DC Sept08 RackandPinionWEB

7/27/2019 DC Sept08 RackandPinionWEB

1/532 September/October 2008 D R I L L I N G C O N T R A C T O R

D R I L L I N G R I G E Q U I P M E N T

Multifunctional rack and pinion technology

takes shape in oilfield as versatile, mobile rigs

THERES AN OLDadage that says,Necessity is the mother of invention.

Nowhere is that more true than the oiland gas industry, where the need forbetter ways to tap resources is pushinginnovation and retooling of old technolo-gies.

Rack and pinion technology, which hasbeen around in one form or another formore than a century in such well-knownapplications as cog railways, elevatorsand automobiles, is now finding a nichein drilling, expedited by the ever-increas-

ing need for horizontal and directionaldrilling.

Rack and pinion technology is reallygoing to revolutionize where oil and gasis going to go in the next few years,said Rob Foster, marketing manager for

American Augers, which has five pro-totype models, at a capacity of 330,000lbs of hook load, operating in Texas,Pennsylvania and Oklahoma.

The West Salem, Ohio, company expectsto introduce its VR 500 model, offering

500,000 lbs of hook load, this fall. In thismodel, the pinion is housed in the top-head drive, which travels up and downthe rack that is positioned on the der-rick.

While designs vary, rack and pinion rigscan both pull and push, utilizing thrust,not gravity. Because no wire is used, adirect connection between the hoistingsystem and the vertical movement ofthe drillstring is established, offeringaccurate positioning and control of thedrillstring along the well path.

The rigs can be easily mobilized, requirefewer personnel to operate, are quieterand leave a smaller footprint. They areideal for land drilling and some offshoreapplications, but not deepwater explora-tion.

The technology has always been outthere, Mr Foster said, noting that

American Augers developed its first HDDrack and pinion rig in 1988 with a hookload of 100,000 lbs. The company wasthe first to eliminate chain drive sys-tems. Where its starting to take holdnow is in the more shallow oil and gas

formations, which have often been off-limits with conventional drill rigs.

Rack and pinion allows you to go moreshallow, but it also allows you to getmore pay zone because you have theability to back out horizontally instead of

just having a true vertical well. You candrill that well down vertically, make yourbend and then go out horizontally, which

exposes casing into your total pay zone.

Rack and pinion increases the probabil-ity of success on the job site.

Mr Foster touts safety as a huge benefitin rack and pinion technology. Witha conventional rig, youve got four orfive workers who are slinging chains,standing in the fall zone of the pipe and

working with the rotary table, he said.Here, you dont have anything. Youve

got two workers basically operating the

By Katie Mazerov, contributing editor

American Augers prototype rack and pinion rigs have a capacity of 330,000 lbs of hookload. The company believes rack and pinion technology will revolutionize oil/gas drilling

and plans to introduce its VR 500 model, with 500,000 lbs of hook load, later this year.

See page 39 for exclusive videos!


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rig using an electric-over-hydraulic oper-ating control panel. Youve got one manrunning the controls, moving the topdrive up and down, the other operatingthe pipe-loading system, getting the pipein and out of the carriage.

Were hoping to really show that this isgoing to take a lot people out of harms

way.

Cost and maintenance are other advan-tages, he continued. American Augersbasic drilling rig runs about $2.95 mil-lion, compared with $5 million for a con-

ventional rig. And because the rack andpinion has fewer parts, it is easier andless expensive to maintain, he said.

Chains, cables and other parts can snapor break, he said. Here, youve got a

whole mechanically controlled system,which means youre going to get a lon-ger system life out of it. You dont have

complicated parts that have to be consis-tently replaced.

Environmentally, the rack and pinionallows an operator to drill fewer holesand get in and out faster. Lets say youhave a large plot of land with multipleadjacent wells, he said. On a tradi-tional rig, youre going to drill each wellindividually to get into the pay zone.

With a rack and pinion rig, youre onlygoing to drill one hole to get into all theformations, and youre going to exposethe entire pay zone because you were

able to drill out and get casing throughthe whole area.

Given the apparent strengths andadvantages of rack and pinion rigs, whyhas this decades-old technology takenso long to be embraced by the drillingindustry? Rolf Gullaksen, vice presidentof sales and marketing for TTS Sense(formerly Sense EDM) believes theissue is twofold.

Initially, the economy wouldnt supportit, he said. Drilling contractors really

struggled with making their businessprofitable, and they werent willing orable to invest.

Also, he continued, this industry isvery conservative. New ideas take a longtime to make their way to the market-place.

The surge in horizontal and directionaldrilling was the catalyst to bring rackand pinion technology to the forefront,Mr Gullaksen suggested. We need thetools to drill these wells, and rack andpinion is an excellent choice.

