Automation and supervision of a top drive varco TDS 11/SA at entp (TP-232)

Abstract

Oil and gas are regarded as key sources of energy in this century, and they are utilized in numerous nations worldwide. Our reliance on fossil fuels is so profound that oil companies around the world have decided to do their utmost to extract oil through a variety of drilling techniques to meet market demand. Companies have come up with a new drilling technology that involves introducing advanced equipment to accelerate the drilling process; this equipment is called the Top Drive. At ENTP, they use a legacy Control system based on old technology (Electro-hydraulic). It has a multitude of issues, notably when it comes to downtime because of the frequent, intensive maintenance needed; Therefore, in our study, we aim to renovate the control system of the Varco Top drive by introducing the torque and speed function, alarm function, brake function using a Programmable logical Controller with the human-machine interface which displays the speed, torque and set the torque limit with alarm, brake, and pipe handler screen to improve the control system and ease the supervision. The results of the experimental implementation demonstrate that a high level of automation can greatly improve equipment reliability and productivity.