TDS-11 TOP DRIVE

30-HOUR MAINTENANCE

COURSE

Provided by Rig Angel LLC

 TDS-11 TOP DRIVE
30-HOUR MAINTENANCE
COURSE
2020 Rig Angel LLC
Copyleft – Freesource Document
(Unlimited distribution for end users of the TDS-11 Top Drive)
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction: History of this Course

PART I – MAINTENANCE INDOCTRINATION

Chapter 1: Machine Basics, Hydraulic Primer, Electrical Primer 1

Chapter 2: Fundamentals of World-Class Maintenance 25

Chapter 3: Levels of Maintenance / Roles & Responsibilities 39

PART II – EQUIPMENT CORE TRAINING

Chapter 4: Introduction to the TDS-11 Top Drive 51

Chapter 5: Tools of the Trade 61

Chapter 6: TDS-11 Main Assemblies and Subcomponents 67

Chapter 7: Top Drive Operation & Controls 81

Chapter 8: Servicing & Periodic Maintenance 93

Chapter 9: TDS-11 Hydraulic System 117

Chapter 10: NOV Technical Publications 143

Chapter 11: TDS-11 Electrical System 149

Chapter 12: Print Reading & NOV Technical Drawing Packages 171

Chapter 13: VFD Startup / Shutdown / Basic Troubleshooting 177

Chapter 14: Recommended Spare Parts 191

Chapter 15: Troubleshooting Fundamentals 205

Chapter 16: Troubleshooting / Repairing the Top 25 TDS-11 Failures 209

Chapter 17: Overview of Major TDS-11 Repairs 315

Chapter 18: Standards 331

NOTE REGARDING TRAINING FLOW: This curriculum is written for
working adults. It’s a wordy document, so it is recommended that the course
be driven via the accompanying PowerPoint slide presentation (which is more
concise), and that excerpts of the written document be selectively read during
the classroom portion in order to keep within schedule.

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING SAFETY: Safety is Continuous. This

document has been produced solely for technical training purposes, and while
specific safe procedures and practices may be annotated in some cases, it
excludes WARNINGS, CAUTIONS, and NOTES that relate to general safe
working procedures. Facilitators and students are expected to exercise safe
practices in class, shop, and field practical application—using common sense,
basic industrial safety guidelines as outlined in 29 CFR 1910 (OSHA), oil &
gas industry standards, and the rules and regulations of all companies
applicable to class personnel (i.e. drilling contractor & operator safety rules).
Keep your heads on a swivel; remember that all hands are active safety
observers, practice Stop Work Authority—if you see something, say
something.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Learning should be fun… it should be real.

Keep in mind that this was not written for a corporation; it’s yours, it’s mine,
it’s free. So I wrote this the way I would teach it, and you may find some
whacky analogies, a few sidebars on personal experience, or even some
colorful language. This is not intended to offend, rather to emphasize in field
terms. Chew up the meat and spit out the bones.
 INTRODUCTION:
History of this Course

Hi! My name’s Matty Speights and I’m

the owner of Rig Angel LLC, a field-
based rig maintenance & repair company
that started in West Texas in 2014.
Thanks for attending this course! I hope
that you will find its information useful
to your day-to-day operations, whether
you’re an experienced oil & gas
maintenance professional or a new-to-
industry Floorhand. It is an intense 30-hour course designed for Roughnecks
and intended to equip students to handle most of the maintenance & repair
issues common to this equipment.

I developed this course for

Patterson-UTI Drilling in
2010, as part of a series of
maintenance classes
designed for the same
audience to meet the same
purpose. At that time, it was
a five-day period of
instruction which culminated
in a 40-hour certification.
The course was attended by
personnel of all ranks and
professional backgrounds from
divisions across the country, and it was
lauded as a success by the company.
In 2014, the curriculum was
redeveloped as a 30-hour course for
use by GDS International, a Houston-
based Top Drive manufacturer. Three
other courses stemmed from this one,
covering Canrig 500, Tesco, and GDM Top Drives. Augmented by a team of
top technicians and translators, GDS proceeded to train international
customers in a formal setting. The customer feedback was very positive, and
the training was internalized to teach our own Top Drive techs.

In 2020, I was contacted by a Superintendent at Precision Drilling who sought

TDS-11 training materials for his hands. To meet this need, the course was
revised and largely rewritten under Rig Angel colors and uploaded to
rigangel.com for download as a shareable training resource. Since its initial
rollout in 2010, more than 300 individuals have received this training—likely
including Top Drive technicians who have been called to work on your
company’s rigs. Also, several past students used this course as a launch point
to transition from professional drilling roles into oilfield technical trades.

The information you’ll be receiving has been screened and vetted by industry
professionals, and has even been hailed as “better” than the $6,500 OEM
course at NOV’s Technical College. Best of all, it’s free, it’s streamlined, and
it’s built for YOU. If you have questions, please reach out day or night. Now
get ready to learn, and best wishes in your future endeavors!

v/r

M. Speights
910-381-0876
mspeights@rigangel.com
www.rigangel.com
 CHAPTER 1
MACHINE BASICS
HYDRAULIC PRIMER
ELECTRICAL PRIMER
 CHAPTER 1:
Machine Basics, Hydraulic Primer, Electrical Primer

In this section, we will learn the following:

1. Definition and purpose of a machine

2. Some basic mechanical concepts
3. Definition and purpose of a ‘force multiplier’
4. A few principles of physics
5. Basic hydraulic theory
6. Basic electrical concepts
7. How a system ties everything together

1.1 What is a Machine?

A machine is something designed to make work easier. The idea

behind a machine’s purpose is to provide greater physical output with
less physical input. Machines have been used since the dawn of
humankind.

Simple machines were developed using basic geometric objects and

principles. Applications using spheres, blocks, cylinders, pyramids, or
cubes… could all be used in some way to transfer, amplify, or change
direction of input energy to achieve a desired result.

One of the earliest discoveries in machine development—though it was

not completely realized at the time—is that force or pressure can be
traded for distance. The simplest illustration of this is in the example of
a lever and fulcrum. When the fulcrum is placed at the center of the
lever, the amount of force required to lift an object on the opposite end is
equal to the object being lifted. If the fulcrum is moved closer to the
object, however, the force required to lift the object is less than the
weight of the object itself. So force is traded for distance, and work is
made easier. The same concept can be applied to block and tackle
systems (think traveling blocks in the derrick), wherein the addition of
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each pulley reduces the amount of force required to lift an object (force
is traded for longer cable across multiple pulleys).

Figure 1.1

1.2 Force Multipliers: Advancing the Fleet

What is a force multiplier? A force multiplier is an object or factor

that increases the effectiveness of a force. In essence, anything that
gives someone an advantage could be considered a force multiplier, such
as healthy living habits, motivation & morale, favorable weather, tools
& technology, quality training, and experience. Colin Powell, former
Secretary of State, has founded his leadership on Thirteen Rules. His
thirteenth rule is this: “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.”
Forbes Magazine is riddled with articles about CEO’s who push the
force multiplier concept in the business world.

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Mechanically speaking—as outlined above—the proper use of fulcrums,
levers, and pulleys can be used to multiply the load-lifting capacity of
the human body. Nutcrackers, Vise-Grips, wheelbarrows, and crowbars
are other simple mechanical examples. Hydraulic equipment is another
powerful force multiplier when measured against our own biophysics.
For example, a single backhoe and operator can out-dig 15 men.
Similarly, in electricity, a capacitor collects and stores energy and then
releases it in greater quantities. In radio communications, relays and
repeaters are used to multiply the distance that a signal can be carried.
These are all examples of force multipliers.

With this same concept in mind, your company is investing in quality

maintenance training for its employees. Your Primary Objective in this
TDS-11 Top Drive Maintenance Course is to retain as much information
as possible, go back to your workplace, and show what you have
learned. You will then act as a force multiplier to advance the
knowledge of your team. As on the battlefield, our leaders have a
specific intent: to minimize downtime and maximize bottom-line
operational efficiency through a safe, professional, informed, and
maintenance-savvy fleet.

1.3 Basic Hydraulic Theory

Before diving into hydraulic or electrical theory, there are a few basic
concepts of physics that you’ll need to know. The first is this: the First
Law of Thermodynamics states essentially that energy cannot be
created nor destroyed, only transformed (or transferred) into one
form or another. Machines and machine systems of all sorts follow
this principle.

When you start up a rig, the sequence of energy transfer begins with the
firing of a motor. Chemical energy stored in a battery is transformed
into electrical energy to fire a starter, where the electrical energy is
transformed into mechanical energy to engage the Bendix to physically
turn a flywheel (or, in the case of an air starter, pneumatic energy is
4
transformed into mechanical energy at the starter). The mechanical
energy of a rotating shaft is transformed into electrical energy through
an engine-driven generator, which powers a light plant, SCR or VFD
house, and so on.

In hydraulics, there are three examples that will be mentioned in greater

detail later in this course. A hydraulic pump essentially converts
mechanical energy into hydraulic energy. A hydraulic motor does the
opposite, as it converts hydraulic energy into mechanical energy. A
hydraulic piston or cylinder, like a hydraulic motor, converts hydraulic
energy into mechanical energy.

“Hydraulics” is another name for fluid science. One of the most

important physical concepts in hydraulics is derived from Pascal’s Law,
which states that, when acted upon, fluid (or gas) exerts force equally
and in all directions against the walls of its container. The measure of
this force is expressed in pounds per square inch, or PSI.

Figure 1.2
5
Modern hydraulics have a fascinating history. Simple machines that
used levers and elaborate linkages were replaced by machines with
pneumatic systems, applying Pascal’s law with the use of compressed air
through tubes and flexible hoses… it made machine actuation simpler
and less expensive. The problem with pneumatics is that air circuits are
subject to moisture contamination, and components often fail due to
corrosion brought about by moist air (the reason that lubricating oil and
air dryers were introduced into pneumatic systems). Another problem
with pneumatics is that air is compressible, which makes the actuation of
pneumatic components less reliable (especially when controls are distant
from the components). Hydraulic systems eventually replaced
pneumatic systems because, while the theory of both is similar, fluids
are less compressible than air. With time, hydraulic fluids were
engineered at the molecular level to become nearly incompressible, so
that actuation of a hydraulically-driven component is nearly
instantaneous, regardless of the length of the circuit between operator
controls and the end actuating device

1.4 Hydraulic Systems

As applies to industry, a ‘system’ is the collective term for a machine

and its auxiliary components, controls, connective elements, and
incorporated protective devices. Hydraulic systems are classified in
several types, but most often as either “open loop” or “closed loop.”
This course will not cover all scenarios that comprise these systems;
here are the key discriminators:

An open loop system:

(1) Fresh fluid is constantly supplied to the pump from the reservoir
(2) The reservoir is usually sealed; actuator fluid returns to reservoir
(3) Provides flow without significant pressure or heat generation
(4) Examples include turbines, compressors, and the TDS-11 Top Drive

6
A closed loop system:

(1) Recirculates fluid from the actuator to the pump

(2) Provides flow and on-demand pressure for precise response time
(3) Is used for high-pressure applications and generates significant heat
(4) Examples include internal combustion engines, refrigerating systems,
and hydraulic Top Drives (the drive portion, not the auxiliaries)

The image below illustrates some components that are common to all
pressure hydraulic systems (open loop illustration):

Figure 1.3

(1) Hydraulic Reservoir – aka tank or sump, this holds the fluid for use
in a hydraulic system. May incorporate a breather, fill port, drain,

7
internal or external suction strainer(s) near the bottom before / after the
outlet, high-mounted internal or external return filter(s), an internal
heater element for cold weather applications, a sight glass or level
indicator, and low-level and / or high temperature shutoff safety devices.
The reservoir should be installed inside of a secondary containment area
that is capable of capturing the full contents of the reservoir.

(2) Suction Strainer – first line of filtration defense in the system,

protects the pump from contaminants that may have settled to the bottom
of the reservoir.

(2b) Shutoff Valve (optional) – One should be installed upstream from

each pump to isolate reservoir fluid during pump changes. Usually a
quarter-turn ball valve, this device can be a cause of pump cavitation and
failure, especially if the pump is energized while the valve is still closed.

(3) Pump – Creates flow for the hydraulic system. There are several
types used for different applications. The pump is driven mechanically
by a motor shaft, usually incorporating some type of coupling made of
softer material (aluminum / rubber / composite) to prevent secondary
component failure (in theory, if the motor seizes while running, the
coupling disintegrates and spares the pump; if the pump seizes while
running, the coupling disintegrates to spare the motor). Examples of
motor / pump couplings are Dodge, Magnaloy, and Lovejoy type.

(3b) Check Valves – These one-way flow control valves are often
installed just downstream of the pump. Some types of pumps have
incorporated these valves internally.

(3c) Pressure Compensators and Regulators – Used to set, adjust, and

maintain a desired downstream pressure. May be located internal or
external to the pump, or at any place in a hydraulic system. Similarly, a
flow adjustment may be located on the pump itself.

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(4) Pressure Filter – Downstream of the pump, this is the primary filter
in the hydraulic system. May incorporate more than one filter in an
assembly.

(5) Valve or Valve Bank / Stack – One or more directional control

valves that are each used to control an actuator, such as a piston or a
hydraulic motor. A stack of six individual valves may be referred to as a
“six-valve bank,” a “six-station valve stack,” or any variation thereof.

(6) Hydraulic Manifold – A hydraulic manifold is simply a block of

metal with holes drilled through it, some which intersect. The holes
serve as channels to direct fluid through orifices and fixed or adjustable
cartridge valves which may be installed into the manifold for various
purposes. Small manifolds are often referred to as valve blocks or valve
bodies. On the TDS-11 Top Drive, the large Main Manifold also take
the place of a seven-station valve bank, as its design allows for the
external mounting of seven solenoid-operated directional valves.
Hydraulic manifolds can be compared to traffic intersections for
ease of understanding.

(7) Directional Control Valves – These types of valves are used to

control the directions of double-acting cylinders and bi-directional
hydraulic motors. Refer to the illustration above to see how changing
the position of a directional valve’s handle position will determine
which side of a cylinder receives fluid under pressure. As the cylinder’s
piston rod moves, the low-pressure side of the cylinder is vented back
into the return circuit through the directional valve. Of course, this
doesn’t just happen magically. On the outside of the valve, we see a
handle. But that handle is mechanically connected to a valve spool—
basically a shiny rod with cutouts for porting fluid, usually returning to a
neutral center position by way of spring tension—and inside the valve,
the spool is manipulated directionally to allow pressure to exit the valve
through either “A Port” to one side of a cylinder, or through “B Port” to
the other side of a cylinder. Simultaneously, the cutouts in the valve

9
spool allow fluid to return from the actuator (in this example, a
cylinder).

(8) Cylinders / Pistons – The most common type of actuators in a

hydraulic system. Most hydraulic systems are designed to either push or
pull something; to do that, the end component in the system is usually a
cylinder. The cylinders we will cover in this course are the most
common type: single-stage (one continuous piston rod), dual-acting (or
double-acting, meaning the cylinder works both ways, in and out).

(9) Hydraulic Motors – The second most common type of actuators in a

hydraulic system. All motors are used to create motion, whether they
are electric, hydraulic, or combustion-engine type. Hydraulic motors are
always torsional (twisting or rotating, like most motors), and are
generally used for low speed, high torque applications.

(10) Hydraulic Return Filter – The last stage of filtration in a hydraulic

system, installed to protect the hydraulic reservoir from upstream
components that are beginning to fail, for example.

(11) Everything Else

(A) Hydraulic Accumulators – There are several different types of

accumulators, but they all serve the same essential purposes:
(1) to store pressurized hydraulic fluid for rapid disbursal,
especially in heavy load applications, and (2) to absorb fluid
shocks & imbalance. The TDS-11 uses the most common type
of accumulators—bottle-style with nitrogen-filled bladders
inside. The maintained pressure of the fluid is determined by
the size of the bottle, the size of the bladder, and the amount of
nitrogen pre-charge pressure applied to the bladder.

(B) Fittings – There are four common types of fittings used in

pressure hydraulic applications: (1) NPT (National Pipe
Thread, aka pipe fittings—ONLY USE Schedule 160 or XXH
10
 thick-walled, NOT standard iron pipe); (2) JIC, aka 37° flare
fittings, which are the most common used on the TDS-11 Top
Drive; (3) ORB, aka O-Ring Boss or ‘Boss-O’ fittings—these
are used to install into recessed machine surfaces such as
hydraulic manifolds, pump and filter housings; and (4) ORFS
(O-Ring Face Seal, aka ‘flat face’ O-ring fittings)—in the US
drilling industry, these are used on Canrig Top Drives,
Schramm carrier-mounted workover rigs, and in a few other
applications.

(C) Hoses, Tubes, and Connections – Rigid tubing is typically

stainless or carbon steel type, and hoses are wire braid
reinforced (2-wire minimum). Hydraulic connections are
either standard XXH QD, Stucchi, or Parker FET-style. All
hoses, tubes, and connectors in a high-pressure hydraulic
circuit should be rated over the max rated pressure of the
hydraulic system + 33%. This is the minimum standard. For
a TDS-11, all hydraulic components should be minimally
rated to 3,000 PSI, though 5,000 PSI is preferred.

(D) Other Types of Valves – In pressure hydraulics, there are

many types of valves used. Regulating valves maintain a
desired working pressure. Relief valves ensure a safe system
pressure. Counterbalance and load-holding valves work to
protect cylinders while holding heavy loads. In most cases,
these are cartridge-type valves, which are threaded for
insertion into valve bodies and manifolds. The TDS-11 uses
valves from the most common cartridge valve manufacturer,
SUN Hydraulics Corporation.

That about sums up your basic hydraulic primer. For further study, you
are encouraged to research the roles of oil purifiers / dehydrators and
monitoring devices (flowmeters, pressure gauges, particle counters,
Coriolis or ‘mass flow’ meters) as used in hydraulics. For further study
in fluid dynamics, brush up on Newton’s Second Law of Motion and
11
Bernoulli’s Principle. We’re now going to talk about circuits, as a segue
into our segment on basic electricity.

1.5 Circuit Fundamentals

The word “circuit” is used to describe a path in both electricity and

hydraulics. Because many functions of the TDS-11 Top Drive are
electrically actuated and hydraulically operated, each function has both
types of circuits. Why is this important to know? Because, when
dealing with devices that are electric over hydraulic, it helps to know
whether they are energized open or closed, or de-energized open or
closed. This is especially crucial to the understanding of schematics /
technical diagrams. Don’t worry, we’ll cover this info quickly.

Hydraulic circuits are opened or closed by way of valves. When a valve

is open, fluid is free to flow from the pump to the device being operated.
When closed, fluid is stopped at the valve. Too simple, right? Well
with electricity, you need to flip that way of thinking 180 degrees.
Instead of valves, we’re dealing with switch contacts, and a CLOSED
switch contact is what allows the flow of current through an electrical
circuit. An OPEN contact will de-energize (or stop the flow of current
through) an electrical circuit. A normally open electrical contact means
that you need to turn a knob, flip a lever, or push a button to close the
contact and allow current to flow (turn the device on). Electricians often
refer to this as “making” the contact. When you turn a light switch on in
your bedroom, you are actually closing the electrical contact between the
hot wire and the switch leg (the wire that goes to the light), in turn
closing the circuit or ‘making the switch.’ Refer to the image below for
better understanding.

12
 Figure 1.4

Now, perhaps you’re wondering why the words ‘open’ and ‘closed’ are
preceded by the word ‘normally’ in the image above. It’s because all
technical drawings, diagrams, prints or schematics you’ll ever read—
will depict components in the way that they are when at a resting state,
or de-energized. Something needs to happen in order to take them out of
their normal state, meaning that the component must be acted upon by
some outside force mechanically, electrically, hydraulically, or
pneumatically to cause it to change position.

You will typically only see the abbreviations ‘NO’ or ‘NC’ on electrical
devices, especially switches, to indicate that the internal contacts are
either normally open or normally closed. The abbreviations may be
labeled, stamped, engraved or embossed. NO is also sometimes referred
13
to as “de-energized open,” or “energized closed.” Conversely, NC = de-
energized closed, or energized open.

If there are no abbreviations, then the colors red and green are
alternately used on the parts themselves. For electrical switch contacts,
Green = NO and Red or Orange = NC (IEC breakers also use green and
red to indicate open and closed, respectively). Similarly, for anyone
who has engaged in replacing a standard 120V electrical outlet / house
plug, you’ll probably remember that the gold screws are where you
connect (black) power wires, silver screws are where you connect
(white) common wires, and the green screw is where you connect the
(bare copper) ground wire. This is not the only place where colors are
used as differentiators in electrical application. Industrial cord grips are
color-coded according to wire diameter. Multiconductor cables such as
those used on Top Drives, while usually numbered, are often colored in
a specific pattern. Canadian drilling rigs and US drilling rigs often differ
in their standard 3-phase plug terminations. Colors are important in
electrical application, just keep that in your back pocket.

1.6 Basic Electrical Theory

Talk about going around the asshole to get to the elbow. Now let’s
cover some electrical basics. I’m going to admit, that though I’m
perfectly comfortable working with 480V and 600V electricity, I’ve
always had a hard time truly understanding the basics of electricity when
they were taught to me. Hopefully, my explanation is less confusing to
you.

Atoms are the smallest elements of matter. All solids, liquids, gases and
plasma are comprised of atoms. Every atom is orbited by electrons,
which are subatomic particles with a negative charge. Strike that. For
ease of explanation, we’ll just say that electrons are negative particles
that are everywhere, and they always remain negative. They are
attracted to positive particles (specifically protons, which are part of
every atom). Electrons are constantly moving, and when they’re
14
affected by an outside source—light, heat, sound, friction—they literally
jump their orbit (briefly becoming free electrons) before being attracted
to the positively-charged proton of another atom (or ion, which is an
imbalanced atom), where they resume orbit. These transfers happen
rapidly.

Figure 1.5

Electric charge is produced by either an excess or deficiency of

electrons. A surplus of electrons on a substance creates a negative
charge, and a deficiency of electrons creates a positive charge.
Electricity is the migration of electric charge from negative to positive or
from positive to negative.

Static Electricity – Some materials tend to be positive in nature because

they give up accumulated electrons when they contact other materials.
15
Conversely, other materials tend to be negative in nature because they
attract and retain electrons. When you walk across a carpet, depending
on what your shoes or clothes are made of, and especially when your
skin is dry, your body becomes rapidly loaded with electrons that you’ve
kicked up—making you negatively charged. But since dry skin tends to
be a ‘positive’ material, readily willing to give up excess electrons, when
you make contact with a door handle made of nickel, copper, or brass
(all of which tend to be negative materials, attracting and retaining
electrons), the difference of potential results in static shock, as the
surplus of electrons on your body race to the negative material which
happens to have a more positive charge than yourself at the moment.

Does that make sense? It’s all about yin-yang style balance and
harmony. Think of a clear tube-style water level—when water is added
to one side of the tube, the other side of the level rises until the height of
water is equal horizontally. When you shake the level, there will be
brief moments of inequality, but the water on both sides of the tube
constantly strives for perfect balance. Similar in concept is the balance
of positive and negative charge, constantly seeking a state of neutral
balance. The movement of electrons to find that balance results in what
we call electricity. The same way we create turbulence by shaking a
water level, we ‘create’ electricity by causing electron imbalance.

Current Electricity—Electrons can essentially move freely through or

across certain types of material, particularly metals such as copper, gold,
aluminum, and silver. That’s because the atoms of these materials have
electrons that are loosely bound. Such materials are referred to as
conductors. Other materials oppose the free movement of electrons,
such as rubber, plastic, wood, glass, and air. These materials are called
insulators. When we direct the transfer of electrons across a solid
copper wire conductor, we are creating current electricity or electrical
current. Current is measured by the number of electrons traveling across
the cross-section of a conductor per second, and it is expressed in
amperes, amps, or ‘A’. Voltage is electromotive force, measured in
volts or ‘V’. One volt equals the amount of force required to move one
16
amp across a resistance of one Ohm. Ohms are the measurement units
of resistance, expressed by the Greek Omega symbol (Ω). Resistance,
which occurs naturally in any substance, is the characteristic of an object
that impedes the flow of electrons. Resistance is increased
proportionately with the increase of a conductor’s distance, or with a
decrease in a conductor’s diameter.

Figure 1.6

Confusing Science—Before electrons were discovered, it was accepted

and firmly established by the scientific community that electrical current
travels from positive to negative. It has since been discovered that
electrons travel from negative to positive. Because this discovery would
discredit some brilliant scientists (Benjamin Franklin in particular), the
scientific fraternity has decided that electrons travel one direction while
current travels the other. Since irrefutable, globally-accepted proof does
not exist on either theory, this contradicting information stands as
17
gospel. For now. Sounds goofy, but don’t take my word for it… do the
research.

If you have a grasp of the info above relating to electrons, then it’s easier
to understand exactly how electricity works. There are, as you know,
two types of electricity, AC and DC. With Direct Current, electrons
flow in a single direction from an area of negative polarity—or
concentration—to an area of positive polarity. Most often, DC power is
associated with battery power, especially when explained in theory.
We’re going to do the same, and then touch on AC power and some
basic terminology before moving to the next chapter of the course.
Drilling rig and Top Drive-specific electrical information will be
covered later.

1.7 DC Power
DC power is expressed in volts, V, volts DC, VDC, or by the symbol

⎓
“ ”. It is produced most commonly by a battery, and all batteries
produce only DC voltage. In high voltage applications, DC power is
produced by a rectifier, a device which converts AC power into DC
power. In low-voltage applications of 24VDC or less, it is converted
from AC using a Power Supply, which essentially is a miniature version
of a rectifier.

Let’s break down a battery. A battery is an engineered source of DC

power consisting of a negative plate or electrode—called an anode, a
positive plate or electrode—called a cathode, and an electrolyte medium
between the two, usually acid. Batteries may exist in one of three states:
static (not connected), charge, and discharge. When the two terminals of
a battery are connected to an electrical device, electrons travel from the
anode through the electrical device to the cathode until the amount of
electrons at the cathode are roughly equal to the amount of electrons at
the anode. That’s when the difference of potential has been equaled or

18
neutralized, the battery reads zero volts because electrons stopped
moving between the two points, and we pitch the battery.

Figure 1.7

Not all batteries are (re) chargeable… it depends on their chemical

design. In the example of a NiCad battery, the positive cathode is made
of nickel hydroxide, and the negative anode is made of Cadmium.
When a higher voltage of DC electricity is applied to the battery, a
chemical reaction occurs within the battery’s electrolyte, reacting with
the electrodes in a way which causes electrons to leave the cathode and
recollect at the electrode. Voila, battery charged. The same is true of
car batteries. An car’s alternator is a device that uses the technology of
both a generator, which converts the mechanical energy of a belt-driven
rotor across static windings into AC voltage, and a rectifier, which
converts the AC back to DC for recharging the battery and powering the
vehicle’s DC-rated components.
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1.8 AC Power

In the previous section, the word potential was used on a few occasions.
Once upon a time, voltage = potential difference = electromotive force.
It’s become more confusing because all are now each their own separate
entity, scientifically speaking, though they are all expressed in volts.
The difference in energy (or difference in the number of electrons)
between two points is called Potential Difference, or PD. The principle
behind measuring PD is derived from Ohm’s Law, which states that the
current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional
to the voltage (and inversely proportional to the resistance) between
those two points. In other words, V = IR, where V is voltage, I is
current and R is resistance. The greater the difference in potential
between two points, the higher the voltage.

In Alternating Current, electricity is produced using generator or turbine

technology. A motor is used to rotate a shaft, attached to which is a coil.
The coil rotates inside an electromagnetic field… literally, between
magnets of opposite poles. External DC power is applied to the
generator through a continually-charged battery, supplying electron
charge to the generator. Charge is created and moved by the coil
rotating between the magnets, then forced away from the generator
through diodes—the one-way check valves of electrical devices.
Voltage passes in one direction initially, then in both directions
alternately as the conductor’s potential changes with each rotation of the
generator coil. The opposite electromotive force (EMF), comparable to
voltage, is directed back into the generator through opposing diodes.
The concept is the same for three-phase generators, which incorporate
more coils (three or six). An AC motor works almost exactly the same
as an AC generator, except instead of using shaft rotation to generate
electricity, the motor at the end of the circuit uses electricity to turn a
shaft.

20
 Figure 1.8

1.9 Grounding and Bonding

The reason we ground a device or piece of equipment, is to disperse the

charge or accumulation of electrons across its surface area that occurs
when it is energized, or when an adjunct device is energized. As the
device’s charge increases, the potential discharge becomes greater… and
could injure or kill the first person to touch it. The concept behind
grounding is to provide a path for electrons to attach to a much larger
object (called ‘bonding’), or directly into the earth (grounding). Devices
with a high potential charge often require a “dedicated” ground (such as
a VFD), meaning an isolated ground wire and grounding rod that shares
with no other equipment. See the image below for a simple illustration.

21
Figure 1.9

22
1.9 Common Electrical Terms

Electron A subatomic particle with a negative charge

Current The movement of electrons through a conductor, aka electricity
Conductor A substance w/ properties that permit free motion of many electrons
Insulator A substance that contains few free electrons
Semiconductor A substance that is neither a good conductor nor insulator (silicon)
Amperage The measured rate of current flow
Resistance The opposition to current flow, measured in ohms
Resistor A component manufactured to possess a specific value of resistance
Volt A unit of electric force or potential, conceptually similar to water pressure
Potential Refers to the performance or composition of an electrical charge
Potential Difference Measurement between two objects / bodies w/ different electrical charges
Ground Potential Zero potential with respect to ground – essentially zero or neutral charge
DC Direct Current electricity, in which electrons flow in one direction only
AC Alternating Current electricity, which reverses direction at intervals
Frequency Rate of AC current directional change, expressed in Hertz (cycles p/ sec)
VFD Variable Frequency Drive – A system for controlling an AC motor
Inverter A device that converts DC power into single- or multi-phase AC power
Single Phase AC power, one electrical output provided for each complete source cycle
3-Phase AC electrical circuit made up of three conductors, synched 120 deg. apart
Diode A 2-terminal semiconductor that only allows current flow in one direction
Rectifier A device that converts AC power into DC power through diodes
SCR Silicon-Controlled Rectifier, used for high-voltage applications
Voltage Source A device capable of supplying and maintaining voltage under load
Transformer A device used to step the voltage in a system circuit up or down
Power Supply Converts AC to controlled DC power in low-voltage applications
Capacitor A device used to store an electrical charge
Relay A device to open / close circuits manually or at predetermined parameters
Solenoid A mechanical device that actuates when current is applied to its coil
Short A damaged circuit malfunction wherein current is directed to ground
Open Refers to a break in the flow of electrical current
Closed Refers to completion of an electrical circuit which allows current travel
Keyer A component that opens and closes contacts using heat-sensing elements
Shunt A resistor used to supply voltage in relation to current flow through it
Series Circuit An electrical circuit wherein all current flows through one path to ground
Parallel Circuit A circuit where current flows through separate paths to a common ground
PLC Programmable Logic Controller; computer to control multi-tool sequences
SBC Single Board Computer; implements single-system tool control sequences
Braking Chopper Aka Dynamic or Resisting Brake, dissipates excess voltage as heat
Encoder Device which relays motor speed conditions to a drive system
HMI Human-Machine Interface; a touchscreen operator panel
HOC Battery Provides external DC power to engine-driven generators
MCC Motor Control Cabinets or Cubicles; the 480V wall of a rig’s Drive House
Composite Cable A multiconductor cable containing multiple individually-insulated wires

23
24
 CHAPTER 2
FUNDAMENTALS
OF WORLD-CLASS
MAINTENANCE
 CHAPTER 2:
Fundamentals of World-Class Maintenance

In this section, we will learn the following:

1. Types of maintenance programs

2. Common factors in maintenance excellence
3. Definition of machine failure
4. Consequence management theory
5. Maintenance management, monitoring, & reporting
6. Maintenance roulette

2.1 Maintenance Programs – These days, maintenance personnel love to

tout the concept of being proactive vs. being reactive. They build
inspections procedures that will supposedly change the world, swearing
that if you follow their system, everything will be sunshine and rainbows
and downtime will be a forgotten word. They use fancy terms like
‘predictive’ maintenance and RCM—Reliability-Centered Maintenance.

Well, the concept of proactivity with regard to machine care is as old as

machines itself. The term ‘PM’ or Preventive Maintenance, has been
around since at least the 1930’s, courtesy of the US Army. I’m sure that
as far back as the year 1200, a rider wouldn’t wait until his horse was
crippled before he had him re-shoed. Inspections are always being
redeveloped, new maintenance systems and programs are introduced
every time the reign of a company’s equipment program changes hands,
and it does not dismiss the very true fact that the value of prevention is
not quantifiable. In any field.

So let’s break down the different types of maintenance programs today.

For starters, there’s Preventive or ‘Preventative’ Maintenance. Using
standardized quality inspections, servicing procedures, recordkeeping
and communication / handover, this type of program works. It’s also the
most commonly-used type of maintenance program used around the
world, all industries considered. The reason that it doesn’t work in some
26
situations is discipline. Just like diets, there are many different methods
of starting a preventive maintenance program—almost any method will
work, if you and your team is committed to being disciplined.

Predictive Maintenance is the next-gen type of program which

incorporates ‘conditions monitoring’ equipment and smart technologies
to predetermine the failure point of machines and their components. For
more than two decades, the leader in industrial predictive maintenance
systems and supplies to aid a company in achieving this is Emerson
Global, with a catalog of process equipment that could choke a donkey.
If there’s a sensor for monitoring gases, fluids, vibrations, alignment,
atmospheric sensitivity, electromagnetic interference or whatever you
could dream up, they have it. Today, hundreds of other companies have
copied or modeled components after theirs. Of course, there’s more to
predictive maintenance than just the monitoring equipment. A lot of
metrics are developed to support the process—all well-intended but time
consuming. Going predictive, in my humble opinion, sounds good on
paper but is not quite the answer for the drilling industry… yet. First,
it’s damn expensive to pay for an offsite SCADA team on a monthly
subscription basis. Second, rig moves are an inherent part of every
drilling operation, and no amount of monitoring or predicting will keep
components from prematurely failing when they bounce down Permian
pothole roads on non-air-ride trailers every other month.

RCM is a popular maintenance program that gained traction in the 90’s.

It is concentric to corporate asset management. Most companies,
including most drilling companies, have integrated some form of asset
management into their broader maintenance and reliability practices.
Implementation of RCM created a few more jobs and brought follower
companies into standards compliance of ISO (and in our industry, API).
The key tenets of RCM include (1) structure—or discipline—and scope
to preserve equipment assets; (2) detailed analysis to determine how
specific equipment fails, and how to prevent those failures; (3) the triage
of failures in order of importance (time, $, and personnel resources); and

27
(4) the creation of maintenance tasks and the appointment of proper
candidates to perform the tasks.

2.2 Maintenance Excellence – There exist some fundamentals of

equipment care that withstand the test of time. Consider the aviation
industry. They use motors, pumps, hydraulic and electrical and
pneumatic systems just like ours. Many of the components they use are
no different than the ones we use on our drilling rigs. Yet over the past
several decades, when a 747’s motor has failed, the whole world heard
about it. It’s a highly uncommon occurrence. Even the small HPU
pumps and hydraulic boost packages that support flap, rudder, and
aileron control are incredibly resistant to failure. How, or why is that?

Discipline. Think about it, they use the same parts we do. From the
same manufacturers we do. Wires, hoses, linkages and actuators…
maintained by human beings just like you and me. And the average
aviation maintainer makes less than a Derrickhand! BUT… tool
accountability is paramount. In aviation maintenance, every nut, bolt,
rivet and wrench is accounted for at the end of a job, or all operations
will ultimately be halted and heads will roll. Torque values, OEM
service manuals, and standardized company checklists are stringently
adhered to. Personnel training is well-funded, structured, and deliberate.
Gaskets and seals are not made on location, they’re ordered to proper
specs. Welder modification and ‘field engineering’ of equipment is as
much a terminable policy as smoking pot while pulling slips. Every
piece of attaching hardware is safety wired, and properly so. On-hand
warehouse inventory is optimal, and well-secured. PM schedules are
religiously followed. Personnel health and rest are mandatory pillars,
not just a concept. Finally, everything—EVERYTHING—is
documented, and then reviewed again before going to work.

Maintenance excellence is achievable in any industry; but it requires

considerable investment of ownership by all hands from top to bottom.
The reward? In our case, rigs free of incidents and non-profitable time
due to R&M (repair & maintenance).
28
2.3 Machine Failure – All machines fail. Beginning the moment they
enter service, subject to the laws of physics, they begin to fail. For the
sake of this course, equipment failure is defined as: Any equipment
deviation outside of normal operating parameters, per
manufacturer specifications, that is detected through observation,
inspection, or condition monitoring. What this means is that a pump
doesn’t fail only when it stops working completely, failure begins when
the pump starts operating outside of manufacturer specs. If a failure is
discovered early, then it can likely be fixed so that it does not become a
total failure… and it can be fixed on our (scheduled) time, and not on
down time. Early discovery of a failure cannot occur unless (1) we
know and understand the heartbeat of our equipment, and (2) we inspect
our equipment frequently. By doing this, we control the equipment
instead of letting the equipment control us.

Consequence Management Theory – There is an important side to

equipment maintenance and reliability that is often overlooked. The
term ‘consequence management’ is a child of human factors
engineering. People make mistakes, sometimes without realizing it.
Consequence management prompts the important question, “What’s the
wrong right decision?” In 2005, Amtrak learned a valuable lesson in the
recertification of train engines, when the same major failure was
occurring on several engines within months after each had been
overhauled. The failure involved a complex drive system which was
removed, rebuilt, tested and reinstalled during each 3-year overhaul.
The end finding was that the company, in an attempt to be proactive and
score investor relations points with their new Acela models, forced the
rebuild of a complex system that incorporated newer technology,
without first investing in the training of organic and external personnel
who were performing the physical work. A re-evaluation of their
maintenance program found that the system did not need to be rebuilt for
12 years, and that the ‘proactive’ overhauls caused human-driven
failures on more than twenty engines, costing tens of millions in lost
potential revenue. The moral is, before we go maintenance crazy,
evaluate the consequences… even of being proactive.
29
Back to failed equipment within our own industry. When a failure has
been identified on a particular piece of equipment, the Rig Manager
must be well informed about the issue, to include all related factors that
may be associated with the failure. Following is a checklist of items that
a mechanic, electrician, or technician will need to know:

1. Does the failure create an actual or potential safety hazard? If

so, what is the actual or potential severity?
2. What is the specific equipment that failed? Photos help.
3. What is the severity of the failure?
4. If intermittent, at what specific time / place does failure occur?
5. Can the condition be replicated or exaggerated without causing
a hazardous condition? Let’s talk about it first.
6. When was the last time the equipment was running properly?
7. What is the current state of rig operations?
8. What events took place immediately preceding the failure?
9. Who was operating the equipment when it failed?
10. Any other equipment issues that may be related to the failure?
11. What is the equipment history? Is there a history of this type
of failure of this or similar equipment on other rigs?
12. Who was the last person to work on or around this equipment?
13. What are the current atmospheric conditions (weather, e.g.)?
14. Has this equipment been moved?
15. If electrical, is it plugged in?
16. If hydraulic, is the pump running?
17. If the component is supposed to move, does it move at all?
18. Do you have a spare? If not, does a co-located rig have one?
19. Without this equipment, is there a safe, approved alternative to
continue operations? If so, for how long?
20. Are there any special tools required, or weighing circumstances
a maintenance person should know before heading to the rig?
21. Are the published rig directions / coordinates accurate?

Upon discovery of an equipment failure that requires technical-level

assistance, the Rig Manager must inform his Drilling Superintendent
30
immediately. The Superintendent will then decide upon how to handle
the situation, using personnel or equipment assets at his disposal. Often
this necessitates other calls to operations & maintenance leadership, who
will verify the specific information with the Rig Manager and then
decide upon a course of action. The flow chart below illustrates a
sample reporting chain.

DS informs RM to
update him every Area Mgr receives call and informs
hour. Helps RM DS to relay RM updates. After 12
make some calls hrs, calls to inform VP Ops.
for assistance.
Equipment Fails. RM After 4 hours,
reports incident to Maintenance Mgr receives calls
troubleshoots. After 1
Ops Mgr. from DS and Maintenance
Maintenance
hour, goes on downtime
coordinator. Gets parts moving
Manager
and calls DS, then calls
Maintenance toward rig. Calls to verify
organic technical
coordinator personnel are moving
coordinator.
receives call and
works to
locate an Mechanic deploys from another
appropriate repair rig. Will 'time out' after 6 hours,
person. Calls back informs coordinator
within 15 minutes
with update.

Figure 2.1

2.4 Maintenance Management – this is a big one. When it comes to

skilled trade jobs, not all roads lead to management. Just because
someone is really great at fixing brakes at Midas, doesn’t mean that he
or she needs to be the service manager based on seniority. When
mechanics, electricians, and technicians move up, we lose their valuable
skills in the field, and often their irreplaceable asset value to the
company. That is why it’s important to keep top performers well-
compensated or otherwise incentivized, and to provide favorable
working conditions. One of the biggest plagues to our industry in terms
of equipment maintenance lies in turnover and retention of skilled trades

31
personnel. Solid teams are built and maintained by solid maintenance
leaders; as it is said, people don’t follow companies, they follow people.
Conversely, they don’t quit companies, rather people.

Modern maintenance programs almost always incorporate some form of

CMMS, or Computerized Maintenance Management System. The
system is used for accurate and precise recordkeeping, PM scheduling,
and document control. The CMMS should contain a library of technical
publications and data excerpts that can be viewed and shared by all
within a controlled setting. Other elements common to maintenance
program efficiency include warehousing, shop efficiency, field
coordination, tool control, vendor management or coordination, and
most importantly, continuous personnel training & development. The
service tradesman is the nucleus of an efficient and effective
maintenance program, and therefore maintenance personnel
management is a #1 priority.

IMTJ, Personnel Evaluation, Training & Efficiency Monitoring – The

Individual Maintenance Training Jacket is a strong tool for the
management of maintenance personnel. This multi-section folder,
modeled after the military, tracks all training, qualifications, and
evaluations for an
individual in a
maintenance
program. The jacket
is the property of the
company until the
individual leaves the
company, at which
point it belongs to
the individual, for
use as a working
resume of sorts.

Figures 2.2 – IMTJ Excerpts

32
Personnel evaluation in a formal setting, using a standard evaluation
format and occurring at regular intervals for all personnel (i.e., quarterly
or biannually), is an excellent motivator. A few elements are key to
good personnel evaluations: (1) managers must also be evaluated; (2)
each reporting period must be a clean slate for every individual; (3) there
should always be a standard of “average,” and a scoring system should
be applied; and (4) the reporting grade should be used to build a track
record for retention & promotability, pay increases, and other incentives.
While training should be a regular part of every maintenance
management program, advanced training makes an excellent incentive
for top performers.

Figures 2.3 – Maintenance Personnel Evaluation

Lastly, a monthly efficiency tracker can be designed to break down the

total number of hours worked by each employee, into the type of
equipment they worked on, driving hours, general / non-technical hours,

33
and job numbers to which assigned. Divided into the total number of
available working hours (days of the month at X working hours a day,
less scheduled days off, approved sick days, and training days), you can
calculate efficiency of each employee as a percentage, while also
gleaning the data to track proficiency. Both of these can be used during
personnel evaluations; while generally a positive tool, the data is also
sometimes necessary to justify employment termination, particularly
when work is performed somewhere not deemed a “right to work” state.

Figure 2.4 – Personnel Management Data Flow

2.5 Maintenance Roulette – In the drilling industry, no matter how hard

we try to avoid it, our maintenance and repair activity is largely reactive.
While you’ll agree that a reactive system is not the optimal solution, it’s
okay to be reactive… so long as crisis reactivity is structured in a way
that reduces wasted time and money. To illustrate this, allow me to
introduce the concept of ‘maintenance roulette’.

34
 What is the only way to win a game of Russian
roulette? By keeping all the revolver’s
chambers empty. In maintenance roulette, we
keep each chamber round-free by filling it with
something else:

Figure 2.5 – The Six Empty Chambers of Maintenance Roulette

35
Figure 2.6 – Loading the Chambers
36
 Figure 2.7– Avoidable Risks

Reactive maintenance activity is often* a corner-cutting, unstructured

and haphazard approach to mitigating downtime. Perpetuating this cycle
does nothing to reduce like failure incidents in the future, and often ends
in injury or death. In the oilfield as in general industry, our rules,
regulations and policies are often written in blood—something we can
all agree is unnecessary. Don’t let someone die before you change your
approach as a company. *Note: a measure of reactive maintenance is
required in the oilfield. Reactivity can be planned and structured,
however, so that is not driven by a perpetual state of ‘emergency’.

In Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 classic The Ten Commandments, Moses

(Charlie Heston) and Ramses (Yul Brenner) are adoptive brothers
competitively vying for the throne of Egypt. Both have been tasked with
important projects; Moses was told to build a huge city and Ramses was
told to find the Hebrew slaves’ prophesied “deliverer.” One day, their
dad—the Pharaoh—calls for a meeting and Moses doesn’t show. His
spiteful brother says, “Yeah dad, Moses said he’s busy.” So the Pharaoh
is pissed. Together with Ramses and an entourage of important
Egyptians, Pharaoh takes a trip to Moses’ planning pavilion in the city
he’s building. Moses is there, stressed, overseeing the critical lift of a
300’ obelisk not unlike the Washington Monument in D.C.

37
Pharaoh then begins to relay some recent accusations against Moses.
Walking over to a measuring scale, Pharaoh picks up a weight and asks
Moses, “You raided the temple granaries?” Moses replies, “Yes.”
Pharaoh drops the weight on the scale and picks up a second one off the
table. “You’re gave that grain to all the slaves?” Again, Moses replies
“Yes” and his pops drops the other weight on the scale. He picks up a
third. “And… you’re giving the slaves a day off every week?” “Yes.”
Pharaoh drops the third weight and tips the scale, then asks him in front
of everybody, “What do you have to say about these accusations??”

Moses looks around the room and locates a brick. He walks quickly to
the scale and holds the brick up in the air. This is what he says: “Your
city is made of brick, Pharaoh. The strong make many, the starving
make few.” Then he slams the brick down on the scale’s other
balancing plate, burying it into the table while sending his point home…
“The dead make none.”

The number one cause of death in the drilling

industry today is vehicle accidents, which
occur driving to and from the rig. It happens
because we’re all rushed to get to a job, or
rushing to get home. It happens because we’re
tired, or because of poor decision-making due
to improper nourishment. As leaders, we have
a responsibility to take care of our people. It is
all of our responsibility to weigh the cost of
downtime against the loss of life, and to make
responsible decisions thereto. Stop Work
Authority applies in these cases also. Dead
Roughnecks can’t trip pipe, and in terms of
maintenance, dead Top Drive techs can’t turn
wrenches.

Figures 2.8 (upper left) and 2.9 (lower right)– “The Dead Make None”

38
 CHAPTER 3
LEVELS OF
MAINTENANCE /
ROLES &
RESPONSIBILITIES
 CHAPTER 3:

Levels of Maintenance / Roles & Responsibilities

In this section, we will learn the following:

1. The importance of establishing maintenance levels

2. Examples of maintenance levels
3. Operational roles and responsibilities

3.1 Maintenance levels within an organization are important for two

reasons: (1) They allow promotability within the technical trade fields,
for example: instead of progression from mechanic to foreman to
supervisor—which requires allocations to backfill and retrain more
mechanics every time someone progresses—it instead provides a growth
path for tradesmen, i.e. Mechanic I, Mechanic II, Mechanic III; and (2)
the development of maintenance levels segregates the type of work into
classifications based upon the skill level required to do the job.

There are three recognized technical trade categories used as an

industrial standard in the United States: apprentice, journeyman, and
master. A company’s maintenance program should, as a minimum
standard, be divided into levels that correlate. Note: These levels are to
be part of a company’s internal maintenance program, and in the
oilfield are not to be confused with API’s inspection categories for
equipment.

3.2 Examples of maintenance levels:

LEVEL I is basic maintenance, also sometimes referred to as

Organizational-, Operational-, or O-Level maintenance. This category
of maintenance includes end user or operator servicing, preventive
maintenance, basic troubleshooting, and removal and replacement of
simple parts of any machine or system. This type of work is generally
categorized as that which can be performed by one or two individuals of
40
relative competence, using regular hand tools, within a short period of
time. Of course, ‘short’ is subjective, so we’ll assume a 4-hour
timeframe for instructional purposes. On a drilling rig, the rig crew
performs LEVEL I maintenance (a shit-hot Motorman should exemplify
it and display Level II qualities).

LEVEL II is intermediate or technical level maintenance. This facet of

maintenance—as the name implies—includes troubleshooting of a
complex nature, removal and replacement of complex components, and
the competent disassembly / repair / replacement of machine systems
with limited assistance or supervision. Level II maintenance
incorporates specialty tools (electrician’s multimeters, hydraulic
pressure-testing equipment, dial indicators and micrometers). In the
oilfield, most organic and 3rd-party field service hands provide Level II
support.

LEVEL III is depot or expert level maintenance. This level applies

advanced troubleshooting and testing to equipment by personnel who
have the aggregate expertise of experience (usually > 5 years) and
certified training from a recognizable authority. Depot-level work is
often performed in a controlled shop environment. Level III may also
incorporate precision machining, pressing, fabrication to engineered
specifications, large-scale rework and overhaul. In addition to the use of
advanced tools, this expert level of maintenance also uses advanced heat
& cooling methods, blasting, and exposure to dangerous chemicals
(paints, thinners, dipping acids, liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen, etc.)

LEVEL IV is precision commissioning and maintenance. This level

includes certified new-build / repair and recertification work to OEM
and industry standards, and includes Professional Engineering [PE]
design, certified master inspections, and the full spectrum of Non-
Destructive Inspection & Testing (NDI/T) & quality control in a
Standard Day (theoretically perfect vacuum) testing environment. In an
oilfield example, a certified API 8C facility provides Level IV
maintenance service on Top Drives.
41
3.3 Operational roles and responsibilities – the oilfield is a unique
community. Though each person has a specific title or position, many
roles are overlapping. For example, we know that each of us is a
deputized safety hand. Regardless of title or position, we have the
responsibility and authority to stop any potentially unsafe act or
condition that we observe. We are also good stewards of oilfield
property and reputation… sometimes that means picking up another’s
trash or policing our own in public. Likewise, on a drilling rig, every
person is responsible for maintaining equipment to keep our rigs in
serviceable condition. So where do specific roles come into play?

As mentioned in the last section, rig hands are responsible for all Level
I, or Organizational Level maintenance. This is further broken down in
the following maintenance guidelines, which should be adhered to in
addition to (or in conjunction with) each position’s regularly assigned
duties:

Important Note: Rig Angel does not presume to negate, in any way, the
operational structural or system of any company. Following are general
recommendations—like all concepts within this document, these are not
intended to interfere with a company’s policies, procedures, or
guidelines. Where conflicts of interest are discovered, follow your own
company’s lawful directives.

Floor Hands: (1) Practice preventive maintenance by keeping

equipment clean. Know how to clean, where to
clean, and where NOT to clean. As a rule of
thumb, don’t pressure wash within close
proximity of electrical or electronic equipment.
(2) Learn the types and uses of specific lubricants.
Not every grease zerk is made to accept standard
red NGLI grease. Don’t use red grease on any
electric motor bearings. Don’t grease sealed
circuits that are intentionally plugged off on the
opposite side. If you don’t know or understand,
42
 ask! Do not mix oils. Use only immaculately
clean buckets and pumps to service hydraulic
equipment.
(3) Learn the basic operation of all major pieces of
equipment… if you don’t know what the proper
operation looks and sounds like, then you will not
know how to identify malfunctions, misuse, or
signs of failure!
(4) Learn and apply the basic techniques and
procedures for extending the service life of each
piece of equipment on the rig (specifically, the
location, type, amount, and frequency of
lubrication for all moving parts and mating
surfaces).
(5) Learn the locations of ALL filters for every
system. Often, there are filters on rigs that are
continually overlooked. Do not blindly trust the
red / green pop-up indicators on filter housings, or
the visual sight glasses or sight tubes that indicate
oil levels.
(6) When rigging up / down, pay close attention to
plug and connector labels and color codes. If
something is confusing (two red-painted hydraulic
male connections, either one could be connected
to the opposing two red-painted female
connections), STOP. Address it with your Driller.
Replace labels as required.
(7) MOST IMPORTANT: Know the approved
Emergency Shutdown Procedures for all
equipment on your rig.

Motor Hands: (1) Know, understand, and work to the seven

responsibilities of Floorhands (above). Mentor
Floorhands in the basic startup, shutdown, and

43
 maintenance procedures that relate to your own
job. This assures continuity so you can move up.
(2) Maintain an inventory of clean, properly-labeled
filters, lubricants, bulk fluids, and critical spare
parts for each piece of equipment.
(3) Continue to learn and hone the proper operational
techniques and procedures for each piece of
equipment; familiarize yourself with / study the
applicable service manuals, operations &
maintenance manuals, and drawings.
(4) Know your company’s maintenance policies,
procedures, and safety procedures, front to back.
Reiterating from the Floorhand duties, know the
Emergency Shutdown Procedures for each piece
of equipment.

Derrick Hands: (1) Starting with the equipment on your pits, keep a
log, recording pertinent data including (but not
limited to) serial number, manufacturer, known
defects, fixes applied, and servicing performed.
Then grow your log to incorporate all major
equipment on your rig.
(2) Take an active role in training your crew members
in proper servicing and preventive maintenance
techniques and procedures. Oversee your Motor
Hand’s training and mentoring of Floor Hands, to
ensure that no steps are being skipped and that the
procedures are correct.
(3) During tripping operations, you have a distinct
vantage point of the Top Drive, and of derrick
components, that others do not see as frequently.
Learn everything about the Top Drive, that way,
when something looks or sounds out-of-place,
you’ll be the first to catch it.
(4) Know all rig equipment Emergency Shutdown
44
 Procedures well enough to teach your hands.

Assistant
Drillers: (1) Follow the Derrick’s guidelines above.
(2) While your position is one of training, it is
awarded because of your experience and
maturity. Use these tools to set the example
on every rig you may be fortunate to train
on. Attitude is contagious; leave a lasting
impression.

Drillers: (1) Keep a log with all pertinent equipment info, as

outlined for Derricks (above).
(2) Lead your crew, intentionally creating
opportunities to train your men, and allow them in
turn to train others on your team when
opportunity is available. Remember, a well-
trained and knowledgeable team makes your rig
run right—and it also reflects well upon yourself.
(3) Know where to find answers to maintenance
questions that your hands might have. Keep
equipment maintenance manuals & drawings
readily accessible; these tools are every bit as
valuable as the ones in your doghouse tool box.
(4) Know who to call for maintenance-related
questions or concerns. Have those numbers
available. Build your phone list for qualified
technicians, mechanics, welders, etc., so that you
are prepared—from an R&M perspective, to
assume a Rig Manager’s position when one
becomes available, should you choose to do so.