TTS Sense, based in Kristiansand,Norway, has several multi-functionalland rigs on the market, with 125-250tons of hook load capacity for drilling,underbalanced drilling, slimhole drilling

workovers, well intervention, snubbingoperations, re-entry and sidetracking.

Instead of the conventional open der-rick or mast design, the rigs feature a

closed mast design that houses the rackand pinion system. The pinion, or wheel,located in the mast, turns the rack mod-ules, which move the rack upward forhoisting and downward for lowering.

It is the strategy of TTS Sense to usetechnology developed for the advancedoffshore drilling packages we deliver, andoffer this technology into the land drillingmarketplace, Mr Gullaksen said. Weare absolutely convinced that this is the

way forward for the industry. Our world-wide patented rack and pinion technol-ogy is a perfect platform to do this.

He noted the companys design offersseveral advantages:

The rack and pinion mechanism elimi-nates the need for a drawworks, drillline, block and hook.

TTS Sense recently entered into a contract with Weatherford Drilling to deliver seven

Ultrasingle 150-ton rack and pinion trailer-mounted land rigs. Above is a 150-ton rack

and pinion rig in Canadas Yukon manufactured by TTS Sense.

This prototype rack and pinion rig from American Augers is operating in Pennsylvania.

The company has a total of five prototypes in Pennsylvania, Texas and Oklahoma.




The push/pull capability is ideal for

managed pressure drilling, top hole drill-ing, casing drilling, long horizontal wellsand snubbing operations.

The center of gravity stays low as the

rack, not the machinery, moves.

There is no requirement for cutting

and slipping the drill line.

The rack and pinion system offers alonger lifespan than a conventional rig.

The rigs can quickly switch betweenworkover, drilling and snubbing opera-tions, Mr Gullaksen said. They also canbe delivered with a drop-in injectorhead, adding coiled tubing. Several ver-sions of the rig can be delivered withautomated pipe handling and a fully inte-grated control system.

The rigs are very versatile and adapteasily to different operations, he con-

tinued. They are automated, safe andquiet, very quick to move and rig up, andthe excellent control of the drillstringenables new and exciting opportunities

with regards to downhole operations. Webelieve this type of multifunctionality willbe very attractive to rig owners goingforward.

The companys foray into the technologydates back to the late 1990s, when itspredecessor,Engineering and DrillingMachinery(EDM), developed a rack andpinion-operated workover machine that

facilitated faster and simpler rig-up andrig-down, reduced weight and improvedsafety, as fewer people were needed tooperate the machine.

In 2001, EDM sold a rack and pinion rigto Breitburn Energy, which needed aquiet, compact, multifunctional rig for itsoperation in downtown Los Angeles. Therig, which is still operating, is housed ina church-like building that is mobile andservices about 40 wells. The rig is TTSSenses only rack and pinion model oper-ating in the United States.

In 2005, the company designed a rackand pinion rig for the European marketthat was also equipped with a roboticpipe handling system and an AC-driventop drive system, permanently mountedto the mast by a retractable dolly.

TTS Sense has sold 40 rack and pinionrigs and has 17 operating worldwide inCanada, Hungary, Australia, Jordan,Tunisia, Thailand, India, Mexico and off-shore in Liverpool Bay, UK.

In July, the companys Canadian divi-sion entered into a contract with

Ability Drillings 250-ton rack and pinion rig, built by TTS Sense, is seen on location in

Jordan. TTS Sense has 17 rack and pinion rigs operating worldwide.

Horizontal Well Drillers rack and pinion rigs are automated. No one is on the drill floorwhen making a connection, said HWD founder and president Steve Akerman.

This church-like building houses a rack and pinion rig that Breitburn Energy has been op-

erating in downtown Los Angeles since 2001. It is mobile and services about 40 wells.




Weatherford Drillingto deliver sevenUltrasingle 150-ton rack and piniontrailer-mounted land rigs, starting opera-tion in 2009.

Horizontal Well Drillers(HWD), asubsidiary ofAkerman ConstructioninPurcell, Okla., has seven rigs operatingin the United States, including Texas,Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. The rigs

are working at 330,000 lbs of hook loadbut are designed to go as high as 440,000lbs, which the company expects to dothis fall.

This rig is automated, so you dontneed workers and derrick hands, saidfounder and president Steve Akerman.There is no one on the drill floor whenthe rig is making a connection. The rigdoes it by itself. The rack and pinionmechanism is housed in a closed mastand is top-head driven.

Mr Akermans rack and pinion designwas initially developed for the horizontalriver crossing business operated throughhis construction company. Two yearsago, he modified it for the oilfield.

Were putting one rig per month outin the field, he said. In addition to theUnited States, the company has hadinquiries from Mexico, Brazil, Russia,Kuwait and other Middle East countries,and Canada. These rigs are ideal forthe oil sands in Canada.

