Drawworks Brakes and Drum Designs
Transcription
Drawworks Brakes and Drum Designs
By John L’Espoir Drawworks Brakes and Drum Designs What is a fleet angle and what is a self-energized brake design? Why use a hydromatic brake if it cannot stop a drum? Drum Design When starting with the design of a drum, the engineer must make a lot of decisions before the pencil ever hits the paper—or, these days, before the hand hits the mouse. The design depends on: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Single line pull and wire line size required How many feet must be spooled up How long the barrel can be without making the drawworks too wide A width that meets fleet angle requirements Brake flanges large enough to hold the load Cooling for the flanges: either by forced air, water splash, or water circulation Whether a grooving jacket is used Choice of a wire line anchor and what side will it be on Choice of a floating drum mounted on bearings or one keyed to the shaft Choice of a long shaft through the center, or two stubshafts bolted to the drum body Whether a retarder is used. We discussed the clutch capacity, single-line pulls, and even the clutchmounting location last month (Water John L’Espoir has enjoyed a 40-year career in portable drilling equipment design. He holds a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and was formerly the director of engineering for the George E. Failing Co. in Enid, Oklahoma. John was born in the Netherlands and moved to Enid in 1969. He is the founder, owner, and president of Enid Drill Systems Inc. He received the 2003 NGWA Technology Award. 50/ November 2009 Water Well Journal Figure 1. The drawworks on a Failing Strat 100 had an SLP of 18,000 pounds, eight line reeving required about six layers. EDSI replaced this drawworks to get 25,000 pounds SLP. Note the old LEBUS held on top of the new LEBUS. The rig capacity increased from 4500 feet to 7500 feet for gas field work. Only three layers required for eight lines. Well Journal, October 2009). A drum barrel should be long enough to spool up all wire required to pull the kelly out of the table and up into the mast retract, if so designed. It is preferable to use a maximum of three layers of rope on the drum to avoid excessive loss of singleline pulling power. Designing a drum on bearings has the advantage that a block will be lowered much easier in the mast, especially with light loads such as a single sheave snatchblock with no load. On the other hand, bearings must be lubed, and this lube will at some time find its way into the clutch. The drum barrel would be used to contain a small amount of gear oil or be hand-packed around the bearings with grease. A more effective design will install self-lubed, sealed bearings plus a simple shaft seal with grease packed behind it to keep dirt and sand away from the bearings. Designing a drum that is keyed to the shaft brings its own problems, such as pressing the shaft into the drum bores. Stepped diameter bores and keys in only one flange makes this process easier. Then the drum must be locked for axial movement. The length of the barrel determines the fleet angle. The distance TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY/continues on page 52 NGWA.org Figure 2. The length of a LEBUS jacket may not be altered. Fitting to the drum must be done by wearplates or machining on the drum. An altered jacket is worse than a flat, smooth barrel. A negative fleet angle will spool up all the wire line on one side, which is extremely dangerous. It will stack and then jump, causing shockloads and destroying the line. Wire line rollers or guide sheaves must be installed to correct the problems. Drum flange-mounted kicker bars usually do more harm than good. TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY/from page 50 from drum to crown sheave must be known. The wire line in the middle of the drum to the sheave should be 90 degrees, or perpendicular to the centerline of the drum shaft. Offset drums to one side or the other can still meet this requirement by simply tilting the drum slightly. Fleet angles between ¼ degree and 1¼ degree are considered ideal. The engineer must determine what type of drilling the drawworks will be used for. Are one, two, or even three drums required? Should the two main drums be side-by-side on a common 52/ November 2009 Water Well Journal shaft? Or should there be a stacked design, whereby each drum has its own shaft? Will the wire line feed off on the rotary side (underslung) or come off the top? This is extremely important when designing the brakes. Brake Drums No