VOLUME SEVEN PIPE HANDLING EQUIPMENT
PIPE HANDLING
Overview
The rig crew needs pipe handling equipment for several reasons. One is to make a connection, to add a joint of pipe as the hole deepens; another is to trip the pipe, to take the pipe out and put it back in the hole, so they can change out bit, put a new bottom hole assembly and drill string or perform any other action that requires the drill string’s removal from the hole. Crew members can make connections either by using a kelly & rotary table system or a top drive unit. Handling pipe, tripping it in and out of the hole, connecting joints together, and moving it around the rig floor requires a lot of equipment. Included in this equipment are the elevator, slips, tongs, power tongs, spinning wrenches, catheads, kelly spinner, Iron Roughneck, rathole, mousehole and air hoist. Much of this equipment is controlled at the driller’s console. Transferring pipe from the deck to the rig floor may also involve special handling equipment.
[TOOL BOX]: Here is a little exercise to help you learn the names of all this equipment. When you’re given the name of a component, click on it with your mouse. If you don’t get it the first time, keep trying until you do.

PIPE HANDLING OPERATION

Making a Connection with Kelly
Notice that the kelly is drilled down, that is the rig can drill no deeper without adding a joint of pipe. Here’s the sequence to make a connection with the kelly and rotary table system. The driller picks up the kelly with the hoisting system and the floor crew sets the slips to suspend the drill string in the hole. Using large wrenches, called tongs, the crew loosens or breaks out the kelly from the drill string. They latch one set of tongs called the back up tongs around the drill pipe to keep the pipe from turning when they apply break out torque with the second set of tongs, called the lead tongs.
The driller actuates the break out cathead, which is an automatic winch on the drawworks. The break out cathead pulls a line attached to the lead tongs and loosens the connection. With the connection loosened, the driller spins put the drill pipe from the kelly, usually by slowly turning the rotary table. The back up tongs latched onto the kelly saver sub, keeps the kelly from turning as the pipe spins out. The crew then moves the kelly over to the new joint of pipe placed in the mousehole, a lined opening in the rig floor that holds the joint to be added. They stab the kelly into the new joint. They latch the back up tongs around the tool joint of the pipe joint in the mousehole. The back up tongs keep the joint from turning as the driller spins up the kelly into the joint, using the kelly spinner. The kelly spinner is a pneumatic or hydraulic device mounted near the top of the kelly. To make up the kelly onto the drill pipe to final tightness, the crew latches the lead tongs around the kelly while holding the back up tongs on the pipe’s tool joint box. The driller then actuates the make up cathead on the drawworks. The make up cathead pulls a chain attached to the lead tongs and tightens the kelly onto the drill pipe joint. The driller, using the hoisting system, picks up the kelly and new drill pipe joint out of the mousehole, and the crew guides it to the drill pipe joint, hanging in the rotary table. The crew stabs the new joint into the suspended joint, and the driller actuates the kelly spinner to spin up the new joint.

[TOOL BOX]: Click on the play button to see a video of the kelly being made up.

Once bond up, the crew latches the back up & lead tongs around the joints to make them up to final tightness. With the joints made up, the driller picks up the kelly and drill string. The crew pulls the slips, and the driller lowers the kelly and meets the kelly drive bushing with the master bushing. Drilling then continues.

Making A Connection with a Top Drive
Here is how to make a connection using a top drive. After drilling down the stand, the crew sets the slips. The driller stops circulation, and the crew breaks out the saver sub from the drill pipe using the torque wrench and the top drive’s pipe handler. The driller then uses the top drive’s drilling motor to unscrew the connection. The driller picks up the top drive and a crew member opens the drill pipe elevators to allow it to pass over the box of the pipe, setting in the slips. The driller raises the top drive assembly to the monkey-board. The derrick man latches the triple drill pipe stand in the elevators. The elevators pick up the stand and the floor crew stabs the bottom pin into the drill pipe box in the rotary table.

[TOOL BOX]: Click on the play button to see the joint being stabbed into the drill string.

