NOV Develops Iron Roughneck Upgrade

Operators in the Permian basin cannot always expend the additional capital necessary to procure entirely new equipment—and often, they don’t need to.

Upgrades to common rig equipment can provide performance increases without the cost and downtime associated with newbuilds. To enable drilling contractors to more economically increase performance using their existing equipment, National Oilwell Varco (NOV) has developed and introduced an upgrade package for its ST-80 iron roughneck—the ST-80E—to the Permian basin.

The ST-80E builds upon the success of the ST-80, the most widely used iron roughneck in oil and gas operations, according to NOV. Drilling contractors are increasingly seeking ways to differentiate their rig fleet, particularly as the land drilling market is fraught with intense competition for contracts in the current cost environment; to address this, NOV developed an upgrade package that provides significantly improved performance at a fraction of the cost of buying entirely new capital equipment. The widespread use of the original iron roughneck in active shale plays such as the Permian also means that the upgrade can be performed faster and with better service without any loss of quality.

The ST-80E can be retrofitted to any model of ST-80 iron roughneck, regardless of the production date or generation of the tool. The upgrade kit increases torque magnitude to meet the emerging rig application demands associated with longer lateral wells. The upgrade can accommodate all tool joint make and break requirements for drill pipe sizes from 5 to 5⅞ in., which are currently being used to aid in better torque transmission through the string and to enable higher flow rates. Offering makeup torque and breakout torque at 75,000 and 95,000 ft-lb, respectively, the ST-80E upgrade kit increases torque capabilities by as much as 25% over standard ST-80 models, which is critical when using larger pipe. With a new primary control manifold and a new mechanical design, the upgrade supports the higher pressure necessary to reach those higher torque levels.

A proportionate clamp force feature affords a perfect balance between torque accuracy and grip, as well as delivering the appropriate lower clamping on thin-walled connections during spinning operation via the SoftClamp feature. Proportionate clamp force is also standard, ensuring appropriate distribution of clamp and rotating force to eliminate slippage during make/break mode. Additionally, new upper and lower jaws incorporate an intermediary (die holder) to reduce jaw rework costs that happen over time. 

The ST-80E upgrade expands the utilization of the existing iron roughnecks and meets the Permian market need for increased torque range and improved overall connection time efficiency. The installation is performed by NOV, meaning the upgrade comes with the benefit of both OEM testing and an OEM warranty. Customers in the Permian can elect to implement the upgrade during refurbishment or reconditioning of the iron roughneck—a convenient way to avoid the downtime associated with in-field changes—before putting their rigs back to work on the longer laterals and challenging formations typical of the region.

Source: World Oil