DPT1

Rig Sizing and Selection

Rig Sizing & Selection - Objectives

At the end of this lecture YOU will be able to:

Select a rig for a given well

Rig Sizing & Selection - Agenda
1. Types of rigs

2. Hoisting system
– Loads: hook, fastline and deadline
– Drawworks sizing
– Drilling line Sizing, Ton-Miles, Slip & Cut
– Derrick, Rig Floor & Substructure
3. Rotating System
4. Circulating System
5. BOP System
6. Power System
7. Group exercise: Select a Rig for a 30000ft well
 Rig Sizing - Introduction
There are a number of considerations that are fundamental to the design of the well
program and selection of the drilling equipment that will be used.
Territory in which to operate
Ranges of well depths and hole sizes to be drilled
Casing loads expected, Drill string components weights and sizes
Range of rotary speeds and torque required
Mud system, tanks and manifolding, solids control equipment
Auxiliary services and power required
Substructure height - clearances
Blowout prevention equipment
 Rig Sizing - Introduction
A drilling rig is made of many individual pieces of equipment which together
form a unit to construct wells. Without this unit wells could not be drilled and
cased.
The correct procedure for selecting and sizing a drilling rig is as follows:
1) Design the well.
2) Establish the various maximum loads to be expected during drilling
and all other operations to be done with the rig (Testing, Completions)
3) Find rigs available in the area that match the requirements
4) Discuss availability with Rig Contractors.
5) Issue tenders and select rig based on cost, capability and availability
 Rig Sizing
Rig Types:
•Land rig
•Offshore rigs:
–Floating rigs:
»Semisubmersible
»Drillships
–Bottom-supported rigs:
»Jack-up
»Platform
»Barge
Land Rig
Mobile Land rigs
Jack-up Rigs
Rig Move - Rowan Gorilla
 Submersible Rigs/Barges

Submersibles can be anchored when used in water depths

of up to 175ft, or can rest on the seabed when working in
water depths from 5 to 20 ft. “Swamp” barges are typically
used to drill wells in shallow water depths of up to 20ft in
inland waterways and swamps.
Semi-submersible Rigs
Semi-submersible Rigs
Drillship
Drillship
Rig Types - Summary
 Rig Components
The major rig components that need to be reviewed for
capability are:
• Hoisting system
• Derrick capacity and substructure
• Rotating equipment
• Circulating system
• Pressure control
• Power requirements
• Tubular goods
 Hoisting System
The hoisting system consists of:
1. The Supporting Structure:
– Derrick
– Rig Floor
– Substructure
2. The Hoisting Equipment
– Drawworks
– Crown block
– Traveling block
– Hook
– Drilling line
 Hoisting System - Drawworks
This is an assembly of a rotating drum, a series of shafts, clutches,
chains and gears for changing speed and for reversing. It also
contains the main brake stopping the drilling line.
The drilling line is wound a number of times around the drum and
passes to the crown and traveling blocks

The Drum
Hoisting System - Drawworks
Hoisting System – Crown Block
A block located at the top of derrick
It contains a number of sheaves on
which the drilling line is wound.
The crown block provides a means
of taking the drilling line from
the hoisting drum to the
traveling block
The crown block is stationary and is
firmly fastened to the top of the
derrick
Each sheave inside the crown
block acts as an individual
pulley
Hoisting System - Sheaves
 Hoisting System – Travelling Block
A diamond-shaped
block containing a
number of sheaves
which is always less
than those in the crown
block.

The hook and bails

hang below the TB to
facilitate drilling with
the swivel and
running pipe.
 Hoisting System - Hook

Connects the Kelly

or Top Drive with
the travelling Block.
The hook carries
the entire drilling
load
Hoisting System - Swivel
Hoisting System - Deadline Anchor
The Dead Line Anchor anchors the last line coming from the
crown block and allows new line to be fed from the reel in
which it is stored. New lengths of line can be fed into the
system. The used line is cut off at the drum side.
 Hoisting System - Block & Tackle
The drilling line is wound continuously on the Crown and Traveling
Blocks, with two outside ends being wound on the hoisting drum and
attached to the deadline anchor respectively.
The block and tackle is a term used to refer to the arrangement of crown
block, drilling line and traveling block.