Rig Managers: (1) When reporting a maintenance issue, ensure that

All information relayed about the problem is
Consistent, Reliable, Timely, and Accurate.
45
 Strive for perfection in this area, and you will
spare your rig from the costly downtime that
results from misinformation.
(2) Practice proper downtime coding. This is crucial
to the prevention of recurring failures. Don’t
blame everything on the Top Drive.
(3) Foster a maintenance-centric work environment,
rewarding good practices with recognition and
encouragement. As you know, there is no greater
hindrance to operational efficiency than a leader
who does not challenge, motivate, and reward his
or her team… and “what’s important to my boss
fascinates the hell out of me.” Make equipment
maintenance important.

Superintendents:(1) Provide your rigs with keys to maintenance

success. Encourage your RM’s to share details of
failures and fixes for the betterment of your total
team. Give them training tools, like this course,
to cover with their hands during ten-minute
‘tailgate training’ segments every day.
Incorporate brief maintenance training discussions
into tourly safety meetings. Reward top
performers.
(2) Set maintenance expectations for your Rig
Managers. Inspect what you expect. A
comprehensive rig inspection is a strong
motivator to get things turning the right direction.
(3) Have a good working knowledge of the personnel
assets in your region that will help with R&M
situations, both internal and external to your
company. You should have the biggest rolodex.
(4) Assist in your company’s maintenance metrics
development by monitoring the key performance
indicators of your rigs. The five standard KPI’s
46
 of maintenance are:

(A) Unscheduled work activity / lost time

(B) Reactive R&M hours (besides Code 8)
(C) R&M cost (vs. rig cost, vs. day rate)
(D) Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF)
(E) Work Order Cycle Time

Ops Managers: (1) Stress the importance of proper downtime coding.

If you have high RM turnover, this needs to be
stressed continually. If not being done adequately
at the corporate level, take charge and have
someone develop the metrics for an accurate look
at where your region’s downtime is. Triage your
R&M budget allocation to reflect the percentage
of downtime by each piece of equipment
respectively. Compare to other regions.
(2) Regularly review your company’s maintenance &
repair program to determine what’s working and
what isn’t. If adjustments are needed in your
area of responsibility, propose changes. If you
need ideas but are unsure of their quantitative
long-term cost / benefit impact, don’t worry—you
don’t have to re-invent the wheel. A quick
Google search of Fortune 50 companies will start
you down a rabbit trail… pick a few companies
that regularly make the list, study how they stay
on top of their R&M, adopt some ideological
tenets and make your pitch.
(3) Promote the sharing of maintenance knowledge.
The greatest impacts to your company, both
positive and negative, are determined by what you
make important to your people.
(4) 10,000’ View – You’re responsible for a
geographic area… but remember that the best
47
 maintenance-related opportunities for your region
may come from outside your region.
(5) Champion your company’s MOC policy as
applies to R&M. Disallow even the smallest of
job site (equipment) modifications unless they are
properly vetted and approved through a company
matrix considering factors of cost, design, safety,
human / training impact and long-term benefit.
(6) Start a monthly vendor meeting. Invite non-
vendors also, to stay abreast of new ideas and
potential partnerships (“you’re either green and
growing or you’re ripe and rotten”). Cater a
cheap lunch and use this time to pass new
company policies or changes that apply to
vendors. Let your vendors get to know each
other. Automate your consumables / common
parts restocking process. Develop a plan for
having your third-party groups work together to
support your operation; it will spare your
Superintendents and maintenance personnel a lot
of unnecessary drive and call time.

VP’s: (1) Compare your current R&M cost not only with its
currently allocated budget, but with last FY’s
costs and budget projections for alignment of
future forecasting. Invest deliberately
in structured, formal equipment training and
compare its impact on NPT and R&M beginning
for three years after rollout.
(2) Standardize your equipment. Do the SWOT
analysis and you’ll find that the greatest drilling
industry opportunity for equipment
standardization rests flatly in Drawworks. Like
the Top Drive, which is generally responsible for
the most downtime, it’s the one other piece of
48
equipment on each rig that doesn’t have a backup
or accepted way around it should it fail. When
you adjust CAPEX to ensure >50% of your fleet’s
like-rigs have the same make and model of DW,
you’re going to see hard improvement in this
equipment’s historical R&M / nonprofitable time
segment.

49
50
 CHAPTER 4
INTRODUCTION TO
THE NOV TDS-11
TOP DRIVE
 CHAPTER 4:
Introduction to the TDS-11 Top Drive

In this section, we will learn the following:

1. Top Drive description and importance

2. History and development
3. TDS-11 specifications

4.1 What is a Top Drive? Description and Industry Importance

This segment is included for new-to-industry students. In basic terms, a

Top Drive is a giant corded DeWalt drill. It is mounted inside a frame
that travels up and down a track in the derrick of a drilling rig. The track
is secured near the bottom of the derrick so that the Top Drive can drill
without torqueing up and spinning around in circles uncontrolled.

So with this big yellow drill, there are a few differences. We call its
cord a service loop, because it is made up of several independent wires
and it’s about 300’ long. Also, since this drills really deep holes, we
don’t mount the drill bit directly to the unit. We keep the bit on bottom
and we just keep adding extensions between the drill and the bit. The
extensions are hollow, and we pump a thick fluid through a channel in
the center of the Top Drive, all the way down to the bit. This is done for
several reasons, but we’ll stick with the simplest one for instructional
purposes: the drill mud removes cuttings as we drill, through the powers
of force, hydrostatic pressure, fluid viscosity and fluid surface tension.

Since this is a big machine and it drills deep, it has two parallel motors
that connect at a gearbox, to turn the Top Drive’s shaft at a 10.5:1 speed
reduction. In other words, if the shaft and connected drill pipe are
turning at 100 RPM, then both motors are spinning at 1,050 RPM each.

Lastly, this particular drill can change its own drill pipe without minimal
hands-on assistance from a human. It can twist 360-degrees infinitely in
52
either direction and then lock into any position. It can pick up or release
each section of drill pipe, screw into or out of the next piece. The rig’s
Driller controls the machine like it’s a remote-controlled robot. The
robotics are provided by a hydraulic system (tank, pumps… cylinders
providing mechanical movement) that’s built onto the Top Drive,
controlled by the Driller electrically from the rig floor. The only real
“hands on” occurs when latching to, or unlatching from, a piece of pipe.
While the technology exists to automate this, in land drilling
applications it is still usually done manually.

The invention of the Top Drive revolutionized the drilling industry

because it is a huge time saver. While this machine is drilling, we can
now make up (connect) three joints (pieces) of interconnecting drill pipe
into triple sections, using a hoist and a floor wrench. These triples,
collectively called stands of drill pipe, can then be stacked in a ‘standard
triple’ derrick (172’ mast, +/- ~ 6’), and when the Top Drive is drilled
down to the rig floor, the crew sets slips (an interconnected band of pipe
wedges) around the top pipe in the interconnected stack (called a drill
string in its entirety), just under its flange. The Driller lowers the Top
Drive until his weight indicator shows that the slips have wedged against
the pipe (and the weight of the drill string is now supported / suspended
by the Rotary Table). With the weight off the Top Drive, the Driller
breaks out (unscrews the shaft assembly of the Top Drive from the drill
string, essentially), then he raises the Top Drive to the top of the derrick,
where he then reaches out for another stand of pipe (a triple). The
Derrickman feeds the pipe into the Top Drive’s elevators with enough
force that they automatically latch around the pipe, then the Driller sets
the stand on the stump, makes up the top and bottom ends of the stand to
a specified torque value, and then picks up on the drill string to assume
the load, which loosens the grip created by the pipe slips. The
crewmembers on the drill floor quickly remove the slips, the Driller
lowers the string back to the bottom of the hole and continues drilling.

53
 DRILL TO TD CONVERSION:
1. Okay, we have a drill.
2. Don’t need the handle.
3. Let’s invert it since we’re drilling into the ground.
The broomstick’s nice, keeps from twisting your
wrist off, but we can adapt something better.
4. So we remove the broomstick grip and we attach
the unit to an I-beam with brackets and wheels that
travel recessed in both sides of the beam, up and
down. Then we’ll secure the upright beam to a
crossbeam or girt that travels horizontally between
the derrick’s A-legs. You’ll notice that we got rid
of that puny single-phase power cord. Hell, we
made the motor bigger. It’s a three-phase motor,
rated for 600V AC. Its power wires are protected
inside a big hose that comes from the VFD House.
5. You know what, let’s replace that big motor with
twin motors, 400 HP each. We’ll use the same
power service loop (power cord), we’ll just split
the three phases between each motor.
6. Ok, those motors now spin the same direction, but
they’re kinda fast. Oh, and they need to turn a
singular shaft. So we’ll mount a big bull gear to
the main shaft, and set it inside a gearbox. The
pinion gears of the motors will each turn an
intermediate gear, which in turn will turn the bull
gear in the same direction of the motors. The
bigger (more teeth) the bull gear, the greater the
speed reduction. We’re shooting for 10.5 to 1.
Also, we added a blower assembly to the top of
each motor, to keep them cool. Each blower fan is
driven by a 5 HP motor, also 3 phases and 600
VAC, but at lower amperage (much smaller wires).
7. Now that I think about it, we’re going to add some
robotics later. So let’s install the first parts of a
hydraulic system. We’ll squeeze a 25-gallon
hydraulic reservoir between the motors and install
an HPU under the gearbox, consisting of a 10HP
motor (3-phase 600VAC) which turns a primary
hydraulic piston pump. We’ll also add a
‘piggyback’ vane pump for the gearbox lube
system later. It’s mechanically splined to the main.
8. Let’s add a power cord to the Top Drive. This one
will be a 19-Pin, having 18 to 20 individually
insulated wires inside of it, depending on the cable
manufacturer. We’ll run this ‘Auxiliary Service Loop’ (because it powers the three auxiliary motors we just added—blower, blower, HPU motor) from the
VFD House to the Top Drive, and we’ll add a junction box where the cable terminates. Then we’ll run a pigtail wire from each aux motor to the J-box.
9. We’re gonna need a way to pump drilling fluid down through our hollow drill shaft and hollow drill pipe. This fluid cools and lubricates the bit, helps build
up a wall cake inside the uncased hole to keep it from collapsing, and it removes the cuttings and brings them back to the surface. The problem is, we can’t
just connect our mud hose, or Kelly hose, to a rotating shaft… it’ll twist right off. So we’re gonna add an intermediate hollow piece that swivels inside of a
bonnet. This will allow the mud to stay sealed inside its path, and on the top of the bonnet we’ll have a stationary connection for our Kelly hose.
10. Here we see it all together. The swivel pack reverse threads into the main drill shaft below (aka stem or quill), and reverse threads to the bonnet above.
11. Now we’re going to add some components below to manipulate the drill pipe. First we need a way to rotate the bottom of the Top Drive 360 degrees, since
the top is fixed (connected to a stationary track). Thankfully, the technology already exists, with something called a rotary manifold (depicted in the image
by the letter ‘R’). A rotary manifold allows us to transfer stationary hydraulic circuits to another part of a machine that moves and has its own own lines.
We’ll put ears on the manifold so we can hang some arms or links, and connect a latching clamp (pipe elevators) to the bottom of those links for controlling
the pipe. Our rotary manifold with ears… we’ll call it a Rotating Link Adapter (RLA). To secure this heavy sonofagun, we’ll install a Load Collar on the
drill shaft just underneath it. Also, we’re gonna hang a torque tube off the bottom of the RLA, and at the bottom we’ll install a grabber assembly with a
piston for gripping the pipe when we want to make up or break out (screw / unscrew).
12. Let’s complete the hydraulic system. We’ll now install a manifold (MFLD) downstream from the main pump (P). Here’ we’ll dial the incoming pressure
down to 2,200 PSI, and install electrically-actuated directional valves that the Driller can control functions with buttons and switches. We’ll connect the
hoses for our robotic elements to the manifold (cylinders (C), hydraulic motors (M)… so can move those links back and forth, grip the pipe, rotate the
manifold, etc.). The electric-over-hydraulic valves, called solenoid-operated valves, will need another power cord. We’ll use a big one, a 42-conductor, and
connect it to the J-box as well. We’ll use all those extra wires to power little sensors like an encoder, pressure switches, and drill motor RTD’s also. Done.

54
To summarize, during drilling operations with a Top Drive, the
operational tempo must only be paused once for every three joints of
drill pipe to make a connection. In the past, every joint of drill pipe had
to be connected, and it took at least three times longer to drill a well than
it does today.

4.2 History and Development

Conventional kelly drilling uses the rig floor’s Rotary Table to turn the
through-passing drill string. The first top-down drive system was called
the “hydraulic drive power sub unit,” invented by a company called
Baash Ross and used offshore on the drillship Nola I in the early 1950’s.
In the 1960’s, after several other offshore companies were using
hydraulic power sub technology, the hydraulic power swivel made its
debut on the dynamically positioned coring vessel EUREKA. It wasn’t
until the 1970’s that Brown Oil Tools, Inc. partnered with S.R. Bowen
of Bowen Tools, Inc., to produce the first fully-electric power swivel,
which was patented by Brown as an “electric power drive assembly” in
1975. In 1976, the company ARCO—which is not affiliated with
Varco—improved this design to produce a high-speed electric power
swivel.

In 1981, a man named Duke Zinkgraf was working at SEDCO, now

known as TransOcean. He conceptualized a means of drilling top-down
while incorporating handling tools to manipulate pipe. His vision,
which came at a time when US drilling was just about to enter one of its
harshest downturns, would transform offshore and land-based drilling
the world over. He took his idea to the Varco manufacturing plant in
Orange, California. Varco embraced the concept, assigned a team of
R&D engineers to the project, and early in 1982 put the first “Top Drive
System” prototypes to work on the SEDCO jackups Sedneth 201 and
202, drilling for Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company in the Middle
East. In 1982, Varco upgraded the prototypes to produce the
world’s first commercially available Top Drive, the TDS-3. An
improved model, the TDS-4, was awarded the P.E.I Engineering
55
Innovation Award at OTC in Houston the following year. Duke
Zinkgraf is recognized as the father of the Top Drive drilling
system.

With the TDS-6 model, Varco partnered with GE to marry the GE 752
high torque DC locomotive motor into the Top Drive, a move that was
adopted by other prominent Top Drive companies for decades to follow.
Varco also worked with GE to develop the GEB-20 AC motor for
drilling. Canrig and GDS / GDM Top Drives still use these GE motors
today, which have over the years been adapted specifically for drilling
use. Other developments by Varco and NOV include the first 2-speed
Top Drive, released in 1988; and the first dual-motor unit, the 700HP
TDS-9S.

Many companies in the 80’s and 90’s contributed to Top Drive

development. Maritime Hydraulics, now grafted into Aker Solutions,
introduced the link-tilt technology that is widely used. Tesco is credited
with introducing and widely marketing portable Top Drives for land
drilling application. Through continued advancements in technological
research and development, NOV released the TDS-11 500-Ton, 800 HP
Top Drive. It is to date the most popular Top Drive system in
history, with more than 2,000 units sold… that’s an average of over
100 units per year for the past two decades.

A sidebar on non-profitable time – what’s interesting, is that Top

Drives—all Top Drives including the TDS-11—are responsible for more
down time on drilling rigs today than any other piece of equipment. Part
of the reason is that they do not have backup alternatives: during much
of a rig’s drilling activity per well, a mud pump or engine-driven
generator can go down and the rig can still cripple along on its spare
equipment until repairs are made. Secondly, Top Drives are expensive.
At ~$1.6M, you can buy six brand new 1600 Triplex Mud Pumps for
the price of a TDS-11… so when times are good and drilling activity is
at its peak, drilling contractors are less likely to have an operational
spare just laying around in the yard to swap out.
56
The up-front cost of downtime or NPT for a standard double or triple
drilling rig, in terms of crew pay, fuel consumption, and all quantitative
factors is ~$800 +/- $100. The total cost of downtime, weighing
intangible and after-incident factors, can be up to three times that
number. For example, the longer a rig remains on downtime, the more
personnel become involved… even if only over the phone. Time spent
by company personnel on the phone supporting a downtime incident =
time lost on whatever project they would otherwise be working on. In
another example, the longer a rig is on downtime, the more sleep is lost,
which directly or indirectly affects the operational tempo (and
efficiency) immediately following a downtime incident. Whenever
regular time is affected, the additional costs of downtime become clear.

Having worked as a 3rd-party hand for thirty-two different drilling

contractors, I’ve experienced rigs who rarely accrue even the five-to-ten
hours their operator might afford per month. Conversely, I’ve worked
on rigs that regularly see >50 hours of equipment-related downtime per
month. While older equipment, smaller company budgets, and poor
weather or well conditions are always factors, the number one
discriminator between these two types of companies… is people.
Attitude and aptitude of company leaders and workers in the drilling
industry will most often determine which type of rigs they have,
comparable to the examples above. This training is intended to improve
aptitude relating to the most common model of the most common
equipment responsible for downtime on a rig.

57
4.3 TDS-11 General Specifications

Top Drive Weight 27,000 lbs. (+/- 2,000 config.-based)

Stack-up Height 17.8’
Power Requirements 700 KVA @ 575-600 VAC, 50/60 Hz
Horsepower 800 HP (400 per motor)
Output Torque (Cont) 37,500 ft. lb. (800 HP)
Tool Torque (Intermit) 55,000 ft. lb.
Maximum Speed 228 rpm (w/ 4.38:1 reduction option)
Hoisting Capacity 500 ton (API 8C, PSL-1, SR-1)
Drilling Capacity 500 ton (API)
Static Locking Brake 39,000 ft. lb.
Load Path Single
Gooseneck Entry 3" 1002 Female Union
S-Pipe Hose Connection 4" API Pipe or 4" 1002 Female Union
Rotating Head (RLA) Infinitely positionable
Water Course 5,000 psi CWP (3.0” wash pipe)

Drilling Motors Type Reliance AC-575 VAC (2 x 400 HP)

Rated Speed 1,200 RPM
Maximum Speed 2,400 RPM
Max Continuous Torque 1,800 ft. lbs. (each)
Max Intermittent Tq. 2,600 ft. lbs. (each)

Pipe Handler Type PH-75 (75,000 ft. lb. Backup Torque)

Upper IBOP (Remote) 6-5/8” API Regular, RH, Box on Box
Lower IBOP (Manual) 6-5/8” API Regular, RH, Pin on Box
IBOP Pressure Rating 15,000 psi CWP
Saver Sub Min Shoulder 8”
Elevator Links 350 ton or 500 ton API

Drill Pipe Sizes 3.5” to 6-5/8” (4” to 8-1/2” OD Joint)

VFD Types ABB ACS800, 575-600 VAC

IDM Yaskawa Drive (800 HP, 575 VAC)
Siemens (800 HP, 600 VAC)
Motor Braking Type Hydraulic Caliper Disc Brakes

58
Motor Cooling Type Local Intake Pressure Blower
Power (2) 5 HP AC Motors
Speed 3,600 rpm
Output 1,100 cfm

Transmission Type Single Spd, Double Reduction Helical

Reduction 10.5:1 (4.38:1 optional)
Gears (1) 102T Bull gear, (2) 34T motor
pinion gears, (2) 63T/18T compound

Gear Lubrication Type Pressure feed, filtered

Reservoir Capacity 15 gal
Flow Rate 10 gpm
Oil Pressure 33 psi optimal
Low Pressure Indication 20 – 18 PSI Descending

Hydraulic System Power 10 HP, 600V AC Motor

Flow Rate 8.0 gpm/3.5 gpm (Hi/Lo)
Reservoir Capacity 25 gal
System Capacity 25 gal

Performance
Curve

Figure 4.1

59
Current-to-Torque Chart

TORQUE (FTLB) CURRENT (A) TORQUE (%) VALUE #

0 200 0 1
1680 214 4 2
3360 226 9 3
5040 240 13 4
6720 256 17 5
8400 270 21 6
10080 290 26 7
11760 314 30 8
13440 334 34 9
15120 355 38 10
16800 376 43 11
18480 400 47 12
20160 424 51 13
21840 446 55 14
23520 470 60 15
25200 500 64 16
26880 525 68 17
28560 550 72 18
30240 580 77 19
31920 606 81 20
33600 632 85 21
35280 664 89 22
36960 693 94 23
38640 725 99 24
39480 732 100 25
40320 755 103 26
42000 785 106 27
43680 804 111 28
45360 845 115 29
47040 874 119 30
48720 908 123 31
50400 940 128 32
52080 970 132 33
53760 1004 136 34
55440 1034 140 35
57120 1070 145 36
59220 1110 150 37

60
CHAPTER 5
TOOLS OF THE
TRADE
 CHAPTER 5:
Tools of the Trade

This section names the tools required to work on the TDS-11 Top Drive,
in checklist form.

ITEM/TOOL/EQUIPMENT: QUANTITY: CHECK:

I. PPE AND GENERAL RESPONSE ITEMS

SERVICE TRUCK 1 _______

SERVICEABLE SPARE TIRE 1 _______
FIRST AID KIT 1 _______
CELL PHONE 1 _______
CELL BOOSTER 1 _______
BLUETOOTH HANDS-FREE DEVICE 1 _______
RIG DIRECTIONS / GPS (CELL) AND PHYSICAL MAP 1 _______
VEHICLE A/C INVERTER 1 _______
FILLED WATER COOLER (OR 2 CASES WATER) 1 _______
FOOD FOR TWO DAYS A/R _______
LAPTOP 1 _______
ETHERNET CABLE 1 _______
EXTERNAL DRIVE W/ PRINTS & MANUALS 1 _______
FLAME-RESISTANT COVERALLS 2 _______
HARD HAT 1 _______
PAIR STEEL-TOED WORK BOOTS 1 _______
H2S MONITOR 1 _______
SAFETY HARNESS 1 _______
LOCKING STUBAI-85 STEEL CARABINERS 2 _______
OVERHEAD TOOL BAG 3 _______
TOOL LANYARD WITH SELF-LOCKING D-RINGS 4 _______
PAIR THIN WORK GLOVES 3 _______
RUBBER GLOVES (BOX) 1 _______
PAIR IMPACT GLOVES 1 _______
PAIR CLEAR OR TINTED SAFETY GLASSES 1 _______
PAIR SAFETY SUNGLASSES 1 _______
FACE SHIELD 1 _______

II. TOOLS AND TOOL KITS

ASSORTED HYDRAULIC FITTING KIT 1 _______

HYDRAULIC HARD LINE REPAIR KIT (FLARE OR FERRULE) 1 _______

62
ASSORTED NUT, BOLT, & WASHER KIT 1 _______
ASSORTED SWITCH, FUSE, AND BULB KIT 1 _______
ASSORTED BATTERY KIT – 2 SPARE SETS FOR EACH TOOL 1 _______
MULTIMETER 1 _______
AMP CLAMP 1 _______
MEGGER 1 _______
18V BATTERY-OPERATED DRILL & CARBIDE INDEX SET 1 _______
18V ½” IMPACT AND SOCKET SETS (DEEP & SHALLOW) 1 _______
18V BATTERY CHARGER 1 _______
18V BATTERIES 4 _______
UNIBIT 2 _______
SET HEX NUT DRIVER BITS 1 _______
SET ALLEN HEAD BITS 1 _______
HYDRAULIC TEST KIT (STAUFF OR SIMILAR) 1 _______
NITROGEN ACCUMULATOR TEST KIT 1 _______
DIAL INDICATOR 1 _______
VERNIER CALIPERS 1 _______
25’+ RETRACTABLE TAPE MEASURE 1 _______
5’ BAR 1 _______
LARGE CROW BAR 1 _______
FLAT PRY BAR 1 _______
CAT’S CLAW / NAIL PULLER 1 _______
10 LB. SHOP HAMMER 1 _______
RUBBER MALLET 1 _______
BRASS HAMMER 1 _______
LARGE STEEL WIRE BRUSH 1 _______
SMALL BRASS WIRE BRUSH 1 _______
COLD CHISEL & PUNCH SET 1 _______
SCRAPER / PUTTY KNIFE 1 _______
TAP & DIE SET 1 _______
BOLT & SCREW EXTRACTOR SET 1 _______
STANDARD O-RING KIT 1 _______
VITON O-RING MAKING KIT 1 _______
BUNA O-RING MAKING KIT 1 _______
GASKET MAKING KIT 1 _______
TURBO TORCH 1 _______
TORCH FUEL 2 _______
ELECTRIC GRINDER 1 _______
GRINDER METAL GRINDING WHEELS 2 _______
GRINDER SOFT WHEELS 2 _______
GRINDER METAL CUTTING DISKS 4 _______
GRINDER WIRE WHEEL, SIDE BRUSH 1 _______
GRINDER WIRE WHEEL, FRONT BRUSH 1 _______
DIE GRINDER W/ ACCESSORY KIT 1 _______

63
DIE GRINDER ASSORTED FLAPPER WHEELS (BOX) 1 _______
DIE GRINDER ASSORTED DISKS (BOX) 1 _______
DIE GRINDER METAL CUTTING DISKS 5 _______
SOLDERING GUN W/ ACCESSORIES 1 _______
1/2” RATCHET AND SOCKET SET (STANDARD) 1 _______
3/8” RATCHET AND SOCKET SET (STANDARD) 1 _______
1/4” RATCHET AND SOCKET SET (STANDARD) 1 _______
SET OF SOCKET EXTENSIONS 1 _______
1/2” X 150 LB. TORQUE WRENCH 1 _______
3/4” X 600 LB. TORQUE WRENCH 1 _______
TORQUE MULTIPLIER 1 _______
1/2” UNIVERSAL / SWIVEL HEAD ADAPTERS 3 _______
3/8” UNIVERSAL / SWIVEL HEAD ADAPTERS 3 _______
SET OF STANDARD END WRENCHES, 1/4” – 1-1/2” 1 _______
1-1/2” SPECIALTY WRENCH* 1 _______
SET OF STANDARD STUB WRENCHES, 1/4" – 1” 1 _______
SET OF STANDARD CROW’S FEET, 1/4” – 1” 1 _______
3” HAMMER WRENCH 1 _______
SMALL SET OF STANDARD ALLEN WRENCHES 1 _______
SMALL SET OF METRIC ALLEN WRENCHES 1 _______
SET OF T-HANDLE STANDARD ALLEN WRENCHES 1 _______
SET OF T-HANDLE METRIC ALLEN WRENCHES 1 _______
SET OF STANDARD HEX NUT DRIVERS 1 _______
SET OF STANDARD SCREWDRIVERS 1 _______
SET OF PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVERS 1 _______
SET OF SMALL ELECTRICAL SCREWDRIVERS 2 _______
SIDE-CUTTING DIKES 2 _______
FRONT-CUTTING DIKES 1 _______
SAFETY WIRE PLIERS** 1 _______
.032 SAFETY WIRE** 2 _______
.041 SAFETY WIRE** 2 _______
.051 SAFETY WIRE** 2 _______
ID SNAP RING PLIERS 1 _______
OD SNAP RING PLIERS 1 _______
STANDARD PLIERS 1 _______
VARIOUS NEEDLE-NOSE PLIERS 4 _______
ADJUSTABLE / CRESCENT WRENCHES (6,” 8,” 10,” 12”) 4 _______
VISE-GRIPS 1 _______
VARIOUS CHANNEL LOCKS (SM / MED / LG) 3 _______
DRAG MAGNET OR TELESCOPING MAGNET 1 _______
MAGNETIC BOLT TRAY 1 _______
FLEXIBLE CLAW FISHING TOOL 1 _______
ELECTRICAL PLIERS 2 _______
PIN CRIMPER AND PUSH TOOL SET 1 _______

64
FERRULE KIT W/CRIMPERS 1 _______
CABLE LUG CRIMPERS W/ DIES FOR 646 / 777 1 _______
WIRE STRIPPERS 1 _______
RACHETING CABLE CUTTERS 1 _______
BUCHANAN CRIMPS 1 _______
BUTTER CUTTERS 1 _______
RETRACTABLE UTILITY KNIFE FOR SHEATHING CABLE 1 _______
PAIR ELECTRICAL GLOVES 1 _______
SET ASSORTED COLOR ELECTRICAL TAPE 1 _______
SET ASSORTED COLOR ZIP-TIES 1 _______
BOX OF ASSORTED WIRE NUTS 1 _______
BAGS OF BUCHANAN COPPER BUTT-SPLICES W/ CAPS 2 _______
PACKAGES OF SM - LONG HEAVY-DUTY ZIP TIES 4 _______
ROLLS ELECTRICAL TAPE 6 _______
ROLLS TEFLON TAPE 2 _______
ROLL DUCT TAPE 1 _______
BOX RAGS 1 _______
BOX SHOP TOWELS 1 _______
CONTAINER OF HAND CLEANER 1 _______
CAN WD-40 1 _______
CONTAINER DRY GRAPHITE LUBRICANT 1 _______
CAN PB BLAST 1 _______
GREASE GUN 1 _______
TUBES RED NGLI GREASE 4 _______
TUBES CHEVRON EP2 BLACK PEARL GREASE 2 _______
CONTAINER OF LIQUID TEFLON 1 _______
TUBE ANTI-SIEZE COMPOUND 1 _______
TUBE LOCTITE / THREADLOCK 1 _______
TUBE SUPERGLUE 1 _______
ROLL SHEET RUBBER 1 _______
HIGH-VOLTAGE SPLICE KIT 1 _______
SMALL HEAT SHRINK TUBING KIT 1 _______
MEDIUM HEAT SHRINK TUBING KIT 1 _______
LARGE HEAT SHRINK TUBING KIT 1 _______
ASSORTED SIZE ZIPPER SHRINK KITS 3 _______
2-PART POTTING EPOXY KIT 1 _______
PENS, MARKERS, PAINT MARKERS, NOTEBOOKS EACH 2 _______

* Note 1: Traditional TDS-11 configurations often require a specialty wrench for removal of the
two upper rear bolts for each drill motor. A drawing is provided on following page.
** Note 2: All fasteners on overhead traveling equipment in the oilfield must be outfitted for
secondary retention. For this purpose, we use pre-drilled bolts with thru-cable and crimped
ferrules, or traditional safety wire. Guidance is per OEM, and per API Spec 8C Sec. 4.9.3. Safety
wiring instructions are found in Chapter 1 of the TDS-11 Service Manual.

65
Figure 5.1

66
 CHAPTER 6
TDS-11 MAIN
ASSEMBLIES &
SUBCOMPONENTS
 CHAPTER 6:
TDS-11 Main Assemblies & Subcomponents

In this section, we will learn the following:

1. The seven major sections / systems of a TDS-11 Top Drive

2. The names and locations of some key TD subcomponents
3. A rudimentary illustration of how the hydraulic and electrical
systems interact

Notes: In this and subsequent chapters, you will notice a recap of some
principles or basic components covered in Chapter 1, applying them
now to the TDS-11. This repetition is intentional to aid in memory
retention.

2.1 Main Assemblies

There are seven major sections / systems on the TDS-11 Top Drive
(controls will be covered in another chapter):

(1) Power Section

(2) Drive Train

(3) Mud Circulation

(4) On-board Hydraulic System

(5) Electrical System

(6) PH-75 Pipe Handler

(7) Carriage & Hoisting

68
1. Power Section

There are two 400-HP Baldor Reliance AC traction motors on the TDS-
11 Top Drive. Each motor is rated at 600VAC, 50/60 Hz. Attached to
each motor is a top-mounted 5HP blower motor, blower fan, and
hydraulic brake assembly. The left side (DS) motor’s blower shroud
houses a heat exchanger. The right side (ODS) motor’s blower shroud
houses a pulse encoder, which reads the actual rotation speed of the
motor, converts the mechanical input into an electrical signal, and sends
the signal to the ABB drive for measurement, adjustments, and drive
fault indications.

Figure 6.1
69
 Figure 6.2

2. Drive Train

A large reduction gear assembly is located inside the transmission

housing, directly below the motors. The transmission is also known as
the gearcase, the case, the gearbox, the reduction gearbox, or the RGB.
It provides a 10.5 to 1 reduction.

Inside the transmission, each of the two motor pinion gears turns a
respective compound gear. A compound gear is a single component
with two different diameters and tooth counts. You’ll see an illustration
on the next page. The compound gears transmit the motor torque to turn
70
 a large, centralized bull gear,
which is bolted to the hollow
drive stem (aka main shaft or
quill) of the Top Drive. The
drive stem passes downward
from the gearbox through the
RLA, below which is a Load
Collar upon which the RLA
rests when hydraulic system
pressure is relieved.
Attached to the bottom of the
drive stem, in descending
order, are the upper IBOP,
the lower IBOP, and Saver
Sub. Attached above the
drive stem is a swivel pack
(encased by a protective
bonnet), which is attached
to—and rotates with—the
drive stem below while
maintaining a seal with the
fixed-position Goose neck,
S-Pipe, and kelly hose above.

Figure 6.3
(Above)

Figure 6.4
(Below)

71
Gearbox lubrication is provided by a continuous positive pressure fed
pump that is mounted in the gearbox. The pump is turned by an external
hydraulic motor, which is driven by the HPU vane pump whenever the
hydraulic system is energized. Optimal case pressure in the gearbox is
33 PSI; a gear lube pressure switch is plumbed into the case, and it
makes the “Oil Pressure
Loss” lamp on the
Driller’s Console
illuminate when pressure
drops between 20 to 18
PSI descending.
Extended operation of the
Top Drive with less than
12 PSI gear case pressure
will cause a catastrophic
failure of the gearbox.
Figure 6.5

Figure 6.6

72
3. Mud Circulation
Top Drive systems are an integral part of the rig’s drilling fluid
circulation system, and have proven instrumental in the development of
horizontal drilling technology. Standpipe fluid under pressure is
channeled through rigid HP pipe up the side of the derrick to just below
board height, at or about 73 feet, where it enters a 10K PSI rated kelly
hose approximately 75 feet long. The kelly hose should dip down to
around six feet above the floor when connected to the Top Drive at its
lowest conventional position in the derrick (~ -4’).
The hose connects to the S-Pipe at the TD,
which is of rigid HP construction and
fixed to the TD with a rubber-lined robust
clamp (S-Pipe can be configured for
either side of the TD). The S-Pipe then
transfers fluid to the goose neck, which
directs fluid downward into the bonnet
through the swivel pack while also
providing for well intervention with a
wireline cap. Because the IBOP valves are
rated at 10K PSI, the only restrictive
element that comes standard on a TDS-11
is its 3” 5K PSI wash pipe at the core of the packing.
With the sweep of land triples upgrading to 7,500 PSI
MP fluid ends over the past decade, the TDS-11 and
similarly-rated Top Drives upgraded to 4” 7,500 PSI
washpipes. The future of land drilling begs a
complete 10K PSI circulation system, but it will likely
require the redesign of entire drill strings among other
equipment, and probably a revisit of API RP 53. Figure 6.7 (a) and 6.8 (b)

73
4. On-board Hydraulics
This 25-gallon system includes the reservoir, suction strainers, hydraulic
pressure filter, main manifold, accessory manifolds, RLA, pre-charged
accumulators, actuators (pistons / cylinders and hydraulic motors), steel
lines and hoses. The TDS-11 is the first commercial Top Drive to boast
a completely “on board” hydraulic system; nearly all other Top Drives
draw their hydraulic fluid through a set of hydraulic hoses attached to
the service loop, from a reservoir and pump assembly located remotely
on the drill floor or on a ground-mounted skid.
Main hydraulic system fluid is driven by the 3.5 – 8 GPM HPU piston
pump. Gearbox lubrication is provided by a hydraulic motor that is
driven by the HPU vane pump. The HPU electric motor is powered
through the 19-pin auxiliary service loop. All hydraulic functions are
electrically actuated via VFD House-supplied 24VDC power through the
42-pin composite service loop. When a robotic function is selected by
the Driller, 24V passes through a closed switch contact at the Driller
controls, down to the VFD house, where it is re-routed through the 42-
pin to the Top Drive Junction Box (hereafter, J-Box). The actuating
voltage then powers one of seven
solenoid-operated (directional)
valves, or SOV’s. The solenoid
essentially acts as an electromagnet,
forcing the spool against spring
pressure to allow pressurized
hydraulic fluid to flow to the desired
side of its respective actuator. The
hydraulic system is fully detailed in
Chapter 9.
Figure 6.9
74
5. Electrical Section
The TDS-11 receives power via three separate service loops that begin at
the Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) house, run up the outside of the
derrick, and hang from a rainbow shaped termination near the
monkeyboard to create a traveling loop on the inside of the derrick
before they connect to the Top Drive. Some rig models incorporate a
drag chain to protect the service loop bundle, but most simply allow the
loops to hang freely to the side of the Top Drive, usually wrapped in a
heavy-duty nylon ‘sock’ or coiled with large-diameter plastic hose wrap.
The service loop bundle comprises three individual service loops:
(1) A 600V 3-phase power service loop with grounds, contained in
a durable 4” hose and flange-mounted to a weldment plate on the
side of the TD. The three large armored cables in this loop have
colored plugs—black, white, and red—which correspond to like-
colored bulkhead connections the Top Drive plug panel. The
grounds are mounted at a common brass block near the hose flange
weldment. The power service loop supplies power to the two
400HP drill motors (for rotation, speed and torque), the loop
supplies power to nothing else. For VFD fault indications, suspect
the VFD House (inverters, rectifiers, chopper / DB module,
associated fuses) OR a drill motor, OR one or more phases of this
service loop (LOTO and look for physical cable / plug deficiency).

Figure 6.10

75
(2) The 19-pin auxiliary service loop supplies 3-phase, 600V
power and ground wires to the three auxiliary motors from their
respective motor starters in the VFD House:

Figure 6.11

The 19-pin also provides 120 VAC power to the drill motor
heaters for cold-weather applications. So the aux motors and
the drill motor heaters, and nothing else. If you’re
experiencing a problem with one of these items, suspect the
19-pin auxiliary service loop and its connected circuit
components, and nothing else. Similarly, if there is a
problem with anything else on the Top Drive besides blower
/ HPU operation or drill motor heaters, do not suspect the 19-
pin (it would be highly irregular, unless it is shorting to

76
 something else). Sounds simple, but this is a common reason
that 3rd-party gets called out, to determine which service loop
a customer needs to get coming. That’s why I’m reiterating.

3. The 42-pin composite service loop supplies power from

the VFD House to the TD J-Box for robotics (SOV’s) and
sensing devices (pressure switches, motor RTD’s [overtemp
warning devices], and the encoder. If the Driller is getting a
blower loss light or indication, and the blower is still
blowing, suspect a blower pressure switch or some segment
of the 42-pin. If the blower is not blowing, suspect the
blower motor, motor starter breaker, or some segment of the
19-pin. Get it? Good.

In traditional rig layouts, the 42-pin and 19-pin service loops are
continuous, while the three power wires and grounds connect together at
a termination point (saddle) near the board (splitting the inner power
loop from the outer power loop).

6. Pipe Handler

The PH-75 Pipe Handler (rated at up to 75,000 ft. lbs of torque) mounts
underneath the RLA and is comprised of four major components: the
torque arrestor, the clamp cylinder or grabber assembly, the IBOP
actuator yoke & piston, and the link-tilt assembly consisting of two
cylinders and the link-tilt crank. As described, the Pipe Handler uses
electrically-actuated, hydraulically-operated piston and cylinders to
handle pipe.

77
 Figure 6.12

Figure 6.13 Figure 6.14

78
7. Carriage and Hoisting

The Top Drive is hoisted up and down in the derrick by a 500-ton

McKissick hook & block combo [or other variable combination of block
and hook], controlled by the Drawworks. The hook connects to the Top
Drive bail. In this conventional setup, the TDS-11 Top Drive has four
(4) bogey roller assemblies attached to a carriage that’s bolted to the TD,
which ride up and down a modular track at the back of the unit. In the
case of dolly-mounted TDS-11’s that have guide runners which ride
along the sides of the derrick (where the traditional track and carriage is
not used), the blocks may not have a hook, rather an attachment which
accepts pins for the TD arms (used in lieu of a bail). This configuration
of Top Drive, fyi, was originally called the TDS-11HP, named after the
first customer to incorporate the design change.

Figure 6.15

The following page provides a simple illustration of how the TDS-11’s

hydraulic and electrical components / circuits interact.
79
Figure 6.16
80
 CHAPTER 7
TDS-11 TOP DRIVE
OPERATION &
CONTROLS
 CHAPTER 7:
Top Drive Operation and Controls

In this section, we will learn the following:

1. The definition and explanation of controls

2. Common control configurations that are available today
3. Where to find your configuration on the Student Thumb Drive
3. How to operate the TDS-11 Top Drive

So when I was developing this training—as in right now, as I’m writing

this—I’d like to avoid writing a manual within this chapter. So here’s
what we’ll do. We’ll talk about controls, then we’re going to discuss the
different drive control systems for the TDS-11, which basically means
machine controls… and then we’ll talk about the different operator
interfaces, or human controls for the TDS-11. We’ll cover the basic
gist of all of them, and I’ll teach you how to fish (which manuals to look
for in your student thumb drives to find answers, based on the system
you’re using). Then we’ll use the classic Varco Driller’s Console of a
brake handle rig—the simplest method—to explain the basic operation
of the Top Drive. Sound good? Let’s git after it.

7.1 What are Controls? A control is any device we use to start, use, or
stop a machine. When we say “controls” in plural, it usually refers to a
control system… which is an interconnected network of physical
devices, circuits, or electronic programs that we use to command or
regulate a machine. Controls can be manual or mechanical, pneumatic,
hydraulic, electric, electronic, or fiberoptic… and a control system uses
a few different types of controls that work together to make a machine
do what we want.

To illustrate, we’re going to use power wrenches as our example, or

‘floor wrenches’ in the oilfield. If you’ve ever used a Blohm & Voss
Floorhand, you’ll note that when you push or pull a handle, you are
physically moving a valve spool that is attached to that handle, because
82
the handles are mounted on the valve bank. An NOV ST-80 works in
similar fashion but adds a level of complexity. While you are still
moving handles to mechanically operate the machine, those handles are
connected to cables, and the cables are routed to the valve bank to move
the hydraulic valve spools. These are examples of manual controls.

On a workover rig or a super single, the floor wrenches are also

hydraulic but the actuators are not mechanical handles or cables.
They’re typically air actuated (USA Oil Tools wrenches, for example).
So when you lift a handle, air under 120 PSI pressure is ported through a
3/8” air hose to a pneumatic actuator on the hydraulic valve bank, to
move the spool and direct fluid. Even some doubles and triples still use
air-actuated floor wrenches. Anybody remember the Hawkjaw Sr.? It’s
an overbuilt set of pipe spinners with articulating jaws… and it floats off
the A-leg like manual tongs do. Pneumatic over hydraulic controls.
Uses Lincoln tubes instead of hoses.

Hydraulic controls: Schramm’s T-Series rigs use hydraulically-actuated,

hydraulically operated tools. Their valve banks have hydraulic
actuators, and the Driller’s control panels have handles and knobs that
direct pressurized fluid when moved, actuating a hydraulic valve spools
by pushing against them hydraulically. That concept is called ‘pilot
pressure’ when hydraulics are used to actuate other hydraulic devices.

Then we’ve got the IR-3080 and TM-80 or 120. Electric over hydraulic.
The coup de grace is found on state-of-the-are offshore rigs, where
everything is automated and usually begins electronically… by pushing
a button on a touchscreen. Ultimately, a hydraulic valve spool still gets
moved to do the action, but as you can see, power wrenches offer the
full spectrum of controls options.

7.2 TDS-11 Drive Control Systems. The first drive control system for
this unit was a Siemens Drive House, the Atari of VFD Houses. The
house itself came in three sizes: tiny, super tiny, and micro (not much
bigger than a port-a-shitter). You’ll know you’re in this house if, when
83
you open the door to enter, there’s a red digital screen with two or three
digits that look like letter-numbers (is that an ‘F’ or a ‘7’?). The house
was made by Siemens and uses Siemens drives, aka inverters, aka
VFD’s or Variable Frequency Drives. IF YOU EVER FIND
YOURSELF in one of these houses because your TDS-9, 10, or 11 is
having issues, you need to know two things: First, the most common
way to fix speed or torque issues—after you’ve shut down the unit,
LOTO and checked out all the power cables (same cables, slightly
smaller black/white/red 646 with smaller plugs), is to run the drive’s
“Auto Parameterization” function. You have to do it several times for it
to work, usually. How do you do this? Read the instructions. That
brings us to # 2: the Siemens Simovert Compendium. This is the Bible
for that entire drive house. And just like with the real Bible, if you read
it enough, you’ll start to understand it. Promise. It’s on your student
thumb drive. Cool about this house: encoder bypass is just a switch.

Next up, the IDM Yaskawa Drive House. Same frame and setup as the
Siemens House mentioned above, only with different inverters. Though
Yaskawa drives are still used for the TDS-11 in Omron applications, and
in Canrig and GDM Top Drive VFD Houses, the IDM Yaskawa Drive
House for TDS-11’s is believed to be completely phased out on land rigs
today.

Ok, this next one is still pretty popular with customers in West Texas,
anyway. For anyone who has a DC rig (SCR rig) and a TDS-11 Top
Drive, they probably have one of the three classic variations of ABB
Stand-Alone Drive House. All three have two (2) ABB ACS-800 drives
that control speed and torque for the TD, and a standard ABB keypad
mounted on the wall, looks like the photo at left below. Now, you see
the photo at right? If you have one of these drive houses, but that main
breaker is underneath the ABB keypad at knee-level with a clear plastic
case around it, then you have the rarer of these three versions of VFD
house, the ABB Finnish Drive House (made in Finland).

84
 Figure 7.1 Figure 7.2

So, the Finnish ABB house is configured differently, but the other two
are identical except for the guts. The original of them incorporated
Siemens PLC technology, the discontinued parts for which are all but
extinct today, and stupid expensive if you can find some. The other
house uses SBC technology (NOV Amphion), and the Driller’s Console
is different. You have the prints for all styles of ABB VFD House on
your student thumb drive: PLC, SBC, and Finnish houses.

Figure 7.3
85
Moving on to AC rigs. AC rigs don’t need “stand-alone” Top Drive
VFD houses, because the Top Drive, Drawworks, and Mud Pumps all
use AC drives (inverters) in what’s called an Integrated Drive House. If
you have an NOV rig, you’ll either see those same ABB keypads for
each piece of equipment, or you might see Siemens Sinamics or
Simatics controllers… could be button-style or touchpad. If you have
one of these rigs with ABB drives, you have a set of prints on your
Student Hard Drive. If they’re Siemens drives, you’ll need to obtain a
copy of the prints. I have several that are similar but none for the TDS-
11. Keep in mind there are a lot of variations and the technology
changes too fast to keep up. The good news is, for all NOV TDS-11
drive houses, if you’re an end user (work for a drilling contractor), you
can usually get a copy emailed to you if you sweet talk the tech support
folks at NOV. What you’ll need is the 4-digit Job Number that’s on the
data plate of your VFD house… usually mounted just outside the door.
If your house is so old that it doesn’t have a data plate, good news! You
have the info now to determine what kind of VFD house you’re dealing
with. If it’s not an NOV design of drive system, you’ll need to see who
your company used when they built the rig. IEC, IDC, IPS, Unico…
there are all kinds of customer-unique VFD designs, albeit relatively
rare. Hope this info helps you understand the different configurations a
little better than you did already.

7.3 Operator Interfaces.

Now comes the fun part. In a brake handle scenario, the operator
(Driller) of a TDS-11 typically uses either a traditional Varco Driller’s
Console (VDC), an Amphion VDC, or in conjunction with an EDS
system. In a Driller’s Cabin / cyberbase setting, the Driller will likely
use an Amphion or Omron program’s HMI screen… (Human-Machine
Interface, aka touchscreen). Of course, there are some outliers that use
other custom-designed programs & systems. All of the ones I just
mentioned are pretty easy to use once you get the hang of them, and the
instructions for each are—you guessed it—on your thumb drive.

86
Here are the basic operator interfaces.

For brake handle drilling:

Figure 7.4 – Varco Driller’s Console

Figure 7.5 – NOV Driller Control Console

Used in conjunction with one of the

consoles above: EDS or AutoDriller
system (Pason, Totco, WildCat, e.g.)

Figure 7.5 – NOV Electronic Drilling System (EDS)

87
For cyber-based drilling (Driller’s Cabin / cyberchair):

Figure 7.6

Figure 7.7

88
7.4 Operation of the Top Drive. The TDS-11’s operations will be
explained herein through the functional description of the Varco
Driller’s Console, in the pages that follow. For drilling and tripping
instructions, please refer to the TDS-11 Operation Manual in your
Student Thumb Drive.

1. MAKE UP CURRENT LIMIT

The term ‘Make Up’ means to connect & tighten drill pipe. This potentiometer adjusts the operator’s
torque limit when operating in TORQUE mode, by regulating electrical current output in the VFD House.

2. OIL PRESS LOSS

Short for “Gear Oil Pressure Loss.” This red lamp flashes when the gear case oil pressure drops below
20-18 PSI descending. The normal pressure of the gear case is 33 PSI +/- 3. There is no oil pressure loss
indication for hydraulic fluid on the TDS-11.

3. VDC PRESS LOSS

This red lamp flashes normally unless the driller’s console is equipped with air pressurization. It
indicates that there is a loss of air pressure in the Driller’s console. VDC = Varco Driller’s Console.
Note: Class I Div I explosion-proofing applies here and should be adhered to (pressurization required,
like in a Driller’s Cabin). Ironically, I’ve never seen a TDS-11 Console in the field that is pressurized.

4. DRILL MOTOR OVERTEMP

This red lamp flashes when one or both of the drilling motors are overheating, or when there’s an open
Motor RTD circuit (broken wire in 42-pin plug, pin not making contact, etc.) Always treat this alarm

89
seriously in case of an actual overheat condition (ensure blower airflow from the bottom vents of each
motor / compare temps with a temp gun).

5. DRILL / SPIN / TORQUE

This three-position mode selection switch can remain in the fixed position “DRILL” (drill—normal
during drilling operations) or “SPIN” (spin—rotates at a fixed or preset speed). Switch must be held in
the “TORQUE” position to make or break a connection (spring-loaded to return from TORQUE to SPIN).

6. BLOWER LOSS

This red lamp flashes if there is a loss of cooling air from one or both blowers, or in the event of a faulty
or maladjusted blower pressure switch.

7. ALARM SILENCE / LAMP CHECK

This pushbutton should be held in before operating the Top Drive, to test all warning lamps for operation.
Holding the button for five seconds should also test the RPM and TORQUE gauges (the needle of each
gauge will move from zero through maximum value, then return back to zero). This button may also be
pushed to acknowledge an alarm. If fault is not reset, alarm will return in five minutes. Pressing this
button will not clear any critical alarm.

8. HYDRAULIC POWER AUTO / ON

This two-position switch can remain in “AUTO” to allow the hydraulic pump to be turned on
automatically when either drill mode is selected (forward / reverse) and throttle actuated, or it can be
switched into the “ON” position to energize the pump when desired.

9. ROTATE LEFT / RIGHT

This three-position switch is spring-loaded to return to the center position (Off). Holding the switch in
the “LEFT” position will rotate the Pipe Handler in the counter-clockwise position. Holding the switch in
the “RIGHT” position will rotate the Pipe Handler in the clockwise position. Note: the Pipe Handler will
not rotate unless the Elevators are in the “FLOAT” position.

10. LINK TILT FLOAT

Depressing this pushbutton will fully relax the Link-Tilt Cylinders, allowing the Elevators to be in the
neutral position and enabling the Driller to rotate the Pipe Handler or operate the torque wrench.

11. TORQUE WRENCH PUSH & HOLD

Holding this pushbutton in will allow the Pipe Handler to rotate enough to be locked into place by the
Shot Pin, and will then engage the Pipe Clamp. Note: The clamp will not engage if the brakes are
engaged, the links are extended, or the throttle is open.

12. LINK TILT DRILL / OFF / TILT

This switch has three fixed positions: “DRILL” will move the Elevators to the maximum extended
position to allow the operator to drill down. “TILT” will extend the Elevators in the opposite direction.
In the “OFF” position, the Elevators will remain in their last position until commanded otherwise.

90
13. BRAKE ON

This red lamp illuminates when the Brake Solenoid Valve is energized.

14. BRAKE OFF / AUTO / ON

This switch has three fixed positions. When “ON,” the Brake Solenoid is energized. When placed in the
“AUTO” position, the brake is released when the throttle is advanced and the brake is set when the
throttle is off. In the “OFF” position, the brake is released. If a Drive Fault is indicated in the VFD, the
brake will engage regardless of switch position.

15. IBOP CLOSED

This amber-colored lamp illuminates when hydraulic pressure is applied to the cylinder that closes the
IBOP valve. It receives that pressure indication from the IBOP Pressure Switch.

16. IBOP OPEN / CLOSE

This switch has two positions. In the “OPEN” position, the IBOP actuator cylinder extends to open the
IBOP Valve. In the “CLOSED” position, the IBOP actuator cylinder retracts to close the IBOP Valve.

17. EMERGENCY STOP

This red mushroom-style pushbutton, when depressed, will automatically slow the drilling speed to
approximately 25 RPM (regardless of throttle position) and set the brake. All auxiliary functions
(hydraulics / robotics) will remain enabled.

18. THROTTLE: 0 – MAX

This knob controls the speed of the drill motors when in operating in DRILL mode, by sending a
reference signal to the VFD House. The resulting speed is indicated on the Tachometer.

19. DRIVE FAULT

This red lamp flashes when a VFD fault has been detected. It can also indicate an air conditioner
overpressure fault. If configured, the Top Drive will slow to approximately 25 RPM, then the brake will
set.

20. REVERSE / OFF / FORWARD

This switch has three fixed positions: “FORWARD,” “OFF,” and “REVERSE.” FORWARD and
REVERSE are used to select drill rotation, and to make or break a connection. This switch also assigns
commands to the auxiliary motors when the Hydraulic Selector Switch is in the AUTO position. The
“OFF” position deselects the VFD.

21. DRILL TORQUE: 0 – MAX Continuous

This potentiometer sets the current limit in the VFD during drilling operations. It is used to set the
maximum allowable drill pipe torque. It is adjusted by setting the brake and adjusting the knob to
increase or decrease the torque. This adjustment is indicated on the Torquemeter.

91
22. TORQUE METER

This gauge displays drill pipe torque in foot-pounds. In DRILL mode, torque is set by the DRILL
TORQUE potentiometer. In TORQUE mode, torque is set by the MAKE-UP CURRENT LIMIT
potentiometer.

