Top Drive – Traction Motor

Machine Health Solutions for Drilling

THE PROBLEM:

The traction motor provides the torque needed to move the top drive along the drill string. Traction motors are crucial to operations due to the high-performance demands & high cost of NPT per hour. There can be electrical & mechanical faults on traction motors. One example is bearing failures. When bearing health deteriorates, it could lead to reduced or complete loss of drilling performance, the inability to perform necessary operations, such as making connections, gripping/releasing pipe, & the potential for unsafe working conditions for operators on the rig floor.

Cost of Asset Failures

$5,000 / hour
DOWNTIME COST
>12 hours
DOWNTIME SAFETY RELATED COSTS

Industry Savings Potential

~$60,000
IN NPT
$85,000
REPLACEMENT PER MOTOR
>$145,000
IN TOTAL SAVINGS

Asset Blind Spots:

There are several inherent challenges related to monitoring Traction Motors:

CHALLENGE #1

Electrical & mechanical faults tend to go unaddressed until failure due to the nature of drilling rig operations. The Top Drive remains in continuous operation & in an elevated position. .

CHALLENGE #2

Frequent thorough inspection of internals is not a possibility due to complexity of the machine & continuous operations.

CHALLENGE #3

Time-based protocols do not allow for constant monitoring of mechanical & lubrication systems.

Top Drive Traction Motor Peak Acceleration

Historically drilling equipment has been run to failure. This methodology maximizes the life span of the equipment, but at the cost of additional risk to incurring NPT hours and imposing safety hazards on the rig crew.

Continuous Vibration health monitoring can help optimize mechanic and electrician deployment, maintenance routines, preparedness for replacement, & mitigating potential safety incidents. Additionally, it also opens potential opportunities for studies to extend Top Drive life & optimize field operations.

Hardware

Two V3 vibration sensors per traction motor
One on the inboard & one on the outboard ends of the traction motor

Software

Threshold Settings
Indicators
Sensor Configurations
Dashboards
Reporting

Real-Time Data

Electronic Drilling Recorder (EDR) is recommended, but not required
• Top Drive RPM
• Torque generate
Schematics of the Top Drive assembly are beneficial documents for detailed analysis

Training

Sentry
• Site visits: bi-weekly
• In-person training
Academy
Customer training/handbooks
Asset playbook

Optimize Your Machine Health

Reduce unplanned downtime by getting to the root cause of machine failures. Learn how KCF’s machine health optimization platform will help you achieve peak plant performance. Download the KCF Guide to learn more about optimizing your machine health.