matter what steel is used, all drums wear out. Rolled-ring-style, mildsteel, welded-on drums are frequently used. It becomes a major job to repair those in the field. Bolt-on-style brake drums are better. Material may be selected from cast iron, forged alloy steel, or fabricated mild steel. A band brake Figure 3. Our Ewbank Model M-100 three drum stacked design drawworks has dual, equalized, self-energized brakes on the two main (front) drums while the sand reel (back) has a single band brake. must be self-energized. This means that the band must be pulling on the anchor pin. If the wire line is wound up backwards, you will not be able to hold even 10 percent of the load. Internal brakes in winches are for one direction only. When lifting a drillcollar, if the winch doesn’t hold, simply unspool the line and hold the lever in the same position until it starts spooling up again. Now try your brake to hold the load. If it doesn’t, you have internal brake problems. It still baffles my engineering mind that the width of the band does not enter into the equation to hold the load. A 1inch-wide band will hold as much as a 6-inch-wide band. Width will determine only the life of a band. The wider the band, the longer service life it will have. The following is a report on friction materials and a calculation made by Jim Schmitz of Scan-Pac for the Ewbank Model M-60 main drum brake: Due to tight controls concerning the health hazards of asbestos in the environment, along with potential liability problems, virtually no woven asbestos brake lining is currently being produced in this country. As an alternative, synNGWA.org thetic yarns are being used to manufacture non-asbestos woven products as an asbestos alternative. The current asbestos-free product exhibits a slightly higher friction coefficient, generally in the range of 5 to 10 percent over the former asbestos products, while maintaining similar high-temperature characteristics. An additional benefit for the non-asbestos products is a substantial reduction in moisture absorption, because of both immersion and high humidity. During the last 15 or more years, since the introduction of non-asbestos woven lining, we have found substantial acceptance by manufacturers as well as in the aftermarket for this product. With regard to the friction-coefficient rating system, the standard test procedure uses a cast iron drum and is run at 150 pounds per square inch and 1200 feet per minute. Experience has indicated that the friction level is reduced by 5 to 8 percent when a steel drum is used. Speed and pressure variations also result in performance variations, which are indeterminate dependent on the specific formulation being used. Figure 4. The larger Ewbank drawworks use bolt-on, alloy steel, flame-hardened, forged-brake drums. Figure 5. Formulas and lesson on brake design copied from the Machinery’s Handbook (courtesy of Industrial Press Inc.). M-60 brake design specifications: SLP 20,000 pounds ● Radius 311⁄16 inches ● Band wrap 320 degrees = 5.58 radians = ϴ ● Brake load at 22-inch rim is 6700 pounds = P ● Apply coefficient of friction µ = .48 ● Total leverage to driller 27.42 Formula T = P (1/(еµθ–1)) еµθ = е.48 ⳯ 5.58 = 14.6 T = 6700 (1/(14.6–1)) = 493 pounds Allow 25 percent for safety and this load becomes 1.25⳯493 = 615 pounds. With a ratio of 27.42:1, the force by the driller’s hand must be 615/27.42 = 22.4 pounds. ● Disc Brakes Text and pictures courtesy of Don Harmon Co. There are several projects in process on disc brakes right now, but those that apply to water well drilling are probably sufficient for our purposes. On horsepower greater than 500, we are using water-cooled disc brakes, both Wichita and KOBELT. TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY/continues on page 54 NGWA.org Water Well Journal November 2009 53/ Figure 6. Always keep friction material dry and very clean. Moisture and any kind of lube will drastically lower the coefficient of friction. Keep linkage pins clean and lubed. For maximum efficiency, adjust them so that the final link attached to the band is pointing to the center of the drum. Figure 7. Russian coredrill Model EUF-650A unit is located approximately 50 miles southwest of Cairo in the Oasis of Kom-Aushim in the Sahara Desert. The double brake bands have a dual purpose. The one on the left is used to lock the internal planetary, which will cause the drum to turn when the brake is set. In other words, the left brake is actually the drum clutch, while the right brake is the drum brake. See schematic (Figure 8). Figure 8. Note: The author cannot translate