Fastline
 Hoisting System – Wire Rope
Wire rope differs in the number of strands and pattern of wires
in the strand. Most wire rope constructions are grouped into
four standard classifications, based on the number of strands
and wires per strand as shown in the following table taken from
the IADC Drilling Manual:
Hoisting System – Wire Rope Strands
Strands are preformed to give them the helical shape they will take when
they are placed on the wire: preformed strands (PRF)
Patterns used in drilling line: Filler Wire, Seale, Combined patterns

The strands can be placed in a right or left direction and the wires in the
strand can be placed such that they appear to be parallel to the rope axis
(Regular) or to the axis of the strands (Lang).
Lay used for Drilling Lines:
Right Regular Lay (RRL)
Hoisting System – Wire Rope Core & Grade
The primary purpose of the core in wire rope is to provide foundation or support
for the strands. There are 3 types of core:
Fiber Core (FC), Strand Core, Independent Wire Rope Core (IWRC)
The strands provide the whole of the tensile strength of a FC rope but with a
IWRC rope, the core contributes to the nominal strength. For example in a 6
strand rope with IWRC, 7.5% of the nominal strength is attributed to the core.
Wire rope used for Drilling Lines has IWRC

All rotary drilling lines are of 2 grades: Improved Plow Steel (IPS) or Extra
Improved Plow Steel (EIPS)
A standard 6 strand EIPS rope within the same classification have a nominal
strength 15 % higher than IPS ropes.
 Hoisting System – Wire Rope Size
The correct diameter of a wire rope is the diameter of a circumscribed circle
that will enclose all the strands. It is the largest cross-sectional measurement.
Measurements should be carefully made with calipers.

The size of most Drilling Lines varies from 1/2” to 2”

Hoisting System – Wire Rope Strength
The table below taken from the SPE ADE textbook
shows the nominal breaking strength for 6X19 wire rope.
 Hoisting System - Wire Rope
What does the following description of a rotary drilling line mean?
What is its nominal strength?

1” X 5000’ 6 X 19 S PRF RRL IPS IWRC

1” = Diameter of line
5000’ = Length of line
6 = Number of Strands per Line
19 = Number of Wires per Strand
S = Seale Pattern
PRF = Preformed Strands
RRL = Right Regular Lay
IPS = Improved Plow Steel
IWRC = Independent Wire Rope Core
Strength = 89800 lbs
 Hoisting System Design
Design Considerations
1. Determine the deepest hole to be drilled
2. Determine the maximum drilling loads or casing loads
3. Use these values and compare to the derrick capacities on
available rigs

Elements for Calculation

1. Static Derrick Loading
2. Efficiency Factor
3. Dynamic Crown Load
 Exercise RIG 00 - Hoisting System
Line Tension and Derrick Load Under Static Conditions:

W ( n + 2)
Line Tension = FL = Derrick Load = FD = W *
n n

Where: W = hookload and n = number of lines

Crown Block

Fixedsheaves
W W W W
4 W 4 4 W 4
4 4

Fastline

Hook

Drawworks Deadline

W
 Hoisting System – Dynamic Loading
For dynamic conditions friction between the line and sheaves has to be
accounted for:
For roller bearings which are the normal type of bearings in a block & tackle
system, the Friction Factor is K=1.04.

Efficiency Factor of the Hoisting System: (API RP9B)

KN −1
EF = S
K * N( K − 1)

Where: N = the number of lines and S = the number of sheaves

Note: For the general configuration of a block and tackle system of a rotary drilling rig S = N.
Exercise RIG 01: Efficiency Factor
Calculate the efficiency factor for a hoisting system
employing 8 string lines.
Hoisting System – Dynamic Loads
Dynamic Fast-Line Load:
W
FFL =
EF * n
Dynamic Deadline -Load is given by:

W * ( 1 / K )n
FDL =
EF * n

What is the total derrick load under dynamic conditions ?