23. TACHOMETER

Displays drill pipe rotational speed in RPM. Rotational speed is controlled by the throttle control knob.

92
CHAPTER 8
SERVICING AND
PERIODIC
MAINTENANCE
 CHAPTER 8:
Servicing and Periodic Maintenance

The following pages detail the scheduled PM’s of a TDS-11 Top Drive.
They are broken down into the following periods, derived from the TDS-
11 Service Manual using the same language as the manufacturer (for
example, ‘3 Month’ as opposed to 90 Day or X operating hours [hours
are included for suggestion only]):

(1) Daily (3) Monthly (5) 6 Month

(2) Weekly (4) 3 Month (6) Annual

Additional inspections of a more detailed nature include the TDS-11

Commissioning Inspection (NOV proprietary), the 5-Year
Recertification per API 8C, and special inspections. The Student Thumb
Drive contains the TDS-11 Service Manual, a 5-Year checklist and a
Post-Jarring inspection procedure.

Some of the inspection items have been reassigned to a different

schedule of periodic maintenance, based on industry standards derived
from conditions monitoring data. For example, the reliability of shot pin
seals allows for replacement at six months, not one month as originally
directed by OEM. Conversely, the quill end play should be checked at
least every six months, to monitor deficiencies that could lead to
catastrophic failure of drive components.

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: ALL INSPECTION AND

SERVICING PROCEDURES ARE TO BE PERFORMED ON A UNIT
THAT IS DE-ENERGIZED AND LOCKED OUT, UNLESS
OTHERWISE SPECIFIED!!! FOR PROCEDURES THAT REQUIRE
THE VISUAL OBSERVATION OF MOVING COMPONENTS,
ENSURE THAT THEY DO NOT CONFLICT WITH YOUR
DRILLING COMPANY’S OR OPERATING COMPANY’S
POLICIES.

94
 TDS-11 TOP DRIVE -- DAILY SCHEDULE

To Be Completed During Rig Service

RIG #____________ RIG MANAGER:

DATE: INSPECTOR: _____

EQUIPMENT S/N: ASSET #:

Component Lubrication Points Type Initial

Wash Pipe Assembly 1 Grease _______

IBOP Actuator Cranks 2 Grease _______
IBOP Yoke & Cylinder Pins 5 Grease _______
Stabilizer Bushing 4 Grease _______
Clamp Cylinder Gate 2 Grease _______
Gear Oil Check / Add Amt._____ _______
Hydraulic Oil Check / Add Amt._____ _______
Shot Pin Assembly Check Proper Operation _______

Visual Inspection Check For: Initial

TDS Motor Assembly Loose bolts, fittings, safety wire, cotter

pins, ensure both blowers are working _______

Pipe Handler Loose bolts, fittings, safety wire, cotter

pins, tong dies _______

Upper / Lower IBOP Valves Proper Operation _______

Top Drive Assembly Leaking hoses, connectors, Wash Pipe,

alignment over well center _______

95
Carriage & Guide Beams Missing / loose / damaged retainer pins,
lynch pins, track pins, rollers, fasteners _______

TDS Controls Verify Operation _______

Hydraulic & Gear Oil Filters Indicator Pop-up _______

RLA / Link Tilt Lift operation, pins, clevises, leaks,

Hoses, link tilt bolts _______

96
97
 TDS-11 TOP DRIVE -- WEEKLY SCHEDULE

To Be Completed After 160 Drilling Hours, in conjunction with Daily Service

RIG #____________ RIG MANAGER:

DATE: INSPECTOR: _____

EQUIPMENT S/N: ASSET #:

Component Lubrication Points Type Initial

Upper Bonnet Seal 1 Grease _______

Bail Pins 2 Grease _______
Rotating Link Adapter Gear Teeth Grease _______
Rotating Link Adapter 2 Grease _______
Upper IBOP Valve 1 Grease _______
Carriage Assembly 20 Grease _______
Wireline Adapter 2 Grease _______
External Link Eyes 4 Pipe Dope _______
Clamp Cylinder Torque Arrestor 4 Grease _______

Visual Inspection Check For: Initial

Top Drive Assembly All bolts tightened and wire tied _______

Service Loops & All Wiring Damage, abrasions, and snag points _______

Link Tilt Pins, yokes, position & tightness _______

Stabbing Guide & Flippers Damage and wear _______

Stabilizers Wear _______

98
IBOP Actuator Cylinder Leaks and tight fittings _______

IBOP Actuator Rollers Wear, flat spots, excessive play _______

Tool Joint Locks (Fetters) Loose bolts _______

Upper & Lower IBOP’s Damage _______

Crown Padeye Weld cracks or other damage _______

Guide Beam Joints Weld cracks or other damage _______

Carriage, Gd Bms, Tiebacks Missing, loose, damaged hardware / welds_______

Carriage Rollers Damage, wear, excessive play _______

99
100
101
 TDS-11 TOP DRIVE -- MONTHLY INSPECTION

To Be Completed After 600 Drilling Hours, along with Daily & Weekly Service

RIG #____________ RIG MANAGER:

DATE: INSPECTOR: _____

EQUIPMENT S/N: ASSET #:

Visual Inspection Check For: Initial

Gearbox Oil & Filter Take oil sample, replace filter as req’d _______

Hydraulic Oil & Filter Take oil sample, replace filter as req’d _______

Main Body Oil flow with lube pump running _______

Upper Main Shaft Liner Erosion caused by leaking Wash Pipe _______

Upper Bearing Retainer O-Ring, oil seal, isolator bearing wear _______

Blower Motor Assemblies Loose or missing bolts _______

Brake Pads Wear _______

Elevator Link Eyes Wear _______

Link Tilt Bushings Wear _______

L/T Cylinder Clevis Pins Wear _______

IBOP Actuator Yoke Excessive play or wear _______

102
Shot Pin Assembly Wear or damage _______

Hang-off Link, Bolt, Shackle Missing pins, worn bores, other damage _______

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISCREPANCIES & ACTIONS TAKEN:

Inspector Signature / Date: /

Rig Manager Sign / Date: /

103
 TDS-11 TOP DRIVE – 3-MONTH INSPECTION

To Be Completed After 1800 Drilling Hours, along with Daily, Weekly, and
Monthly Schedules. Inspect during rig move beginning on old location.

RIG #____________ RIG MANAGER:

DATE: INSPECTOR: _____

EQUIPMENT S/N: ASSET #:

Gearbox Oil & Filter: If no recorded change in past three months, remove &
replace filter. Replace oil if required.
_______

Hydraulic Oil & Filter: If no recorded change in past three months, remove &
replace filter. Replace oil if required.
_______

Carriage Assembly: (If equipped) – Inspect bolts and roll pins to ensure they are
secure and undamaged. Inspect bogey assemblies for wear.
_______

Tie-Back Assembly: Inspect for evidence of movement / TD wellbore alignment.

Adjust A/R. Inspect clamps and pins for damage.
_______

Encoder & Cable: Visually inspect encoder and complete cable for signs of
damage or stress. Check belt tension physically by feeling under encoder sled.
Verify TD is operating in encoder mode (not in bypass).
_______

Hydraulic Heat Exchanger: Inspect tubing for cracks or leaks; look for missing
or smashed fins. Replace A/R.
_______

104
Brake Rotors: Check for grooving, pitting, heat damage, and wear. _______

Motor Shafts: Using a dial indicator, measure shaft end play and record findings:
If either finding is >0.050,” have RM notify DS of an impending motor failure.

_______

DS:

ODS:

Reservoir Bladder: Remove breather and inspect bladder with a bright flashlight.
If fluid is noticed, remove reservoir lid and replace bladder and lid gasket.
_______

Top Drive Track: With track hung, inspect transition areas to ensure there are no
snag points, including damaged metal and damaged track bushings near the pin
ends. Ensure that the TD Dog locks pins are secured with keepers and secondary
retention lanyards / cables.
_______

Dolly Assembly: Inspect stops, pins, and glide pads for damage or excessive
wear. Apply grease to guide shoe alignment pins as required (until grease is
visibly protruding). Glide pads should have a nominal thickness of 5/8.” Replace
as required.
_______

Hydraulic Cylinders: Inspect all hydraulic cylinders for proper function, leaks at
rod / fittings/ hoses, and other damage. Annotate findings on each below:
_______

DS Link-Tilt:

ODS Link-Tilt:

DS Stand Jump:

ODS Stand Jump:

105
 IBOP:

Clamp Piston:

Brake Calipers:

Hydraulic Accumulators: Test each accumulator for proper nitrogen pre-charge.

Service as required. Annotate the final pressure for each below:
_______

Main (800 PSI):

CB / Stand Jump (900 PSI):

IBOP Time Delay (800 PSI):

Load Collar: Carefully inspect for evidence of galling or heat damage near the
top of the collar. Verify safety wire is installed. Notify RM immediately of any
deficiencies.
_______

IBOP Actuator: While having Driller work the controls, from a safe distance—
using a flashlight—carefully inspect the movement of the IBOP yoke, sleeve,
external crank assemblies and cam followers while rotating.
_______

Auxiliary Electric Motors: Check the three auxiliary motors (HPU and blowers)
to see whether each has grease fittings (or plugs that can be removed for the
momentary installation of grease fittings), or whether they have sealed bearings,
requiring no service. Circle the type of each for future inspection purposes:

DS Blower _Has Grease Fittings / Sealed Bearings ________

ODS Blower _Has Grease Fittings / Sealed Bearings ________

HPU _Has Grease Fittings / Sealed Bearings ________

106
For any motor that has grease ports that are plugged, temporarily install a grease
fitting. Apply 3 pumps to each bearing on each motor. USE ONLY dielectric
grease, such as the Black Pearl EP2 used on drilling motors.

Disconnect the 19-Pin from the TD. Using a megger, test 1, 2, and 3 to each other,
and then to pin # 4 (HPU three phases / pin #4 is ground), Repeat with pins 5-8
(with 8 being ground) for one blower, then repeat with pins 9-12 (with 12 being the
ground) for the other blower. Note: Few electricians follow protocol per NOV
prints when wiring auxiliaries; for this reason it’s impossible to say which
blower’s wires power which blower, for any given rig. Record your megger
readings; values in parentheses are the standard:

HPU Phase-to-Phase: Phase-to-Ground

(0Ω) (> 1 MΩ)

(0Ω) (> 1 MΩ)

(0Ω) (> 1 MΩ)

Blower 1 Phase-to-Phase: Phase-to-Ground

(0Ω) (> 1 MΩ)

(0Ω) (> 1 MΩ)

(0Ω) (> 1 MΩ)

Blower 2 Phase-to-Phase: Phase-to-Ground

(0Ω) (> 1 MΩ)

(0Ω) (> 1 MΩ)

(0Ω) (> 1 MΩ)

107
Drill Motors: Remove at least one motor access panel and one vent from each
motor to conduct a thorough visual inspection. Ensure rotor is not rubbing against
pigtail leads. If visible, ensure RTD / heater wire bundle is properly
terminated and not stretched or pinched. Look for evidence of oil seal blowout
(grease everywhere) and make a note of findings.
_______

For each drill motor, locate the top and bottom grease fittings or tamper-proof
plugs, then locate the relief ports for each. For the lower bearing, the grease zerk
and relief plug should be near each other. For the upper bearing, the servicing
point should be facing outboard and the relief port should be on the inboard side,
facing its sister motor. Remember that these are sealed grease circuits… if you
pump grease into them without removing each grease fitting’s corresponding relief,
then you’ll only be placing undue pressure against the motor bearing seals.
Remove each relief cap and pump ONLY Chevron EP2 grease into each circuit
until the grease begins to free-flow out of the relief port. Cap it all back off and
teach hands not to touch electric motors on rig service.
_______

Take a megger reading of each drill motor’s phases. Per OEM, readings to ground
should be better than 1 MΩ.. Readings between Phases should produce 0.0Ω on
the meter.

Power Plug Phase-to-Phase: Phase-to-Ground

(0Ω) (> 1 MΩ)

(0Ω) (> 1 MΩ)

(0Ω) (> 1 MΩ)

Service Loops: Disconnect both ends of the 19-Pin, 42-Pin, and Power Service
Loops from the Top Drive and VFD House. Use a multimeter to test resistance
(check ohms) from pin-to-pin on both ends of the multiconductor cables. Visually
inspect all plugs to include barrel threads & locking nuts, making note of pin
damage or misalignment, heat damage, or evidence of moisture. Lubricate power
pins (red / white / black power service loop connections) with approved electrical
lubricant such as 2-26 before re-installation. Do not use electrical lubricant on
multi-pin plugs such as the 19- and 42-pin.
_______
108
Pipe Handler: Conduct a detailed inspection of the PH75, checking pin
connections, front and rear stabilizers, proper operation of clamp cylinder, and
hose / fitting integrity. Ensure that no hardware is missing or improper for
application, and that all hardware is safety wired. Remove one of the two grabber
assembly gate hinge pins and check its diameter using Vernier calipers. OEM OD
is 2.25.” Acceptable wear is 0.020.” Measure pin boss to ensure it is not worn
beyond 2.30.” Apply standard NGLI grease to pin boss. Make note of whether or
not the grabber assembly is outfitted with a secondary gate pin retainer plate
underneath. If so, ensure it is properly attached and secured with safety wire.
With the jaw open, measure the thickness of the stabilizer liner. OEM OD is 1.0.”
Acceptable wear is 1.25.” Check the dies and die holder blocks; re-torque die
block bolts to between 80 and 85 ft-lbs. Re-install or replace components as
required, then remove and check opposite gate hinge pin.
_______

Upper Main Shaft: Remove the swivel pack (reverse threaded top and bottom).
Using a large flat-blade screwdriver, remove the rubber bearing shield to expose
the upper main shaft. Clean and inspect bearing shield. Coordinate with the
Driller to have him screw into a test joint and set the slips, but do not have him
lower the blocks to release weight. Using a dial indicator, check the quill end play
/ upper bearing tolerance as 25,000 ft-lbs is set on the slips according to the weight
indicator. Record the change, if any. Acceptable end play is 0.001” – 0.002.” If
outside of tolerance, remove the bearing retainer and adjust the number of shims so
that the end value is within acceptable tolerance.
_______

Swivel Pack: Inspect seals, re-pack as required. _______

109
 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISCREPANCIES & ACTIONS TAKEN:

Inspector Signature / Date: /

Rig Manager Sign / Date: /

110
 TDS-11 TOP DRIVE – 6-MONTH INSPECTION

To Be Completed After 3600 Drilling Hours, in conjunction with all prior

Schedules. Inspect during rig move beginning on old location.

RIG #____________ RIG MANAGER:

DATE: INSPECTOR: _____

EQUIPMENT S/N: ASSET #:

Gearbox Oil & Filter: If no recorded change in past three months, remove &
replace oil and filter.
_______

Hydraulic Oil & Filter: If no recorded change in past three months, remove &
replace oil and filter.
_______

Upper Main Shaft: Remove upper stem liner and replace polypack seal.
_______

S-Pipe: Remove S-Pipe and conduct a detailed visual inspection. Scrape paint on
any areas that display potential corrosion, erosion, or pitting. Surface damage must
not exceed 0.125.” Use a flashlight to thoroughly inspect visible areas of the bore.
If evidence of internal pitting or corrosion exceeds 0.125,” order an ultrasonic
inspection and pressure test.
_______

Shot Pin Assembly: Remove and disassemble the Shot Pin Assembly. Visually
inspect the pin and pin bore. Replace all seals, reassemble and reinstall unit.

_______

111
Hang-off and Track Assembly:

Prior to inspecting the track and its components, be sure that all rigging and
hoisting components are serviceable, and that personnel involved in rigging up /
down the Top Drive are trained and competent. Rigging components may include,
but are not limited to: crane, pole truck, forklift, slings, cables, shackles, pick-up
and tag lines, Drawworks, Blocks, drill line, winches & hoists, and controls.

For the following items, inspect the welds, bushings, pins and pin bores, keepers,
and hooks for general integrity. Ensure all track components are clean and free
from debris. 2” pins have a maximum allowable OD wear of 0.005.” Pin bushings
and bores have a maximum allowable ID of 2.045.” For each section, MPI lifting
lugs / hooks and all welds within a 3’distance from each end of the track. Inspect
track for roller wear and use a grinding disk and / or soft flapper wheel to smooth
over surface grooves and sharp edges. Perform dye penetrant test of all pin welds.
Additional inspection items for each component, if any, are annotated. Refer to the
TDS-11 Service Manual and to the track bushing prints in the Service & Inspection
section of your Student Drive.

Hang-off Link Inspect the plate holes for elongation, stress,

mushrooming or other fatigue / deficiency. Ensure
the link straight, and of proper length for track
standoff from drill floor. MPI link ends.
_______

Lifting Carriage Inspect weldment, wire rope sling, eyelets, clevises

and connection points.
_______

Hang-off Track Section _______

Short Track Section _______

Intermediate Sections _______

TD Connection Section _______

Top Drive Skid _______

112
 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISCREPANCIES & ACTIONS TAKEN:

Inspector Signature / Date: /

Rig Manager Sign / Date: /

113
 TDS-11 TOP DRIVE – ANNUAL INSPECTION

To Be Completed After 7200 Drilling Hours, in conjunction with all prior

Schedules. Inspect in a controlled (shop) environment. Note: the OEM does not
give a specified ‘Annual Inspection’ procedure, only a number of items which
much be addressed annually (some of these are covered in earlier inspection
schedules, based on general industry standards). The annual inspection procedure
varies according to drilling contractor; some requiring a complete teardown and
others requiring something more like a 6-month Rig Angel inspection procedure.

ENSURE THAT VALVES / SUBS ARE BROKEN WHILE TD IS RIGGED

UP, PRIOR TO SENDING TO SHOP

RIG #____________ RIG MANAGER:

DATE: INSPECTOR: _____

EQUIPMENT S/N: ASSET #:

Top Drive: Teardown all except Transmission Gearbox; HPU / manifolds &
associated plumbing; Carriage; Grabber Assembly; and J-Box, cables & wiring.
MPI the following:

Quill / Main Shaft (exposed end… also inspect threads)

Load Collar
Bogey Roller Assembly Pins
Bail (3’ of curved section and 2’ from each end)
Bail Pins
RLA Link Ears and Retaining Brackets
RLA Torque Tube
Dolly Assembly (all welds)
Pear Links
Link-Tilt Crank Assembly (pin bosses)
Transmission Gearbox

114
As Top Drive is reassembled, replace all O-Rings, seals, and bushings

Encoder Belt: Remove and replace _______

Hydraulic System: R&R reservoir bladder, O-Ring and breather _______

Upper Main Shaft: R&R stem liner, wear sleeve, and isolator bearing _______

400 HP Drill Motors: Recondition (clean, dip & bake) _______

Brakes: Replace pads; inspect and turn rotors / rebuild calipers A/R _______

Rotating Link Adapter (RLA): Re-seal and pressure test @ 500 PSI _______

S-Pipe: R&R Seal _______

Swivel Pack: R&R Washpipe and re-pack _______

Bogey Roller Assemblies: Inspect rollers; if dimensional integrity and

functionality are within OEM specs, re-pack with grease and re-use;
otherwise replace. _______

115
 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISCREPANCIES & ACTIONS TAKEN:

Inspector Signature / Date: /

Rig Manager Sign / Date: /

116
CHAPTER 9
TDS-11
HYDRAULIC
SYSTEM
 CHAPTER 9:
TDS-11 Hydraulic System

In this section, we will learn the following:

1. The number, location, & types of pumps on the TDS-11

2. The number, location, & types of hydraulic motors on the TD
3. The number, location, & types of cylinders / pistons on the TD
4. The number, location, & types of manifolds on the TD
5. The importance & components of the Main Hydraulic Manifold
6. How the Rotating Link Adapter works
7. The number, location & types of accumulators on the TD
8. Basic circuits, pressure settings and adjustments
9. Leak detection and Classes of Leaks

9.1 Introduction – As covered briefly in Chapter 6, the TDS-11 Top

Drive has a self-contained, onboard hydraulic system. A 10-hp, 1800
rpm AC motor drives two hydraulic pumps that provide flow through the
system. There is a third pump located on the Top Drive, which is a gear
sump-type located in the Transmission Gearbox. Though it is not
considered to be part of the hydraulic system, by machine classification
it is a hydraulic pump, so we will cover it in this section.

9.2 Pumps – A hydraulic pump is used to create flow. Nearly all ‘fluid
power’ hydraulic pumps are mechanically actuated and operated. A
hydraulic pump may be reversible (bi-directional) or uni-directional. On
the Top Drive, all three pumps are uni-directional and turn clockwise
when viewed from their respective motors. A hydraulic pump may also
be fixed displacement or variable displacement, meaning that the
volume and pressure of fluid may (variable) or may not (fixed) be
controlled. The TDS-11 has three pumps:

(1) A variable-displacement piston pump at the center of the HPU

That supplies main hydraulic pressure to the Top Drive. This
pump is located closest to the HPU electric motor, to which it
118
 is coupled by way of an interconnecting safety device called a
Lovejoy coupling. If the motor bearings seize while the pump
is running, the Lovejoy is designed to disintegrate in order to
save the pump. Similarly, if the pump catastrophically fails
during operation, the Lovejoy coupling may save the motor and
its electrical circuits from a surge due to load spike.

This is our main pump, responsible for all hydraulic functions

(static motor brakes, powered rotating head, remote actuated
IBOP, pipe backup clamp cylinder, link tilt, and counterbalance
system). We use it to pressurize the Main Hydraulic Manifold,
so that fluid power is available on-demand for use where the
Driller commands it, as long as the HPU is energized. The
power to energize the hydraulic pump, which is delivered
through the 19-Pin Auxiliary Service Loop, is completely
independent of the power supplied to rotate the Top Drive quill.

(2) A fixed-displacement vane pump on the end of the HPU, driven

mechanically by rotational thru-transfer of electric motor
torque (the vane pump’s pinion shaft couples with the piston
pump’s shaft… for this reason, like any pump that is
mechanically splined to another, it is often called a ‘piggyback’
pump). This cube-shaped pump’s sole responsibility is to
supply hydraulic pressure to the lube pump motor.

Figure 9.1
119
 (3) A Gearbox-internal lube pump that circulates oil in the
transmission to cool and lubricate the gears and bearings. It is
not driven by an electric motor, rather a hydraulic motor,
which is powered by the HPU vane pump. Note: the concept
has drawn puzzled looks, even from engineers. Varco uses a
motor to drive a pump that drives a motor which drives a
pump. The images below were depicted in Chapter 6, but are
provided again for reference.

Figure 9.2 Figure 9.3

Here’s another look at the HPU, as it is mounted on the Top Drive:

Clockwise from Top Left: Figures 9.4 – 9.7

120
9.3 Hydraulic Motors – On the previous page, Figure 9.2 depicts the
gear lube hydraulic motor. You’ll remember that a hydraulic motor
converts hydraulic energy into mechanical energy. There are two
hydraulic motors on the TDS-11—the other is mounted on the Shot Pin
Assembly, and is used to turn the RLA by way of the RLA Gear.

Figure 9.8 Figure 9.9

9.4 Cylinders and Pistons – A hydraulic cylinder or piston is a linear
mechanical actuator which also converts hydraulic energy into
mechanical energy. Technically, the word ‘cylinder’ describes the
cylindrical housing or bore in which a piston moves, such as in the block
of a gas combustion engine. However, in terms of part descriptions, an
isolated piston / cylinder assembly used in hydraulics is called a
hydraulic cylinder,
and in the oilfield—
outside of engine
mechanic’s circles—
is usually referred to
as simply a cylinder.

Figure 9.10 – Parts of a Hydraulic Cylinder

121
There are six different types of cylinders or pistons on the TDS-11:

Clockwise from Bottom Left – Figures 9.11 – 9.13

The two Stand Jump Cylinders work together

to lift the weight of the Top Drive. Attached to
either side of the TD Bail, they perform a literal
pull-up when actuated by the Driller, to save
the drill pipe and saver sub threads during
connections. This action alleviates the problem
posed by a combination of Top Drive weight
and Drawworks control, by offering ‘finesse’ to
block travel.

An IBOP Actuator Cylinder is

mounted to the PipeHandler
Assembly to allow opening and
closing action of the upper
IBOP safety valve.

Two Link-Tilt Cylinders

control the fore / aft directional
movement of the elevator links.

Figure 9.14
122
 A large Clamp Piston is mounted
inside the Grabber Assembly,
allowing the Driller to grip pipe
when making / breaking
connections.

Another type of piston on the

TDS-11 is found in the four static
brake calipers (two per motor).
Each caliper contains
four hydraulic pistons
that push the upper and
lower brake pads against
the brake rotor like a
friction sandwich. For
lack of a better image at
the time this course was
written, the picture
below depicts the TDS-
11 brakes and also serves
as an example of how
Top Left – Figure 9.15 Bottom Right – Figure 9.16
messy the inside of a blower shroud can get when a brake caliper is
leaking. The motor brakes on a TDS-11 (one set of brakes for each
motor) are considered static or stationary brakes. Primary braking is
provided by electrical current—the VFD receives the Driller’s throttle
inputs and reverses the phase sequence of the motors, sending the load
current back to a braking chopper. The mechanical brakes depicted are
essentially a parking brake, primarily used to hold a tool face position
during directional drilling. When brake loads slip, the most common
cause is the buildup of oily residue on the rotor and brake pads—usually
resolved with a can of brake cleaner.

123
 Figure 9.17
The final type of piston found on a TDS-11 is the Shot Pin. The
Rotating Head Hydraulic Motor that is mounted on the Shot Pin
Assembly allows for bi-directional rotation of the RLA Gear. That same
gear is manufactured with outer perforations through which the Shot Pin
may pass, to lock the Pipe Handler in a desired position.
Hydraulically, the Shot Pin is
located midstream in the Grabber
Clamp hydraulic circuit. When
the Driller selects Torque Wrench
to engage the grabber for making
or breaking pipe connections, fluid
flows from the Torque Wrench
Clamp SOV at the Main Manifold
to the Shot Pin Manifold, which is
mounted to the Shot Pin assembly.
Figure 9.18 Fluid is then directed over the top

124
of the piston pin (400 PSI to actuate), forcing the pin to travel 2.84”
through the RLA Gear. The pin is then held down by system pressure
(2,200 PSI by the book… ~2,100 PSI actual) as the pressurized fluid
continues to through the RLA to the Clamp Piston at the grabber
assembly. If the Shot Pin does not ‘find’—or align with—a hole on the
RLA Gear, the Torque Wrench clamp piston will not engage. The most
common cause of this failure is fluid debris that finds the smallest
restrictions in the circuit—the A5 and B5 orifices on the Main Manifold.
9.5 Manifolds – A manifold performs the same function for the
hydraulic system that a traffic intersection does for a street system.
Hydraulic fluid is restricted, blocked, or diverted into different
directions, through valves and orifices that are internally or externally
attached to the manifold. This is used to control flow and pressure to
meet the requirements of downstream components. There is nothing
magical about a manifold. From a machinist’s standpoint, it’s just a
block of metal—can be steel or aluminum—that is bored out in multiple
places to an engineered design.

Figure 9.19

After boring and surface treating, design engineers use the manifold as a
platform for adding devices to each hydraulic circuit in the system,
customed to support the downstream component requirements:

125
 Figure 9.20 Figure 9.21
There are five prominent manifolds on the TDS-11 Top Drive. By
prominent, that is to say they support more than a single valve, in which
case they are commonly referred to as valve blocks or valve bodies.
They are the Counterbalance or Prefill Valve Manifold, the Link-Tilt
Manifold, the Shot Pin Manifold, and the RLA—which is classified as a
rotary manifold. The final and most important is the Main Hydraulic
Manifold—the central intersection of all hydraulic “traffic” on the Top
Drive. Mounted here are the seven Solenoid-Operated Valves (aka
SOV’s, SV’s, electrovalves, solenoid valves, solenoids, or directional
valves) which make our machine’s robotics possible.

Figure 9.22 – Main Hydraulic Manifold with SOV’s Attached

126
The role of these SOV’s on the TDS-11 cannot be overemphasized. For
the robotic circuits—which account for roughly 50% of Top Drive
downtime—each of these valves is the starting point for
troubleshooting to determine whether a problem is electrically or
hydraulically related. A solenoid is a controlling device used to
convert electrical energy into linear mechanical energy. It consists of a
three-dimensional coil that produces a magnetic field when current
passes through it. The resulting field forces an actuating plunger away
from the field. When the solenoid is connected to a directional valve,
the actuated plunger forces a spool from its neutral position against
spring tension. When the spool moves, it allows fluid paths—which are
blocked in neutral—to align, directing pressurized hydraulic fluid
through one circuit or another. De-energizing the solenoid allows the
spring to return the valve spool to the neutral (closed) position. The
design of the spool will determine how the fluid is ported, and thus, the
designation of the valve. Valve designations are usually indicated by an
identification plate, often with a simple drawing or schematic to
illustrate the fluid paths. This is the case of the ATOS brand of
solenoid-operated directional valves that are used on a TDS-11.

Figure 9.23 Figure 9.24

127
As illustrated above, the ATOS SOV’s allow for mechanical (manual)
actuation as well as electrical. We operate them manually as a
troubleshooting tool, or sometimes to assist a stuck valve spool. The
TDS-11 has seven (7) SOV’s. These are either 2-position or 3-position,
all energized closed. Starting from the 3-position Counterbalance Valve
Switch (‘Rig Up’ Switch), they are in order as follows:
(1) Stand Jump SOV. This is a 2-position valve (open / closed).
(2) Brakes On SOV. This is a 2-position valve (open / closed).
(3) RLA Rotate SOV. This is a 3-position valve (left / right / closed).
(4) IBOP Close Solenoid. This is a 2-position valve (open / closed).
(5) TW Clamp Solenoid. This is a 2-position valve (open / closed).
(6) Link Tilt Float Solenoid. This is a 2-position valve (open / closed).
(7) Link Tilt Solenoid. This is a 3-position valve (left / right / closed).

Note: some models of TDS-11 come standard with additional SV’s

mounted to their own self-supporting manifolds. The three most
common add-ons are for the TD functions “BX Elevator Open / Close,”
“Dolly Extend / Retract,” and “Brakes Off / Open.” The first two are
not typical functions of a land-based TD as of 2020 (only one drilling
contractor uses the dolly function, to my knowledge; same of the
hydraulic elevators. The third is used by some rigs, with a change in
brake actuators to eliminate spring release of brakes. Also important to
note is that the dolly mentioned above is not a traveling dolly as
mentioned earlier in this course (TDS-11HP & AC Ideal variants).
Instead, this dolly refers to the apparatus that extends the Top Drive
away from the track—a standard function on other makes of TD.

128
 The 3-position valves are bi-
directional, meaning that pressurized
fluid can be directed either to “A” Port
or “B” Port. This is accomplished by
the design of the valve, which has a
solenoid mounted on both sides to
manipulate the valve spool either
direction from the neutral position
against spring tension.

Figure 9.25

The SOV’s covered over the previous pages are mounted on the Main
Hydraulic Manifold. There’s one other manifold we’ll cover for
understanding, and that’s the rotary manifold of this Top Drive, or RLA.

129
 ROTATING
LINK ADAPTER
EXPLODED
DIAGRAM

Figure 9.26

The purpose and operation of the RLA is best illustrated by the

following images:

130
Figures 9.27 (top) and 9.28 (bottom)

131
Figure 9.29
132
9.6 Accumulators – An accumulator is a hydro-pneumatic device which
utilizes pressurized hydraulic fluid to compress a pre-charged quantity of
air. Nitrogen is typically used because it is an inert gas, non-reactive to
heat or compression—perfect for maintaining a precise pressure.
Pressure accumulators are of three types: bladder accumulators, piston
accumulators, and diaphragm accumulators—which essentially combine
a piston and a bladder. There is a fourth type of accumulator which is
foam filled or ‘bladderless,’ such as the style of some Mud Pump
pulsation dampeners. This type is for reciprocating pump systems and is
not used in pressure or control hydraulic systems (high-pressure
precision hydraulic fluid systems).

Figure 9.30
Three bladder-type accumulators are located on the main body of the
TDS-11. From smallest to largest, they are the IBOP Time Delay
Accumulator (800psi nitrogen precharge), the Main Hydraulic
Accumulator (800psi nitrogen precharge, and the Counterbalance
Accumulator (900psi nitrogen precharge). The location and description
of each is outlined in the image on the next page. For further
clarification of the Main System Accumulator’s purpose, it (1) helps the
system to maintain constant pressure when cycling between functions;
(2) provides hydraulic assistance in lifting the RLA off the load collar
during startup, which aligns the RLA housing’s circuit cavities with the
drilled ports of the RLA stem; and (3) acts comparable to a pulsation
133
dampener to reduce surges and stalls which can cause vibration of lines
and premature failure of pumps, valves, and other critical components in
the system.

Figure 9.31
9.7 Reservoir and Servicing – A 25-gallon, sealed stainless steel
reservoir supplies strained hydraulic fluid to the two pumps on the HPU.
The entire system is also about 25 gallons when running, with the tank
filled about 30%. The reservoir is mounted between the AC drilling
motors and is equipped with a bladder, which allows breathing for
expansion / contraction of fluid while blocking outside contaminants that
could foul the system. A sight glass on the front of the reservoir allows
for visual inspection of fluid level. It should be checked when the HPU
is de-energized and the 3-position Counterbalance Valve Switch is in
“Shutdown” mode. A pop-off valve on top of the reservoir opens at 4psi
to relieve system pressure during refilling. A canister breather is also
located on top.

134
Some inconsistencies exist in how a rig crew is taught to service the
hydraulic fluid on a TDS-11. Part of the reason is that NOV’s
documentation has never been updated to include the step of placing the
TD hydraulics into Shutdown mode. Using a new container of AW-32
or -46 (AW stands for Anti-wear, also called HM which is the ISO
designation), and using only a clean, hydraulic-oil-only dedicated pump
and fill hoses, hook up to the QD fill fitting on the Top Drive. LOTO
the TD and place the hydraulic system in “Shutdown” mode. Listen for
the distinct sound of air hissing as the accumulators release pressure and
the hydraulic system is relaxed. The RLA should rest down atop the
load collar. The system is now ready to be serviced (also, repeat these
steps before ever working on the hydraulic system, i.e., removing a hose
or changing the pressure filter). With a crewmember watching the cork
ball level indicator, fill the
TD until the cork ball is in the
center of the glass. Stop
pumping, disconnect the fill-
up hose and place the TD 3-
Position CB Valve Switch
back into “Run” mode
(parallel with the long axis of
the Main Manifold, handle
pointing toward the V-Door).
Failure to follow the above
procedures—bleeding the
system back to tank prior to
servicing—causes overfill,
which will be noticed within
about 30 seconds of
energizing the HPU. Excess
oil will overpressure the
reservoir, and cause the
manual breather to pop at 4
PSI. The excess fluid will Figure 9.32
flow over the sides of the tank, collect near the base of the motors under
135
the tank, and run down the back of the TD to pool on the RLA Gear.
Often, this prompts the Rig Manager to mistakenly call for maintenance,
citing a ‘source-unknown’ leak from one of the steel lines above the
RLA.

9.8 Leak Detection – Leaks are our prime indicator of a failed

component or a potentially failed component. It is important to
remember a few things about leaks. First and foremost, a pressurized
hydraulic leak can be dangerous, potentially slicing or severing the skin
and injecting harmful fluid into the body. Use extreme caution once a
leak has been detected.

Leaks often provide information about what is going on with a particular

system, and can aid in troubleshooting. Some leaks only occur, or occur
more severely, when certain conditions are applied. These conditions
may be human controlled, such as actuating a particular function. They
may also be the result of atmospheric conditions (cold / hot ambient
temp, elevation, etc.).

There are four classes of leaks:

Class I leaks are characterized by discoloration or wetness of the

surrounding area.

Class II leaks are called ‘standing’ leaks. These are leaks that form
drips that do not fall to the ground.

Class III leaks are characterized by leaks that drip. These should
be promptly reported and addressed.

Class IV leaks are called ‘running’ leaks, where fluid is escaping in

sufficient quantity that it does not drip, rather runs out in a stream.
If a Class IV leak is detected, the associated equipment should be
shut down. If it is not possible to shut down immediately in a safe
manner, then escaping fluid should be captured and the reservoir
136
 should be monitored until the equipment can be shut down
properly for repair.

9.9 Hydraulic System Summary – First I’d like to lead in with a

sidebar… In 1999, I underwent a career progression move that took me
from the back of a KC-130 refueling plane where I’d worked for years
as an in-flight mechanic, to the center seat between the pilots as a flight
engineer. After months of classroom and simulator training, students
entered the flight phase for a final 3 months of qualification training and
testing before a culminating ‘check ride’. The flight training was
rigorous, requiring me to pass a series of tests on different systems in a
stringent timeline… hydraulic, electric, gear lube, fuel, pneumatic, A/C,
controls, etc. One of the infamous confidence-busting methods of
testing that was used by flight engineer instructors, was to tell a student
during flight, “You’re a drop of (JP-5 jet fuel, MIL-H-83282 hydraulic
fluid, or MIL-L-23699 lubricant), and you’ve just been added at the
aircraft’s servicing point. You’re going to exit the aircraft as a leak from
such-and-such component.” Students like myself would quite literally
have to memorize each and every component of every system, know
every technical detail about the components, be able to sketch them from
memory, know where they are located and what to do if they fail in
flight. In similar fashion, to sum up this chapter, the following tree will
describe the flow path of a drop of oil as it leaves a 55-gallon drum of
AW-32 hydraulic oil and enters the TDS-11, until it is drained into a
waste oil drum. The Marines believe that you can learn anything
through ample illustration and having an associated mental picture. I
believe this works for anyone. Pay close attention to the last pages in
this chapter, as the method of example will help you know how to
troubleshoot the hydraulic system better than most TD techs.

137
 “Poof. You’re a drop of hydraulic oil that just got pumped into a
TDS-11. Now go make shit work.”

1. A drop of oil departs from its 55-gallon drum and travels through a
hose to the inlet side of a peanut pump or hand pump. It departs the
discharge side of the pump and enters the vertical ¾” steel tube called
the hydraulic fill line at the quick-disconnect fitting on the Driller’s
Side* of the TDS-11 *(in standard track configurations).

2. The oil in the fill line has three directions it could potentially travel.
One direction is a dead end, it leads to the “restricted entry” side of the
one-way Tank Return Check Valve (CTR) where fluid exits the Main
Manifold. In another direction is the heat exchanger / oil cooler, beyond
which is the fixed-displacement vane pump on the HPU. Since the vane
pump is unidirectional, it is also a dead end. So the drop of oil follows
the path of least resistance in the third direction, flowing directly to the
hydraulic pressure filter housing.

3. The 6-micron hydraulic pressure filter element was changed three

months ago, but it is clogged because of oil from a filthy container
during a previous service. The head of the filter assembly contains a 50
PSID bypassable check valve and corresponding red pop-up indicator.
When enough of its buddies join the drop of oil coming from the peanut
pump, so that their side of the check valve has 50 pounds greater
pressure than the oil on the opposite side of the check valve, they force a
spring-loaded gate open and the drop of oil flows with its hombres
through the valve to the Prefill Valve Manifold.

4. The oil flows through the Prefill Valve Manifold to the Hydraulic
Reservoir. There it waits until the HPU is energized.

5. Once the HPU is energized, the oil takes one of two random paths:

A. It exits one of two suction strainers at the bottom of the

reservoir, which leads to the HPU Primary Pump inlet.
138
1. Oil exits the discharge side of the Primary Pump (full
description is a Parker- or Rexroth-brand, variable
displacement, pressure-compensated piston pump) at
~2,500 PSI and flows into the Main Manifold. It
immediately crosses the adjustable valve cartridge RV1
(Relief Valve 1), which reduces the system pressure to
2,200 PSI. There, the 2,200 PSI pressurized oil flows one
direction (see [a.] below), while the bled-off fluid flows
another direction (see [b.] below):

a. Oil under pressure exits RV1, providing and

maintaining balanced pressure with the (main)
System Accumulator (SA), which is simultaneously
interconnected to the (P) Pressure inlet of all
solenoid valves. Note: at some solenoid valves, the
pressure fluid’s path is blocked until actuation, as
illustrated on Page 127, Figure 9.22. At other SV’s,
the neutral position allows flow through the solenoid
until actuation changes the fluid path. For this
reason, in one example, system pressure can be
checked at Rig Floor level, on the small manifold
mounted on the Grabber Assembly. If no functions
are being used, oil continuously flows through the
manifold, exiting through Port ‘TR’ (Tank Return)
through CTR, the Tank Return Check Valve. It
enters the hydraulic fill line and circulates back to
tank in the way that was already explained during
servicing / adding oil.

b. The excess pressure that is bypassed at cartridge

RV1 travels a short distance through the Main
Manifold to UV1 (Unloading Valve… there’s only
one in the system), which directs the fluid through
CV1 and CV2 (Check Valves), the PCC Valve
139
 (Counterbalance Positioning Control valve), CV3,
and then to a ‘T’, where it maintains the pressure of
the CB / Stand Jump Accumulator on one side, and
on the other side is directed to the Prefill Valve
Manifold. Our drop of oil passes through the
manifold and returns to tank (reservoir).

B. The drop of oil travels from the reservoir through the other
suction strainer, which feeds the inlet side of the fixed-
displacement Secondary (vane / piggyback) Pump.

1. Oil exits the discharge side of the vane pump and

flows into the Main Manifold. It immediately
crosses the adjustable valve cartridge RV2
(Relief Valve 2), where pressure is adjusted to
between 330 – 360 PSI while running (400 PSI
deadhead).

2. Oil leaves the RV2 cartridge and flows into the Gear
Lube Hydraulic Motor. The drop of oil, along with
its posse under 330-360 PSI pressure, pushes a vane
around in circles. The vane is connected to a shaft
that couples with the Gear Lube Pump (dry-spline…
hydraulic fluid is sealed inside the motor to turn an
outside or ‘dry’ shaft) that inserts into the DS gear
access plate. After the drop of oil gets tired of
spinning in circles once or twice, it exits the Gear
Lube Hyd Motor.

3. Oil is pushed upward in a separate line that parallels

the fill line in the direction of the pressure filter.
This line’s path is plumbed directly into the back of
the DS Brake Adapter Plate. It flows through a
horizontally-drilled hole in the plate (as do the brake
circuits, through separate bores), then into the steel
140
 tube inlet of the hydraulic oil heat exchanger / oil
cooler, where heat is displaced through the cooler’s
fins as air is sucked through them by the drill motor
blower.

4. The drop of oil leaves the exit side of the oil cooler,
travels out of the brake adapter plate and joins its
traveling compadres in the Fill Line, following the
path to tank by way of the pressure filter and prefill
valve manifold as previously explained.

6. Our drop of oil will continue to circulate through one of these paths
while the HPU is energized. When the HPU is de-energized, the drop
of oil will hold in place wherever it was when the pumps stopped
running.

7. When a rig crewmember physically selects “Shutdown” mode on the

3-position Counterbalance Valve Switch of the Main Hydraulic
Manifold, oil is ejected from the accumulators by nitrogen pressure,
and the drop of oil is pushed along the path of least resistance back to
tank. About 90% of the oil drops make it back to tank. The others
hang out in the tubing and components of the hydraulic system until
the HPU is placed back into “Run” mode and then re-energized.

8. When the oil is changed, the hydraulic system is LOTO and

Shutdown is selected. Oil is returned to tank. Then a hose is
connected to the Hydraulic Drain Wye (Y) and placed inside an
empty waste oil container of > 25 gallon capacity, the quarter-turn
ball valve is opened, and oil flows from the suction / inlet side of the
Primary Pump which is gravity-fed from the tank. The drop of oil is
discharged from the TDS-11 hydraulic system and into the waste
container for proper disposal.

141
142
CHAPTER 10
NOV TECHNICAL
PUBLICATIONS
 CHAPTER 10:
NOV Technical Publications

In this section, we will learn the following:

1. The different types of NOV tech pubs

2. How to find specific information

10.1 Types of NOV Technical Publications

As with any company, NOV has undergone a lot of developmental

changes over the years since the TDS-11 has been in operation. The
info they once shared has been changed repeatedly through various
official revisions—sometimes omitted, sometimes corrected or simply
updated. Document names change, and many documents have been
created solely for a specific customer. I have found that some of the
older documentation actually contains more technical info, presumably
because the nature of companies over the past couple decades has been
increasingly protective of intellectual property. The document examples
listed herein have been added to the Student Thumb Drive.

There are several types of technical documents related to the TDS-11

that are available from the manufacturer today. The document
numbers—which NOV considers part numbers—are included; if you are
a TDS-11 end user / owner, these numbers can be used to order
hardcopy publications. They’re also all in the Student thumb drive. The
types of technical documentation are as follows:

(1) Technical Drawing Packages (TDP’s) – These are what

NOV calls the collection of their technical prints, schematics,
diagrams, parts manuals or illustrated parts breakdowns for a
particular piece of equipment. The individual drawing
numbers within a TDP are usually identical to the part numbers
they represent. There are too many TDP variations to list, so
here’s just an example: P/N 3TDP0146. NOV TDP’s will be
144
 covered in Chapter 12.

(2) The TDS-11 Pocket Guide, also published under the title
Pocket Reference Guide, P/N 30153911. It’s a good reference
to keep handy on the Rig Floor, covers basic info and servicing
procedures.

(3) Posters – also good to keep in the Top Doghouse. The first of
these two is relatively common:

TDS-11 Lubrication & Maintenance

P/N 125770

Varco Wash Pipe Assembly Guide

P/N 128844

(4) Operations Manuals – Sometimes integrated with TDP’s and

Service Manuals for customers, and renamed “Owner,”
“Operator,” or “User” manuals. The most reliable NOV
documents for actually operating the TDS-11 are titled:

TDS-11 Series Top Drive Operations Manual

P/N 3OPS01981;

TDS-11 VFD Operation Manual

P/N D25TDS11-MAN-001;

NOV Blak-JAK Installation, Care, and Operations

Manual, [No Part Number]

(5) Service Manuals – These manuals provide basic servicing

instructions and provide the basis for all periodic maintenance
per OEM standard. They also provide helpful information for
technical-level work on the hydraulic system, such as setting
up the circuits, adjusting pressures, and minor troubleshooting.
145
 TDS-11SA Top Drive System Service Manual
P/N SM00856B

TDS-11HP Top Drive System Service Manual

P/N SM00947B

TDS-11 Control System Service Manual

P/N SM00003

NOV Washpipe Assembly Service Manual

P/N SM01053

IBOP Safety Valves Service Manual

P/N SM00611

(6) Troubleshooting Guides – These manuals are relatively small

in content and are often included as addenda to the Service
Manuals. The troubleshooting steps provided for any given
fault or failure are rather basic; nearly all paths end in “Call
Field Service.” There have been several versions of the TDS-
11 Troubleshooting Guide, each having only minor changes. It
is for this reason that a more detailed troubleshooting section
has been included in this curriculum.

TDS-9SA / 11SA Troubleshooting Guide

127425B

(7) Technical Bulletins – There are only two that I have ever come
across. Both are essentially an introduction to the TDS-11 Top
Drive—almost a lengthy sales brochure—introduced when these
units were new on the market. Revision A contains more data.

TDS-11SA Top Drive Drilling System Technical

Bulletin – April 1998 Rev. A (No part number)
146
(8) Product Information Bulletins (PIB’s) – There are numerous
PIB’s that cover updates to the Top Drive and its procedures.
There exists a library of PIB’s online, but NOV has moved the
digital location. Login is required. To view samples, look for
these documents on the Student Thumb Drive:

10682546-PIB Rev. 1 / PH75 Pipe Handler

D611005397-PIB-001 Rev. 1 / Stabbing Guides

TDS-93-1 Rev. B / Post-Jarring Checklist Update

(9) Checklists – There are a few different checklists that are

employed by NOV, but to the best of my knowledge, only one
is for external customers:

Post-Jarring Checklist, Version 1.1 / 12 Mar 03

(10) Vendor Documentation Packages (VDP’s) – These

publications are the NOV re-write of 3rd-Party component /
system technical information. Examples include:

TDS-9SA / 11SA Top Drive Drilling System - Siemens

VDP0011-TOC

TDS-9SA / 11SA Top Drive Drilling System – IDM

VDP0012-TOC Rev. B

(11) Vendor Supplied Documents (VDR’s) – These are 3rd-Party

OEM publications for various components and systems,
packaged and delivered under NOV header. Examples
include manuals for ABB drive hardware (3VDR00173) and
Reliance drill motors (VDR00029 / VDR00030).

(12) Bills of Material (BOM’s) – These NOV documents are like

147
 customer receipts or bills of lading, excluding dollar figures
and listing part numbers. They can actually be helpful in
ordering sets of data or parts—such as to build a kit or to
support a system—to keep from looking up individual part
numbers in the future.

Nearly everything you need to know about the TDS-11 Top Drive can
be found in a (unit-appropriate) TDP, Operations Manual, and Service
Manual. Part numbers for ordering about 95% of all parts are found in
the TDP. If at any time you need further help, contact NOV’s Tech
Support Hotline (formerly ‘Houston Service Department’) at (+1) 281-
569-3050. The phone representative will need to know your name, the
company you work for, the specific type of equipment (TDS-11), and
whether you need parts, field service, or phone support. It helps to have
the Top Drive serial number and VFD House Job Number. The TD S/N
is located on a plate mounted to the main body of the Top Drive. The
VFD Job Number is typically a 4-digit number located on a plate
mounted just outside the door of the VFD House.

148
CHAPTER 11
TDS-11
ELECTRICAL
SYSTEM
 CHAPTER 11:
TDS-11 Electrical System

In this section, we will learn the following:

1. The basic electrical circuits of the NOV Top Drive System

2. The basic electrical circuits of the TDS-11 unit
3. Key component locations & descriptions

11.1 System Power from SCR to VFD. The best way to understand
how a system works is to know how it is powered. Following is a brief
description of the electrical energy path from the gen skids to the TDS-
11, in basic terms. First we will cover the SCR house-configured rig,
and then it will be easier to explain the setup on an AC rig. We will use
the colors black, white, and red to describe the three phases of 600V
electricity used by the TD. Two images are also provided to illustrate
the explanation.

1. Regulated power (3-phase, 600VAC, 60Hz) is produced by

each engine-driven generator.

2. Inside the rig’s SCR house, each set of the generator’s phases
ties to the other (black wires together powering one conductive
bar, white wires together powering a separate bar, red wires
together powering a separate bar. The three separate bars are
connected to the back wall of the SCR house by insulated
hardware. This 3-bar section is collectively known as the
600VAC bus.

3. The 600V bus bars provide power to rectifiers (SCR’s) which

convert the AC power into DC for use by the DC motors on the
rig (DW, MPs, RT). The 600VAC bus also supplies power to
the Top Drive Feeder breaker. When closed, this breaker sends
the 3-phase 600V power from the bus to the stand-alone Top
Drive VFD house.
150
 Figure 11.1 (top) Figure 11.2 (bottom)
4. Upon entering the TD VFD house, the incoming 600V is
distributed to three different places simultaneously:

A. The Auxiliary Field Switch (SW02), which

supplies power to the three Auxiliary Motor Starters
(they also each have their own integral circuit
breaker). From left to right: 9.6A HPU, 3.8A DS
Blower, 3.8A ODS Blower. If the SCR’s TD
Feeder Breaker is closed / energized and SW02 is
also, then 600V power is available to the blowers
and the HPU electric motor upon command, via the
19-Pin Auxiliary Service Loop.
151
B. The Transformer Field Switch (SW01).
This supplies 3-phase 600V power to:

1. CB10, which powers Transformer 2 (T02)

with 3-phase 600V. T2 is a large
transformer on the VFD house skid located
just outside the house itself (house
porch, per drawings),. This transformer
supplies 208VAC to the two house air
conditioning units, and 120VAC to the
distribution panel (see left) for use by lights,
TD drill motor heaters, and house control
power circuits.

2. The Control Systems AC Switch / Fuses,

which power Transformer 1 (T01) with
single phase 600V. T01 is dedicated to
powering two 24V DC Power Supplies for
low-voltage control power (Driller’s
Console, PLC or SBC Rack,
communications equipment); T01 also
powers the rectifier, inverter, and chopper
fans.

C. It feeds the VFD Main Circuit Breaker (aka

CBM…charging handle, red and green
buttons), which when closed sends power to
through the following path:

1. Input Reactor – To keep the generator-

supplied current steady, each of the three
phases travel through an input reactor. This
surge protection device is a 3-coil assembly
Figure 11.13 …(next page) Figures 11.14-11.16

152
 which limits incoming current by
temporarily delaying or impeding the
flow of current through 3 windings,
essentially absorbing voltage spikes / surges
and stalls. This secondary protection
measure guards against damage to
equipment downstream.

2. The Incomer Rectifier(s)

From there, two rectifier/filters convert

incoming AC power to filtered 740 to 810
VDC for use by the inverters.

3. The AC Inverters (aka Drives / VFD’s)

The inverters require DC power input. They

convert the DC into a clean, controllable (or
‘simulated’) AC power for use by the drill
motors on the Top Drive, using Pulse Width
Modulation (PWM) and field vector control
measures. Each inverter works in parallel
with the other, allowing both Top Drive
traction motors to operate on just one
inverter in the event that the other fails. At
the inverter section, two things happen:

(a) Power leaves the inverter and exits the

VFD House en route to the Top Drive.

(b) The inverter receives input signals

from the PLC CPU or SBC to control
the frequency of inverter output to the
Top Drive (this signal begins when the
Driller operates the throttle on the
153
 VDC in Drill or Torque mode).

5. Power Service Loop

3-phase power exits the VFD

House through the Power Service
Loop, which is made of two
sections: an outer service loop
and an inner service loop. The
outer (power) service loop is
typically around 210’ long and it
remains stationary. The inner
service loop is around 86’ long
and it travels up and down with
the Top Drive in the derrick. The
two sections are connected at the
derrick termination—aka saddle
or waterfall—which is mounted Figure 11.17
just below board height on the
inside of the derrick. The majority of each service loop is
contained in / protected by a robust, steel-reinforced hose.
Note: If hydraulics work and one or both blowers come on, but
there is no movement of the quill when “Drill” and FW or REV
are selected, the first thing to check is whether or not the VFD
Main Circuit Breaker (CBM) is closed.

6. The inner service loop connects at the Top Drive’s power

junction or plug panel, where the line (incoming) power is
passed through the black, white, and red power pigtails to each
of the two drill motors. The pigtails enter each motor through
the rear motor access plate, passing through individual Hawke
fittings (special pass-through glands used for armored cable)
and connecting inside the motor housing at the motor terminal
blocks. Electrical power is transferred through the terminal
blocks into the motor windings, where phasing is synchronized
154
 and finally discharged through stator poles. Electrical energy is
then transferred into mechanical energy through a magnetized
rotor attached to the torque shaft, causing (each) motor shaft to
turn.

