.89 87.9 3.1 102 3.7 *87.9 3.1 28 91.6 2.6
1-3/8 96 106 3.5 106 3.8 — — *106 — 30 105 3.1
1-1/2 114 125 4.16 125 4.5 — — *125 — 32 119 3.4
1-5/8 132 146 4.88 146 5.3 — — — — — — —
1- 3/4 153 169 5.67 169 6.1 — — — — — — —
1-7/8 174 192 6.5 192 7.0 — — — — — — —
3 425 — 16.6 — — — — — — — — —
*Flex-X 19
Installation
1. Use a rope connector grip (snake) forces the wraps on the next lower
with a swivel to connect the new layer apart allowing the top wrap
drill line to the old drill line. This will to pull down. Using a heavier block
relieve twist that may be put in the or by adding “cheek” plates to the
rope during spooling and handling. block will lessen the problem.
2. Never weld the new drill line to the 3. Rope service increases with fewer
old drill line. parts of lines. The fewer the number,
the less rope is spooled on the drum
3. Try to install the new drill line at a so less rope is subjected to the
point in the drilling operation when crossover points on the drum. It
there is a considerable amount of also allows more rope available to
weight available to help seat (break in) cut. As an example, on a 7500’ reel;
the new drill line and assist spooling. if 12 lines are strung there is approxi-
mately 2200’ of rope in the string-up brass inserts on
4. Remove and inspect the brass inserts
or 5300’ of rope available to cut. For dead line anchor
on the dead line anchor for proper
10 lines, there is 1900’ of rope in the > Remove and inspect
size and if worn, replace. Rope must
string-up, or 5600’ of rope available the brass inserts on
be seated properly in the clamp to
to cut. This would increase rope the dead line anchor
avoid damage when torqued down.
service by over 5%. for proper size and,
Torque the nuts on the dead line
anchor clamp to the manufacture’s if worn, replace.
4. Always make a cut based on ton-
specifications. Torque should be miles accumulated prior to and after Rope must be
rechecked after one to two hours setting casing. seated properly in
of operation. (Refer to page 10 for
the clamp to avoid
inspection information.) 5. If the design factor for setting the
damage when
casing is approximately 3.0, cut a
5. Special care should be taken during torqued down.
minimum of 200’ from the string-up.
rig moves to prevent damage of the Inspect the remaining rope and make
drill line such as kinks and doglegs. another cut if necessary.
S
ervice life of drilling lines can be increased end when it has reached the end of its useful service
dramatically by following a planned cut- off life. As the rope is cut off the drum end, new rope is
program based on work performed. This fed into the system on the dead line side, extending
moves the rope through the system so wear can service life. When exercising a cut-off program, follow
be spread uniformly along the entire length of the the guidelines below closely.
rope, enabling the line to be removed from the drum
1. For the first few cuts, wrap the drill line at the point 8. Short, frequent cuts will shift critical wear points
being cut with duct tape prior to making the cut to caused by excessive jarring.
prevent unlaying.
9. Long cuts are necessary when the amount of rope
2. When making a cut and slipping new rope into the to be cut doesn’t remove all the rope that meets
string-up, all of the wraps should be removed from removal criteria. This can be caused by failure to
the deadline anchor. The rope should never be pulled follow the ton - mile goal, improper calculation or
through a loosened clamp which can put a twist in the recording of ton - miles. Damage at any point may
rope. The clamp should be completely removed and require a long cut.
inspected. If worn or damaged, replace.
10. To prevent long cuts:
3. After making a cut, the dead wraps should be spooled
a. Find the optimal ton - mile goal for your drill line;
on the drum with sufficient tension to prevent excessive
experience may indicate you have to change your
drum crushing or “milking” of the bottom layer.
ton - mile goal. It’s important to follow the cut- off
program for a new rope. The first few cuts may
4. Take ton - miles for drag into account.
seem excessive, but they are necessary to move
rope through the system at the proper rate.
5. Drill ships and semis using a crown motion compen-
sator may operate with a lower ton - mile goal due to b. Ton - miles must be calculated and recorded
additional sheaves and extra rope on the drum. accurately for each operation.
c. Inspect equipment to prevent conditions that
6. Extended drilling between round trips may necessitate
adversely affect service life. Equipment problems
making a cut to avoid exceeding maximum allowable
such as bearing failure in a sheave can cause
ton - miles.
unusual wear leading to long cuts.
7. Because of the additional weight, top drives accumu-
late more ton - miles for each rig operation. It has not
been determined if ton - mile goals should be changed
to accommodate this.
Union offers a manual cut-off program for drill lines, A computerized system is available on CD - ROM and can
including a Ton - Mile Indicator and Calculator in a booklet, be obtained by contacting your wire rope supplier.
