Compact casing-running tool for land rigs

Rig-floor automation requires adaptability. That thought has yielded a rig-floor mechanization system from Weatherford International Ltd. so flexible that it is a favorite among deepwater drillers, and that is now adapted for small land rigs.

At its heart is a unique, modular, plug-and-play approach to rig-floor mechanization. The technology got its start in the early 1990s, when safety and efficiency efforts in the North Sea focused on removing personnel from the rig floor and derrick. Modularity allows adaptation to any rig environment.

Fig. 1. The TorkDrive Compact is a small, simple, cost-competitive tool for land-rig drilling in which API connections are run.

A key component of the OverDrive system-the TorkDrive tool-combines several conventional casing-running tools into one. The remotely operated tool uses the top drive to make up or break out casing, eliminating scaffolding, equipment and personnel from the rig floor during casing-running operations. It enables simultaneous rotation, pushdown or reciprocation and circulation of the casing string for drilling or reaming with the casing, providing real-time hazard mitigation.

The versatile system has been available in two different models, TorkDrive 500 M and TorkDrive 750 HD, developed specifically for premium threads and premium markets. But the latest addition, the TorkDrive Compact tool, extends the technology from the complex demands of offshore operations to the fundamental solutions required to improve safety and efficiency in land operations. It is a small, simple, cost-competitive tool geared for the economic and operational realities of land-rig drilling in which API connections are run.