OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE

6200 North Central-EXpressway

Dallas, Texas 75206- . --

PAPER

NUMBER

OT C 1308

THIS IS A PREPRD:rT --- SUBJECT TO CORRECTION

Adaptation of Fixed Platform Rig Instrumentation

to Floating Vessels
By
Robert W. Ruhe and Phil Griffin, Dresser Magcobar

Copyright 1970
Offshore Technology Conference on behalf of American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and
Petroleum Engineers, Inc., The American Association of Petroleum Geologists, American Institute
of Chemical Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, The American Society of MechanicaL
Engineers, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., Marine Technology Society,
Society oLExploration Geophysicists, and Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers.
This paper was preparectfor presentation at the Second Annual Offshore Technology Conference
to be held in Houston;-Tex~~--Apr:i..l-22-24, 1970: Permissiorit6copy is restricted to an abstract
of not more than 300 words: IllustratiQns may not be copied. Such use of an abstract should
contain conspicuou~ acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented.

ABSTRACT

capabilities.
INTRODUCTION

Recent emphasis over pollution control

coupled with the increasing use of floating
vessels for oil and gas exploration in
deeper water pla~es even more responsibility
on the drilling crews. Rig instrumentation
has proved to be of tremendous value to the
crews in the performance of this duty.
Almost all instrumentation d~signed
for use on drilling rigs relates to a fixed
derrick operation with the various items
which are being measured or monitored being
the variables. Floating vessels which respond to wave action add a unique set of
problems to this existing instrumentation.
The use of bumper subs necessary to maintain
weight on bit, the use of riser pipe and
slip joints to allow mud returns back to
pits located on the vessel, and the roll,
pitch, and yaw of the vessel itself all
contribute to the problems encountered in
the adaptation of fixed derrick instrumentation to floating vessels.
Most of the existing instrumentation
can be adapted to floating vessels if the
new problems are properly considered and
understood. Certain instrumentation cannot
be adapted in its present form and major
redesign will be necessary. Nevertheless,
the required variables can be measured and/
or monitored on floating vessels and the
necessary modifications are within present

In August of 1969, the United States

Department of the Interior issued revised
orders concerning drilling and exploration
operations on the outer continental shelf.
These revised orders spelled out in specific
terms those variables which would be continuously measured and monitored. These include
the measurement of surface mud pit volumes to
determine gains and losses, measurement of
mud volume required to fill the hole while
tripping, and comparing mud returns from the
hole with mud pumped into the hole as measured at the mud pump discharge to determine
gains or losses.
In addition to those variables specified
in the Department of the Interior's orders,
drilling engineers require additional knowledge of other parameters such as hook load
or weight on bit, rotary speed, pump pressure, rate of penetration, rotary torque,
etc. In the event of a kick, shut-in drill
pipe pressure, circulating rate or pump
strokes, circulating drill pipe pressure,
and casing pressure are also required. When
blowout preventers and chokes are installed
on the ocean floor, these measurements are
even more necessary and must be taken remotely. This requires more sophisticated and
complex instrumentation where absolute reliability is all important.

II-790

ADAPTATION OF FIXED PLATFORM RIG INSTRUMENTATION rOFLOATING VESSELS

None of these measurements or instrumentation is particularly complex on a

fixed derrick or platform rig. But efforts
to transfer this same instrumentation to an
unstable floating vessel without first considering wave action and the resulting .
motion transferred to the vessel will produce data which are extremely difficult to
interpret.
DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
A great deal has been written and
reported in various industry publications
and technical journals on the effects 6f
wave action and water motion on the stability of floating vessels. Thus, it is
not the intent in this paper to report on
them in detail. However, it will be necessary to review some of them in order to
fully understand their consequences in
attempting to measure the operational parameters.
Floating vessels, unlike fixed platform and jack-up rigs, are subject to
movement in three planes. This motion or
movement is due to winds, waves, and currents. Of these, wave action is of concern to us in establishing instrumentation
on floating vessels. Ideal wave action
results in an orbital motion of a fixed
point. It will describe a circle as a complete wave passes. This effect decreases
with depth below the surface. Therefore,
the motion transmitted to a floating vessel will be an average -6f the wave action
between the surface and the bottom of the
hull of the vessel.
Currents, whether generated by tides
or winds or insitu, as for example the
Gulf Stream, displace the orbital motion
of waves in the horizontal plane to
either compliment or counteract wave action.
Wind, depending upon velocity, can be
a major factor in.the generation of vessel
motion. Winds generate waves, or can have
an additive effect on waves. In addition,
winds also act upon all parts of the vessel
above the water line. Therefore, wind
produces a double barreled effect upon the
floating vesseL
Wind, waves, and current combine to
produce three distinct vessel motions.
These are described as pitch, yaw, and
rolL Depending upon weather and sea conditions, one or all of these forces may act
upon a floating vessel at any given time.
From the standpoint of rig instrumentation,
the effects of pitch and roll present the