FDT = W + FFL + FDL

 Hoisting System - Design
1. The Total Derrick Load should not exceed 80% of the minimum
hoisting system rating

2. If the breaking strength of the drilling line is known, then a design

factor, DF, may be calculated as follows:

DF = Nominal strength of wire rope (lb) / Fast-line Load (lb)

Min Design Factors;
Drilling / Tripping : 3
Casing Running : 2
Hoisting System – Drawworks Power
As a rule of thumb, the drawworks should have 1 HP for every 10 ft to be
drilled. Hence for 20,000 ft well, the drawworks should have 2000 HP.

Power developed at hook: P = W x VL

Power consumed at the drum: P = FFL x Vf
P = W x VL / EF

Drum output (horsepower) = W x VL / (EFx33,000)

• Vf = Velocity of fast-line load (Vf)

• VL = Velocity of traveling block
• Vf = N x VL
 Exercise RIG 02 – Drawworks Power
The following data refer to an Oilwell block-and-tackle system:
Number of lines = 10 with EF = 0.81,
Maximum expected hook load = 500,000 lbf,
Hook load speed = 120 ft/min,
Hoisting drum diameter = 32”,
Mechanical efficiency of drawworks = 0.88

Calculate:
1) The power at the drawworks
2) The motor power required
3) The fast line speed.
4) The RPM of the drawworks drum.
 Exercise RIG 03 – Drilling Line Loads
Consider a travelling block with 10 lines of 1.5” EIPS wire rope of strength 228klbs
Hole depth(MD) = 10,500 ft
DP = 4000 ft 5” - 19.5 lb/ft (S-135-NC 50) 22.61 approx #
= 5700 ft 5” – 19.5 lb/ft (E-75-NC 50) 20.85 approx #
Drill collars = 800 ft, 8” x 2,825”, 150 lb/ft
Mud weight = 10 ppg
Sheave bearing type = Roller Bearing (K=1.04)
Travelling Block Weight = 23,500 lbs

Calculate:
1) Weight of drill string in air and in mud
2) Hook load.
3) Dynamic deadline and fast-line loads.
4) Dynamic crown load
5) Wirerope Design Factor during drilling
6) Design Factor when running 7 in casing of 29 lb/ft
 Drilling Line Slip & Cut
Fig. M4-1 of the IADC Drilling Manual Illustrates the
critical wear points of drilling line.
 Slip & Cut Practice
The objective is to find the optimum cut off rate for each particular situation.

• In order to optimize cut off rate it is necessary to be able to measure the

amount of work done by the drilling line.

• The work of the drilling line is measured in “ton-miles” which refers to lifting
one ton one mile or ( lifting 2000 lbs 5280 ft )

• Therefore: one ton mile = 10,560,000 ft-lbs.

• If a line is cut off with very low ton-miles per ft of line, rig operating costs will
be higher than necessary but if the line is cut with excessive ton-miles per foot
there is risk of causing an accident or having to cut and slip the entire length to
string up the system.
 Slip & Cut – Ton-Mile goal
The table below from the IADC manual shows the starting goal of ton miles per ft.
for a rig without previous records. Depending on results the goal can be increased
or decreased.
It should be noticed that the goal changes with rope diameter and drum diameter
of the drawworks.