The driller lowers the top drive to stab the saver sub into the box at the top of the stand. Using the top drive’s drilling motor, the driller spins up both the top connection and the lower connection at the rotary table. The rotary helpers use back up tongs to keep the connection stationary as the pipe spins. Finally, the driller begins circulation, the crew pulls the slips and drilling resumes.

[TOOL BOX]: Here is your chance to supervise the making of a connection, using a top drive. The stand has been drilled down and it’s time to set the slips. The top drive has already been broken up from the drill string and attached to the stand of pipe in the mast. Raise the stand of drill pipe by clicking on the top drive… Good! Now lower the tool joint on to the drill string by moving the top drive downwards with your mouse. Activate the top drive by clicking on it with your mouse. Lift the drill string by moving the top drive upwards. And finally, remove the slips by dragging them out of the insert bowls. Excellent work! Now you are ready to make hole.

Tripping Out with Kelly
Here is a crew on a rig with the kelly & rotary table system tripping pipe out of the hole. That is the rotary helpers, the derrick man and the driller are working together to pull the drill string from the hole. Maybe to change the bit, or something similar.
First, the crew suspends the drill string in the hole with slips. Then they break out the kelly assembly. They swing the assembly over to a lined hole, called the rathole, and the driller lowers the assembly into the rathole. With the kelly assembly in the rathole, the crew unhook the swivel bail from the hook, this action frees up the elevator. Crew members latch the elevator around the joint of pipe hanging in the rotary table opening. The driller, using the hoisting system, then lifts the pipe from the hole. Usually, the driller lifts pipe until the third joint clears the rotary table opening. The floor hands then set the slips around the top of the fourth joint. Using the tongs and a spinning wrench, the crew breaks out the three-joint stand from the drill string and sets it back in the mast. Meanwhile, up on the mast, the derrick man handles the upper end of the three-joint stand. He places the top of the stand into a fingerboard, a series of projections near the derrick man’s work platform called the monkey-board. The driller, rotary helpers and derrick man repeat the process until all the drill string is out of the hole.

Tripping with Kelly
Here, the crew is tripping pipe back into the hole. The floor-hands, derrick man and the driller work together to get the drill string back into the hole. Tripping in is pretty much the opposite of tripping out. The driller sends the elevator up to the monkey-board, where the derrick man latches the elevator around the top of the stand. The driller then picks up the stand a little, and the rotary helper guides the lower end over to the string hanging in the rotary table opening. They stab the stand, using the spinning wrench to spin up the stand and make it up to final tightness with the tongs. The crew repeats this process until all the string is back in the hole.

Tripping with Top Drive, 1
When tripping with a top drive, crew members use the drive’s elevator as much as they use a conventional elevator when tripping with a kelly & rotary table rig. With a top drive, the driller can position the links & elevator close to the derrick man on the monkey-board. The driller moves the links & elevator by actuating the remote-controlled link-tilt mechanism on the top drive. Moving the links & elevator makes it easy for the derrick man to latch & unlatch the elevator around the drill pipe stand’s top tool joint.

Tripping with a Top Drive, 2
The drilling crew can also position the elevator in any direction by unlocking the rotation lock and rotating the pipe handler assembly. Being able to position the pipe handler assembly in any direction enables the derrick man and rotary helpers to position the elevator where they need it to make a latch. The elevator returns to its original position when rotated by the drill string.

Tripping with a Top Drive, 3
One advantage of a top drive over a conventional kelly system is its ability to ream or back ream at any position in the mast while tripping. The driller can rotate and move the string up & down through tight section of hole. These actions can ream out the tight section of hole.

SLIPS & ELEVATOR SYSTEM
Slips
Crew members use wedge-shaped gripping devices called slips to suspend the drill string in the hole. They fit it around the top joint of pipe and wedge in the taper of the rotary table’s opening. Slips have seriated inserts or dies. The inserts grip the outside diameter of the suspended tubular. To set the slips, crew members place them around the pipe. The driller then slowly lowers the pipe until the slips can take up the load. The seriated inserts or dies in the slips firmly hold the pipe. To remove the slips, crew members grasp the slips’ handles. And as the driller picks up the pipe, they lift them out of the rotary table opening and set them aside.