Working On Oilfield Pumps
The Mud Pump...
Is the heart of the drilling rig pumping the fluid (Mud) down the drill pipe thousands of feet where it exits the drill bit and flows back up the hole outside the drill pipe.The drilling mud has several purposes which include cleaning the hole of cuttings and returning them to the surface,exerting hydrostatic pressure against the walls of the hole which keeps it from caving in & cooling the drill bit.Mud is often weighted with Barite to match formation pressures to keep oil & gas from entering the wellbore.The pumps run 24/7 while drilling and often break down, it is the job of every Roughneck to develop the skills to work on the pumps safely-When a pump goes down,,whatever you are working on stops and it's "Katy Bar The Door" type work until the pump is ready to put back on the hole.
Ever get tired of working on pumps?
Well, I can tell you from first hand experience that it gets old in a hurry, so
here are a few tips that you might want to follow.They will drastically increase Head life,save The Company a little money, and save you and your crew a lot of work!
1.Always make sure you have the proper Shaker Screens in use. A pile of solids below a Screen indicates a bad Gasket seal or damaged screen. Check this often.
2.Make sure Desander, Desilter and Centrifuge are working properly.
3.Clean the Sand trap as often as possible.
4.Check Suction-Side Pulsation Dampener often for proper pressure and functioning
.
5.Keep Water Boxes clean and full. If your Pumps have the "Bonnet-Type" Liner Washers, you should back-flush the Nozzles in them with the tip of a water hose, making sure they are clear.This should be done each time you work on the pump, but check them every few hours to see that they are lubricating the liners
6.Keep Pits gated back as much as possible.This is your best defense against solids and will greatly reduce the amounts of Shale that reach the Suction Pit.
If you're changing Heads and Liners often, or if you are finding Sand & Shale in your water boxes,you doing something wrong on the pits and it's time to go over them and rethink things.
Be sure and read the book"Shale Shakers" in the Download section of this site.
1. Always open a valve before closing another. (whenever possible)
2. Never work on a pump until your absolutely sure its locked out.
3.Clean work area of mud and debris before beginning work.
4. Always close charge pump valve and relieve pressure before beginning work.
5.When breaking and tightening caps, always keep hands away from pinch points.
See the "Working on Pumps" Video in the Photo/Video section of this Site
http://www.iadc.org/alerts/2002_Alerts/sa02-16.PDF
http://www.iadc.org/alerts/2002_Alerts/sa02-46.pdf
http://www.iadc.org/alerts/2005_Alerts/sa%2005-42.pdf