OTC 1308

most difficult problems. Yaw can normally

be compensated for by repositioning the keel
axis of the vessel by shifting the vessel
through anchor line adjustments or rotating
the vessel to head it into the waves by means
of the mechanical positioning system.
Pitch and roll must also be compensated
for in the hookup of the drilling assembly.
Riser pipes,traveling block positioners,
bumper sUbs, slip joints, etc. are used in the
drilling assembly to minimize these problems.
Risers and slip joints provide a flexible connection between the floating vessel
and the fixed assembly attached at the well
head on the ocean bottom. They are capable
of compensating for both pitch and roll,
while permitting more or less normal pipe
handling practices to be carried on. The
slip joint section moves vertically with
respect to the fixed assembly and provides
the seal to permit normal circulation of the
mud from the well bore back to the pits on
the vessel. As such, mud returns surge as
the vessel moves vertically in response to
wave action. Any measurement of flow then
must average the surges in order to approximate normal circulation.
INSTRUMENTATION
Trip Monitoring Device
The Department of the Interior orders
call for a mud volume measuring device for
accurately determining mud volumes required
to fill the hole on trip. This device must
first measure the volume of mud pumped to
fill the hole after pulling a fixed number
of stands, then compare this volume with
fixed limits to determine whether the hole
was taking the proper amount of mud or whether there was a gain or loss.
The simplest method of measuring the
mud volume pumped into the hole is to count
the pump strokes. A remote sensor is used
to stop counting pump strokes as soon as'
returns are received from the annulus. Because of varying lengths of stands, it is
necessary to compare actual flow with high
and low set points or limits. On fixed platforms, these limits can be separated by only
4 or 5 strokes. On a floating vessel, this
same system is practical but the spread between set points must be increased by 2 to 4
strokes to compensate for surging. The amount
of increase will, of course, be governed by
the pitch of the vessel and the wave period.
When the pitch is a foot or less the normal
spread may be adequate, but as the pitch
increases above one foot the spread will have
to be broadened to compensate. The increase
required will become a matter of experience

OTC 1308

ROBERT W. RUHE AND PHIL GRIFFIN

and should be checked after pulling the

first few stands. Adjustments can be made
to fit the particular conditions.
An exact value can be obtained by
determining the number of strokes required
to fill the annulus based upon the vertical travel of the slip joint through a
wave cycle. This value can then be added
to both the high and low set points or
limits.
Pit Volume Measurement
The Department of the Interior orders
include a recording pit level indicator
with a visual or audio warning device
actuated by surface mud volume gains or
losses. Existing instruments perform
this function quite well on fixed platforms but require special care in installation and operation on floating rigs.
As the vessel rolls and pitches, the
mud flows from side to side and end to
end in the pits, attempting to ke~p the
surface horizontal. Therefore, the position of the mud surface relative to a
fixed reference point on the pit varies
through a wave cycle. However, in a symmetrical tank with parallel walls, the
center of area of the surface remains very
nearly at the average position. Depth
measurements, therefore, are reliable
indicators of volume if (1) taken at the
center of area of the uninterrupted surface or (2) taken at two positions averaging on the center, and (3) measured
along a line parallel-to -the walls. When
two measuring positions are used in each
pit, they should be midway along the long
dimension of the tank and equally distant
from the center line.
Note that the requirement of parallel
walls need only apply to those parts of
the walls over which the mud surface moves
during the cycle. The shape of the bottom,
if not exposed during the roll or pitch,
does not affect the mud level at the center.
Measuring devices which move in an arc about
a point on the wall do not measure directly
along a parallel center line and are subject to minor cyclical errors. These
amount to less than about 4 bbls even in
extreme roll (+ 15) and at low mud levels.
Damping of the-signal response to take,
say, 30 seconds to show a 4 bbl change will
reduce the variation in apparent volume due
to a 12 second wave cycle to the order of
1 barrel. Nevertheless, 'it will still clearly indicate any true gain or loss of two or
three barrels within 30 seconds. On pneumatic or hydraulic signals, the damping is
accomplished by a fine adjustment needle

valve in the signal line.