11.2 Integrated Drive House – AC Rigs don’t need stand-alone VFD

Houses for their Top Drives. Instead of an SCR house, which exists
solely to provide DC power to DC traction motors, the AC rigs have
Integrated VFD or AC Drive houses. The incoming 600VAC from the
generators is simply harnessed and dispersed much in the same way it is
in a stand-alone house, then replicated for the Drawworks, Pumps, and
Rotary Table.

The TDS-11 still has the same electrical demands / requirements. It

needs controllable 600VAC (575+) for its drill motors, and 600VAC for
its auxiliary motors (in rare cases, the auxiliary motors have been
changed to 480V, with power distributed from the MCC Cabinet). So,
all of the stand-alone components exist, only in different places. The
control cubicle of a stand-alone house is thus transformed into a larger
Control Cabinet, and the drives themselves still require rectified DC
power input. The three aux motor starters still exist, finding their way
into a separate bucket along the small section of 600V power
components.

11.3 Top Drive Electrical – At the unit itself, it’s really pretty simple.
There are three separate service loops supplying power to the TD, that
connect at the TD Plug Panel: Power (red, white, and black plugs), 19-
Pin Auxiliary, and 42-Pin Composite. Five plugs in all. Each of these
circuits continues to its respective components through ‘pigtails’, which
are short extensions of each loop that stay connected to the Top Drive.
On the receiving end—as previously explained—the red, white, and
black pigtails are each split into two cables coming out of their bulkhead
plugs. The three phases are split between the two drill motors, which
makes them turn in parallel when energized (both motors receive power
at the exact same time, not one before the other). They both turn the
155
same direction. IF one or both motors have just been changed, and
upon function test, the torque gauge spikes with zero RPM physically
noted or gauge-indicated, it is probable that the motors are oppositely
phased, turning opposite directions of—or ‘fighting’—each other. Cycle
the brakes first, to make sure that they are not causing the torque
condition.

Figure 11.18

156
The other two pigtails—the 19- and the 42-Pin—are routed from the
plug panel into the J-Box on the Top Drive. From there, each of their
wires continues its circuit to a downstream component through the
individual component pigtails.

Figure 11.19
The images on the following two pages are included for study and
reference; they are also practical for posting inside the TD J-Box and
Amphion SBC Cabinet, respectively.

157
Figure 11.20
158
Figure 11.21
159
Figure 11.22

Figure 11.23

160
The charts and illustrations provided in this student manual are valuable
in helping to troubleshoot the TDS-11 Top Drive whenever failures
occur. In the images on the previous page, it’s important to note that
wire numbers and pin numbers are not always the same in a circuit.
USUALLY they are the same for the 19-Pin… wire #1 lands on pin #1,
etc. 19-pin service loops sometimes have an extra (spare) pin in the
middle, because there are usually only 18 wires in the cable. To verify
this, count the number of 19-pin wires coming into the J-Box. Note
also, that if the auxiliary motors are on, then 600V is passing through
nine of the first twelve terminals on the LH terminal strip in the J-Box.

Pin numbers begin on the outer ring of pins, starting with pin #1 which
is aligned with either an outside detent or inside recessed groove on the
plug housing. When looking at the plug face, numbers increase
clockwise on a male pin face and counterclockwise on a female pin face.

Wires are distinguished apart from each other by one of three methods
of marking. Examples of each are as follows:

1. (Printed Text) “13 – Thirteen”

2. (Printed Text) “13 – Red White”
3. (Colored, No Text) Red White (insulated red wire with a white
stripe)

For colored wire bundles with no printed numbers or text, the

manufacturer is following NEMA & ICEA Method 1 / K-2; a chart is
provided on the next page. It’s important to note that the colors—in the
case of this Top Drive—are not meaningful other than to distinguish one
circuit from another. For example, according to electrical standards,
green wires should denote ground. Black or red wires are alternately hot
/ power wires, white wires are common, and other colors are used for
signal wires. Those standards are not adhered to on the TDS-11 when a
colored multi-conductor cable is used.

161
Figure 11.24
162
Figure 11.25

163
11.4 Key Component Locations and Descriptions – There are six types
of electrical components that are supported by the service loops, junction
box, and pigtails on the TDS-11 Top Drive. They are:

(1) AC motors
(2) Encoder
(3) Pressure switches
(4) Solenoids
(5) Heaters
(6) RTD’s

An electric motor is used to convert electrical energy to mechanical

energy. It is electrically actuated, electrically operated. The TDS-11
Top Drive has five (AC) electric motors:

1. Two 400 HP traction motors that

work together to turn the quill.
When energized, they receive
constant electricity at varying
frequency until zero speed is
commanded by the operator /
Driller.

2. Two 5 HP blower motors that each

turn a fan to cool the drill motors.
When the hydraulics are
energized, the LH (DS) blower
comes on to cool the hydraulic
fluid. The other blower energizes Figure 11.26
when Drill Forward / Reverse is
selected. Some units are set up where both blowers come on
when hydraulics are energized. In other configurations, the RH
(ODS) blower does not come on until the throttle is increased
out of zero speed position.

164
 3. One 10 HP motor that powers the HPU Assembly.

Figure 11.27

An encoder is a speed- and

direction-sensitive device that
provides feedback to a PLC
or SBC for enhanced control
of the machine. The TDS-11
Top Drive has one encoder,
which is mounted on a ‘sled’
inside the RH blower shroud,
just above the brake rotor. It
is turned by a small belt
which wraps around a drive
wheel connected to the motor
shaft above the brake rotor hub. Figure 11.28

There are three common types of pressure sensors: pressure transducers,

pressure transmitters, and pressure switches. Pressure transducers and
transmitters are used to measure and translate pressure values. Pressure
switches are much simpler, giving no reading, value or range—they only
exist to trip or actuate a microswitch at a preset pressure. The TDS-11
has a total of four pressure switches, which are of three different
types: gear oil, hydraulic oil, and air.
165
Two Blower Pressure Switches—one mounted atop each blower
shroud—receive blower air through a ¼” tube. When the air pressure is
above 100 mbar (approximately 1.5 PSI), the air pushes a plunger
against spring tension to actuate a microswitch—this action extinguishes
the Blower Loss lamp or alarm. When a blower failure occurs, the
pressure in the inlet tube drops, the spring relaxes to the expanded
position, moving the plunger and breaking the NO (Normally Open)
switch contact. When the switch contacts open, the warning lamp
illuminates / alarm shows on the HMI screen.

Figures 11.29 – 11.31

One Gear Lube Pressure Switch—actuates in the same way as the

blower pressure switches, but instead of air, pressurized gear oil forces a
plunger against spring tension to actuate a NO microswitch. When lube
pressure rises above 20 PSI, the switch makes, closing the contacts and
causing the Oil Pressure Loss lamp to extinguish. When the HPU is de-
energized, or when the lube pump or lube pump motor fails in a way that
cannot maintain the required pressure, the inlet tube pressure drops
between 20 to 18 PSI descending, causing the switch contact to break
and thus illuminating the lamp (or alarm indicates on the HMI screen).

One IBOP Closed Pressure Switch—actuates when hydraulic fluid

pressure increases above 1,000 PSI. When this happens, it forces a
plunger against spring tension to actuate the microswitch, causing the
IBOP Closed lamp to illuminate / indication on the HMI.

166
 Figure 11.32
One last note on the TDS-11’s pressure switches: none of them will
CAUSE a failure for the protection circuit to which assigned. In other
words, a failed IBOP pressure switch will not cause an IBOP failure; a
failed gear lube pressure switch will not cause a gear lube pump
failure; and a failed blower pressure switch will not be the cause of a
failed blower. If a pressure switch fails, it will simply give an erroneous
indication (or no indication). The only exception is general electrical
failure or short, such as moisture that corrodes contacts and affects other
circuits in the junction box.
167
Solenoids, heaters, and RTD’s – Because Solenoid-Operated Valves
(SOV’s) were covered at great length in the hydraulic segment of this
student manual, the electrical segment will be covered in the following
statement and accompanying image:

A solenoid is an electromagnet that converts electrical energy

into mechanical energy. On our Top Drive, it is attached to a
directional valve and used to push a spool against spring tension
when energized.

Figure 11.33 – Double Solenoid Valve

A heater element is located in the lower housing of each drill motor,

used for pre-warming the heater windings in extreme cold weather
environments. In warm-weather climes, the heaters often do more
damage than good. Heaters receive 120V from Transformer 2 in the
VFD House, transferred through the 19-Pin Auxiliary Service Loop to
the TD J-Box, then passing through the back cable plate of each motor
where the main power phases enter. The heaters may be coil- or tape-
style, winding around the inside of the lower motor housing in three or

168
four loops like a spring, or in older motor models may be dual heater
elements each the size of a spark plug.

Lastly, each motor has three Resisting

Temperature Devices, or RTD’s, that are
buried in the windings of each drill motor.
The RTD’s are wired to each other in
series. If one of them gets hot—indicating
a hot spot in the motor windings—its
contacts coil up and break the electrical
circuit, which in turn gives the Driller a
Drill Motor Overtemp indication. When
the windings cool down, the contacts
uncoil and the circuit makes or closes
again, and the alarm goes away.

Figure 11.34

Final chapter notes: (1) The use of multimeters for testing the TDS-11
will be covered in Chapter 17 – Troubleshooting Fundamentals. (2)
Detailed VFD troubleshooting procedures will not be covered in this
course, in order to discourage students from inadvertently damaging a
program or shorting a major component. If the interest exists, this may
be the basis for development of an advanced course in the future.

169
170
 CHAPTER 12
PRINT READING &
NOV TECHNICAL
DRAWING
PACKAGES
 CHAPTER 12:
Print Reading & NOV Technical Drawing Packages

In this section, we will learn the following:

1. Print reading basics

2. Symbols common to all prints
3. How to read and interpret NOV Technical Drawings
4. How to navigate NOV Technical Drawing Packages

12.1 Print reading Basics – First and foremost, “prints” are a general
term for many types of documents which use pictures, images,
illustrations and symbols more than written words. Other terms used to
describe prints are blueprints, schematics, schemes, drawings, illustrated
parts breakdowns / IPB’s, and exploded diagrams.

Prints are drawn and published professionally by engineers across a

variety of industries, and may cover structures, mechanical parts,
fabrication / machining, pneumatic / hydraulic / electrical / electronic
systems, or a combination of any of these. Common to all professional
prints are:

1. A drawing or diagram;

2. A legend which provides the reader with essential information

about the drawing, such as size, scale, point-of-view, elevation,
material type and application;

3. A title block with revisions, page numbers, approval dates and

signatures, and notes; and

4. A proprietary statement which defines the document owner and

user permissions.

172
Additionally, some prints may incorporate alphanumeric grid outlines
(ABC / 123 along the vertical / horizontal edges)—such as NOV prints;
grid or graph line overlays; cross-sectional views; materials or parts
lists; hidden lines (3-dimensional objects that show the surfaces which
are obstructed from view, usually expressed by dashed lines); dimension
lines to show measurement over the span of an object; and continuation
lines or markings to show where one part of a drawing ends and is
continued, either on the same page / sheet or a separate page.

1. The Document Number is located on the 1st page of any

technical drawing package. This is also the Part Number used
to order a set of prints from National. Each new piece of NOV
equipment is supposed to have a set of accompanying drawings
issued to a rig, i.e. during commissioning. Many of these
drawing packages have been lost, destroyed, or misplaced. It is
important to keep a copy of each technical drawing package on
your rig, preferably in the Rig Manager’s house.

The Document Number for the Standard (complete) TDS-11

Technical Drawing Package is 3TDP0366. When ordering, ask
for the newest revision. Inside this package is a set of drawings
for each subcomponent of the TDS-11. These drawings have
their own Document Numbers as well.

2. NOV drawings are read from bottom to top, right to left.

Each drawing has a grid reference side bar which reads A
through D from bottom to top, and which reads 1 through 8
from right to left.

3. The hydraulic and electrical schematic sections of any NOV

technical drawing package are preceded by a respective legend,
which explains what each (electrical / hydraulic) symbol on the
following drawings represents.

173
 4. The bottom right corner of each drawing contains a block with a
series of information boxes inside. These information boxes
contain technical data about the drawing, such as the scale, the
names of engineers who designed, checked, and reviewed the
drawing and the draft date, the address and phone number to
NOV Rig Solutions, and most important, the Title Box,
Document Number, and Sheet # Reference.

5. As a rule of thumb, the P/N (Part Number) of any specific piece

of equipment is located on the first page of its assigned
Document Number. For example, if you are looking for a
Rotating Link Adapter seal, you will see a graphic
representation / cut-away drawing of the seal locations on Page
2 of Document 121341. In order to find the part number, you
must match the number associated with the seal on this drawing
to the number on Page 1 of Document 121341.

6. Note that a few drawings contain errors. If an error is noted,

report it to NOV and request the most current revision of the
document.

12.2 Technical Drawing Sample Packet – The following pages contain

select drawings which will be reviewed as a class.

INSTRUCTOR / SELF-INSTRUCTION NOTE:

Ensuring that you are the owner / end user of a TDS-11 Top Drive
and you are authorized to copy NOV materials per NOV’s
guidelines on authorized use & distribution, print the 11x17 sheets
that are annotated on the following page, and insert them
immediately after that page (Print files: Chapter 12 Training Prints
[1] and [2]).

174
Figure 12.1 – TDP Excerpts for Training
175
176
 CHAPTER 13
VFD STARTUP /
SHUTDOWN /
BASIC
TROUBLESHOOTING
 CHAPTER 13:
VFD Startup / Shutdown / Basic Troubleshooting

In this section, we will learn the following:

1. How to reduce the incident of common start-up problems

2. How to properly energize the VFD
3. Normal VFD Shutdown Procedures
4. Emergency VFD Shutdown and Re-start
5. Basic VFD Troubleshooting

This chapter is designed to ensure successful startup and proper

shutdown to enable smooth operations. Because there are many
different types of VFD’s, it is written to encompass them all in general
terms.

1. Pre-Start Checks

The number one way to reduce startup failures is to conduct thorough

pre-start checks. With repetition, these will become second nature, and
you’ll begin to notice deficiencies with ease. These procedures are
meant to ensure both personnel and equipment safety. No meters,
meggers, or special tools are required.

Once the VFD house has been set into place, ensure that it has been
properly grounded. A 6’ deep grounding rod, placed near the VFD
house plug panel, should have a dedicated 4.00 (thick) ground cable
securely fastened to it, that connects to the skid of the house—preferably
to exposed metal, and not to a painted part. Also securely fastened.
Next, if we’re talking about a stand-alone VFD house, make sure that
the VFD ground lug at the plug panel has a tightly-connected ground
cable traveling to the SCR house ground.

Before plugging anything into the VFD house plug panel, physically
check the service loops for any deficiencies. Check the power loops
178
where they come out of the hose flanges on each end. Check the 19- and
42-pin service loops. Pay special attention to the plugs, ensuring that
they are free of debris and moisture, and that there are no physical
discrepancies with any pins. Check the VFD house plug panel, and the
Top Drive plug panel as well. When satisfied with your inspection,
connect all service loops to the Top Drive and VFD house, making sure
that they are tightly connected (use a large pair of Channel Locks, if
possible), and that they are not cross-threaded. Repeat this process for
the Varco Driller’s Console. When satisfied, plug in the console
pigtail(s), as applicable, and connect them at the VFD house. At this
point, the only cables NOT connected to the VFD house, are the
incoming red, white, and black cables from the SCR house. Do not
connect them yet.

Enter the VFD house and make sure that all primary breakers are off. In
a Siemens house, there are two breakers on the outside of the reactor
door at left. In an ABB standard house or ABB Finnish house, there will
be a main circuit breaker for the drive, mounted to the outside door of
the incomer / rectifier cubicle. Inside the tall, skinny control cubicle will
be 3 to 5 breakers / disconnects, with at least one near the top having a
standard disconnect handle (red and black, 90-degree turn—horizontal is
open / off and vertical is closed / on), and several small (lighting panel)
breakers, depending on the age and configuration of the house. After
these are turned off, locate the auxiliary motor starter breakers and turn
those off as well (horizontal).

Inspect the inside of each panel for any obvious visual deficiencies that
may have occurred during rig move. If no deficiencies are noted, exit
the VFD house go to the SCR. Ensure that the VFD power cables are
disconnected and that the TD Feeder Breaker is off.

2. Proper Energization of the VFD

If any issues are detected while powering up the VFD house, refer to the
TDS-11 troubleshooting scenarios in Chapter 16. Visually check the
179
three cables between the SCR and VFD houses from end to end,
especially at the plugs. If no deficiencies exist, plug the three phases
into the VFD side, color for color. Then plug the opposite ends into the
SCR house. Close the TD Feeder Breaker in the SCR (energize the
circuit), and then enter the VFD house. Without energizing the VFD
CBM (sometimes called CB1), close / energize the primary disconnects /
breakers from the top down, one at a time, pausing between each one
about five seconds to look, listen, and smell for deficiencies. Ensure that
the lights come on, and that the air conditioner comes on, and that there
is no smell of anything burning electrically.

Open the PLC or SBC cabinet and look for lights on the I/O. When
verified, close the cabinet and turn on the auxiliary motor starter
breakers, one at a time, with a five-second pause between each. If
everything in the house is satisfactory at this point, go to the rig floor.
Enable the HPU and blowers from the Driller’s console. If the ODS
blower doesn’t come on, select drill forward. Some configurations may
not let you proceed because the VFD CBM is not energized, in which
case, don’t sweat the ODS blower at the moment. Ensure positive
airflow coming from the drill motor vents. Test hydraulic functions.
Drill and spin will not operate, because CBM is not closed.

Return to the VFD house and pre-charge the DC bus by pressing the pre-
charge button. Observe the DC voltmeter climb to ~850 VDC. Pump
the spring-tensioned charging handle of the CBM until the spring is
ready to discharge. This occurs with an audible ‘click’ and the inability
to charge the handle further. Stepping away from CBM with your body,
and facing away, press the green button to discharge the spring and close
the breaker. Observe the three ground fault lamps to ensure they are all
illuminated with equal brightness. The green MOV SSP lamp and green
Chopper OK lamps should both be illuminated, as well as the red CB1
Closed lamp.

Return to the rig floor, go to the console and cycle the brakes. Leaving
them in the off or auto position, select drill forward, increase drill torque
180
and turn the quill at below 5 RPM for five minutes. Over the course of
the next five minutes, incrementally increase the speed of the quill to
100 RPM (15… 30… 60… 100 RPM or similar fashion). The VFD has
now been properly started and tested.

Figure 13.1 Figure 13.2

3. Normal Shutdown

At the Driller controls, with the TD rotation at zero speed, deselect drill
mode. With some electronic configurations, the operator may now
select TD VFD ‘Disable’ or TD Ownership ‘Release’. Go to the VFD
house and open (de-energize) the CBM by pressing the red button. Then
engage the mechanical locking hasp over the pre-charge disable button.
In the control cubicle of any ABB drive house, open the primary circuits
by turning the transformer disconnects from bottom to top. Finally,
inside the SCR house (if applicable), open the TD Feeder breaker.
181
4. Emergency Shutdown (ESD) and Re-Start

In an emergency situation, the operator must shut down the TD VFD at

the Driller controls by depressing the red mushroom-style ESD
pushbutton. This may also be done by depressing the panel-mounted
ESD button inside the VFD house, which is co-located with the DC bus
and ground fault indicators.

Figure 13.3

Performing an emergency shutdown, either from the operator controls or

at the VFD house, opens a circuit that begins with a 24V DC power
source and ends at the RDCU Drive Control Unit (in all ABB drive
house configurations). The two images that follow will show the
location of the RDCU of the VFD house. The way the ESD circuit
works is as such: the continuous circuit described has multiple points at

182
which the circuit can be opened, such as the two manual pushbuttons
described above, the overtemperature switches of the chopper’s resistor
bank, the two fuse microswitches of each inverter, and several relays and
breakers designed to protect the integrity of the drive system. When the
circuit opens, the RDCU interrupts the inverters’ firing pulse—note:
pulse width modulation, or PWM, is how the inverters convert incoming
DC into controlled AC, by literally turning ‘on’ and ‘off’ the flow of DC
electrons at the Driller’s throttle-commanded rate or speed. This
interruption opens a relay which in turn opens the CBM.

Figure 13.4 (Above) Figure 13.5 (Below)

183
Restarting after emergency shutdown is usually just a matter of pre-
charging the VFD, cranking the handle on the CBM and pressing the
green button to send the spring home. In some configurations, it may be
required to clear the ABB alarm code(s) at the keypad first, by pressing
the ACT button and then the RESET button.

5. Basic VFD Troubleshooting

This information is derived from the Siemens SIMOVERT

MasterDrives Compendium, and from the ABB ACS-800 Firmware
Manual. Herein are listed some of the common faults and alarms, and
the manufacturer’s recommendations on what may have caused them (I
have omitted the recommendations that are least common probable
causes, and worded them for simplicity). In this section, you will see
much repetition, as different symptoms & alarms during various stages
of drive operation often share a common cause. For Yaskawa drives
(Omron AC rigs), refer to the appropriate firmware manual for the type
of inverters you’re using (Modular and A-1000 are typical).

A. Siemens Drive Faults (drive shuts down)

CODE DESCRIPTION RECOMMENDATION

F002 PRE-CHARGING Check the VFD’s incoming

power supply. Check
components in the ESD circuit.

F011 OVERCURRENT Follow the ground fault

troubleshooting steps in Chapter
16, Scenarios 2(3) and 3A.

F015 MOTOR STALL In the Driller’s Console, check

the wires and ground associated
with the tachometer. On the
ABB key pad, check the Encoder
184
 Module parameter group to
ensure the pulse value is 1,024
counts.

F020 MOTOR TEMP Follow the troubleshooting

procedures in Chapter 16,
Scenario 4.

F028 SUPPLY PHASE Check the VFD’s incoming

power supply.

F035 EXT FAULT 1 Check communication wires.

Most common in I/O components
or comm wire connections
between the Driller’s Console
and the VFD house.

F036 EXT FAULT 2 Same as previous (External Fault

1).

F051 SPEED ENCODER Check Driller’s Console

tachometer and associated wires /
grounding.

F103 GROUND FAULT Follow the ground fault

troubleshooting steps in Chapter
16, Scenarios 2(3) and 3A.

B. Siemens Drive Alarms (drive remains energized)

CODE DESCRIPTION RECOMMENDATION

A015 EXT ALARM 1 Check communication wires.

Most common in I/O
185
 components or comm wire
connections between the Driller’s
Console and the VFD house.

A016 EXT ALARM 2 Same as previous (External

Alarm 1).

A020 OVERCURRENT Check the chopper and its

resistors for overheating, loose or
damaged wiring, or water
intrusion.

A021 OVERVOLTAGE Check the VFD’s incoming

power supply.

A022 INVERTER TEMP Check the inverter bay cooling

fan to ensure it’s working.
Check the VFD house
temperature and A/C unit.

A023 MOTOR TEMP Follow the troubleshooting

procedures in Chapter 16,
Scenario 4.

C. ABB Drive Warnings (drive remains energized)

CODE DESCRIPTION RECOMMENDATION

7112 BR OVERHEAT Check the chopper and its

resistors for overheating, loose or
damaged wiring, or water
intrusion.

7510 COMM MODULE Check communication wires and

186
 fibers. Most common in I/O
components or comm wire
connections between the Driller’s
Console and the VFD house PLC
or SBC cabinet.

2330 CURRENT UNBAL Check ground fault indicator

lights and follow the
troubleshooting steps in Chapter
16, Scenarios 2(3) and 3A. Call
an electrician / AC drive
specialist to test inverters.

2330 EARTH FAULT Same as previous.

7301 ENCODER ERR Refer to Chapter 16, Scenario 3C

for encoder circuit
troubleshooting.

7302 ENCODER A<>B This usually occurs after a new

encoder, encoder pigtail, 42-pin
service loop or 42-pin pigtail has
been changed. Noting original
wire position, at the RTAC Card,
swap the wires between A
channel (A, A-) and B channel
(B, B-). Clear the warning and
try to rotate. If the warning
appears again, swap them back to
original position. Swap the A
and A- wires, then the B and B-
wires. Clear the warning and try
to rotate. If the warning appears
again, swap only A and A- wires
to their original position. If that
187
 doesn’t work, swap A and A-
again, then swap B and B- to
their original position.

4310 MOTOR TEMP Follow the troubleshooting

procedures in Chapter 16,
Scenario 4.

N/A START INTERLOCK Check all components of the

start interlock / ESD circuit, from
Transformer 1 through RDCU
terminal X22-11.

D. ABB Drive Faults (drive shuts down)

CODE DESCRIPTION RECOMMENDATION

4210 ACS800 TEMP Check inverter fans’ rotation,

VFD house A/C unit, cabinet
door outlet filters (if applicable)
and heatsink fins for dust
accumulation.

7510 COMM MODULE Check all communication wires,

connectors, and I/O components.

2330 CURR UNBAL Check ground fault indicator

lights and follow the
troubleshooting steps in Chapter
16, Scenarios 2(3) and 3A. Call
an electrician / AC drive
specialist to test inverters.

3210 DC OVERVOLT Check the chopper and its

188
 resistors for overheating, loose or
damaged wiring, or water
intrusion.

3220 DC UNDERVOLT Check incoming VFD power to

see if a phase dropped.

2330 EARTH FAULT Check ground fault indicator

lights and follow the
troubleshooting steps in Chapter
16, Scenarios 2(3) and 3A.

7301 ENCODER ERR Refer to Chapter 16, Scenario 3C

for encoder circuit
troubleshooting

7302 ENCODER A<>B See 7302 in ABB Warnings

section. Whether this manifests
as a fault or a warning depends
on the selected setting in
parameter group 50: Encoder
Module.

FF83 FAN OVERTEMP Check inverter fans’ rotation,

VFD house A/C unit, cabinet
door outlet filters (if applicable)
and heatsink fins for dust
accumulation.

4310 MOTOR TEMP Follow the troubleshooting

procedures in Chapter 16,
Scenario 4.

2310 OVERCURRENT Check ground fault indicator

lights and follow the
189
 troubleshooting steps in Chapter
16, Scenarios 2(3) and 3A.

7123 OVERFREQ Check minimum / maximum

speed settings. Check braking
chopper or dynamic brake
module circuit.

3.08 RUN DISABLE Check setting of parameter

16.01. Check all
communications wiring and
connections. Check drive control
card wiring.

190
CHAPTER 14
RECOMMENDED
SPARE PARTS
 CHAPTER 14:
Recommended Spare Parts

Following is a list of ‘recommended’ spare parts for the TDS-11,

compiled from a number of similar lists—ironically, though the TDS-11
has changed very little, NOV’s recommendations have changed a lot—
and still not based on triage / frequency of failure. These are not
necessarily the spares you will want to keep on a rig; many should
remain properly stored at your company’s shop / yard.

MAIN BODY / GENERAL

(1) 30173521 BEARING ISOLATOR
(1) 30154362 SHIELD, BEARING
(1) 98290 LINER, UPPER STEM, STD. BORE
(1) 98291 SEAL, POLYPAK
(1) 91250-1 SEAL, OIL
(2) 77039 SEAL
(1) 141304 VALVE, RELIEF
(1) 30123290 ASSEMBLY, WASH PIPE
(1) Z6001-CAN LOCKWIRE, .051
(1) Z6001.9 LOCKWIRE, .047
(1) 53003-16 PLUG, MAGNETIC
(10) 53219-2 FITTING, GREASE
(2) 51300-387-F O-RING, MOTOR/COVER
(1) 51300-277-B O-RING, COVER/BEARING RET.
(2) 51300-016-B O-RING, OIL LUBE TUBE
(2) 51300-425-B SEAL, HAMMER LUG UNION
(1) 109523 ADAPTER, S-PIPE
(1) 108216-12 BALL VALVE
(1) 118217-40R69E DRILLING MOTOR ASSY, UNIVERSAL
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) 10515072-001 ENCODER, HOLLOW SHAFT
(1) 10515072-003 ENCODER ANTI-ROTATION ARM
(1) P611003989 ISOLATOR, CERAMIC SHAFT
OR
(1) 115299 ENCODER, DIGITAL, BEI
(1) 120117 BELT, TIMING, ENCODER
(1) 120357 DRIVE ASSEMBLY, RETROFIT, ENCODER BELT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) 122243 PIGTAIL ASSEMBLY, ENCODER
(1) 30122104 HEAT EXCHANGER, OIL
(1) 117603-1 PUMP ASSEMBLY, LUBE
(1) 121272-2 TUBE ASSEMBLY, BREATHER
(1) 121272-1 TUBE ASSEMBLY, BREATHER
(1) 30151875-504 SHOT PIN ASSEMBLY

RESERVOIR ASSY
(1) 30113165 VALVE, RELIEF-POPOFF
(1) 108119-16B SIGHT GAGE
(1) 71613 RESERVOIR BREATHER
(1) 51300-038-B O-RING

192
(1) 110132 GASKET
(1) 110191-501 BLADDER, RESERVOIR

WASH PIPE ASSEMBLY

(1) 30123289 PIPE, WASH, 3 INCH BORE
(5) 123292-2 PACKING SEAL KIT, STANDARD
(1) 30123562 RING, SNAP
(1) 53303-14 WRENCH, WASHPIPE

BRAKE ASSEMBLY
(2) 109555 ROTOR, BRAKE
(4) 109528 CALIPER, DISC BRAKE
(8) 109528-1 FRICTION PADS (2 PER CALIPER)
(2) 109528-2 SEAL KIT
(8) 109528-3 HEAVY DUTY SPRING
(8) 109528-4 SCREW, RETURN SPRING
(8) 109528-5 PIN, GUIDE
(4) 109528-6 BLEED SCREW ASSEMBLY

ROTATING LINK ADAPTER (RLA), 500 TON

(1) 51300-273-B O-RING
(1) 51300-381-B O-RING
(1) 30119319 GLYD RING ROTARY, 11.000 ROD
(1) 30119357 RING, THRUST
(1) 30119143 GLYD RING ROTARY, 11.500 ROD
(10) 118375 GLYD RING ROTARY, 10.000 ROD
(1) 119547 SEAL, WIPER
(1) 30117775 RETAINER RING
(2) 119358 BUSHING, TURCITE
(2) 115176 BUSHING
(2) 112754-130 BEARING, FLANGED
(2) 53250-5 RELIEF VALVE
(2) 77039 SEAL

PH-75 PIPE HANDLER PACKAGE / TORQUE ARRESTOR ASSY

(2) 118844-16-08 BEARING, SELF-LUBRICATING
(2) 118844-16-12 BEARING, SELF-LUBRICATING
(2) 118844-22-22 BEARING, SELF-LUBRICATING
(2) 120165 CLAMP, 500 TON
(2) 119139 U-BOLT, 500 TON
(2) 50412-C LOCK NUT
(2) 50108-16 SCREW, CAP, HEX-HEAD
(2) 50108-20 SCREW, CAP, HEX-HEAD
(2) 30122112 BOLT
(2) 76444-2 BOLT
(2) 51108-C WASHER, LOCK, HI-COLLAR
(1) 125051 JAW ASSEMBLY, 4.75 - 6.00 OD
(1) 125052 JAW ASSEMBLY, 6.25 - 7.50 OD
(1) 125053 JAW ASSEMBLY, 7.50 - 8.62 OD
(1) 125157 STABBING GUIDE ASSEMBLY, 4.75 - 6.00 OD
(1) 125158 STABBING GUIDE ASSEMBLY, 6.25 - 7.50 OD
(1) 125159 STABBING GUIDE ASSEMBLY, 7.50 - 8.63 OD
(6) 16781 TONG DIES

193
(6) 16401-2 TONG DIES
(2) 98898 CRANK ASSEMBLY, EXTERNAL, IBOP
(2) 71847 ROLLER / CAM FOLLOWER, IBOP
(1) 125098 TUBE ASSEMBLY
(1) 30125094 TUBE ASSEMBLY
(1) 30125097 TUBE ASSEMBLY
(1) 110042 SHELL, ACTUATOR, IBOP
(8) 107052 LOCK TAB
(1) 125594 CYLINDER ASSY, IBOP ACTUATOR
(2) 30119592 CYLINDER, LINK TILT

PH-75 CLAMP CYLINDER

(2) 72219 SEAL, PISTON
(2) 72220 SEAL, ROD
(2) 72221 RING, WIPER
(2) 30158690 RING, STABILIZER

HYDRAULIC PACKAGE
(2) 30173216-1 FILTER ELEMENT, HYDRAULIC
(1) 30111013 FILTER, 60 MICRON
(1) 110562-1CE COUNTERBALANCE ACCUMULATOR
(1) 110563-1CE SYSTEM ACCUMULATOR
(1) 110564-1SEP IBOP TIME-DELAY ACCUMULATOR

PUMP MOTOR ASSEMBLY (HPU)

(1) 30179191-1 MOTOR ASSY (COUPLER HOUSING)
(1) 10721462-004 MOTOR, 7.5KW, 600VAC, 60HZ
(1) P611004347 PUMP, HYD. PISTON, PRESS COMP.
(1) 107783-5C11R PUMP, HYD. VANE, 1.0 CU IN./MIN
(1) 110023 FLEX COUPLING

ELECTRIC PACKAGE
(2) 30179069 MOTOR BLOWER, 3KW
(1) 83095 PRESSURE SWITCH, IBOP
(1) 87541-1 PRESSURE SWITCH
(2) 76841 PRESSURE SWITCH, AIR
(10) 53219-3 FITTING, GREASE
(1) 124459-01-20 19-PIN PIGTAIL ASSY
(1) 122718-01-20 42-PIN PIGTAIL ASSY
(1) 122443-9-H VDC COMM CABLE PIGTAIL (SIEMENS PLC)
(1) M614003124-BLK POWER PIGTAIL, BLACK, 35’ OAL 4/0 ARMORED
(1) M614003124-WHT POWER PIGTAIL, WHITE, 35’ OAL 4/0 ARMORED
(1) M614003124-RED POWER PIGTAIL, RED, 35’ OAL 4/0 ARMORED
(1) 128929-[135*]-25-4-B SERVICE LOOP, OUTER POWER, 135’ [*LENGTH PER P/N]
(1) 30175017-[86*]-4-3-B SERVICE LOOP, INNER POWER, 86’ [*LENGTH PER P/N]
(1) 30183959-[200*]-25-4-B SERVICE LOOP, 19-PIN AUXILIARY, 200’ [*LENGTH PER P/N]
(1) 122517-[200*]-25-3-B SERVICE LOOP, 42-PIN COMPOSITE, 200’ [*LENGTH PER P/N]

**ADDITIONAL NOTE ON SERVICE LOOPS: END NUMBERS INDICATE LENGTHS ON EITHER SIDE OF HOSE
FLANGE, FOR EXAMPLE, -25-3 MEANS 25’ LENGTH ON ONE END OF THE SERVICE LOOP HOSE FLANGE
(FOR THE VFD-SIDE RUN) AND 3’ LENGTH ON THE OTHER END BEYOND HOSE FLANGE (TD CONNECT).

194
HYDRAULIC PACKAGE
(2) 112554-D2 SOLENOID VALVE, 2-POSITION (SINGLE)
(2) 112554-J2 SOLENOID VALVE, 3-POSITION (DOUBLE)
(1) 30158011 / 114375 (OLDER) MOTOR, HYDRAULIC, ROTATING HEAD
(2) 94520-1AN VALVE, RELIEF, ROTATING HEAD RPEC-LAN
(1) 94522-1EN VALVE, RELIEF, SHOT PIN RDDA-LEN
(1) 111664-1EN RELIEF VALVE, LOW FLOW, SJ RELIEF RBAC-LEN
(3) 109858-1AN REDUCING/RELIEVING VALVE (PC1) PRBD-LAN
(1) P614000063-1AN RELIEF VALVE, VENTABLE
(4) 107029-175N PILOT-TO-OPEN CHECK VALVE CVCV-XEN
(1) 107031-1AN RELIEF VALVE (RV1) RVCA-LAN
(1) 107028-1ANB DIFFERENTIAL UNLOADING VALVE (UV1) QCDB-LAN
(1) 93548-1S30N CHECK VALVE (IBOP) CXCD-XCN
(1) 99353-1AN REDUCING / RELIEVING VALVE PVDA-LAN
(1) 98402-800D FLOW CONTROL VALVE
(1) 94537-130N PILOT-TO-CLOSE CHECK VALVE (CLAMP) CODA-XAN
(1) 109302-130NC CARTRIDGE, .047 FLOW CONTROL (CLAMP) CNCC-XCN
(2) 94536-230N CHECK VALVE (CTF) CXFA-XCN
(3) 94536-14N CHECK VALVE (CDR) CXDA-XAN
(3) 94534-1CXN LOGIC CARTRIDGE (LB6, LA6, LC5) LODC-XDN
(1) 94520-1NN RELIEF VALVE (RV2) RPEC-LNN
(2) 94518-13HN COUNTERBALANCE VALVE (LT CYLINDER) CBCA-LHN
(2) 93547-1B30N PILOT-TO-OPEN CHECK VALVE (LT CYLINDER) CKCB-XCN
(1) 118463 / 117865 / 117846 MANIFOLD ASSY, LINK TILT
(1) 93667-M13 CAVITY PLUG, T-13A SHORT
(1) 93667-M11 CAVITY PLUG, T-11A SHORT
(1) 30171921 MANUAL VALVE, 3-POS.

CARRIAGE ASSEMBLY
(8) 109944 BUSHING, FLANGE
(2) 30155438 CAM FOLLOWERS 6”
(16) 30158767-04 CAM FOLLOWERS 4”
(16) 55324-C NUT
(2) 51132-C WASHERS
(16) 51024-C WASHERS
(2) 80569 NUT
(2) 112875 BOGEY PIN
(2) 109944 BUSHING
(4) 30152845 RETAINING PINS
(4) 30157306 LYNCH PINS

COUNTERBALANCE KIT
(1) 110704 CYLINDER ASSY, COUNTERBALANCE / SJ
(1) 110703 CYLINDER ASSY, COUNTERBALANCE / SJ
(1) 108894-P40 SEAL, PISTON, SJ CYLINDER
(1) 94522-21N RELIEF VALVE CARTRIDGE, SJ CYLINDER
(1) 108894-B40 BODY SEAL, SJ CYLINDER
(1) 108894-G20 ROD & GLAND SEAL, SJ CYLINDER
(1) 108894-Y4 ROD & GLAND WRENCH, SJ CYLINDER
(1) 108894-Z677 SPANNER WRENCH, SJ CYLINDER
(2) 94536-175N CHECK VALVE, PRE-FILL VALVE ASSY
(1) 92654 CHECK VALVE, PRE-FILL VALVE ASSY
(1) 112825 CARTRIDGE, PRE-FILL VALVE ASSY

195
GUIDE BEAM
(2) 117496-1 LYNCH PIN
(2) 117783 RETAINER PIN
(2) 117782 JOINT PIN

AMPHION SBC STATELESS DRILLER’S CONSOLE

(1) 40943311-061 (10064178-086) WAGO PROFIBUS INTERFACE MODULE
(1) 0000-9671-93 (10064178-040) WAGO 4 POINT DIGITAL INPUT MODULE
(1) 0000-9671-92 (10064178-064) WAGO 4 POINT DIGITAL OUTPUT MODULE
(1) 30171871-554 (10064178-024) WAGO 2 POINT ANALOG OUTPUT MODULE
(1) 40943311-104 (10064178-034) WAGO ENCODER MODULE, 32 BIT
(1) 40943311-105 (10064178-072) WAGO FIELD SIDE POWER SUPPLY MODULE
(1) 40943311-080 (10064178-096) WAGO POWER SUPPLY MODULE
(1) 938203-026 (10115078-001) FUSE, 2A
(1) 10513206-001 HEATER, ELECTRIC, 140W w/ THERMOSTAT
(1) 938215-207 (10689547-001) FUSE, 6A
(1) 30155573-12 (10546480-001) METER, 0-250 RPM
(1) 30155573-27 (10546480-004) METER, 0-80K FT-LBS
(1) P250000-9900-28 (10066582-001) PUSHBUTTON ACTUATOR, ILLUMINATED, GREEN
(1) P250000-9900-29 (10066583-001) PUSHBUTTON, ILLUMINATED, GREEN
(1) P250000-9900-25 (10066579-001) PUSHBUTTON ACTUATOR, ILLUMINATED, RED
(1) P250000-9900-26 (10066580-001) PUSHBUTTON, ILLUMINATED, RED
(1) P250000-9699-08 (10066451-001) LAMP, LED, YELLOW
(1) P250000-9900-27 (10066581-001) LAMP MODULE, YELLOW
(1) P250002-0011-91 (10066997-001) LAMP, LED, RED
(1) 0000-9652-70 (10044544-001) LAMP MODULE, RED
(1) 932504-108:58P (10055017-001) PUSHBUTTON, ACTUATOR - 1
(1) 123075-1001BN (10044540-001) SWITCH, 3 POSITION - 1
(1) 0000-9652-59 (10044536-001) SWITCH MODULE - 1
(1) 0000-9652-60 (10044537-001) ESTOP, PUSHBUTTON - 1
(1) 10048305-004 ENCODER, INCREMENTAL - 1
(1) 0000-9604-54 (10043304-001) HORN, I.S. - 1
(1) 951540-002 (10691095-001) BARRIER, ISOLATION, 1-CH, ANALOG OUTPUT - 1
(1) 951540-119 (10121838-001) BARRIER, ISOLATION, 1-CH DRIVER - 1
(1) 17796760-001 INPUT TRANSFORMER, 1000KVA, 690:600VAC, 50 Hz – 1

ABB DRIVE HOUSE - AMPHION SBC COMPONENTS

(2) 40943311-051 (10064178-058) WAGO, 2 PT RELAY OUTPUT MODULE
(1) 40943311-050 (10064178-039) WAGO, 8 PT INPUT MODULE, 24VDC
(1) 40943311-034 (10064178-051) WAGO, 4 PT INPUT MODULE, 24VDC
(1) 30171871-554 (10064178-024) WAGO, 2 PT ANALOG OUTPUT MODULE, 4-20ma
(1) 40943311-059 (10064178-032) WAGO, ENCODER MODULE
(1) 40943311-052 (10064178-093) WAGO, PWR SUPPLY, 0-230V, AC/DC
(1) 40943311-061 (10064178-086) WAGO, PROFIBUS DP INTERFACE MODULE
(1) P250000-9688-27 (10066030-001) BECKHOFF, INDUSTRIAL SBC CONTROLLER
(1) P800000-9686-67 (10068309-001) APPLICOM, CARD-DP1
(1) P800000-9686-71 (10068310-001) PWR SUPPLY FOR SBC
(1) 0302-0601-06 (10049527-001) CB-1250AF/AT, 690VAC, 85KIC, LSI TRIP UNIT, FIXED,
HORIZONTAL CONNECTIONS, 5NO/5NC CONTACTS, PADLOCK
PROVISION (OPEN), IEC RATED

VARCO DRILLER’S CONSOLE – SIEMENS PLC

(1) 96920 PCB +5VDEC REGULATOR
(1) 116551 RHEOSTAT ASSY, IDM CONTROLS

196
(1) 117952 ENTRELEC SINGAL CONVERTER
(1) 30081736-2 OR 817362 POTENTIOMETER, 10K, 2W
(1) 30087708-02 SWITCH, PUSHBUTTON, FLUSH BLACK DC
(1) 30087708-26 SWITCH, 2 POS MAINTAINED
(1) 30087708-30 SWITCH, 3 POS RETURN TO CENTER
(1) 30087708-33 SWITCH, SPRING RETURN FROM RIGHT
(1) 30087708-36 SWITCH, 3 POS MAINTAINED
(1) 30087708-46 DC TORQUE POT OPERATOR
(1) 30087708-67 E-STOP OPERATOR
(1) 30087708-44 LAMP, MINI BAYONET BS 24V
(1) 30087708-38 LIGHT, INDICATING 24V DC RED
(1) 30087708-40 LIGHT, INDICATING 24V DC AMBER
(1) 91548-2 OR 30091548-2 INDICATING LIGHT, RED
(1) 88663 ALARM HORN
(1) 96219-11 TORQUE METER, 60K FT-LBS
(1) PR1003A19 TACHOMETER, 250 RPM
(1) 122627-45 MODULE, REMOTE I/O, 4PT ANALOG
(1) 122627-46 MODULE, REMOTE I/O, DIGITAL, 24 IN, 8 OUT
(1) 122627-47 MODULE, REMOTE I/O, ANALOG
(4) 122627-54 FUSE, 2.5A, 250V (DIGITAL I/O MODULE)
(6) 122627-55 FUSE, 1.6A, 250V (ANALOG I/O MODULE)
(1) 122627-57 BASE, ANALOG SIEMENS / S7
(1) 122627-58 BASE, DIGITAL SIEMENS / S7

ABB DRIVE HOUSE – SIEMENS PLC COMPONENTS

(1) P250002-0005-31 POWER SUPPLY, SOLA 24V 10-24-100C
(1) 0000-9609-83 PLC CPU, 315-2DP SIEMENS
(1) 122627-09 MODULE, INPUT, 16PT, 24VDC
(1) 122627-18 MODULE, OUTPUT, 8PT, 24VDC
(1) 122627-64 MODULE, OUTPUT, 16PT, 24VDC
(4) 122627-34 PROFIBUS CONNECTOR

ABB DRIVE HOUSE (SIEMENS PLC OR NOV AMPHION [BECKHOFF] SBC)

(1) 0000-9671-91 (10045286-001) XFMR- 3KVA, 600/690:120/208/240 CVT, 1PH, ISOLATION & VR
(1) 0000-9671-60 (10045264-001) XFMR- 30KVA, 600/690 PRI, 208Y/120 SEC, 50/60 HZ, ALUM
(1) 0000-9642-05 (10044171-001) PC BOARD-ENCODER CARD FOR USE WITH ABB ACS800 DRIVE
(1) 0000-9649-07 (10044443-001) PCB-DISTRIB CARD FOR PARALLEL OPERATION OF ABB 800 ACS
INVERTER SECTIONS, PPCS BRANCHING AND DATALOGGER
UNIT (64669982), CONSISTING OF:

1 - EN/MD MOD CDR MULTIDRIVE (6821268)

1 - ELECTRICAL PLANNING MANUAL (64783742)
1 - STANDARD SOFTWARE (64527592)
1 - FIRMWARE MANUAL (99999998) STD APPC 7.X

(1) 0000-9649-14 (10044446-001) PC BOARD-MOTOR CONTROL UNIT KIT FOR ABB ACS80
INVERTERS, CONSISTING OF:

1 -X35/X34 CABLE (64672606)

1 - SOFTWARE (64565168)
1 -(10024943/KV)

(1) 0000-9651-08 (10044500-001) PC BOARD-PROFIBUS MODULE, ABB PROFIBUS ADAPTER

MODULE OPTION / SP KIT (64606859) FOR USE WITH ABB ACS800
CONTROL MODULES

(1) 0000-9652-42 (10044530-001) MODULE-FIBER, DDCS ACS800

197
(1) 0000-9653-29 (10044563-001) KIT-CONTROL PANEL MOUNTING PLATFORM KIT (WITH KED PAD)
(1) P250000-9679-46 (10065574-001) INVERTER-450KW, 690V, 486A, AIRCL ACS 800 AIR COOLED
INVERTER, 486A, 450KW CONTINUOUS RATING, DV/DT OUTPUT
FILTERS, SPEED CONTROLLED COOLING FANS, UNIT CAN BE
PARALLELED X 12, 330LBS PER MODULE, CONSISTING OF:

1 - CURRENT FILTER (64315811)

1 - FAST POWER CONNECT (64698401)
1 - SOCKET BLOCK PIN (64674081)
1 - BRACKET (64789104)
1 - (ACS800-104-580-7+E2) INVERTER (64794086) ABB# ACS800-
104-0580-7+E205+C126+Q950+V991

(1) 0305-0004-00 (10049598-001) CB-UVR(YU), 24VDC, FOR E1 THRU E6 FRAME SIZE

(1) 0000-9641-88 (10044167-001) DIODE-ASSY, DUAL, 1800V, AIR COOLED
(1) 0000-9653-26 (10044562-001) CONTACTOR- 35A, 1000VDC, 3POLE IN SERIES, 1NO/1NC, 24VDC
COIL, 50/60HZ

(1) 0000-9660-27 (10044812-001) CONT-AUX CONTACT, 2NO, 2NC,TOP MOUNT FOR ABB
CONTRACTORS

(1) 0000-9646-98 (10044370-001) CHOPPER-BRAKING, 80AMPS

(1) P250000-9679-45 (10065573-001) FAN-ABB CHOPPER, 1PH, 115V, 50/60 HZ
(1) 0000-9642-66 (10044192-001) FILTER-LINE (TVSS), 20A, 120VAC, DIN RAIL MTG
(1) 0000-9642-00 (10044170-001) PWR SPLY- 24V/10A, INPUT VOLTAGE 115/230VAC, OUTPUT
VOLTAGE 24V

(1) 1003-0095-00 (10050576-001) XFMR- 50VA, 600: 26.5, CPT 1PH, 50HZ, ENCAPSULATED, CTR
TAPPED

(3) 0000-6904-32 (10041444-010) FUSE- 60A, 1000VAC, KIC, CLASS, STUD TYPE, W/ INDICATOR
(3) 0000-9607-67 (10043403-001) FUSE BLOCK, 2 PIECE MODULAR STUD TYPE, 0.25" STUD DIA.,
1.75 IN. MOUNTING HEIGHT

(3) 32 0001-0385-47 (10045961-001) BUS-FUSE MTG, BUSSMANN AB03T

(3) 0000-6901-34 (10041937-028) FUSE- 6A, 600V AC, 200KIC
(2) 0000-9641-46 (10044145-001) FUSE- 2A, 250VAC, FASTBLOW, 5 X 20MM
(3) 0301-0010-00 (10056809-017) FUSE- 2A, 500VAC, 10KIC, CLASS M
(3) 0301-0019-00 (10056813-029) FUSE- 30A, 600VAC, 100KIC
(3) 0301-0009-00 (10056809-010) FUSE- 0.6A, 500VAC, 10KIC, CLASS M
(1) 0000-6881-06 (10041157-001) MOV- 750VRMS, 2600J, 70KA, 1880V@ 200A, 2KV@600A
(3) 0301-0043-00 (10056809-035) FUSE- 15A, 500VAC, 10KIC, CLASS M
(2) 0000-6979-92 (10042488-001) SW-MICRO,TWO ISOLATED FORM C CONTACTS, INSULATION
RATING F/SW 1250VAC OR DC, NON INDUCTIVE - 30 VOLT 3A, 110
VOLT 3A, 250 VOLT 3A; INDUCTIVE CIRCUIT - 30 VOLT 2A, 110
VOLT 1A, 250 VOLT 1A

(1) 0000-9666-71 (10045048-001) RELAY-LOGIC SOCKET

(1) 0000-9666-72 (10045049-001) RELAY- 24VDC,8A, PLUG
(1) 0000-9666-73 (10045050-001) RELAY-PROTECTION DIODE 6-230VDC
(1) 0000-9605-33 (10043315-001) BRIDGE-RECTIFIER, 110A, 1800V, 3PH
(1) 0000-6817-69 (10040541-001) RECT-3 PHASE BRIDGE, 30A, 1000V, 1PH
(1) 0000-6935-09 (10042050-001) SUPPRESSOR-SURGE, 6-240VDC DIODE, PROTECT CONTROL
CIRCUIT FROM VOLTAGE TRANSIENT, PLUG-IN

(1) 0000-6808-57 (10040429-001) RELAY- 24VDC, 2A2B0C, 10A, IEC DEVICE

(1) 0509-3000-00 (10050025-001) PCA-VOLTAGE FEEDBACK
(2) 0000-6896-31 (10041937-034) FUSE- 10A, 600VAC, 200KIC, CLASS M
(1) 0000-9668-89 (10042382-001) CB - 16AT, 1P, 230V, MISSLINE
(3) 0000-6970-86 (10042382-001) FUSE - 60A, 600VAC, 200KIC, CLASS J, TIME DELAY, DUAL
ELEMENT

198
(3) 0000-6968-98 (10042357-001) FUSE - 100A, 600VAC, 200KIC, CLASS J, TIME DELAY, SEC
VOLTAGE 500 VDC

(1) P250000-9700-29 (10504335-001) MS-COMBINATION, IEC, 10HP@575V, 9-12.5 FLA, INCLUDES

MANUAL MOTOR PROTECTOR WITH OVERLOAD PROTECTION,
STARTER, 120 VAC COIL

(1) P250000-9700-28 (10066493-001) MS-COMBINATION, IEC, 5HP@575V

(1) 1307-2018-03 (10051013-001) CONT-BLK, 2A2B0C, IEC, TOP MOUNT
(20) 0000-6981-43 (10041937-036) FUSE, 15A, 600VAC, 200KIC
(4) 0000-9642-27 (10044172-001) FUSE - 1000A, 1100V
(2) 0000-9651-24 (10041285-027) FUSE - 630A,1250V,100KIC HIGH SPEED SEMICONDUCTOR
(10) 0405-0016-00 (10049760-001) LAMP BULB, 18V
(1) 0000-9611-72 (10043492-001) PL-120V AC, 18MM W/O LENS, XFMR
(1) 0000-9650-24 (10044486-001) PL-24VAC/DC,18MM, NO LENS
(1) 122627-26 (10602939-026) BATTERY, CPU BACKUP, FUW S7-300
(1) 0000-6939-93 (10042131-001) FUSE, 60A, 600V, 3P FUW J TYPE FUSES
(1) 0000-6854-44 (10040881-001) SW-SEL, 2 POS, LEVER, OT OPR
(1) 0403-0008-00 (10049723-001) SW-TEMP, 165 DEG
(1) 10504344-001 ASSY, 60hZ INVERTER
(1) 10065908-001 INV1 – INVERTER – 55KW, 690V, 57A, CONTINUOUS
(1) 10065926-001 F1, F2 – FUSE, 120VAC / 1000VDC
(1) 10065927-001 F1, F2 FUSE HOLDER FOR 1200V SEMI-CONTINUOUS
(1) 10045265-001 INV2 – INVERTER, 18.5KW, 690V, 22A
(1) 10041282-001 F3, F4 – FUSE, 35A, 1000V
(1) 10045371-001 F3, F4 HOLDER - FUSE BASE, 160A, 690V
(2) 10062871-001 TB1, 2, 3 – 4 PIN, 26-10 AWG, EX, UTTB4
(1) 10040429-001 RL1 – RELAY, 24VDC, 2A2B03, 10A, IEC
(1) 75 10045050-001 RL1 – SUPPRESSOR, SURGE, 6-24VDS

