derrick floor versus kelly bushing manufacturer

An adapter that serves to connect the rotary table to the kelly. The kelly bushing has an inside diameter profile that matches that of the kelly, usually square or hexagonal. It is connected to the rotary table by four large steel pins that fit into mating holes in the rotary table. The rotary motion from the rotary table is transmitted to the bushing through the pins, and then to the kelly itself through the square or hexagonal flat surfaces between the kelly and the kelly bushing. The kelly then turns the entire drillstring because it is screwed into the top of the drillstring itself. Depth measurements are commonly referenced to the KB, such as 8327 ft KB, meaning 8327 feet below the kelly bushing.

At a previous employer a coworker came to me and told me that a group within our company had asked for all the KB (kelly bushing) elevations for every well in Colorado. I replied that it made no sense and asked my coworker to see if the reference elevations were what they really wanted. The coworker returned the next day and indicated that they had insisted on the KB elevations. We supplied the KB elevations and sure enough, about a week later they came back and asked for the reference elevations.

Yes, most logs are measured from the KB. No, never use just the KB. Some logs are measured from the DF (derrick floor), GR (ground), or CHF (casing head flange), and there are a few other strange places logs are measured from. In today’s world, where multiple rigs can drill multiple sections of a well, the KB can have different elevations depending on the run of the log. It’s really important to put things back together on a common reference point so the logs aren’t off and formations can be correlated and depth corrected. (Side note: the definition of MSL, mean sea-level, is also probably a good topic of future discussion. It’s probably not what or where you think it is).

Every signed oil well drilling contract includes some form of conditions and agreements. For example, the drilling rig contractor will agree to a specific drilling depth, financial obligations, or where the well will be drilled. Once everything has been agreed upon, the drilling rig will be moved in to prepare for drilling. This is most commonly referred to as the MIRU, or the “Move In and Rig Up”; and in most cases, will include drilling with a jackknife rig instead of the derricks that are built in place. Other important personnel often comprise of:

Commonly referred to as the derrick man, a derrick worker cannot be afraid of heights. This position requires working high above the floor, and is used during regular operations to help when the pipe is being pulled or run. In many of the modern rigs, a rack will vertically hold various sections of drill pipe along the side of the derrick. Each is then added to the drilling string as the bit makes it way deeper and deeper into the ground.

One of the common duties of derrick workers is to add (or remove) sections of pipe from the drill string. During drilling, the pipe is added the deeper into the ground they drill; while sections are removed from the drill string and pulled out of the ground once the drilling has been complete. Sections of pipe are also removed for replacement, or to deal with any drilling issues.

While running and pulling pipe, there are always two floor workers. These two personal are generally referred to as either roughnecks or floor hands, with the more experienced worker being referred to as the lead. The lead operates the lead tong, while the other floor worker operates the back-up tong (or back-up). In most cases, these workers are the most inexperienced members of the rig crew.

As the crew drills the well, the distances are calculated starting from the top of kelly bushing (refers to the sliding bushing located on the drilling rig floor on top of the rotary table that permits the drill kelly  to go down through it when the pipe is turning and the hole is drilled.

Once the casing pipe is permanently cemented into the hole (or set) and either the braiden head or wellhead installed, the measurements from the top of the wellhead to the top of the kelly bushing are calculated and subtracted from all drilling records. This allows precise well records for once the drilling rig is no longer there.

n: a large load-bearing structure, usually of bolted construction. In drilling, the standard derrick has four legs standing at the corners of the substructure and reaching to the crown block. The substructure is an assembly of heavy beams used to elevate the derrick and provide space to install blowout preventers, casingheads, and so forth.

n: all members in the assembly used for rotary drilling from the swivel to the bit, including the kelly, the drill pipe and tool joints, the drill collars, the stabilizers, and various specialty items. Compare drill string.

n: the column, or string, of drill pipe with attached tool joints that transmits fluid and rotational power from the kelly to the drill collars and the bit. Often, the term is loosely applied to include both drill pipe and drill collars.

A 27-year-old gas drilling rig worker died on May 23, 2003 from blunt force trauma to the head, neck, and chest during a cleanout operation at the well. At the time of the incident, the victim was working within eight feet of the kelly on the drilling rig floor. Compressed air was used to blow out the conductor pipe, but due to a lack of communication, the compressor was turned on before the valves were prepared to control the flow of debris out of the hole. The excess pressure caused the kelly bushing, drillpipe slips, and debris to be blown out of the rotary table. The victim was struck by these objects and was pronounced dead on arrival to the hospital.