the Arabic notes. I hope it is safe? TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY/from page 53 Retarder (dynamic) brakes have been used on well-servicing rigs for several years. One of the first applications was done in the Permian Basin, where a large KOBELT disc was used to replace the old Parmac brake. Since then, we have learned many things, but overall performance is greatly enhanced with air-operated discs and calipers. This gives the rig operators better control from top to bottom. In many cases, the brakes are used to bring the blocks to a complete stop; this is not possible with water brakes. The prime consideration is horsepower dissipation. I don’t have to tell you the limits on air-cooled discs and that they may easily be abused; the operation is so simple that rig operators can ask more than a disc can deliver. Education is primary, but after a few brake pad failures, they soon learn limits and still get improved performance. There is no magic in the application: hook loads/drop speeds/distance add up to horsepower per trip. We now have a few rigs in service with “total disc braking”; the drum flanges were replaced with discs. On these, we use a caliper that has a failsafe “maxi-brake pod,” air-controlled but spring-applied in the event of air failure or the need for parking. Springapplied calipers are not easily controlled for dynamic braking; therefore, there is a need for air-applied with spring-override for safety. On pure retarder braking, air-applied is sufficient; the drum flange brakes are used as backup. The accompanying photo (Figure 9) was made showing the 5026CM caliper—air-applied with the spring set function included—no flange brakes are on this Taylor rig, only discs. Controls for “total disc” braking had been the concern. Other engineers tried to do this with “over-engineered” control circuits, computers, hydraulics, WABCO controls, you name it. I insist on KOBELT control valves, and ask that the original equipment manufacturer comply strictly with KOBELT recommendations. This includes a lever control valve and a pilot-operated relay valve installed in each caliper. The pilot air sends the signal to the relay valve; the relay valve sends air quickly to the caliper (it is a TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY/continues on page 56 54/ November 2009 Water Well Journal NGWA.org Figure 9. This rig, under construction, features a 4-inch-wide by 48-inch-diameter disc brake for the drum. This is the only brake system for the drum. TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY/from page 54 ⁄4-inch capacity valve). Unless this is done, delays in brake response cause lack of control. Understand, however, that this applies only to those rigs with total-disc braking. Retarder (dynamic) braking can be accomplished with simple precision regulators and three-way on/off control valves. The relay valve is an option and, in my opinion, worth the cost. On the Wichita applications, the Kopper-Kool design has proven to be a real asset. W-N Apache has several water well rigs in service with the Wichita brake mounted directly to the drum shaft. Although some are “spring applied,” they claim that with their own 3 Figure 10. The rotating parts inside a Parmac double 15 series. Note the sharp edges. These knives will slice (shear) the water due to close tolerances and high speeds. The water gets hot. This is kinetic energy turned into thermal energy. 56/ November 2009 Water Well Journal NGWA.org Figure 11. Note the double-drive speed-increase ratio. When the brake is needed, a jawclutch is engaged. The one-way clutch allows the block to go up without retardation. Shown is the Parmac 15-inch double rotor. Note the very large brake bands. Figure 12. One-way clutch (courtesy of Warner Electric Formsprag). 1 2 4 3 5 6 8 9 7 computer control and feedback for drill pressure, it is a superior system. I cannot question this success, as there have been only a few rigs delivered, and I have not had the pleasure of seeing one on location. So in summation: Calipers are available in air-applied, spring-applied, and dual-air-applied with a spring set failsafe function. Discs are available in a wide range of sizes, up to and including 72-inch-diameter water-cooled. Wichita has their Kopper-Kool brake available in horsepower sizes from 25 through 3300 hp continuous! Disc brake installations are increasing in numbers. Retarders Water or electromagnetic retarders are all based on turning kinetic energy into heat, which is then cooled by the air. The most common brand in the NGWA.org water well industry is