TON MILE PER FOOT CUT GOAL FOR RIGS HAVING NO PAST
PERFORMANCE RECORDS

Drum
Diameter 1" 1 1/8" 1 1/4" 1 3/8" 1 1/2" 1 5/8"
18" 6.0 9.0
19" 6.0 9.0
20" 7.0 9.0
21" 7.0 10.0
22" 7.0 10.0

23" 8.0 10.0 13.0

24" 8.0 11.0 13.0 17.0
25" 8.0 11.0 14.0 17.0
26" 9.0 11.0 14.0 17.0
27" 9.0 12.0 15.0 18.0

28" 12.0 15.0 18.0

29" 12.0 15.0 18.0
30" 13.0 16.0 19.0
31" 16.0 19.0
32" 17.0 20.0

33" 17.0 20.0

34" 18.0 21.0 24.0
35" 21.0 25.0
36" 22.0 25.0 26.0
 Slip & Cut – Cutting Length

The idea is to prevent the rope to be passed from one critical point to another
one. The following table prevents this from occurring; however, other lengths
can be used.
Slip & Cut Practice – Ton Miles

Grand total of work done by the drilling line is the sum of

ton-Miles done during:
1. Drilling
2. Coring
3. Tripping
4. Setting casing
 Slip & Cut – Round Trips Work
Work done in round trip operations (TR) ton-miles
C
D * ( L s + D )W e D ( M + 2 )
TR = +
10 ,560 ,000 2 ,640 ,000

M = mass of traveling block assembly (lb),

Ls = length of each stand (ft),
D = hole depth (ft),
We = effective weight per foot of DP in mud,
C = (L x Wdc - L x Wdp) x BF,
Wdc = weight of DC in air
Wdp = weight of DP in air,
L = length of DCs.
 Slip & Cut – Drilling, Coring, Casing
When drilling from depth D1 to depth D2, the work done is:
Td = 3 x[T 2 − T 1]
When coring from D1 to D2, the work done is:
Tc = 2 x [T 2 − T 1]

T1= Round trip at depth D1 where drilling/coring started

T2 = Round trip at depth D2 where drilling/coring stopped before POOH

When setting Casing at depth D, the work done is:

⎡⎛ D( Ls + D )Wcs ⎞ DM ⎤
Ts = 1 / 2 ⎢ ⎜ ⎟+ ⎥
⎣⎝ 10,560,000 ⎠ 2,640,000 ⎦
Wcs = effective weight per unit length of casing in mud
Ls = length of 1 Casing joint
Exercise RIG 04 – Ton Miles Evaluation
Using the data given in Exercise RIG 03, determine;

1) Round trip ton-miles at 10,000 ft;

2) Casing ton-miles if one joint of casing = 40 ft ;
3) Design Factor of the drilling line when the 7 inch casing is
run to 10,000 ft;
4) Ton-Miles when coring from 10,000 ft to 10.180 ft and
5) Ton-Miles when drilling from 10,000 to 10,180 ft.
 Derrick Capacity and Substructure
The derrick sits on a substructure on which the drilling
equipment is mounted.
The substructure must be rated to hold pipe setback plus the
load of the heaviest casing run.
The height of the substructure above the ground varies
according to the size of the rig. It varies from 10’ to 35’

The derrick must support hookloads, deadline load, fastline

load, pipe setback and wind loads.
The derrick provides the necessary height and support to lift
loads in and out of the well
 Derricks
Standard Derrick:
Bolted structure that must be assembled part by part, usually used on offshore
platforms.
Derrick installed on floating rigs are designed to withstand extra dynamic stresses
due to rolling, heaving and stresses from the wind
The space available between the rig floor and the crown block must be higher to
handle the wave-induced vertical movement of the floating support.

Mast or Portable Derrick:

This type is pivoted at its base and is lowered to the horizontal by the use of
drawworks after completing the well and the rig is ready to move to another
location
The mast is dismantled into a number of pin-jointed sections, each of which is
usually a truck load.
Mast or Portable Derrick
Rig Sizing & Selection - Agenda
1. Types of rigs

2. Hoisting system
– Loads: hook, fastline and deadline
– Drawworks sizing
– Drilling line Sizing, Ton-Miles, Slip & Cut
– Derrick, Rig Floor & Substructure
3. Rotating System
4. Circulating System
5. BOP System
6. Power System
7. Group exercise: Select a Rig for a 30000ft well
 Rotating System
Rotary HorsePower

• The Rotary Horsepower requirement is usually

between 1.5 to 2 times the rotary speed, depending on
the hole depth.
• Hence for rotary speed of 200 RPM, the power
requirement is about 400 HP.
Circulating System

Hydraulic Horsepower:
The horsepower requirements of the
pumps depends on the flow-rate
and the pressure.

