1.

Rotary Drilling Systems

2. Power System
A. equipment
B. calculations
rig
systems
 For all rigs, the depth of
the planned well
determines basic rig
requirements. The most
important rig systems
are:
 Power system,
 Hoisting system,
 Drilling fluid circulation
system,
 Rotary system,
 Derrick and
substructure,
 Well control system,
 Well monitoring
system
Typical rig
components
power
supply
The power system of a rotary drilling rig has to
supply power to all the other systems.
 the system must provide power for
 pumps in general, rig light, air compressors, etc.
Since the largest power consumers on a rotary
drilling rig are
the hoisting, the circulation system, and the rotary
system,
these components determine mainly the total power
requirements.
Power consumption
The actual power required will depend on
the drilling job being carried out.
 During typical drilling operations,
the hoisting and the rotary systems are not
operated at the same time.
 Therefore the same engines
can be used to perform both functions.
 The maximum power used
 is during hoisting and circulation.
 The least power used
 is during wireline operations.
power system
 Drilling rig power systems are classified
 as direct drive type (internal combustion engines supply
mechanical power to the rig )
 and electric type.
 In both cases,
 the sources of energy are diesel fueled engines.
 Most rigs use
 1 to 3 engines to power the drawworks and rotary table.
 The engines are usually rated between 400 and
800 hp.
 As guideline, power requirements
 for most onshore rigs are between 1,000 to 3,000 hp.
 Offshore rigs in general use much more power.
Sample of a land rig power
supply
SCR
Unit The power on modern rigs is most
commonly generated by
diesel-electric power units.
The power produced is AC current
which is then converted to DC
current by the use of SCR
(Silicon Controlled Rectifier).
 The current is delivered by cables
 to electric motors attached directly
to the equipment involved such as
 mud pumps,
rotary table, Drawworks etc.
power system performance
The performance of a
rig power system is
characterized by
 the output
horsepower,
 torque,
and fuel consumption
for various engine
speeds.
These three
parameters are related
by the efficiency of
each system.
energy consumption by the engines
Heating  The energy consumed by the engines comes
from burning fuels.
values of fuels  The engine transforms the chemical energy
of the fuel into work.
 No engine can transform totally the
Heating Density chemical energy into work.
Fuel Type Value (lbm/gal)
 Most of the energy that enters the engine is
(BTU/lb lost as heat.
m)  The thermal efficiency Et of a machine is
Diesel 19000 7.2 defined as the ratio of the work W
Gasoline 20000 6.6 generated to the chemical energy consumed
Butane
21000 4.7
(liquid)
Methane –  to perform this calculation, we must use the
24000
(gas) same units both to the work and to the
chemical energy.
 1 BTU = 778.17 lbf*ft,
thermal
efficiency
Engines are normally rated by the power P
they can deliver at a given working regime.
 Power if defined as the rate work is performed,
that is work per unit of time.
 If ˙Q is the rate of chemical energy consumed
by the machine
(chemical energy per unit of time),
we can rewrite the expression for the thermal
efficiency as:

 To calculate ˙Q we need to know the type of fuel and

the rate of fuel consumption in mass per unit time.
 Consumption of gaseous fuels is given in mass per unit
time.
 consumption for liquid fuels is given in volume per unit
time.
output power
A system produces mechanical work when the sole
result of the process could be the raising of a weight
(most time limited by its efficiency).

 P is power, and v the velocity (assuming F constant).

When a rotating machine is operating (for example,
an internal combustion engine or an electrical motor),
 we cannot measure its power,
 but we can measure its rotating speed (normally in RPM) and
the torque at the shaft.
 This is normally performed in a machine called dynamometer.
output power
The expression relating power to angular velocity
and torque is:
 ω is the angular velocity (in radians per unit of time)
 T is the torque.
 A common unit of power is the hp (horse power).
 One hp is the power required
to raise a weight of 33,000 lbf by one foot in one
minute:
output power
 For T in ft lbf and N in RPM we have:

 that is
mechanical horsepower Correction
 When the rig is operated
at environments with non–standard temperatures
(85F=29C) or
at high altitudes,
the mechanical horsepower requirements
have to be corrected.
 The correction should follow
the American Petroleum Institute (API)
standard 7B-llC:
 Deduction of 3% of the standard brake horsepower for each
1000 ft of altitude above mean sea level.
 Deduction of 1% of the standard brake horsepower for each
10F rise or fall in temperature above or below 85F.
 Calculation of the output
power and the overall
efficienc
 A diesel engine gives
y torque of 1740 ft lbf
an output
at an engine speed of 1200 RPM.
 If the fuel consumption rate was
31.5 gal/hr,
 what is the output power and
 the overall efficiency of the
engine?
 the output power and
the overall efficiency
 The power delivered at the given regime is:

 Diesel is consumed at 31.5 gal/hr. From Table we have:

 Converting to hp, results in:

 The thermal efficiency is:

1. (CDF) Jorge H.B. Sampaio Jr. “Drilling
Engineering Fundamentals.” Master of
Petroleum Engineering. Curtin University of
Technology, 2007. Chapter 2
2. (WEC) Rabia, Hussain. Well Engineering &
Construction. Entrac Consulting Limited, 2002.
Chapter 16