A 27-year-old gas drilling rig worker died on May 23, 2003 from blunt force trauma to the head, neck, and chest after he was struck by the kelly bushing and drillpipe slips. OKFACE investigators reviewed the death certificate, related local news articles, and reports from the sheriff’s office, Medical Examiner, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),

At the time of the incident, the rig floor and working surfaces were level and dry; the weather was warm with light to no wind. The victim was working with four other crew members on a gas drilling rig, wearing the necessary personal protective equipment (e.g., steel toe boots, hard hat, eye protection). Prior to the incident, the decedent was assigned the task of driller and was asked to find the bottom of the conductor hole with the kelly (Figure 2). The kelly is used to transmit power (rotary motion) from the rotary table and kelly bushing to the drillstring (Table 1). After unlatching the brake handle, the driller allowed the kelly to free fall to the bottom. The uncontrolled fall caused the kelly to become jammed with debris, such as water, mud, and other material, that had collected in the conductor hole since the time it was originally drilled for the well. As a result, a cleanout operation became necessary. Cleanout procedures involving air or mud drilling fluid are acceptable norms in the oil and gas drilling industry; however, drilling fluid is more commonly used than compressed air.

a long square or hexagonal steel bar with a hole drilled through the middle for a fluid path; goes through the kelly bushing, which is driven by the rotary table

After the kelly became jammed, a senior driller was assigned to take over the brake handle and kelly; however, the decedent remained approximately eight feet away on the rig floor. A newly hired, yet experienced, derrickman had the job of running the air compressor. While the drillers were switching positions, the derrickman realized that he had not started that particular type of compressor in quite some time and left the rig floor to seek help from another driller onsite.

In normal cleanout operation procedures, certain valves are closed prior to turning on the compressed air, which allows control over the flow of debris out of the hole and into a catch pond. Once the valves are prepared, the driller indicates to the derrickman that the area is ready for the compressed air. At some point between the senior driller preparing for cleanout and the derrickman leaving the floor to turn on the air compressor, there was a lack of communication and the air compressor was activated without the senior driller’s knowledge, prior to the prescribed valves being shut. After starting the air compressor, the derrickman returned to the rig floor and, as he walked to his next assignment, the rotary table erupted. The pressure normally used to complete the cleanout work is a minimum of 20 pounds per square inch. Within minutes, the kelly had pressurized well beyond this point to 150 pounds per square inch. The victim, who was still on the rig floor in close proximity to the kelly, was also unaware that the air compressor had been turned on. The compressed air, at full pressure with no valves closed to control or direct the flow, blew the kelly bushing, drillpipe slips, and debris out of the rotary table; all of which struck and landed on the victim.

Catline. A rope, usually reeved on a crown block sheave in a derrick or mast, for the primary purpose of lifting and transferring materials from one place to another about the derrick or mast floor. A rotating cathead imparts the pulling power to the catline that is wrapped on it.

Catwalk (Derrick Walk or Mast Walk). A walkway extending from the derrick and/or mast to a point beyond the outer end of the drill pipe and casing storage rack at a well, the purpose of which is to facilitate the handling of such pipe between the rack and the derrick and/or mast.

Crown Block Assembly. An assembly of mechanical parts mounted on top of a derrick tower or mast, consisting of a framework to which a number of sheaves are fastened over which hoisting lines are reeved.

Derrick. The tower component of a drilling or well servicing rig that supports the crown block assembly, traveling block and hoisting lines. Derricks and masts may be stationary structures normally requiring dismantling and disassembly when moved from location to location, or may be portable with the capability of being laid down and raised to and from ground level fully assembled.

Finger Board. A support for the finger. It may be a timber, metal bar, structural steel shape, or inside derrick platform secured in the derrick or mast.

Finger Brace. A bar or structural steel shape secured to the finger board or to the derrick or mast members to resist horizontal movement of the finger.

High Line. A specially rigged rope used to convey pipe, drilling tools or other equipment from a derrick or mast to the derrick, catwalk or other location outside the derrick or mast.

Kelly. The square or other shaped steel pipe connecting the swivel to the drill pipe. The kelly moves through the rotary table and transmits torque to the drill string.

Ladder Offset Platform. A platform installed on the derrick or mast at points where the ladder is offset to provide access from one ladder section to an adjacent offset section.

Mast. The tower component of a drilling or well servicing rig that supports the crown block assembly, travelling block and hoisting lines. Derricks and masts may be stationary structures normally requiring dismantling and disassembly when moved from location to location, or may be portable with the capability of being laid down and raised to and from ground level fully assembled.

Mousehole. An opening through the rig floor, usually lined with pipe, into which a length of drill pipe is placed temporarily for later connection to the drill string.