Mud Flow Sensors
The Department of Interior also requires
a mud return indicator to determine that returns are essentially equal to the pump discharge rate. The vertical movement of a
floating vessel, primarily related to pitch,
causes a cyclical change in the head of mud
in the bell nipple and the resulting flow in
the flow line. The actual increase in head
is a function of the slip joint and bell nipple dimensions but it is also directly related to the vertical movement of the vessel.
A 10 foot downward movement on a 10 second
wave cycle produces a surge at a rate of
almost 200 gpm in a 20" slip joint. The
surge will cause an increased flow rate in
the flow line, though the design of flow
line and bell nipple may spread the surge
over something more than the 5 seconds of
falling that caused it, somewhat damping the
effect.
In pneumatic and hydraulic flow sensing
devices, the signal pressures can be damped
by use of a needle valve to show only a very
minor change over a single wave cycle but
will activate the alarm system if the average flow changes significantly in a period
as short as three or four wave cycles.
Mud Weighing Instruments
In general, present mud weighing instruments can easily be adapted for use on floating vessels.
Those operating on a measured buoyancy
system must be protected from fast vertical
mud movement past them as mud surges from
side to side or end to end. Installation
at or near the geometrical center of the
surface area usually accomplishes this., One
popular method mounts the unit on a floating
support or raft moored in the tank, eliminating the need to center it.
Mud weighing devices using a pressure
differential system are generally unaffected
by the wave action.
Penetration Rate Recorders
The standard devices for measuring and
recording penetration rates are generally
useless on floating rigs because they depend
on the motion of the block, hook, or swivel
to indicate penetration. Since drilling
from floating vessels essentially absorbs
the vertical motion of the vessel in the
bumper subs, the penetration of the bit is
only measurable below the lowest bumper sub,
or as an average motion of the hook over

3X-792

ADAPTATION OF FIXD PLATFORM RIG INSTRUMENTATION TO FLOATING YESSELS

several cycles of drilling off the excess

stroke length of the total sub length.
Successful application of penetration
rate recorders to floating vessels will
undoubtedly be developed through any of
several possible changes in instrumentation
or changes in the use of bumper subs of
either present or newly developed types.

OCT K108

in that the on bottom choke can be utilized as stage one in a two stage choking
operation with the higher pressures con
tained in the casing and not allowed in
the choke and kill lines between the bottom
and the vessel. A second adjustable choke
could be installed on the vessel and this
on board choke would be utilized for
sensitive control over the actual kill
pressures required.

Automatic Drilling Control Devices

On floating vessels, the problem of
achieving a rig-floor indication of the
true motion of the bit-limits ~he effectiveness of automatic drillers just as it
does that of drilling rate recorders. It
is almost certain that the same solution
will make both units effective.
Adjustable Chokes

Adjustable chokes now offered to the

industry do not require modification in
order to be adaptable to floating vessels.
Choke lines and kill lines normally contain sufficient slack or swivel joints
to adapt to the various motions of the
vessel without increasing and decreasing
the total contained volume. The use of
adjustable chokes on floating vessels has
become standard.
Certain peculiarities of floating
vessel operations, however, offer a potential for an improvement in adjustable choke
installation as the preventor stack is
placed on the ocean floor and.provisions
are made for the raising and lowering of
choke and kill lines. It is entirely
feasible that certain high pressure adjustable chokes (10,000 lb. working pressure)
can actually be placed on the underwater
stack. This will allow additional .safety,

There are, of course, many complex

engineering problems to be solved before
this dual choke system can be utilized,
however, the advantages of such a system
are very apparent. The higher pressure
adjustable chokes currently available to
the industry need only be fitted out for
submerged connecting to a blowout stack
and provisions made for the release and
reconnection of the lfonbottomfr adjustable
choke to allow surface inspection and repair
at the completion of an extensive well kill
operation.
CONCLUSION

In general, most ffied platform instrumentation can readily be adapted to floating

vessels with no loss in reliability. Pitch
and roll compensation will result in some
increase in comparison spans or signal damping
yet instrument sensitivity is retained.
Only those instruments or devices which
depend upon signals from the fast line, dead
line, or block will have to undergo major
engineering redesign. , Better sensing elements and/or improvements in the action of
bumper subs will be forthcoming to permit
the better utilization of penetration rate
recorders and automatic drillers.