Consistency even during a snowstorm

Installations in the oil production sector usually have to contend with particularly adverse environmental conditions, which manifest themselves in the form of aggressive weather conditions. For a Canadian oil drilling company, a e-loop® energy chain solution from igus® now guarantees that the top drive, which lowers the drill pipe into the ground and pulls it out again, is still safely and reliably supplied with energy and signals even after heavy storms.

Profile

What was needed: modular energy chain system e-loop®
Requirements: Safe cable routing, modularity of the system, simple integration into the plant, robust and durable product
Industry: Oil & Gas
Success for the customer: The modularity of the e-loop® made it easy to integrate into the existing system. The cable routing is particularly resilient and has already withstood a snowstorm without any problems.

Problem

Akita Drilling is a drilling rig operator headquartered in Canada. The company operates around 20 rigs, most of which are based in Canada. The working conditions on drilling rigs such as this one in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan are sometimes characterised by extremely adverse weather conditions. Components that can easily withstand shocks such as storms are therefore critical for the reliable operation of drilling rigs. Specifically, the operating company was looking for a suitable solution for the energy and signal supply of the top drive, which guides the drill pipe into the ground and pulls it out again. In addition to robustness, the operating company was looking for a cable solution that could be integrated into the existing system as easily as possible.

Solution

In the Canadian conveyor system, the system operator ultimately decided in favour of our e-loop®, which replaced the previously used service loop. The modular energy chain system is designed for cable routing in suspended and 3-dimensional applications. A tension cable inside the chain relieves all cables and protects them from the tensile forces that occur when the Top Drive moves up and down in the system. However, the system operator benefits in particular from the high weather resistance and robustness of the energy chain, which simply absorbs vibrations and impacts, in terms of availability and maintenance costs. The e-loop® has even mastered a major reinforcement test - a snowstorm - without any problems.