Drilling rig

A digital drilling report is generated automatically from the data the drilling rig produces during drilling. At Tracto, telemetry data is sent to the cloud via Azure IoT Hub, and the BoreData application uses it to create the mandatory drilling reports. They are quickly and easily available to Tracto and, above all, to customers, without anyone having to transfer values by hand.

Top drive damage shows up early as rising ultrasound levels on the main shaft. On a North Sea drilling platform, an Asystom multisensor detected such an anomaly even though a visual inspection by offshore staff found nothing. Onshore analysis pointed to loose metal fragments, and when the unit was dismantled during a planned drilling stop, broken disc springs were found in the torque arm. A later failure was possibly prevented.

Modern HDD rigs can be remotely controlled by tablet and follow a previously calculated drilling plan. Tracto calculates bore paths as 3D models with Quickplanner3D and sends the plan to the machine, which follows it without manual intervention by the drill operator. In the past, up to three additional people were needed on site. In the COCKPIT, Tracto and its customers see each machine’s location, daily working time and drilling metres covered.

Connectivity reduces downtime because faults become visible centrally and the service team can intervene remotely. The basis is central storage of all machine and condition data. Tracto collects all error messages in the cloud, which means service technicians can identify faults and weak points much faster. At the push of a button, customers can bring in Tracto’s service team, who then access the rig’s display remotely. As a next step, Tracto plans to contact customers before downtime occurs.