Parmac LLC, which produces the Parmac Hydromatic® or Hydrotarder® brake. Because these are water brakes, they are often referred to as hydromatic brakes or hydrotarders. A large selection of sizes fit rigs with hookloads from 60,000 to 1,000,000 pounds. A customer must decide the maximum lowering speed of the drill string. On water well rigs with short masts, about 180 feet per minute is maximum, requiring only 10 seconds for 30foot joints. In the calculation to size the brake, the following are needed: ● ● ● ● ● Brake drum diameter Number of lines to the block Maximum string load (usually hook load of mast) Maximum lowering speed Increase ratio of drive General Description of a Hydromatic Brake (Courtesy of Parmac LLC) The Hydromatic Brake is a hydrodynamic device that absorbs power by converting mechanical energy into heat in the working fluid, which is normally water. Resistance is created exclusively by fluid friction and agitation of the fluid being circulated between the vaned pockets of the rotor and the facing vaned pockets of the stator. The amount of mechanical energy that can be absorbed in this manner is dependent on the quantity and velocity of the fluid in the working chamber. The velocity of any specific quantity of fluid in the working chamber will be increased with the increased rotary speed of the rotor TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY/continues on page 58 Water Well Journal November 2009 57/ Figure 13. Horsepower chart (courtesy of Parmac). Figure 14. Parmac on Ewbank Model M-100 with air-clutch drive. When space is available on a wide frame such as pictured, a large-size air clutch can be used, using pneumatic logics and interlocks to allow the brake to be operated automatically when needed. This system releases the brake when hoisting the block in the mast. A Parmac’s brake holdback capacity can be controlled by the amount of water flowing into the brake. This may never be cut off 100%; steam could form instantly, blowing out the seals. The inlet valve must be easily reachable by the driller to adjust, as the string gets heavier. TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY/from page 57 up to the maximum operating speed of the brake. Hydromatic brakes and hydrotarders are versatile pieces of equipment. Originally developed for use on heavy-duty rotary drilling rigs, uses have spread to other areas such as cranes, hoists, ski lifts, on- and off-road highway vehicles, gravity conveyers, and dynamometers. 58/ November 2009 Water Well Journal Any equipment that generates a surplus of energy on descent can profit for the smooth, fluid action, “power absorbing” efficiency of the hydromatic brake or hydrotarder. The hydromatic brake has been used primarily on oil drilling rigs to retard the descent of the drill pipe into the well. It is a speed-retarding device only and cannot completely stop the load being controlled. The hydromatic brake is used to control the descent of the hook load to a speed the drawworks friction brake can stop safely. A large water-cooling system is needed to supply cool water to the brake. Water is heavy, sometimes hard to get, and it will freeze. Some rigs use a closed loop system whereby water and antifreeze is mixed and contained on the rig. Let us look at some horsepower calculations. Hook hp = (weight ⳯ speed)/33,000. To lift a 60,000-pound load at 180 feet/minute would be (60,000 ⳯ 180)/ 33,000 = 327 hp. When lowering this load at that speed, it generates 327 hp, which is equal to 243 kilowatts. If we could capture this energy and use it, a four-hour brake operation could supply electricity for my home for one month. The brake usage is only when tripping back into a deep hole with a heavy string. Refer to Figure 11. Once the string weight gets to approximately 20,000 pounds, the jawclutch (3) will be engaged manually. (Some manufacturers elect to shift this with air.) The driver sprocket (2) is now locked to the shaft, which is keyed to the drum. Driven sprocket (5) is on bearings and is bolted to the one-way overriding clutch (4) to allow freewheeling when the block is hoisted up. When fully releasing the band brakes (1), the clutch (4) will drive crossover shaft (6), which will turn sprockets (7) and (8) and drive the brake (9). At this point, the drill string is on a controlled descent with the band brake held free. Final stopping will be when applying these band brakes (1). In simple words, the Parmac is a brake band/ drum saver. Even a small brake can absorb enormous amounts of energy; 100 hp per hour is equal to 74.5 killowatts per hour. The author does