One operator wants to put the rack andpinion rigs on barges in the Louisianaswamps. Theyre very simple to put onanything, he said. As a rig size, theyare very, very light and compact, with ahuge amount of power. The rig also isdesigned to fit into small locations, mak-ing it ideal for areas where there is alarge urban infrastructure.

Central Basin Oil Investments,South Lake Texas, is operating a HWDrack and pinion rig in central Texas,including the Barnett Shale near Fort

Worth. The rig is very compatible andconducive to drilling in metro areasbecause it leaves such a small footprintand because of the low noise factor,said Hoby Urich, director of drillingoperations. It is extremely community-friendly.

Mr Akerman said a key advantage ofhis rig is the elimination of the blockand tackle mechanism. A conventionalrig cant apply any downward pressure.

With a conventional rig, youve got tohave some vertical hole before you have

any weight to be able to make yourcurve, he explained. But our rig will

not only pull, it will push. The top driveactually does the pushing itself and will

therefore apply the downward force onthe drill pipe as needed.

He also said that his rig reduces thedrilling area to about a quarter of the

whats needed with a conventional rig,about 22,500 sq ft (150 ft x 150 ft). Andin terms of mobility, the costs are mini-mal because it only takes eight trucks tomove this rig.

Fuel savings is another advantage. Ourrig uses 40-50% of what a conventional

rig uses, he said. That wasnt sig-nificant in the past, but with gas pricesas high as $4 per gallon, youre saving$2,000 to $4,000 a day.

Mr Akerman also noted that while hedeveloped his rig for horizontal anddirectional drilling, he has utilized it for

vertical wells, going as deep as 13,000 ft.There is a misconception that our rigs

While designs may vary, rack and pinion rigs can both pull and push, utilizing thrust, not

gravity. Because no wire is used, a direct connection between the hoisting system and

the vertical movement of the drillstring is established.

Max Streichers first-generation vertical directional drilling rig has been drilling for NAMsince April 2007. The drilling rig is known among the community as Synergy II.


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are designed only for shallow oil and gaswells. But, according to my own research,these rigs could drill 92% of all the wells

drilled in the United States last year.

German company Max Streicher alsodiscovered the benefits of rack andpinion technology for vertical rigs afterdesigning a prototype originally intendedfor the horizontal drilling market. Thecompanys current focus is on theEuropean vertical market.

The need for the technology came fromthe horizontal market, but in 2004, weproved that the concept also works for

vertical drilling, said Rupert Koeckeis,a director for the company, headquar-tered in Deggendorf, Germany.

In early 2005, Streicher completed itsfirst-generation vertical directionaldrilling rig through its subsidiary Drill

Tec. We proved there is good tech-nology for vertical drilling, he said.The rig can drill to a depth of 5,000 m(16,000 ft).

A key advantage, Mr Koeckeis contin-ued, is that our rig is extremely modu-lar. You can transport this rig anywhere

within Europe on any road, using trucks.The concept works.

A key feature is the rigs ability to pushand pull, eliminating the need for drill

wire and other components. With a

wire, you can only pull, he said.Streicher has three rigs operating inEurope, one in The Netherlands and twoin Germany, including on a geothermal

well near Munich. The Netherlands oper-ation is a gas project for NAM, a subsid-iary of Shelland ExxonMobil.

The rig operates with two racks on eachside of a closed mast, he explained. Insidethe top drive are six hydraulic motors,three on each side, which drive the pin-ion, which in turn delivers power to thestationary racks. The motors, whichare driving the top drive up and down,are integrated into the top drive itself,he said. When the pinion moves, thetop drive moves up and down. Hydraulic

energy is provided by the drag chain.

Streicher plans to introduce two modelsof its second-generation vertical rackand pinion rig in early 2009. One will bea land rig, the other an offshore unit.This design is an even tighter concept,more modular and leaves a smaller foot-print, Mr Koeckeis said. It is highlyautomated and highly mobile.

Our intention is to build highly automat-ed rigs with a higher safety standardsthat can operate with low labor costs,

Mr Koeckeis said. The safety aspect ofthe rig, along with its modular designand mobility, has opened up anothermarket for drilling. We are able to relo-cate these rigs within five days. I dontknow a rig that can move so quickly.

Videos demonstrating rack and pinion tech-

nology are available under the Sept/Oct 2008

issue at www.drillingcontractor.org.

A new Streicher vertical rack and pinion

rig is expected in early 2009.

Click images for exclusive videos!

Germany-based Max Streicher completed

its first-generation vertical directional

drilling rig through subsidiary Drill Tec in

early 2005. This video shows the rigs pipe

handling system.

Horizontal Well Drillerss rack and pinion

design was initially developed for the hori-

zontal river crossing business and was

modified for the oilfield two years ago.

Norway-based TTS Sense aims to use

technology developed for offshore pack-

ages in the land drilling market. This video

shows a TTS Sense rack and pinion rig

built for Ability Drilling.

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DC Sept08 RackandPinionWEB