SIEMENS DRIVE HOUSE

(1) 116199-04 BOARD, INVERTER SNUBBER
(1) 116199-21 BOARD, CONTROL, INPUT CURRENT RECTIFIER
(1) 116199-22 BOARD, CONTROL, PER3
(6) 116199-25 FUSE, 2A
(3) 116199-26 FUSE, 800V, 800A
(10) 116199-27 FUSE, 250V, 7A
(1) 116199-34 INVERTER, TACH, DIGITAL
(1) 116199-42 CHOPPER, BYNAMIC BRAKING
(1) 30155505-17 CHOPPER, BONITRON DB (USED W/ YASKAWA DRIVES)
(3) 116199-46 FUSE, 600V, 30A
(10) 116199-48 FUSE, 250V, 1/2A
(10) 116199-49 FUSE, 250V, 2A
(1) 116199-75 PANEL, OPERATOR
(1) 116199-77 BOARD, CPB, AC INVERTER
(3) 116199-87 FUSE, 315A, DYNAMIC BRAKE

OMRON INTEGRATED DRIVE HOUSE

INVERTER SECTION

(1) 010.30.023 CONTROL UNIT, MODULAR

(1) 010.30.055 POWER SUPPLY, 600V
(1) 010.30.071 REACTOR, 600V, 400A
(1) 010.30.080 INVERTER, YASKAWA MODULAR
(1) 010.30.036 INVERTER, YASKAWA A-1000
(1) 010.30.085 TRANSFORMER, 600:215, 1.4KVA
(1) 010.35.155 PCB, PG-X2
(1) 010.35.190 PCB, SI-P1

199
(3) 070.20.140 CONTACTOR, AUX, NORMALLY OPEN
(1) 070.20.231 CTNR-3P, 24VDC, 3 NORMALLY OPEN
(2) 080.15.005 PUSH BUTTON, RED
(2) 080.15.045 CONTACT, NORMALLY CLOSED
(2) 090.21.313 CIRCUIT BREAKER, 2P, 3A
(2) 090.21.510 CIRCUIT BREAKER, 2P, 10A
(2) 090.21.558 CIRCUIT BREAKER, 1P, 6A
(2) 090.21.560 CIRCUIT BREAKER, 1P, 3A
(2) 090.21.568 CIRCUIT BREAKER, 2P, 4A
(2) 090.21.570 CIRCUIT BREAKER, 1P, 1A
(2) 090.21.575 CIRCUIT BREAKER, 1P, 10A
(3) 090.32.729 CONTACT, AUX, FORM C, 1 NO / 1 NC
(3) 100.20.014 FILTER, 20H X 8W X.75D
(1) 100.95.025 FAN, 1770 CFM, 230 VAC
(1) 130.20.052 TIMER, MULTI FUNCTION
(3) 130.25.033 RELAY, CONTROL, 4P, 24 VDC, 3A
(3) 130.25.505 RELAY BASE, 4P, 3A
(3) 130.25.852 RELAY, SAFETY
(2) 150.10.060 SENSOR, CURRENT, .25A SETPOINT
(1) 220.06.603 MODULE, DYN BRAKE, 600 APK, 425A CONT
(1) 220.16.015 CONTR, 1P, 1250A, 24 VDC COIL
(1) 230.95.416 OUTPUT, RELAY, 2CH, 230 VAC
(1) 230.95.419 MODULE, INPUT, RTD, 2 CH
(1) 230.95.428 MODULE, INPUT, DIGITAL, 8 CH, 24 VDC
(1) 230.95.430 INPUT, DIGITAL, 8 CH, 24 VDC
(1) 230.95.439 COUPLER, PROFIBUS, DP / VI, 12M BAUD
(1) 230.95.440 MODULE, SUPPLY, 24 VDC, 230 VAC
(1) 230.95.441 MODULE, INPUT, ANALOG, 2 CH, +/- 10V
(1) 230.95.443 MODULE, SUPPLY, PASSIVE
(1) 240.10.017 CAP, 8F, 400 VAC
(1) 240.95.013 SUPPRESSOR, ARC, 24 – 50V AC / DC

RECTIFIER SECTION

(1) 010.30.039 CONVERTER, IN / 380 / 690 VAC, 2295 AAC

(3) 080.10.303 LAMP, 120 VAC, RED
(2) 090.21.313 CIRCUIT BREAKER, 2P, 3A
(2) 090.21.560 CIRCUIT BREAKER, 1P, 3A
(2) 090.21.570 CIRCUIT BREAKER, 1P, 1A
(2) 090.21.575 CIRCUIT BREAKER, 1P, 10A
(3) 090.32.729 CONTACT, AUXILIARY, FORM C, 1 NO / 1 NC
(3) 100.20.013 FILTER, 20H X 17W X .75D
(1) 100.95.025 FAN, 1770 CFM, 230 VAC
(1) 150.05.201 TRANSFORMER, CPT, 50VA, 600:120V
(1) 150.10.060 SENSOR, CURRENT, .25A SETPOINT
(3) 160.55.030 FUSE, 250V, 8/10A
(3) 160.60.207 MICROSWITCH FOR MAIN FUSE
(3) 160.60.394 FUSE, 690 VAC, 3000A
(3) 160.60.801 FUSE, 1000 VDC, 1A
(3) 160.65.021 FUSE, 690 VAC, 1A
(5) 230.30.048 CONNECTOR, PROFIBUS
(1) 230.95.423 MODULE, RELAY OUTPUT, 2 CH, 230 VAC
(1) 230.95.428 MODULE, DIGITAL INPUT, 8 CH, 24 VDC
(1) 230.95.429 INPUT, ANALOG, 2 CH, 10 VDC
(1) 230.95.438 INPUT, DIGITAL, 2 CH, 120 VAC
(1) 230.95.439 COUPLER, PROFIBUS DP / VI, 12M BAUD
(1) 230.95.442 MODULE, THERMISTOR INPUT, 2 CH
(1) 230.95.615 MODULE, SUPPLY, 120 VAC
(1) 240.10.017 CAP, 8 UF, 400 VAC
(1) 240.45.007 CONVERTER, DC – DC, 24V / 5V, 30W
(1) 240.95.529 TRANSMITTER, 0 – 1000 VDC, 0 – 10V

200
PLC COMPONENTS

(1) 090.21.336 CIRCUIT BREAKER, MINI, 2P, 20A

(1) 160.60.730 FUSE, 250 VAC, 2A
(1) 240.45.016 PWS, 24 VDC
(1) 240.45.003 PWS, 12 VDC, 1.2A
(1) 240.45.013 PWS, 24 VDC, 1.3A
(1) 130.25.851 RELAY, SAFETY, 140 MA
(1) 220.95.410 INSULATOR, OPTICAL
(1) 230.05.495 CJ1W-PA205R
(1) 230.95.305 CJ2H-CPU66
(1) 230.05.481 CJ1W-PRM21
(1) 230.05.364 MODULE, ETHERNET
(2) 230.05.451 CJ1W-CORT21
(2) 230.05.371 DEVICE, NET
(1) 230.05.480 OUTPUT, RELAY
(1) 230.05.488 OUTPUT, DIGITAL
(1) 230.05.496 COUNTER, HIGH SPEED
(1) 230.95.099 ETHERNMAC102
(1) 230.95.072 TRANSCEIVER
(1) 230.95.311 ROUTER
(1) 230.95.313 TOUCH PAD, KEYBOARD, 17” LCD
(1) 230.95.445 RADIO, ETHERNET
(1) 020.20.013 CONVERTER, COPPER – FIBER
(1) 240.95.523 POWER SUPPLY, UNINTERRUPTED (UPS)
(3) 100.20.013 FILTER, AIR, 20L X 17W X .75D
(3) 100.20.014 FILTER, AIR, 20L X 8W X .75D
(2) 120.25.004 LATCH, LOCKING
(2) 120.25.016 LATCH, NON-LOCKING

DRILLER’S CHAIR

(1) 080.05.003 BUTTON, PUSH, MUSHROOM, RED

(1) 080.10.152 BUTTON, PUSH, ILLUMINATED, BLUE
(1) 080.10.159 BUTTON, PUSH, ILLUMINATED, AMBER
(1) 080.10.151 BUTTON, PUSH, ILLUMINATED, RED
(1) 080.10.160 BUTTON, PUSH, ILLUMINATED, WHITE
(1) 080.10.158 BUTTON, PUSH, ILLUMINATED, GREEN
(1) 080.10.246 SWITCH, 3-POSITION
(1) 080.10.430 SWITCH, LEVER, AMBER
(1) 080.10.427 SWITCH, PLSS
(1) 230.05.515 TOUCHSCREEN, 17”
(1) 221.03.293 JOYSTICK, 2-AXIS
(1) 221.03.317 JOYSTICK, 1-AXIS
(1) 230.95.319 ADAPTER, VGA
(1) 230.95.470 INPUT, ANALOG, 2 CH
(2) 220.01.948 CABLE, FIBER COMMUNICATIONS

VFD H216125

(3) 220.06.900 CONTACTOR, 24 VAC, 25A

(2) 220.06.901 CIRCUIT BREAKER, 13A
(3) 220.06.902 CIRCUIT BREAKER, 20A
(1) 220.06.903 TRANSFORMER, AC CONTROL
(1) 220.06.904 DRIVE, VARIABLE FREQUENCY, 3HP
(2) 220.06.905 POWER SUPPLY, DC, SOLA
(1) 220.06.906 PLC, LARGE, PC03
(1) 220.06.907 SENSOR, TEMP, WALL MOUNT
(1) 220.06.908 SENSOR, PRESSURE
(1) 220.06.909 SWITCH, HIGH PRESSURE, 375 PSI

201
(1) 220.06.920 COMPRESSOR
(1) 220.06.921 COIL, SOLENOID, COMPRESSOR UNLOADER
(1) 220.06.922 BLOWER ASSEMBLY, EVAPORATOR
(1) 220.06.923 FAN ASSEMBLY, CONDENSOR
(1) 220.06.924 VALVE, THERMOSTATIC EXPANSION
(1) 240.45.320 PWS, 6.5A
(1) 020.20.012 CONVERTER, COPPER – FIBER
(1) 221.03.301 PANEL, FIBER PATCH
(1) 230.95.466 INPUT, ANALOG
(1) 230.95.467 OUTPUT, ANALOG
(1) 230.95.465 MODULE, RTD INPUT
(1) 230.95.200 CONVERTER, PROFIBUS – FIBER
(2) 090.21.559 CIRCUIT BREAKER, MINI, 1P, 4A

GROUND FAULT PANEL

(1) 220.05.042 MONITOR, GROUND FAULT, BENDER

(1) 220.15.056 MONITOR, GROUND FAULT, ANALOG
(1) 150.05.100 TRANSFORMER, CPT, 460:120
(3) 160.25.495 FUSE, 600 VAC, .5A
(3) 160.55.030 FUSE, 250 VAC, .8A
(3) 160.25.486 FUSE, 600 VAC, 1A

__________________________________________________________

The image on the following page shows a parts list which I use as a
reference to order parts. It is broken down by section (Blower Shroud,
Pipe Handler, etc.) and includes some pricing. It is not an all-inclusive
list, but it is provided on the Student Thumb Drive as an editable Excel
spreadsheet so you can continue to build your own price list. Also
helpful for ST-80 Iron Roughneck and Forum Catwalk parts.

202
Figure 14.1
203
204
 CHAPTER 15
TROUBLESHOOTING
FUNDAMENTALS
 CHAPTER 15:
Troubleshooting Fundamentals

In this section, we will learn five flat-ass truths about troubleshooting.

1. Troubleshooting is the science of deduction. It arrives at conclusions

based on a high percentage (~50%) of fact, a moderate percentage
(~40%) of probability based on the facts, and a low percentage (~10%)
of experience-based instinct. In rare occasions, it arrives at a fork,
wherein the data inputs do not support a defined failure source, and
50/50 trial must be applied.

2. Regardless of title, position, experience, age or IQ… all

troubleshooters are NOT created equal. ‘Bout to get preachy.
Troubleshooting is like a religion, applicable in all areas of life.
However, not everyone is suited to this skill. Great troubleshooters are
highly analytical and investigative in nature, naturally possessing a
sleuth-like inquisitive mind. If you enjoy problem-solving, brain games,
mystery novels, riddles, or puzzles, you are likely well-suited to
troubleshooting and stand the best chance at becoming successful at it.
On the other hand, if you tend to shy away from these things, or skip to
the back of the book for answers, you’re simply not going to be good at
troubleshooting.

3. Synonymous with quality. Proper troubleshooting takes TIME.

Time to read or study. Time to sketch or brainstorm. Time to isolate in
segments. Time to observe and think. Time to explain the situation and
findings—multiple times—in collaboration with others. It cannot be
rushed. Often, under the pressure of downtime or adverse atmosphere,
troubleshooting is a race to discovery: it stops at the first conclusion, or
at the minimally-acceptable ‘answer’ to a given problem. This is a
recipe for future failures and potential harm to people. That does not
mean we can’t opt for a quick fix at the behest of our customer. In those
cases, we cover our reputation through quality reporting, wherein it is
clearly stated that the root cause of failure was not yet determined… due
206
to time, state of rig’s operation, and ultimately, a decision by competent
authority within the customer’s organization.

4. Proper troubleshooting considers all inputs in order to arrive at a

responsible decision. Relative to machines and equipment, it considers
original manufacturer’s published data, industry standards, overall
safety, energy path, alignment, load, lubrication, operation, atmosphere,
personnel observations, probability, repetition and the laws of physics,
just to name a few considerations. In theory, it should be highly
collaborative, but often the conditions surrounding the problem will
ultimately place the ‘lead’ troubleshooter in the lonely position of
making a high-stakes decision or recommendation that others are not
qualified to make, or that others aren’t comfortable making. If you are
the expert who finds yourself in these shoes, make sure that you are
amply insured, whether literally or figuratively (depending on the
situation), and prepared to warranty against the undesirable
consequences of your decision.

5. Troubleshooting is unidirectional. Re-stated, it does not second-

guess established hard facts. Determine the values of X and Y. If X + Y
= Z, do not return later to question this. Write everything down. Long
taught as a principle of urban tactical shooting in the Marines, once you
have gained ground, do not give it up the space you occupy or cover
with your weapon. In troubleshooting, we similarly keep moving
forward, which makes it even more critical that our facts—the
foundation of our end conclusions—are firmly based. When the
troubleshooting scenario becomes long and drawn out, you will be
increasingly pressured to second-guess your earlier troubleshooting steps
based on another’s opinion. If your methods are sound, make the
unpopular choice to keep moving forward with your deductive process
until the proper conclusion is reached.

207
208
 CHAPTER 16
TROUBLESHOOTING
/ REPAIRING THE
TOP 25 TDS-11
FAILURES
209
 CHAPTER 16:
Troubleshooting / Repairing the Top 25 TDS-11 Failures

In this section, we will cover the top 25 failures of the TDS-11, and
more importantly, how to troubleshoot and fix them in the order that
makes the most sense, based on (1) most common historical causes of
failure, (2) triage of components based on ease of removal and
replacement. I believe that this is the most comprehensive
troubleshooting guide to be published on the TDS-11. It is lengthy and
some troubleshooting steps will be repetitive or mimicked for different
symptoms, but hopefully you’ll appreciate the detail when you’re in a
bind.

One very important aspect of troubleshooting involves WHO YOU

CALL FOR HELP. When you get to a point where you know you
should get someone coming, it’s important to understand the following.
In the oilfield, when you call for a rig mechanic, that usually means Mud
Pump mechanic. If you want a Drawworks mechanic, you’ll need to
specify. If you call for an engine mechanic, that usually means
Caterpillar mechanic. If you need a Cummins, Detroit, or Deutz
mechanic, you should specify in advance. Similarly, with Top Drives,
not all personnel are created equal. Technicians are usually either
Varco, Canrig, or Tesco techs (also BenTec, Aker, FDS / Axxon,
Warrior, Patriot, Victory, NorDrill, BPM, LeTorneau / Cameron,
VentureTech…). So always specify the type of Top Drive when you
call, and ask specifically for a Varco tech. Next, not all techs are
electrically-versed. Some only work on the mechanical / hydraulic side.
So specify. Lastly, when a Top Drive issue escalates within the VFD
house, you need someone with experience. NOT JUST AN
ELECTRICIAN. You may need an electronic technician, or ET. And in
the case of this Top Drive, if you call NOV, you should first try to
determine whether the problem is Top Drive-related, drive-related, or
program-related. Because their people specialize in each of those facets
and don’t often overlap roles.

210
If you are not very specific about who you call for help, you will pay for
more people and eat more downtime.

Before digging into troubleshooting steps, always ensure the following

BASIC MEASURES are in place:

(1) All cables and fibers (if applicable) display good external
integrity; connections are clean, dry,* and proper. Multi-pin
plugs do not have pins missing, corroded, or pushed in.
*Single power pin plugs may have electrical lubricant
applied… NOT multi-pin plugs.

(2) The Top Drive has grounding wires attached tightly, and the
VFD has a tightly-fastened, dedicated ground at the skid /
house that is driven at least 6’ into the ground. If this is a
stand-alone VFD House, there is also a ground wire traveling
from the plug panel to the SCR House main ground.

(3) The VFD House has been properly energized and no alarms
exist on the drive keypad.

(4) All alarm lamp bulbs are working on the Driller’s Console, if
applicable. This is very important to keep from misdiagnosing
the problem and to save a lot of time and headache. All active
alarms / faults are cleared at the drive (Siemens / ABB /
Yaskawa / IDM / IDE / IEC keypad, e.g.) and at the controls
(“Alarm Silence” for consoles, or “Acknowledge / Clear”
alarms for Amphion / Omron, e.g. In the event that a ‘smart’
drilling program is designed to interlock Top Drive
functionality, make sure that block height and hookload tare
weight are accurately depicted on screen—if not, re-calibrate
(especially important with Amphion cyber system). For
Omron controls, ensure that the “Slips Set” indication is not
popping up on the drilling screen to prevent TD ownership
from being taken. Saw that a few times.
211
 (5) Ensure that fluid levels are proper (15 gallons of gear oil and
25 gallons of hydraulic fluid). On one rig—an old rig with
an ancient Siemens drive house—someone had modified the
TD and program so that it wouldn’t operate at all if the gear oil
level was low. Keep up with filter changes too, but for
troubleshooting purposes, it’s pretty uncommon for a filter to
be the cause of a major failure on a TDS-11.

(6) Ensure that the operator understands how to operate the unit.
Refer to the Operation Manual or the last person that operated
the unit without issues.

DISCLAIMER:

Chances are, if you’re digging into this troubleshooting section, it’s not
because you love to read. It’s because you’re experiencing an issue. It
also means that you have a tech with you, working on the problem
because your Superintendent told you to get someone out there who
knows what they’re doing. Well, no shit, in a rig-down situation
everyone’s a critic. So I don’t know who is out there on location with
you, but if they’re shooting down the information that’s in this
troubleshooting segment, then they’re more concerned about self-
glorification than about your downtime. I’m not saying all the answers
are in here… that’s a ridiculous notion. We all learn new things every
day. But beware the ‘expert’ who repels ideas. If your tech is not
collaborative, and does things directly contrary to the steps in this
segment, all I’m saying is that you should at least get a second opinion.
Remember, I get nothing out of this… I’m not vested in your specific
problem, but I am the one who spent a lot of time to give you this 100%
free information, so that your organization can minimize dependency on
3rd-party.

212
TROUBLESHOOTING SCENARIOS:

Note: additional VFD troubleshooting is provided at the end of Chapter

13 in this book.

1. NOTHING WORKS

Okay, the first and most obvious questions are:

(1) Did you just rig up? If not, did it rain on location, or has
something changed? Rig skid / walk? Tour or crew change?

(2) Has this happened before? If so, what was done to fix it last
time? Is the E-Stop button engaged? If so, pull it out.

If you answered YES to any of the questions above, refer back

to the BASIC MEASURES on the previous page. If you
answered NO to all of the questions, proceed.

(3) If using an Amphion Driller’s Control Console, can you enable

the Top Drive? If NO, check cables, check cables, check
cables. If using a cyber chair, can you take ownership of the
Top Drive? If NO, check fibers, and try swiveling in your
chair to see if it works in a different position. Lift chair and
arm panel lids (if applicable) to make sure no cables are
pinched or severed. Completely shut down and restart the
VFD House. If YES to either of these scenarios, proceed.

(4) Have you attempted both turning to the right / drilling AND
one or more hydraulic functions? Remember that drilling and
handling are powered separately.

(5) POWER SUPPLY OR IMPROPER PHASING – If you have a

stand-alone VFD House, are the lights on in the house? If not,
is the Top Drive feeder breaker turned on in the SCR house? If
213
the lights are on, first check the power supplies in the SBC /
PLC cabinet. A green light should be illuminated on each one.
If using a meter, select AC power and check the incoming line
power (place a meter lead on each of the two wires. If reading
is -120V, swap your meter leads to read 120V. Now switch to
DC power (dashed line over solid line symbol). Place your
leads on the (+) and (-) posts where wires are terminated on the
opposide side of the power supply. You should read 24V…
this is your outgoing control power. Check each power
supply… if you have one that reads 15V DC output, it’s
good—that means you have an older-style encoder circuit. If
you’re troubleshooting without a meter, just visually check for
a green “power on” light on each power supply, or feel for
warm air passing through a vent in the power supply’s housing
(some models have small fans inside). If the power supply or
supplies don’t appear to be powered, check the single 250A
mini glass fuse in an ABB drive house’s SBC / PLC cabinet,
usually labeled F05 or F08, and also check all the breakers in
the tall, skinny control cubicle. The standard 24V power supply
used in most NOV configurations is a Sola 10-24-100C
(replaces model P)( NOV P/N P250002-0005-31). If
everything looks good here, let’s check our phasing.

Start with the the air conditioner. Is it blowing cold air? If it

blows ambient-temperature air, you may need to power down /
LOTO and swap any two of the three incoming SCR power
cables at the VFD plug panel. Another way to check this is to
physically feel the TD HPU pump (or open the coupling
window on the HPU assembly) to see if it’s running but turning
backwards, which would allow zero pressure for hydraulic
functions. If you are standing under the electric motor looking
up, then the shaft should rotate clockwise. Your blowers
would also be rotating backwards if the incoming power to the
VFD House was improperly phased. Unlike Canrig or GDS /
GDM, NOV drive houses do not have phase monitors… so we
214
 have to troubleshoot improper phasing using the methods
above.

(6) INPUTS & OUTPUTS (I/O) – If you are phased properly and
everything looks good in the VFD House (no breakers tripped,
drive can be pre-charged and energized, no alarms), then are
there lights on your input / output components? I/O
components will be located both in the VFD House at the
computer (SBC or PLC) AND inside the Driller’s Console.

WAGO – (Pronounced WAY-go or WAG-o depending on who

you talk to) If you have an Amphion cyberbase, check the I/O
(Wago cards) inside the TD SBC cabinet (usually in the
Driller’s Cabin). Amphion cyber systems incorporate fuses into
their Wago rack—though this is not typical of Wago racks in
Amphion SBC stand-alone drive houses. If all lights are off for
a section of cards, look at the closest Wago Card on the left—
which is the side closest to the power source—that has lights
on. At the top, there may be an orange tab that pulls out to
accept a 250A mini glass fuse. Note: Rig Manager, if you’re
reading this, make a note to check your emergency fuse supply.
Fuses, as you know, are cheap insurance. Order a bunch of
every type of fuse on your rig, or just go online and order a big
assortment. It is embarrassing and sometimes job-ending to
accrue 8 hours of downtime over a 50-cent fuse... and you can’t
expect that every tech is willing to lie on his or her field service
ticket to cover your ass.

If you have a tech or ET on site, and s/he believes that a Wago

card has failed, but can’t figure out which one, here’s the quick
way to determine that. First, understand that 24V power comes
from the controller on the left side of the Wago rack, and that
the last card on the right completes the circuit. So if a card in
the middle of the stack is suspected, remove all cards to the
right of that suspect card EXCEPT the very last card. Move
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 that far right card over to the left, and install it next to the
suspected bad card. This method can be used to test each card
on the Wago rack. To remove a card, pull out the thin orange
plastic tab just centered and to the right of the card. Pull on that
tab with one hand while wiggling the top and bottom of the card
in a pulling motion with the other hand. Remember that some
Wago cards are ‘doubles’, meaning they look like two separate
cards but are one single unit.

SIEMENS MODULES – For original Varco Driller’s Consoles,

the three dark gray boxes against the inside back wall are, from
left to right, the (1) analog output module – sends drill and
torque commands to the PLC; (2) analog input module –
receives drill and torque data from the PLC to display on the
console; and (3) the digital input / output module. Each of the
Siemens I/O modules have a barely-visible switch that turns
them on or off, located at the upper right corner of each module.
When switched on, each module should display at least one red
light on the left. There are also small, maroon-colored
replaceable fuses on the base of each module. Call for info if
you suspect this is an issue, such as in the case that all lights
are extinguished on a ‘switched on’ module while the other two
modules’ lights are illuminated.

If no lights exist inside your console, there is likely a cable

issue. Check and re-check the plugs and cables going into your
console, and down at the house. Always do this ONLY AFTER
de-energizing / LOTO. Check the back of the plugs too, to see
if wires have come disconnected from pins.

(7) DISCRETE INPUT LIGHTS – If you have lights on the I/O

(Wago or Siemens modules) inside your console, try this:
Check the discrete inputs by turning operator knobs and
switches (link-tilt, IBOP, brakes, etc.), to see if a corresponding
light illuminates on the I/O with each function. Turn the
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 throttle knob slightly to the right (just off of ‘zero speed’ and
listen for a click and corresponding light on the I/O). If you’re
not getting anything (which would be highly irregular), call an
experienced Varco TD tech. If some of the input lights work
and some don’t, you likely have a one or more bad I/O
components, and they could be failed on both ends (VFD House
and console). If all the functions have a corresponding light
that illuminates, then try the following:

(8) SIEMENS AUTO-TUNE – If you have a Siemens drive house,

run the auto-parameterization (or auto-tune) function. Note:
Siemens drive houses are pretty antiquated and not commonly
found on rigs these days; ABB drive houses may still have
Siemens parts. If you’re not sure which type of drive house you
have, refer to Figure 7.3 in Chapter 7 of this student
curriculum. Refer to the Siemens MasterDrives Simovert
Compendium in your Student Thumb Drive. The procedure is
listed in the Table of Contents at the beginning of the manual.
Do this only after verifying that there are no disconnected wires
on the back of the pins at both ends of the Driller’s Console
Serial Cable (Comm Cable – it’s a mini-19-pin between the
console and the Drive House). Note: you may have to run the
auto-parameterization (or ‘auto-tune’) several times for it to
work properly.

RE-SETTING THE PLC MEMORY – If you have an ABB

drive house with the old console, again, check the driller’s
console serial cable first. 24V power and communications are
on different wires in the same multiconductor cable. If the
wires and pins are good, then walk into the drive house. When
you walk in, open the cabinet hanging on the wall to your left.
You should see a stack of dark gray boxes mounted left-to-right
on a din rail, and each box says Siemens on it. To the far left is
the CPU (Central Processing Unit, aka the brains of the I/O’s
computer), and it will have an SD card inserted in it, usually
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mint green colored if it is an original Siemens card. DO NOT
remove the card. You are going to conduct a memory reset of
the card’s program.

Everything needs to be powered up. Don’t worry, it’s fail-safe,

so you won’t fuck it up—anyone who tells you otherwise really
doesn’t understand the system…even if they’re wearing an
NOV jumpsuit. Just don’t remove the card. See the switch
near the card that says Run / Stop / MRES (Memory Reset)?
Ok. There’s a trick to this. Again, don’t worry, you can try it
multiple times until you get it right. First, flip the switch down
out of RUN to the STOP position. You’ll notice that RUN is a
fixed position and STOP is also a fixed position, meaning that
when you place the switch in either of those positions, the
switch handle remains in that position. Well, MRES is not a
fixed position. It is spring-loaded to return back to the STOP
position. Most techs don’t know this, but resetting the memory
is actually pretty helpful in this stage of troubleshooting, and
pushing the switch down once doesn’t do anything to reset the
memory.

So here’s what you do. Remember, it will take more than a few
tries and a little finesse and timing to get it right the first time.
So, you’ve clicked the switch into STOP position. Now you’re
going to hold MRES down for barely a second, until you see an
amber-colored light come on, at which point you immediately
release the switch and instantly press it down again. Within
less than a second, you’ll see the amber light come on and
you’ll immediately release the switch and press it down again.
Suddenly the amber light will start blinking quickly. That’s
what you want to see. Now place it back into run, and give the
program a minute to unfuckerate itself. Go function your Top
Drive. So the procedure looks like this, beginning at STOP
position: down, light, updown, light, updown, light blinks
rapidly. What I’ve found is that sometimes you need to not
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even wait for the first and second amber lights to appear, you
almost need to anticipate the timing of when they will
illuminate so you are moving the switch at the same time they
blink on.

COMM WIRES, PROFIBUS CONNECTORS, AND

TERMINATION RESISTORS – If you have an ABB Drive
House with a new (Amphion) console, then you’ll enter the
drive house and open the same cabinet, but everything will look
different than described above. You’ll see a bunch of thin
white Wago cards stacked left to right. To the left of that, a
Beckoff controller with a bigger (CompactFlash) card inside of
it. You’re not gonna mess with any of that. If your console is
working and you have discrete input lights, then you have a
comm cable or connector problem. You see all those purple
cables with the 7-pin Atari / Commodore looking plugs (go ask
an older guy what I’m talking about)?

First, check the termination resistors. These are little red or

black or gray switches on the connector plug bodies. If a plug
has two purple comm wires going into it, the termination
resistor switch needs to be in the OFF position (grab a flashlight
and some reading glasses to read the position, lol). If a plug has
only a single purple wire going into it, the termination resistor
switch needs to be ON. This rule applies in the VFD House, at
the console, and everywhere on your rig (except in the
Woodward generator control circuits of a few ICD rigs—
weird). For the Amphion-style console you have, instead of
having I/O 24 VDC power and communications in the same
mini 19-pin serial cable… you have two cables. One for power
and one for back & forth communications between the two
Wago racks. Your power cable is fine (you have lights on
inside the console). Your current problem is either in the comm
cable / comm connectors between the VFD and the Driller’s
Console (most common at this stage of troubleshooting), or in
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 one of the smaller comm cables or plugs between the controller,
Wago rack, or the top card behind the ABB keypad on the wall
behind you (turn the black knob and open the small door to
observe). Keep in mind, the words ‘comm connector’, ‘plug’,
and ‘Profibus connector’ in this section all mean the same thing.
At this point, call TD tech who has experience with this (who
knows what you’re talking about), and have him or her head
your way with enough comm cable to run between the VFD
House and the Console. If the tech has access to parts, have
him / her bring an ABB fieldbus / profibus adapter card (ABB
P/N RPBA-01, as well as two Wago Fieldbus Couplers (Wago
P/N 750-333 or NOV P/N 40943311-061), and two or more
Profibus connectors, NOV P/N 6ES7 972-0BB41-0XA0.

FIBER OPTIC CABLES – Similarly, with an Amphion /

Omron / hybrid (custom) cyber base, your problem will likely
be communication cable / plug / I/O related, however…
remember that we are operating under the assumption that
nothing on the Top Drive works and there are no alarms,
including COMM FAULT. Check those fiberoptic cables
again. If you don’t have an approved cleaning tool / kit, use
very clean hands and Q-Tips. Pull the cotton out to a fine point
and twist gently so there are no loose fibers. Don’t bother using
alcohol—which should be the ‘denatured’ type—and gently
twirl to catch any specs of dirt or debris noticed on a fiber rod.
If using a flashlight to test fiber channels, do not use a flashlight
that is very bright, as it may give a false indication of clear
channels. Carefully check fiber patch panel cables as well.
And yes, you’ll need to check both the fiber plugs and
receptacles… even if you have multiple walking suitcases and it
takes four hours to clean them all.

2. EVERYTHING WORKS EXCEPT DRILL / SPIN FUNCTION

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This covers the instance where ownership or enabling is achieved, but
there is zero drill function and no movement of RPM or TORQUE
gauges, NOT the instance where drill mode works for a second and then
kicks out. Other drill mode issues will be covered in troubleshooting
scenario # 3.

(1) CONSOLE CONSIDERATIONS – Increase drill torque. If

later in troubleshooting, the drill torque potentiometer is
suspected as a failure, power down, take photos of wire
terminations on the back of the rheostat / potentiometer, and
swap it out with the make-up torque potentiometer. If that
works, order another DC torque pot (NOV P/N 30087708-46).
On a classic Varco Driller’s Console (VDC, for PLC
applications), make sure the throttle shaft jamb nut is tightened
so that the throttle’s contactor moves along the pot.

(2) VFD HOUSE CONSIDERATIONS – Double check to ensure

the drive was pre-charged and the main breaker closed in the
VFD House (that’s the handle that you pump to charge the
spring and then press the green button to close). Closed means
“on” or energized. Refer back to basic electrical orientation at
the beginning of this book.

(3) DRIVE FAULT / ALARM – Check for alarms / faults. Rule of

thumb, an ‘alarm’ / ‘warning’ either indicates a minor failure
or impending major failure, whereas a ‘fault’ will actually shut
down the drive and keep you from re-starting until the fault is
cleared. If the fault will not clear, there are bigger issues at
hand. Remember, we are troubleshooting a Top Drive that
DOES NOT turn to the right, even for a fraction of a second.
The worst case in this scenario could be a failure of both
inverters, or—more than likely in the worst case of inverter
issues—an inverter communication issue with the RMIO board
/ RDCU. If the Top Drive was able to drill, at least barely,
then a Drive Fault or VDF Major Fault would change our
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 troubleshooting. We would go straight to the power service
loop cables and plugs to look for ‘smoking gun’ damage, then
to the drill motors, and then to the chopper or dynamic brake
circuits. Remember also that the words ‘drive’, ‘VFD’, and
‘inverter’ are comingled in technical conversations, but that
they all mean the same thing.

‘Start Interlock’ is one of the most common startup faults. If it

doesn’t clear, call a tech. There are seven or eight physical
VFD components in the Start Interlock circuit which may have
failed. Usually, the fault occurs when startup procedures are
incorrect or out-of-sequence, and the fault will clear and not
persist. If it doesn’t clear, while waiting for a tech (or drive
specialist), you can open the cabinet doors behind the main
breaker and see if something smells burned. There’s a start
interlock relay just along the left wall of an ABB stand-alone
VFD House that could be burned up, but typically that failure
wouldn’t allow you to close the breaker. Same with the UV
coil which is attached to the breaker—could be burned up.

DIG THE BOOKS – For ABB Drives, look at the Alarm and
Fault Code sections of the ABB ACS-800 Firmware Manual to
determine the meaning and recommended troubleshooting
steps of any alarm or fault which fails to clear. For Siemens
stand-alone drive houses, consult the Simovert MasterDrive
Compendium. For newer Siemens, Yaskawa or other drives
that may be used in integrated VFD houses (uncommon on
land rigs as of 09/2020), identify the make and model of the
drive and consult the OEM documentation. Call me, I might
have it. 910-381-0876.

(4) LOCAL vs. REMOTE – Ensure that the drive is not in LOCAL
mode. On the ABB keypad, press the button that has the letter
“L” on it. If you see an “L” disappear on the digital screen,
great, you fixed the issue. I know we always assume that
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 nobody touches that keypad except to clear alarms, but it
happens. If, when you press the L button, the letter L appears
on the digital screen, then you were in remote mode already
and that wasn’t the problem. Press L again so that the L
disappears from the digital screen. In a Siemens stand-alone
drive house, switching between LOCAL and REMOTE is
slightly more involved. There’s a 99% certainty that one of the
hands didn’t do it, so the only time I would suspect this is if the
VFD House just came from a shop, or if it’s new to the rig and
nothing is known about it. Consult the Simovert Compendium
to switch out of LOCAL mode.

(5) 600V POWER DISCONNECTED – If the drive is energized

(breaker closed), there are no alarms, and you’re not in local
mode, refer back to our BASIC MEASURES… are the
“OUTGOING (to Top Drive)” red, white, and black power
plugs disconnected from the VFD House? Or from the Top
Drive? Or at the Saddle in the derrick, or any mid-mast or rig
floor junctions? Believe it or not, I have even found two
motors with all the leads hanging out when troubleshooting this
scenario. Just came from the shop. Miraculously, the cables
were not touching each other, the motor windings, or the metal
housing! You see, though this is the most popular (by sales)
Top Drive for land triples, it is also a ‘dumb’ To Drive. If any
power plugs are disconnected, so long as they’re not touching
metal, the VFD will energize and when you turn the throttle,
you’ll send 600VAC into midair and get no alarms. Now
wait!!! Before you yell at one of your hands to go check, let’s
power down the VFD House and LOTO. If everything’s
plugged in, remain powered down and call an NOV drive
specialist. You may have to wait a day or two, in which case,
call an electrician who is familiar with VFD’s.

3. OTHER DRILL FUNCTION ISSUES

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(1) SCENARIO 3A: GROUND FAULT / DRIVE FAULT – Top
Drive quill turns to the right or left when commanded, but then
shuts off. This is usually accompanied by a DRIVE FAULT or
VFD FAULT or VFD MAJOR FAULT alarm, depending on
the control system you’re using. The fault is often—but not
always—verified by an imbalance of brightness in the three
ground fault lamp bulbs on the door of the incomer / rectifier
cubicle of the VFD house. When testing, look for three dim
bulbs; if one or two are brighter than another, it indicates a
ground fault. Shut down the VFD house, kill the SCR’s TD
Feeder breaker and then disconnect the three outgoing plugs to
the TD. Re-energize the house and test the ground fault lights
again, this lets you know whether the fault is occurring in the
house or in the service loop / TD. If the house is good, repeat
the process, this time with the service loop connected at the
house but disconnected from the TD. In an integrated drive
house (AC rig), there will likely be a panel-mount ground fault
meter or digital indicator, probably in addition to the three
indicator lamps. If you’re not getting that alarm on your
console, check the bulb (hold LAMP TEST / ALARM
SILENCE for five seconds to watch all lamps illuminate and
gauges spike).

Check the control keypad’s digital screen in your drive house,

see what code popped up. Dig into the appropriate manual for
your type of drive (see step 2 of the previous troubleshooting
procedure), and see what the alarm means. If nothing else,
doing this will help you better communicate with external help
before you get them coming. I will tell you this: about 75% of
the time, the root cause of this issue will be something you can
identify. Water in one of the red, white, or black power plugs
between the VFD and the Top Drive, or a burned / melted pin
in one of those plugs, or an improper plug connection / cross
threading. Could also be bare copper exposed on one of those
cables, or even just the armor layer exposed, or one of those
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cables pinched or in a bind.

TROUBLESHOOTING WITH A MEGGER – IF you don’t

have a megger—an electric meter dedicated to testing
insulation resistance in megaohms (MΩ), or an expensive-ass
multimeter that also tests megaohms—then skip this step. You
probably won’t need one for this troubleshooting scenario
anyway—usually you can physically find the “smoking gun”
root cause of a ground fault unless it’s inside a motor, inverter
or chopper. If you DO have a megger and you know how to use
it, set it at 1,000V. Place the black meter lead on the TD power
service loop ground lug at the VFD house (or on any bare
metal at the Top Drive) and test each phase. If you read 0.0Ω,
you have a direct short-to-ground; that is, the bare conductor is
touching ground. In the interest of mitigating lost time,
immediately suspect one or both of the motors so you can get
one coming if needed—open them both, isolate them by
removing all three leads from each terminal block, and test the
motors individually using the same method (red wire to each
motor terminal, not to the pigtail leads). Then check the pigtail
leads. Then check the service loop. Remember not to shoot
voltage through the service loop until you’ve let all others
know what you’re doing so they keep clear of the power
service loop. Also, if you’re shooting from the TD down to the
house, DISCONNECT from the house first. NEVER meg a
circuit that is still connected to the VFD or any potential
control source. If you read low megs AND low voltage (less
than about 950V) you may just have a loose power plug
connection, which could be external (the part where you make
it up) or internal (the power pin could be loose inside the
plug… also, if the plug had just been changed, make sure the
power pin is sticking out roughly the same lengths as in the
other two plugs, in case the electrician put the snap ring in the
wrong place). Low megs and low voltage could also indicate a
hard pinch. Low megs at full voltage (1,000V – 1,050V)
225
usually just indicates the presence of moisture in the circuit,
usually at a plug or in the motor windings themselves.
Isolation will let you know where your problem is. In the case
of the former finding, remove water with (non-explosive)
electrical cleaner. In the case of the latter finding, run your
blowers for a while to remove the moisture from the motors.
Cold weather can cause low megs during an insulation test as
well; if your motor heaters are not disabled, turn them on—and
don’t forget to turn them off when readings improve, or you’ll
potentially burn up a motor or two. Lastly, check phase-to-
phase. You should read 0.0Ω phase-to-phase. Whether your
phase-to-ground megger readings are good or not, if your
phase-to-phase megger readings are not, I’ll bet a kick in the
dick that you’ve got a plug full of water somewhere. One final
note: your company may have a minimum acceptable
megaohm standard when performing an insulation (megger)
test on a motor, and if the readings are below that, you are
required to change the motor. Purely from a technical
standpoint, if your company’s stance differs from the original
manufacturer’s published stance—which has been set by their
engineers and vetted by their quality policy—then someone at
your company is a jackass who just wants to sound important.
Baldor-Reliance drill motors that come standard on a TDS-11
have a 1.0 MΩ minimum value requirement before being run.
At any value north of that, you can start and stop that Top
Drive a thousand times without issues. Changing a TD drill
motor just because it reads below 3M or 5M is a waste of time
and money. Warm, dry air improves resistance value.
Running the motor increases its resistance value. Basic science
shit.

WHERE TO LOOK FOR DAMAGE THAT WOULD CAUSE

A GROUND FAULT / DRIVE FAULT – Common areas of
concern, if not at the plugs, will be at the back of the Top Drive
where the power cables are potentially susceptible to rubbing
226
against the track. Also, old wounds on a power cable / service
loop that have been patched and water somehow intruded, now
trapped inside by the patch job. Shut down the VFD, LOTO,
and start checking the 3 power cables of the service loop, from
where they plug in at the VFD House all the way into the Top
Drive. Waiting five minutes after LOTO, take a ½” wrench to
the Top Drive and remove the upper panels (above the vents)
to inspect the termination blocks where the three fat wires
connect to the motor windings. Just FYI, you can dissipate any
stored energy in the motor by placing a long, plastic-handled
screwdriver against any of the three metal lugs of the terminal
block (or any exposed metal where the motor leads terminate
into the windings, such as in the case of ‘flying leads’) and
simultaneously touch the metal motor housing with the side of
the screwdriver for a second or two. Then using gloves as a
secondary precaution, tug on each of the motor leads to ensure
tight connectivity to the terminal block. All connections
should be tight-tight. There is a 25% chance that you have an
inverter issue, or you lost one of those big ceramic IGBT fuses
in the inverter bay, or that you have a chopper / dynamic brake
module / resistor bank or grid issue. If your resistor grid is
outside the VFD house, make sure the vent louvers are open
and facing down. If facing up, when it rains, the grid gets wet
and causes a ground fault. Big fans to create airflow, a heat
source, and time are usually all that are needed to fix that issue.
If you discover the source of the ground fault yourself (and
chances are good that you will)—five or more wraps of
electrical tape will do in a pinch. Just make sure to get the
proper long-term fix coming. By the way, instead of using
zipper shrink to patch an inner service loop (which moves and
flexes)—presuming that your company even allows it—order
some real splice kits from Global Mine Service in
Pennsylvania. They have the 6-tape wrap system that keeps
thousand-foot service loops in operations in the mines all day.
Super robust and flexible. Expensive--$600 a kit—but worth
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it.

CONSEQUENCE MANAGEMENT – Earlier in this course,

we touched briefly on ‘consequence management’, which was
illustrated by the question, “What’s the wrong ‘right’
decision?” In 2013, I was called out multiple times to work on
one particular Precision Drilling rig in Pennsylvania. Their
SOP for this rig was to use armor grounding on every three-
phase cable. You see, underneath the first layer of rubber
insulation on a standard 777 or 646 “armored” cable that is
used to supply power to TD, DW, MP’s, etc, is a ‘non-
conductive’ braided wire layer called the cable’s armor. Then
there’s another layer of rubber and a thin composite plastic
layer before reaching the inner conductor wire. On this rig, a
3” section of outer insulation was removed about 3’ from each
plug end of every cable, where a 4.00 ground wire was then
hose-clamped to the armor and then heat shrink was applied to
overlap the exposed armor by at least six inches. At the end of
the ground wire was a welder-style twist-lock ground
connector. At first glance, it was impressive—certainly
seemed like the ‘right’ decision to provide extra grounding to
all these high-voltage cables. But then… those grounds were
the only reason I was ever called to that rig. Hands kept
reportedly getting shocked, and occasionally ground faults
would occur. Always came down to those armor grounds.
Years later, I was called to work on a Canrig for Latshaw, who
was experiencing a TD ground fault in a thunderstorm. Canrig
uses the same concept of armor grounding. In this case, a
panel gland for one of these grounds had a loose jamb nut at
the bottom of the lower J-box, and the arcing had melted a hole
in the box. Because of the weather, no one had walked to the
other side of the rig floor or they would have seen the arcing.
Finally, a third instance—this time, an Orion rig in New
Mexico. Their hybrid drilling program kept giving them a
major VFD fault whenever they took ownership of the TD… a
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 TDS-11, I believe. Root cause? The zipper shrink had come
off of the service loop’s exposed armor where the ground wire
was connected, and the hose clamp used to attach the wire was
rubbing on a mesh strain relief that was holding up the DW
cables on the subs, just under the ODS rig floor. Further
investigation revealed that the roughnecks hated messing with
their segregated ground panel—like a suitcase between the
subs and VFD house, with nothing but armor ground
connections—because the wires were always shocking the hell
out of them. My whole point here, is that in our overzealous
attempts to engineer-out ground faults, sometimes our rig
designs are actually more ground fault prone.

A couple other notes on this scenario: in overcurrent and

undervoltage conditions—which would be indicated in the
fault codes generated by the drive, be sure to have an
electrician check voltage and amperage coming from the SCR
House on a DC Rig. Also, one thing to check while the
electrician’s coming… in the event of overcurrent, try drilling
with the Top Drive while the Drawworks is de-energized. If
the TD kicks off again, reset the fault and this time, stroke on
only one pump. Try the TD again. If the TD kicks off while
drilling again, swap pumps and stroke on another single pump.
Once, we chased an issue for days… Top Drive overcurrent
condition… and the root cause was a burned-up plug on a Mud
Pump (kudos, Ruben). Just food for thought.

(2) SCENARIO 3B: TOP DRIVE QUILL TURNS IN REVERSE

WHEN FORWARD IS COMMANDED (and vice versa) –
Shut down the VFD House and SCR Top Drive Feeder. Swap
any two outgoing power plugs (black, white, red) between the
VFD House and the Top Drive. Long term fix: either swap the
same phases in both drill motors, or change the plugs or
receptacles so the colors match. Also, this can sometimes be
an encoder issue. Determine if this is the case by following
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 your appropriate encoder bypass procedure in the step below.

(3) SCENARIO 3C: TOP DRIVE TORQUES UP – In drill mode,

when the throttle knob is turned, the quill does not rotate but
the torque gauge spikes. Reduce throttle position to zero
speed. Cycle brakes on and off a few times, they might be
stuck closed. Try to rotate. If issue persists, check another
hydraulic function—such as link tilt—to make sure we still
have hydraulics (otherwise we weren’t doing crap when
cycling the brakes, and that still might be the issue). If the link
tilt function works, then we can assume that the brake function
works, but just to verify, let’s open those curved panels just
beneath the blowers… one panel on each motor will do. What
we’re checking is to see whether the brake pads lift off of both
the top and bottom of the brake rotor when brakes are turned
‘Off’ at the console, and whether they apply again when turned
into ‘Auto’ or ‘On’. There are two calipers for each motor, and
each caliper has a top and bottom brake pad. Now, even if the
brake controls are functioning properly, there’s one thing we’re
hoping not to see, and that is the bottom pads buried into the
rotor of either motor. This is a visual indicator of MOTOR
SHAFT DROP, and the drill motor will need to be changed.
To verify, get a tech coming with a dial indicator for 3rd-party
verification, and in the meantime, place a 5-foot bar under the
rotor or shaft hub and pry upward. If the shaft moves more
than ¼,” then you might as well get a motor coming too. When
the shaft drops, its weight buries the brake rotor into the lower
pads and you’ll torque up every time, though usually you can
still overcome the torque and turn the quill at about 15 20
RPM. If, however, we don’t have shaft drop and the brakes are
releasing when commanded, let’s continue troubleshooting.
Just for shniggles, though it’s highly unlikely, check to ensure
that the grabber isn’t somehow engaged.

Next possibility, here’s a question… since the last time this

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operated properly, has a drill motor been changed? If so, the
motors are probably fighting each other. To test this theory,
shut down, LOTO, and try to turn the quill using two men and
large chain tongs / chain wrench. If it turns, there is nothing
mechanically keeping us from turning to the right. If it
doesn’t, drain the gear oil and check the gearbox for anomalies.
Highly uncommon. So if it turns by hand, go into the motor
that was recently changed or worked on, and swap any two
power leads / wires that are terminated. See SCENARIO 3A
for instructions. Tape a lanyard to your wrench—you’ll need
either a 5/16” Allen, a 3/8” Allen, or one or two ¾” end
wrenches, or possibly larger end wrenches, all depending on
who made the motor and how your company prefers to have
power leads terminated. If no motor was changed and the quill
can be turned manually when de-energized (but not from the
console when energized), this sounds like an encoder issue.

Before you troubleshoot further, check to see if the belt slipped

off the encoder wheel. The encoder is located inside the ODS
curved panel above the ODS drill motor (unless your TD is one
of the dolly-mounted types where the swivel pack is on the
DW-side of the TD and not the V-Door side, which means your
TD is backwards compared to most… in which case the
encoder is above the DS motor… also, in the case of ICD’s
[formerly SideWinder’s] Cane Brake rigs, where the Driller’s
Cabin is on the opposite side of the rig floor, all DS and ODS
references in this book must be reversed). LOTO the VFD
house and ascend the TD, feel underneath the encoder for its
wheel. The belt passes between the wheel of the encoder and a
similar wheel atop the drill motor hub, through which the
encoder wheel receives rotation. If you don’t feel a belt, look
around inside the blower shroud / brake area. If it slipped off
and the belt is intact, you must remove the near side 1/4" steel
line connection on the opposite end of the encoder sled
(remove the opposite panel), loosen the far side connection of
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that steel line enough to angle the steel line upward, then
disconnect the two bolts on each side of the encoder sled to
remove the encoder assembly. Unscrew the pigtail connector
from the encoder. To do all this, you’ll need wire cutters, a
small set of Channel Locks or Nipex, and a 9/16” wrench.
Bring the sled-mounted encoder to the rig floor, re-position the
encoder so that it is mounted closer to the edge of the sled (just
a 1/4” or so, to remove slack from the belt when it is re-
mounted), and re-ascend to install in reverse order. Don’t
forget to install the belt before moving the sled into position to
bolt it back down. Note: this whole procedure also just taught
you how to change your encoder, less the part where you
remove four hex screws from the encoder base and remove the
one or two set screws from the encoder wheel—making sure to
note the wheel’s distance on the shaft first. Wire tie your bolts.
Back to our original troubleshooting… if the belt was intact
and in place when you first checked, go to the next
troubleshooting step.

You’re now going to bypass the encoder. Doing this will let
you know whether the encoder or its circuitry has any bearing
on the issue you’re experiencing.

BYPASSING THE ENCODER IN A SIEMENS DRIVE

HOUSE – If you have a Siemens drive house, simply locate the
encoder bypass switch by opening the LH incoming reactor
door and looking above the wires in the bottom right corner
nearest you. In some house models, the switch has been
moved to the outside of the inverter door on the right, near the
control panel. Switch from ‘Encoder’ to ‘Bypass’. If it doesn’t
work, shut down and restart the VFD house. If it still doesn’t
work, auto-tune your drive (see Siemens Compendium – “auto-
parameterization). If it still doesn’t work, then your encoder
has nothing to do with the problem. Get a tech coming.

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BYPASSING THE ENCODER IN AN ABB PLC HOUSE – If
you have an ABB PLC drive house, then go to the ABB control
keypad. Press the PAR (parameter) button. Now, I want you
to think of ABB parameters like the Bible. They are ordered in
PARAMETER GROUPS and PARAMETERS, just like
chapters and verses. Next, locate the four arrow / triangle
buttons: double arrow up, double arrow down, single arrow
up, single arrow down. The double arrows allow you to scroll
through the parameter groups, or chapters. The single arrows
allow you scroll through the parameters in each group (or
verses in each chapter). Get it? Ok. So using the double
arrows, scroll to PARAMETER GROUP 50. Then using the
single arrows, scroll to 50.06. You should see the word
“Encoder.” If you see the word “Internal,” then you are
already in bypass and you’ve got some bigger issues. So
presuming you see the word “Encoder,” press the ‘Enter’
button. You should now see the word ‘Encoder’ encapsulated
in brackets, like this: [Encoder]. When you see those brackets
around any parameter entry, it is ready to be edited. So now,
press either the up or down single arrow, and you’ll see the
only other option available for this parameter: “Internal.”
Press the enter button again and the brackets go away. You are
now in bypass mode. Try to turn the Top Drive to the right.

BYPASSING THE ENCODER IN AN ABB SBC OR

INTEGRATED DRIVE HOUSE – If you have an ABB SBC
house or an integrated (AC rig) drive house with ABB drives,
then read the paragraph above to familiarize yourself with the
PAR and arrow buttons of an ABB control pad, and how they
work. Here’s what you’re going to do: (1) Use the double
arrows to scroll to PARAMETER GROUP 51
(COMMUNICATIONS MODULE). (2) Use the single arrows
to scroll to Parameter 51:15. Its value should read 5006. If
not, write the number down, take a picture of it with your
phone, and tell the number to someone else as backup
233
measures. Eventually it will get changed back to that number,
after the encoder issue is fixed or if you determine that the
encoder circuit has no bearing on the issue. (3) Press the
‘Enter’ button. The number value should now have brackets
around it, like this: [5006]. (4) Use either of the ‘down’ arrow
buttons to reduce that number to zero. The double arrows will
get you there faster. (5) Press ‘Enter’. The brackets should
disappear from around the number. (6) Use the single arrows
to scroll to Parameter 51.27. (7) Press Enter. Use either single
arrow—up or down—to change the parameter value to “Par
(Parameter) Refresh.” Press enter again to make the brackets
disappear. After a second, the value will change to “Done.”
(8) Use the double arrows to scroll to PARAMETER GROUP
50 (ENCODER MODULE). Then use the single arrows to
scroll to Parameter 50.06. (8) Press Enter. Brackets appear
around the word “Encoder.” Press the single up or down arrow
to change the value to “Internal.” Press Enter again to remove
the brackets. Bypass is completed. If in the rare occasion you
cannot change any parameter values (ACCESS DENIED or
similar alert pops up), or the word “Internal” keeps
automatically changing back to the word “Encoder” within a
second automatically, call me 24/7. There are several things
that could be affecting this. If you feel comfortable navigating
the parameters at this point, I can walk you through some steps.
910-381-0876.