FlowRate( gpm ) x Pr essure( psi )

HP =
1714

The heart of the circulating system is

the mud pumps
 Circulating System – Mud Pumps

A basic pump consists of a piston reciprocating inside a cylinder.

A pump is described as single acting if it pumps fluid on the forward strokes
(triplex pumps) and double-acting if it pumps fluid on both the forward
and backward strokes (duplex)
Pump Liners fit inside the pump cavity, these affect the pressure rating and
flowrate from the pump.

For a given pump, different size liners have the same OD but different ID.
The smaller liner (small ID) is used in the deeper part of the well where low
flow-rate is required but much higher operating pressure
Circulating System – Triplex Pumps
 Mud Pumps – Stroke & Efficiency
A full hydraulic program needs to be calculated to determine the
pressure requirement of the pump.
The size of the pump is determined by the length of its stroke and the
size of the liner.

Volumetric Efficiency:

Drilling mud usually contain little air and is slightly compressible. Hence the
piston moves through a shorter stroke than theoretically possible before
reaching discharge pressure,
As a result, the volumetric efficiency is always less than one; typically 95% for
triplex and 90% for duplex.
In addition, due to power losses in drives, the mechanical efficiency of most
pumps is about 85%.
Exercise RIG 05 – Mud Pump Power
Calculate the power requirement for the following pump:
• Flowrate = 1200 gpm,
• Pressure = 2000 psi,
• Mechanical Efficiency = 0.85
 Circulating System -Auxiliaries
Centrifugal Pumps:
This type of pump uses an impeller for the movement of fluid, rather a
piston reciprocating inside a cylinder. Centrifugal pumps are used
to surcharge mud pumps and to provide fluid to solids control
equipment and mud mixing equipment.

Mud Handling Equipment:

Shale Shakers: size, type.
Mud Pits: Number and size is determined by the size and the depth of
hole. Also by the size of the rig and space available, especially on
offshore rigs. Size of a pit usually 8-12 ft wide, 20-40 ft long and 6-
12 ft high
Desanders, Desilters.
Centrifuges and mud cleaners
Degasser
 Pressure Control Equipment
Required as per IPM Standards – HSE 001, WCI 003, WCI 005 :
• Gas Detection Equipment
• BOP Stack and Diverter
• Kick Detection Equipment (Trip Tank, Flowshow)

Required as per Good Oilfield Practice :

• Choke manifold, Choke and Kill lines
• Accumulator and BOP Control System
• Rotating heads if air drilling or UBD
• A fluids system with enough storage for all hole sections +100%
 Power System
– The power on modern rigs is most commonly generated
by diesel-electric power units,

– The power produced is AC current which is then is

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 Requirements
The total power requirements of a rig is the sum of the power requirement of:
• Drawworks
• Rotary table or top drive
• Mud pumps
• Mud handling system.
• Auxiliary power requirements for lighting etc,
• Life support system.

The actual power required will depend on the operation being carried out:
- The maximum power used is during hoisting and circulation.
- The least power used is during wireline operations
Rig Sizing & Selection - Agenda
1. Types of rigs

2. Hoisting system
– Loads: hook, fastline and deadline
– Drawworks sizing
– Drilling line Sizing, Ton-Miles, Slip & Cut
– Derrick, Rig Floor & Substructure
3. Rotating System
4. Circulating System
5. BOP System
6. Power System
7. Group exercise: Select a Rig for a 30000ft well