National Oilwell Varco 2010 Annual Report Download - page 7

Pipe Handling Tools. The Companys pipe handling tools are designed to enhance the safety, efficiency and reliability of pipe handling
operations. Many of these tools have provided innovative methods of performing the designated task through mechanization of functions
previously performed manually. The Rig Technology segment manufactures various tools used to grip, hold, raise, and lower pipe, and in the
making up and breaking out of drill pipe, workstrings, casing and production tubulars including spinning wrenches, manual tongs, torque
wrenches and kelly spinners.
Mud Pumps. Mud pumps are high pressure pumps located on the rig that force drilling mud down the drill pipe, through the drill bit, and up the
space between the drill pipe and the drilled formation (the annulus) back to the surface. These pumps, which generate pressures of up to 7,500
psi, must therefore be capable of displacing drilling fluids several thousand feet down and back up the well bore. The conventional mud pump
design, known as the triplex pump, uses three reciprocating pistons oriented horizontally. The Company has introduced the HEX Pump, which
uses six pumping cylinders, versus the three used in the triplex pump. Along with other design features, the greater number of cylinders reduces
pulsations (or surges) and increases the output available from a given footprint. Reduced pulsation is desirable where downhole measurement
equipment is being used during the drilling process, as is often the case in directional drilling.
Hoisting Systems. Hoisting systems are used to raise or lower the drill stem while drilling or tripping, and to lower casing into the wellbore. The
drawworks is the heart of the hoisting system. It is a large winch that spools off or takes in the drilling line, which is in turn connected to the drill
stem at the top of the derrick. The drawworks also plays an important role in keeping the weight on the drill bit at a desired level. This task is
particularly challenging on offshore drilling rigs, which are subject to wave motion. To address this, the Company has introduced the Active
Heave Drilling (AHD) Drawworks. The AHD Drawworks uses computer-controlled motors to compensate for the motion experienced in
offshore drilling operations.
Cranes. The Company provides a comprehensive range of crane solutions, with purpose-built products for all segments of the oil and gas
industry as well as many other markets. The Company encompasses a broad collection of brand names with international recognition, and
includes a large staff of engineers specializing in the design of cranes and related equipment. The product range extends from small
cargo-handling cranes to the worlds largest marine cranes. In all, the Company provides over twenty crane product lines that include standard
model configurations as well as custom-engineered and specialty cranes.
Motion Compensation Systems. Traditionally, motion compensation equipment is located on top of the drilling rig and serves to stabilize the bit
on the bottom of the hole, increasing drilling effectiveness of floating offshore rigs by compensating for wave and wind action. The AHD
Drawworks, discussed above, was introduced to eliminate weight and improve safety, removing the compensator from the top of the rig and
integrating it into the drawworks system. In addition to the AHD Drawworks, the Company has introduced an Active Heave Compensation
(AHC) System that goes beyond the capabilities of the AHD Drawworks to handle the most severe weather. Additionally, the Companys
tensioning systems provide continuous axial tension to the marine riser pipe (larger diameter pipe which connects floating drilling rigs to the well
on the ocean floor) and guide lines on floating drilling rigs, tension leg platforms and jack-up drilling rigs.
Blowout Preventers. BOPs are devices used to seal the space between the drill pipe and the borehole to prevent blowouts (uncontrolled flows of
formation fluids and gases to the surface). The Rig Technology segment manufactures a wide array of BOPs used in various situations. Ram and
annular BOPs are back-up devices that are activated only if other techniques for controlling pressure in the wellbore are inadequate. When
closed, these devices prevent normal rig operations. Ram BOPs seal the wellbore by hydraulically closing rams (thick heavy blocks of steel)
against each other across the wellbore. Specially designed packers seal around specific sizes of pipe in the wellbore, shear pipe in the wellbore or
close off an open hole. Annular BOPs seal the wellbore by hydraulically closing a rubber packing unit around the drill pipe or kelly or by sealing
against itself if nothing is in the hole. The Companys Pressure Control While Drilling (PCWD) ® BOP, introduced in 1995, allows operators
to drill at pressures up to 2,000 psi without interrupting normal operations, and can act as a normal spherical BOP at pressures up to 5,000 psi.
In 1998, the Company introduced the NXT® ram type BOP which eliminates door bolts, providing significant weight, rig-time, and space
savings. Its unique features make subsea operation more efficient through faster ram configuration changes without tripping the BOP stack. In
2004, the Company introduced the LXT, which features many of the design elements of the NXT®, but is targeted at the land market. In 2005, the
Company began commercializing technology related to a continuous circulation device. This device enables drilling contractors to make and
break drill pipe connections without stopping the circulation of drilling fluids, which helps increase drilling efficiency.
The new ShearMaxTM line of low force BOP shear rams released in 2010 add substantial tubular shearing capability to the Companys line of
pressure control equipment, including the capability to shear large drill pipe tool joints, previously unheard of in the industry. This innovative
shear blade design utilizes patented Puncture Technology to reduce the shearing pressures 50% or more and in some cases as much as five
times lower. The ShearMaxTM Blind shear provides a shear-and-seal design for drill pipe, while the Casing and TJC shears address casing up to
16 OD and most tool joints up to 2 wall thickness, respectively.
Derricks and Substructures. Drilling activities are carried out from a drilling rig. A drilling rig consists of one or two derricks; the substructure
that supports the derrick(s); and the rig package, which consists of the various pieces of equipment discussed above. Rig Technology designs,
fabricates and services derricks used in both onshore and offshore applications, and substructures used in onshore applications. The Rig
Technology segment also works with shipyards in the fabrication of substructures for offshore drilling rigs.
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