not recommend a valve in the discharge line from the brake. Caution must be taken to never exceed a pressure of 25 pounds per square inch in the brake nor let the discharge water temperature get above 180ºF. Eddy Current Retarders In the early 1980s, the author selected a series of electromagnetic retarders for use on a drilling rig with TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY/continues on page 60 NGWA.org Figure 15. Electromagnetic retarder installed on a Failing 2500 CF operating currently in Australia. Drilling depth is 4000 feet and we quote “the braking system works like a dream.” Picture courtesy of Daly Bros. Drilling in Australia, taken March 5, 2002. Note that the brake is heavily guarded while in operation to protect against rotating parts and extreme heat transfer. Figure 16. Text and pictures courtesy of Mustang Dynamometer Co. TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY/from page 58 the help of Don Ganzhorn Sr. The unit is air-cooled and lightweight. Variable holdback can be controlled through a 10-turn 12 VDC-30 amp potentiometer, built into the control panel. A jawclutch is still recommended, along with an overriding clutch as used on the Parmac. The medium series C-160 was used which will hold back as much as 180 hp. Principles of Electromagnetic Absorbers These power absorbers are simple devices, low in cost, used for testing such items as engines, engine components, transmissions, gear boxes, tires, and belts. Because of the power absorber’s inherent design and operation, it is ideally suited for test standard operations. However, it also has many uses 60/ November 2009 Water Well Journal in both portable and mobile applications. Although specified primarily for new test stand installations, the power absorber is practical as an “add-on” unit for upgrading existing absorption equipment that has become too small for the application. The fast-responding power absorber is electrically controlled, aircooled, and requires minimum maintenance. The power absorber has no frictional wearing surfaces and is completely free of all air, water, hydraulic, and associated servitudes. Operating on the eddy current principle, the power absorber establishes a magnetic field by energizing the stationary field coils with direct-current (DC) power. Rotation of the iron rotors in the magnetic field generates eddy currents in the rotors that produce a counterforce to the direction of the rotary motion. Power absorption is dependent on the amount of DC power applied to the field coils and input revolutions per minute of the rotors. The absorbed energy is converted into heat in the two rotors, which are located external of the coils. The rotors are designed with curvilinear cooling fins for fast heat dissipation into the atmosphere. This design provides the smallest physical size for air-cooled eddy current design absorbers. Lubrication Drum bearings, pillowblock bearings, shaft cross journals, Parmac pinion bearings, jawclutches, and one-way sprocket bushings all need a goodquality gun grease. A one-way clutch needs to be half full with oil. Do not use EP lube or oil with slick additives. Mobil Jet Oil II, which is preferred, is a synthetic lubricant. Also approved are Shell Turbine Oil 500 and Exxon Turbo Oil 2389. Quantity should be approximately 7 ounces or 207 cc. NGWA.org Service and Operations ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Inspect drawworks brakes. Inspect drawworks brake linkages. Adjust and lube as necessary. Inspect oil in one-way clutch. Check shaft endplay on the Parmac. Check plumbing and valve. Note the intake valve should have a 1⁄2-inch hole drilled through to allow water to get to the Parmac. Check system for proper drainage in freezing weather. Inspect that the correct size of wire line is used to match grooving and wire line sheaves. Brakes and Drawworks Drums In the May issue, we discussed briefly how to calculate the length of a wire line that can be stored on a drum. I’ve had a number of people call and ask to explain this formula. Well, I always use my own formula (Figure 1). It seems to work well and ends up showing about 2% less in capacity. Let us plug in some dimensions: D = 22 inches B = 8 inches D – B/2 = A = 7 inches C = 12 inches D average = D + B/2 = 15 inches or A + B = 15 inches Use ¾-inch wire line To get the number of wraps (W) around the full length of the barrel, divide C by the wire line diameter. So 12 inches/¾ inch = 16 = W. If this is a fraction, always delete the fraction and only use the whole number. Now let’s find the number of layers (L) of wire line if they are stacked one right on top of the other one. Let us take A and divide it by the wire line diameter. So you have 7 inches/¾ inch = 9.333 = L. As before, we delete the decimals so that L = 9. One circumference on DAVE (the average diameter) will be calculated in feet as follows: DAVE × π /12 = ___ NGWA.org Resolutions to Make Today 1. Write an inspection report for the following items: a. Brake drums and bands b. Linkage and pins c. Disc brake disc and calipers d. Retarder and drive assembly. 