BYPASS AND ENCODER CIRCUIT REPAIR

CONSIDERATIONS – If bypassing the encoder fixes the
problem and your company allows it, run in encoder bypass
mode. It will not hurt anything on the TD. However, if your
company does not allow it, or if you need to slide / drill
directionally soon, then get a TD tech or electrician coming
with the following: two encoders (very sensitive devices…
~one in ten is bad right out of the box!), an encoder belt, an
encoder pigtail, an RTAC card, and an oscilloscope (“O-
234
scope”). If the encoders are not BEI brand, or do not come
from NOV, verify that they are “1,024-count” incremental
encoders with the same body and shaft size. Other
possibilities for parts needed (less common) may be (1) an
encoder splitter card if using a PLC-style driller’s console; (2)
Torque and RPM barrier cards if using an Amphion-style SBC
console; (3) a 24V or 15V power supply—bring both if the
tech has them handy; and if you have the Amphion SBC
console or cyber chair, (4) two 750-631 Wago cards.

If bypassing the encoder does nothing to fix your problem, the

only other things you can do to troubleshoot are (1) disconnect
all third-party connections (Pason / Totco) from the driller’s
console, and from the VFD house (Slider, Twister, Rockit,
e.g… the VFD house connections may require an electrician);
and (2) troubleshoot to determine if DW or MP power is
affecting the Top Drive’s rotation from the console.

SIMPLE CHECKS THAT COULD IDENTIFY INDUCED

ENCODER ISSUES – First, make sure your VFD house has a
dedicated ground and is not just grounded to the SCR main
ground and / or bonded to the substructure. De-energize the
VFD House first / LOTO. Make sure grounds cables are
securely and tightly connected to lugs and rods. Second, make
sure that any slack in the 42-Pin and Power service loops are
not coiled together. This creates electromagnetic interference
that can disturb the highly sensitive encoder. Uncoil and
separate the loops. If this didn’t affect the symptoms you’re
experiencing, try the next troubleshooting step below.

RUNNING A 42-PIN SPARE – Your challenge will be to try

to run spares before the tech arrives, to rule out the possibility
of a 42-pin issue—which is also part of the encoder circuit. To
run spares, grab a ‘tweaker’ (electrician’s small termination
screwdriver) and refer to Figure 11-20, located on page 155 of
235
 this book. LOTO the Top Drive. Open the TD J-Box. Locate
terminals 74, 75, and 76. You’re going to be moving the wires
on the left side of the terminal… these wires are coming from
the encoder. Remove wire ‘A’ from the left side of terminal 74
and place it in the left side of (spare) terminal 80, which should
not already have a wire in it (if it does, stop and wait for the
electrician). Then remove wire ‘A-’ or ‘A/’ or A-Not’ from
terminal 75, and terminate it into the left side of terminal 81,
which should also be empty. Finally, move the shield wire
from the left side of terminal 76, to the left side of T82. Should
be empty. The key to running spares, is that whatever you do
at the TD junction box, you also need to do in the VFD House.
In the VFD House, locate the 42 conductor. In an ABB stand-
alone drive house, it is in the same cabinet hanging on the left
side wall that contains your I/O… the cabinet is called an SBC
or PLC cabinet, respectively. Underneath and to the left of the
I/O are a bunch of left-to-right terminals. Physically look at
the wires to see the wires stamped 01 through 42. That’s your
42-pin circuit. Leave those wires in place—you’ll be working
on the opposite side of the terminals. Remove the wires (A,
A-, and Shield) that connect to 74, 75, and 76. Re-terminate
the wires into the empty terminal spaces across from 42-pin
wires number 80, 81, and 82 just as you did at the Top Drive.
Voila. Try to turn to the right. If the symptoms persist, place
the wires in the VFD and Top Drive back into their original
positions. Pull on each wire after you terminate it, to make
sure each is securely fastened to its terminal block. So you just
tested the 42-pin for encoder channel A. The encoder uses two
channels, so now try moving B, B- and B-channel’s shield
from 77, 78, and 79, and swapping them over to 80, 81, and 82.

(4) SCENARIO 3D: TOP DRIVE QUILL JERKS OR

OSCILLATES IN DRILL MODE – In drill mode, the quill
oscillates back & forth, or moves in a jerky and erratic fashion.
Sounds like an encoder issue, could also be a power issue—
236
 although the latter should be accompanied by a Fault. Proceed
by bypassing the encoder as outlined in SCENARIO 3C above.
If bypassing the encoder does not fix the problem, then
troubleshoot it using the logical order presented in SCENARIO
3A.

(5) SCENARIO 3E: TOP DRIVE RPM OR TORQUE GAUGE

BOUNCES AROUND, OR HOLDS VALUE ABOVE OR
BELOW COMMANDED VALUE – First, bypass the encoder.
If this does nothing, get a tech coming with the same list of
parts as outlined in SCENARIO 3C, in the section called
“Bypass & Encoder Circuit Repair Considerations.” You
won’t need the encoder or encoder pigtail. Add to that list the
RPM gauge (NOV P/N PR1003A19) and / or Torque gauge
(NOV P/N 96219-11), as applicable. Notes: swapping the
encoder fixed this issue years ago on Patterson 480. However,
one JDC rig operating in New Mexico had this problem for
over a month—both the tach and torque gauges’ needles kept
bouncing around. Sometimes, the spikes were significant
enough to show up on Pason. Finally, the operator had enough
with it. In the end, everything was changed… the service
loops, the console, every single cable and connector, every
single Wago. Had NOV techs crawling through the VFD
house. It wasn’t until the VFD house was changed out that the
issue went away. Truly believe that it was the result of a glitch
in the SBC program. Sometimes you’ll get a weird one like
that.

(6) SCENARIO 3F: RPM NEEDLE RESPONDS PROPERLY

WITH THROTTLE INPUT, AND YOU CAN HEAR THE
TOP DRIVE RAMPING UP AND DOWN, BUT NO
MOVEMENT OF THE QUILL – Very weird one, but it
happened on Patterson 738 back in 2010. Drained the gear oil
and removed the ODS gearbox access plate (the one where the
oil drain is located). The TD had just come back from an
237
 annual inspection, where the motors were sent in to be
reconditioned. When inspecting the gearbox as the TD hung
from the blocks, it was discovered that the motor pinion gears
had simply fallen off, and were sitting in the bottom of the
case. Turning the throttle was causing the motors to spin fine,
just as commanded. They simply didn’t have gears on their
shafts to turn anything.

(7) SCENARIO 3G: SIZZLE, GROWL, SMOKE, FLAME, OR

BACON – When Hoss went back to pushing, he called me one
day. Horrible connection, I could barely hear him. Finally I
pieced together what he was asking me. “Matty, does the Top
Drive got bacon in it?” “No Hoss, why?” “Because it sounds
like this! Sizzle skeeeew POP pbpbpbpbpbth!!!” So here’s the
deal: if your TDS-11 sounds like it has bacon in it, if it
‘sizzles’ or buzzes or hums loudly, or if smoke or fire shoot out
of a drill motor… SHUT IT DOWN!!! You’re likely
experiencing a severe electrical problem, EVEN IF it sounds
like it’s growling mechanically. Even if you’re dead sure it
sounds mechanical, and you’re positive you have a gearbox
issue (the sound resonates in the gearbox like the grito of an
Austrian yodeler)…9 out of 10 times, you either lost a drill
motor or you have a power cable exposed and touching metal
somewhere. De-energize the VFD house, LOTO, and follow
the same steps as in SCENARIO 3A to locate the source of the
problem.

(8) SCENARIO 3H: PROBLEMS IN SPIN & TORQUE

WRENCH MODE (MAKE / BREAK) – If the problem relates
to the speed of the quill or torqueing power, get a tech coming.
The issue could be as simple as a bad switch or torque
potentiometer, but could be as complex as a drive or program
issue… roughly on a 50/50 basis. If the issue is pipe slippage
during connections, did your drill string size just change?
Conduct a thorough visual inspection of the grabber assembly
238
 to ensure that dies are in good shape, and that the die holder
block is appropriate for the size of pipe you’re drilling with.
For hydraulic issues, see the Grabber / Clamp scenario.

(9) SCENARIO 3I: DRILL SPEED ERRATIC OR ‘JUMPY’ – If,

when commanded using the throttle on a driller’s console, the
physical reaction of the quill is jumpy or erratic, OR if the quill
rotates slowly in forward or reverse without command, OR if
response lags, then the issue could be encoder-related, although
in my experience these issues often rest in the throttle rheostat /
potentiometer. The standard Varco Driller’s Console has a
classic fixed-range rheostat, and it sounds like the contactor
ring might just need to be cleaned with an eraser. Otherwise,
replace the 10KΩ throttle pot (NOV P/N 817362). For
Amphion SBC console applications—which have an ‘infinite
range’ throttle knob, replace the Scancon throttle encoder
(NOV P/N 0001-0870-32).

4. DRILL MOTOR OVERTEMPERATURE

(1) THEORY OF OPERATION – This lamp illuminates on the

driller’s console, or alarm appears on an HMI screen, when the
heat-sensitive contacts of any of the three RTD’s—or Resisting
Temperature Devices—curl up due to overheating, and break
contact. When they cool down, the contacts relax and make
again, and the lamp extinguishes or alarm can be cleared. That
being said, the indication of motor overtemp will occur
whenever there is a break anywhere in the circuit, including the
RTD terminal block inside the motor, the RTD pigtail, inside
the J-box, in the 42-pin pigtail or connection, in the 42-pin
service loop or connection, or in the VFD house. More oft than
not, the problem is not actual—it is a faulty alarm incurred by a
break in the 42-pin circuit.

(2) DETERMINING THE VALIDITY OF THE ALARM – For

239
starters, always treat this alarm seriously. If it is a true
indication, then one of your motors has overheated and you
need to get it cooled down before continuing operation. Only
on some of the newest rigs will the TDS-11 go into automatic
shutdown to protect itself, where safety features such as this
have been built into the logic or program code. In all other
cases, the TDS-11 will tell you that its motor(s) have
overheated, but it will still let you operate until you catch them
on fire. Also, only in a cyber base configuration will the
control screen tell you which motor is affected. On any
driller’s console, you will get a light but still not know which
motor has been affected. Most importantly, ensure that (1)
your motor heaters are off (or disabled if you are not in a cold
environment); and (2) that your blowers are running, and in the
correct fan direction—which is determined by phase sequence.
If the blowers are both running in Drill or Spin mode (outside
of Drill or Spin modes, the ODS [Off-Driller’s Side] blower is
usually disabled because it is not necessary to cool a motor that
is not energized and therefore not building heat [it becomes
energized when the throttle turns, sending voltage to the motor
to turn it]; the DS remains enabled regardless of mode, as long
as hydraulics are on… that’s because the hydraulic heat
exchange-type oil cooler is located in the DS motor brake
plenum / blower shroud), then use a heat gun or laser
infrarometer to compare the temperatures of both motor
housings, and of both motor windings if accessible through the
vents. If both motor temperatures are comparable in
temperature, and the outer housings read lower than ~180
degrees Fahrenheit after long continuous run time on a hot day,
then there are likely no problems with the motors and your
operation can proceed with caution, monitoring temperatures to
make sure they do not increase. At earliest operational
convenience, all 42-pin connections should be checked to
ensure that no pins are pushed in / damaged, and that plugs are
not cross-threaded, etc. The only exception to proceeding
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 forward is in this circumstance: If the Drill Motor Overtemp
indication was coupled with or preceded by a Blower Loss
indication, and no other alarms are present, then you should
take this very seriously. Verify positive blower displacement
before moving forward. If the indication was accompanied by
Blower Loss and also Oil Pressure Loss, then likely either (1)
the VFD house incoming power is improperly phased—test
your hydraulics to check… if the HPU is running but you can’t
function any hydraulics, then re-phase the VFD’s incoming
power (with power off, swap any two of the three power cable
plugs coming from the SCR house at the VFD plug panel, see
if that clears your alarms and makes the blowers’ air
displacement feel more forceful when you re-energize the VFD
house), or (2) there is a 42-pin issue. For troubleshooting
blower loss, see SCENARIO 8.

(3) AVOID SELF-INDUCED DAMAGE TO DRILL MOTOR –

The most common way to create an actual motor overheating
condition, is to drill without cooling blower air. The second
most common way occurs after a new drill motor has been
installed. One of the steps for installing a drill motor is to hook
up the RTD and drill motor heater wires, which are fed into
each motor through a common pigtail from the J-box. If for
whatever reason, the incoming 120V heater wires were
accidentally connected to the motor’s RTD wires (due to
mislabeling or improper prints, then when the heater is
energized, it blows the middle of three series-connected
RTD’s, and literally makes a small explosion inside of the
motor’s windings. With time—about two months, to be
exact—the heating and cooling of the motor’s windings due to
regular use of the TD will cause the damage to eat through the
VPI epoxy of two separate motor phases, causing them to arc
and the motor to fail. This was learned when Patterson ordered
their first Omron Super Rigs in Pennsylvania. In just under a
year, Rig 328 changed out six (6) DS drill motors. Finally, it
241
 was discovered that Omron had issued erroneous prints, and
their remote I/O junction box on the rig floor was wired in such
a way that it was sending heater power to the RTD’s. After
each investigation, it was found that the middle RTD had
caused a fire which burned a hole in the windings. So we
purchased three platinum 100 RTD’s at Rice Electric and wired
them in series, then wired them to an extension cord and
plugged them into a wall outlet. “Boom,” middle thermistor
popped. Provided that demonstration again for the Regional
VP, and a third time to share the video & discovery with all
operating regions. Rig 328 was following the standard practice
of cold climates to warm the motors before operating the TD,
and it was determined that the initial RTD damage did not
typically present a motor failure until ~2 months had passed.

5. OIL PRESSURE LOSS

(1) THEORY OF OPERATION – When the 600 VAC HPU motor

is energized on the TD, it turns a piston pump to pressurize
the hydraulic system. Splined to the back of that piston pump
is a ‘piggyback’ vane pump (NOV P/N 107783-5C11R),
which—like the piston pump—accepts gravity-fed oil from the
hydraulic reservoir, only its sole purpose is to turn the gear
lube hydraulic motor (NOV P/N 30156326-36S [ask for new
P/N]). After leaving the vane pump, oil is directed through the
RV2 cartridge (SUN P/N RPEC-LNN or NOV P/N 94520-
1NN) on the main manifold, where it is regulated to 330-360
PSI while running (400 PSI deadhead). That is the input
pressure requirement for the hydraulic motor, in order to
maintain proper speed of the internal gear lube pump (NOV
P/N 109567). The gear lube motor, which we can see, transfers
torsion through a dry spline in the DS gearbox access plate to
the gear lube pump on the inside of the case. The internal
pump directs fluid through drilled ports in the housing and lid,
to the oiler jets over the gears. Tapping into one of these ports
242
 from outside the lid is a 1/4” tube that directs pressurized lube
oil to the gear lube pressure switch (NOV P/N 87541-1).
Optimal case pressure is around 33 PSI with 15 gallons of 80-
90W gear oil serviced in the gearbox. When the gear lube
pressure drops between 20 – 18 PSI descending, the plunger
needle in the pressure switch breaks physical contact with the
microswitch, causing the OIL PRESS lamp to illuminate on the
console (or the oil pressure loss alarm to appear on the HMI
screen).

Note: the TDS-11 does not have an indicator for loss of

hydraulic oil pressure.

(2) DETERMINING THE VALIDITY OF THE ALARM – This is

another one to take very seriously. Again, not a ‘smart’ Top
Drive, the TDS-11 will let you run your gearbox to failure. 16
PSI case pressure is ‘danger close’, and if you drill with a
TDS-11 below 12# pressure—the nominal pressure required to
siphon at least a few drops of oil onto the gears—a catastrophic
gearbox failure is imminent. That means 5-10 days of
downtime and at least $100K, unless you have another Top
Drive to swap it out with. The only way to verify the accuracy
of the alarm is to hook up a 60# or 100# gauge… and I would
recommend installing one of those permanently, if your TD
doesn’t have gauges already. If the pressure is visibly greater
than 20 PSIG, great! Just hammer the lid off the gear lube
pressure switch and use a 5/8 end wrench to turn the brass
insert CCW until the alarm lamp extinguishes. If you turn it
more than two complete revolutions—about five or six wrench
turns, then you have a bad pressure switch (the spacer /
tensioner spring is likely worn inside the switch body’s inlet)
(NOV P/N 87541-1). If, however, your pressure is visibly
below 20 PSIG, turn off the TD, check the gear oil sight glass,
and add oil as required until the level is at least halfway in the
glass. That should boost your pressure. If that doesn’t do the
243
 trick, install a Stauff line gauge to the test port under the main
manifold that is located between the first two solenoid valves,
counting from the 3-position valve switch. If your pressure
while running is less than 350 PSIG, adjust RV2 clockwise
until 360 PSIG is achieved. That will also boost your pressure.
If pressure will not adjust, order a new RV2 cartridge (SUN
P/N RPEC-LNN or NOV P/N 94520-1NN) and a vane pump
(NOV P/N 107783-5C11R). If pressure is at 360 PSIG and
gear oil level is proper, but pressure is below 16 PSI, order a
gear lube pump rebuild kit from GDS / Premium along with a
gear lube hydraulic motor (NOV P/N 117939). The rebuild kit
will be significantly less expensive than the pump, which is
some ridiculous price ($12K I think), and it’s pretty cut-and-
dry to take the pump apart and replace the handful of parts
inside. If the motor isn’t culprit (quick to change, 2-bolt
mount, doesn’t require draining gearbox so check that first),
then you’ll have to pull the pump anyway, and it only adds
about 45 minutes for a novice to rebuild the pump. Use
caution when removing the pump from the gear access plate, so
as not to damage or lose the long, thin-diameter perimeter O-
ring. I haven’t heard of a gear oil filter affecting gear case
pressure but it probably wouldn’t hurt to change it while you’re
waiting on parts, if you have one on your rig. Order a
replacement spare element (NOV P/N 30111013-1).

6. VDC PRESSURE LOSS

This is a bogus alarm, depending on how you look at it. VDC means
Varco Driller’s Console… so the alarm is telling you that your console
is not pressurized. The console is outfitted with an air purge system,
because it falls under the ASNI / NEC Class I, Div I rule of being within
close proximity of flammable vapors (10’ from the rig floor’s wellbore
access). So theoretically, the console should be pressurized, since all of
its internal components are not explosion proof. However, I haven’t
worked on a single land rig that hooks an air line up to their driller’s
244
console; probably because the potential for moisture would render the
electrical components useless over time, and nobody is going to dedicate
an air dryer to a driller’s console. So… it’s a bogus alarm. Or a spare
lamp bulb in case you need one elsewhere.

7. AUXILIARIES (BLOWERS, HYDRAULICS) DON’T WORK

(1) IT’S EITHER 19-PIN, MOTOR STARTERS, OR

CONTROLS – First, verify that you are able to rotate the TD
with the driller’s console throttle, or by entering a speed value
on the HMI screen from your cyber chair. If not, refer back to
SCENARIO 1: NOTHING WORKS. Note: in some AC rig
applications, the ability to drill will be disabled by the SBC
program if the auxiliaries are not energized… in which case,
continue with the troubleshooting steps below.

Locate the three side-by-side auxiliary motor starters, which

are usually Eaton brand. Refer to Figure 11.13 in the electrical
chapter of this book to know what you’re looking for. In a
Siemens drive house, they’re behind the LH door (reactor
cubicle) against the back wall. In an ABB drive house, they’re
behind the tall, skinny control cubicle door, mounted a foot
above the floor. On an AC rig, the three may be together or
separate, behind bucket doors on the MCC wall of the
integrated drive house or behind similar doors in the Driller’s
cabin, or inside a common cabinet with other control
components inside the Driller’s cabin. In the AC rig locations,
the cabinet will either be labeled TD Auxiliaries, or TD HPU
and TD Blowers, or TD HPU, TD Blower 1 and TD Blower 2.
For sake of explanation, we’ll use the standard ABB drive
house configuration. Locate the three, and note the switch
knobs on each. If they are pointing up and down, the motor
starter breakers are closed / energized, and your problem likely
exists in the control program or I/O (Siemens PLC & modules
or Beckhoff SBC and Wago racks, or other I/O—such as IDM
245
 PLC / Siemens modules for H&P rigs, etc.). Get a controls
specialist coming, but not before checking the basics… like is
your 19-pin plugged in, pins in good shape, etc. Also, check
your driller’s console serial / comm cable(s) for damaged pins.
Drill mode works but auxiliaries do not… different I/O.
Unlikely, but still a possibility. LOTO first please.

(2) FOULED 19-PIN PLUG – If the three motor starters’ breakers

are in the off (horizontal position), turn them on (vertical
position). If all three fail open (off) again, you have water in
one of your 19-pin plugs, or some anomaly exists in the 19-pin
circuit between the VFD house and the TD J-box. Think about
it, it’s not rocket science, right? A disconnected 19-pin alone
will not cause the motor starter breakers to trip.
Troubleshooting also incorporates probability, which in this
case dictates that three separate, robust, explosion-proof motors
did not all simultaneously fail. Well, the motors’ individual
power sources all travel together in the 19-pin between the
VFD house and the TD J-box. A cross-threaded plug will not
cause all three breakers to trip… impossible. That’s 12 male
and female pins, either making contact or not. So water in the
plug. Or a Brillo pad stuffed into the end of the plug. Or, in
rare cases, a plug insert has lost its clock position, and the male
and female pins at the connection are mismatched—usually
only possible with very old plugs, or with new plugs and very
dumb electricians.

9:10 TIMES, IT’S THE PLUG! NOT THE WHOLE

SERVICE LOOP – This part’s important: unless there was a
specific damage occurrence—and usually everyone knows
when that happens, like when a service loop snags due to high
winds and rips in half in the derrick—the problem with a 19- or
42-pin service loop is usually found at the plug connections. 9
times out of 10, the cable’s fine. So you start looking and you
discover water pouring out of the back of a plug. BACK of the
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plug. Don’t just check the side you can always see. With the
plug you discovered, though, it doesn’t have a rubber grommet
insert to keep water out. Instead, it’s ‘potted’ or epoxied, but
old and cracked or improperly mixed & set, and somehow
water intruded and is shorting across the backs of the pins
when 600V is applied. Get a plug coming. Take pics so that
there’s no confusion… you could have a male plug with female
insert (female pins) or vice versa, so to alleviate confusion, just
take a few snapshots and send them to your tech so he knows
what to get. Meanwhile, let’s get the rig off Code 8. You can
do this.

SOFT-POTTED MULTICONDUCTOR PLUGS – So you’re

not an electrician. Got it. But let’s be honest, the cable is
disconnected, right? And the VFD house is LOTO. So really
it’s no different than rigging up, when you’re handling cables
and plugs all over the rig. Okay, let’s continue: there are two
types of potting material, designated ‘soft’ and ‘hard’. A soft
pot is messy but you can dig all that crap out of the plug with a
screwdriver (gently when you get near the plug face, where the
small wires are crimped into the pins). With the epoxy
removed, shake all the water out, spray the hell out of the wires
with Lektra-clean or contact cleaner (NOT 2-26 or 3-36
electrical lubricant!!!), blow it out with compressed air or five
minutes of huffing and puffing, plug it in and go while you’re
waiting on a new plug (or really, just a rubber grommet). If it’s
raining outside, wrap that plug and cable with a fucking trash
bag and tape the hell out of it so the rain stays out and you can
stay off downtime. Now obviously, I’m not telling you how to
run your operation, I’m just giving you your options. Don’t
take offense, just chew up the meat and spit out the bones.

HARD-POTTED MULTICONDUCTOR PLUGS – Okay, you

found a plug with water dripping out the back side, but it’s
hard-epoxied and your screwdriver might as well be a dildo.
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And you’re on downtime. If you have the right configuration
of rig—and there’s no forecast of rain between now and the
tech’s anticipated arrival—you might still be able to save the
day before the tech arrives, with 45 minutes’ effort. First, only
continue if you have a stand-alone drive house, or if you have
an AC rig where all three aux motor starters are sandwiched
together in one cabinet in the drill cabin. And don’t continue if
you’re on an ICD rig, it won’t work without some other
changes. Now, in NOV’s original design—which is still
accurate for about half of the land rigs with TDS-11s, the 19-
and 42-pin service loops are continuous from the VFD house to
the Top Drive (only the power service loop and grounds have
mid-mast connectors at the service loop hangoff [saddle]). If
this describes your rig, perfect, continue. If however you have
a sexy AC rig with service loop connection points / J-boxes up
and down the derrick, then you are screwed and you’ll have to
wait for the tech. Unless, that is, the plug you discovered with
water in it is either the one that plugs into the VFD house or the
one that plugs into the Top Drive—in which case, continue.

When the tech arrives, s/he will need to cut the bad plug off to
install a new one. Well, you’re going to help the tech out by
cutting the plug off for him or her. And you’re going to get
your rig off downtime quickly. You’ll need some cutters, a
knife, some big zip ties, and one of those little electrician’s
termination screwdrivers, aka ‘tweaker’. If you can scrounge
all that, let’s get started. Cut or chew the plug off. Strip back
about 2 feet of outer insulation to expose the wires below.
Here’s how you’ll do it carefully without cutting into the
insulation of the individual wires: (1) measure back roughly 2’
from the gnawed-off end of the cable. Cut around the complete
circumference of the cable, a little at a time. You’ll do this by
bending the cable so it’s at a maximum bind where you’re
cutting. That way, you barely have to apply pressure with your
blade before the insulation starts to separate. Ever cut down a
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tree from its trunk? The back cut, where if the tree is leaning
you barely have to touch it before she starts to go? Same
concept. Cut all the way around, changing the position of the
bend in the cable as you go, until the wires inside are just
visible. (2) Now, carefully cut a line from the circumference
cut you just made to the end of the cable. Don’t cut deep until
you’re down to the last inch or two of cable. Go over the same
line again with your blade, again not applying too much
pressure until you’re at the end. You should have a split at the
end of the cable by now. (3) Separate that split until the
insulation peels off. May take a few minutes and a little more
slicing along your long cut—with finesse. (4) You should now
be holding a bundle of undamaged wires that are about two feet
long. Separate the ends. If you have any blue or yellow nylon-
looking or plastic spacer threads in there, you can cut them off
at the base of the cable’s outer insulation. Careful not to skin
any wires.

Check the end of each wire for slicing damage, cut the ends to
make them neat and uniform in length, and strip between 3/8”
and 1/2” of wire off the end of each wire. These wires are
either numbered on their individual insulation, or they are all
different colors. If the latter is true, refer to the wire color
chart in Figure 11.24 of Chapter 11 this book (black = 1, white
= 2, red = 3, green = 4, etc.). You’ll either have 18 wires or 20.

(A) AT THE TOP DRIVE – Now, if you’re at the Top Drive,

open the J-box and locate the 19-pin pigtail. It’s coming into
the left side of the left terminal strip, beginning at the top with
wire 1 in terminal one (wire 2 in terminal 2, etc.). Make a note
of which wire goes where, in case someone else intentionally
swapped some wires around in the past. It should be
terminated exactly like the image in Figure 11.21 (Chapter 11
of this book). IF NOT, then write down the termination
exactly as it appears in your J-box, or, go ahead and zip-tie the
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hell out of your field-stripped service loop to the guard frame
of the TD, and start terminating wire-for-wire. Even if it looks
like the previous electrician did a hack job with crisscrossed
wires, you’re going to do exactly what s/he did. Remove the
existing WIRE # 1 from wherever it lands on the left side of
the terminal. Should be terminal 1 but who knows. Now insert
your WIRE # 1 in its place. Let the old one dangle… when
you’re finished, you’ll touch those old ones all back to the left
against the box. Don’t worry, they’re from the 19-pin pigtail,
and nothing’s plugged into it. As you tighten each screw to
terminate your wire, give the wire a good tug to make sure it’s
properly terminated. And be careful not to let any straggler
wire strands hang out where they can touch another wire.
Twist the end of the wire before inserting in the terminal to
avoid this. Lastly, don’t let any wire or wires bear the weight
of the cable. Make sure there’s some slack for the thin wires,
and zip tie, rope tie, and / or duct tape the hell out of the 19-pin
cable to the rest of the service loop for at least ten feet or so.
You should use at least 6 or 7 big zip ties. Remember, this will
be traveling up and down in the derrick. You’re done. Get
down and go unlock the house, fire it up, and energize those
three aux motor starter breakers. HA! They didn’t trip. Good
job. Get back to drilling.

(B) AT THE VFD HOUSE – The bad plug is at the VFD house
plug panel. Do everything in step (A), except instead of
terminating in the TD J-box, pull 15’ of slack into the VFD
house. Open the tall, skinny control cubicle door and get on
your belly with a flashlight. Under those motor starters is a
terminal strip, with terminal 1 on the far left and terminal 18 on
the far right. Read the instructions in step (A); you’re going to
swap out one wire at a time, wire number for wire number,
regardless of which terminal the wire lands on. In theory, here
in the VFD house, wire 1 goes to terminal 1 and follows in
logical sequence until wire 18 lands on terminal 18. Forget
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 logic. Just place your field-stripped wire 10 wherever the
existing wire 10 lands. With the old wires removed, push them
all down to the floor and tuck them so they can’t accidentally
make contact with a live wire or terminal. Don’t worry, even
after you power up, they’re dead wires that go to the plug panel
of the VFD house. Nothing’s plugged in there because you cut
the plug off. And you’re good. Unlock and re-energize the
VFD House, turn on the aux motor starter breakers and get
back to work. Zip-tie the service loop to the handrail outside
the house so no one trips on the cable and yanks the wires out
of the terminal block.

8. BLOWER LOSS

(1) LAMP ILLUMINATED… BUT ARE THE BLOWERS

BLOWING? First, let’s determine whether you have an actual
issue, or just a faulty indication. Tie some caution tape onto
the outside vents of your drill motors. Tie two or three flags on
each vent, and tie them high enough that when the TD is de-
energized, the tape segments lay across the whole face of each
vent, from top to bottom as the TD hangs from the blocks.
Now energize the TD and place it in drill mode… in some
cases you need to move the throttle off of zero speed to
energize the ODS blower. Either those flags are flying strong,
or they’re just drooping, maybe moving a little. This situation
assumes that you can hear both blowers come to life, and
they’re not just silent. If one or both are silent, refer to step 4
below. If the flags are flying on both motors, then you know
you’ve got good blower air, and your alarm is actually a false
indication; likely the product of a faulty blower pressure
switch—or maybe one of the blower pressure switches simply
vibrated out of adjustment. First we gotta figure out which
blower it is. Even if your HMI screen says Blower 1 / 2, LH /
RH or DS / ODS, there’s a 50/50 chance they’re swapped in
the VFD house or TD J-box. With the Driller watching the
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console or alarm screen, send a hand up to the top of the TD
with a tethered hammer, a small flathead screwdriver, and a
5/8” wrench. Located near the base of each blower motor is a
blower pressure switch. Refer to Chapter 11 in this book for
pressure switch identification. The hand will start on the DS
switch and hammer the lid off gently. Ok, maybe not gently,
but don’t treat it like a hammer union. Let him / her know in
advance that the lid doesn’t need to be tightened on like that,
either. Now yelling up at him, first ask whether there’s water
or moisture inside the switch housing. Also tell him not to lick
the two screws where the wires are connected, he’ll get
shocked. If moisture is noted, shut down, LOTO, and wipe the
inside dry after spraying some electrical or contact cleaner
(NOT 2-26 or 3-36 electrical lubricant). Once dry, re-energize
the unit, select drill mode and see if you still have the alarm.

If the inside of the housing is dry, have your roughneck locate

the brass adjustment with a 5/8” hex body. Sticking up through
it is a plunger, which actuates a little teat on the micro-switch.
Using the screwdriver, have him press against that teat and
hold it for ten seconds. He might have to move the plunger
down away from the microswitch with his other hand. When
he presses it with the screwdriver, he should hear a ‘click.’ As
he’s holding it, Driller, reset your alarm or lamp. If the light
extinguishes, have him keep holding it for another ten seconds
or so to see if the alarm pops back up again. If not, have him
release it and wait for 30 seconds. Does the alarm pop back
up? It should. If not, disregard the anomaly for now, but you
might have a bad pressure switch or something going on in
your 42-pin circuit. If the alarm pops up again upon release,
great—you found your issue. Using the 5/8” wrench, have him
turn the 5/8” adjustment counterclockwise, one turn at a time,
with a 10-second pause after each turn in case of delay.
Driller, keep pressing ‘clear’ or ‘reset’ every five seconds
during the process, until the alarm goes away (note: in most
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 cases, you will not need to clear the alarm on the console, it
will extinguish itself within five seconds or so after the
microswitch is contacted). Now, let’s back up. If he pressed
on that microswitch with his screwdriver as described above,
and nothing happened with the alarm, have him switch over to
the other blower and repeat the steps on that other pressure
switch. If the alarm still does not extinguish, get a tech
coming at your convenience, and have him or her bring a
blower pressure switch (NOV P/N 76841).

(2) BOTH BLOWERS ARE BLOWING BACKWARDS – If this

happens, stop thinking about the blowers for a minute.
Something else is probably going on, because it would be
highly peculiar / improbable that two motors just started
running backwards, unless there was an obvious change in the
circuit. First, check your hydraulics (try to function
something). If nothing functions but the hydraulic pump is
running, see SCENARIO 1, part (5)—improper phasing of the
VFD house incoming power. It the hydraulics do function,
then something still had to change. Ah, I’ve got it. You
changed out your 42-pin service loop, right? Or 42-pin pigtail,
or VFD house, or Top Drive.

Ok, to get them running the right direction, you need to swap
phases in each circuit. It’s usually easier (or lazier / cleaner) to
do in the VFD house, but since there are so many different
types of rigs and corresponding possibilities of where the 42-
conductor may end, we’re just going to do it at the TD J-box.
Shut down, LOTO, and taking a large flathead screwdriver and
an electrician’s small termination screwdriver (tweaker),
ascend the Top Drive and open the J-box lid (note: don’t
unscrew the clamps on the right side of the lid, just loosen the
left side and slide the right side of the lid up or down). Left
side terminal strip, near the top. Terminals 5, 6, and 7 are the
three phases for one blower, with T8 being the motor’s ground
253
 wire. Terminals 9, 10, and 11 are the three phases for the other
blower, with T12 being its ground wire. For each motor, we’re
going to swap two phase wires. We’re not going to do it on the
left side of the terminal blocks, leave those alone in this
instance—that’s our incoming 19-pin pigtail. We’re going to
swap wires on the right side of the terminal blocks—those are
the wires going out to the motors, aka the motor pigtails. So go
ahead and loosen the screws on terminals 5 and 6, and swap
those wires. Making sure the wires are pushed all the way into
their terminals (one at a time), tighten the screws and give a
little tug on each wire to ensure proper termination. You just
swapped the phases for one motor. Go ahead and do the same
thing on T9 and T10. Now you swapped phases for the other
motor. Button up the lid, descend the TD with both
screwdrivers, and test the blowers. You’re good.

(3) ONE BLOWER IS BLOWING BACKWARDS – The last step

above describes how to swap phases on both motors. That’s
what you’ll need to do in this step but with only one motor.
First, though, you’ll need to determine which wires in the J-box
go to the motor you’re trying to change. Using prints or the J-
box diagram provided in this book is pretty much a worthless
effort when it comes to blower termination, as I’ve found that
‘Blower 1’ and ‘Blower 2’ are subjective terms to the
electricians that wire these boxes up, even in brand-new Top
Drive wiring situations.

So LOTO the Top Drive, go to the J-box and look at the two
vertical terminal strips. We’re going to be working on the left
side strip, inside wires (not the outside wires which are closest
to the left edge of the J-box). Disconnect the wires from the
right side of terminals 5, 6, 7, and 8. Terminal 8 is supposed to
be a ground, but since I can’t see it, we’re not going to assume
anything. Remember which wire goes to which terminal… the
wires will hold their ‘memory’ so usually it’s pretty self-
254
 explanatory. Just pull them away enough that they won’t find
their way back to the terminals with a minute’s vibration. With
all four wires removed, descend from the TD, unlock and re-
energize the TD. Select drill forward and bump the throttle
barely off of zero. One of the blowers will not come on. If it’s
the one that was blowing backwards, great, just swap the wires
between terminals 5 and 6, re-terminate all four wires, replace
the lid and you’re good. If the one you disconnected was the
other motor (the one that was blowing properly), then re-
ascend the TD, re-terminate the wires at terminals 5, 6, 7 and 8
in their original positions, and swap the wires between T9 and
T10. Button up and function test. You’re good.

(4) ONE OR BOTH BLOWERS ARE SILENT / NOT

BLOWING—Test any hydraulic function. If it works, then
your 19-pin is connected from top to bottom… rule that out. If
it doesn’t, refer back to SCENARIO 7. Another thing to rule
out… if your ODS blower is not running, select drill mode +
forward or reverse at the controls. Did the ODS blower come
on? If not, bump the throttle to 1 RPM or greater. Did the
blower come on that time? If it came on after drill forward, or
after the throttle was manipulated, you’re fine. That’s how
90% of TDS-11’s operate (originally designed that way). Just
wanted clarify.

Okay, for instructional purposes, we will assume that only one

blower is not working. Treat a two-blower issue the same as
one. Locate the auxiliary motor starters as illustrated in
Chapter 11. Look at the small part numbers on the top of each
starter block. Typically, one of these part numbers is different
than the other two (ICD rigs are one exception that comes to
mind). The oddball is for the 10HP HPU electric motor (3-
phase 600VAC), which has a higher amp rating. The other two
are for your 5HP blower electric motors (3-phase 600VAC).
Note: I have seen these in a 480V configuration, but it is very
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rare. If the three starter blocks are side-by-side, the HPU block
is usually installed on the left. Are one of the blower starter
breakers tripped (knob in the horizontal position)? If so, reset
the breaker by twisting it to the right until it clicks into place,
then place the TD in drill forward and see if it trips again. If
everything works fine, make a note of the occurrence and
continue operations while monitoring the blower. If it trips
again, or continues tripping, don’t keep re-setting the breaker,
we need to get to the bottom of this.

FAULTY MOTOR STARTER BREAKER, AUX

CONTACTOR RELAY, OR I/O COMPONENT – De-
energize and LOTO the VFD house, disconnect the 19-pin plug
from the house plug panel, have someone stand near the plug
panel as a safety watch (to make sure no one plugs in the 19-
pin), then unlock and re-energize the house. Watching the
motor starter blocks, have the Driller take ownership of or
enable the Top Drive. Let him / her know that some alarms
will pop up because the 19-pin is disconnected (blower loss
and oil pressure loss, namely—might also be a custom alarm
on an HMI screen referring to auxiliaries, HPU or hydraulic
pump). Reset the motor starter breaker that tripped. Does it
remain energized, or did it trip again? If it did not trip, have
the Driller disable and enable the Top Drive again—or turn off
the blowers and turn them back on again, in the event that your
TD auxiliaries are separately enabled with a H-O-A (hand / off
/ auto) switch on a cabinet door of the driller’s cabin. Watch
and listen to all three motor starters again—specifically at the
small blocks connected to the lower front face of the starter
blocks. These are the aux contacts. You’re watching and
listening to see if the contacts engage (or ‘suck in’) and remain
engaged when selected by the Driller. If one of the blower aux
contacts does not engage, or if it sucks in and then pops back
out again, or if it sparks, then you need to get a blower
auxiliary contactor relay coming (Eaton P/N XTCEXFAC22…
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I get these from Grainger). If the motor starter breaker
trips, get one of those coming as well (Eaton P/N
XTPR6P3BC1). If neither the breaker trips nor the contact
fails, then grab a multimeter if you have one, and select AC
voltage (~). With the blowers engaged (contacts sucked in),
test the three left-side termination screws (four or five screws
total) at the bottom of the motor starter block—the ones that
have wires terminated which go to the 19-pin terminal block
below (18 or 20 terminal strip). Test the screws by placing a
meter lead on the first and second screw, keeping as much
distance between your terminal posts as possible. DO NOT
touch your meter leads together while they are contacting the
screws. Even getting them close together could potentially
cause arc flash (very dangerous). You should read 600V, +/-
5V. Now place your meter leads on screws 1 and 3. 600V.
Screws 2 and 3. 600V. If either of those three combinations
displayed an oddball number like 150V, and the other two
combinations were both reading in the vicinity of 600V, then
you likely have a bad starter block. Test the voltage at the top
of the starter block (incoming power) to verify that the dropped
phase is not the result of a failed upstream breaker. If you have
no issues with the motor starter breaker, or with the aux
contact, or with the voltage… move to the next step. If you
don’t have a multimeter or a megger, move to the step after
that entitled TROUBLESHOOTING BLOWER LOSS
WITHOUT A MEGGER.

TESTING BLOWER LOSS WITH A MEGGER – De-

energize and LOTO the VFD house. If you followed the
previous troubleshooting step, your 19-pin plug should already
be disconnected from the VFD house. With 1,000V selected
(always select the next highest available value over the actual
circuit rating, in this case 600V), test the 19-pin service loop
going up to the TD. Be careful not to touch other pins or the
plug body when testing. Test phases of one motor on pins 5, 6,
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and 7 to ground pin 8. Readings should be better than 1.0 MΩ.
Test phase-to-phase (pins 5 to 6, 5 to 7, and 6 to 7). The
readings should be 0.0Ω. These are our ACCEPTABLE
NORMS for operation. Now test the other motor’s phases on
pins 9, 10, and 11 to ground pin 12. Readings should be better
than 1.0 MΩ. Test phase-to-phase (pins 9 to 10, 9 to 11, and
10 to 11). The readings should be 0.0Ω. If all readings are
good, then the only possible reason for blower loss is a failed
I/O component or interconnecting comm wire, or you missed
something in the previous troubleshooting steps. Re-read the
blower loss troubleshooting in its entirety, or scroll down to the
section entitled TESTING BLOWER LOSS WITHOUT A
MEGGER. If any reading is deficient according to the norms
above, ascend the Top Drive, disconnect the 19-pin service
loop from the 19-pin pigtail at the plug panel, let the service
loop dangle, and test both motors through the pigtail plug pins
in the same fashion as described above for the service loop.
Did readings improve to acceptable norms as posted above? If
so, then there’s a problem in your 19-pin service loop.

19-PIN SERVICE LOOP ISSUES – If phase-to-phase readings

were greater than zero when you tested the service loop, and
they read zero when testing the pigtail, then you likely have
water intrusion at one or more service loop plugs. If phase-to-
ground readings were below 1.0MΩ when testing the service
loop, and the phase-to-ground pigtail readings improved at
least 50% to greater than 1.0MΩ, then you could either have
water intrusion, or a recessed or burned pin in the 19-pin
service loop, or there was a cross-threaded or improper
connection at the house or TD. Also possible on multi-pin
plugs if someone sprayed electrical lubricant in the plug.
Electrical lubricant should be used as a corrosion inhibitor on
single-pin connections only, like your red / white / black power
plugs. And yes, WD-40 or standard red grease is fine too (di-
lithium or industry-preferred Chevron EP2 Black Pearl is
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better), just wipe it clean so as to only leave a thin lubricating
film. Just don’t lubricate multi-pin plugs. Once you find and
correct the problem with the 19-pin service loop plug(s), re-
connect the service loop and attempt to close the breaker on the
motor starter that tripped. Should have fixed your issue.

19-PIN PIGTAIL ISSUES – If readings did not improve when

testing the pigtail (the readings will not worsen, because your
megger will give you the lowest or weakest reading across an
entire circuit), then your service loop might be fine. If you’re
still at the Top Drive and the service loop is disconnected at
both ends, test the motor phase pins of the service loop using
the plug body as your ground. You should read significantly
higher MΩ. Test the motor phase pins phase-to-phase. You
should read zero. If both sets of readings are good, your 19-pin
service loop is good. Now open the TD J-box and disconnect
the motor phases from the right side of terminals (5, 6, 7 and 9,
10, 11).

Make note of which wire went into which terminal. You could
disconnect the pigtail instead (left side of the same terminals),
but when megging, it’s easier this way and it gives solid
grounding to the pigtail for testing. Assuming you followed
my the former instruction and left the pigtail connected to the
terminals, test T5, T6, and T7 each to T8 (physical motor
ground). Then test phase-to-phase. Now do the same to each
of the three wires you disconnected on the right side, leaving
them disconnected while testing each to ground (T8), and then
phase-to-phase. Between testing the 19-pin pigtail and the
motor through its pigtail, you will have found the problem.
The bad readings will exist on one or the other, and there is a
slight possibility that both the 19-pin pigtail and the motor
circuit are bad. Repeat this process for the other motor’s
circuit, removing the right-side wires from terminals 9, 10, and
11 and using 12 as motor ground. If the pigtail is bad, the
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problem will either be in the bulkhead plug at the plug panel
(remove it from the panel, disconnect and inspect), or where
the pigtail passes through the gland coming into the J-box. If
the root cause is not discovered or is discovered and cannot be
properly fixed, get a pigtail on the road.

BAD BLOWER MOTOR OR BLOWER MOTOR PIGTAIL–

If the 19-pin pigtail readings are fine, and one of the blower
motor circuit readings are not, follow these instructions: (1A)
If the motor circuit’s phase-to-ground reading is 0.0Ω, trace the
pigtail cable from the J-box to its appropriate motor. If you
found no deficiencies, open up the motor junction (aka ‘pecker
head’) and visually inspect for bare metal exposure, such as
from a wire that was pinched under the junction lid. Note any
smell of burned electrical components. If bare metal is found,
tape it up and test the motor circuit from the J-box again, you
might have fixed the problem. Otherwise, get a motor coming
(NOV P/N 30172028-1… I’m pretty sure you don’t need the “-
1,” as I believe it only indicates quantity).

You can verify your finding by cutting the incoming three

phase wires (leave the ground wire alone) and testing them to
the ground screw. (1B) If you found a ‘smoking gun’ issue
with the wire—such as exposed conductor rubbing on metal—
open up the motor junction and cut the three phase wires that
are coming in through the gland, but not the ground wire
(ultimately terminates to the inside of the junction). Leave
sufficient slack before you cut, for these to be reconnected
again. Also, leave enough wire stub on each cut near the butt-
splice to identify wire colors, to save yourself the step of
finding the proper phase in case you re-connect to this same
motor later. Test the phase of each motor through the cut stub
to the ground screw. Then test phase-phase. If the motor is
good, get a pigtail coming. 20’ length will suffice for any wire
or cable connected to the TD. To verify your finding, test the
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motor pigtail. (2A) If the phase-to-ground reading is not zero,
but the phase-ground or phase-phase reading is out of
tolerance, then trace the wires from the J-box to the appropriate
blower motor, checking for deficiencies. Open up the motor
junction. You will either discover water / moisture inside the
junction, or a wire that was severely pinched under the junction
lid but did not expose copper. Clean and dry the inside of the
junction or tape the pinched wire as appropriate and re-test
from the J-box, you might have fixed the problem. Otherwise,
get a motor coming. You can test your finding by cutting the
phase wires in the motor junction and testing the motor and
pigtail using methods outlined in (1A) and (1B).

TESTING BLOWER LOSS WITHOUT A MEGGER – PART

1: ISOLATE THE VFD HOUSE FROM THE CIRCUIT – De-
energize and LOTO VFD. Disconnect the 19-pin service loop
from VFD house. Place safety person in the vicinity of plug
panel, then unlock / energize the VFD house. Have the Driller
energize the blowers. In most cases, that means select enable +
drill forward. Let the Driller know in advance that some
alarms will pop up. If the aux contacts suck in and the blower
motor starter breakers do not trip (but one of them tripped
when the service loop was plugged in), then you’re good inside
the VFD house. Shut it down and LOTO. Note: if the Driller
cannot take ownership of, or enable, the Top Drive with the 19-
pin disconnected from the house—a rare condition on newer
AC rigs—then you can’t troubleshoot any more without a
megger. Get a tech on the road with a replacement blower
motor. Otherwise, continue.

PART 2: ISOLATE THE VFD HOUSE AND 19-PIN

SERVICE LOOP FROM THE TOP DRIVE – Go outside and
plug the 19-pin back into the VFD house plug panel. Ascend
the TD and disconnect the 19-pin from the TD plug panel. Let
it dangle in the air. Ensure there is no way the pins of the
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hanging plug can make contact with metal. Descend the TD,
unlock and energize the VFD house, and stand at the blower
motor starters. Have the Driller energize the blowers. Alarms
again. If the motor starter breaker trips this time, you have a
problem in your 19-pin service loop. Follow the previous
instruction step in this scenario entitled 19-PIN SERVICE
LOOP ISSUES, and ignore the megger-specific information.

PART 3: ISOLATE THE 19-PIN PIGTAIL – If the motor

starter doesn’t trip, de-energize and LOTO the VFD House,
ascend the TD w/ a large flathead and a tweaker, plug the 19-
pin service loop back into the back into the TD plug panel,
remove the J-box lid and disconnect the wires on the right side
of terminals 5 through 12, after taking note or photos of which
wire went where. Stow the wires so that they cannot find their
way back to the terminals with vibration. When power is
applied, it will end at the terminal strip; there will not be power
in the wires you just pulled. Descend the TD, unlock and re-
energize the VFD house, and stand at the blower motor starters.
Have the Driller energize the blowers. Alarms again. If the
breaker trips, you have a problem in your 19-pin pigtail. Refer
to the previous instruction step in this scenario entitled 19-PIN
PIGTAIL ISSUES, and ignore the megger-specific
information.

PART 4: DETERMINE WHICH MOTOR CIRCUIT HAS

FAILED – If the motor starter breaker does not trip, de-
energize VFD / LOTO, ascend the TD and re-terminate the
wires into terminals 5, 6, 7, and 8. Descend the TD, unlock
and re-energize the VFD house, and stand at the blower motor
starters. Have the Driller energize the blowers. Alarms again.
If the breaker trips, go to the rig floor and listen to hear which
blower motor is running. The blower motor that is not running
will need to be replaced, unless you can find obvious damage
on its pigtail (the wire between the blower and the J-box).
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 LOTO VFD and go physically check to verify it is the blower
motor and not a blaringly obvious gash in the blower pigtail.

If the motor starter breaker does not trip, de-energize VFD /

LOTO, ascend the TD and re-terminate the wires into terminals
9, 10, 11, and 12. Descend the TD, unlock and re-energize the
VFD house, and stand at the blower motor starters. Have the
Driller energize the blowers. Alarms again. The breaker will
trip. Whichever blower is not currently running will need to be
replaced, unless you can find obvious damage on its pigtail (the
wire between the blower and the J-box). LOTO VFD and go
physically check to verify it is the blower motor and not a
damaged blower pigtail.

(4) HUMAN AND OTHER FACTORS – First, when feeling the

drill motor vents to determine whether blower air is passing
through the motor, it is often difficult for an inexperienced
person to tell. If a blower is improperly phased, then the motor
should be turning backwards and the fan impeller should be
sucking air instead of blowing it, right? Well, it certainly
doesn’t always feel that way. Sometimes it feels like air is
escaping from the vents, even if rather weakly. Logical
reasoning dictates that one would compare each motor’s air
displacement against the other. But if both motors are
improperly phased, someone might say they feel airflow and
that the blowers are working fine. Just food for thought. When
the blowers are blowing, you’ll feel the positive airflow.
Another consideration… is there a screen behind the metal
vent? The fine-mesh screens are installed to prevent the
gathering / nesting of swarming insects, to keep snow from
accumulating in a rigged-down TD, and to mitigate the
collection of water in the motor housing when rigged down,
which may form ice in colder climes. If you in a cold-weather
location or you are operating a newer TD, this is a conversation
to have with your company’s management. If you are in a
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 warm weather location and / or you’re operating a shit-ass TD,
poke a hole in the screen with a screwdriver while the blowers
are running. If air starts blasting out through the hole, then
woodpecker that sonofabitch with the screwdriver because
she’s packed off with oily residue inside the motor, and it’s
choking off your blower’s ability to cool the motors. Damn the
nesting insects. Remove the screens when your operational
time allows; I recommend replacing them with a wider mesh
screen (some motor manufacturers are already doing this).

Not everyone is honest. Or smart. If you have good blower air

through both blowers, but you have an alarm, your tech might
say that you have a bad pressure switch, just to make a sale.
See that shit all the time. So trust, but verify. Send your hand
up to check the pressure switches with a screwdriver. When
the microswitch is engaged, the blower loss lamp should
extinguish or HMI alarm should clear. Check both pressure
switches (one next to each blower). Instructions are given near
the beginning of this scenario (8. BLOWER LOSS (1)). Also,
if a novice tech determines that you have good blower air
pressure, and then s/he ascends to adjust both pressure
switches, your spidey senses should be going off. A
simultaneous failure or maladjustment of both pressure
switches would be highly irregular. So double check your air
pressure / get a second opinion.

(5) ONE WEIRD TIP – I really didn’t want to write this, because it
brings the naysayers and critics out of the woodworks. About
80% of oilfield electricians strongly disagree with me on this.
Conventional electrical theory teaches us that for any three-
phase motor, we change the direction of motor rotation by
swapping phases. What I’m about to tell you defies that
notion, but in my experience so far, this ONLY applies to the
TDS-11 blower circuit—but not to ALL TDS-11’s. Call me
crazy. Here’s where you’ll apply my theory. (1) You have a
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blower loss alarm. (2) It is the general consensus of all who
placed their hands outside of the motor vents during operation,
that there is good blower air flowing through both motors.
Caution tape flags are flying. (3) The blower pressure switches
on this TD are new and not suspected to have been damaged or
adjusted.

Don’t adjust either of the new pressure switches. Instead, find

the motor’s perfect wiring configuration… six different
possibilities for each motor. For some TDS-11’s the change
isn’t significant enough for either yourself or the pressure
switch to notice. Perhaps there is no change in such cases (all
the smart electricians may now pat themselves on the back for
their masterful understanding of 3-phase theory). For other
TDS-11’s, it will become obvious to you that the phasing
makes the difference between reverse, low speed, and high
speed.