Cut - Off Practice for Rotary Drilling.
D
espite their durability and strength, wire > For rotation-resistant constructions, replace
ropes will eventually wear out and must when you see two randomly distributed broken
be removed after a period of use. That’s wires in six rope diameters – or four randomly
why regular inspection is crucial. distributed broken wires in 30 rope diameters.
How to find broken wires Standing ropes Most wire breaks in standing
One of the most common signs of rope deterioration ropes are internal (or valley) breaks that occur at
is broken wires, normally the outside wires on the the points of wire contact. Inspection will reveal
crowns of the strands. no surface wear and therefore nothing to cause
external wire breaks. The majority of broken wire
Running ropes Because of their contact with problems on standing ropes occur near the end
sheaves and drums, running ropes typically receive attachments or other points of restriction where
heavier external wear than standing ropes. This vibration is dampened.
can result in surface wire breaks – the easiest kind
All portions of wire rope must be inspected thoroughly sheave for proper sizes, as well as their smoothness.
for possible deterioration on a regular basis. This starts Grooves that are too small or tight can cause pinching
with a close examination of the rope’s critical points. The and increased abrasion while grooves that are too wide
critical points of an application are those that subject can cause flattening of the rope – both of which can
the rope to greater internal stresses or greater external reduce your rope’s life. Also inspect for corrugation,
forces. Rope wear is more likely in the following critical broken or chipped flanges, cracks in hubs and spokes,
areas, so it pays to closely inspect these areas: signs of rope contact with guards, sheave bearings and
Drums When the rope spools properly, normal wear shaft, an out-of-round condition, and alignment with other
occurs at the crossover, kickover and change-of-layer sheaves – all criteria for replacement.
points. Look for scrubbing on the side of the rope; in End attachments Rope adjacent to end attachments
other words, rope that rubs against the preceding wrap has its movement restricted and is subject to fatigue as
on the drum. Crushing may result on rope’s top and rope vibrations are dampened. Inspect with an awl to
bottom sides. If severe, remove the rope from service. expose broken wires, and if more than one broken wire
Both the scrubbing and the crushing normally occur is found, replace the rope. Be sure to also inspect the
twice with each drum revolution. fitting itself.
Inspection of drums is also critical. Check for signs
Other important areas to inspect:
of wear that could damage wire rope. All drums should
be smooth, not corrugated. Check for minimum number Pick-up points The sections of a rope that contact
of dead wraps remaining on the drum, the spooling sheaves or drums when the initial load is applied.
characteristics of rope and the condition of flanges. Heat exposure If an electric arc contacts the rope,
Sheaves It’s very important to check for broken wires in remove the entire rope from service immediately. Although
the wire ropes traveling over the sheaves in your system. the problem may not be visible, electric arcs can affect
(See section on broken wires on facing page.) the rope’s properties and the rope needs to be replaced.
Grooves tend to wear smaller over time, especially under Abuse points Look for “bright” spots where ropes
heavy loading conditions. With a groove gauge, check each are subjected to abnormal scuffing and scraping.
Protect yourself
?
need more
I n the real world, accidents do happen,
and that’s why you need to take
wire rope in your applications, always
read and follow the warning label
special precautions. Before installing attached to each product.
information?
> When it comes to
oil and gas drilling,
knowledge is your
most important tool.
We know this guide
can’t answer every
question you have
about wire rope.
Warranty
Any warranty, expressed or implied as to quality, performance or fitness for use of wire rope products is always
premised on the condition that the published strengths apply only to new, unused rope, that the mechanical
equipment on which such products are used is properly designed and maintained, that such products are
properly stored, handled, used and maintained, and properly inspected on a regular basis during the period
of use.
Seller shall not be liable under any circumstances for consequential or incidental damages or secondary
charges including but not limited to personal injury, labor costs, a loss of profits resulting from the use of
said products or from said products being incorporated in or becoming a component of any other product.
Our manufacturing standards typically WireCo WorldGroup world headquarters, located in Kansas City, Missouri.
exceed the minimum design standards
for a wire rope. We take an active role So, look to the best: The Union brand
in industry associations that develop backed by the WireCo WorldGroup
wire rope specifications and standards, organization. We’re dedicated to
such as ASTM A1023. matching and advancing wire, wire
rope and electro- mechanical cables to
We apply thorough design and manu- your dynamic applications throughout
facturing controls – including complete the world.
material traceability. And we are the
only manufacturer in the world that With a global manufacturing and
is QPL qualified, API certified, and distribution base, along with our
registered to both ISO 9001:2000 unmatched technical expertise,
and AS-9100 Quality Systems. the world is our worksite.
Form No. 1012- C
816.270.4700
info @wirecoworldgroup.com
12200 NW Ambassador Dr
©2008 WireCo WorldGroup