2. Determine what maintenance tools should be on the rig. 3. Record any applicable model numbers of items, such as the Parmac, retarder, one-way clutch, or disc brake. 4. Obtain parts and service manuals for these from the manufacturer who built the rig. 5. Establish a personal contact with engineering and parts supply staff. Coming next month. Drawworks: The rest of the story. What are catheads or catworks? How do we choose from bevel gears, spiral bevel gears, or hypoid gears? Are chains dry, brush lubed, or oil bath? Interested in the book Transfer of Technology? It is available in the NGWA Bookstore. The member rate is $75; the nonmember rate is $87.50. Call NGWA at (800) 551-7379 to order your copy today. Figure 1. Formula for calculating the length of wire line that can be stored in drum. feet. The drum capacity multiplies this length by W (number of wraps) and by L (number of layers). The formula becomes now: DAVE × π/12 × W × L = ___ feet. In our example, it becomes: 15 × π/12 × 16 × 9 = 565 feet. If your calculator doesn’t have the π button, use 3.14 or plug in 22/7. Please make the effort and measure one of your drums and go through this exercise. This system has worked for me for 40 years and we have built a lot of drums. And yes, the wire line fits on the drums. Brake Linkages As the equipment gets older, we find worn-out brass and steel bushings in the TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY/continues on page 62 Water Well Journal November 2009 61/ Figure 2. Standard shaftings fit the Fafnir VCJ 17⁄16-inch pillow blocks. TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY/from page 61 remote brake linkage to clutches and brakes. The result is a hard to control drawworks. Brake levers have to be lifted way up to release and then they release all at once, requiring swift action to catch the load. The contractor operating this 3000foot rig did away with expensive factory bushings and used standard, cold-rolled 117⁄16-inch shaftings that fit the Fafnir VCJ 117⁄16-inch pillow blocks (Figure 2). A little grease will go a long, long time and provide a smooth rotation. If the rod yokes or pins are worn out, replace them. If the shaft arms are worn out, replace them or drill them out for an oversize yoke pin. Operation of a mechanical drawworks becomes a lot easier on the arms and brains of the operator. The Parkersburg Brake Shown is the older model double 15inch brake (Figure 3). It has been modified to get absolute free-wheeling from the clutch while the block goes up. The shaft has been drilled for passage of air via a rotor seal to the dual element size 11.5VC500. The internal drum is mounted directly to the shaft that is supported by the two pillow blocks shown. The chain moves whenever the drum moves. The pneumatic system is designed in such a way that when the brake is needed, one valve is flipped on 62/ November 2009 Water Well Journal Figure 3. The Parkersburg brake. for the duration and the clutch kicks in and out automatically. Owner-operator Scott is very pleased when handling 80,000 pounds hook load with the band brakes completely free from his brake drums. A plate-style clutch tends to backspin the Parkersburg when the traveling block goes up due to internal clutch friction. The newer series of Parkersburg such as the model 122 (12 inches, two plate) requires a double ratio chain drive to get the high operating rpm’s required. WWJ Dedication This series is dedicated to the education of John L’Espoir’s two grandsons, Ethan Daniel Atwood and Elliott John Atwood (right), who are each destined to become a drilling rig engineer. Opposing points of view or questions? Contact us at Enid Drill Systems (580) 234-5971, fax (580) 234-5980, [email protected]. Waiver: The views expressed in this article are the author’s opinion and are based on the engineering education, skills, and experience gained in a lifelong industry commitment. No part of this article is intended to replace or supersede any information supplied by others. The contents of this article may not be used in any type of legal action. NGWA.org