Don’t do this if you’re on downtime. As long as you have

positive airflow coming out of the vents, you should not
experience a motor overheat / overtemperature condition—
which is the whole point of having blower air, along with
hydraulic oil cooling. If the alarm is bothering the CM / DSM
(or you don’t want him / her to see the alarm), jump up on the
TD with a hammer and a 5/8” wrench, hammer the lids off
both of those brand-new pressure switches, and make 1/4-turn
adjustments on each one with the wrench counterclockwise.
Adjust the DS pressure switch, then the ODS pressure switch,
then wait five seconds. Clear alarms. If the alarm continues,
adjust DS, adjust ODS, wait five seconds, clear alarms. Repeat
this cycle not more than ten 1/4-turn adjustments (2.5 full turns
of the 5/8” hex brass adjusting ring). The microswitches
should both be fully engaged and the blower loss alarm
extinguished, otherwise there’s another problem (I/O or
program-related, or a break in the circuit [at the switch, or
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 pressure switch pigtail, 42-pin pigtail, 42-pin composite
service loop, or VFD house]).

Start in the J-box with Blower 1. Remember, these circuits are

600V, so you’ll need to have the VFD locked out between
tries (easier with 2 radios and someone else at the VFD house.
So let’s say that the Blower 1 circuit looks like this when you
open the J-box, where ‘T’ is the terminal block and “U / V /
W” are the labels on the three wires going to the blower motor:

T5 = U Ok, cool. LOTO VFD. Now let’s swap T5 = U

T6 = V the wires at terminals T6 & T7, like this… T6 = W
T7 = W T7 = V

Unlock & energize VFD, test blowers.

You’re listening for one to get louder and
blow harder. Didn’t work? LOTO VFD.

T5 = V Try the configuration on the left. Unlock, T5 = V

T6 = U energize, and test blowers. Any change? T6 = W
T7 = W Ok, no problem. LOTO and try this one… T7 = U

Unlock, energize, test. No joy? Ok, last

Two configurations. LOTO and try the
next one (bottom left).

T5 = W Unlock, energize, test. If that one doesn’t T5 = W

T6 = V produce some kickass air, LOTO and let’s T6 = U
T7 = U try this last configuration on the right: T7 = V

If one of these wiring configurations made an obvious

difference in increasing airflow, and the alarm extinguished,
great. If one of them made an obvious difference in increasing
airflow, but the alarm did not extinguish, then repeat these
steps for the other blower, replacing T5, T6, and T7 above with
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 terminals T9, T10, and T11 for illustrative purposes. If none of
these configurations made a noticeable change, then LOTO and
place the wires in their original configuration.

(6) PIGGYBACKING BLOWERS – If you smoked a blower

motor and you’ve got one on the way, but it’s going to take
several hours and you’ve got < 500’ to TD, you might be able
to continue drilling with precaution. First, check to see if you
have newer-style blower shrouds (blower housings / plenums),
the kind with an exit hole for debris. Sometimes these are
plugged off, other times they just eject air while the blower is
running. I always identified these at the Gulf Electroquip
upgrades, though I’m not certain that’s where they originated.
Anyway, if one of your blower motors has failed, hook a hose
up to connect the two outlets of both blowers. Now turn on
your blowers and see whether you have airflow out of the drill
motor vents on the failed blower motor side. If so, drilling may
proceed with caution. I would first conduct a lamp test to
confirm that your ‘drill motor overtemp’ light is working
properly, and I’d watch it like a hawk. Now let’s test the
capacity of your cooling air. Set a timer, drill for one minute,
cool down for two. If no alarms, drill for five minutes, cool
down for ten. If no alarms, I still would continue at a 1:2
drilling-to-resting ratio, not exceeding 5:10. But that is a call
for your company to make. Perhaps once, you could push the
envelope, full WOB for a minute or two, to try to force the drill
motor overtemp alarm so you know it’s functioning properly.
Follow such a test with a good cool-down period. Just giving
some ideas. The goal here is not to burn up one or both $75K
drill motors.

If piggybacking is disallowed or not possible, then help chisel

the NPT (non-profitable time) by removing the blower while
waiting on the new one. To do this, don’t remove just the
motor and don’t remove the whole blower shroud. Instead
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 remove the round plate on top of the fan shroud, the one that
the blower motor shaft passes through. Kill auxiliary motor
starter blocks, LOTO VFD, open the motor junction, and cut
away the motor pigtail wires, leaving as much pigtail as
possible for the new motor. To pull the wire through the gland
on the side of the junction, loosen the outside nut first, then the
middle nut. Once the cable is pulled out, remove the complete
gland and reduction bushing (if applicable) from the bad motor,
in case you need it on the new motor. You’ll be removing the
blower and fan together, and when it’s on the rig floor, make
note of the distance between the fan and the adapter plate.
Disconnect the motor from the impeller by removing the
(inside) impeller hub bolts, which are part of a self-tightening
wedge lock that holds the impeller onto the shaft. Double-
check to ensure there are no set screws keeping the impeller
assembly connected to the motor shaft. Spray penetrating
lubricant around the motor shaft / impeller and let soak in.
Then attempt to pry the impeller off the shaft against the plate.
If you gotta get stupid with it, don’t damage the impeller. Save
the screws, wedge plate, and motor key stock in the Doghouse
knowledge box, or somewhere memorable OTHER than in the
pocket of the Motor hand that’s about to go off tour, or else
your attempt to minimize downtime was for naught.

9. HYDRAULICS DON’T WORK

(1) DRILL MODE WORKS, BLOWERS WORK, HPU MOTOR

RUNNING, NO HYDRAULIC FUNCTIONS—NOT EVEN
A WINK – Either the main pump has uncoupled / failed or the
HPU is out-of-phase. At a minimum, this failure should be
accompanied by an oil pressure loss light or alarm (remember,
that’s GEAR oil pressure loss, but the gear lube pump’s
rotation begins with the rotation of the vane pump which
piggybacks the HPU’s main hydraulic piston pump). If your
TDS-11 is outfitted / upgraded with hydraulic pressure and
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 gear lube pressure gauges, these should both be reading zero in
this case. Turn off TD HPU / auxiliaries and remove the
access cover of the HPU pump coupling. Is the coupling
intact? If not, get a main pump (NOV P/N 109542) and
Lovejoy coupling (NOV P/N 112640 for the pump / motor
adapter pieces, NOV P/N 110023 for the Lovejoy) on the road.
If the coupling is intact, have the Driller turn the HPU back on.
The pump should be rotating in a clockwise direction, which
means that if you stand under the 10HP HPU electric motor
and place your arm straight out in front of you to represent the
shaft, your arm should turn clockwise from your vantage point.
If the motor / pump rotation is backwards, first check the
blowers. If they are running but not blowing air forcefully,
then you have multiple components phased backwards (in
which case, you should also have a blower loss alarm). If you
just changed your 19-pin service loop or pigtail, then LOTO,
go into the TD J-Box, and swap either two wires on the right
side of T1, T2, and T3 (HPU), as well as T5, T6, and T7
(Blower 1) and T9, T10, and T-11 (Blower 2). The detailed
procedure for swapping these wires is found in the previous
scenario, which covers blower troubleshooting. If no 19-pin
components have been changed out since the last time this TD
ran properly, then refer to SCENARIO 1(5).

(2) DRILL MODE WORKS, BLOWERS WORK, HPU MOTOR

RUNNING, HYDRAULIC FUNCTIONS WORK, BUT
BARELY – Several possibilities here. First, check the 3-
position valve switch on the main hydraulic manifold (Rig Up /
Run / Shutdown). It should be in ‘run’ mode (handle parallel
to long axis of the main manifold). Also, check to make sure
that there’s hydraulic oil in the TD. Second possibility, the
HPU’s electric motor is single-phasing or experiencing a
mechanical failure (bearings etc… not common but the motor’s
NOV P/N is 109755-2). If the motor was experiencing any
other electrical issue, the motor starter breaker would trip. If
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often trips when single phasing, anyway. Third possibility, the
supply power to the motor is improper. Check voltage at the
bottom of the HPU motor starter block as described for blower
motor starter blocks in the last troubleshooting scenario (HPU
starter is typically the one with a different part number than the
other two / a higher adjustable amp rating, or the block on the
left, or the one with 19-pin circuit wires number 1, 2, and 3
coming out of the bottom). You can also check for incoming
600V at the TD J-box, by selecting AC volts (~) and placing
your meter leads first on the terminal screws T1 and T2, then
on T1 and T3, then on T2 and T3. To keep from holding your
meter leads too close together (potential for dangerous arc
flash), test the two terminals on opposite screws. For example,
when testing T1 and T2, place your black lead on the left-side
screw on terminal 1, and your red lead on the right-side screw
of terminal 2. Also, for safety purposes I would only
recommend checking auxiliary voltages either in the VFD
house or inside the J-box, with wires connected at the
terminals. Testing for 600V on loose / disconnected / dangling
wires is potentially dangerous, as is checking a disconnected
19-pin plug that has voltage passing through it (because there is
high potential for arcing against another pin or the plug body /
housing). Fourth possibility, the HPU piston pump is failing
internally (you would know this if your alarms are working
properly, electrical testing reveals no deficiencies, 3-position
valve is in ‘run’ and you have no alarms… or if you have
pressure gauges on your TD and the system hydraulic pressure
is low but the gear lube pressure is normal—because if the
electrical circuit is good, then the pump shaft is turning at the
proper speed all the way through the first pump to the vane
pump). Fifth possibility—actually more common than
possibility 4 and having the same symptoms—your RV1
cartridge is out-of-adjustment. Also not common, but I have
seen it happen a few times. In this same family of root cause
issues are the following possibilities: #6, the UV1 cartridge
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has failed and is fully unloading. #7, the three-position valve
switch is stuck or has failed, and #8, either the main system
accumulator of stand jump / counterbalance accumulator has
lost its pre-charge pressure. Let’s get a tech heading your way
with a nitrogen bottle / test & fill kit, and with an RV1
cartridge (SUN P/N RVCA-LAN or NOV P/N 107031-1AN)
and a UV1 cartridge (SUN P/N QCDB-LAN or NOV P/N
107028-1ANB), and a 3-position valve (Parker P/N
8453E6D2P or NOV P/N 30171921). The last possibility I can
think of is outlined in #9. With the HPU de-energized / LOTO,
take an oil sample from the 1/4-turn ball valve drain. Use an
empty water bottle as your sampling container, and when it’s at
least half full, your sample amount is good. Swirl the oil in the
bottle and hold it up to a light source for close visual
inspection. It there are visible flakes and particles inside of it,
drain the oil from the system. You’re now going to order two
hydraulic filter elements (NOV P/N 30173216)—one just to
throw away—and you’re going to use a whole drum of AW32
or 46 hydraulic oil, because you’ll be dumping some oil and
making two oil changes. And we’re about to make a mess.
Get a solid hydraulic tech to disconnect components, one at a
time, followed by a quick-bump (on and off) actuation of the
HPU or specific function. At a minimum, the ports behind
RV1, RV2, UV1, PCC, A5, B5, and each direction of all piston
circuits (brakes, grabber, stand jump, link tilt, IBOP) will need
to be blown out with the first change of oil—add oil as required
and attempt to capture expended oil in a waste container—do
not re-use (clean the cartridges and orifices with compressed
air or WD-40, then shake dry). When the tech is satisfied with
the purging of contaminated oil, drain it off into an approved
waste container, change the hydraulic filter again to install the
second new filter, and refill the TD with ~25 gallons from the
new oil drum. Have the tech reset the circuits and unload
timing, test the hydraulic pressure, then perform a complete
function test of all auxiliary robotics and continue working
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 each function until functionality improves.

Note: if hydraulic fluid drains slowly, open the manual

breather on the tank. Not the one with the external breather
canister, the smaller 4PSID mechanical one on top of the
reservoir that is closest to the goose neck. Be sure to close this
after all oil is drained. DO NOT EVER blow compressed air
into the drain wye to “loosen shit up.” A rig in North Dakota
did that, and they heard a pop—exploded one of their tank’s
suction strainers, and it literally disintegrated into a million
little pieces over the course of a week while they continued
operating. During that week, they changed out four hydraulic
pumps, a lot of hydraulic components, and eventually the
whole Top Drive.

10. LOUD TICKING SOUND OR LOUD HYDRAULIC PUMP

(1) If your HPU is really loud, or if you hear a fast ticking or

clunking sound coming from the TD when the hydraulics are
on even if you’re not rotating, then you need to check your
hydraulic fluid level and call someone out to check the nitrogen
pre-charge of your accumulators. The TDS-11 has three
accumulators. From largest to smallest, they are the (1) Stand
Jump or Counterbalance Accumulator, (2) Main System
Accumulator, and (3) IBOP Time Delay Accumulator. The
nitrogen pre-charge for each, in the order listed above, is 900
PSI, 800 PSI, and 800 PSI. The first two are the ones of
concern in this instance. Pay close attention when the
technician is hooking up the test hose to the accumulator’s
Schrader valve (standard air fill valve like on a car or non-
performance bicycle tire). This valve is located at the bottom
the two vertical-mounted accumulators and is protected by a
tamper-proof bracket. While the bladder is sometimes dry, in
most cases it contains a little oil to extend the life of the
bladder, so when hooking up or disconnecting, sometimes a bit
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 of frothy or foamy yellow oil can be seen collecting at, or
dripping from, the test connection. If, however, when the
centralized needle of the Schrader valve is depressed,
pressurized dry or oily air does not escape, and only light or
golden oil escapes under pressure, then the accumulator’s
bladder has been compromised. Shut down the HPU, place the
3-position valve in “Shutdown” mode for five minutes, and
then have the technician check the pressure of the failed
accumulator for verification. Disconnect and plug the steel line
at the top of the accumulator, cap the fitting on the
accumulator, and rig it down with a strap after removing the
hex socket / Allen screws from the locking bands. Remove the
fitting from the top of the accumulator and replace it with a
rag, you might need it (presuming there’s not a similar fitting
in the parts house or Pusher’s shack.

11. INTERMITTENT FUNCTIONS

(1) Any time you experience a fault or failure on the TDS-11 (or
any piece of equipment), determine first whether the failure
poses an immediate threat to personnel or equipment. If not,
try to see if the failure can be replicated. On any Top Drive,
the failure may only be experienced at a certain height in the
derrick. The TDS-11 is notorious for displaying alarms or 42-
pin service loop deficiencies in this manner, perhaps when the
TD is 20’ or 40’ off the rig floor. It doesn’t have to just be a
42-pin issue though. If you lose hydraulics or you can audibly
detect a blower shutting off at a certain position in the derrick,
then there’s a 19-pin service loop issue.

(2) Usually, intermittent issues are electrical or ground-related.

Could be a loose wire at a terminal inside the J-box, a cross-
threaded or improperly-connected plug, a ground wire not
tightly connected at the TD, or at the saddle in the derrick, or at
the VFD house. Could also be a loose or recessed pin in the
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 42-pin or 19-pin circuits. If issue persists, shutdown, LOTO
VFD, and investigate.

(3) Keep an open mind. If the failure cannot be replicated by

derrick position, or by functioning a certain component, then is
it operator-related? Does the Driller use a normal sequence,
and the failure occurred when an AD or RM took control of the
Top Drive and followed a different sequence? What about
other equipment that may be affecting the failure, such as drill
floor tools, or when energizing the Drawworks or one of the
mud pumps? If the failure cannot be replicated and it is
determined to pose no immediate threat, then have the operator
/ Driller remain keyed-in to the possibility of experiencing the
failure again. That way, we can learn everything possible
about the failure, so as to call it in and report it accurately.

12. ROBOTICS ARE BACKWARDS OR INCORRECT

(1) HYDRAULIC FUNCTIONS ARE WORKING

BACKWARDS – If it’s the IBOP, and open / close are
functioning backwards, did you just rig up? If so, remove the
external crank assemblies from each side of the IBOP sleeve
and rotate it 180° on the automatic valve. If you didn’t just rig
up, has someone been working on the Top Drive? Because
either the switch contacts in the console are wired backwards,
or the hoses running between the RLA and IBOP cylinder need
to be swapped.

If the link tilt ‘drill’ and ‘tilt’ functions are working backwards,
then either the hoses at the RLA need to be swapped for each
cylinder, or the contacts on the 3-position switch at the console
need to be swapped.

If the stand jump is affected, it can be switch contacts as

described above, or cylinder hoses at the prefill valve manifold,
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 or a faulty 3-position valve on the main hydraulic manifold.

If the issue relates to brakes, the issue can only relate to switch
contacts. Well wait, that’s not true. The ultimate failure issue
could be a damaged program in the PLC or SBC, but that
would be the three-legged pink unicorn of failures.

(2) HYDRAULIC FUNCTIONS ARE INCORRECT – This

section targets those issues wherein the control and the actuator
are mismatched. In all of these cases, the failures were human
induced. The biggest question is, what was touched before this
point? Because you either have hoses swapped around, or
wires swapped around, or a multi-conductor plug is clocked
wrong. This section DOES NOT cover instances where
multiple functions move when only one is actuated (you
actuate the IBOP, it closes while simultaneously raising the
elevator links… or the IBOP closes and two or three other
things start to move also). Those issues are covered in the next
topic.

So in this case, you actuate the IBOP and the RLA rotates
instead, for example. That one sounds electrical. Let’s isolate
anyway, between electrical or hydraulic, just to verify. This is
done using the SOV’s, or solenoid-operated valves (SV’s,
solenoids, ATOS valves, directional valves… all mean the
same thing). THE SOLENOID VALVE IS THE FIRST
PLACE TO DETERMINE WHETHER A ROBOTIC ISSUE
IS ELECTRICAL OR HYDRAULIC. The SOV’s are located
on the main manifold. Beginning near the 3-position valve
switch, they are (1) Stand Jump, (2) Brakes On, (3) RLA
Rotate L / R, (4) IBOP Close, (5) Torque Wrench Clamp /
Grabber, (6) Link Tilt Float, and mounted high on the outside
of the manifold, (7) Link Tilt Drill / Tilt. All of these SOV’s
have a manual button on the solenoid portion of the valve.
That means that the RLA Rotate and Link Tilt has two buttons,
275
one for each direction, because the valves each have two
solenoids attached (one at either end of the valve). I wish I
could tell you that the buttons are as responsive as the buttons
of an arcade game or ATM machine, but they are not. I find
them most effective when you push against them with a
screwdriver. Sometimes they jam up and need to be tapped
gently with a brass hammer—if you can find one of those in
the oilfield. You get the gist. Tap very gently with a shop
hammer on the side of the solenoid or on the button itself.
Remember that the buttons can be held ‘sucked in’ both
electrically and hydraulically. They will almost always return
to their extended position by the assistance of an internal
spring, when the HPU is powered down, electrical control
signals have been removed, and the 3-position valve switch is
placed in Shutdown mode. Don’t get wrapped so much
around de-actuating them, as simply pushing them in fully to
test them. Being mindful of moving parts (know which SOV is
which), with the HPU running, let’s figure out why the RLA
turns instead of the IBOP when the IBOP is actuated. So we
locate the IBOP Close SOV, which is the fourth one over from
the rig up / run / shutdown valve switch. We’re gonna push
that silver button in. Be careful, the RLA might rotate again.
*Push hard, so that the button is flush or slightly recessed
inside the solenoid housing… use the lowest amount of force
necessary to actuate the IBOP (or RLA if this thing is oddly
plumbed). Okay, good. So you pushed the button and the
IBOP closed, as it was supposed to. I figured this was an
electrical issue, because otherwise someone replaced the form-
fitted steel tubes above the RLA with hoses, and then
accidentally swapped two between the rotating head hydraulic
motor and the RLA inlet for the IBOP close circuit. Let’s open
the J-box, grab a meter, select DC volts (dashed line over solid
line), place your black lead on the ground bar above, and place
your red lead on either of the termination screws of T47. If
your J-box is rat-screwed, forget T47 and try whichever
276
 terminal has a wire labeled 14 in it. You’re looking for 24V
whenever the Driller closes his IBOP. If you don’t have
voltage, but the RLA moves again, then place your red lead on
either T43 or T45 (depends on which direction the RLA is
moving). Refer to the J-box termination diagram in Chapter 11
of this book. If you are getting voltage to the RLA but not to
the IBOP, descend the TD and have a discussion in the Dog
House. Did anything change? Did the 42-pin service loop or
pigtail get changed before you guys started your hitch this
morning? Have the Driller test other functions. Make a list of
what’s backwards. Referring to the J-box diagram (it’s pretty
cut & dry), re-wire accordingly. In this case, if you had 24V
on T45, remove the inside (left) wire from that terminal and
swap it with the inside (left) wire from T47.

13. MULTIPLE HYDRAULIC FUNCTIONS WORKING AT

ONCE, WHEN ONLY ONE IS COMMANDED

(1) ELECTRICAL ISSUE – The first possibility in this instance

stems from voltage that is crossing from one circuit to another,
energizing two different solenoid valves. This could be
happening in the J-box, or inside a 42-pin plug or the cable
itself. To determine whether this is the case, try the desired
function manually by pressing the button on the outside of its
respective SOV (see SCENARIO 12 for further details). If,
when the button is depressed, the desired actuator functions
normally—meaning the previously-noticed (unintended)
function fails to move—then the issue is electrical as described
above. Check the corresponding terminals inside the junction
box, check the 42-pin pigtail where it enters the J-box (wiggle
wires around to see if it changes anything), check the
grounding bar in the J-box to make sure it is firmly fixed,
check the 42-pin service loops and plugs—could be water—
make sure to check the back side of the plug. Also, when
checking the 42-pin plugs, make sure that the barrel or body of
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 the plug is not loose, sometimes this happens and twists the
wires inside tightly, leaving possibility for cross-wire contact
(note, the head of the plug and the barrel are reverse-threaded
to each other). Check the wires inside your console or in the
Driller’s cabin under the seat or under the control panel(s).
Lastly, check your VFD house dedicated ground wire, to make
sure it is firmly connected.

(2) HYDRAULIC ISSUE – If two robotic functions are working at

the same time when only one is actuated, and they are both
below the RLA, such as Link-tilt, Grabber / Clamp, or IBOP,
then there is a possibility that one or more of the circuit-
separating seals in the RLA have been compromised. This can
be determined by manually functioning the SOV that was
originally desired. If two functions move when one SOV
button is pushed, the problem is hydraulic. If this occurs with
any hydraulic actuator ABOVE the RLA (brakes, SJ, gear lube
hydraulic motor, rotating head hydraulic motor—all very rare
for shared hydraulic path occurrence), then you have a wash
between two ports… possibly in the main hydraulic manifold.
Below is a diagram of the hydraulic circuits below the RLA,
where the crossing of hydraulic paths is most likely to occur.
The left column is the port designator—an alphanumeric code
that is stamped next to the physical ports on the face of the
RLA (where the hoses come out) and also stamped next to the
stationary ports above the RLA (where the stainless steel
hardlines connect). The second column depicts the number of
fittings assigned to that port (2 fittings for the 2 hoses that go to
the back of the LT cylinders, for example, and one fitting that
goes to the back of the IBOP cylinder). The third column
describes the function. The fourth column describes the stroke
position of the cylinder (if applicable). The dashed lines
between each function represent the seals inside the RLA that
separate the circuits. See Figure 9.27 in this book for a visual
depiction / cutaway of the RLA.
278
 PORT # of FITTINGS DESCRIPTION STROKE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
J 1 Spare N/A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E6 2 LT Tilt / Mousehole Extend
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B8 2 LT Float N/A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G6 2 LT Drill Retract
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G5 1 Unclamp (Grabber) Retract
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A4 1 IBOP Open Extend
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E5 1 Clamp (Grabber) Extend
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B4 1 IBOP Close Retract
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
H 1 Spare N/A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, so the diagram above will help you troubleshoot this

issue further, and it should also help you fix the problem. Let’s
say you reach up at the console and close your IBOP. The
IBOP CLOSED light comes on and then you notice that the TD
shifted position. Further investigation reveals that when you
close your IBOP, the grabber clamp engages also. The
diagram above explains why. The dashed line between those
two functions represents the 10” seal that keeps those circuits
segregated, and somehow that seal got damaged. So hydraulic
fluid under pressure is coming from the IBOP Closed SOV
when you actuate the function, and as it fills the circuit ring
inside the RLA, it is also bleeding over to pressurize the clamp
circuit. To fix this, you will need to change to a spare circuit.
You can swap either the IBOP Close circuit or the Clamp
circuit, doesn’t matter. We’ll swap the IBOP Close circuit.
Start by finding the steel line that runs from the main hydraulic
manifold to port B4 above the RLA. We’re going to remove

279
 that line and replace it with a hose, because the hard line is
form-fitted to land on B4. When you remove the line, put a
permanent #8 JIC cap on the B4 fitting. You can get the cap
from port H above the RLA, because that’s where we’ll
terminate the new hose. Once that’s done, go to the face / main
body of the RLA where the hoses come out. Locate port B4.
The ports are lined up exactly as depicted in the diagram
above, so it will be second from the bottom. Remove the hose
from B4. Remove the cap from port H and permanently cap
port B4. Re-connect the hose to port H and function test the
Top Drive. You have just successfully ran a spare in the RLA,
and you have one spare circuit left (port J).

14. LINK TILT FUNCTION DOESN’T WORK

(1) LT FUNCTION DOESN’T WORK AT ALL, IN EITHER

DIRECTION—Check your other hydraulic functions to see if
they work. If not, refer back to SCENARIO 9. If other
hydraulic functions work, then either you lost two separate
solenoids, or a section of 42-pin cable or plug is damaged,
affecting both circuits. Drill and Tilt are two separate circuits
with two separate solenoids that share one valve. So the
electrical paths of LT Drill and Tilt are just as different as LT
Drill and Brakes On. Personally, I would suspect wire damage
over the slightly less-probable instance of two failed solenoids,
because the wires for each circuit are physically close together
inside the cable. The same applies to the pins in the 42-pin
plug connections, they are physically right next to each other.
First, verify that the problem is electrical. Press the buttons at
each end of the LT SOV, one at a time, and observe the
movement of the elevator links in both directions. If they do
not move, and they are in the floated position, then it is
possible that float is being continuously energized (this also
occurs when the LT ‘double’ solenoid valve is installed
backwards, but you would have had a previous problem with
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the link tilts that led you to such a conundrum). The only other
possibility is possible but highly improbable: internal failure
of both LT cylinders. So back to the (likely) electrical issue. If
the valve works manually in both directions, start looking for
damage to the 42-pin circuit as described above. If you have a
multimeter, shut down the TD / VFD and LOTO. Ascend the
TD and open the J-box. Select Ohms on your meter (Ω). Test
each solenoid on the LT valve as such: first I want you to test
the solenoid of something that you know was working, like the
IBOP. The reason we’re doing this, is that—despite
everyone’s expert opinion on the Ohm value you should be
reading—I’ve found that the range can be about 65Ω +/- 10Ω,
variable depending on ambient temperature I believe. But all
the solenoids should have the same reading at any given time
within a few Ohms. So by testing the solenoid of a known
good function, you’ll know what to expect when you’re testing
the LT solenoids. To test the IBOP solenoid, remove the
incoming 42-pin wires on T47 and T48 (the wires on the right
side of the terminal blocks). With the wires removed, place the
red lead of your meter on left side termination screw of T47.
Then place your black lead on the left side termination screw
of T48. Whatever value you read (should be 65Ω +/- 10Ω),
that’s going to be our standard today. Now re-terminate those
IBOP wires into their respective terminals, and remove the
right-side wires from T51 and T52. With the wires removed,
place the red lead of your meter on left side termination screw
of T51. Then place your black lead on the left side termination
screw of T52. The ohmatic value should be roughly the same
as what you read on the IBOP solenoid. If the difference is
greater than 10Ω, then the solenoid is bad (greater than 5Ω
difference is suspect). Re-terminate the wires back into T51
and T52, and repeat this procedure with T53 and T54. Same
go / no-go criteria applies. I suspect that in this case, the
solenoids will be good, and that your issue stems from a
physical break in the wires or pin connections somewhere
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 (wires 17 & 18 in the 42-pin). I’m curious whether torque
wrench / grabber clamp—wires 16 & 16—and / or LT float—
wire 19—functionality have also been affected, due to their
physical proximity inside the 42-pin composite cable and plug
connections. To verify that a break in the circuit exists, power
up the TD and select DC volts on your meter. With all wires
re-terminated, place your black meter lead on the grounding
bar above and place your red meter lead on T51. Have driller
extend / tilt the links. If the circuit is not broken, you should
read 24V. Now test the drill or drill-down function with your
red lead on T53. If no voltage on either, go find your broken
wires. Also check your I/O, you might have bad Wago card(s),
or a burned resistor inside your Siemens digital I/O module
(PLC-style driller’s console), or Siemens slot card (PLC-style
VFD house). FYI, the NOV P/N for a 3-position (“double”)
solenoid valve is 127908-J2. If you are not getting 24V to
either or both directional functions of the Link Tilt when
actuated at the controls, and you cannot find a ‘smoking gun’
wire or pin deficiency, try running 42-pin spare(s). The
ideology and instruction behind running a spare is described in
the last paragraph of SCENARIO 3C, in an encoder spare
example. The encoder has different spares than the rest of the
42-pin. Always refer to the electrical schematics in the TDS-
11 Technical Drawing Package, or to Figure 11.20 or Figure
11.21—as applies to your type of rig—when running a spare.

(2) LT ONLY WORKS IN ONE DIRECTION—It can be a pin or

wire in the 42-pin, a bad I/O component, or bad solenoid.
Leaning toward a bad solenoid in this case. See the previous
instructions for testing.

(3) LT FUNCTION WORKS BOTH WAYS, BUT IT IS SLOW

OR SLUGGISH—Make sure the 3-position valve on the main
manifold is in the “Run” position (handle parallel to long axis
of manifold). If that is not the case, check other robotic
282
 functions. Check pressure at port P on the main manifold,
should be cycling between about 1,500 and 2,000 (2,200 PSI
setting + unloading relief). Check fluid level. Re-set circuits
of UV1 & RV1 as such: (1) Turn off the HPU. (2) Locate
RV1 on back of main manifold. You’ll need to remove your
hard hat and tuck yourself under the TD near the HPU to locate
it. Break the adjusting screw’s jamb nut with a 9/16” wrench.
Then use a 5/32” Allen wrench to back the valve out fully
counterclockwise. (3) Find the UV1 cartridge on the end of the
main manifold. It’s easier to locate by looking at the main
manifold drawings in the TDS-11 Technical Drawing Package.
Break the 9/16” jamb nut on UV1 and dial the adjusting screw
in (clockwise) fully using a 5/32” Allen wrench. (4) Energize
the HPU. With a 3,000 PSI pressure gauge tied in to port P,
monitor the gauge while adjusting RV1 clockwise. Nothing
will happen for the first few turns. Eventually, the pressure
will rise from 100 PSI… you’re going to adjust it to 2,200 PSI,
then set the jamb nut. (5) At UV1, dial the adjustment screw
out CCW until there is an obvious cycling of the hydraulics. It
may be very loud with a rapid ticking at first, with steel line
vibration that is unnerving to work around at high pressure.
This is normal. Continue turning counterclockwise for
approximately two turns, until the cycle time is about 20
seconds or greater. On some Top Drives, you will not get
continuous cycle time better than 11 seconds. (6) Shut down
the HPU. Bleed pressure back to tank by placing the 3-position
valve into Shutdown mode for a few minutes, then fire up the
HPU again and check cycle time. If it is off, you may need to
dial UV1 all the way in again to reset it. Once desired cycle
time is achieved, set the jamb nut on UV1, being careful not to
turn the adjusting screw while tightening. Lastly, if this is not
working, test the main accumulator and stand-jump /
counterbalance accumulator pre-charge pressures.

(4) LT FUNCTIONS BUT WILL NOT HOLD LOAD / DROPS

283
OFF – Could be failed cylinder(s) or load holding valves. If
the cylinders have both failed internally, you will not see an
external leak. Instead, the piston seals have been compromised
and fluid flows with relative ease from one side of the cylinder
to the other. To test a cylinder, extend it all the way out. Then
disconnect the hose that is closest to the exposed rod-end of the
cylinder; plug the hose but leave the cylinder port open. Then
try to actuate the ‘extend’ function of the cylinder again. If oil
comes pouring or spraying out, then the piston has failed and
the hydraulic cylinder must be replaced. Even if a seal kit is
available, do not attempt to rebuild a cylinder in the field
except in remote area emergencies. The more common reason
that the LT function will not hold load, relates less to the
simultaneous failure of both cylinders (one would have likely
failed first, and the crew should have noticed a lagging or
‘limp’ elevator link before the other cylinder failed), than to the
load-holding counterbalance valves in the LT manifold. The
LT manifold is mounted to the RLA housing just above the
Pipe Handler’s torque tube. On top are two ‘pilot-to-open
check valve’ cartridges (cartridge-style check valves look like
bolt heads or hydraulic plugs, as they are non-adjustable)(SUN
P/N CKCB-XCN or NOV P/N 93547-1B30N), and on the right
side of the manifold—as viewed squarely when looking at the
TD—are two adjustable counterbalance cartridge valves (SUN
P/N CBCA-LHN or NOV P/N 94518-13HN). It’s the latter
two that are prone to failure, but get all four coming. You can
first try to adjust the valves… whatever you do to one, do to
the other as well. All hydraulic cylinder counterbalance valves
work opposite to standard pressure relief or pressure-reducing
valves. For counterbalance valves, dial the adjusting screw
counterclockwise to increase load-holding capacity. So if you
dial both cartridges all the way to the left and they still won’t
hold the load, then they’re bad—UNLESS the LT Float circuit
is being continuously energized (operator button or contact
stuck, for example. Test this by checking to see if you have
284
24VDC on T55 in the J-box. If you do have voltage, float is
energized, and the elevator links will not hold load). More
common is the failure of CB cartridge valves. The cartridges, I
believe, are usually plug & play, meaning that you don’t need
to adjust them if they’re new. Remove with a 7/8” end wrench
or deep-well socket. Do not use an impact wrench to remove
or install cartridge valves. If installing new ones does nothing
to improve your situation, turn both valves’ adjusting screws
fully clockwise, then CCW one-and-a-half turns. If the links
still bleed down, adjust both valves CCW another half turn and
extend elevators again. The bleed-off should have stopped or
at least slowed. Adjust accordingly until both valves are
equally adjusted to hold the load without gravity retraction of
bails / links.

ONE ADDITIONAL NOTE: This one is an anomaly, but in

ten years I have seen it happen on three different rigs with
TDS-11’s belonging to different companies. It baffles
everyone. If, using the troubleshooting steps above, you’ve
determined that the LT counterbalance valves are culprit, then
when you remove them, clean the hex faces to identify the 7-
letter SUN designator (P/N). They should read CBCA-LHN.
IF THEY DO NOT, then you may need to special order the
exact same valves that you removed, from whichever SUN
hydraulics distributor in the world can produce them the
fastest. Spare yourself the additional two or three days of
downtime and trust me on this one. Here’s what it looks like in
reality: Your technician will tell you to order two CBCA-
LHN’s. You’ll get them, replace them, and they do nothing.
So then you’ll replace the check valves. Still nothing. You’ll
call out another tech, and the two techs will start replacing
shit—first the LT SOV, then the Float SOV, then the LT
cylinders. Your Superintendent will be pissed, your Ops
Manager will be pissed, and you’ll eventually be on a
conference call with the engineers at NOV who swear that
285
 CBCA-LHN is correct. 3 NOV techs will deploy to your
location and they’ll change all the same shit that your original
techs did. Then they’ll say you have a wash—even though it
will never be proven—either in your LT manifold or your main
hydraulic manifold. Heaven forbid they talk you into replacing
your main hydraulic manifold ($25K dressed, + 12 hours). It is
possible that replacing the smaller LT manifold will work. The
SUN engineering team, and anyone that can read, will be
convinced that CBCA-LHN will work, because when
comparing it to the original cartridges that you pulled out,
they’ll find that the cartridge is identical except that it is
special-made and not readily available, and that CBCA-LHN
simply has a broader pressure range and is therefore the correct
replacement. You will avoid all this headache by simply
finding new valves with the original part number, damn all the
smarty-pants engineers and techs and people with big titles. I
promise. Order extra valves and spread the knowledge so that
this doesn’t happen again.

(5) LT WILL NOT FLOAT – Try it manually at the SOV. If that

works, then you either have a bad float solenoid, or a broken /
disengaged wire or pin connection in the circuit (42-pin, TD J-
box, Driller’s console, VFD house). Faulty I/O is also
possible, less probable. Check terminal 55 in the J-box for
24V when float is selected. If the voltage is there, replace the
solenoid. You can verify that the solenoid is bad by checking
Ohms on T55 and T56, following the steps outlined in
SCENARIO 14(1). 2-position (“single”) solenoid valve NOV
P/N is 127908-D2.

(6) LT CYLINDER KEEPS FAILING—If you have one LT

cylinder that has been changed two or more times in a short
span of operation, then replace both cylinders. The reason for
failure is likely related to the OPPOSITE cylinder, which has
failed internally—at least enough that it is placing the bulk
286
 elevator load on the cylinder that keeps displaying obvious
damage. You see, when a cylinder fails, it is twice as likely to
do so in a way that it is noticeable—that is, accompanied by a
visible leak from the rod seal. So when you installed the
replacement cylinder to replace an obvious failure, the new
cylinder was holding the majority of load because the other
(unsuspected) cylinder had the rarer form of internal failure.
The new cylinder failed again, in the more common way, with
an obvious discharge of oil from the front seal again. This one
often baffles all and is very frustrating. Replace both cylinders,
make sure your link brackets are equally spaced, and you’ll be
good.

15. IBOP DOESN’T WORK

(1) THE FUNCTION WORKS BACKWARDS—Remove the

external crank assemblies (outside mechanical actuators that
open / close the internal valve as the actuator sleeve is moved),
and rotate the actuator sleeve 180°.

(2) IBOP FAILS TEST / FAILS TO FULLY CLOSE VALVE—

Carefully inspect the IBOP cylinder, yoke, and external crank
assemblies. If no obvious deficiencies, replace the IBOP &
have the valve rebuilt. The busiest / most popular place to do
this in the drilling industry (all subs) is Fishing Tool Crystin,
Odessa TX.

(3) IBOP FAILS TO OPEN—Remove the hoses from the IBOP

cylinder. With someone holding the hoses tightly over a
bucket, bump test (quickly on-and-off) both IBOP Close and
IBOP Open. Each line should have sprayed fluid when
actuated. If so, replace IBOP cylinder. If not, locate CV4 and
B4 on the main hydraulic manifold (use the TDS-11 Technical
Drawing Package to locate). Remove, clean, and replace both.
If no joy, order both parts and get them heading to the rig
287
 (Directional Flow Control Valve: The Lee Company P/N
FCFA2810800D or NOV P/N 98402-800D; CV4 Pilot-to-
Open Check Valve: SUN P/N CODA-XCN or NOV P/N
94537-130N).

(4) IBOP FAILS TO CLOSE—Manually test the IBOP Close

solenoid at its button. If this closes the IBOP, then you have
pushed, burned, or disconnected male or female pin in one of
the 42-pin plug connections (pin 17), or a broken, burned, or
otherwise disconnected wire in the 42-pin service loop / pigtail
(wire 14), or a burned terminal block in the J-box, or bad I/O
card in the Driller’s console or VFD house, or a bad solenoid
valve (NOV P/N 127908-D2). You can verify that the solenoid
is bad by checking Ohms on T47 and T48, following the steps
outlined in SCENARIO 14(1) for the Link-tilt circuit (you
must translate slightly, as the IBOP circuit uses only T47 and
T48). If the solenoid tests fine, you can verify that one of the
other electrical deficiencies exists by verifying no incoming
voltage on T47. During normal operation with no problems,
you should see 24VDC. If you do not see 24V when actuated
from the controls, try running a 42-pin spare. The ideology
and instruction behind running a spare is described in the last
paragraph of SCENARIO 3C, in an encoder spare example.
The encoder has different spares than the rest of the 42-pin.
Always refer to the electrical schematics in the TDS-11
Technical Drawing Package, or to Figure 11.20 or Figure
11.21—as applies to your type of rig—when running a spare.

16. BRAKE ISSUES

(1) FAILED BRAKE CAPACITY TEST—If the brakes are

applying but not holding at least 20K ft-lbs of torque, simply
clean your braking components. Use at least one full can of
brake cleaner or electrical cleaner on the brake pads and rotor
(top and bottom) for each motor (curved access panels under
288
 the blower… remove the two bolts on one side of a panel and
just loosen the two bolts on the other side… the access panel /
plate will usually just slide out). I would tell you to LOTO, but
this is best accomplished by cleaning / rotating / cleaning /
rotating / cleaning. Before the Driller rotates the quill each
time—at the LOWEST RPM possible—ensure that you are far
from the open access panel. Remember that the drill motor-to-
quill speed ration is 10.5:1, so if the Driller is rotating at 5
RPM, the brake rotor is turning at just over 50 RPM. You
don’t want to get loose clothing, or a tool, or a lanyard, or long
hair caught in that. Thoroughly cleaning the braking surfaces
will usually improve your brake capacity test by 50 to 100%.
Note: the best test I’ve seen on the TDS-11 was 41,000 ft-lbs
of torque; most will start to slip at or below 32K, so I
recommend only testing to 25K. If having issues at lower
torque, swap the makeup & drill torque pots. If same issues
follow, ensure pressure at port P1 on main manifold is 1,500
PSI when brakes are engaged. If not, adjust cartridge valve
PC1 to 1,500 PSI with brakes on. If valve does not adjust
(9/16” jamb nut and 5/36” Allen adjustment screw), remove the
cartridge valve with a 7/8” deep-well socket, clean and re-
install to attempt again. If still not adjusting, replace valve
(SUN P/N PRDB-LAN or NOV P/N 109858-1AN).

(2) BRAKES REMAIN ENGAGED – One of the following has

happened: (A) The contacts at the controls are sticking, (B) a
brake pad has disconnected from its epoxied seat on its metal
backer plate and become wedged under the opposite caliper’s
brake pad, (C) the ‘brakes on’ circuit has been energized
through another circuit (see SCENARIO 13), or (D) one of the
drill motors has dropped a shaft (See SCENARIO 3C).

(3) BRAKES ARE NOT ENGAGING – Ascend the TD and

remove the outside curved panels above each drill motor.
Observe the braking action as brakes are cycled on and off in
289
ten second increments. Look for brake line leaks, which will
usually be discovered first as droplets escaping from the drill
motor vents. If the brakes are moving, look at the thickness of
the brake pads and compare them to the top / bottom / opposite
caliper and opposite motor’s brake pads. Sometimes the pads
fall off over time and heavy use (directional drilling), which
may be the case.

Sometimes the brake areas are filled with grease, due to over-
greasing of the drill motor bearings (these grease channels are
closed-circuit, meaning that both the entrance and exit ports are
either plugged off, or the exit port is plugged off, or the exit
has a popoff that is sealed shut. If grease fittings are exposed
and one of the green hands performs TD service without being
taught not to grease the motor bearings—except per service
guidelines using Chevron EP2 Black Pearl grease only—then
the bearings will be over-greased. With no escape path, the
grease ejects the oil seals into the motor, and the braking
surfaces will eventually be covered in grease, sometimes so
badly that they provide very little braking action.

If the brakes are not moving when actuated, then have someone
manually actuate the Brakes On solenoid while observing the
brakes. If they move, then an electrical issue exists. Check
terminal 41 in the J-box when brakes are actuated to see if 24V
is making its way to the solenoid. If voltage is not arriving at
the J-Box and no other functions are affected, then run a spare
in the 42-pin. Remove the inside wires from terminals 41 and
42 in the J-box, and move them to any open terminal between
T35 and T39 that has corresponding wires on the other side.
Note the wire numbers of the new 42-pin wires you’re using.
Then in the VFD house, do the same thing. Remove the top
side or I/O side wires from the terminals which hold 42-pin
wires 10 and 11 on the opposite sides. Replace the I/O side
wires in the empty terminals that are across from the new 42-
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 pin wires you’re using in the J-box (as above, so below). If the
solenoid is suspect, test it using the procedures outlined in
SCENARIO 14(1), to test the brake solenoid at T41 and T42.

17. RLA FUNCTIONAL ISSUES

(1) DOESN’T WORK IN EITHER DIRECTION—Was this the

result of an RLA backspin? If so, your rotating head hydraulic
motor is shot. The hydraulic motor is mounted on the shot pin
assembly, on the front ODS corner of the TDS-11. It is easiest
to change with the shot pin assembly removed. Remove all
steel hard lines going to the assembly. Choke a strap around
the shot pin assembly to secure it, and attach a hoist that is run
under the guard (the protective cage that surrounds the TD).
Get the strap snugged up by the hoist. Remove the four bolts
that secure the shot pin assembly to the bottom of the main
body / gearbox. Slide the assembly out off the RLA gear and
lower it to the rig floor. Remove the bolts that connect the
rotating head hydraulic motor to the shot pin assembly. Install
the new motor (note: there are two different types of motors…
send photos of yours when ordering a new one—NOV P/N
114375 is most common). Installation is in reverse; be sure to
run the hoist through the guard rail again when picking it up, or
get it to where you can hold it in place and then have someone
disconnect and re-route the hoist behind the guard to reconnect
the strap.

Other possibilities for this scenario are the same for any
electrically-actuated hydraulic / robotic function on the TD.
Like the Link-Tilt SOV, this one is another ‘double’ solenoid.
Two separate solenoids attached to a single valve, and
therefore two completely separate electrical circuits. The same
logical deduction and troubleshooting applies here as to the
Link Tilt circuit in SCENARIO 14(1) and (2). The RLA
Rotate SOV’s are tested through terminals 43 and 44 for RLA
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 rotate right, and 45 & 46 for RLA rotate left.

(2) ONLY WORKS IN ONE DIRECTION—See last paragraph.

This issue will likely be electrical, but just to make sure, try to
manually actuate both sides of the SOV. If it still doesn’t
rotate in one direction, LOTO and relieve the TD hydraulic
pressure by placing the main manifold’s 3-position valve in
shutdown. Go to the rotating head hydraulic motor on the Shot
Pin assembly at the front ODS corner of the TD. Mounted to
the hydraulic motor is a valve block with two adjustable
cartridge valves (both are NOV P/N 94520-1AN). Remove the
valves with a 7/8” wrench and swap them. If the RLA now
rotates only in the opposite direction, you found your problem.
Shut down again, relieve pressure, and inspect the valves. Get
one ordered and swap it with one. If same issue, swap it with
the other (or trace the circuits to see which one is for which
direction… or just replace both). Back to the more likely
electrical issue. Refer back to the last troubleshooting step
(last paragraph). Start looking to find the break or test the
solenoid for the direction that isn’t working. Note: all single
SOV’s on the TDS-11 have the same part number. Likewise,
the double SOV’s of the LT and RLA Rotate circuits both have
the same NOV P/N: 127908-J2.

(3) ROTATES PARTIALLY, STOPS AT THE SAME POINT IN

EITHER DIRECTION—There is a plate on the bottom of the
shot pin assembly, which has a ~2” hole in the middle that
aligns with the shot pin boss. The plate is held in place by four
safety-wired 1/4" hex screws (7/16” heads). IF you
experienced a board strike, a crown out, or dropped blocks that
caused the elevators to slam into the floor, then there is a
possibility that the RLA has become cockeyed, because either
the stem has bent internally or the bail / link ears have become
damaged. Twice, I’ve experienced this on drilling rigs from
different companies where a post-catastrophic NDE or NDI/T
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 (MPI—Magnetic Particle Inspection) were performed on
critical load-bearing parts. The load path items passed the test
in both cases, and in both cases, the RLA would get hung up on
those small plate bolts and come to a stop. In both cases, I
shaved down the bolt heads ~1/16” to allow crossover, and I
recommended sending in the TD for teardown and closer
inspection. One of those rigs two weeks later had another
catastrophic event, and half of the bolts above the RLA gear
sheared. It went into the shop and everything below the
gearbox was replaced due to misalignment. Case in point, an
MPI will not reveal all of the damage incurred by your TD
unit, nor the potential dangers that are impending. If your RLA
is hanging up mechanically, then you need to investigate
carefully into the prior occurrence of board strike or some other
catastrophic incident. And I wouldn’t keep running on the TD.
On TDS-11 rigs, I’ve known of quills shearing and falling from
the TD with 200K drill string attached, complete Pipe Handlers
falling off, carriages & bogey roller assemblies falling off, and
tracks dropping to the floor after snagging and twisting off the
dog bone at the perforated eyes. Take RLA mechanical hang-
up very seriously, you don’t want that kind of liability 90’
overhead.

(4) RLA TRIES TO ROTATE, BUT IN A BIND—Check to see if

your shot pin is still engaged. It is likely not retracting back
through an RLA gear hole. If you need to move it one time
just to get out of a bind, LOTO the TD/ VFD, dump system
pressure by placing the 3-position valve at the main manifold
in Shutdown mode, disconnect the steel lines going into the
shot pin assembly (not to the motor valve block on the shot pin
assembly), then using a broomstick or 5-foot bar, push up on
the pin and manually rotate the RLA. You’ll need to push the
pin up hole-by-hole to get to your desired position. To
troubleshoot the issue, there are two possibilities. In rare cases
where they are no leaks accompanying the failure, this will
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 likely be circuit-related. There are three relief valves on the
Shot Pin assembly: two are on the rotating head hydraulic
motor valve block, and one is on the shot pin housing. Turn
this relief valve clockwise to see if it allows the shot pin to lift
when RLA rotate is actuated. If not, then replace the cartridge
valve (NOV P/N 94522-1EN). In most cases, this failure is
accompanied by a leak. You will need to remove the Shot Pin
assembly and replace the seals (NOV P/N’s 51300-226-B,
110056, 110061, 53500-225, 30154362, 51300-277-B, and you
may need to order a brass sleeve in case it is scratched up. I’m
seeing two different part numbers—118563 and 30151951—
ask NOV to explain the difference because I’m not sure; may
just be an old number / new number disparity). It may take ten
minutes to figure out how to remove the pin, but stay curious
and you’ll get it. Inspect the seals and you’ll find your wash.

(5) KEEPS ROTATING DURING MAKE / BREAK FUNCTION;

DOESN’T FIND HOLE—See SCENARIO 19: TORQUE
WRENCH CLAMP ISSUES.

18. RLA SQUIRTING OR LEAKING

(1) RLA SQUIRTS FROM GREASE RELIEF / TATTLETALE—

This symptom does not have a definitive answer. I haven’t
seen it in a while, but there were a few Patterson rigs, a Pioneer
rig, and a PaceSetter rig that used to do this. The RLA has two
pass-through grease ports, one high and one low. On the front
side of the RLA, where the NOV or Varco embossed markings
are, is where the grease fittings are located. On the opposite
side, you can find the relief fitting(s). Older models don’t have
a lower exit / relief port, instead, the excess grease exits
through the bottom of the RLA. Doesn’t seem like it should do
that but most of them do when over-greased, and it seems to
have no bearing on the operation or failure of the RLA. The
upper grease port is a different story. In theory, the relief
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fittings allow you to pump each plenum full of grease without
over-pressurizing and pushing against the hydraulic seals.
What I’ve discovered though, is that the electro-galvanized
coating of the inner stem often gets damaged and chips away
from the hard edge where the ring is heated on to retain the
RLA gear. Shop techs / mechanics don’t heat the ring enough,
and so they try to beat it over the lip and into its seat. The
‘chrome’-looking electrogalvanized coating then chips along
the edge of the lip. When the RLA is in use, the chipping
continues, wearing away the edge and producing needles of
chrome-like plating. For whatever reason, those needles like to
gravitate toward the upper grease tattletale, packing it off. My
theory is that then, when the RLA is greased again, it puts just
enough pressure on the upper 10” hydraulic seal to unseat it
partially, at which point hydraulic fluid is able to enter the
grease plenum. It doesn’t exit the grease zerk at the front of
the RLA, because the ball at the tip of the fitting acts like a
check valve. Instead, whenever the HPU is energized, the
upper lift circuit picks up the RLA off the load collar and the
RLA will squirt hydraulic oil from the relief port. The lift
circuit is integral to the RLA and is not something we typically
troubleshoot. It has an upper RLA entrance (port L) but none
below. In the cases I’ve noted, the squirting is a slow
countdown to RLA failure. Crews have, admittedly under my
recommendation, cleaned the tattletale and continued to pack
the plenum with grease, which provides up to a day’s relief
under drilling conditions and maybe three hours’ relief while
tripping—before it randomly squirts again when the hydraulic
system’s automatic unloading function cycles. This practice
should discontinue if there is no grease coming out of the
tattletale, or else the grease can be going nowhere but into the
hydraulic system, contaminating the oil. Plugging off the
tattletale will remove the symptoms and make the CM happy,
but who knows what damage it is doing in the hydraulic system
and the RLA. NOV has not been helpful in assessing this
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 problem. If your RLA squirts oil, my recommendation is to try
to make it through the well, and plan on having the RLA re-
sealed during rig move. Make sure to tell whoever is
rebuilding it, that you also want new grease zerks and
tattletale(s).

(2) RLA LEAKS FROM THE BOTTOM—This one is tricky to

get around, so pay attention. You’ve only got one shot at
possibly fixing this without rigging down the RLA, which can
be a pain in the dick depending on the availability of well-
designed RLA stand, the availability of a sharp tech (or two)
who really knows what they’re doing, and of course the other
suck factors depending on current state of operations, weather,
and crew morale. Hopefully the stars will align for you. You
are going to have to quickly study the simple RLA diagram in
SCENARIO 13(2). Check to see if your RLA is currently
plumbed in a way that either of the two spare ports are in use.
If so, which function is using the spare port(s)? Start making
notes of your observations. Ok, for instructional purposes,
we’re going to assume that your TD still has both spare ports (J
a the top, H at the bottom). In that case, here’s what we know
(refer to the diagram as you read this… when I say ‘seal’ I’m
talking about the dashed lines between the circuits). We know
that the lowest hydraulic seal has failed. That’s how we are
seeing oil exit the RLA. We also know that the bottom two
seals should contain no oil between them, because the bottom
circuit is Spare Circuit H, which is capped off at both the upper
(above the RLA gear) and lower (outside face of the RLA main
body) ports. So this means that the seal between IBOP Close
and Circuit H has also been compromised. What we’re hoping,
is that there are no other compromised circuit seals in the RLA
except for these bottom two. If you haven’t done so already,
have someone start trying to locate an RLA and an RLA stand,
and get them headed this way. Also order an RLA seal kit
(NOV P/N 587915)—and make sure it comes with the lower
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oil seal. The kit costs $4,500, but there’s a good chance you
can use it instead of buying the new RLA.