Rathole. A hole in the rig floor lined with a casing that projects above the floor into which the kelly and swivel are placed when hoisting operations are in progress.

Stabbing Board. A readily movable platform used in the derrick or on a mast which workmen stand on to perform work of a temporary nature and not normally performed from a fixed inside derrick platform or monkey board, or a fixed working platform on a mast.

Traveling Block. Two or more steel plates and other metal parts assembled into a framework within which are mounted one or more sheaves on which the hoisting line is reeved in connection with the sheaves on the crown block. The traveling block travels between the derrick or mast floor and the crown block.

Kelly Bushing Height (KB): The height of the drilling floor above the ground level. Many wellbore depth measurements are taken from the Kelly Bushing. The Kelly bushing elevation is calculated by adding the ground level to the Kelly bushing height.

1. n. [Drilling] An adapter that serves to connect the rotary table to the kelly. The kelly bushing has an inside diameter profile that matches that of the kelly, usually square or hexagonal. It is connected to the rotary table by four large steel pins that fit into mating holes in the rotary table.

A Kelly bushing (some people call “rotary Kelly bushing”) engages a master bushing via four pins and rollers inside a Kelly bushing to allow a Kelly to move up or down freely while it is rotated or in a static mode. This video demonstrates how to make a connection via a Kelly system.

Kelly bushing is that elevated device positioned right on top of the rotary table and used to transmit torque from the rotary table to the kelly. The kelly bushing is designed to be the connection between the rotary table and the kelly.

1. n. [Drilling] An adapter that serves to connect the rotary table to the kelly. The kelly bushing has an inside diameter profile that matches that of the kelly, usually square or hexagonal. It is connected to the rotary table by four large steel pins that fit into mating holes in the rotary table.

The kelly is used to transmit rotary motion from the rotary table or kelly bushing to the drillstring, while allowing the drillstring to be lowered or raised during rotation.

1. adj. [Drilling] Referring to the condition that occurs when the kelly is all the way down, so drilling progress cannot continue. A connection must be made, which has the effect of raising the kelly up by the length of the new joint of drillpipe added, so drilling can resume.

This means that Top Drives can drill about 90 feet before making a connection, whereas with a Kelly System, you will make a connection at about 30 feet deep. Another difference between a Kelly and a Top Drive is that a Top Drive System allows rotation and circulation while back reaming out of a hole.

Kelly drive system is capable to drill with one single drill pipe. On other hand TDS is capable to drill with drill pipe stand. One drill pipe stand is made of three drill pipe joints together.

Kelly bars operate by transferring the torque and crowd force from a rotary drive tool to the drilling tool. Many kelly bars can be applied to any type of piling rig that is available on the market. Kelly bars can be divided into two main types: friction kelly bars and interlocking kelly bars.

The wear bushing is housed in the head or in the spool and is secured by means of two tie down screws to protect it against damage or wear during drilling. It is installed or retrieved with either a simple installation tool or with the HCC combined tool.

Kelly Saver Subs refer to a sub used between the Kelly or top head drive and the drill pipe. It is usually a pin to pin sub that takes the wear abuse to protect the drill pipe and the drive connection. Mills can furnish these subs along with the fluted, hex, or square Kelly Bar drive itself.

A mechanical device for rotating the kelly. The kelly spinner is typically pneumatic. It is a relatively low torque device, useful only for the initial makeup of threaded tool joints. It is not strong enough for proper torque of the tool joint or for rotating the drillstring itself.

This means that Top Drives can drill about 90 feet before making a connection, whereas with a Kelly System, you will make a connection at about 30 feet deep. Another difference between a Kelly and a Top Drive is that a Top Drive System allows rotation and circulation while back reaming out of a hole.

Kelly bars are key components in the execution of boreholes with hydraulic rotary drilling rigs. They transfer the torque of the rotary drive and the crowd pressure of the crowd system concurrently to the drilling tool.

A kelly drive is a type of well drilling device on an oil or gas drilling rig that employs a section of pipe with a polygonal (three-, four-, six-, or eight-sided) or splined outer surface, which passes through the matching polygonal or splined kelly (mating) bushing and rotary table.

A conventional rotary rig or rotary table rig or kelly drive rig is a drilling rig where the rotation of the drill string and bit is applied from a rotary table on the rig floor.

Kelly drive system is capable to drill with one single drill pipe. On other hand TDS is capable to drill with drill pipe stand. One drill pipe stand is made of three drill pipe joints together.

Kelly bars operate by transferring the torque and crowd force from a rotary drive tool to the drilling tool. Many kelly bars can be applied to any type of piling rig that is available on the market. Kelly bars can be divided into two main types: friction kelly bars and interlocking kelly bars.