In the meantime, you’re going to try to fix this. You’ll need a

1/2” hose about 5’ long, with #8 JIC females at each end. With
the TD / VFD LOTO, release the hydraulic system pressure by
placing the 3-position valve in Shutdown mode. Wait until you
hear the ‘hissing’ sound stop… five minutes is safe. Now
climb above the RLA gear and see if you can locate port BH.
You see where all those steel lines connect to the stationary
part of the RLA? It will be in that row somewhere. To the side
of each fitting is a stamped circle with a letter designator at the
center. You’re looking for BH. Then you’ll need to find port J
and remove its cap. Remove the steel line from port BH and
place the cap there. Tighten it. Remove the steel line from the
main hydraulic manifold and replace it with the hose. Don’t
tighten it completely. Now attach the running end of that hose
to the open port J and tighten it. Tighten the other end of the
hose that you just attached to the main manifold. Make sure
the steel line is completely removed or secured with zip ties for
temporary operation (in the event you can’t remove it without
removing a bunch of other steel lines). Zip tie any excess slack
in your hose so that it can’t be contacted by the RLA gear
when it rotates. Down on the face of the RLA, remove the
hose from port BH. Remove the cap from port J and place it
on port BH’s fitting. Tighten it. Attach the hose to port J and
tighten it. Place the 3-position valve handle back into the Run
position on the main manifold. Unlock and energize the TD
hydraulics. Is oil pouring from the bottom of the RLA? If not,
then close the IBOP and see if oil starts pouring. Also see if
there are any cross-functions that would indicate the failure of
more seals. If there are none, congratulations, you fixed it!
Keep the RLA and RLA stand on site, release your tech(s) and
tell them to remain ready to respond if another seal fails (or
retain them on location if you’re close to TD). Get through the
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 well and swap the RLA on your time, not on downtime. In all
likelihood, you won’t need a spare RLA, just a new seal kit…
but I’d keep the RLA around anyway because I’ve seen some
weird circumstances where the rings inside of the RLA were
folded down from pressure, in which case, new seals won’t
help you.

If the attempt failed to fix the RLA leak, it’s nothing you did
wrong, just circumstantial. Bravo Zulu anyway for being
Johnny-on-the-spot. Go ahead and hold a JSA / JRA / safety
conversation about rigging down the Pipe Handler, which is the
first step in removing the RLA and it doesn’t require a lot of
expert technical advice. Just mark your hoses with their
fittings and save all pins and keepers and hardware in a clean
bucket. Once it’s off, clean the rig floor to clear a path for the
RLA and the RLA stand. If your company would like a sharp
RLA stand, with a few weeks’ notice you can order one from
Magic Industries or there’s a place in northeast PA called
FaberFab. I liked the FaberFab one because my team gave
them the design we wanted and they built several for us to
spec, made to set into the Rotary Table, telescoping from a
wide base and having jack bolts at each corner. Many RLA
stands are hokey and questionable from a safety standpoint,
and there is no manufacturing standard that I’m aware of.

(3) RLA LEAKS FROM THE TOP, JUST UNDER THE BULL
GEAR, BETWEEN THE GEAR AND THE MAIN BODY OF
THE RLA—You have so got this. You’ll need superglue (old-
school superglue, the cheap kind that burns your nostrils and
sticks skin together instantly), brake cleaner, some rags, and
about four hours… probably less time than it takes to get a new
RLA to your location. Get one coming anyway, or at least a
seal kit—it’s always cheaper to turn them around than to eat
downtime. An O-ring making kit (not an O-ring kit) would be
awesome but probably not required—EPDM, Viton or Buna-N
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material—doesn’t make a crap either way. LOTO the TD /
VFD house, and bleed off the hydraulic pressure by placing the
3-position valve switch into Shutdown mode for five minutes.
I like to move the valve handle back and forth between Rig-up
and Shutdown to make sure audibly that all air has relaxed
from the accumulators. Next, remove the TD guard… that’s
the metal cage of ~3” pipe that protects the Top Drive and gets
in our way for this job. And have somebody scrounge up some
wood blocks for cribbing (short 2x4 or and/or 4x4 pieces
would be great).

Underneath the bull gear is the wide, flat, machined top surface
of the RLA’s main body. There’s a groove cut in the top that
goes all the way around, where a thick O-ring sits. What you
need to do (and this is the most tedious part), is mark and
remove all those steel lines above the RLA. Then, you’ll need
to make a note of the open fittings at the top of the RLA—the
ones you disconnected the steel lines from—so you know
whether they are straight fittings, or 45° fittings, or 90° fittings,
and what angle they are pointing when tightened. Once that’s
done, remove them all. Next, you’ll need to cut away all the
safety wire from the big bolts on the RLA gear. DO NOT mess
with the bolts above, the ones that mount the RLA to the
bottom of the gearbox. We just want to remove the ones from
the top of the gear. We can rotate the gear manually with a 5’
bar propped through the one of the ears that the elevator links
hang from, to make bolt removal easier. Once the bolts are
removed, you’ll need to locate the dowel pin(s) that are
keeping the RLA gear attached to the top of the RLA. It’s been
so long since I’ve done this, I can’t remember if there are one
or two... I think it’s just one. Anyway, locate the dowel(s) and
see if there are any jack holes… I don’t think there are.
Hammer up on the gear in that vicinity to separate the gear
from the RLA body. Resist the urge to pry, as we don’t want
to scar or otherwise damage the machined surface of the top of
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the RLA body. Once the gear is loose, we need to prop it up
on each side, or at three points if possible, without getting in
the way of that O-ring you’re about to remove (and without
leaving debris behind). That’s where those blocks of wood
might come in handy.

Now, use a short screwdriver to gently dig the O-ring out of its
groove. Looky there, you found the problem. The O-ring was
pinched or severed. If only pinched, then rotate the O-ring
around to check for other damage points. If the pinched point
is the worst of it, cut the O-ring about 2” away from the
pinched section, as clean and perpendicular of a cut as possible.
Use a razor blade, if available. Remove the O-ring. If already
severed, great, just remove it. Spray out the groove and
machined surface with brake cleaner, and then spray your
fingers and the O-ring so that everything is clean. See if you
can figure out how to fit the O-ring back together, but don’t
glue it just yet. This next part only applies to an O-ring that
was pinched, not severed. Do not glue a severed O-ring until it
is back in the groove on the TD.

If it was pinched, you’re going to have to check in your parts

house to see if you have any O-rings that are made of the same
diameter material. Since you already cut 2” outside the the
pinched section out of the O-ring with as much perpendicular
precision as possible, do make another perfect-as-possible
straight cut about 2” on the other side of the damage. Now
take your small, cutout (pinched) section, and use your spare
O-ring to cut a piece the exact same length, give or take 1/16.”
Clean it with brake cleaner. On a clean surface, lay the large
O-ring down and set the small section inside of it, so that they
follow the same curvature. Go ahead and dry-practice putting
one end together only. If you feel confident that you can
assemble the two without a seam, place a dab of superglue on
one end and then firmly but gently put the two pieces together.
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You should be pinching each side no more than an inch apart,
holding them together carefully and with a little pressure, for
about 30 seconds. If a drip develops after you put the two
pieces together, gently wipe the seam against something solid
to remove it, or have someone help remove it quickly with a
clean rag while you’re holding the pieces together. After 30
seconds, gently release one side and inspect all the way around
the joint to ensure that there is no exposed seam, Using a razor
or sharp knife, gently scrape away any excess glue or O-ring
edge, so that this has the look and feel of a singular piece (as
much as possible). DO NOT superglue the other side, we still
need this big O-ring to be severed so we can install it the way
we took it off, without having to remove the RLA. Once you
are satisfied with your first glued segment, perform a dry run
on attaching the last two ends together. If you are confident
they’ll go together without a seam, continue to the next
paragraph… otherwise carefully slice an end so that they fit
together better—saving as much rubber as possible.

Last step. Whether you removed a severed or pinched O-ring

from the TD originally, you are now ready to re-install a clean,
dry O-ring into a clean, dry groove on top of the RLA’s main
body. Wrap the O-ring around the RLA so that it rests in the
groove. Then, holding the ends (ideally with needle-nose
pliers), place a dab of superglue on one end and quickly but
deliberately put the two ends together. Hold for 30 seconds
and dab or wipe any forming drips against the edge of the
groove while holding the O-ring ends together. After 30
seconds, slowly ease your grip and pull gently to test the set.
Feel around the attachment point and clean up the joint to
remove excess hardened glue or raised O-ring edge with a
razor, gently. Finally, spray the area down one more time,
remove the wedges with a second person’s assistance (ensuring
no debris was left behind), and set the RLA back onto its
alignment dowels. Installation is in reverse of disassembly. If
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 your work was clean and careful, be confident in the fact that
you’ll have no further leaks, and that this—believe it or not—
will get you through a well with no problems. I’ve done this
four or five times, and at least two were permanent fixes that
never got changed until the next overhaul.

(4) UNKNOWN LEAK COMING FROM ABOVE THE RLA—

This commonly reported issue often has nothing to do with the
RLA. Sure, sometimes it’s a loose fitting above the RLA. But
often, it stems from one of three places: (A) loose brake lines,
busted caliper diaphragms, or cracked hydraulic heat
exchanger, all of which are found above the drill motors,
behind the removable curved panels of the two blower shrouds.
The blower sucks up the leaking oil, passes it through the drill
motor, and spits it out through the vents at the bottom of the
drill motor. Usually you’ll notice a slick area under the
vent(s), or oil droplets covering the rig floor. If the leak is
significant enough, it will exit the motor vents (and also pool
inside the bottom of the motor housing), run under the gearbox,
and collect as a pool on top of the RLA gear. (B) When the
TDS-11 is overfilled with hydraulic fluid, it dumps from the
manual breather, funs down the sides of the reservoir following
the path of least resistance, runs down the back of the TD, and
under the gearbox where it collects as a pool on the RLA gear.
When oil pools on the RLA gear, it may go unnoticed until the
RLA is moved (usually when making / breaking connections).
(C) The third place that this mystery leak can be coming from,
is one of the connections at the back of the hydraulic reservoir.
Sometimes this leak manifests as oil dripping off the hard lines
that feed the pumps, and other times it runs down the body of
the TD and collects on the RLA. If this is your scenario,
sorry—you’ll have to rig down the Top Drive to tighten those
fittings. Don’t let anyone talk you into splitting the track to fix
this in the air; you can’t reach those fittings that way. So live
with the leak and keep topping off the oil, or rig it down,
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 unlatch dogs, slide the TD off its track section and rest the
carriage assemblies on some stubby pipe racks.

19. GRABBER / TORQUE WRENCH CLAMP FUNCTION

DOESN’T WORK

(1) ELECTRICAL ISSUE—Treat it like any other hydraulic

function that doesn’t work, by first manually actuating the
Clamp SOV. The RLA will rotate in jerky / robotic fashion
until it ‘finds’ a hole. The shot pin is engaged with 400 PSI of
pressure. Once it is down, full system pressure passes over the
back of the shot pin to hold it in the down / locked position,
and passes through the RLA down to actuate the TW clamp
piston. If this works manually, then an electrical issue exists.
Check terminal 49 in the J-box when brakes are actuated to see
if 24V is making its way to the solenoid. If voltage is not
arriving at the J-Box and no other functions are affected, then
run a spare in the 42-pin. Remove the inside (left side) wires
from terminals 49 and 50 in the J-box, and move them to any
open terminal between T35 and T39 that has corresponding
wires on the other side. Note the wire numbers of the new 42-
pin wires you’re using. Then in the VFD house, do the same
thing. Remove the top side or I/O side wires from the
terminals which hold 42-pin wires 15 and 16 on the opposite
sides. Replace the I/O side wires in the empty terminals that
are across from the new 42-pin wires you’re using in the J-box
(as above, so below). If the solenoid is suspect, test it using the
procedures outlined in SCENARIO 14(1), to test the brake
solenoid at T49 and T50.

(2) HYDRAULIC ISSUE: CLAMP PISTON REMAINS

ENGAGED—Down on the grabber assembly is a small
manifold block with two cartridge valves. One of them is
screwed into a recessed part of the block. We’re going to look
at the other one, which is the clamp piston’s flow control valve
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 (SUN P/N CNCC-XCN-.047 or NOV P/N 109302-130NC).
LOTO, bleed off TD system pressure at the 3-position valve on
the main manifold by placing the handle in Shutdown position,
and slowly remove the cartridge with a 7/8” wrench or socket.
DO NOT STAND IN THE ENERGY PATH. What has
happened, is that some piece of debris larger than the .047”
orifice (that is indicated by the SUN Hydraulics part number)
has blocked the pressure behind the piston from relieving. As
you remove it, the cartridge will likely eject with a loud ‘pop’
and a stream of oil. Once removed, clean the valve with brake
cleaner, beat the end of it on a solid surface, and re-insert it to
see if that cleared up the issue. Don’t forget to place the 3-
position valve back in Run. If the issue persists, replace the
valve.

(3) HYDRAULIC ISSUE: CLAMP PISTON TRIES TO

ENGAGE, BUT BACKS OFF—Go to the grabber assembly’s
small clamp manifold and locate the clamp piston’s pilot-to-
close check valve (SUN P/N CODA-XCN or NOV P/N 94537-
130N) that is screwed into the recessed part of the housing,
next to the flow control valve described above. LOTO, bleed
off TD system pressure at the 3-position valve on the main
manifold by placing the handle in Shutdown position, and
remove the cartridge with a 7/8” socket. Beat on the valve and
clean it with brake cleaner, then re-install it, place the 3-
position valve back into Run mode, energize the TD and see if
the piston extends as it should. If not, replace the cartridge.

(4) HYDRAULIC ISSUE: RLA CONTINUES ROTATING

DURING MAKEUP / BREAKOUT FUNCTION—The shot
pin isn’t ‘finding’ a hole. You have either one or two clogged
orifices at the main manifold. Here’s the fix. LOTO and
relieve hyd pressure at the TD by placing the 3-position valve
into Shutdown mode. Now, when looking at the outside of the
main manifold with all of the manual SOV buttons facing you,
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 look at the right side of the manifold. There is one steel line
coming from behind the manifold, that connects to a port
marked ‘A5’. Disconnect that steel line. This next part is
important: the fitting that the steel line screwed into is not an
ordinary fitting. It is a .031 flow control orifice. When you
remove it, ASSUME THERE IS TRAPPED PRESSURE
BEHIND IT, so stand to the side. Have someone else on the
other side, if possible, playing catcher with a bucket. When the
orifice is removed, take it into the doghouse and inspect it.
Look for debris that is stuck in one side of the orifice, and dig
it out with a paperclip, safety wire or needle. Spray the orifice
out with brake cleaner and shake it dry. When working
properly, you should be able to blow hard through one side of
the fitting (yes, with your mouth), then blow hard through the
other side of the fitting, and feel a small poppet shift against a
spring. It should be slightly harder to blow through one side
than the other, because there is an internal 5PSI bypass. When
it is clogged, it will be impossible or near impossible to blow
through the fitting. Replace the fitting in its place, re-connect
the hard line, and then look for an identical orifice at port B5,
located under the main manifold, closer to the RLA gear in the
same cross-sectional vicinity of the manifold. You will need to
remove two lines, I believe, to get to the orifice fitting. Repeat
the cleaning process and re-install. It is possible for these to
fail, so get a couple to keep in your spares (NOV P/N
1286936035). Be careful when purchasing from a 3rd-party
source (besides NOV), because sometimes they will look the
same, feel the same, and not work. Place the 3-postion valve
back into Run mode, energize the TD, and attempt connections
again.

20. STAND JUMP DOESN’T WORK

(1) YOURS AND EVERYBODY ELSE’S—Live with it. Just

kidding.
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 (2) Short answer: manually test SJ solenoid, if it doesn’t work,
adjust cartridge valve PCC to 1,400 on main manifold while
viewing gauge connected to test port PCC. Long answer: if
this doesn’t work, follow the long procedure outlined in the
hydraulic chapter of the TDS-11 Service Manual.

(3) If manual test of solenoid does work, and the SJ function

doesn’t work only when actuated from the Driller’s controls,
then an electrical issue exists. Check terminal 59 in the J-box
when SJ is actuated from the console / Driller’s chair to see if
24V is making its way to the solenoid. If voltage is not
arriving at the J-Box and no other functions are affected, then
run a spare in the 42-pin. Remove the inside (LHS) wire from
terminal 59 in the J-box, and move it to any open terminal
between T35 and T39 that has a corresponding 42-pin wire on
the other side of the terminal. Note the wire number of the new
42-pin wire you’re using. Then in the VFD house, do the same
thing. Remove the top side (or I/O side) wire from the terminal
which holds 42-pin wire 22 on the opposite side. Replace the
I/O side wire in the empty terminals that are across from the
new 42-pin wire you’re using in the J-box (as above, so
below). If the solenoid is suspect, test it using the procedures
outlined in SCENARIO 14(1), to test the SJ solenoid at T59
and T60.

21. DAMAGED HYDRAULIC LINES BEHIND TOP DRIVE

This is a crappy situation that happens sometimes, when your TD travels

too close to the track (this, by the way, is usually a bogey roller bushing
issue, or a roller issue). If the steel line(s) are smashed flat and leaking,
you’ll need to rig down and replace them. If a low section of tubing has
rubbed a hole in the line, however, and the tubing above looks to be
okay (use a bright flashlight to inspect), then do this:

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(1) Have someone start calling your local hydraulic supply places
to locate a high-pressure compression union for the size of line
that’s damaged, and a custom hose that makes up to one side of
that union, with a JIC female fitting on the other end of that
hose—tell them what length you need. Get two unions. Then
get the order hot-shotted ASAP, and have the hotshot driver
bring a battery-operated Dremel with a quick-disconnect head
and some QD metal cutting discs (or an air-operated die
grinder with thin cut discs, if you don’t have one on the rig). If
you want to try to improve track standoff, now is also the time
to get two bogey roller assemblies and / or bogey bushings
coming as well.

(2) Remove both pins and the swing gate (front stabilizer) of the
grabber box.

(3) Remove the LT links / bails.

(4) Remove both Rotary Table bushings.

(5) Basket a strap through the front of the grabber assembly and
pick up with the floor hoist whose chain / cable is centered on
the TD until the grabber has slid up the PipeHandler torque
tube, and the torque tube begins to kick out toward the
mousehole.

(6) Energize the Drawworks. Using solid, clear communication,

have the Driller slowly lower the blocks while carefully
manipulating the floor hoist (lower as well), to get the TD as
low as possible. WATCH THE LINK TILT MANIFOLD, as
your lowering operation is limited to the point where either
you’re about to smash a line / fitting coming out of this
manifold, or you’re about to smash the manifold itself. You
can kiss the manifold gently, but that’s it (don’t worry, the
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 manifolds are robust… I’m not gonna lie, I’ve seen the that
manifold hold the weight of the TD with that torque tube
jacked into it with no issues… but we don’t operate like that.
Let’s exercise great caution). Note: Performing steps 2
through 6 is also the best way to reduce downtime when
waiting on a tech to come change a drill motor, as the tech will
need to reach the back bottom motor mount bolts first.

(7) At this point, you should have the steel line damage right in
front of you. Do something to mitigate the leak until your
compression union arrives (stuff an oversized O-ring in the
hole and tape the hell out of it, or wrap the tube tightly with
Teflon, etc.). Since the hole is already leaking, you don’t need
to relieve TD hydraulic pressure at the main manifold. If it’s a
pump supply line that’s damaged, doing so would only increase
the gravity pressure and amount of fluid in the tank that feeds
that line.

(8) Now’s the time to remove and replace those lower bogey roller
assemblies, or remove the ones you’ve got and replace the
bushings. Two 24” pipe wrenches or one and a 3” hammer
wrench.

(9) Have someone stand next to you with the steel-line end of the
union loosened or disassembled. Quickly and smartly cut the
steel line, as clean and perpendicular as possible. You will get
sprayed in the face with gravity-fed fluid. Immediately but
deliberately install the fitting and tighten it—don’t drop the
pieces. Remove the lower half of the severed steel line and
connect the union’s hose in its place. May seem like a hokey
fix, but it will work great. These unions are typically rated
between 5,000 and 6,000 PSI. Side note: JB Weld makes a 2-
part epoxy that is rated at 5,000+ PSI. If you’re stuck in the
Congo and you need to patch a high-pressure hydraulic line
for your airplane’s rudder boost package, it works. Just
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 sayin’… sometimes you have to trust the design engineer’s
ratings.

(10) Re-assemble the TD / RT and get back to work.

22. OIL CONTAMINATION

(1) HYDRAULIC SYSTEM – If sand, dirt, or mechanical debris is

found in oil, you need to stop using the Top Drive. Get a
hydraulic specialist on location who knows how to evacuate all
lines, manifolds, and actuators. It will be messy and you’ll be
down for a day. Otherwise, the cost will be high. If rubber or
plastic pieces are found across random samples, they may clog
your cartridge valves and orifices, but you can possibly clear
most of the debris through a number of oil and filter changes,
recycling your oil into a clean barrel through a kidney loop
filtration system. If water is present in your oil—which causes
the oil to look milky and often yellowish, change the oil and
filter at earliest convenience.

(2) GEARBOX LUBRICATION SYSTEM — Gear oil is more

forgiving. Mild metallic contamination is not a game-ender,
and is relatively common as you near the end of a five-year
cycle between re-certifications. Look out for hard, shiny
metallic flake, which is indicative of bearing failure. If you see
a lot of this, with the gear oil drained, open the ODS access
plate and feel around for larger pieces of metal. If discovered,
get an expert headed to your rig for further inspection. If,
when you drain gear oil, it looks like chocolate milk, be sure to
note how much oil is removed. The gearbox is serviced with
15 gallons. So if, for example, you remove 30 gallons of
water-contaminated oil, the water is being injected under the
swivel pack. Remove the swivel pack and the rubber boot
(mud / splash guard, bearing shield) beneath it (NOV P/N
30154362), then remove & replace the upper bearing isolator
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 (NOV P/N 30173521). Best done with a qualified technician.
Similarly, if your oil quantity is excessively high, but it is not
contaminated—only thinner than gear oil usually feels—then
you have hydraulic oil intrusion. This happens when two
related failures occur. First, the front seal of your TD’s gear
lube motor fails, pushing hydraulic oil under pressure into the
dry-spline connection plenum of the gear lube pump plate;
second, that hydraulic oil under pressure breaks the front seal
of the gear lube pump, allowing hydraulic fluid to enter into the
gearbox. You can live with the lube pump seal failure.
Replace the gear lube hydraulic motor (NOV P/N 30156326-
36S… I believe they have a different P/N for a cheaper
replacement these days, ask NOV about it—or order Eaton P/N
101-1722-009).

23. TOP DRIVE ALIGNMENT ISSUES

(1) WELL CENTER MISALIGNMENT – The alignment disparity

is growing wider. First, you can adjust the setback and side-
side alignment of the intermediate tieback assembly (along the
torque crossbeam). Second, is your rig level? Has it shifted?
Double check. On rig up, you should have shot a laser from
the center of the rig floor to the front edge of the crown. Now
is the time to do it again. Same position?

(2) TRACK, CARRIAGE AND DOLLY ISSUES—Next question,

have you found bearing material on the rig floor? If so, your
track rollers are coming apart. If you don’t have a track, did
your dolly throw a guide pad, or are your guide pads
excessively worn? Worn guide pads, or worn rollers and
bogey assembly bushings are best indicated by a significant
shift in TD stem-to-well center alignment when the IBOP is
moved, the RLA rotates, and especially when the elevators are
kicked out. The failure or wear of bogey rollers and bushings
can also contribute to the incident of TD rubbing on the track,
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 which can cause damage in a number of ways, the least of
which is the TD snagging on a flared section of track while
traveling up or down in the derrick. Track inspections are
paramount. For TDS-11’s that have been modified to travel on
a track with guide runners in lieu of rollers, the pre-rig-up track
inspection is even more critical.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The TDS-11 Carriage is made up of

two parts, DS and ODS. These carriage assemblies are what
hold the bogey assemblies which contain your track rollers. If
damage was sustained to the TD—such as crown-out, board
strike or dropped blocks—the carriage assemblies will often
shear bolts, until one or both assemblies are held in place by a
single bolt each, or a roll pin, or Jesus. If your Top Drive is
traveling in any way that appears abnormal, STOP, and inspect
the carriage assemblies. These have fallen from the sky and
they will absolutely kill your Floorhands. I still recommend
aftermarket secondary retention of both carriages, after some of
the scary field calls I’ve encountered relating to these
components.

24. SWIVEL PACK ISSUES

(1) SWIVEL PACK LEAKING – Re-pack it. Inspect wash pipe

for corrosion, pitting, or other damage.

(2) DRILL FLUID LEAKING OR SPRAYING FROM UNDER

SWIVEL PACK – PolyPak seal failure. Call and order a new
PolyPak seal (NOV P/N 98291). Remove swivel pack and
rubber bearing shield. In the top of the quill is an insert with a
cutout for prying on either side. Pry up with a big flathead
screwdriver, small pry bar, small flat bar or crow’s foot. Have
the Driller rotate the quill slowly. Pry up on the other side.
Continue this process, with the Driller rotating and stopping
rotation as you pry up on the Upper Stem Liner. Once it’s out,
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 make note of the slight bevel; the upper part of the seal has a
slightly larger OD that the lower part. Remove & replace the
seal, hammer the Upper Stem Liner back into place, then re-
install bearing shield and swivel pack.

(3) SWIVEL PACK NUTS / UNIONS WON’T MAKE / BREAK

– Both the top and bottom are reverse-threaded. Lefty-tighty,
righty-loosey.

(4) SWIVEL PACK HAMMER UNIONS ARE BOTH LOOSE,

BUT SWIVEL PACK CANNOT BE REMOVED – Remember
that mud screen we lost a while back? … “Found it.” Remove
the well service / wireline cap from the top of the Gooseneck.
Use a 5 foot bar and a sledge to pound the screen down out of
it’s bent position in the curvature of the Gooseneck. Make sure
your IBOP’s open.

25. TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS

(1) SAFETY FIRST – Every person on a drilling rig is a deputized

safety observer with STOP WORK AUTHORITY AND
RESPONSIBILITY. It is our #1 duty to keep ourselves and
others safe, so maintain 360° dynamic safety awareness at all
times. If you see something, say something. When
troubleshooting, always consider not just the basic components
of a JSA / JRA / safety conversation (PPE, pinch points, slips /
trips / falls, fall protection, overhead hazards, entrapment,
rotating equipment, tool control, hand placement,
communication, alarm signals, H2S, permit work, first aid &
emergency plan, contingencies, etc.), but also the types of
energy, energy paths and their potential. As outlined in the
disclaimer at the beginning of this book, this is a technical
document, not a safety document. In every lesson, in every
troubleshooting scenario, it is inferred that we all must adhere,
AT A MINIMUM, to the HSE rules and guidelines set forth by
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 the drilling contractor, oil / gas operator, and third-party
companies for which we work, in addition to OSHA, API,
IADC / CAODC, and other organizations of oversight that are
relevant to our job and / or working environment.

(2) USE ALL YOUR SENSES AND SOURCES – When

troubleshooting, don’t just rely on what you can see. Sound,
smell, feel, and even taste are important to determining failures
and fixes. And it is critical that we listen to what others have
to offer, because keeping a rig running right is a team effort.
Ask questions. Debate theories. Offer opinions.
Compartmentalize stress, as all downtime situations become
increasingly stressful with time. Stay sharp, stay calm.

(3) DEPOT-LEVEL FAILURES & CRITICAL VIOLATIONS –

When a major failure is discovered, or when a major incident
occurs which may reasonably have caused failure, be very
thorough in your inspection processes; lives depend on it. If
anyone decides to operate a TD or any piece of equipment—or
use any tool—that has failed NDT or other inspection, that has
exceeded its OEM design factor / mechanical limitations / Safe
Working Load, or safety devices which have expired
certification or display illegible data, that’s your time to
exercise Stop Work Authority, and to report violations of those
who proceed.

(4) ON AUTHORIZATION AND PERMISSIONS – The

troubleshooting scenarios contained herein are for instructional
purposes only, and though this is designed as a certification
course, it does not empower anyone to act outside of the
accordance under which they are employed. This information
is intended to enhance knowledge and encourage participation
in troubleshooting and repair only to the extent that the reader’s
employer and all site supervisors allow. Knowledge and
training are conversely proportional to risk, for the more we
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know about something—in this case, the TDS-11 Top Drive—
the less susceptible we are to being endangered by it.

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CHAPTER 17
OVERVIEW OF
MAJOR TDS-11
REPAIRS

315
 CHAPTER 17:
Overview of Major TDS-11 Repairs

In this section, we will learn the following:

1. Best practices common to all major jobs

2. Drill motor removal and replacement overview
3. RLA removal and replacement overview
4. Load path component inspection
5. Shop vs. field considerations (throughout)

Note: quill removal and replacement (which encompasses gearbox

component R&R) was omitted from this segment because it will only be
performed at a depot-level facility, ideally one with a gearbox stand and
a bored area where the quill can pass through the ground. If you are
undertaking this project and need phone support, call 24/7. – Matty
910-381-0876.

1. Best Practices – In order to make any big job progress in the most
efficient way possible, follow these steps. They will make the job
flow smoothly from start to finish, without pauses:

A. Dedicate 30 minutes to having a good pre-job meeting. In

addition to basic JSA / JRA topics, identify essential personnel
– those selected to perform the work or provide safety watch.
Ensure that non-essential personnel keep clear of the work
area. Establish a system of communication and identify who
will be communicating. Stress the importance of tool control
and dynamic (on-the-move) 360° risk assessment. Designate
one person during the job who will have the singular
responsibility of tool control, and discuss the tools that will be
needed for the job as s/he takes notes. During the meeting,
make a plan to have at least two more meetings (typically, I
will hold three meetings for a job: one to cover the basics of
the whole job and identify tasks during teardown / removal;
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 one before re-assembly; and one end-of-job / turnaround /
handover meeting). This next part is important: during your
meeting, talk about the human factor and the trends of a big
job. ALMOST ALWAYS, there is a great team effort on the
disassembly / teardown process. Then there is a long pause
when disassembly is complete, and the re-assembly process is
the slow effort of 50% of the workers. So address this up-
front. During the transition period, that’s when to break out the
music, power snacks and coffee. Plan for a quick break, re-
assembly meeting, and attack the second half of the job with as
much vigor and enthusiasm as during the first half. If there are
enough personnel, assign every working person a mirror who
watches and supports, then have this two-person team swap
roles during the second half. Before dismissing everyone from
the meeting, designate a time-keeper, and require all hands
(including non-essential personnel) to stick around and work
for 30 minutes when the meeting concludes.

B. Immediately after conclusion of the pre-job meeting, have the

time-keeper set his watch for 30 minutes. In the field, the
Driller is a good designee. Then, all hands will begin cleaning
the working area thoroughly for the given time.

C. When the cleaning is done, designate a space for tools and a

space for parts. Have clean buckets available for small parts
and hardware, and clean buckets available for fluid capture.
Have the tool control hand obtain rags, soapy water, and brake
cleaner / electrical cleaner, then have him / her set up the tool
control area. Always have multiple common tools on hand,
such as cutters and commonly-used wrenches. The tool control
person will be busy handing and taking tools, cleaning them
and placing them back in order for quick access. This person
will also maintain a running overhead tool log.

D. If the Top Drive is not in position to get started with the work,
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 now is the time to get it there, IAW (in accordance with) your
pre-job plan. Once in place, get to work.

E. At the end of the first phase of work, have a brief meeting to

check on everybody and explain the next steps of the job. Fuel
up with some healthy high-energy snacks, make personnel
changes as required, and plan for proper handover during tour
changes if in the field (keep everyone from disappearing like
roaches when the lights come on at 6). Immediately begin
phase 2 of work.

F. At the end of the job, have multiple personnel look the

equipment over from multiple angles, to ensure all parts are
properly assembled, hardware is firmly secured and safety-
wired, wires are properly terminated, and tools are turned in.
Have the tool control person check the count on tools and
visually verify ATAF (“A-taff” …All Tools Accounted For).
Hold a post-assembly meeting and discuss what to look / listen
for during runout.

G. Begin function test. Look / listen / smell for deficiencies.

Complete function test. Begin 6- / 12- / 24- / 48-hour
endurance test as required. In an endurance test, the equipment
is run continuously to simulate different stages of operation (in
the case of the Top Drive, drilling & tripping). If the unit fails
in any way during the endurance test, the unit is LOTO,
repaired, and the endurance test begins again at zero. In a 48-
hour run test—as required during commissioning by major oil
& gas operators—the Top Drive has run for 48 continuous
hours, according to a schedule, without a fault or failure.

2. R&R Drill Motor Overview – This is one of the most common major
repairs. The gist is to (1) remove everything attached to the motor, (2)
unbolt it from the Top Drive, and (3) pull it upward out of the gearbox
(or sideways, if the TD is laid over). We’ll cover those three main steps
318
in a moment, but first, here are some important considerations, a few of
which are listed in case you have time to prepare for such a job in
advance.

A. The motors are not identical. The two are clocked differently,
designated ‘Right’ and ‘Left’ as viewed when looking at the
swivel pack. So when you need one, be sure to specify which.

B. Unless you have a newer track-mounted TDS-11, with man-

passable space between the motors and the track (wide carriage
assemblies), it will be very helpful to have a couple specialty
wrenches built, for installation and removal of the upper track-
side mounting bolts. A dimensional drawing is included at the
end of Chapter 5 in this book (figure 5.1).

C. You can shave three hours off a field motor swap if you have a
fully-assembled ‘quick change’ motor ready for each side.
This entails taking a traction motor, adding a brake adapter
plate, then assembling the brakes, encoder or heat exchanger,
blower shroud and duct, blower impeller and blower motor to
complete the unit. Otherwise, these will be removed from the
old drill motor and installed on the new drill motor in the field.

D. Invest in a couple new lifting straps or slings to be used for

motor swaps. 3” x 12’ (can be wider / longer), with an SWL of
10,000 pounds or better in basket configuration.

E. These days, there are several aftermarket manufacturers that

supply new and upgraded motors. Within this competitive
landscape are a variety of options related to hookup / wire
termination and blower style. Make sure that the motor you
order is compatible with your setup, or have an electrician
handy with some lugs, crimpers, and a new set of (3) power
pigtails to adapt accordingly in the field.

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 F. Motor re-conditioning decisions are important as well. You
can save money by sending your motors up north, where a
clean, dip and bake for a couple grand, or a complete re-wind
(hand-wound, choice of wire, VPI [vacuum-pressure
impregnation] epoxy, 3M low-heat rubber coating and
upgraded bearings) will cost you $22K. Compare that to the
West Texas standard of $10K for basic conditioning or $30K+
for a complete rewind. If you have two or three burned up
motors, the savings here are self-evident. Of course, there are
many options and preferences available today, such as triangle
wire, form-wound armature stators, a variety of termination
options, and add-in resistors.

Here are the main steps… an asterisk (*) is used preceding tips for
challenging parts of the job.

A. First, stage the Top Drive for ease of access to the inside lower
back bolt of the motor. There are three known ways to do this:
(1) leave the TD in any position, and use a 4’ long extension
and heavy impact to reach and break the bolt free of its wire
tie… easier shown than explained, and there are several
drawbacks to doing this; (2) split the track sections to access
the bolt between them… sounds good on paper but a pain in
the ass; and (3) dropping the TD into the Rotary Table (my
personal preference). For instructions on doing the latter, see
Chapter 16, Scenario 21 (2) through (6).

B. Have two or three hands remove safety wire from upper access
plates on the motor, and from each of the eight mounting bolts.
When finished, they can start to remove the bottom mount
bolts* using a 1-1/8” socket, and the side mount bolts** using
an 1-1/2” wrench. *For the inside back bottom mounting bolt,
see part ‘A’ above. For the front bottom mounting bolt, with
one hand, place a 1-1/8” socket on the bolt head from inside
the bonnet, behind the swivel pack. Then insert a long
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 extension—or preferably two—with a universal swivel adapter
into the socket from outside of the bonnet (the crack between
the bonnet and the motor). **For the rear side mount bolts,
which are higher on the motor and screw into the protective
frame surrounding the hydraulic reservoir, use a 1-1/2”
specialty wrench (figure 5.1 of this book). Disconnect the
motor ground cable, usually found in the vicinity of one of the
outside bottom mount bolts.

C. Remove the blower pigtail from the blower motor. A detailed

description of how to do this is given in Chapter 16, Scenario
8(6), second paragraph.

D. Remove the 1/4” steel tube from the blower pressure switch.
Then—keeping the wire connected—disconnect the blower
pressure switch from the TD using a 7/16” wrench.

E. Remove the blower duct or ‘downspout’. Leaving the wires in

their glands, disconnect the back plate (where cables pass
through) using a 1/2" wrench or ratchet / impact

F. Remove the four bottom-mount bolts* that secure the drill

motor to the main body / gearbox lid.

G. Remove the brake line from the back of the brake adapter
plate.

H. For a left drill motor, disconnect the steel line that connects
under the prefill valve manifold, just above the reservoir (1-
1/4” wrench). Disconnect the other end of that line, in the
vicinity of the hydraulic pressure filter. Disconnect the inlet
and outlet lines of the heat exchanger at the back of the brake
adapter plate. On the adapter plate, turn 90° fittings face-down
when removing the motor, face-up when installing (to prevent
snagging).
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I. For a right drill motor, disconnect the encoder and remove the
encoder pigtail from the motor. Usually this is done by
grinding the edge off both the motor and the brake adapter plate
hole where the cable passes through, otherwise, disconnect the
encoder pigtail at the J-box and pull it out from the plug end.

J. If the plug panel is installed on the motor you’re removing,

disconnect all five plugs. Choke a small strap against one
corner of the safety bar on the plug panel, and use a hoist to pull
slight tension. Then, using a 3/4" wrench or socket, remove the
two upper and two lower bolts that attach the plug panel to the
motor. Tie the panel back and away from the motor.

J. Disconnect the three leads from inside the motor. Disconnect

the RTD / heater pigtail from the terminal block inside the side
access plate of the motor. Leave the wires on the other side of
the terminal block connected (the ones that go into the motor).

K. Pull the back motor plate toward the track, the one with the
cables passing through it. Pull it away and tie it to the track (if
applicable). Make sure all the cables are free from the drill
motor and dangling outside of it.

L. Have someone retrieve a couple of railroad ties and 4x4’s to

place flatly / parallel on the rig floor. Optimally, we will stand
the old motor and the new motor up on these tracks, side-by-
side and in the same orientation. That way, we can remove
fittings and blower / brake components from one and install
them onto the other with ease. This can be done on the catwalk
or on the ground as well, but it is less efficient.

M. Pass a long, serviceable 3” or 4” strap through the front and

rear open access windows of the drill motor. Pass the rotor on
the opposite side of the termination block. Attach a hoist to the
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 basket-configured strap ends above the blower motor and raise
the hoist until slack is removed. The strap should be centered
on the motor access windows, and pushed up against the rotor
on the inside of the motor. The hoist used should be the one
which offers best vertical pull (DS hoist for DS motor, ODS
hoist for ODS motor). Make sure the hoist is behind the
traveling block.

N. Check the unit over for potential snag points. Ensure that all
eight mounting bolts are removed, and all accessories are free
and clear of the vertical path of the motor during removal /
installation.

O. Have a brief meeting with everyone to discuss the next steps.

During the pluck, one person should be standing on the
gearbox, being especially mindful of the pinch point created by
the motor and the bail. This person is to keep the motor from
swinging out toward the V-door. Another should be on a
ladder, slightly aside from the bottom of the motor, with a
tagline ready. If the motor being pulled is the left motor, this
person will pull out on the loose steel tube that is under the
brake adapter plate, so that there is no danger of tube damage
when the motor jumps up. Finally, a third person should be on
top of the TD, standing aside near the opposite motor (or sitting
on the opposite motor and pushing against the blower motor in
a rocking fashion to break the seal as tension is pulled). The
hoist operator must be in crystal clear understanding that once
the seal pops, he stops (hands off the controls). The rest of the
procedure will be an operation of finesse.

P. Pick up slowly on the motor until there is approximately a 4”

gap between the bottom of the motor and the gearbox. The
pinion gear will still be in the hole of the gearbox lid, keeping
the motor from swinging away. At this point, the person on top
should be holding the strap, the person on the gearbox should
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 be steadying the motor with one arm, and the person on the
ladder should now sling the latch end of the tagline around the
pinion gear without placing a hand underneath the load. Use a
screwdriver or Channel Locks if desired. Choke the tagline in
the space above the pinion gear and hand it off. The lower
person will now descend the ladder and move the ladder out of
the way. Lower the motor to wherever you decided to work on
it. There are long, thin spacing shims that may have fell off
when the motor was removed, have someone locate and collect
them, making certain that none dropped into the gearbox.
Remove the large O-ring from the bottom of the motor before
setting it in place, in case a replacement did not come with the
new motor (even without an O-ring, a thin bead of silicone
works… remember, only 33 pounds of pressure in the case at
best, and oil does not collect near the motor except when the
TD is laid over).

Q. Have one person clean up the area on the TD where the new
motor will be stabbed. Place cardboard over the hole to
prevent debris or rain intrusion into the gearbox. At the same
time, have two or three people work on swapping over the
blower and brake components to the new motor, along with
adapter plate fittings if required.

R. When the new motor is prepped and ready to install, hold a

brief safety meeting. Focus on re-energizing the crew for the
next part of the job. Swap personnel to keep everyone fresh, if
required. Of course, this entire job can be performed by one
man… but it is the least efficient option; three more personnel
make the difference between a five-hour job and a fourteen-
hour job.

S. Installation is in reverse. Don’t forget to install the O-ring

underneath the motor—hold it in place with red grease. Also,
when installing the motor, it will usually stab to the point that it
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 is 1/8” from being fully inserted. The motor will need to be
wiggled and twisted to drop until the mating surfaces are
touching. When re-installing wires, refer to the electrical
schematic if the wires are not labeled. Keep the power leads
away from the rotor when they are terminated (use the installed
loop to pass them through). Presumably, you’ll have an
electrician on site. When the job is complete, conduct a Motor
ID Run if you have an ABB Drive (see the ACS800 Firmware
Manual for simple instructions), or conduct Auto-
Parameterization if you have a Siemens Drive (see the
SIMOVERT Compendium). If you are experiencing issues on
runout, refer to Chapter 13 or Chapter 16 in this book.

Shop Considerations – In many ways, this is an easier process than in

the field. There are two ways to do it: (1) remove the bail, or (2) prop
the bail up with wood blocks on the opposite motor, and work around it.
I usually just work around it, but the challenge is to install and remove
straps as you are doing so. Removing the bail can be its own monster
sometimes… if the bail pin(s) and or bushing(s) are seized, you’ll need a
big rosebud and potentially a lot of heat, and the biggest port-a-power +
pass-through jack that you can get your hands on. And patience, while
you work the bail up and down. I’ve seen a shop refrigerator get
demolished by a pin that flew twelve feet, and I’ve taken a Top Drive
into Bridges Equipment to have the bail bushings reamed out on a
humongous mill for 12 hours.

When it comes to strapping the motor while it’s laid over, you can try to
work a strap around the lower body of the motor—a really tight fit—or
(if the bail is removed) you can just remove the vent cover that’s facing
up and the motor access panel where the leads connect, and choke straps
around the upper and lower ends of the rotor for lifting. Drain the
gearbox before removing the motor, at least a couple buckets’ worth.

3. R&R RLA Overview

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Note: for field removal, this procedure will require an RLA stand. Call
Magic Industries (Victoria or Midland, TX), FEMCO Machine
(Punxsutawney, PA), Faber Fab (Lock Haven, PA), GDS International /
Premium (Houston or Odessa, TX), or KAT Machine (OKC).
Otherwise, borrow one from a friendly competitor.

A. Remove the elevator links. Remove tool joint clamps and

break the quill out of the upper IBOP. Remove a front
stabilizer hinge pin from the grabber box and swing the gate
open. Remove the external crank assemblies from the IBOP
actuator sleeve, pull back on the pipe handler and hammer
down on the sleeve to remove it. Do not deform the sleeve. If
it is not moving easily, grind down the die tooth marks on the
quill to allow smooth travel; you’ll need to do this either way
before removing the RLA.

B. Regardless of whether the RLA will be removed in the shop or

in the field, while still in the field, place the 3-position valve at
the main hydraulic manifold into SHUTDOWN mode. Drain
the hydraulic reservoir and the gearbox. If this is a re-seal job
and not an RLA swap, soak the new seals in clean (new)
hydraulic oil.

C. Remove the link tilt cylinders. Remove the LT crank or

‘turtleback’ that the link tilt cylinders attach to. Disconnect the
hydraulic hoses going to the grabber’s clamp manifold and to
the IBOP cylinder. Finally, remove the pipe handler assembly
from the RLA, being careful not to snag the hoses that pass
through the top of the PH (feed / route them through).

D. Remove the shot pin assembly. See Chapter 16, Scenario

17(1).

E. Mark and remove all steel lines above the RLA (the ones which
attach either to the RLA or to the shot pin assembly). Mark the
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 tubes and associated fittings using colored zip ties, or using
safety wire (one wire to one wire, two wires to two wires, etc.)
When this is going back together, you’ll want to re-install the
lines in reverse order that you removed them, which generally
means you’ll start installing nearest to the HPU and working
your way forward (or up, if the TD is laying over).

F. Remove the load collar assembly under the RLA. The

assembly consists of two ribbed clamshells that fit into
corresponding grooves on the quill. These are held in place by
an outer cover, which is the first piece you’ll remove.

G. If the TD is in the derrick, position the RLA stand under the

TD and stab the quill through it. Lock the RLA into the stand
with pins used for the pipe handler assembly. If so equipped,
lock the stand into the RT or adjust the leveling jacks so that
the stand matches the angle of the TD quill as closely as
possible. Set 1,000 pounds on the stand per the weight
indicator.

H. Using a paint marker, mark the edge of the RLA and main
body of the TD (gearbox) where they meet. You’ll need to
transfer this marking to the new RLA if it’s being swapped
(and you’re not just re-sealing the old one), so mark it in a
conspicuous place. Some RLA’s have a line etched at the
center. Begin removing the tie wire and bolts that connect the
RLA to the gearbox. Verify that the quill is buffed smooth,
and apply a light coat of grease to the quill.

I. With all bolts removed, hold a brief meeting to explain the need
for close safety observation on all sides. When the meeting
concludes, have the Driller pick up slowly on the blocks.
Have the Driller pause periodically to maneuver the RLA using
the stand’s leveling jacks, if applicable, so that the quill remains
centralized as it raises out of the RLA. It’s like playing the
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 game of Operation. If the TD is laid over, the RLA is hoisted
using straps that are firmly choked on the meaty portion of each
RLA ear to maintain balance. A hand can use a 5’ bar through
one of the ears to maintain positioning control if doing this
using a shop crane or forklift. Make sure the forklift is
perfectly centered and parallel to the long axis of the quill.

J. With the RLA removed, place it on a level surface. If it is to be

re-sealed, the stem and RLA gear will need to be removed from
the main body. To do this, note the position of each fitting
above the RLA gear. Remove the fittings, remove the safety
wire and bolts, and using a 3-leg chain that is equally spaced on
the RLA gear holes, pull up on the gear / stem until this
subassembly is removed from the main body. You can now
access the primary seals inside the main body. To replace stem
seals, you must two-point the chain and roll the RLA over 180°
onto soft matting or wooden blocks, so that the gear is on the
bottom and the stem is sticking up. Remove the big snap ring
and heat the retaining ring evenly to just over 240° Fahrenheit.
The ring will remove with a few soft taps, and then the RLA
gear can be removed. Remember, when referring to the TDP
for correct positioning of new seals, that the stem is upside-
down and your drawing is right side up.

K. Installation of the RLA / button up is in reverse order, steps J

through A. The most important parts of re-assembly are: (1)
do not crease the main 10” seals when installing them into the
main body; (2) use extreme care when stabbing back onto the
quill, so as not to damage the lower oil seal; and (3) maintain
same positioning of RLA during reinstallation as during
removal. Fill fluids to proper levels and make sure 3-position
valve on main manifold is back in the RUN position. Function
test and perform endurance test as required. Note: when
possible after a re-seal job, pressure test each circuit to at least
1,000 PSI. This will spare the headache of discovering a leak
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 after reinstallation.

4. Load Path Component Inspections – Post-incident inspections, per

IADC, API and manufacturer guidelines, requires a non-destructive
inspection of the following critical load path items on the TDS-11.
Where distances and detailed areas of component inspection are not
specified, industry SOP’s are applied:

A. Load Collar – 100% MPI of clamshells;

B. Quill – MPI of quill that is visible under RLA + detailed thread

inspection; if surface anomaly < 1/2" is detected, conduct UT
inspection of visible section. If surface anomaly > 1/2” is
detected, remove the quill and conduct 100% UT. If thread
findings are outside of API profile, replace the quill.

C. RLA – MPI 100% of elevator link ears and latches, and main
body within two inches of ears;

D. Elevator Links – MPI 3’ from each end

E. Bail Pins – 100% MPI; and

F. Bail – MPI 2’ from each end and 3’ at the center.

Additionally, if TD is rigged down:

G. Track Pins – 100% MPI; if any pin is nonconformant, replace

all keeper pins;

H. Track – MPI all welds and pins 3’ from each end of each
section (4’ for Patterson-UTI rigs);

I. Hang-off Link / Dog Bone – 100% MPI;

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 J. Wishbone – 100% MPI;

K. Crown Lug – 100% MPI and 4” circumference on crown; and

L. Hang-off Shackles – 100% MPI.

Note: The US standard for MPI process is ASTM E709, Standard

Guide for Magnetic Particle Examination.

If any inspections are found to be nonconformant, the respective

components must be replaced, or repaired & recertified at an API 8C
facility.

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CHAPTER 18
STANDARDS
 CHAPTER 18:
STANDARDS

In this section, we will learn the following:

1. A brief history of standards in the oil & gas industry

2. API standards governing the TDS-11 Top Drive
3. API Categories of Inspection
4. Other standards applicable to the TDS-11

1. History – In 1919, the American Petroleum Institute was founded to

set standards for the oil and gas industry. Today, the institute has a
published standard for nearly every aspect of the industry, and is
globally recognized as the leader in O&G subject matter expertise.
Moreover, many companies within the industry have aligned
themselves with API, relative to the policies which govern day-to-day
work activities through a common quality program or quality
management system (QMS). These companies are aligned through
the institute’s quality registrar, or APIQR. Most often, their QMS are
registered under API Q1 and Q2, which are closely related to ISO
9001 and 14001 programs.

In addition to APIQR accreditation, the institute offers the API

Monogram program to oilfield equipment manufacturers who prove
that they follow the published standards of API when manufacturing
or re-certifying equipment. Successful standing within this program
allows the manufacturer to apply the API Monogram to their products
(basically, API’s seal of approval).

2. API Standards Governing the TDS-11 Top Drive – API typically

publishes two types of standards: Specifications, or ‘Specs’, and
Recommended Practices, or RP’s. The Specs are used to measure
conformance by Monogram Program manufacturers. The standard
which governs the manufacture and re-certification of Top Drives is
API Spec 8C: Drilling and Production Hoisting Equipment. This
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publication, in all actuality, is a collection of other pre-existing non-
API industrial standards… all of which are referenced in the
document.

The publication which offers guidelines for manufacturers and all

others alike is API RP 8B: Recommended Practice for Procedures
for Inspections, Maintenance, Repair, and Remanufacture of Hoisting
Equipment. Ironically, to date there is no published standard
specifically for Top Drives.

At the beginning of each API publication is a ‘Special Notes’ section,

which offers an invitation for suggested revisions to the publication
along with the institute’s contact information. In this section, it is
interesting to note that API does not assert their organization, or its
publications and standards, as the ‘end-all, be-all’ of oilfield best
practices, as illustrated by the following verbatim excerpts:

1. “API publications may be used by anyone desiring to do so.”

2. “The formulation and publication of API publications is not

intended in any way to inhibit anyone from using any other
practices.”

3. “Any manufacturer marking equipment or materials in

conformance with the marking requirements of an API standard
is solely responsible for complying with all the applicable
requirements of that standard. API does not represent, warrant,
or guarantee that such products do in fact conform to the
applicable API standard.”

4. “Users of this Specification should not rely exclusively on the

information contained in this document. Sound business,
scientific, engineering, and safety judgment should be used in
employing the information contained herein.”

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3. API Inspection Categories – In each API publication that covers
inspections, such as API RP 8B in the case of Top Drives, the
institute sets the standard for the different types of inspections to be
used within our industry. These categories are widely accepted as
gospel. They are as follows:

Category I: Observation of equipment during operation for

indications of inadequate performance.

Category II: Category I inspection, plus further inspection for

corrosion; deformation; loose or missing
components; deterioration; proper lubrication;
visible external cracks; and adjustment.

Category III: Category II inspection, plus further inspection,

which should include NDE of exposed critical
areas and may involve some disassembly to
access specific components and identify wear that
exceeds the manufacturer’s allowable tolerances.

Category IV: Category III inspection, plus further inspection

where the equipment is disassembled to the extent
necessary to conduct NDE of all primary load
carrying components as defined by the
manufacturer.

4. Other Standards Applicable to the TDS-11 – In addition to the

previously covered NOV publications and the API references in this
chapter, there are two common standards which may be applied to the
utilization, care, manufacture and re-certification of the TDS-11, and
Top Drives in general:

A. The IADC Drilling Manual – In fairness, I have read

Version 11, which was published in 2000, but only
excerpts of the current Version 12, which was published
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 in 2014. In V. 11, out of nearly 1,500 pages, only a
handful relate specifically to Top Drives, and then only
information specific to safety valves such as the IBOP,
tubulars / subs / shafts and other shouldered thread
connections, and load path items. V. 12 has a chapter on
automation and some newer references that relate to Top
Drives.

B. CAODC RP 2.0: Inspection and Certification of

Overhead Equipment (Drilling… RP 4.0 covers overhead
production equipment). Similar to the IADC Drilling
Manual, this standard’s scope with relation to Top Drives
concerns load path equipment. Until recently, all of the
2016 CAODC RPs were publicly available for download
through their web portal. The latest RP versions (2019
publications are now only accessible by members of the
Association.

CAODC guidelines promote Levels of Inspection that are

aligned closely with the four API Categories of
Inspection, however it is important to note that the
Association specifies the criteria of inspections and
inspectors with a little more detail.

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This concludes the 2020 TDS-11 30 Hour Maintenance Course. Thank
you for your participation! I hope that you found the information
contained herein to be advantageous and profitable not only to your
personal / professional development, but to the sustainability of your
company’s operations. For further information, please refer to the
materials included on your student thumb drive.

Corrections, suggestions, and general correspondence are encouraged.

Positive feedback for the course would be most appreciated. Please
contact me at mspeights@rigangel.com or mattyspeights@yahoo.com.
For 24/7 service, support, or training assistance call 910-381-0876.
Even if I am not working in the industry, I will offer phone support or
try to point you in the right direction. Between now and then, stay safe,
lead from the front, and keep turning to the right!

v/r

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